This thread has gone on long enough to make me
reconsider my original decision to keep my opinion
to myself.... ;-)
I am certainly amazed sometimes by the claims of
speed that some drivers make for their rides at events
which I also attend. I suppose at some point I also
was given to flattering my power plant by offering
numbers that I really could not back up.... but that
others might have a tough time deflating, too. <g>
My current ride scales in the vicinity of 12 to 13 lb.
per horsepower with me in it, depending on what
source one uses for the output of the engine. While
I realize that there are some stock cars which can
match or better that number, they have limitations
which don' t affect me. Even the Modified class
cars with far better power to weight ratios still have
to deal with the realities of mass in motion.
The most important one of those for top speed is
how long they can stay at WOT. I think someone
mentioned that there really were no straits longer
than 100 ft. That, as anyone who drove at Meridian
could recall, would not be an accurate depiction of
the courses or the site. For even the largest cars,
I think something closer to 100 YARDS was available
for the purpose of full throttle motoring.
For me, however, that number was much higher. I
loosely paced off the "straights" for both courses
while walking and chatting with others, but I seem to
recall thinking that for me, the space available to be
"on it" was at least 500 feet.
The second most important factor when considering
potential top speed is how fast one can negotiate the
corner(s) preceding the "straight". No rocket science
required here.
My perspective on maximum possible speed at any
autocross is generally that I try to install sprockets which
will allow me to get almost to the top of 6th in the fastest
section of a course. I realize that a professional racer, even
an organized amateur, will keep a log of such things as part
of the information to have the next time back at a site. I go
by a more basic method of spotty memory and seat-of-the-
pants analysis.
However, I did put forth the effort to calculate, as accurately
as possible, the top speed available for one specific ratio
that I ran last year. It worked out to 80. Since I was using a
higher numerical ratio than that at Meridian, a few quick
finger pokes of the keypad tells me that in no way could I
exceed 75 MPH. Well, I suppose if you factor in tire growth
you might get 76 or 77. But I don't think I quite topped out
anyway. Likely I got to 72 or maybe 73....
No stock class car could possibly match that figure. At an
event like Meridian, where the shape of the site plays a
major part in course layout, I think even the best Mod
class cars would have a tough time getting beyond it too
much, simply because they cannot see "straights" as
long as I can. However, the AM car and the BM cars at
the event, having p/w ratios closer to 4 or 5/1 can get to
high velocities in a real hurry.
The point of this posting is that I can't believe anyone who
claims that the Meridian layout encouraged speeds in
excess of those suggested by the Solo2 rules. Get a grip,
people. While I might agree that the AVERAGE speed at
that and similar National Tour events is almost certain to be
higher than any found at most local autocrosses, the top
speeds reached by even the fastest cars at the event were
within the spirit and letter of those rules.
Alan Sheidler
F125 #121 @ Meridian
|