go to: http://www.edpink.com/news/index.htm there are some prices on two different versions of the toyota motor. Posted over a year ago, but can't imagine they've changed much - but who knows.
Not so sure a limit on rpm is a bad idea - though maybe 9k might be a little high for your average saturday night pushrod motor.
how we were able to think that giving both fontana and esslinger more ci wouldn't be an issue at a later date is beyond me. what now - give the other motors a few more ci to catch up?
as stated in another message, you may have an issue policing some ignition systems - but i think most the motors turning those kind of rpm are not of the magneto type.
regardless of how hard/narrow the tire - thru out time the more powerful motors make it to the front. your just more aggressive with chassis tuning. $$ wise - an sd38 or equal would not be a bad idea to keep tire bills down. a similar compound would be good for lr also.
if motors are the primary $$ problem, which they are, than the motors need to be addressed. A little late for '10, and i'm sure there will be quite a bit of crying but ... if we really want to curb costs and extend life of motors, big steps should be taken - ? maybe no titanium rods, valves - no ti anywhere in motor? sure would limit initial cost, and make sure the rpms remain where they should. valve spring pressure? can't run to much cam or rpm with softer spring pressure ...
the list can go on for sure - bottom line is - no matter what choice/decision is made somebody is gonna feel they're on the short end of the stick. but something needs to be done for the overall health of the sport.
if not, more and more will bipass the midgets, and go straight to sprints. more economic, better purses, etc.

I thought it would be interesting to see how the wins were distributed this year.

Total races won:
esslinger 15
toyota 4
mopar 4
fontana 2
chevy 1

dirt races won:
esslinger 8
toyota 4
mopar 2
fontana 1
chevy 1

pavement races won:
esslinger 7
toyota 0
mopar 2
fontana 1
chevy 0

motor/team/driver breakdown:

toyota: wilke pak 4 wins with jerry coons jr 2 / josh wise 2
keith kunz 0 with cole whitt

fontana: rw/benic 1 win with brad kuhn
chuck gurney jr 1 win

mopar: kahne 3 wins with brad sweet
c&a 1 win with caleb armstrong

chevy: stewart 1 win with tracy hines

esslinger: fike 2 wins with darren hagen
santos 3 wins bobby santos
debeaumont 2 wins with bryan clauson
bci 5 wins with bryan clauson
east 2 wins with bobby east
kunz 1 win with kevin swindell

Here is my 2 cents, well maybe more. We have raced or tested esslinger, mopar w9, rp w9, hemi, ilmor rp w9, and an ed pink ford. With out question the esslinger takes off faster due to the gearing, 60 to 80 points lower. The hemi has more top end, however you have to crank it at least 9200 to be competitive with the esslinger. It runs good for a few laps at this rpm and then as Tj Domark stated, "the bottom falls out". The rp w9 is a nice little motor but again to be competitive you have turn a lot of rpm, again not good on a push rod engines valve train. (If you don't believe me ask k.kahnes team how many rpms they had to turn to win, then ask them how many motors they blew up!) The ed pink ford is a really driveable motor and qualifies well. However, it does not make enough power to pull out of line and pass anyone. One undeniable fact is that to compete with the esslingers the push rod motors are forced to turn unrealistic rpms at most of the usac races. Push rod motors will not live at these rpms. Not an opinion, a FACT based on our teams testing and racing this year.

Esslinger owners will argue that Toyota or Mopar have set track records and few other insignificant points. If you really look at the numbers there is no argument to be made. Esslinger has thoroughly dominated. If you look at the races won by the other manufacturers, almost all of them had special factors, rubber down, right against the fence, teams home track, super dead slick. Again not an opinion, a FACT, look at the results and you will see what I am talking about.

I don't know if this rpm limit is the best solution. However I do know that if usac does nothing to level the playing field, it will be an esslinger only series. I know our team as well as others will be switching to esslinger engines if the rules remain the same. It could be possible next year to see wilke and rw/benic as the only teams not using esslinger engines on the usac circuit. Is that really good for the sport???

Kevin Besecker

I've read some excellent posts on here, especially the one by Kevin Besecker. Good job guys!!! Now... Is USAC listening to all of this? I mention USAC because... don't look for Brown/Siner/Powri/Badger to do a thing until USAC comes up with some solutions. History will repeat itself.

Throw the name Illmor in the mix. Coming soon.

Kevin thanks for the stats and the information on your tests. I no longer have a dog in this fight but at one time my family was heavily involved in midget racing back in the 70's and 80's and I remember my Dad and his friends having the same conversation about the VW's. USAC and CORA basically became VW only if you wanted to compete. As Don so aptly put "history will repeat itself."

The question is this then.......If next year Toyota or Fontana wins more races than the Esslinger; do they then get limited on what they can do?

The V8-60,Offy,Sesco,VW,Cosworth,Pontiac, and Gearte all dominated the sport until they were replaced by something else. That is just how it is.

Why is it different now that it is the Esslinger?(A motor that has been around for more than a decade and is really the only company that has tried to find a way to fit into a budget for different levels of racers.)

hey Scott,
in all due respect, I think that part of the answer is in your question. It's obvious that the continual rising of the bar in the motor department has now become a detriment to the sport. Limits need to be put in place to keep the sport alive, and to keep midget racing a realistic alternative in the racing world. Unfortunately there is a group that continually feels we need to take the sport to the "next level". my question is: why? Open wheel Saturday night racing, specifically in this conversation midget racing - is what it is.
On the local/regional level, the 155 was more than enough to compete and win against the pink fords and others. Now in defense of esslinger, though not really needed, they have offered an alternative with their st motor. As joe has with the rhino motor.
ARDC from what I understand has put rules in place that essentially make guys feel that a decent -12 or pushrod ford is more than capable of winning. I also thought I read somewhere that the toyotas, 161, and rhinos are not an option. personally I feel if this info is correct, they are heading in the right direction.
I feel it is now different because for the most part the lifespan of the motor is less, most send the motors back to be freshened, and purses are pretty much the same or less in some cases. we are alienating the backbone of our car counts. midget owners are no longer so much the group of folks that tinkered/designed and built or modified their own equipment and/or motors.
I remember talking to Rusty Kunz a few years back about a motor i was buying that he was familiar with. I was picking his brain a bit. one of the things he mentioned that bothered me was that they were happy when they got 4 races out of a motor before pulling it out to be gone over. 4 races ... 4 races?! good god - I've yet find someone to explain why half a motor is the same cost as a full up 410. and then have only a small portion of the life span!
anyway, not to argue, but you know the famous meaning/explanation of insanity - repeating the same process over and over, and expecting different results. if we want to change the direction midget racing is presently headed, we need to change the process/way in which it is ran and governed.
Robert Marfia, Jr.

Scott, I think one of the differences is that the Esslinger and Fontana were singled out a few years ago and USAC legislation ( a second party so to speak) GAVE THEM more cubic inches. I know of at least one engine builder who wanted the same perk and WAS DENIED by USAC.

So, the advantage of those two engines was helped along considerably by the United States Auto Club and adopted by all the other midget orgs in the country with the exception of ARDC, one of the few free thinking midget groups in the country. I have heard more than a few "historic facts" from the engine builder that I'm referring to, and how a high profile midget org has put the KABAMS on many of their projects. So there is more to the historic facts of R and D regarding inovative engine designs than most people know about.

This is not all about a few west coast engine companies suddenly coming up with dominate engines. There has been some major help along the way and that is one of the main issues here.

So......Fortune 100 car companies couldn't build or design a motor to compete with Esslinger in either price or performance and now Esslinger which offers competitive Engine packages in different price levels is now penalized?

I know that Ford is involved with Esslinger today, but I don't see it being that big of help.

The bottom line is the best product won.....the rest is sour grapes and ********.

We just saw a rule put in place to protect what is essentially dead technology and outdated engine platforms.

I don't want anyone to think I am pissed or whatever because it doesn't affect my pocket book, it just perplexes me the way we approach problems today. We want others to be pulled back instead of finding a better way. Why doesn't Chevy,Toyota and Mopar build a motor along the lines of the Esslinger?

As far as cost goes....I don't know what to tell you. If someone out there can build a motor that can beat these at a lower price, then they should. It is a heck of an undertaking to build a motor like these and even someone like Sesco charges around $25,000 for a new motor because that is what it costs.

Maybe I'm missing something but where can I read about this rule change? Is there a press release out?