Doug,
To answer you last question first. Yes, but not in the same depth - I too
admire your accomplishments and cherish a long term aquaintenship.
Your paragraphs point out what has been proposed. To bring out some "old
iron" and give them a place to run. I like to equate an XF engine to a
Studebaker body and a XXF engine to a Monza body. The new category is the
same basic principle as the XF/XO engine split.
Again, let me stress that this only a proposal and still needs the approval
of the Board.
Re: the Ron Main comment, it just goes to show that no matter what you
invest, what we allow or what the "paper" says - once we get to the salt it
all shakes out at the end of the day. Like my friend Bob Noice says "race
cars are like soldiers, you send them all to war, some come back - some
don't". Another favorite of mine from Les Leggitt "I can give them
everything they need via the rulebook, I can't do the tune-up."
Dan (is 'rhetorical' good or bad?) Warner
Dan Warner
----- Original Message -----
From: <ARDUNDOUG@aol.com>
To: <dwarner@electrorent.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: New Category
> In a message dated 09/12/2000 5:26:10 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
> dwarner@electrorent.com writes:
>
> << Doug,
>
> I didn't mean to imply that some one new will immediately jump to this
new
> opportunity. I am told that an early GM "carcass" may be purchased for
> $200 - 300 in some areas of the country. These cars were made in numbers
> that they will never be collectible and are throw aways as such. I would
> think that this would be a good starting point for a race car if you were
> inclined, I am not. While you have had tremendous success with what some
> would term "low tech" equipment, and be criticized for using same. What
is
> the problem with restricting someone else from using the same type of
> mechanical? The "pill & pump" guys may not have interest at all in using
> EFI. Would you be of the same frame of mind if Ron Main was running
Modified
> Roadster with his engines?
> >>
> Dan,
> I really don't care one way or another if some new classes are opened.
My
> concern is that it will serve the fairly wide purpose of attracting new
> "blood" into our hobby rather than making records possible for a handfull
of
> currently competing cars that are "aerodynamically(sp) challenged".
> I also realize that my own engine class was created because a very
small
> group (2) of competitors, who happened to compete in what is now my engine
> class, and were also very high SCTA-BNI officials, were responsible for
> creating that class in order to avoid competing against other XX vintage
> engines that were (and still are) faster. To their credit, if the Ardun
> hadn't been separated from the Jimmy's and Buick Straight Eights in the
then
> XX class I doubt that there would be any of them competing today. They
were
> potentially a wonder for their day, but that day came just before the
> introduction of the SBC, the Chrysler Hemi, Cad & Olds OHV V-8's, and
about
> the same time as GM produced the 270 Jimmy, all of which eclipsed the
Flatty
> and it's OHV converted bastard son the Ardun. If splitting the class to
> accomodate the Ardun meant that zealots such as Hayseed, Monte Osborn, Don
> Ferguson Jr., The Red Coupe, and myself will continue to run these
dinosaurs
> and let the LSR spectators and participants hear them run (as opposed to
> looking at one sitting in an engine stand display in some museum), then
part
> of the overall goal has been achieved. The other part of the goal is peer
> recognition (aka records).
> I further realize that even though the fuel record I set last month is
> slightly higher than the fastest GMC Vintage Engine, Vintage Car
(excluding
> Special Construction) record, were the XXF and XXO engine classes still
> combined as XX I probably wouldn't have even qualified due to the fact
that I
> would have been qualifying in the afternoon heat. My morning record run
was
> the only one that put up numbers faster than the XXO engine in the same
> chassis category.
> Further, the XXO/FMR records at Bonneville and El Mirage were set
several
> years ago with aerodynamics that are considered "traditional", not
"pushing
> the envelope" as mine is. So, all things being equal I still can't (and
> probably never will) produce the performance that a well prepared XXO car
> will. I only bring this up because I'm sure somebody else will if I don't.
> Regards competing against Ron Main, don't tell Jimmy Stevens to
> "steer-clear" of Mains classes. As you know, Stevens has broken just about
> all of the roadster records Main set during the past 10 years, using much
> less technology and $$$$$$ than the Landy Project had invested. Besides,
you
> still have to make it at least twice to the three mile marker in order to
set
> the record.
> For my part, selecting a class was determined by my admiration of
> modified roadsters and the fact that it was also a category in which I
might
> achieve another long-term goal of mine, the Two-Club. I started out in
Street
> Roadster and later moved to Lakester, parking that car when it was
discovered
> that building per NHRA specs does not automatically make the grade with
SCTA
> Tech.
> Don Ferguson ran against the XXF/FMR record several times over the
past
> 15+ years. Ask him how "soft" he thought it was.
> BTW, do the guys who question the need for these classes get the same
> rhetorical attention as I have?
> Your Friend and long-time admirer, Ardun Doug King
>
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