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Re: Racing Tigers/Alpines On TV?

To: stubrennan@attbi.com, ssage@socal.rr.com
Subject: Re: Racing Tigers/Alpines On TV?
From: JEwords@aol.com
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 10:45:16 EST
The announcers didn't mention it, but after Tom's dominant win in '99, SCCA 
not only added weight to the car, they also made him run a restrictor plate 
(just like NASCAR). This knocked off about 40 hp, as I recall. So his car is 
a shadow of its former self and he did remarkably well to finish 5th. If you 
noticed the lap times, Tom was running almost 3 seconds per lap slower than 
the leaders, and Mid-Ohio is his home track.

If his car was allowed to run in the same trim it did in '99, no doubt he 
would have been dicing in the lead group. 

But that's not likely, as SCCA has more or less told him he ought to be 
running in vintage events. There's no benefit to SCCA for a Sunbeam to be 
winning races, while Toyota and Nissan add a lot of manufacturer's clout. 
I've seen their GT-2 cars, and they are purpose built racers loaded with the 
latest technology -- including sequential shifters.

Still, Tom continues to do better than might be expected against competition 
like that. And the Tiger remains a great crowd favorite. I was there when he 
won in '99, and the fans went nuts.

John Webber

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