Like some poet once said, "to thine own self be true". There is a lot to be
said for keeping the old ways alive. Hell, we have been running nostalgia
drags with a flathead for years before beginning this land speed car
project. We run to see how fast we can go. Would have been easy to drop a
TPI small block in the dragster and go very fast but it wasn't "us". I can
lust after that electronically controlled multi-dollar flathead that was in
the December Hot Rod but that is just a dream in my circumstances. I love
the look of a flatmotor with hilborns and a vertex mag. My wife says I am
reliving my childhood and maybe she is right. Doing what I would have done
in the fifties had I had any money! I think you have a good idea Beth, the
"NE" classes. The sport has made room for the XO and XF classes to give us
a break and preserve the past. Bet you find more support than you imagine
for that idea. Kind a microcosm of the world in the 21st century, eh?
Greater seperation between socio-economic classes in this country as our
economy becomes a world economy.......
regards, John
-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Butters <bbutters@dmi.net>
To: 'Carl Dreher' <focusrsh@arn.net>
Cc: land-speed@autox.team.net <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 30, 1999 11:46 PM
Subject: RE: Electronics vs. old way
>
>
>----------
>From: Carl Dreher[SMTP:focusrsh@arn.net]
>Sent: Friday, November 12, 1999 7:48 PM
>Cc: land-speed@autox.team.net
>Subject: Re: Electronics vs. old way
>
> I've been wandering if the day isn't coming when the supercharged
classes are going to be dominated by the electronics managed tubocharged
motors and us guys who just don't want to go their are racing amongst
ourselves. I watch cars like Krugels CBG/Alt put the record where AA
cars dream of going. It would appear that if you have the money and the
inkling to use electronics to manage a tubo'd motor it is possible to pull
hundreds more HP than you can with mechanical means. I guess I wander if
one day the records will be split between electronics managed motors and
non. Kind of give us our own XO classes, maybe NE class (no electronics) or
will we just kind of disappear from the scene?? I admit I'm stuck in the
60s but I like old cars and the way they were made to run back then and
besides I will also feel great if I can get my Hilborn to work properly.
Anybody else feel the same way? I know that either way you do it, It is a
great challenge with sat!
>isfying results and electronics is here and now and the future, I just
feel its two different ball games, maybe its okay if we go the way of
Vintage racing someday. I've been crewing on Bob Ragsdales 53 stude
CBG/alt for the last few years which he has really worked to get the record
in the class. In l996 we qualified on an open record just in front of David
Parks tubocarged early Camaro, we broke and he set the record at 225,
fought on for a couple of years and along comes Krugals awesome car which
puts the record where no Studebaker is likely to ever go. So its to D class
last year and along comes John Rain who sets the record at something like
247, about dreamable max for Bobs car with its now near state of the art
dialed in injected, intercooled 671 supercharged chev with electronic
surveillance. So off to another class hopping some super sleek tubo'd car
doesn't get to the line before he has a chance. I hate to see cars like
this disappear like the flathea!
>ds and GMC six cars almost did. Keep an eye on the situation in
>of us can get suggestion forms at the timing stand and take action to keep
this style of doing things alive. Regards Kvach in N.Idaho
>
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