Crankin
WOW!!!!
That Maple leaf doesn't mean that you are the guy that coined the term "Lightning Sprint" does it?
I like your style Kido> I am glad the grand kids can't get on to my computer. That was truly a memorable vent, I fear filled with much truth.
Let's face it the Focus and now the Honda has always been regarded by USAC as a "Cash Cow". They are more concerned with the bottom line than racing in general. I would guess that is really their job, money and profit being the primary method to measure success in a business. What do you know about the USAC Dodge Neon Powered SpeedSTR cars on the east coast?
I love my chain drive motorcycle powered Midget race car aka Mini Sprint. BUT I see change on the horizon. That chain drive is a double edged sword. Very Very efficient, fairly inexpensive But very difficult to maintain and work on.
We had a chance to race this last weekend with the Echotecs and Honda powered cars. We are very competitive with them on a smaller track. On The larger tracks my opinion is still open. For the most part they looked very stock and inexpensive.
Some of the guys in Illinois are doing a great job of formulating rules to allow all stock block Midget race cars to race together. They are the experimenters and ground breakers. They are making rules to allow a conglomeration of cars to race and all be competitive.
Motorcycle engines are getting harder and harder to find, quality low mileage motors are even harder to find. On top of all that we now have to share them with many classes of cars based on the same engine.
Junk Yards are also full of low mileage small high performance automotive engines. They wreck them much more than they blow them up, these motors are tough. That make them inexpensive because the junk yards are looking for a sale. One of these motors can be purchased from a couple of hundred dollars up to about a thousand dollars or so. They do require a one time purchase of parts to convert them over to race motors. After the initial investment these parts can be used over and over.
If I was racing a cycle powered car and my motor died rather than a large cash out lay for a newer cycle motor I will be switching to the automotive type set up, and I bet after some thought you will see a large number of cycle motor powered racers migration in this direction. When we started racing Mini Sprints the hot automotive motor was the Pinto and you see what happened to it. It like the little Honda we raced in our Mini Sprint are now considered antiques. Keep these new motors stock only and make no exceptions. Allow for change as the new power plants come on line. How about direct injection forced induction, that is what we have to look forward to. We now have a 5 year window of obsolesce instead of the 50 year window now used by open wheel racers.
If only the big guys could look at racing through the racers eyes instead of their accountants eyes they could come up with an inexpensive Midget class.
Honest Dad himself
