Before the season begins in earnest, it’s best to run through your class rulebook to see if anything has changed. As in years past, changes are noted in red in the PDF so you can glance at it quickly. We looked through all the rulebooks and found there have been rule changes and updates in the following classes:
- Performance Touring
- Super Touring
- Spec Miata
- CMC
- GTS
- Honda Challenge
- Spec E30
- Spec Z
- AI
- AIX
- Spec Iron
- Spec3
- Spec E46
There may be others, so check your class rules closely before you take the grid this spring.
NASA Prototype Crowns 2016 Series Champions
NASA is proud to congratulate Andy Lee and Matt Rivard on each earning the title of NASA Prototype Season Champion. The first season of competition for the newly developed series featured 19 races at several of the top circuits across the U.S.
Lee competed in the Pacific Series driving for Team StopTech entry. Lee topped the podium in six of 11 races, compiling 878 points to lead second place Team Valkyrie with drivers Mark White and Brian Lock splitting driving duties by a mere 44 points. Third place finisher in the Pacific Division was Jeremy Croiset.
Rivard finished on the top step of the Atlantic Series with a convincing lead over fellow season podium finishers David Beckmann and Dave Balingit. Rivard’s string of top finishes including five wins in nine races placed him in front of Beckmann by 154 points.
Nationwide, 20 different drivers competed in the first season of competition for the NASA Prototype Series. The NASA Prototype class is built around the new NASA Prototype Elan NP01 chassis, which was designed from the ground up to be quick and great looking but more importantly, safe, reliable and inexpensive to run.
With almost 30 cars now completed and several more on order, the 2017 season is expanding to three divisions and will visit tracks such as Circuit of the Americas, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma Raceway, Barber Motorsports Park as well as several other notable locations. The final rounds of the 2017 season will be held at Thunderhill Raceway and Sebring International Raceway during the NASA Western and Eastern States Championship events.
The full 2017 schedule and details on this growing class can be found on the series website www.NasaPrototype.com
Mazda Announces 2017 Contingency Details
Mazda and NASA just announced the 2017 Mazda Motorsports Contingency Program, newly revised to provide fantastic cash awards to NASA racers competing in Rally Sport, 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Regional Championships, Western Endurance Racing Championships and at both NASA Championships events.
Mazda made many adjustments for the 2017 season based on customer feedback it collected. The overwhelming feedback was to pay deeper into the field and to better reward those who beat more competitors.
Spec Miata competitors are eligible for up to $3,350 in cash awards for regional championship and a $250 bonus if they competed in either NASA Championships. Mazda is awarding up to $6,600 in cash awards for the top five finishes in their respective championship races. To sweeten the pot even further, Mazda Motorsports will offer Time Trial competitors at both Western and Eastern Championships a chance to win up to $1,000 for the top three!
The contingency program is available beginning immediately to all NASA competitors in these respective classes at each NASA event. For complete information on the contingency program, please visit: https://nasa-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/document/document/8903/2017_Mazda_Contingency_Awards_Program_Revised_NASA.pdf
Ask National
Q: The CCR addresses modes of transportation around the paddock as follows: “The general rule of thumb is: if you sit on it, you can use it. No seat means no go.” Why is a seat a requirement for paddock transport?
A: There are so many type of transportation these days, with a number of home built contraptions. One rule won’t cover everything all the time, so we need a general rule of thumb, such as requiring a seat. While accidents do happen on vehicles with seats, they are a lot less common than on vehicles that are ridden standing up.
Q: How does a race director choose between a waving-green-flag restart, and one where all stations simply cease to display a double yellow?
A: One instance is called a “restart,” and one is called a “resumption.” Restarts are used for races. Resumptions can be used during practice and qualifying sessions, since there is no “leader” to give the green flag to.
