Charlie Davis wrote:
> > I gotta tell ya' the credibility of those "$200X" cars has been
> > getting thinner and thinner over the years. "I sold the stock air
> > cleaner for $1000.00, and bought a urbo for $5.00!"
Charlie, I can't speak for the other teams but the Mongrel Motorsports team,
the $2002 and $2003 Challenge winners did not play such games. I was not
involed with the program during construction, I only drove the car at the
event, but I did see their budget. As impressive as the car is in
performance and appearance, the budget is the equal of the car. A two inch
thick ring binder, well organized, had a ebay auction page, or equivenant,
for every single part on the car and every part sold off the parts cars.
Scott and Denny knew that their budget would recieve a lot of scrutiny and
that it had to be rock solid. Yes, they pushed the rules to the limit, as
any Championship race team would, but in this competition, the rules are
about accounting, not construction.
MJB wrote:
>
> I haven't checked the actual rules GRM publishes, but it seems to me that
> any car that competes in the $200X challange should be available for
purchase
> by anyone else, competitor or not, for $200X. I might pass on the
Valiants.
>
This has been discussed over and over on the GRM forum. The teams almost
unanimously regect the claiming rule for one simple reason, labor. Time and
effort is off budget, as it should be, so the implementation of a claiming
rule would result in a field of $1500 junkers with a few simple bolt ons.
To understand this event you have to understand that its purpose is to sell
magazines. No one wants to read about $1500 junkers, but most enthusiasts
would find the Mongrel Motorsports V8 Miata VERY interesting reading. To
sell magazines, the cars need to go fast and look cool. The V8 Miata is
both in spades. However, it would not exist if Mongrel Motorsports was
forced to sell it for $200x after the event.
A note about the Mongrel Motorsports V8 Miata that won the event. The car
arrived at the event virtually un-tested. It had been to the drag strip one
time for a very few passes (before breaking an axle shaft). It had never
been on an autocross course ever until the Challenge event. Also, I only
got to drive the car around the paddock before competition runs. The car
suffered badly from lack of setup and developement and a bias towards the
dragstrip. If I had had a few runs to dial the car in first it would have
been significantly faster on the autocross course. Scott and Denny did a
spactacular job none the less. If you haven't seen this car it will blow
you away in person, photos just don't do it justice. Oh, and it is BIG FUN
to drive :)
Steve Hoelscher
(Dog for a day)
Mongrel Motorsports' Hired Gun
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