Photo credit: Kirk Myhre of Myhre Motorsports Design
Sponsored Content Presented by Revolution Racing League.
How about some truly simple racing rules?
No trackside dynos.
No minimum lap times.
No complicated formulas.
Revolution Racing League, a new endurance group based out of the Pacific Northwest, places cars into one of three classes simply by tire width and fuel capacity. A spec tire is mandated for all entries, and cars must be production-based.
That’s its entire BOP.
Two of the founders of Revolution Racing League, Chris Luscher and Adam Harris, aren’t new to the scene. Both came out of track days and then got into low-buck endurance racing.
But they eventually felt limited by the rules found in the Pacific Northwest endurance scene. A big obstacle that they felt held them back: minimum lap times, with teams penalized for breaking out.
As a result, Chris and Adam found themselves concentrating more on scrubbing off speed than actually racing. “It gets to the point where it gets tedious,” Chris says. “A lot of teams have outgrown the endurance racing options we have in the Pacific Northwest, including us.”
Faced with no other options in the area, Chris explains, they came up with a solution: “We decided to do something on our own.”
There’s a large, competitive racing community in the Pacific Northwest, they note. “We also have a lotta really cool tracks out here,” Chris adds, “all within a 5-hour drive.”
Revolution Racing League, their new series, simply classifies teams based on the car and not the driver.
That’s it for the class rules. No multipliers. No driver rankings.
“We class the car,” Adam says, “not the driver.”
“It’s a no-rules series,” he continues. “We wanted to keep it as simple as possible. How can we balance performance in a simple way where we don’t have to bring dynos to the race track?”
The class structure, they explain, should naturally separate cars by on-track performance, with the fastest cars in Class A and the slowest ones in Class C. Have a high-powered car like a Mustang or even a V8-powered Miata? Odds are strong, they reason, that it’s going to run a wider tire and land in Class A.
All cars will run a spec tire, however, with the series mandating the Hankook Ventus RS4. This model has become an endurance racing favorite thanks to consistent handling combined with a very long service life and a wide range of sizes, from narrow 15s to wide 19s.
“We were giving away used tires,” Adam adds, as they’d finish races with Hankooks that still had plenty of life left in them.
Entering a Miata or Civic still running its original engine? To them, that sounds like a natural Class C car–but, of course, teams can run whatever tire sizes they desire.
Those cars, by the way, have to start life as actual production machines–or a suitable body-in-white. If it’s tube-frame, it’s not a street car, they add.
But what about certain “tweener” cars–tube-frame construction yet not overdog performance–like the Lotus 7 or Factory Five 818R? Series officials are looking at a way to welcome them. Perhaps they’ll run in Class A but have to meet Class C prep rules.
A related note about classing from Revolution Racing League’s rule book:
RRL is also committed to examining our rules after each season to determine if rule refinement is needed to enhance the quality of racing in our series. We do not intend to change rules within a season unless a significant safety concern arises that requires an immediate change.
Revolution Racing League will offer annual tech inspections for all cars entered in the series. The goals, Chris explains, are to permit plenty of time for a thorough inspection, allow cars to arrive at the track teched and ready to go, and give teams an opportunity to form a relationship with the area prep shops.
“It’s going to be a very comprehensive check for the season,” Chris notes, “and then you’re good to go.”
Tom adds, “Victory loves preparation.”
Strategy will also be important, as all fueling pit stops shall take 10 minutes, with only one 5-gallon jug over the wall at a time. “That’s part of the fun is getting all these little nuances all figured out,” Adam adds.
Revolution Racing League events don’t require any kind of membership, although driver qualifications exist. “We want to be as accessible as possible, but we want people with some experience,” Adam explains.
The group welcomes drivers who have a license from a recognized sanctioning body or previous racing or track experience. Those who are totally new to track driving, he continues, will be invited to participate in a Turn 2 lapping day–a program operated by Tom Pritchett, the third partner in Revolution Racing League.
“If you’re brand-new to a race track,” Adam explains, “you’ll need to do two race days in a race car.”
Revolution Racing League’s inaugural season currently features six events:
The September contest in Spokane will feature 24 continuous hours of racing where the others will see action stop for the night. “A lot of these tracks,” Tom notes, “you can’t race all night.”
Some events will hold two endurance races over a weekend or, he explains, a parc fermé will be called to pause the action during those nighttime breaks to create a longer enduro spanning two days.
In parc ferme format all cars must park without any work taking place.
Find full details at the Revolution Racing League website.
Interesting rule set with the fuel capacity, jugs, and tires. It is also interesting that tracks are becoming more and more endurance friendly, I remember the days when they didn't want this type of racing, now they have 3-4 series running at the tracks.
Ooooooohh...
Cool seeing PIR get some love. Think these races will be spectator friendly?
Well now, that's intriguing!
They have captured my attention... and imagination.
thatsnowinnebago said:Cool seeing PIR get some love. Think these races will be spectator friendly?
I can't speak for this series, but Lucky Dog who races PIR twice a year is very spectator friendly. Endurance racing can be a difficult spectator sport, as it is... exhausting. There's not many people out there watching us normally. That also means you can get the best seat in the house!
I believe this series is former LD racers wanting to not be restricted by LD rules and lap times. Very interested to see how it turns out!
Any PNW locals who want to get in on this? I'd be game to join a team.
MaxC said:I believe this series is former LD racers wanting to not be restricted by LD rules and lap times. Very interested to see how it turns out!
Which is funny, because LuckyDog was made by former ChumpCar racers who didn't want to be restricted and ChumpCar was made by former LeMons racers who didn't want to be restricted and LeMons was made by former SCCA racers who didn't want to be restricted...
Javelin said:MaxC said:I believe this series is former LD racers wanting to not be restricted by LD rules and lap times. Very interested to see how it turns out!
Which is funny, because LuckyDog was made by former ChumpCar racers who didn't want to be restricted and ChumpCar was made by former LeMons racers who didn't want to be restricted and LeMons was made by former SCCA racers who didn't want to be restricted...
Hmmmm? Me thinks I see a pattern?
Could you make a VW TDi fast enough to run in class A to allow the 24 gallons of fuel to be able to make up the lost time difference per lap while other racers are pitting 10 minutes for gas...
What a garbled mess I wrote.
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