On 06/12/2005, at 3:59 AM, Max Heim wrote:
>
> The conclusion I draw from this is that the Australian rules produce a
> car that is improved in safety and performance both on the track and on
> the street, while the American rules tend to produce a single-purpose
> weekend toy. Any American vintage racers want to respond?
Max,
This could be a lengthy treatise but you need to be aware of the
different classes of competing here - and probably in the US, too.
My car is currently not eligible to race in the "historic" class,
mostly BECAUSE of the rear disc brakes (which after a season and a
half I am still not sure I really like), but I am not far off it. I
was going to return to "historic" class next year but because I am
now sponsored and carry sponsors livery I cannot do that.
To further complicate matters, in the competition I am mostly
involved in (because it is the most active competition in my State),
the broad classes are "unmodified" or MODIFIED MARQUE SPORTS CARS;
STREET CLASS (or standard/unmodified); MODIFIED CLASS; RACING CLASS.
Each of these has a range of "freedoms" allowed in car preparation.
For example, I am now in MODIFIED MARQUE SPORTS CARS, which are
designated as having the following allowable specifications (what we
can have on or do to the car ):
====
NO FREEDOMS UNLESS STATED
Special compound road tyres
Non-factory forced induction
Brakes are free
Drive trains are free
Engine internals are free
Carburation is free
Suspension must remain unmodified except for shocker rates, ride
height, sway bars, camber & caster adjusters and bushing materials
Bumper bars may be removed
Different capacity motor, same number of cylinders from parent
manufacture providing the following are observed:
- the original design of the cylinder-block and crankcase must be
employed
- the original design of the cylinder-head must be employed
====
Everything else must remain "standard" :-)
As you can see, there is plenty of room to move and hence from many
people's views this class is open to the "big budget" syndrome. I
don't have a big budget so I am mid field.
Compare that to RACING CLASS which says you can employ:
===
Slick tyres
Gutted interior
Perspex windows
Light-weight panels and significantly lightened body
Extensive motor development or transplant
(i.e. the bug-eye Sprite with the turbo Mazda rotary motor in it :-)
Exterior bodywork removed
Adjustable aerodynamic aids
===
Note the difference. Basically, the more technical restriction you
have then maybe the more it comes down to driver ability rather than
car development and budget, but as long as you try to group the
"similarly developed" cars with each other then you are attempting to
negate that factor as much as possible.
I would like to drop back down to "unmodified" or "street" class
again - where I won my class - but that would also mean dropping my
lap times down significantly and few of us like going slower.
Other competitions have other CLASS definitions, which can make it
hard to move between competitions - and there is always the odd
"discussion" when we have our inter-State clashes as we try and
reconcile the cars that comply with their own State regulations but
may have to be bumped UP a class elsewhere.
Of course, there are also NATIONAL competition classes which are
regulated across State borders but I am not (and at my age and budget
probably will never be) at that class of driving.
I hope that goes SOME WAY towards explaining things here.
For your further edification, here are some links:
This is the "sprint" competition I am mostly involved in:
http://www.mscasa.com/
These guys run the "race" competition I mostly aspire to (and would
currently be in "fast road" class):
http://mgcccomau.ozstaging.com/mgracing/
Enjoy!
Eric
'68 MGB MkII
Adelaide, South Australia
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