Car & Driver just published on of their famous comparison tests, this time using the B-Spec Racers. B Season: Testing a swarm of SCCA-Spec B-segment racers in search of the queen. On the list of mankind’s vital pursuits, racing ranks with procreation, fine dining, and the consumption of refreshing beverages. Speed is fundamental to any human’s spiritual well-being. So, when the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) tempted us with a new easy-entry B-Spec road-racing category, primal urges drove us to find out which of the four cars gathered here offers the quickest path to enlightenment. We’ve trod this road before. Forty years ago, when the SCCA invented Showroom Stock sedan racing, Car and Driver took the bait. Within seven years, two editors had ascended the speed ladder to compete at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Patrick Bedard, C/D’s quickest shoe, accelerated from squalling econoboxes to Indy cars in a decade. Read the full article on the Car & Driver site.
Ha! Looks like the Kia's will have significant hurdles to entry. Never liked those cars or their Grand-Am drivers, always crashing MINIs...
It seems to me that Kia is already lobbying the SCCA for a larger restricter. Love the BS about their car not running on the specified restricter so we put a larger one in so we could run the car, I call BS. The series has not really started & they are already going for the unfair advantage. Looks to me like it may be some good close racing. Here's hoping the MINI teams do well.
Ahhhh, so where is the missing elephant that doesn't seem to be in the room? The Fiat 500 doesn't qualify??
Yeah, what's the point of showing up with a car that's way too light and notably more powerful than allowed? Oh, and despite being the fastest, NOBODY from C&D picked it as the car they'd want to drive. Metalman, the 500 does qualify... there just wasn't anyone willing to give up their B-Spec 500 for this test. The Yaris, Versa, and Fiesta also qualify for this series. Hopefully, we get some of all of them at the races.
The good news for B-Spec is that the race (at least the first one in Miami) is on Sunday, the same day as the Rolex race. Compared to being before the Continental tire race, the exposure will be much higher.
Agreed. I was just saying (vaguely), that being the same day as Rolex might get them a little coverage during Rolex telecasts and also greatly increase the interest... which improves the chances of TV coverage. At the very least, I'll be posting to my company FB page live from the race. Not that that's anything like watching it on TV