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Originally Posted by JST
I mean, I appreciate that there's a lot that goes into it. One big factor is AWD v. non-AWD, which (as clyde notes) presents a huge advantage in certain weather conditions, and apparently the Model 3's AWD is particularly effective.
As clyde also says, one of the things they have to take into account is real-world results. 0-60 etc. only tells you so much.
But the Model 3 is a hard bird to class. It's 0-60 times are shockingly quick for a car of its size and weight. It also seems to autocross (and handle generally) better than you'd expect given its weight and tire limitations.
That said, is it really that much of an overdog compared to other cars in BS? The results posted above don't suggest it.
That said, the classes are kind of a mess. I dare you to look through AS, SS, and BS and come up with any real unifying principle:
https://www.scca.com/downloads/48116...duced/download |
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Originally Posted by 2019 SCCA Solo Rulebook page 73
Sports cars and other high-performance vehicles classed by performance potential.
• Super Street R-tire (SSR)
• Super Street (SS)
• A Street (AS)
• B Street (BS)
• C Street (CS)
• E Street (ES) – Very affordable older sports cars with an emphasis on low cost entry and acceptable availability. Class stability is a priority.
Sedans and Coupes classed by performance potential
• D Street (DS)
• G Street (GS)
• H Street (HS)
• F Street (FS) – Heavy, high-horsepower RWD vehicles in the spirit of “V8 Pony Cars.”
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It was not an overdog at that one event. That car also came nowhere close to representing "fully developed" while most of the other top 10 cars did. Aside from anything Tesla can beam to the car to make it better, it was on stock shocks which I'm told are pretty awful for autocrossing. The expectation is that good shocks will be a significant improvement.
I don't know that it's the AWD thing as much as the computer wizardry (but certainly the combination) that allow the car to perform unnatural acts, particularly in limited traction situations that go way beyond the typical AWD Focus RS vs RWD turbo Camaro type AWD advantage.
I think it comes down to no one really knows what the car is capable of, other than "it's capable of more than what we've seen so far"
The SCCA does not adapt to change quickly or easily. The Tesla 3 performance represents the change that is coming. The question they need to answer first, though, is: Do the members want to run Tesla 3s right now? Or do they want to keep running Shelbys, 1LEs, Corvettes, Boxster/Caymans, GT3s, 1Ms, M2s, etc for the next few years? If it's the latter, that may mean putting the 3 in a place where they can run, but are least likely to drive others away.
It will get figured out. Not sure how quickly, but I'm hopeful for a 2021 solution.