2009 NEMA Ignition Rule Update – 3/3/09
After considerable thought & investigation by the NEMA Technical Committee, please find liked above the ignition rule for the 2009 season that was recently ratified. We thank all of the members who helped submit information throughout this process and we look forward to moving forward with the 2009 season.
Ignition rule for 2009 season:
All NEMA approved ignition control devices shall be installed and maintained in stock condition (from a NEMA approved OEM manufacturer – ie: MSD, Electromotive, etc.) and may not be modified or altered in any way. The ignition system shall have no means of logging and storing data (except for the ignition curve/graph setting). The sole function will be to control the ignition timing and maximum rpm as defined in Rule 7.9(w) *. In addition, no devices (mechanical or computerized) will be allowed anywhere on/around or near the competition vehicle that provide any type of traction control benefit and any connections to the ignition control device such as reference sensors or wires that are within the driver’s reach shall be made semi permanent **.
The penalty associated with violating the aforementioned rule will be A) loss of points for the event B) loss of points for the season C) fine or suspension to be determined by the NEMA competition board or D) a combination of A, B, and/or C.
If an alternative curve/setting is utilized the ignition timing for that curve/setting must be exactly the same as the primary curve/setting.
At the NEMA technical inspector’s discretion any ignition box or settings can be inspected at any time.
* Controlling the ignition timing, as decided by the contest board, shall mean each ignition box may utilize only 3 points of adjustment – in the MSD ignition box defined as only having 4 total “dots”, including the beginning and ending “dots”, on the MSD Graph View plot. The beginning and ending dots must remain at the stock RPM setting – 800 and 15,000 respectively. The points between the adjustments must be connected by a straight line with no interruptions or spikes between the points.
For the avoidance of doubt – please see the pictures below.
** Semi permanent shall mean either tape or some form of non-conducting tie strap. All wiring and/or connections in or within the cockpit area must also be completely sealed – (for example, wrapped in tape, enclosed in wire loom, etc.)
An example of a LEGAL ignition setting – 4 dots on the MSD Graph View:
An example of an ILLEGAL ignition setting – although the lines are straight, this setting has 5 dots: