When the rules for 2008 SIC were produced we decided to keep the tyre ruling the same as 2007. Unfortunately over the past 2 meetings there have been very worrying developements and i feel it is time to put a stop to them right now before we find that the situation spirals out of control.

Tyres are one of the most difficult items to scrutineer. They are also one of the most critical parts of a race car which when working well can make the difference between winning and losing. It is almost impossible to determine which make, size & compund of tyre is being used when a tyre is glued & trued to a wheel hub. Therefore the make of tyre was left open to the racers preffered choice.

We are happy to leave the choice of tyre open and to continue glueing & trueing of tyres, the problems have started mainly due to the preparation and the process of making a pnuematic tyre.

At both rounds of the SIC 2008 the most disturbing issue is that of using hypodermic syringes to inflate tyres. I think that the use of such is incredibly foolish and could be quite dangerous. It may also have very serious implications to the hosting clubs should any 'accidents' involving them occur. We have decided on the following course of action to take effect imediately.

Banning the use of Syringes in and around any of the hosting venues. Anyone who is caught in possesion of such an item at a Slot.it Challenge event will be told to pack up their box and leave the venue imediately and will also be excluded from future events.

In order to counter-balance this issue we have decided to allow the use of an alternative alloy wheel (ref PCS 32101) which is an air hub with holes drilled around the outside circumferance and performs in a similar way to a pnuematic tyre on a Slot It hub.

We will be distributing a batch of these wheels to each club rep who will then supply a set to each registered SIC 2008 driver free of charge, any subsequent sets of wheels required will be discounted to the same price as a slot.it SIPA17als wheel. These wheels will be eligable for use at the Preston Event. The use of Slot.it wheels as per the SIC 2008 rules is still allowed.

The PCS 32101 wheels supplied must abide by the existing SIC 2008 rules, wheel inserts must remain in place. (If required you may drill the centres of the insert out with a 3/32 drill to allow the wheel to push on to the axle.) The holes around the outside circumference must be kept open and not covered with any material other than the tyre.

We believe that the use of these wheels (PCS 32101) will be a great 'leveller' and will help the lower seeded drivers who have previously struggled with tyre prep.

It also removes the need to 'inflate' tyres thereby removing any need to carry Syringes as part of the Slot Racers tool kit.

Rgds Sean & Nic