AutoCross classing for BCBFs

[rallysam]

Hey guys,

I was doing some research, so I thought I would post my results. I think I found which SCCA autocross class BC-BFs would fall into depending on the level of modification.

Stock: HS
Street Touring: STS for NA, STU for turbo
Street Prepared: FSP
Street Mod: SM
Prepared: ?
Modified: ? just don't go there

And to compare how competitive those classes are, here are their 2006 PAX numbers for each of those classes. The Pax is basically a handicap - higher numbers indicate faster classes.

HS: 0.780
STS: 0.797 / STU: 0.820 (STS for NA / STU for turbo)
FSP: 0.814
SM: 0.845

[DLC]

My wagon was in H Stock for the first event I ever did, but that was back when Subaru hadn't sold a turbo for 7 years (pre-WRX). Later, when we figured out that my MBC put me in SM, there I went. It did pretty well, always finishing above the halfway mark in a competitive class of 8+ each event. There was no STU class in my region, so I'm not familiar with the limitations, but it's probably restricted to no boost changes, like HS, but allows for more suspension and tire/wheel choices.

[LaureltheQueen]

The turbos are technically STU which kills me. It's the same index class as the STi, and you're indexed harsher than a WRX would be, even though the handling of such an old car isn't so good. Apparently you can be indexed lower in your area, but you have to speak with important people about what class you'd be in. Me, I just run Time Only. I'm not competitive, and I'm not going to be competitive in this car, so I have fun and if I do run STU, people look at me like my car must be insane to be competing with STis. It's rather humorous

[rallysam]

My wagon was in H Stock for the first event I ever did, but that was back when Subaru hadn't sold a turbo for 7 years (pre-WRX). Later, when we figured out that my MBC put me in SM, there I went. It did pretty well, always finishing above the halfway mark in a competitive class of 8+ each event. There was no STU class in my region, so I'm not familiar with the limitations, but it's probably restricted to no boost changes, like HS, but allows for more suspension and tire/wheel choices.

So you were really in the thick of the pack in SM??? I wouldn't expect that since SM is a pretty free-for-all class.

The turbos are technically STU which kills me. It's the same index class as the STi, and you're indexed harsher than a WRX would be, even though the handling of such an old car isn't so good. Apparently you can be indexed lower in your area, but you have to speak with important people about what class you'd be in. Me, I just run Time Only. I'm not competitive, and I'm not going to be competitive in this car, so I have fun and if I do run STU, people look at me like my car must be insane to be competing with STis. It's rather humorous

LOL! If I run in STU I'm going to have to put a "Pass me" sign on the back of the car!

Thanks for the info. I will update the info the the first post.

[555BCTurbo]

I ran in the FSP (Factory, Street Prepared) class last year...and I did pretty well (2nd Place Finish at my last Autox) but I fear I will be going into a Mod class now that I have suspension...

But no worries...because since then, I now have a bigger turbo!!!

[DLC]

You have to understand that at the time my car was competing in SM, there were almost no factory turbo cars being made in the US. Contrast that now, and you have any number of Imprezas and EVOs and whatnot bullying the course and competition. In my region the leading cars were a 69 510 with a V6, Civic Turbo, an older Shelby Dodge, maybe a Mustang or F-Body...

It was much nicer racing with a near-stock first-generation RX-7 in SM2...yeah you read right, the same class as the Viper would be in. Thankfully my only real competitor was a Miata turbo whose owner took a while to get the hang of it.

Regardless, putting an old Legacy Turbo into the same class as a stock STI is stupid.

[Legacy777]

Agreed.....the classes are pretty stupid. My car....it'd be in the super modified class....it is far from stock.

[rallysam]

Agreed.....the classes are pretty stupid. My car....it'd be in the super modified class....it is far from stock.

Actually, maybe with the updating and backdating rules....



Yeah, competing against WRX's, let alone STIs, is rediculous. It seems like the only place Legacies wouldn't be a joke is H stock or F street prepared... I'm guessing it wouldn't be "competitive" in those classes either, but at least it woudn't get run over by the next car!

[DLC]

It's all about the drivers too, which a lot of people forget. Car-wise, my wagon shouldn't have placed as good as it did on a consistent basis against the competition I had, but I did. I'm sure it was a combination of good driver/bad driver going on. Same went for a near-stock 84 RX-7 owning a turbo Miata...till he got a handle on the beast.

I'm sure that anyone here who's been out on the day of an autocross can attest to the pure satisfaction of watching a master at work, and the pure entertainment of watching a clown get pie thrown in his face, so to speak.

[BAC5.2]

Street Mod out here is RIDICULOUSLY competetive. Tubbed out F-body's and everything under the sun on slicks. Turbo Miata's, Supra's with more tire than a steamroller. EVO's on R-compounds and steel rods instead of struts. STi's on crack cocaine, and, did I mention Turbo Miata's?

Street Mod is the reason I am not so inclined to begin auto-X. My driving ability, and more importantly, my car would be quite outmatched, I'm sure.

I'll admit. Currently, my car has far too much power for the suspension that's underneath it. Not for long though.

[rallysam]

I just ran my first autocross in a long time in SM this weekend (I didn't have the heart to "bend the rules" and run DSP, because there was only one driver entered in DSP and it turned out that I killed his times).

So about SM: I got 12th of 15 in SM this weekend on street tires. If I was less rusty, I'm guessing could've pulled 8th/15 or better, because the spread was not too big. That's not a bad show for an SS, considering that it has half the power/weight ratio as other cars in the class, and especially considering how horribly prepared my car is compared to all the mods that are allowed in that class. I guess the thing you have to remember is that even if you're not competitive at the top, you can still place ok because there's a lot of other newbie drivers, and a lot of other cars whose mods aren't prepped to the limit.

But you're right, the guys at the top of SM were completely untouchable. I don't see how a a fully-prepped SS could touch an STI with the same allowances.

Your boy James got 6th (40.515) I got 12th (42.933) and Holly got 14th (47.169).


I think an SS is going to be outgunned pretty much everywhere, except possibly in HStock. Even that I'm not sure of. At least there it would be trying to outrun the base-trim Coopers instead of STIs, but even that wouldn't be easy.

[Splinter]

Yea I was put in FSP