SOVREN
Car Preparation
(Note -- these are NOT official SOVREN rules)
Philosophy
"The goal and purpose of SOVREN shall be restoration, preservation, and competition with pre-war, vintage, and historic automobiles. This goal and purpose shall embody the "Vintage Spirit" of authenticity and integrity in preparation and good sportsmanship in competition." (From the SOVREN Car Eligibility and Rules Regarding Competition).In keeping with this purpose, SOVREN's rules incorporate by reference the SCCA/FIA rules in effect during the time the cars were competing.
Knowlege of the rules of the era is as important as understanding the mechanical components of our vehicles, the history of our automobiles, and the skills required to compete. Rules have been and will always be an important part of racing, and preserving the rules as they existed during the era our race cars competed is another aspect of our club.
Navigating the Rules
The governing rules of the club are the "SOVREN Car Eligibility and Rules Regarding Competition" which are approved and revised by vote of competition license holders. These rules describe how events are conducted, penalties for driving infractions, safety requirements, and car eligibility requirements. Rather than reinvent the wheel, there rules refer to the regulations which were in place at the times our vintage and historic cars were competing (SCCA/FIA rules). The SOVREN rules always take priority when conflict between the SCCA/FIA rules, unless the SOVREN rules explicitly defer to the SCCA/FIA rules (for example "The engine shall be of the original type as fitted to the chassis series or as allowed per the appropriate FIA or SCCA regulations . . .").
For production-based cars, both SCCA and FIA rules consist of a set of regulations which describe permitted modifications and general requirements for the particular competition class, and a set of specifications applicable to the particular automobile. The class rules are contained in the SCCA General Competition Rules (GCR) or the FIA International Sporting Code. SCCA Production car specifications are contained in the SCCA Production Car Specifications (PCS), while Sedan and FIA Sports and Touring car specifications are contained in recognition forms which contain homologation information. These forms are available from the National Automobile Club in which the car was manufactured, and are also usually available from the SCCA or ACCUS in the United States. Then as now it is the competitors responsibility to furnish documentation of eligibility (recognition form, PCS, etc) upon request.
Purpose built race cars are described in the SCCA GCR or FIA International Sporting Code -- some classes require recognition/homologation papers (many required use of an engine from a recognized automobile of a given classification).
Point in Time to which the Car is Prepared
A competitor has the option to prepare their car to any configuration which was legal during the era represented by their race category. For example, a Historic automobile can be configured to the rules in use from the time the car was recognized by the SCCA or FIA until 1969. Rules may not be mixed/matched. A 1964 Corvette, for example, could be prepared to the specifications for this model contained in the rules from 1964-1969, but only one set of rules is permitted. If a competitor chose to prepare this car to 1968 SCCA rules, the car would be required to meet both the 1968 General Competitionn Rules (GCR) production car requirements and the 1968 Production Car Specifications (PCS). The car remains a 1964 model and is prepared to the requirements of that model -- it is not prepared as a 1968 model (unless the 1968 model is the same as the 1964 model).
Futhermore, a car can only be prepared to one specification -- the competitor must choose whether the car is competing as a SCCA car or a FIA car, and must use the regulations which apply to that automobile category. You are not allowed to mix SCCA rules with FIA rules to configure hybrids which would not have been recognized by either body. As already mentioned, you must choose a single year to prepare the car to--you may not combine rules from different years to create a configuration which would not have been legal to race at a given point of time.
It should also be obvious that a car can not be represented as being prepared to the era if components are being used which were not available at the time. Apply common sense when preparing your car by asking using only those components which were available and being raced in the era for which you car has been prepared. This will enable you to embody the "Vintage Spirit" of authenticity and integrity in preparation of your vehicle.
The year of the set of rules to which the car is prepared is known as the "Point in Time to which the Car is Prepared".
The Competitors Responsibility
The competitor is responsible for knowing the rules their car is prepared to and insuring their car complies with those rules. The competitor is also expected to furnish documentation upon request of the rules to which the car has been prepared. IT IS THE COMPETITORS RESPONSIBILITY TO LOCATE THE RULES AND DOCUMENTATION ESTABLISHING THE ELIGIBILITY OF THEIR CAR, NOT SOVREN'S.
Sovren has located representative rules which you may prepare your car to if you choose, but you are not required to configure your car to these particular rules. These rules are furnished for your convienience, and you have the option of using them or furnishing your own rules from different years.
The competitor is responsible for presenting a well prepared and safe automobile configured as described in the SOVREN Car Registration Form and conforming to the rules and regulations in effect at the particular "Point in Time" to which the car is prepared.
The Car Registration Form
The Car Registration Form (CRF) is completed annually by each competitor, one for each race car. This form is expected to accurately reflect the configuration of the car--some latitude will generally be granted minor discrepencies, but serious penalties including exclusion can result from misrepresentations on the CRF. The CRF is the result of the member survey done last year which revealed that the majority of SOVREN members want car preparation rules enforced -- specifically they want to reverse the trend which the members see occurring in the club where cars are modified from original using non-allowed modern parts, technology, and equipment. The idea of vintage racing is to race old cars prepared as they competed in the appropriate era, not to race modern cars which look old.
The CRF form is intended to do four things:
The CRF must be accurately and completely filled out in order for an entry to be accepted. It needs to only be filled out once per year. By using the CRF, the entry forms have been simplified by removing the car preparation information covered by the CRF.