Tarmac Rallies

[Bevan-L]

How come we don't have any tarmac rallies in Australia?
I know about Targa, but like say an tarmac round of the ARC?

[Trevor]

Go look up the word 'Tarmac' on the BMSC forums and start reading :| :rofl:

[David Marriner]

Round 3 of the SA Rally Championships this year is scheduled to be a tarmac rally I believe. Scheduled for some time in June I think.

[wagonist]

If CAMS forces the competitors to continue using 15" tyres for the tarmac events, then it could be problem.
Have a look at the difference between tarmac & gravel spec for the WRC cars.
18 or 19" rims vs 16s, bigger brakes to fit behind the wheel (filling them out but also necessary because of the higher speeds attained).

An all tarmac event would be good though. Better than a couple of years ago where the competitors were forced to continue using the gravel tyres on a 10km+ tarmac stage at Rally Q.

[fro]

If CAMS forces the competitors to continue using 15" tyres for the tarmac events, then it could be problem.

Wagonist, can you show me where CAMS is making people use 15" tyres? Not having a crack, I'm serious here... in fact, I remember about 6 years ago people using 16" rims and tyres (Michelin made 16" gravel tyres, but stopped for some reason or the other).

Better than a couple of years ago where the competitors were forced to continue using the gravel tyres on a 10km+ tarmac stage at Rally Q.

Why was that a problem? I actually think that would be great... the spectators might get to see the cars slide around a bit, and no-one has to buy splinky R-Spec semi-slicks, they can just buff down some old gravel tyres? Win-win?

[Crazy Dave]

Why was that a problem? I actually think that would be great... the spectators might get to see the cars slide around a bit, and no-one has to buy splinky R-Spec semi-slicks, they can just buff down some old gravel tyres? Win-win?


Driving on tarmac with rally tyres isn't the quickest (although you seem to do alright at the Alpine Fro) but its a lot of fun as you slide a lot more and can throw the car into corners like its on dirt still. Check out the excel motorkhana at Coffs Rally that Whitey posted on you tube. Even running on 3cylinders up the last straight I could still get a nice drift around the top and whitey from memory did a good handbrakey:naughty:

[wagonist]

Wagonist, can you show me where CAMS is making people use 15" tyres? Not having a crack, I'm serious here... in fact, I remember about 6 years ago people using 16" rims and tyres (Michelin made 16" gravel tyres, but stopped for some reason or the other).
I mean for the top ARC guys. When the championship changed to Group N only, this rule was brought in as a cost cutting measure (compare the prices of 15" vs 16" rally tyres). I've got no idea where it is in the rules.
This is the reason the WRX's run standard WRX brakes, not STi, & the Evo's had to put GSR brakes on instead of the Brembos.

Why was that a problem? I actually think that would be great... the spectators might get to see the cars slide around a bit, and no-one has to buy splinky R-Spec semi-slicks, they can just buff down some old gravel tyres? Win-win?
Nice if you've got some old gravel tyres to buff down, but they were told the tyres still had to have legal tread depth, meaning the blocks still moved around (understeer) & it was so much of a pain to change the suspension settings, that most didn't, so it wasn't very spectacular at all.