Running Model 3's in Super Street SCCA Autocross

[gearchruncher]

Hey, I race all the time in this class. Always first in PAX for class, but also within a couple spots of the top for events with a model 3 performance with track pack. One year I was first in PAX and RAW.
Have fun with this event.

This thread is 3 years old. It's now 3 years later, and the M3P is now in AS, not SS. Most of the discussion has moved here:

Autocross- SCCA EV-X Class vs. SS

Hi All, Hopefully this thread can become sticky and be a place for autocross discussion with the Tesla Model 3. My question - Has anyone seen any of the rules for the SCCA EV-X class? I have seen a site (can't find it right now of course) that suggested the PAX for EV-X was only slightly...

teslamotorsclub.com

Awesome that you're having so much fun in yours, but up against national level competition on national style courses, they have no chance in SS or AS. They do sometimes dominate in short, slow courses though.

What kind of courses are you running and you up against any national winners? You should consider running a national tour event!

 

[trak0r]

Ya, it is harder to get into top position for the last few years after they moved me to SS and now AS. I'm a few ticks down now when attending events. I'm also out of practice since I'm not going very much anymore either due to family obligations.

When I was in BS after just purchasing the m3p, it was much easier to dominate. I think after the Purple Model 3 Performance (2021?) won nationals, they decided to 'adjust' pax and we were all re-classed all the way to SS. So these cars can achieve a chance when driving right and aren't grossly handicapped.

Locally, we run mostly courses at airports in indiana, and it is usually the only times I'll attend due to grip. I usually run AS now since EV-X is slightly worse in PAX.

This thread is 3 years old. It's now 3 years later, and the M3P is now in AS, not SS. Most of the discussion has moved here:

Autocross- SCCA EV-X Class vs. SS

Hi All, Hopefully this thread can become sticky and be a place for autocross discussion with the Tesla Model 3. My question - Has anyone seen any of the rules for the SCCA EV-X class? I have seen a site (can't find it right now of course) that suggested the PAX for EV-X was only slightly...

teslamotorsclub.com

Awesome that you're having so much fun in yours, but up against national level competition on national style courses, they have no chance in SS or AS. They do sometimes dominate in short, slow courses though.

What kind of courses are you running and you up against any national winners? You should consider running a national tour event!

 

[gearchruncher]

I think after the Purple Model 3 Performance (2021?) won nationals, they decided to 'adjust' pax and we were all re-classed all the way to SS. So these cars can achieve a chance when driving right and aren't grossly handicapped.

As a bit of history, the M3P moved to SS in 2019 after David Marcus (multi time champ) drove his Blue M3P to a BS win at nationals (by 0.017 seconds) that year. He then went and argued to the SEB that it should be an SS car because it "might" get a software update that makes it faster. The SEB was all to happy to oblige, and kept the M3 buried in SS until 2024 when they could no longer justify it and backed of to AS (where it's still not a contender).

PAX is completely independent and is set by an individual person. But PAX is always for a whole class, not a single car, so when you get put in SS or AS, that's the PAX you get, so the SCCA isn't assigning a PAX to the M3P. The only unique place here is PAX for EV-X, where there only is one competitive car, so functionally it is a PAX for a single car. In this case there has been no question, there are political pressures at play to keep the EV-X PAX "hard" and much higher than is supported by the data used to set all other PAX's, but the SCCA isn't quite ready to see EV's as "real cars" yet. This went as far as having an accurate PAX for the M3P for about a week this year right after the 2024 PAX tables were released, and then the political pressure got it changed to make it incorrect (the only class that got "adjusted"....)

Fun fact: If you win BS in 2019 in an EV, you get on the cover of Sportscar magazine and whole articles written about you. If you win Nationals in EV-X in 2024, it doesn't even count as a win and you don't get a jacket or in the final list of winners because EV-X is "experimental."

Member Spotlight: David Marcus

This article first appeared in the September, 2020 edition of SportsCar Magazine. Everyone can read the current and past editions of SportCar digit...

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