Charles Christ wrote:
> personally i am a bit concerned with the thoughts of my H-modified sports
> racer running with larger displacement cars ....period! it still suffers a
> bit of cooling system problems wich is why it is sidelined for now. but the
> thought of running it with faster / larger displacement cars has me
> wondering if i will ever aspire to do much more with the car than show it at
> car shows and an ocasional exhibition lap or two. i know there are others
> out there running H-mod's and are having fun doing it. but personally i'm a
> bit uncomfortable with passing evry flag station displaying blue flags .
> i'm concerned about spending more time watching my mirrors than i would be
> watching the track ahead(improbable but said to get the point across).
> i just do not want to become a speed bump for the much faster cars. my
> H-mod car is extremly period! right down to drum brakes . i just feel my
> car is a bit out classed and under powered to survive in even the small
> displacement groups. 750cc's and an 800lb weight is a good power to weight
> ratio for my car but my personal ballast is a severe set back for the little
> car's ability to perform as it would have back in the 60's. i weigh more
> than my father did when he drove the car.
>
> so this year i have a new secret weapon! slower, noisier and better rear
> view mirrors! always remember: pass a saab sedan on the left! the 2
> stroke exhaust exits on the right! that way you'll avoid most of the
> exhaust spray of oil......lol!
>
> chuck.
> 59/60 saab model 93f (it's ugly but it's all mine!) ring-a-ding-ding!
Ahhh, the great conundrum of vintage racing.... you love your 750cc Tinymobile
but there's almost nobody around to race with, let alone that you're worried
about being pushed off the track by by the 4L Morepower that someone in your
club just bought, selling his 948 Sprite to someone across the country.
We've (every racing organization and vintage racer) allowed the desire to go
faster and finish first to dominate the sheer fun of racing and driving a
quirky, fun, unusual and sometimes slow period piece.
Class racing as it existed in the "old days" is gone...there isn't an H-Mod
group or under 1L group or any real designations to fit your car into. I've
only known one guy here who raced a Mini Cooper that wasn't 1275cc.
My car was the Canada Class Champion in '58 & '59 - it won 24 consecutive class
races - but there's no class any more so it's rare to run in a really
competitive field now...if there a lot of Sprites, I might have someone to race
with.
How many Abarth double bubbles or Berkleys are permanently parked because it's
no fun to be lapped by every car in the field. A 750cc Lotus XI won the index
of performance at LeMans...have you ever seen one? It's far faster when prepped
as a 1500.
There's a reason so few newly restored "little" cars come out to play compared
with bigger, faster ones.
We have allowed an even bigger performance disparity than existed when our cars
originally raced. It's worse now than 15 years ago or 10 years ago.
I guess it's just the way it is.
I get in these menancholy moods every now and then.
Mike
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