The idea of the rule is to limit contact between our class cars. We shouldn't be racing other classes so I'd run conservatively around other classes.

I, too, am completely in favor of one car width +. However, the PRC has an additional component that should be considered. They require room to be left if there is any overlap.

The reason this seems to make sense, in an amateur series, is that NASA's rules allow the leading car to chop down on a car that is not well up along side and any contact is the fault of the second car. I have had more than one instance where someone chopped down in a corner and barely missed my front bumper/fender. They did it so quickly that there was no time to react and, had I been six inches up, the lead car might very well have been in a wild spin in a very bad place and I would have been at fault.

Requiring more than 3/4 car width only when the other car has a "right" to be there (pretty much fully along side) will not protect against contact where there is less overlap. Requiring room if there is any overlap will.

I am not convinced that changing from 3/4 to 1 car width will accomplish much as there will be debates on was it the right amount or not, and adding 6 inches seems silly at 70 MPH who can measure 6 inches accurately. We will also be in conflict with the NASA rules. To much potential for confusion so let's leave it alone. If NASA wants to make an organizational wide change that is their call.

This is exactly why we need to change this rule. We can hit an apex within an inch or two at triple digit speeds lap after lap but can't judge when to leave enough room? I think if there's any overlap at all you should give at LEAST a car width whether youre required to or not, that's the gentlemanly thing to do, not to mention the safest. It's club racing after all not NASCAR!

The attitude of not giving room, or only 3/4 car width is what ruins national events and I think it's what should be changed going forward to help lighten the aggressiveness. I know in our local races we all give plenty of room, don't block and generally show respect for others. Personally I wish this didn't even have to be a rule or a discussion but just common courtesy.

It's a $5 trophy

This topic is really one about the philosophy of the class as a whole. Does anybody really think that changing from 3/4 to 1 car is going to change the amount of car contact that happens? I bet many of the racers in the paddock will have a different answer for this, none of which match even the CCR answer.

What we need is for each region to stress the importance of avoiding car contact. We have to have a better understanding of when to press the situation of passing as opposed to laying off and waiting for a better setup. This is all part of race craft. I have run along side a lot of out of class cars this season and not had contact with a one of them. I credit parts of that to positioning myself aggressively on the track to prevent a bad situation as well as conceding the position preemptively so I can control how the pass happens. I hate out of class contact, its the worst kind of contact but unfortunately some of those in my region have suffered it several times this season.

As for in class contact, it all comes down to respect and knowing your limits. The time to test the limits on your own is in practice where you aren't at liberty to take out a fellow racer. Approach the limit slowly so that when you exceed it, its much less of an event. When in the heat of battle, all you have control over is what you do. Put yourself into a position so that if somebody else your racing makes a mistake, you wont get caught up in it.

Learn what the difference between low and high percentage passes are. Certain parts of the track are not conducive to passing, others are and as the intensity/speed goes up (Nationals) so does the risk of all passing. Adjust both technique and talent accordingly.

I think ultimately this comes down to regions stamping out any excuse for car contact. Regional Directors need to enforce the rules and educate the standard, but punish when the time is right. We don't want to scare anybody away for making a mistake tied to being overwhelmed, but a class that becomes known for being the "Spec Pinata" class is less likely to attract new members like we want.

I am completely for changing the rule to 1 car width. The 3/4 car rule is completely asinine for a club depending on amateurs who build these cars for fun. There was a Spec E30 video that went around a few years ago at Summit Point where a driver ran another driver off the track and caused a roll over and won an appeal due to the 3/4 car rule. I hate it, and I don't care if you think that it'll increase or decrease contact. It gives me the ability to protest you if you don't leave me room and I want that ability.