Driver location question . .

[LittleLiner]

I want to run this by the forum and maybe then I'll send a question to the appropriate rep at SCTA.  With Speedweek fast approaching I suspect the reps are rather busy right now.  So I'll hold off a bit.   
Anyway . . .
In the Modified Category there are references to the driver location.  In my build I am considering moving the engine back.  If I run as an Altered that setback can be as much as 25% of the wheelbase.   In deciding how much to setback the engine I run up against the requirement that "The driver shall sit completely ahead of the rear axle, inside the body, and behind the engine, . . ."  It goes on to mention exceptions for rear engined cars which does not apply to my front engine/rear drive car. 
So . . "completely ahead of the rear axle"  and   "inside the car" . . pretty clear on those.
But what does "behind the engine" mean?   

Here is a photo of a Comp Coupe with an engine set back pretty far.  (The driver location rule wording is virtually identical for Comp Coupe and Altered) 
Granted you really can't see the engine in the photo, but looking at the shape and position of the firewall, it appears that it extends back beyond the pedals which would have the drivers feet and maybe ankles 'next' to the engine. 

So my question is:  Can any part of the driver's feet and/or legs be next to the engine and still be in compliance with the requirement for the driver to [sit] behind the engine?

[salt]

Yes.
Willi

[Bob Ellis]

Hey there Littleliner , Rule 3.E states,,,,,"Cars with front engines shall have the rear of the flywheel housing forward of the drivers knees",,,,
This would mean the knee has to be behind the back of the clutch can.
It does make it hard to get a lot of engine set back in a doorslammer !!!

Love your Stude , took this last year ,awesome chop !!,,,, very well done,

I was over there 2012 working with the tech team , and will be again this year,maybe Nathan will chime in here for you with a better opinion.
He's the dude 2nd from the left,,

This is my C/GCC I run down here in Aussie.Same problem getting engine setback!!


Good luck , and i'll see you in the tech area.

Kiwi Bob (From Australia)
DLRA Chief Car Inspector
DLRA 200 mph club

[NathanStewart]

Aww jeez Bob, now everyone knows what I look like!  I was trying to keep a low profile. 

Liner - the main idea is to keep the order of things the same as they were originally: engine - driver - rear end.  Think back many many years ago when people had put the engine in the rear of their front engine car ala the Chrisman coupe and obviously many rear engine roadster.  So no more super extreme, anything goes kind of setups where someone sits in the engine bay of their Camaro and the engine is in the back seat.  But of course , rear engine roadster have made a come back.

[LittleLiner]

Thanks for the clarifications folks . . very helpful.

BTW . . Sorry, I did not mean to imply that the Stude was mine (wish it was,  it's a very nice piece)  I just had copied that photo onto my computer some time back as a good example of stuff I'd like to include in my car.

Wishing all a safe and fast Speedweek . . . .

[GD]

Phew! - you guys had me worried for a bit there that I might not have been in compliance with the rules. Glad you like my car. Just got it all put back together last night and ready to go in the trailer. August 10th can't get here soon enough for me. I'm pumped and ready to go racing. Please stop by our pit and say hi. We always have a cool beverage for visitors. 
Gord 

[Steve Walters]

I believe the Tesinsky comp coupe stud has the engine in the back seat area.

Steve

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Well, the only photo of Gail's car that I have -- showing the interior -- doesn't show the engine itself, but rather the engine enclosure. Take this for what you can see.  The photo is from a few years ago - maybe '08 or so. . .

[NathanStewart]

The driver's in the back seat, not the engine. 

Edit:  I just looked again at the photo.  I took that one in '02.  And the car was pretty "mature" then.  And it was in front of us in line at the fuel truck in '12.  A tribute to the Tesinski family for keeping it running well - and to the Burkland family for having built a good car.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

That's what it looks like from here, too.

Edit:  I looked carefully and see that I took the photo in '02.  Wow -- the car has been around for a long time.  It's a tribute to the Tesinski family for keeping it running this well for so long (Gail was in front of us at the line for the fuel truck last year - '12), and tribute to the Burkland family for building such a good car in the first place.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

More discussion about the Studebaker CC of Tesinski nee Burkland.  Tom sent this to me a little while ago.

Slim,
The discussion on engine set back brings up a few design issues, especially for comp coupe class cars. The Tesinsky Studebaker is a car I am very familiar with as our family built and ran it from 1971-1978, holding the class record at 255.863mph when it was retired to the Dixon Museum in Wendover. This 1978 record setting group of three runs, yes in those days you qualified the day before and ran records going both ways the next morning, gained Dad membership in the 200mph club.
Comp Coupe class rules allow 50% engine set back as measured from the forward most spark plug, so this stock wheelbase '53 Studebaker was not even close to the rule book limit. It was although near the limit of compressing the driver to the rear in terms of foot positions to allow the engine to be farther back in the car. The driver seat was placed in the center over the drive line. The aluminum cover shown in the photo encloses the blown fuel Chrysler back to the engine plate. The leg positions in this car are very cramped and hard to precisely operate any of the pedals due to the close spacing and tight knee bends.
Most of the modern Comp Coupes have stretched wheelbases to more closely achieve the 50% engine set back and leave more cockpit room for the improved ergonomics of pedal operation. The B210 Datsun we replaced this Studebaker with was a much better race car, easier to drive from the side seat position, and roughly 50mph faster on similar power. Its amazing what technology can do when properly applied over a ten year learning period!

[SPARKY]

 

[Steve Walters]

Darn old age thing again, I remember now, it has a good looking blond in the back seat.

Nice car KIWI Bob. 

Steve

[Tman]

That reminds me, what happened to Burklands B210? That car made a huge impact on me as a kid!

[RichFox]

It runs off and on with a flathead. Think the guy said he was from Reno.