Well I don't know the specifics of this situation, and I will admit there is a
fair amount of anti Japanese bias in most vintage/historic racing. But, it is
*vintage* racing folks. You are supposed to prepare a car to its original
as-raced specs (if it is a real vintage race car) or build one to the specs of
the period (if you are creating a purpose built vintage car). Either way you
must build it using parts and materials available at the time and legal at the
time. That means no modern billet aluminum, CNC machined calipers, or modern FI,
or modern DIS ignitions, etc. Remember, vintage racing is not real racing. If
someone wants that they should go SCCA or other club racing, where its all about
winning, and pushing the rules to win is part of the game. Vintage is about
enjoying older race cars at speed, with the emphasis on enjoying and not on
wining. This is being lost as more and more people discover vintage. The problem
is that many folks are leaving club racing for vintage because they don't like
certain aspects of club racing, but they are slowly turning vintage into club
racing and bringing all the same problems with them.
Who cares what class they put him in? Look at it as a compliment, instead of
taking offense. They think a 2000 is so good it has to run up a class. If he
really is 4 seconds faster than the rest of the class he "should" be in, then
perhaps they are right. Maybe he belongs in a faster class. I know I wouldn't
want to run in a class where I had no competition. I'd rather race my ass off
and come in second than cruise through a season because I am so much faster than
the rest of the class. In that sense vintage racing often does capture the
essence of racing better. Here is an example. John Morton in *any* car belongs
in a faster class than I do. Doesn't matter what car I have, he is always going
to be *much* faster than me. Many vintage groups would bump him up, out of his
car's class, because of his lap times. The same thing happened to a friend of
mine who raced a Big Healey. His car was just another 6 cylinder Healey, nothing
all that special. Certainly legal for his Vintage class. But he was bumped up to
a much faster class because he consistently turned much faster lap times than
the rest of the cars in car's class.
OTOH some times vintage racing gets very petty. Right now there is a debate
going on about brakes in the Vintage 2.5 Trans Am series. Although the Nissan
FIA calipers (4-piston iron) were available at the time, were legal under the
rules at the time, could have been adapted to the 510 (maybe even were though at
this point we can't prove it), and there is documentation they were sold and
used on 510s a year or so later, the Vintage 2.5 group wants to limit 510s to
either a 2-piston caliper, or even worse the specific caliper that BRE used on
their 510s (a Porsche 908 caliper BTW). While the claim of period correctness is
the supposed basis for the claim, the reality seems to be simply an attempt to
make the 510 less competitive. But you know what, who cares? This isn't real
racing, its vintage racing. The win is not the point (not saying it isn't nice,
just that it isn't the point of vintage).
--
Marc Sayer
82 280ZXT
71 510 2.5 Trans Am vintage racer
Stephen McCartney wrote:
>
> Hi Michael,
> Why have they been allowed to up him to the over 2 litre class?
> Is his car standard or not?
> And what are they making him take off?
> Are his modifications (if any) similar to modifications allowed on other
> cars? Yes, a 2000 is quick (especially in full Solex setup) but a well
> sorted Porsche 911 of a similar age, properly sorted, should still be at
> least as quick. But then, they're in the over 2 litre section then,
> anyway...
>
> Seems to me he should tell them to look at ways of making themselves faster,
> not the other way around. Isn't that what racing's supposed to be about,
> anyway?
>
> Sorry, this is a sore point for me - our national touring car championships
> were ruined (IMHO) because of just this sort of attitude. When the local
> Holden and Ford V8's couldn't keep up with turbo Ford Sierras and later,
> Nissan GTR's, they simply kept changing the rules to drive the cars out of
> the competition. THEN, they changed the competition altogether into a V8 vs
> V8 two brand competition - with so many mods that the engines are far
> removed from the showroom floor versions. Makes for little interest (for me
> - the championship is doing well, financially).
>
> Some suggestions to the guys who can't win in Porsches - get faster!
> Or get hold of a Ford Escort BDA - 200hp is in your grasp!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Steve
> (now that's off his chest...)
>
> >From: Michael Poorboy <bitterrootprop@nidlink.com>
> >Reply-To: Michael Poorboy <bitterrootprop@nidlink.com>
> >To: "datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net" <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
> >Subject: Jaremko at the vintage races
> >Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 21:05:40 -0700
> >
> >Hi List,
> >I chatted with Paul Jaremko today about the Sovren Vintage
> >races last weekend. He was very excited about blowing away
> >the field in his 69' 2000 he was 4 seconds faster then last year.
> >The bad part is they are making him take stuff off the car ,
> >because it is to fast. The Porsche guys don't like a Datsun beating
> >them. They have already moved him up to the over 2 liter
> >class to keep this from happening.
> >
> >Maybe Gordon has some pictures from the event. Paul told
> >me was there. What do you say Gordon did you take your
> >camera ?
> >
> >Mike
> >Nowroc
> >Hayden, ID
>
> _________________________________________________________________________
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