11/3/2013
Summary of UMSS Fall Rules Meeting
Summary of the UMSS Fall Rules Meeting held on November 2, 2013
Below is a summary of information I wrote down at the UMSS Fall Rules Meeting held on Saturday, November 2nd at Joe Senser's Sports Bar in Roseville, MN. This report is intended to be a general summary only. Any rules or procedure changes adopted at this meeting will be incorporated into the Official UMSS Rulebook, and that document will supersede this general summary.
UMSS Micro Sprints: NO CHANGES!
UMSS WINGED SPRINTS & TRADITIONAL SPRINTS:
2014 Tires Allowed: Hoosiers on all (4) corners.
Any Hoosier front tire allowed (no change from previous year).
Left Rear: Hoosier RC1 (no change from previous year).
Right Rear: Hoosier 16 medium.
Note: Currently NOT an option but UMSS will look into the possibility at some point in the future of allowing the Hoosier 18 hard on the right rear IF excessive wear becomes an issue on some of the abrasive track surfaces we run on.
No free tires under the new contract. For the previous three years, this applied to the winged division only based on car count.
Tire point fund money will be based on per car per night.
Run-off period currently set for using up old SC25 RR tires from last year is the FIRST (3) FEATURE races on the schedule. Once the series has run three races (features), the run-off period is done. Several drivers inquired IF this could be extended one or two more races. Joe and Ron are going to check with Hoosier to see IF that is an option, but right now it is (3) feature races only.
Durometer Rule: Currently none stated in the rules. At early season races, the top five in each race will have their rear tires durometered (with one approved durometer) to develop an average. Once the average has been established, a durometer rule will go into effect. There will be a small tolerance (maybe 2-3%). If you don't meet the minimum, within tolerance, you will be DQed and lose the tire. This is something the majority of drivers and owners on hand at this meeting agreed upon.
Starts/Restarts: Same procedures as currently stated in the rules. UMSS will likely use a chalk line on the track at the restart cone in order to assist series/track officials, who may be at a couple of angles, in determining if a car fires early. Tower angle of view and infield angle are different, and most agreed that a chalk line (like we used to have years ago) would be helpful.
License Fee for 2014: $125 annual fee for full insurance. $40 per night if not purchasing an annual license. Insurance costs have increased (no surprise to most of us).
UMSS WINGED SPRINTS:
Engine Packages: Current ones listed in the rules remain the same.
UMSS has been approached by one driver who is willing to do R&D on the LS1 Schwanke sealed 6.1 liter engine. Consensus at this meeting was that we need more info and research before making a final decision on whether to allow this engine on an experimental basis in 2014 or not allow it at all. The main concern seemed to focus around exactly what the computer controls or doesn't control and IF anyone could tamper with it. Ideally most agreed that they would like to see the dyno numbers of an ASCS sleeved engine and this 6.1 sealed engine done on the same day on the same dyno. Bottom line...the discussion was rather lengthy with plenty of inpurt but no final decision for or against until further research is done regarding this engine. Joe and Terry are the ones who will continue to look into this further.
Race Procedures: Same as currently stated in the rules.
Purses: Ron discussed boosting the back half of the purse by $50 for 10-15 and $25 for 16-20. Obviously nobody disagreed with this.
Points: Consensus was to leave the number of throw-outs the same at (2) races, so no changes to the point structure.
UMSS TRADITIONAL SPRINTS:
Race Procedures: Traditional drivers voted in favor of adopting the rule of (10) lap heat races regardless of number of cars in the heat and (25) lap feature races subject to the usual weather and/or track curfew issues that could crop up on any given race night. Passing points will continue to be used in the heats to determine feature race lineup. For now, the redraw pills for the high point driver for the feature are 0,4,6, or 8. Ron agreed to think over a proposed change by the drivers to go with only a 0-4 invert.
Purses: Very similar to last year (higher for travel shows away from SCVR), but no concrete numbers were put forth.
Points: Drivers voted to change the number of throw-outs to (1) race only!
Shocks: No changes for now.
Engine Package: No changes to current one listed in the rules.
Experimental LS 5.3 liter stock Chevy engine from last year still under consideration. Rick Kobs had the dyno sheets from a test done on Thursday October 30 at R&R on both gas and methanol and with different timing ranges, etc. (13 pulls total). Best numbers generated were 377 HP on methanol. Drivers/owners still wanted to see a test of a current TSCS motor done on the same day on the same dyno versus this 5.3 liter engine. Like the 6.1 discussed by the winged division, this one also generated a lengthy discussion but the verdict is still out on this 5.3 liter engine regarding whether it will be approved, required to be detuned some, or not approved. Once again, Joe and Terry are going to be in charge of collecting some additional information.
Misc. Items: Ron discussed the schedules, but he really has not gotten going in earnest on either one just yet. At the upcoming WISSOTA Promoters meetings is where Ron makes a lot of his contacts and really gets the ball rolling on scheduling for the next racing season. Several drivers did inquire about certain tracks and asked Ron to try his best to get a show at them. Ron indicated he would try his best to gauge interest, but some tracks just simply are not interested or are unable to book dates. GRP stated that there will be NO CHANGES to the Rookie of the Year procedure in either division (winged or traditional), as he will still take the top (12) point shows. To qualify for rookie status, a driver cannot have raced in more than (6) sprint car events in his/her career. Drivers discussed safety equipment issues and stressed that series officials need to take closer look at what each driver has, especially with several new drivers in the traditional series once again expected. The drivers certainly did agree that it was the driver's responsibility to adequately protect themselves, but they just wanted to make sure the UMSS was a bit more involved than they currently are in keeping tabs on this and helping educate many of the newer or younger drivers on various safety procedures. Everyone agreed that safety was a number one priority and the UMSS certainly would step up their safety checks and education efforts. Some teching concerns were discussed with drivers wanting to make certain, once again primarily in the traditional sprint division, that more engine teching takes place throughout the season.
All-in-all the meeting again generated some very good discussion, with several differing opinions on various topics, and plenty of input from the drivers/owners in attendance. The UMSS thanks all those who took time from their busy schedules to attend this meeting. The turnout was very good as it usually is at this meeting, and several drivers who could not attend had expressed their concerns and opinions ahead of time to series officials regarding certain issues.
Next up is the UMSS banquet (see separate press release) on Saturday January 18, 2014 at the Hampton Inn in Shoreview. A preliminary 2014 schedule should be ready by that time. In the meantime, additional research will be conducted on the two proposed engines discussed above, but I simply do not have an absolute timetable as to when more info will be available on them. As always, drivers and owners are encouraged to call Joe Kouba or Terry Galle regarding rule issues involving engines.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone!
Article Credit: Greg Parent, UMSS Media Director
