May 2018 Committee Note

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jpetillo
Posts: 759
Joined: August 26th, 2006, 2:54 pm

May 2018 Committee Note

Post by jpetillo »

FV Spec Tire Testing:
The FV Advisory Committee wants to get out this update on the FV Spec Tire Testing being conducted this year. There are two Phases to the testing program. So far the Committee, with the support of Hoosier and a handful of fellow FV racers devoting their time and cars, have been testing the tires in different parts of the country. The Phase I testing that started back in January has been going on from California to Virginia, and from Connecticut to Florida. So far we have run over 71 sessions on the test tires, and have run them in testing session, as well as for qualifying and races, and at both the Rational and Majors level. We are currently still in Phase I of the testing plan and we will be wrapping this phase up during the month of May.

Tracks that we have tested at so far are…
  • AutoClub
    Buttonwillow
    Sebring
    VIR
    Thompson
    Willow Springs
    Thunderhill
    Palmer
Still to come…
  • Seattle
    Portland
    New Hampshire
    Palmer
    Grattan
    Watkins Glen
    Mid Ohio
Phase II is being organized as we speak where the tires will be brought together and tested against new R55A and new Test tires to determine the falloff vs. heat cycle. This will be done in June, with a decision planned to be made in July about whether we will recommend to the SCCA adopting these tires for the 2019 season.

The test tires have so far been showing a dramatic increase in longevity, but it’s unfair to our testing process to predict just how much at this time. However, we should know by the end of June.

We’d like to thank Hoosier and all the testers for their support and sacrifice for the future health and well being of the FV class.

For those looking for yet another tire choice for FV, you may want to sit tight, as this new tire we’ve been testing might be the one you’ve been waiting for.

We hope you have a great racing season!

Thank you,
The FV Advisory Committee
  • John Petillo
    Stephen Saslow
    Dennis Andrade
    Al Varacins
    Charlie Turner
Stumpthumper
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Joined: November 13th, 2017, 11:55 am

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by Stumpthumper »

Thanks for the update, John!
jpetillo
Posts: 759
Joined: August 26th, 2006, 2:54 pm

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by jpetillo »

Sure thing!
vortech94
Posts: 9
Joined: October 8th, 2010, 11:38 am

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by vortech94 »

How about a committee update ? It has been a couple of months. Especially about the spec tires and if they are " for sure " going to be implemented in 2019.
Thanks, Bob
jpetillo
Posts: 759
Joined: August 26th, 2006, 2:54 pm

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by jpetillo »

Bob, sorry for the delay. Yes, sure thing - I can give a quick update.

The Spec Tire testing process and schedule has been pretty much going as planned - at least happening within the time scale that we had hoped. We did get the Phase I testing completed, which happened from January - June. We also did have the Phase II testing completed in June, which is what we wanted.

We are now at the point in the process where the collected data and driver assessments are being gathered for review. We hope to have a determination soon. We were targeting July, and there’s a chance we’ll make that target. If not, we’ll be very close I suspect.

I’ll definitely post an announcement here as soon as a determination is made. Please stay posted.

Thank you,
John
vortech94
Posts: 9
Joined: October 8th, 2010, 11:38 am

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by vortech94 »

SPEC TIRES, Curious as to when an all the rest of the VEE drivers in America will find out if we are going to have to use SPEC TIRES next year ? ?
It is past time for planning on what to do with the current tires we might have on hand. Example; I could run either new or really good used tires at the next races and practice days this year if they will not be eligible next year.
Guys going to the Runoffs and buying new sets of tires to be competitive there, usually plan on racing on them at the beginning of the next season. What are they going to do with outdated tires ?
Thanks for any news
jpetillo
Posts: 759
Joined: August 26th, 2006, 2:54 pm

Re: May 2018 Committee Note

Post by jpetillo »

Bob,

The 10/05/2018 Preliminary Tech Bulletin https://www.scca.com/pages/cars-and-rules is the first such announcement of the decision by the SCCA. We all saw it together this morning. Or was it out yesterday - I just heard of it this morning through e-mails and posts. It's not clear what happened behind the scenes and why it took this much time, but at least we see the SCCA's decision.

Please read the preliminary bulletin. The spec slicks are to be required 1/1/2019 and rains (the rains are the same as what is currently sold) 1/1/2020.

When we put it together, I am going to post how the process went down from the FV Committee's standpoint similar to what we had posted previously. This will take several days. That will answer some of the questions folks have, but I'm sure it won't answer them all.

John
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