Ouch! That's a bit harsh Bob. In my chosen motorsport I'm using an
engine that I also drive on the street. I expect friendly drivability,
whether I'm autocrossing or driving to work. (Sometimes it's hard to
tell the difference!) I don't get to see much WOT (wide open throttle)
use on an autocross course, some, but I need an engine that revs
quickly and smoothly. I won't get that if I'm just worried about the
top end. Considering the time, effort, and money I've spent on
balancing and breathing, my engine is probably more flexible than
a lot of list members stock street engines.
And, that's not a concern of just the "drive it to the parking lot" crowd
I run with. Did you guys know MG had class wins at Le Mans and
Sebring? Just how do you get through an endurance race with a hand
grenade? You don't. You build it to last.
There are so many different places that MGs have been and are being raced.
Not every form of motorsport is about blowing up engines. Come to think
of it, I've never seen an MG at a drag race. There was a post to the list
about an ITD Midget. I'll bet that engine isn't much different from what
a lot of folks would consider a nice little hot street setup. Maybe even
tamer, because of the rules. In racing, a lot of times it's the harshness
of the driving that kills the engine, not the engine prep level. A bone stock
engine won't last long if pushed above redline one too many times. I'll bet
driven moderately on the street, that ITD 1275 would last a long time, maybe
even longer than a non-"racing" engine because it was probably built to
a tighter spec.
Rick is right. MG has had a lot to do with racing. Pre-war, the Indy 500,
the fastest car Stirling Moss ever drove, Sebring, Le Mans, the Alpine,
the Monte Carlo, stage rallies, countless autocrossers, hill climbers,
and club racers. They are after all sports cars, and the way I read
that, the "sport" part comes first.
-Keith Wheeler
Team Sanctuary http://www.teamsanctuary.com/
Robert Allen <boballen@sky.net> wrote:
>Yeah, I guess so. I imagine a lot of racers are on a first name basis
>with a
>machinist since their choosen hobby is to take a perfectly
>servicveable
>motor, cram as much horesepower into it as they can, and then detonate
>...
>So, Bill, what might be the relevancy of your turgid racer clique
>stories?
and Rick Morrison wrote:
>...
> If you are so down on competition, you have a real problem. Too much of
>MG history is taken up by racing and motorsport cometition, begining with
>Old Number 1.
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