Thanks to all who gave me the scoop on the Lotus 6's. Now that I know
that
the 1500 is a legitimate configuration for the 6. I hate to sound like a
whiner (boo hoo!, I didn't win my class!), but after placing my little Honda
in the top ten, I was quite disappointed to see that I had been beaten in
class 1C, especially when the really fast 1C cars like Bob Colazzi's Alfa
Spider Veloce and Dave Belden's incredible 1147cc Spitfire didn't show. (It
also came as a surprise in that the Lotus either had problems or didn't
practice all weekend so I had no idea that there was a faster 1C car until
after the race.)
The next obvious question is in what class and group does a 1500cc
Lotus 6
belong. With 1500 lbs and 850cc, it's hard for me to compete with 1500cc and
850 lbs. Group 4 perhaps? I'll take it up with the tech director, Jack
Woerhle, who is very open minded on these matters and has always treated me
fairly.
On the classification issue, I had a brief discussion with Jack Woerhle
where he mentioned that there may be some changes coming that will move some
of the slower group 3 cars into group 1 and some of the faster group 1 cars
into group 3. The fast group 1 cars are fast enough to run at the front of
group 3. The slower group 3 cars would fit right into the middle of most
group 1 fields. It would make group 3 a bit faster overall and group 1 a bit
slower. Also, most of the cars in question have raced together either in
SVRA enduros or in other events such as HSR's events and the Jefferson 500.
Personally, I think it is a good idea in theory. It may not be that
easy,
though. As an example, 1296cc Spitfires are potentially very fast (i.e. Sean
Ryan and his black beauty), but there are a number of less developed 1296's
that might not appreciate running at the tail end of group 3.
I'd be interested to hear what everyone thinks about the idea. I'll be
happy to report back to Jack Woerhle so he can get your feedback on the
subject.
Doug Meis - Team Escargot
1967 Honda S-800
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