Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't GT1 full of what are basically Trans Am
Cars? Tube framed purpose built "funny cars" that only vaguely resemble their
alleged street cousins? I saw Tom's Tiger a few years back, and while much of
it has been massaged over the years, it did start life as a real Tiger. I doubt
that even with free induction and no weight penalty, he could make much headway
there. And if he did start winning there, I'm sure Ford or Chevy would start
lobbying the rules makers just the same.....
Stu
>
>
> JEwords@aol.com wrote:
>
> > 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
>
> John & Everyone:
> I've always thought that a properly set up Tiger can run with anything,
> and Tom, and other Tigers, have proven it in the past. Watching that
> race, I couldn't figure out those lap times (and why Tom was way back in
> 5th), and why he wasn't blowing by everyone in the straights. You have
> explained why. I had heard about the restrictor plate, but not the extra
> weight too. What a load of $%&&&!! It's obvious that without these inane
> restrictions, Tom and the Tiger would have been the car to beat. What is
> the SCAA's reasoning to try and defeat the Tiger, other than I'm sure
> they get pressure from the factory teams to the effect that they don't
> want to put up with getting whipped by a 35 year old car??? Could the
> Tiger step up in class (GT1?) and not face restrictions from the
> authorities? We saw another Tiger racer, Dan Walters, blow by everyone
> at Willow Springs (big Corvettes, Shelby Mustangs, everyone) like they
> were standing still a few years ago. Dan would have won that race
> outright except his throttle cable broke, so I think Tom could compete
> with the "big" cars just as easily.
>
> Steve Sage
|