I see that it will be permitted to run an experimental (EXP) chassis for the warm-up races that precede the 2008 IMCA World Championship this coming July,


6.3. CHASSIS, MAKE AND TYPE
(a) AT THE IMCA MODEL CAR WORLDS SPRINT - All commercially available model car chassis' are allowed. Mixing of chassis parts between different manufacturers is allowed. Make of the motor holder is free. Assembly of chassis parts must be done via bolts and/or glue using to the original holes provided in the Chassis. Positioning of the parts is free. Allowed modifications: (i) motor bracket, (ii) guide, guide holder & guide nut, (iii) ball-bearings, (iv) braids, of the guide nut, (v) bottom plate and (vi) body mounts/holders. Original body holders may be replaced by carbon lightweight holders as Slotracing Werk's (#1225 at € 8.00). No other carbon parts than the body mounts and the guide holder may be used.
(b) EXPERIMENTAL CHASSIS AT THE FRANCO GIANOTTI WARM-UP RACES - At the warm-up races (and at the 2008 alternative Toblerone Race) experimental chassis are allowed. Chassis may be made from any material under the condition that it uses no other carbon parts than the ones mentioned above. There may be no other part than the guide holder before the front axle (e.g. no extra ballast). No experimental chassis are allowed at the world championship itself.


Could anyone clarify if this means that the EXP is permitted to run in all six (6) qualification rounds that run on the Mon and Tue? Also to clarify, I read the rule set to mean that virtually all aspects of the chassis design, construction and assembly, including the body mounting system is virtually 'free' with the noted limitation of carbon fiber for the body mounts and guide holder only. Before we start working, do I have it right?

Mark Campbell
Scale Racing America

Seems like nobody's responding
So let me kick off

Although I must say the challenge of building my own chassis is calling to me, I dont think the IMCA Worlds is the ground on which these first steps should be made.

First let me say that I do believe the Plafit SLP is a very good chassis. I've raced Plafit's since I've started 1/24 racing about 7-8 years ago. Reason was that I was young, and only had and saw Plafit parts at our club back then. As I progressed over the years, of course I saw the Momos and Scholers and M-racing chassis at the international races.
At first those chassis would be beaten because they could not take a crash, and they'd bend and become incontrolable.

Later on when those chassis improved, it became a sort of 'patriotic' thing for me, when everybody said you HAD TO HAVE A MOMO OR SCHOLER, I kept racing Plafit. I've never even build something else
What I'm trying to say here is that myself, and also most of the toprunners, have been racing all sorts of Plafit for many many years now, and although the SLP is still relatively new, it's a continues improvement over every chassis they've brought out last years.
All these improvements and new chassis have come through the hands of the toprunners, and simply because the Plafit SLP is bigger in number of entrants, they learn from eachoters, or steal their setup This boosts setup developement very quickly.

On every other chassis manufacturor there are not so many topguys as on the SLP. Always maybe 3 or 4, up against the 20-25 SLP toptuners. Helped by the fact that in Germany there is the SLP class, for which this chassis was developed. Nobody knew suddenly everyone wanted to race it. But in Germany there is the most competitive and high-tech racing on the globe. Racers racing for years and years on toplevel.

So I think allowing EXP's could on the one hand produce one or two SLP beating chassis, but that would need more testing, time and money then it would take to get a SLP chassis from SOMEWHERE. And also when a certain builder creates THE winning chassis, it's on a short term impossible to give all the racers the opportunity to buy that chassis.
I'm taking the first steps on making my own chassis to bring on the market, long before this IMCA chassis discussion came up. But for someone like me having a small business it's a pretty big challenge getting a chassis produced on a Plafit-like scale. With that in mind I don't see a lot of people capable of making a widely availeble chassis with SLP-beating performance.

And I think that we dont want to see 3-4 people win it all cause they are the best builders, have the most money or most time to test. IMCA has always been about the driver. And we should continue that, and I dont think this is the best way to do it.

Hey there,

well I'm glad to see, that exp chassis will be allowed at the warm-up races cause I'm also racing the slp-classes in Germany. So I only use exp-chassis for the big SLP and the SLP-Challenge races. But there's something I don't really understand. Even if you're using an EXP, you're not allowed to use carbon fiber for other parts than bodymount and guide-holder!?!?? what sense does this make? If the carbon-fiber front "T" (the part where the front axle holders are screwed on) is a part of my exp chassis, why mustn't I use it?.

What about the weight of the warm-up Ferraris. Do Ferraris racing on exp chassis also have the weigth distirbution like written under 6.2? 180 gr min and 60 gr just body? coudln't it be 180 gr min and thats it?

regards,
mike