rd7839 wrote:
Man, if the mutli time national and western champion, not to mention gts and regional champ, says there's not a problem then there probably isn't. I think his vote should override everyone else.
I thought I had shifter problems and rebuilt the lever and changed the rear mechanism and still had to drop out of the 2014 nationals. Turns out it was the slave cylinder and the clutch wouldn't disengage fully sometimes. I drove one of the qualifying races without using the pedal and even with the 30 year old shift linkage and tranny I was able to find a gear and even finished pretty well. For the next event I pulled the slave and hose from my parts car that was frayed and cracked and it did just fine, the cost was zero.
Seriously I think we should not have a rules proposal period every year. It leads to some sort of new rule that might not be needed. I propose a rules committee be set up and they decide if something is needed and then get the input from us and decide from there. I also think a former or current champ should sit on this committee.
BTW, I AM for the 3 peice crossmember. It's not a performance advantage, can be done at home or bought, and would help with working under the motor.
I've never raced west of Texas but I still know who Buzzetti is without you swinging his sack for him. I say congratulations to him since hes dealt with making a sorry excuse for a shifter fast for 8 years now. Just because you two have dealt with the problem for the longest out of all of us doesn't mean that we should continue to deal with the problem for the next 8 years.
If you want to use resume to qualify one's feedback around here, then let me introduce myself: I am Jason Stanley, the Southeast Region Series Director. I hold track records in 944Spec for every Southeast region track except one (Damn you Kuhns!). I am the 2014 Southeast Region Champion and am leading the points for 2015. I placed second in class at the 2015 Eastern Champs and was one oil slick away from likely winning in 2014 (thanks Agran). I also won the 2015 GTS1 Eastern Championship handily. I just finished Company Command of a US Army UH-60 Blackhawk Command Aviation Company where I was responsible for the manning, training, and equipping of 8 UH-60 Blackhawks and over 70 Soldiers where I routinely challenged old assumptions to fix old problems.
This shifter rule is an old assumption (its good enough) and an old problem (everyone knows it sucks, even when brand new).
As the Southeast region director, I actually talk to my racers on a regular basis and work on productive feedback which would IMPROVE our region and the class as a whole just like I would while I was a Company Commander. I even go so far as to reach out to the PCA racers, both in our region and back in Texas to see what feedback they have. Why do you think you have so many Southeast region racers being vocal on here? (Crooks, Wera44, S2k4j) For the 2 years that Ive been region director I have discussed potential rule changes with the class both at the track and via email. Both years the shifter has come up as needing improvement. It will continue to come up until there is a change. Over the last year every early offset suspension racer has said cookie cutters are hard to find just as a matter of discussion, which is why I worked on a very viable wheel proposal which would unquestionably benefit those who cant find cookie cutters.
Moving on to others who have established pedigrees as racers in the class commenting on these rules:
FDJeremy is the two time Mid-South Champion who is in favor of a shifter rule change.
danl4444 is the 2014 East States Champion and the 2015 West States Champion who is also in favor of a shifter rule change.
You may call this rules creep, but I say it should have been incorporated since the beginning given how well known the 944's shifter sucks. As I continue to try and grow the Southeast region, I try to recruit new racers who have to make the decision between the spec classes. With 20+ car SE30 fields at regional races in the Southeast, its hard to recruit against that size. Time and again we have potential racers drive our cars and say they feel so much more like a race car than the SE30 aside from the shifter, then go buy a SE30. The fact that a well built SE30 costs $5-10 grand more doesn't have an impact on the choice.
Nobody is saying the stock linkage doesn't work, what we are saying is that it's not suitable for racing, and a better solution is out there for minimal cost expense given the large bottom line it takes to fund even just a fun regional racing season. When this passes, this year or next, it'll be easier for more racers to shift these cars properly which will tighten the competition and maybe some of these track records will go to other racers in each region. I for one am excited about more competition, not trying to block rules which will prevent it.
The burden lays on me and me alone. Just know that however I judge I hope everyone can understand that I will do so with the best intentions for the class. I wont be able to make everyone happy, but will do my best to look out for the majority and do what I think will most benefit our class. 
