Just thought I'd open up a debate on these things and see what people think.
For all the classes of racing there are rules, some have homologated aspects and most have some scrutineering. Most of this is probably a good thing.
8th buggies have their tanks checked for capacity - but the only national I've ever been to, I was shocked to see that it ultimately came down to a divide between people who could run 10 minutes and those that couldn't - and therefore had to pit more often.
Things like ground effects and body height rules are sensible in touring cars - and I believe the bodies have to be marked these days. I have to question why they aren't forced to run actual touring car bodies but instead streamlined bathtubs that look nothing like a car I'd want to be seen in!
When it comes to electric racing - and particularly off-road where my personal interest mainly lays with (hey, I like it all tho), there's a limiting factor called skill.
10th buggy racers are more equal than ever before - despite, not because of, the scrutineering, rules and homologation. When you can always have more power and duration than you could possibly ever use, why homologate?
At BRCA off road 10th nationals the cars are weighed (doesn't everyone run much heavier than the rules anyway?) and put in a box to check dimensions. It's all good. These days the cells are checked for voltage above the norm - it was explained to me that people have been known to cheat by over-cooking their lipo's in some way, but clearly in off road, no one is ever going to do that, because it won't make a difference.
I think now they might claim it to be a safety issue - but standing there revving the car until the voltage drops would have been the same if the car had done a warmup lap anyway.
Lipo bags - are there guidelines for these? My lipo bag I can't see possibly stopping the devastating power of a lipo going off. Maybe that's something that actually should be homologated, and properly tested.
The most dangerous batteries in the entire universe as far as I'm concerned were the last generation of NiMh cells. I'd say these were less predictable and possibly more dangerous than a lipo cell - but there were no charging-in-sac rules for those. I personally witnessed a pack explode in a car that was being carried - it blew the car apart. I also saw a pack explode on someones table - luckly they weren't there, but some people got hit far away by metal from the huge explosion. Some how these were homologated!
So then my main puzzlement is:
Why are motors homologated - what is the advantage in off road?
They were homologated when we were all running brushed motors and it was NOT fair or equal in any way - team guys got motors wound for them, not off the shelf jobs that 'normal people' could buy. So it didn't work then and imho it's not even needed now because it's been made equal by progress.
Batteries - why are they homologated? For sure spec them in a hard case and 7.4v etc - but why do they need homologation.
Homologation for cells was utterly useless when we used nicad's and NiMh's because team guys got better cells than any 'factory team' cells normal folk could buy. The best cells I ever had were old knackered cells from a multiple national winner.
So, given the fact that homologation never made anything really 'fair' - and that technology has made off road about as fair as it gets..... why?
Why are lipo cells which are well known to sometimes swell slightly with normal use, I mean, fractions of a mm, homologated but still illegal? Technically I'd guess that there's plenty of drivers running homologated cells that brand new or well used are technically illegal. Surely if you homologate something, it's legal - but it doesn't work that way.
No one is hurting for run time, no one is hurting for speed or power - certainly it's sensible to express maximum sizes but these shouldn't be down to microns and drivers shouldn't have to endanger themselves by dremeling their volatile batteries until they meet the size requirements - even though they bought the cells that were on the approved list.
So - what good is homologation when homologated cells are illegal due to manufacturing tolerences. And why is it legal to weaken the case by filing it down to meet the size. Who is gaining an advantage, really.
One of the few advantages some sponsored drivers may have these days is in the software on their ESC's. They will get the latest developments before anyone but this isn't regulated at all. One area that you could argue should be homologated but isn't - I wouldn't argue for it, but it shows how behind the times some of these things are.
I think there's a lot of daft things personally that need modernising. How can you possibly have a rule that states your 'open cage' buggy should be a realistic representation and have a driver figure............ but then you allow a cab forward shell? Yes - you can run a shell no possible scale humanoid would ever fit in that looks nothing like a buggy but more like a spaceship - and you can have painted opaque windows if you like.
Hey - but don't forget that driver figure in your cage body that needs to be based upon genuine desert racing buggies... etc. Please bring photo evidence that this is based upon...
Body shell holes - how can you say they need to be defined by the manufacturer - if I buy a shell and modify it then I become the manufacturer. Same as if I'd backpoured the body, re-moulded it, made a fake website and declare that everwhere is a vent. Common sense works better - if it's outrageous and clearly dangerous or looks stupid then you can ban it on-site.
I'm in it for the love - rules, control tyres and fair racing are all good. I think things are well behind the times though. Having your wheel nuts slightly interfere with a size checking box makes ab-so-lutely no difference on the track but you win the worlds with that and you'd be disqualified. Silly.
Just my opinions really. I thought a sensible thread on these sort of regulations whether ROAR, IFMAR, EFRA or BRCA etc are worth discussion since I can't be the only one to think some of these things don't help the sport from a professional, and certainly hobbyist level.
Note:
These are just ideas or opinions, don't cry.