Optima Is Tapping In To The Human Element With A New Racing Series

Cars are a great way to meet new people, make friends, and have a good time. Sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the competitive nature of an event and forget to actually have fun. Optima Batteries has created a new series that emphasizes the fun factor of racing and building cars with their new series called DriveAutoX. This racing series is about the people and having a well-rounded event experience.

After a long day of racing and wrenching, wouldn’t it be nice to kick back with some fellow competitors and have a good meal, parking lot party, or even a concert? These and more are possibilities at DriveAutoX events. There’s a car class for everyone, no matter year, make, model, or modifications. Points will be accumulated throughout the series and prizes will awarded to top performers.

Each event is two days, and filled with plenty of seat time during qualifying on Saturday and Sunday, with up to three cars on the course at once. Each main event will have a unique format to determine the class champions. To spice things up a bit, there could be an impromptu shootout, pursuit, or runoff race.

DriveAutoX will take place at premium venues like ZMax Raceway, Grissom AFB, Gateway Motorsports Park, and Mineral Wells. These locations allow for unique course layouts and tons of participants and spectators. Events like this one can only happen if people stay safe. Refer to the list of rules below or head to www.dirveautox.com for more details.

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Rules:

1. All vehicles entered into the series must be domestic or import, four-wheeled vehicles that are licensed and registered for regular street use.
2. Gasoline, E-85, diesel fuel, bio-diesel, and electricity are the only fuel/power sources to be used in vehicles entered in the events. Nitrous oxide, alcohol and nitro methane are prohibited.
3. All entrants/drivers must have a current and valid government issued driver’s license and must be at least 16 years of age. All drivers under the age of 18 must have a parent/legal guardian waiver signed during registration.
4. Participants may not register more than one vehicle per event.
5. A car may not have more than two registered drivers.
6. Participating cars must pass a technical inspection that will emphasize safety. Safety features that do not offer a competitive advantage such as racing specific harnesses, roll cages/bars, fire systems, etc., are acceptable and highly encouraged.
7. Helmet use is required – helmets must have a SNELL rating SA2010 or newer. M or DOT rated helmets are not acceptable.
8. Classes: All cars must weigh at least 95% of the factory published curb weight without the driver. The Official Steward has final decision on car classification and reserves the right to place certain vehicles into an appropriate class. GT – 1990 and newer 4 seat coupes and sedans (late model Mustang, Camaro, BMW M3, Cadillac CTSV, etc.) GTV – 1989 and older 4 seat coupes and sedans, including C1-C3 Corvettes and AMX GTU – Unlimited sports car (C4-C7 Corvette, any AWD, any 3 rotor, and all modern rear-engine vehicles) SCB – Sport compact turbo and supercharged vehicles (4/6 cylinder or 2 rotor, no AWD) SCN – Sport compact naturally aspirated vehicles (4/6 cylinder or 2 rotor, no AWD) No Limit Outlaw – Run whatchu brung and hope you brought enough. This class is for all vehicles that don’t fit into the above classes, lightweight cars and kit cars. Lightweight, heavy mods, this is for you. Must follow posted tire rules. Vehicles entered in competition may be weighed at any time during the event, including tech. Drivers are required to have credible documentation on hand to prove factory published curb weight. Manufacturer websites, technical sites and vehicle specific forums are good places to gather this info. Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. All entries not meeting the mandated weight requirements will be immediately moved to the No Limit Outlaw class.
9. Tires – Participants must use DOT approved, non-competition, treaded (non-grooved) street tires (no competition radials, no R compound, or drag radials) with a treadwear rating of 200 or higher. Eligible tires must be: a) in sufficient supply; b) commercially available to the general public; c) have a manufactured minimum tread depth of 7/32” when new; and d) available in at least six (6) different sizes. Ineligible tires include Kumho Ecsta V720 ACR, Yokohama Advan A0520, Federal 595RS-RR and other models that don’t meet the above criteria.
10. Tire condition – Tires will be required to pass a technical inspection. Tires cannot show any signs of abuse, checking or obvious signs of age or neglect. Any modifications or chemical treatments to tires is unacceptable. Competitors with tires showing any evidence of modification will be immediately disqualified from the event. Safety is of the utmost importance and event officials will not hesitate to disqualify questionable tire selections.
11. Water can be used for cooling of tires between runs.
12. AERO – Splitters, spoilers, wings and canards are open – bring it!
13. All vehicles must run a complete exhaust system with mufflers and must not exceed 103dB at 50 feet if tested. Tested vehicles exceeding 103dB will be immediately removed from competition and given an opportunity to correct the problem. Two noise violations during a single event will result in disqualification from the event.
14. Seatbelts or safety harnesses must be installed, a minimum 3-point factory installed seat belt is required for all vehicles.
15. The official time for each run will be as measured by the automatic timer plus any penalties incurred.
16. A two-second penalty will be imposed for knocking a pylon over or out of its outlined box. If the pylon is left standing and touching any part of its outlined box, it is not a penalty. Pointer or “lay down” cones are considered directional aids and do not impose a penalty
17. A DNF (did not finish) will be imposed for knocking a pylon over or out of its outlined box after the finish beam.
18. A participant’s official score for the event will be the lowest timed lap of the segment.
19. The participant with the lowest timed lap in their respective class will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie within a class, the second fastest times and so on will break the tie.
20. Burnouts, excessive speed, or any other dumb stuff on property or in the grid/staging area is strictly prohibited and will result in a penalty or dismissal from the event.
21. No open toe shoes or sandals/flip flops allowed on course.
22. Event officials, competition director and/or event management staff will have COMPLETE discretion to deny or remove from the event, or issue penalties to anyone in the event for any reason. Rules, infraction level, or “spirit of the event” interpretation will be at the sole discretion of the event competition director, steering committee or event organizers, and all decisions are final.

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