The announcers didn't mention it, but after Tom's dominant win in '99, SCCA
not only added weight to the car, they also made him run a restrictor plate
(just like NASCAR). This knocked off about 40 hp, as I recall. So his car is
a shadow of its former self and he did remarkably well to finish 5th. If you
noticed the lap times, Tom was running almost 3 seconds per lap slower than
the leaders, and Mid-Ohio is his home track.
If his car was allowed to run in the same trim it did in '99, no doubt he
would have been dicing in the lead group.
But that's not likely, as SCCA has more or less told him he ought to be
running in vintage events. There's no benefit to SCCA for a Sunbeam to be
winning races, while Toyota and Nissan add a lot of manufacturer's clout.
I've seen their GT-2 cars, and they are purpose built racers loaded with the
latest technology -- including sequential shifters.
Still, Tom continues to do better than might be expected against competition
like that. And the Tiger remains a great crowd favorite. I was there when he
won in '99, and the fans went nuts.
John Webber
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