Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2001 16:23:50 -0700
From "Jacques Le Clainche" <jleclainche at home.com>
Subject: RE: What is a Spec Sprite?
John D,
What exactly is a Spec Sprite? With which racing organization do you run
yours?
Jacques Le Clainche
VARA 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite #4, F Production
SCCA 1981 Mazda Spec RX-7 #11, San Diego region
SCCA 1985 Mazda Spec RX-7 #44, San Diego region
**************************************************************
It's an inexpensive way to take your streeable Spridget and vintage race it.
You basically need a solid car with a roll bar, cut-off switch, fuel cell,
and some
catch tanks made out of old oil bottles. Then a helmet, fireproof pajamas
approved by the sanctioning organization running the race, and somebody
to race against (the REAL problem). Most of the spridgets running vintage
are
closer to Production car racers (granted, 1962 era) than
drive-to-the-track-and-race sportscars.
(For those of you not into racing, Prod cars have about the same
relationship to
our spridgets as a NASCAR racer has to your uncle's Lumina). The saving
element
of vintage racing however, is that nobody cares about the winner of a race
(except the winner and the
guys that came in 2nd and 3rd). You basically play with the guy in front of
you and
the guy behind you and have FUN! It's all theater and "boys' play" despite
some of the
big rollers with crews,mechanics and Peterbilts carrying enclosed living
accommodations.
The issue with Spec Sprite is that it has some wierd things allowed and not
allowed: like you can run
a welded rear end (street car?) and cut down windshield, but not DOT race
tires. In fact, the
spec tire is some oddball Firestone. So, it seems that even in Texas, where
SpecSprite
originated, people get to wanting flatter cornering and more stick and start
to escalate.
Once you get much faster than your buddies, the fun is gone-- unless you
find another pack to
run with, like some slow Minis or old Fiats.
In the Great Lakes area, I run with VSCDA (Vintage Sportscar Drivers
Association) and, as far as I can
tell, there are exactly three of us with SpecSprites...sort of. We all have
DOT race tires and
the cars are lowered. As far as we admit to one another, the engines are
about what Sec Sprite
allows (which actually makes for a lively, reliable, fun, but relatively
slow race engine).
Mini Mania and CVAR (a vintage race organization in TX) publish the specs.
Do a web search
for "Spec Sprite" and you'll be able to wend your way to the CVAR page and
the "Spec Sprite recipe"
page therein.
Personally, I can't really afford racing, so this is a way to do it.
Driving against others, wheel to
wheel, on a track is more fun for me than a couple of stewardesses in a
bathtub of raspberry jello.
But only marginally easier to explain to my wife.
--JohnD
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