I don't have a dog in this hunt and I don't understand all of the subtext
between WST and Ron, here. But that apparently won't stop me from
commenting. ;)
1275 Bugeyes are controversial with vintage racing organizations across
the country. We have one that races in CVAR and used to have two. CVAR
has a championship point system that, to simplify, leans heavily on
authenticity and participation, with a few points for ending up at the
front of the pack in a race. 1275 Bugeyes are allowed, but don't get
full authenticity points.
One of the two 1275 Bugeyes was crunched and replaced with a square body
car, largely because the driver found that she could not take it to other
events across the country. Particularly the VIR Gold Cup and (I think)
any SVRA race. AFAIK, HSR will allow 1275 Bugeyes, but they will allow
just about anything.
The argument is, of course, that that engine never came in that body
style from the factory and/or were not raced in that configuration "in
the period." Since the minis and the square bodied Spridgets all look
alike, engine swapping is OK. For the initiated, we all know they are
the same car under the skin, so it is a bit puzzling, but the argument is
not completely without merit. However, I would rather have the Bugeyes
running with us with 1275s than not running at all. The more the
merrier! We have only one "authentic" Bugeye left, I don't think it will
be around much longer.
I do have a problem with vintage racing organizations that change their
rules abruptly, leaving long-time racers in the cold. I'm sure VSCDA
doesn't care what I think, but at the very least it seems Ron's car
should be grandfathered, at least for a few years.
On the other hand, no vintage organization I know allows crank-fired
ignitions...
-- David Littlefield
On Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:15:16 -0700 (PDT) Ron Soave <soavero@yahoo.com>
writes:
> In 2002 when I joined VSCDA, the rules were "All Sprites and Midgets
> regardless of engine selection are placed in Group 2". I asked each
> and every director in the organization if a 1275 in a Bugeye (like
> most have) was legal, answer was yes, I would just be put ina class
> with the other 1275 Bugeyes and Sprites. I have a 1275 in my
> Bugeye, I will continue to do so next year be it with VSCDA or not.
> I claim the engine size correctly each race and am grouped
> appropriately. There are many of us. Next year there is a
> possibility the combination will be disallowed. Somehow, 1958 minis
> can still have 1275s, and 948s can have oversized 998 pistons and
> 1098 engine components, but whatever. There is one 948 car that has
> been reliably on the track in the 4 years I've been racing (Gary
> Kropf), and I am at 1/5 his budget. So, basically, I have 1275, and
> I can't afford to go slower.
>
> "Wm. Severin Thompson" <wsthompson@thicko.com> wrote:
> Let's just see what Ron want to tell the class.
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