Grand American Previews 2003 Rulebook

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 30, 2002) -- Grand American Road Racing Association has put a draft of its 2003 Rolex Sports Car Series rulebook on its website to offer a preview of next season's rules.

"We have been talking to our current teams about the 2003 rules, and we gathered enough input to get this initial draft done," Director of Competition Dave Watson commented. "This preview will let everyone see where we are going and give them a head start on preparation for the 2003 season."

The Daytona Prototype rules, which have been on the Grand American website for months, have been updated with a new easy to follow numbering system that will be used throughout the 2003 rulebook. The Prototype rules will continue to be posted separately in the Daytona Prototypes section on the web.

The GTS and AGT classes have been merged into a single GTS class for 2003 putting unibody and tube-frame cars in head-to-head competition.

The GT class will see some changes in 2003 that will allow more opportunity for teams and tuners. "We are going to bring our GT rules more in line with other major racing organizations," Watson noted. "The baseline for performance in the class will change to a scale that is based on minimum weights and air flow per cubic inch of displacement. We also are going to allow teams to modify their suspension geometry and handling characteristics."

Several changes will occur across the class range in the Rolex Sports Car Series. Fuel cell capacity will be standardized at 24 gallons for all classes, except in SRPII, which will be limited to 15 gallons.

All cars in 2003 will have to be fitted with the twin dry brake fueling system.

Air restrictors will be resized approximately 10 percent in keeping with a worldwide move toward controlling top speeds.

And Grand American will mandate the use of an approved head and neck restraint system, stepping up from its recommendation announced earlier this year.

There are other minor changes to the rules and everyone is encouraged to review these rules in all areas that pertain to their class of competition.

The draft of the 2003 Rolex Sports Car Series rulebook can be found online at www.grand-am.com.