4-Cylinder owners have changes set forth for 2012 season
DONNELLSON, Iowa (Feb. 10, 2012) – As the 2012 racing season approaches very quickly, many drivers at Lee County Speedway face a lot of changes in their rule package for this season.
Major changes are in store for the Hobby Stocks and 4-cylinders, as both classes will be sanctioned by IMCA during the upcoming season. With that in mind, a few things need to be pointed out to drivers and car owners.
What seems to be a major concern for many IMCA Sport Compact drivers as they prepare for the upcoming season is the lack of a compression rule for the class. The engine rules reads as follows.
“18. ENGINE: 3 or 4 cylinder in-line engines only. Double overhead cam recommended. All engine components must be unaltered OEM for year, make and model of car used. Must use OEM crank, rods, valve sizes, stroke, etc. No aftermarket racing heads. No high performance or sports car engines of any kind. No turbo charged, super charged, rotary engines, or engines utilizing variable cam-timing”
There may be a misconception that the lack of a compression rule means there is no compression limit. This is not the case.
All parts must be OEM for year, make and model of car. All engines come with a standard compression and cubic-inch. This can be verified by the VIN that must be visible on your car.
Tech will include compression tests and pumping to find cubic-inches. If there is a question, tech officials will research the car and engine type to find stock measurements for each. If those values are not the same, the car will be disqualified.
This means to no boring or stroking of the block and no changing of engine components. All parts must be stock oem for that year, make and model.
The idea of bringing this class to Lee County Speedway was to make an entry level class that is affordable for all competitors and at many budgets. By rule, as written by IMCA, and adopted by Lee County Speedway, the rules will produce that kind of a class.
This is not an effort to remove anyone from the class; this is simply a way for the class to get back to its purpose of offering an “affordable” way for people to get into racing.
“We feel this set of rules will improve our ability as a racetrack to offer affordable and competitive racing to many more individuals,” Promoter Dewain Hulett said. “Like many other classes the cars had become much more difficult to compete in and much less appealing for the entry level racer.
“While we enjoy having experienced racers in this division, we obviously need to make the class be affordable, as well as fun for the new drivers,” he added.
It is also important that each class read and understand the safety rules for their division. Snell SA2000, SA2005 and SA2010 helmets are required and will be teched, as will the seat belts in each car. While racing will never be safe, will work hard to make our racers as safe as possible, thus all safety rules will be strictly enforced.
For any questions reference this article or any rules questions please feel free to contact Dewain at (309) 331-3804 or by e-mail at promoter@leecountyspeedway.com.