A Weighty Issue

By George Klass (12-08-09)

I'm referring to ballast.

Everybody uses ballast to some extent.  If you are running in a class that has a minimum weight, ballast can be used to adjust your weight to deal with differences in the scale calibration from track to track.  If you are running in a dial-in class or an Index class, ballast is used to adjust your ET, adding some weight to slow down or deleting some weight to run closer to your number.  Ballast is all well and good.

But....

To be NHRA compliant, the ballast needs to either be securely bolted down or inside of an approved "weight box".  Loose ballast is a no-no of the highest magnitude.  Here's how ballast is described in the 2009 NHRA Rulebook (paraphrased from page 259, General Regulations)

"Any material used for the purpose of adding to a car's total weight must be permanently attached to the car's structure and must not extend in front of or behind the rear of the car's body or above the rear tires.  No liquid or loose ballast permitted (i.e.; water, sandbags, rocks, shot bags, metal weights, etc.).  Discovery of loose or disguised ballast will result in disqualification from the event, regardless of whether infraction occurs during qualifying or eliminations."

"Weight boxes (two maximum) made of 1/8-inch material may be constructed to hold small items such as shot bags, lead bars, etc., as long as box and contents do not weigh more than 100 pounds.  The box must be securely fastened to the frame or crossmember with at least two 1/2-inch diameter SAE Grade-8 steel bolts."

"Any liquid other than engine fuel being used, located behind the front firewall (on a front engine car), is considered ballast and is prohibited, except for intercooler tanks that contain water and/or ice only."

"To permit "making a class" due to a difference in scale calibration, a maximum removable weight of 100 pounds is permitted.  Removable weight must be securely mounted to the frame or frame structure by a minimum of two 1/2-inch-diameter steel bolts per 100 pounds, or by one 3/8-inch bolt per 5 pounds (SAE Grade-8 bolts required in all cases).  Hose clamps, wire, strapping, tape, tie wraps, etc. for securing weight or ballast prohibited."  

There it is in a nutshell.  I have periodically done "loose ballast" checks at the scales before, in the heads-up classes.  I found some but it was no big deal.  Nobody got disqualified, other than on that particular qualifying run.  I'm sure that if I had checked inside the cars, under the seats and in the trunks of the Open Comp, Index or dial-in classes, I would have had a small mountain of illegal ballast stacked next to the scales.  They say that "fore warned is fore armed", so let the word go out.  We WILL be doing random checks in the future.  Loose ballast is ultra dangerous.  In the event of a sudden stop (as in against the wall), it doesn't take a lot of weight to cause you serious injury or even death.  Many years ago, a friend of mine was in a relatively minor traffic accident, and was killed when the camera he had on the back seat struck him in the head.

One more thing as long as we are discussing ballast.  I'm sure that none of you racing in a minimum weight class would ever consider sneaking some extra weight into the car at the top end, and before going over the scales.  The technical term for this is called "cheating".  Everyone has an obligation to keep an eye out for this and to report it if you see it.  It may not be prevalent but it does happen.  Everyone has the opportunity to tow or drive across the scales prior to qualifying or eliminations.  The scales at the track are the scales we are obliged to use.  To tell us that "the scales are light" is meaningless, those are the scales we have to use.  It doesn't matter what your car weighs at home on your own scales; what matters is what it weighs on the track's scales.  If I had my way, I would have a rule that nobody is permitted to drive a tow vehicle or a quad / golf cart to the car at the top end until it has gone over the scales.  One or two crew members would be permitted to WALK to the car to help push the car to the scales, but that would be it.  Tow vehicles would not be permitted to hook up to the racecars until AFTER they have been weighed.  As I said, that would be my druthers but it's not a PSCA rule at present.

Anyway (or should I say anyweigh), carry on and I will see you in Las Vegas in a couple of months.

GK

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