are we allowed to swap our battery for a lighter one/relocate it to the rear? i'm assuming replacing it with an aftermarket 12V roughly the same weight as stock would be okay?

 

To answer the first part, no. If your stock battery dies and you want to put in a Diehard, no problem; an Optima, now your stretching it...

 

http://www.scca.com/_filelibrary/File/2005SoloRules.pdf

Check out page 61, the 3rd paragraph (beginning with "Alternate components...").

Neither a lighter battery nor re-location are permitted.

 

According to the rules, alternate batteries are allowed provided they are the "essentially identical" to the standard part, with "essentially identical" being defined as same size and weight. There is no allowance for relocating the battery in the stock category.

 

sorry - don't know that much about different brands/their characteristics. are optima batteries that much lighter? is that why you say it would be a stretch? i'm assuming whatever you can get at your local autozone/napa or mom and pop shop would be fine?

 

Optima batteries are sealed cell, and somewhat lighter than a standard lead-acid battery. A replacement battery from NAPA/AutoZone that is the same size and shape will be just fine.