Season 5 info and sign-ups

Season 5 will begin Saturday Aug 24th.  It will be a continuation and modification of our current Super Spec format but with a more narrow hand picked car selection.  In addition, we plan on using an F1 style of tire compound rule.  

In Formula 1, as many of you know, cars are required to use 2 of the 3 compounds.  In IFCA Super Spec, you will be required to use all 3 compounds.  Naturally, this means that the length of each race will be determined by how far you can go on each of the 3 tire compounds combined.  In turn, this means that there will be by necessity only 2 pit stops for each driver.  You might start on hards, pit for mediums, and then pit for softs for example.  Or, you might do the opposite and jump out in the lead on softs, pit for mediums, and then pit for hards. It will be up to you as to what sequential tire strategy you use, but everyone will be in the same boat.

By limiting the car selection, the builds, and mandating the use of all 3 tire compounds we think this will offer everyone a fun and equally competitive racing experience, that's more in-line with Spec racing.

As indicated prior to Season 4 we will be bringing back driver/car handicaps based on finishing order and thusly, car ballast.  This will help the field stay closer together for longer and help the slower guys keep pace with the faster guys for points.  Everyone will begin the season in the same Pro level "extra-heavy" ballast for the first race. Then, your race results/finishing order will dictate your ballast handicap each round.


Finishing order:


1,2,3, = Pro/Extra Heavy
4-7 = Platinum/Heavy
8-11 = Gold/Medium
12-15 = Silver/Light
16-19 = Bronze/Extra Light
20-24 = Copper/ No Ballast


In addition, our car selections will be based on a rivals relationship formula, either fictional or non-fictional this season.  It's gimmicky, but still fun in the world of "what ifs."  We've done this sort of thing in the past, but not in a spec format.  

So for example,  what if we put the stars of the movie "Bullitt" up against each other?  The bad guys midnight black 1968 Dodge Charger 440cid vs Steve McQueen's Highland Green 1968 Ford Mustang 2+2 Fastback GT 390cid.  We'd want it to be a fair fight of course, so the cars will be balance tested on the 3 tracks they will meet at.  Even so, each car performs very differently in order to run the same lap times.  These differences will probably determine which cars you will use.  

To T10's credit, testing has already revealed that the relative performance comparison for these two cars is very much the same as their real car counterparts.  The Dodge we have to use is not exactly the same as the movie car.  It is a 1969 Charger with a 426 Hemi instead of a 1968 440.  Sadly, T10 has never heard of a 440 V8 and offers no 7.2L engine swap.  This isn't a huge difference since the 440 was slightly lighter than the 426, and regularly outperformed all but the most well tuned Hemi's.  Of the two engines the 440 would be preferred for road racing work, giving the Charger a better weight balance and more useable power at lower RPMs.  

The Mustang on the other hand is the exact car with the correct engine, a big block 390cid V8, and correct grill. 325hp to the Charger's 425hp. But the Mustang is marginally lighter than the full size Dodge, at 3,548lbs to the Charger's 3,671lbs.  (The real Charger's 440 was pumping out about 390hp.) As you can see, the numbers favor the Dodge stock for stock, with the Mustang only 123lbs lighter and with 100hp less.  

And this was the problem with the real cars too!  The producers of the movie "Bullitt" discovered right away that the bad guy's Dodge could easily walk away from the good guy's Mustang, and, well, we just can't have that now can we?  So, the car guys on the set had to beef up the 390 a lot to get it more on a par with the Dodge just so they could have the epic chase seen they wanted to have. Even after they did some head work, added headers, and heavy duty suspension, it was all the Mustang could do just to stay in the same frame with the bone stock Dodge. The Ford 390 was admittedly and arguably Ford's worst performing big block to date and ill suited for the Mustang in terms of weight balance.  It just never produced a lot of power for its size and made the Mustang less nimble then when it used the venerable 289cid small block.  Still, it illustrates how Dodge really did have its act together when it came to the overall Charger package.  It was simply a better more refined, more comfortable American muscle car, with a lot more power.

For our purposes we have much the same problem.  Our Forza Mustang has to be warmed over and hot rodded a bit to get it up to speed with the stock Charger, just like the real cars.  But given the series build parameters the Mustang and Charger must share, even the Charger has to get a slight 15hp bump in power.  The Mustang ends up needing 42hp more to play fair even though it weighs 802lbs less than the Charger!.  This results in equal cars that retain their real-car strengths and weaknesses compared to each other.  

The Mustang is lighter, sharper handling, has better braking, and is much closer to an honest sportscar feel.  Its lighter weight, stronger brakes, and more crisp steering allow it to dominante in slower corners with excellent corner entry and exits. Steve McQueen would have been proud even as a Porsche man himself.  

The Charger on the other hand, handles well, considering its full size and extra weight disadvantage, it's respectable.  It's no sportscar by any stretch, but surprises you with its lazy but sneaky good handling.  And what the Charger loses in handling, braking, and accelerating in tight sections, it tries to make up for in fast sweepers and long straights, where it can stretch its Hemi legs, and run that damn Mustang down, if, you drive it like you are a hitman on a mission. lol





Tracks

1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 vs 1969 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi
1. Watkins Glen, Saturday Aug 24th 6pm CST/31laps
2. Mid-Ohio, Saturday Aug 31st 6pm CST/34laps
3. Road Atlanta, Saturday Sept 7th 6pm CST/36laps

2009 Ferrari 458 Italia vs 2023 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6
4. Mugello Saturday Sept 21st  6pm CST/23laps
5. Daytona Road Course Saturday Sept 28th  6pm CST/28laps
6. Sebring Saturday Oct 5th  6pm CST/26laps





As you can see, for the second half of Season 5 we decided to pit America's supercar up against its inspiration.  Some of you might know that the Ferrari 458 inspired Chevrolet to design and build its first mid-engined C8 ZO6 to mimic the Ferrari, but at only half the price. 

The C8 Corvette ZO6 is a supercar for the masses.  It is the only mass produced sports car of its kind.  All the others, including and especially the Ferrari 458 are hand built works of art.  

So the question remains, did Chevrolet get it right?  Did they hit the mark and equal or perhaps even surpass the Ferrari by creating a true American supercar that doesn't have to hide its face in shame like so many Corvette's before it? No one really knows for sure.  

Yes, the ZO6 has proven itself to be slightly quicker in a straight line, with tires that are more grippy and a larger Ferrari-like engine with more hp and torque, this is true.  But the Corvette is a larger car overall that bears more weight too, about 350lbs more.  

So, which car is the better car for its intended purpose of high performance GT driving, provided you give them equal treatment with the same tires and suspension upgrades?  It's a "what if" that really hasn't been settled, yet.

Our Forza versions of these cars are again pretty spot on, and really does reflect the approximate performance, and performance differences both cars have in common with their real counterparts. Well done to T10 for this. 

The ZO6 is quicker and faster, up to a point.  The 458 starts to pull away above 150mph, no doubt due to the natural downforce of the Corvette limiting its top speed.  The Ferrari is aerodynamically cleaner than the Corvette with its swoopier organic body lines.  The Corvette is a bit more edgy and jagged, mechanical, and just plain bigger.  The hand built 458 has a highly refined custom feel that tells you it's a precise machine that has been meticulously assembled by hand, it's almost delicate.  The ZO6 by comparison is brutish, deliberate, and committed, feeling more like a race car than a GT car for the street.  It lacks the finesse and fine feel of the hand crafted Ferrari, because it's not.  It is a mass produced assembly line American car, at less than half the price of the car it modeled itself on.

It will be very interesting to see which car is favored by our IFCA drivers, and in the end, which car answers the question, who builds a better Ferrari, GM, or Ferrari?



Car Builds

1968 Ford Mustang GT 390cid V8 (6.4L)	1969 Dodge Charger R/T 426cid V8 Hemi (7.0L)
B558	B556
367hp/483tq	440hp/507tq
3299lbs	4101lbs
Race carburetor	Sport exhaust
Sport ignition	Race valves
Sport intake	Race flywheel
Race engine displacement	Race brakes
Race flywheel	Race suspension
Street oil and cooling	Race anti-roll bars
Race brakes	Sport roll cage
Race suspension	Extra heavy ballast
Race anti-roll bars	Race tires widest width
Race weight reduction	Lightest wheels
Sport roll cage	Race clutch
Extra heavy ballast	Race transmission
Race tires widest width	Race driveline
Lightest wheels	Race differential
Race clutch
Race transmission
Race driveline
Race differential
Street front bumper
Street rear bumper
2023 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 5.5L V8 (336cid)	2009 Ferrari 458 Italia 4.5L V8 (275cid)
S800	S797
694hp/477tq	567hp/402tq
3323lbs	2996lbs
Race intake	Sport intake
Race valves	Race flywheel
Race flywheel	Race suspension
Race oil and cooling	Race anti-roll bars
Race suspension	Race weight reduction
Race anti-roll bars	Extra heavy ballast
Race weight reduction	Race tires widest width
Extra heavy ballast	Stock wheels
Race tires widest width	Race clutch
Stock wheels	Race transmission
Race clutch	Race driveline
Race transmission
Race driveline
Race differential
Race rear bumper
Street hood

This is a bifold series where you have a first and second half.  At the start of the second half (Mugello) everyone will again begin in the Pro level extra heavy ballast builds.  In this way no one will be tempted to tank their skill level for the start of the second half of the season.  The final at Sebring will once again, as it always is, be worth double points.

Drivers may use either car each round and are not limited to one car per the respective halves.  The first 3 races you can use either the Charger or the Mustang for each race. For the second 3 races you can use either the ZO6 or the 458 for each race.  Whichever car you end up qualifying with on race day, is the car you must race that day.

Yes, there will be a separate 2-man team championship again.  However, you do not have to be on a team to compete in this series.

*Tire wear will be set at x2.5 for all 6 races.  This means that the optimum tire compound strategy will be to use all 3 compounds in a 31lap 2 pit stop race at Watkins Glen. This forces you to comply with the series rules requiring you use all 3 compounds.  At Watkins Glen both cars on softs will go 7laps, on mediums they will go 11laps, on hards they will last 13laps.  You can stretch each compound by 1lap but by doing so your tires will be in the 70% wear zone and you will lose a lot of time on that last lap.

Because we have a 2 pit mandatory rule it will do you no good to try to use some other combination of tire compound without losing time.  If you do the math you'll discover that the fastest tire compound combination strategy IS to use all 3 compounds.  

As long as you use the Softs, Mediums, and Hards, you will maximize your performance, all other combinations fail, and are illegal anyway.  What you have to be careful of is not accidentally selecting the wrong compounds during the race.  Not only will you lose time, but you will be automatically penalized a 1.25 points.

Mid-Ohio is the second track, softs will last 8laps, mediums 12laps, and hards 14laps, for a total lap race count of 34laps or about 55min.
Road America is the third track, softs will last 6laps, mediums 8laps, hards 12laps.


Just so everyone is on the same sheet of music, we wanted to post how many laps per compound, per track, you can reasonably do.  This will save everyone testing time and give everyone the same race length and tire wear gauge to go by.


Tire compound guide per track:

Mustang & Charger
Tire wear x2.5	Watkins Glen	Mid-Ohio	Road Atlanta
Soft laps	7	8	8
Medium laps	11	12	12
Hard laps	13	14	16
total race lap length	31	34	36
approximate track time	64min	55min	58min
ZO6 & 458
Tire wear x2.5	Mugello	Daytona	Sebring
Soft laps	5	6	6
Medium laps	7	9	8
Hard laps	11	13	12
total race lap length	23	28	26
approximate track time	45min	49min	54min

*It is important for everyone to know that you do not want to have a strategy that goes below the recommended number of laps per compound.  Because, this essentially will force you to go above the recommended number of laps for one of the other compounds during the race.  


However, you can possibly stretch them by 1 lap and go above, if you feel like you can afford the slower lap.  By doing this it means that you can shorten one of the other compounds during the race.  For example, lets say your car is not very good on hards, you could stretch 1 more lap out of mediums or softs, and then do 1 or 2 less laps with the hards.  So, there is some tire strategy still left here, but just know, you will be slower at the end of each recommended last lap tire compound.

The recommended laps per compound are the optimum maximum number of laps each car can do in relation to each other, before serious degradation sets in and you start losing more than 1+seconds per lap. Car, tune, car handicap, and driving style, does slightly affect what can be done at each track keep in mind.  


Also understand that if you attempt to use any other illegal combination such as soft/soft/hard or medium/medium/hard or medium/medium/medium, you will not be as fast.  The fastest combination as tested and calculated is to use all 3 compounds to their maximum distance.





We are going to do something we haven't done in a very long time, and that is offer you a sign-up list here.  Everyone who wants to compete in Season 5 can sign-up on this post.  If you are also on a team simply include your team member and team name.


Good luck!


P.S. Yes, you can change cars everyone round.  You only have to race the car you qualify in during the 4lap qualy before the race.


P.S.S. One last new thing to add, everyone who produces an early top 8 practice lap by Wed of each week, will get an "early bird bonus" of an extra 0.25 points. This should help incentivize drivers to post their better laps as soon as possible thus helping everyone to see how high the bar is being set well before the Friday cut off.

Team Penske
1.IFCA Eries
2.IFCA GTDon

3. llsImll


4.R41ks

Team Penske II
5. RP Jonathon
6. LilAnt1090

I’m in

Team Penske II

1. RP Jonathon
2. LilAnt1090

We are swapping out Road America for the new Road Atlanta, for the 3rd race of the season.

Mustang & Charger	Road Atlanta
Tire wear x3
Soft laps	8
Medium laps	12
Hard laps	16
total race lap length	36
approximate track time	58min

updated

FYI all, we've decided to lower the tire wear from 3.0 down to 2.5.  In further testing with more drivers most thought 3.0 was too difficult for the number of laps, and we agreed.

Season 5 of IFCA Super Spec is about to begin in earnest this Saturday 6pm CST.  

All that is required to get in is to run a lap at Watkins Glen in one of the 2 cars offered. 68 Mustang or 69 Charger.  They have a set build in B-Class.  Let me know if anyone needs help with the build. My latest Mustang tune is shared already.