Louise,
Your reply avoids and then also underscores my comments.
First; Any record is only as good as the acceptance of that record by those
involved in the same sport. By calling yourself "LandSpeed Louise" you are
injecting yourself into the androgynous group of people who have been active
in operating land-speed racing events for over 100 years. Recognition of
elapsed time records outside this group is academic to those who actually
participate in the sport. Accepted practice within the group is the only
yardstick they recognize and respect.
Second; With the advent of computerized timing, that group has a method of
assuring the accuracy of speeds based on elapsed time between triggering
devices. Several of my neighbors on this short street could write the
necessary software program to accurately decipher those elapsed time
impulses into miles per hour or kilometers per hour. Everyone receiving
this message has the hardware capability of using a similar program to
accurately time an elapsed time event to many decimal points. The newest
kid on the block can probably time more accurately than anyone else because
of improvements in hardware. Software being academic at this point.
Third; If you accept the first two premises, the only thing that remains is
honor and semantics. If everyone involved in the activity has the honor (or
honour) to abide by and base their claims on the accepted rules, then ANY
accurately timed speed over an accurately measured distance within defined
class rules is a WORLD RECORD and should be accepted as such among all those
involved in the sport. There being no such thing as an Intergalactic record
that I am aware of. If Malcolm and his rocket bike crew go a certain
verified speed, following the accepted timing practices, over an accurately
measured distance, they have a WORLD RECORD. The fact that we, ( I'm
including Glen Barrett and SCTA/BNI without his approval but guessing he
would go along with my premise) as Bonneville Salt Flats Timing
Associations, would probably not want to time the rocket bike for our
established base-line technical, construction and safety consideration
reasons at any of our meets is secondary. If they were to come to us, or
any one with accurate timing equipment, and ask to be timed at a private
meet where their insurance and safety needs were covered and contractural
financial promises were kept, I don't doubt that such an arrangement could
be made.
Fourth; What possible additional benefit to the sport today is approval or
overseeing by any International, National or Regional, "Governing Body?" As
racers, pit crews, promoters, spectators, enthusiasts, the actual people who
know and care about the sport, it is OUR approval that counts. The World
Records are listed in the 2000 Rulse and Records Book. WHO ELSE CARES ABOUT
A SPEED RECORD CLAIM WHO MATTERS AND HOW CAN ANYONE DISPUTE THAT IT IS A
"WORLD RECORD" IF NO ONE HAS GONE FASTER WITH A CLASS DEFINED VEHICLE?
Wes
PS ... Anyone want to dispute my claim that the NHRA and AHRA and other USA
drag racing sanctioning associations accurately time more runs in a single
racing weekend than the FIA has in all the years of its existence?
WSP
----------
> From: "LandSpeed Louise" <lanspeed@west.net>
> To: "Malcolm Pittwood" <MPittwood@compuserve.com>,
<Land-speed@autox.team.net>
> Subject: Re: On line chat topic
> Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 18:35:27 -0800
>
>Malcolm and all other interested speedsters
>
>
>There is more than one World Record -- not just the ThrustSSC mark -- just
>ask Al Teague or Bill Summers. All are governed by the FIA and while you
may
>or may not respect the sanctioning body, they have been the "keepers of the
>speed" for quite awhile. One must decide if tradition has merit.
>
>I recognize SCTA/BNI records as National Records, the timing and record
>keeping being of a professional caliber. I do not know enough about the
>USFRA to make a comment about their records, except to say that every event
>I have attended has reflected a professional approach to safety and that
>speaks volumes.
>
>Any sanctioning body has its political baloney that tarnishes credibility
>from time to time. None are exempt.
>
>SCTA has been conducting speed trials for more than 60 years, in all
aspects
>of my research for the Bonneville book I found no indication that their
>methodology was flawed, or that the sprit of fairness was compromised. This
>is not to say that the organization has not had its problems, but if one
>were ask me if I recognized SCTA records as National Speed Records, my
>answer would be, "Yes," for the reasons stated above as well as others
that
>I won't burden the group with at this point.
>
>At one time the AAA Contest Board was the almighty American power that was.
>However, there is plenty of documentation that shows it was a dandy fine
>"good old boy" network at times which eventually lead to its severing by
the
>AAA that prevails today in order that the common good of motorists might
>continue to be served.
>
>This is a VERY brief overview of sanctioning bodies and recognized speed
>records. Arguments may be made for and against any named, but the point I
>would like to stress is longevity . . . the group that stays around must be
>doing something right and therefore worthy of at least acknowledgment, if
>not down right respect for keeping the torch burring for those among us who
>enjoy the speed of it all.
>
>Speedy Regards,
>
>
>LandSpeed Louise Ann Noeth
>Storyteller
>
>LandSpeed Productions
>Words / Pictures / Graphics / PR
>"Against the ruin of the world,
>there is only one defense -- the creative act!"
>Speedy Regards,
>
>
>LandSpeed Louise Ann Noeth
>Storyteller
>
>LandSpeed Productions
>Words / Pictures / Graphics / PR
>"Against the ruin of the world,
>there is only one defense -- the creative act!"
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Malcolm Pittwood <MPittwood@compuserve.com>
>To: <Land-speed@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 11:38 AM
>Subject: On line chat topic
>
>
>> Hi everyone,
>> Due to the time difference with Britain I will not be able to join the 3
>am
>> chat with a working day to follow.
>> Just to help the topic of BNI/SCTA/USFRA times for runs, working time in
>> impound and FIM & FIA record attempts, heres by two pence worth.
>> If your club or sanctioning body is not an affiliated body of the FIA or
>> FIM then why worry what you call your records. To these two World
>> governing bodies you are just running club events for "local" records -
>> that may offend some of your organisers and many of the racers but that
is
>> how they are seen. Remember there is no differentiation by body style in
>> their rules, only capacity divisions. Your 'local' record in the classes
>> may be faster than the FIA or FIM listings but these two bodies will
never
>> ever acknowledge them as International/World records.
>> On four wheels, as Mike Jenkins explained last week there is only one
>> "World Record" - the Thrust SSC outright speed of 763.035 mph. On two
>> wheels there are FIA World Records for ALL capacity classes for the
>> variety of distances and duration records.
>> ACCUS is one USA based FIM affiliated organisation as is USAC but I do
not
>> know if they have any input into anything other than individual ouright
>> records. Perhaps someone could explain from your side of the pond why
>they
>> are not at Bonneville ? The AMA is the USA motorcycle affiliated body
>and
>> they seem to interact only with the "Land Speed Authority" organisation.
>> Is that so ?
>> The 'four hour maintenance working rule' in impound makes little sense to
>> me, as the return run to achieve a record is the day following the first
>> pass any way.
>> The FIA 1 hour ruling and the FIM 2 hour ruling for 1 mile timed
>distances,
>> is to ensure that the two runs occur in (almost) stable conditions on one
>> day - much more difficult to do ? Because little work is allowed by
>either
>> sanctioning body except general safety checks and maintenance on the
>> vehicle between runs you do not need time to "rebuild the vehicle from
the
>> ground up".
>> With strong comments expressed on the list I do not expect to see any
>> changes in the way the USA do things in general at Bonneville meetings.
>> Some US racers will dip deep into their pockets to get International
>> (FIA/FIM) recognition because they can rightly be compared directly with
>> the best of the past. Brits will come across to your US deserts to set
>> World Records in their own events. Bonneville Speed Week will continue
>> for another 50 years as a wonderful sporting event. Can anyone see this
>> changing ?
>> Have a good chat tonight.
>> Malcolm Pittwood, Derby, England.
>>
>>
>
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