Just wondering what everybody thinks. I race 3/4 midget and my car and me weights around 900 pounds . The average car weight is like 883 but the driver winning some of races is right at 800 pounds .So im giving up 100 pounds to him ,would he go faster with 100pounds more or slow down a couple of tenths? In another club they have a kid that might be 720 pounds and he is winning every thing in sight . The club i run with has been thinking of changing weight rule to something alittle higher ,so what would be a good number to keep cars more competive?
and should you make change in middle of a race season?

Lighter is always going to be faster

Common sense gives most people the answer, some can't understand it, but here's what the "big boys" figure. On an IRL car, they sometimes change colors everyweek or 2. I watched an interview, with one team, and they were asked why they went to the trouble to remove all the old color, before re-coloring, why not just scuff it and change the color? The answer, the amount of paint used, weighs 7 lbs, in their testing, they found the 7 lbs EXTRA weight, was worth a tenth of a second a lap, rocket science say 10 laps, and you're behind one full second, now, multiply that by the extra amount you weigh, versus the lighter car and driver, and again, rocket science tells you, you'd just as well go fishing, with engine HP being so equal, it makes sense to correct the minimum weight NOW, it isn't that big a deal, to equalize the field. The move to 800lbs, did nothing to equalize the difference, the lightest that was weiged was 801 or 802, most were over 850, and some well over 900, so it should have been at least 850 or 875, to better level the field, it's foolish to make it any other way. Just a thought, if weight doesn't make "any"differrence, then engine size "shouldn't be a factor either, so why not allow bigger engines, to make up for the weight difference? Bob

ea Titanium bolts, carbon fiber components, etc etc.. the lighter you can be the better, and when they implement a weight rule of sorts, being lighter is your advantage because you can hang the extra weight where it's most beneficial..

this coming from an overweight driver.. lol

When Doug Wolfgang drove the 49 car he was asked why it wasnt very colorful. He simply responded, "paint would add 3 pounds"

24midgets: I guess the question was just too difficult, maybe you should try to make it easier/simpler, I don't know how you do that, but it must be something more difficult than "driving" the space shuttle, or it could be that only those who are on the light end, are concerned, and don't want to make any waves, by responding. JMHO after being involved in racing for over 60yrs, might be my outlook! Bob

That is why they put weight in race horse saddle's down here in KY they call it handycaping and works pretty good. Given the choice between 25 hp our 25 lbs I'll take the 25 lbs. That is not too fair for average adult male if you weigh the car only.

i would much rather see them do a sealed stock motor that could be cheaper and lot more fun, maybe take 1000cc engine and keep it stock and sealed. what thoughts on that? TQ racing is going down hill last couple years and sad to say it but neither group seems to be doing very good, would a stock engine help it out?

I would be against a sealed engine, simply because I like to do my own work. As I have said before, I run a stock engine, a 600cc Yamaha, not an aftermarket part in it, except for the cam chain adjuster, and I make my own, out of the stock one, so it's almost stock. Sure, it is still necessary to remove the trans, and plate the opening, but with some alterations, it could be possible to use the trans case as is, just remove the gears and etc. A spec engine usually means paying yet another "contractor" to go thru it, and verify it being what it's supposed to be, then if you need ANY work done as maintainence, then it has to go back to the "builder" for that, which adds cost to the project, again, going in circles, and, no one says you have to run an 836 Honda, there are other choices, and a whole lot cheaper to build. The engine is not the problem, as I see it, and it's been the same way for years, too much variation in weight, of the car and driver, yes, if you continue to run the Honda, it still will be expensive, but as I said before, no where in the rules does it say you have to run an 836 Honda, an engine that is 42 yrs old, and never, ever was able to run very long, without expensive, aftermarket parts. All of this can be handled with a closer balance of the weight of the cars and drivers, there is no reason now, to even bother weighing the participants, almost everyone can meet the 800 lb rule, it's the average that we need to get closer to, and that was 883 lbs, I think that 850lbs would be a good place to start, and not put a burden on anyone. Bob

Neibel kicked our butts for years with that V-6 car on pavement because they were allowed 200lbs less. Once the weight was equal
they were not so dominant.

The heavier the car the more energy it takes to start it in motion and more energy to stop it's motion. Simple physics.

I spent two weeks making decals for a certain high-profile driver's Chili Bowl car that were full of 1/8th inch holes to shave weight. I saved up all the little 1/8th inch dots that I picked out and they weighed a pound.