In a message dated 1/18/99 9:12:06 AM, pkrause@ibm.net wrote:
<<..My opinion .... is that roller rockers should not
be allowed.>>
I completely agree with the above and everything else in Mr. Krause's
eloquent ranting.
I compete in SVRA events and I think SVRA has also been influential in
setting the standard for other organizations on the East coast. In other
words, you generally know that if your car is prepared to be legal with SVRA,
you can race with almost all vintage groups in the East. It bothers me that
the roller rocker prohibition is being waived. I believe that it will only be
a matter of time before various other period specification rules will be
declared 'unenforceable' and likewise waived. If the members of the groups do
not actively take a stand on period specification issues, we will evolve into
a 'silouhette' series for vintage appearing cars. That may be okay for some
groups (HSR in the East), but it is not good for the preservation of
Historically accurate cars. It is also not good for the vintage enthusiast
who wants to know he is competing on a level playing field. If you allow all
the non-period performance mods, you open up an outlet for the 'cubic dollar'
factor to dominate the competition.
I understand what Jack W. says about enforcement and I agree that is a
problem. If there is an answer to the enforcement issue, I believe that the
owners of the production cars have to do some policing of each other. Perhaps
we can make the scrutineers authority more meaningful if we protest known
offenders. (although protests and teardowns is exactly what we do not want to
see a lot of in vintage) My point here is that if 3/4 of the group is opposed
to roller rockers, the group (with the backing of the scrutineers) should be
able to make the rule enforceable and not let the minority rule simply because
they are persistent offenders.
Now, I have to admit that it is easy for me to be against roller rockers
since my car has a twin-cam engine that turns 10,000+ rpm. But my car has
other limitations. Best example is that there are no optional rear end
ratios for my car. If my gearing does not suit the track, there is nothing
(legally) I can do about it. The guys who want to use roller rockers are
trying to eliminate a limitation that existed when those cars were raced. I
could eliminate my cars limitation by installing a Hewland gearbox so I could
have any gear ratios I wanted. But that wouldn't be period authentic and it
would not be legal. All of the vintage production cars had their quirks and
warts and strengths and weaknesses as race cars. They should have all the
same qualities as vintage racers, it's part of what makes vintage racing
interesting for both the competitor and the spectator.
I will do my part to communicate with my fellow group 1 (SVRA)
competitors to
find out of the majority of the group is against roller rockers and other non-
period mods. I could be wrong, maybe they all want these things
Doug Meis
1967 Honda S800 Coupe
|