Please Explain The New CAM (Classic American Muscle) Rules

[Gen52SS]

It was a fun day today at Test & Tune.....I see the SCCA has a new class called CAM (Classic American Muscle) class. As the rules state The class will give people a place to run if they have a 1955 Chevrolet, a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro a generation 5 car, a 2013 Dodge Challenger, a 1970 Ford Mustang or any other American built car. I ask this question as a novice.....the Bristol event has a 2011 Camaro running in CAM and not in F street like I run my Camaro. I've read the rules and it looks to me like as long as 200 tires are used I could run in F street or CAM if I read this right. Can someone please explain the difference and why my 2014 Camaro runs F street and at the Bristol event a 2011 Camaro is running in this new class?????.....what are the advantages or disadvantages of each....much appreciated thanks

[ConeEater]

Well, the 1st thing you'd want to know is what that other car has done to it.

The CAM class is basically a "run what you brung" deal as long as the car is street legal and so on... in FS, you theorhetically could bring a car that has no plate on it and not insured and so on. Not so in CAM.

So if your SS is legal for FS, then you COULD be against some crazy purpose built cars for the CAM class.

That to me is the broadstrokes of what I think you're wanting to know.

[Gen52SS]

If your car meets the F street rules as far as preparation you can run either class. The difference being the only real rule in CAM is that you have to run a 200 or higher tread wear rated tire. Other than that there really are no rules in that class. Unless you plan to highly modify your car to the extreme, you will be much more competitive in F Street. With the new CAM class I expect some people to become very creative. I'm thinking someone with a Solstice and big pockets could create a killer car. It's American made and RWD so it fits the criteria for CAM as would a new Z06 when it comes out. I think the newer cars if prepped correctly could dominate. Kind of a slippery slope when there are really no rules involved.
For this year only, F Street allows you to run 140 minimum treadwear tires which is the only advantage I see over other cars in this class. It will be 200 minimum for next year. CAM allows just about anything as long as the tires are at least 200 TW. CAM would let you run something like 19 x 11's and 305/30's all around as long as they met the 200 TW requirements, along with nearly any suspension modifications.

CAM was created to give the "Pro-Touring" and other highly modified but still street-driven/street-drivable cars a place to play within SCCA. It's going to be a developing class/category as regions decide how to best administer it ("classic" year’s vs "modern" years for a two-class category, etc.).

I totally understand the difference now I'll stay in F Street for sure.

[ConeEater]

Yeah, that's kinda what I figured would be best for a street class car at this point vs CAM.

I HOPE it brings new people to the sport just like ST did back in the early 2000's.

[thrdeye]

I think the cars have to weigh over 3000 lb.

sent from typotalk

[Jek]

^ Yep, no Solstice except maybe with a few hundred pounds of ballast if they allow that lol

[Gen52SS]

The Pontiac web site has the GXP weighing in at 2988 for the auto and 2976 for the Manual trans....I would think 25 lbs should be easy to do and make the 3000 lb requirement. I would defiantly change the name "Classic American Muscle" just doesn't work for me unless the car you are running is 25 years or older.

[01badz28]

Looking at the rule set, I'd say its spec "Late Model Corvette Class." Going to to give it a shot as soon as Lingenfelter sends me a new box - I'm tired of R Comps breaking my car. At least until I get tired of not having any grip.

[oldmuscle69]

I thought CAM was as it meant ,old Muscle cars ( like the Goodguys tour cars) How have they become involved into cam when they are newer cars. Thought the new cars had F stock type class to run in. New cars are not classic cars just repops.

[steverife]

A lot of people thought that...

Classic American Muscle, for your modern non-muscle cars.

[John Brown]

sounds like a spec Corvette Z06 class to me...

[MARKP]

It is until SCCA figures out they need more than one class or they put a year limit on it.

Write your letters!

Sent from the Galaxy

[thrdeye]

In 1990, was a 1970 considered "classic" or just "old".

Seems like 1994 and prior might be a good way to go.

[01badz28]

I've never understood the obsession with the year limit. I've been to several of the local PT events and all of the (fast) cars end up being tube framed, are re skinned over a C5 platform or have every major suspension component replaced with aftermarket parts, and have LSX power. In short, aside from general appearance, they have very little in common with something that rolled off a 60-70s assembly line. Think C Prepared on street tires with (sometimes) an interior.

Aside from segregating the fatties (Mustangs, Transmaros) from the flying gas cans (Corvettes) and some confusion over the name, I don't see a problem with the ruleset at this point.