I agree with just about everything you're saying except for the first paragraph. The competition is great, the cars are interesting, and the CSRs are a great support network.
The frame is an antique. It isn't as safe as a modern sports racer. Roll cages are made with round tubes because the side tubes flatten ('distort') in a crash. There is on diagonal along the side of the driver's compartment but no intrusion bars. The driver is exposed, especially in rollovers. Does the chassis met the current GCR requirements for sports racers (pp 117-123)?
Racing is dangerous. Some life insurance policies won't cover it. Nothing is perfect. I may have recommended a different SRF evolution. Maybe an aftermarket ECU, new cam and exhaust on the 1.9 but a new chassis run concurrently with the old, matched by weight adjustments.
Costs are relatively controlled but pretty high compared to an oval track car of equal or greater complexity: dry sumped, adjustable suspension geometry, adjustable/rebuildable Penske, Ohlins, or JRi shocks, AP/PFC fixed calipers with floating rotors, etc. The cars are built like tanks and on a short oval speeds don't exceed 110 even though they are 500hp/3000 lb cars on 10" wide wheels with 13" wide tires. The whole frame costs about 1/2 of a SRF frame. A complete new car is less. Fenders are maybe $150, front or rear, nose and tail about the same.
The oval racing doesn't seem to be an option. Local tracks are gone. Each track has its own car rules. The closest reasonable track (3 hr tow) closed and then reopened. Just, maybe, hitting 12 car fields...it used to be 16-24. No local support at all and not really around the track either (11 cars, scattered around and often self-maintained isn't a good business model). And I still have the car although the 26' foot enclosed trailer has a lot yard equipment in it.
SM has a less formal network of firms supporting it. They also have rentals but in SM less likely to be a car that would capture a Major's pole. Costs are comparable between SM and SRF.
People in both SM and SRF like their classes. There are some that move on; SRF would be considered a step up. But one top driver is now running in STL.
These pictures show the differences.
First, an naked SRF:
- SRF Frame.jpg (34.43 KiB) Viewed 25730 times
Then an Elan NP01, the post recent 'budget' sports racer, both the bare frame and with a crush foam to cushion impacts:
- NP01.jpg (60.16 KiB) Viewed 25730 times
Finally, a super late model stock car, note the 3/16" plate welded to the door bars.