What would happen with the SCCA's attendance if you could buy a running, fully race ready, 2450 pound with driver, 500 hp, reliable race car, which is basically a 'spec' car, in competitive form, for less than $9000.

What if you would only spend another total $10-15000 a year, all in (average travel included), to race it 20-30 weekends a year, and if you win consistently, win over $50,000 in direct prize money?

What if the same car could run and win a class in the SCCA prosolo, SCCA nationals, and SCCA Runoffs, with no more changes than an alignment?

Would that be attractive? Do you think it would be hard to fill a field?

Check this rules set out:

https://imca.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2012-modified1.pdf

Tires are $100 each. Wheels are $50. Rotors $40. Calipers $45. Pads $60 for all 4.

A BRAND NEW CHASSIS - CUSTOM BUILT TO YOUR SPECS, powder coated, painted and all, lacking only motor and trans, costs less than $16,000!

Here are some nice quotes from CarCraft:

You can run a full season of IMCA Modifieds on about $12,000 to $14,000, and that's for a Top 10 car.

"You can buy a 1- to 2-year-old rolling chassis for about $6,500. Figure $1,200 for a transmission and then realistically $2,000 to $3,000 for an engine," says Keller. "The remainder is tires, gears, and other normal racing expenses."

Modified engine can make over 500 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Over 500 hp, 8-inch tires, and a post-race weight minimum of 2,450 pounds with the driver make these beasts fly around the track.

I submit this rules set as an abstract example, because it demonstrates that high racing costs, low turnout, and class inequality are a function primarily of bad rules, and bad rules alone. This car is a much, much better spec race car than a spec miata or spec racer, and more fun -- and those cars are much more expensive to buy and run. We should take a page from these guys.

I think I may just buy one. I'll run it in ITE or whatever, and EM or whatever in autocross, and post my budget, until SPEC MOD for solo and club arises from the membership by the sheer power of the market!

You could always put a nicer body on it. Spec Production car based fiberglass race bodies are not expensive. You could tweak the rules slightly for road racing and autocross, 1 set of specs for both being the cost - saving goal. I'd probably require pump gas. I'd probably spec a rear end gear and spec trans gears. I might consider a spec motor like a stand alone harnessed stock LS1 with a spec pan and pickup.

350-400 rear wheel horses in a 2450 pound car (including driver) would probably be about right for that chassis on a road coarse on 8" tires, especially from a motor you can buy for $2000, and that would last 1800 plus track hours before you even need to change the plugs.

I'd probably spec a cheap flywheel/pressure plate.

I'd probably spec a front/rear weight distribution, ride height, and minimum height for ballast.

If you wanted to run a great road race tire, a set of Toyo RA1's costs $660, and that's full price, without a subsidy, which they would probably do, and would probably last 4 full race weekends on a car like this competitively, with a ton of tread left over for practice.

No AERO!

I think it's genius. Your thoughts?

I'm not driving that. I autocross a street car that I drive to events. I personally have no interest in spec racing, I like the build process and the thought process behind building a new car. I would love a simpler rule book and claiming rules though.

I started autocrossing in 2008 in HS, and I thought the rules were very simple. The limited modifications also kept costs reasonable, and we could drive the car to events. I am now running in XP where the build rules are less restrictive (and a little more complex), and my expenses have easily quadrupled. Not only to build the car (which is not a nationals level build), but also to get it to events.
Regardless of the series or spec, there's usually a big difference between entry level costs and actual cost. I would argue that if you want to compete at the top levels and win, you're going to spend as much as it takes (or at least as much as you can afford). Of course, there's always ChumpCar and LeMons if you want dollar limits in the rules.

Kind of sounds like a GTA car, which while being relatively cheap for thier performance are NOT $9000.

I am looking forward to seeing your experiment.

And why is spec circle track different than SM or SRF?

Just because all the part numbers are the same doesn't mean that all the cars perform the same.

Have fun. There are already low cost mod classes that are probably more fun that taking a 500hp circle car and trying to make it stop, turn right, and transition reasonably well.