JEwords@aol.com wrote:
> 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
John & Everyone:
I've always thought that a properly set up Tiger can run with anything,
and Tom, and other Tigers, have proven it in the past. Watching that
race, I couldn't figure out those lap times (and why Tom was way back in
5th), and why he wasn't blowing by everyone in the straights. You have
explained why. I had heard about the restrictor plate, but not the extra
weight too. What a load of $%&&&!! It's obvious that without these inane
restrictions, Tom and the Tiger would have been the car to beat. What is
the SCAA's reasoning to try and defeat the Tiger, other than I'm sure
they get pressure from the factory teams to the effect that they don't
want to put up with getting whipped by a 35 year old car??? Could the
Tiger step up in class (GT1?) and not face restrictions from the
authorities? We saw another Tiger racer, Dan Walters, blow by everyone
at Willow Springs (big Corvettes, Shelby Mustangs, everyone) like they
were standing still a few years ago. Dan would have won that race
outright except his throttle cable broke, so I think Tom could compete
with the "big" cars just as easily.
Steve Sage
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