Slow car fast or fast car slow?

Well, like the title says, it seems like most enthusiasts would argue that the most fun you can have on four wheels is flogging a lower powered vehicle to and beyond its limits as opposed to never reaching the limits of a much more potent car. Ever wonder why Kart racing is so popular? Well, it's a tiny frame with a powerful little motor and you can run full throttle almost all the time. Besides it's a great learning tool

Jalopnik recently ran an article about driving a slow car fast versus driving a fast car slow or at least that was the general response to an article asking what the best slow cars were. What I have observed in the military is that when your vehicle is underpowered the only way to drive is wide open. With under powered diesel engines and incredibly heavy armored bodies giving it all she's got just isn't that much at all. But it sure felt like you were giving it hell. All the sounds and movements, vibrations and shimmy gives the brain a higher sense of awareness for actions not really happening nearly as fast as it actually seems.

So long story short, if you've ever tried driving the wheels off of a Dodge Omni in high school, you might understand why power isn't always the answer to every situation. Unless you're in the mud. And in that case I think back to an article about home grown rally cars and having just enough power to get you into trouble but not enough to get you out. In that case, you might just have to get little more oomph.

Which brings me right round [baby right round] to the new Spec B class of racing being sanctioned in 2012 by just about every sanctioning body. Inside Line reports about the Mazda 2 and Honda Fit here. I must say that these racing series are actually a great thing for spectators, enthusiasts, race teams and young racers looking to work their way through the ranks and get some visibility. Specs on the racers are similar but the price is capped at $25,000 per car. Mini Cooper has joined the ranks of Honda, Mazda and Fiat with a Cooper race car. Check out the Jalopnik coverage here and maybe chime in on what you would like to see on the future of the series? Do you think this could save racing in the States? Or does it seem too good to be true?