I appreciate the need to avoid a civil war divided by a misunderstanding. I
believe an event as suggested here could make great strides in attracting
and maintaining all TR race cars. If the participation is substantial it
could potentially send a message to vintage clubs promoting the viability of
a late era class. This could give era cars from the later 70's and 80's a
place to play without having to compete with the big bucks off the showroom
floor guys. This class could bridge a gap between "true" vintage prep. and
current scca prep.
Starting at an all british event would be blast and if successful could
become something much bigger.
----- Original Message -----
From: <TRBILBO@aol.com>
To: <racespit@netzero.com>; <Frankster@mindspring.com>
Cc: <FOT@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 17, 2000 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: Survey Still Ongoing
> To Frank and others who have picked a thread out of my survey
response...let
> me be clarify a bit before a class war starts out of all of this....smile
>
> I'd love to see all the Trimphs race...including some of the screaming
rallye
> and later SCCA cars (including the later TR8's, etc).
>
> My comment was in response to whether I would want to race with them or
> not....and I would not. I happen to like to 1967 cutoff we've enjoyed for
> many years in VARA and indeed prep my car to a class we call EP 1. The "1"
> designation (as opposed to the "2" designation of a Triumph prep manual
> Kastner replica like our #190 car which Pual Smock now drives) says the
> second car we built and I now drive, is in the strictest sense a replica
of
> the technology the club racer had when he drove to the Santa Barbara ranch
or
> Pomona Fairgrounds in the 50's and 60's...removed his spare tire.... and
> raced with fellow enthusiasts on straw bermed street courses. Today we add
> the necessary modern safety equipment of course.... but my car has all the
> required street gear reqired to license the car (indeed it IS street
> licensed) such as an interior, carpet, pass seat, full width windscreen,
> heater, lights, bias ply tires, SU carbs, stock displacement, can run on
pump
> gas and even has a radio!!.
>
> I enjoy racing with the handfull of us who participate in this level of
> preparation but that does not mean it is for everyone and I did not mean
that
> I did not want later TR's racing. I may have missed the intent of the
> question as I was simply stating that I had no interest in racing in the
same
> class as those of later GCR or vintage pedigree.
>
> With respect to '72 and later cars, VARA has maintained a 1967 cutoff (not
> 1972 as other groups) for the last 15 years or more and only recently
started
> a Group "3" designation for cars up to 1972 (by default that would mean
1967
> to 1972). If sticking to the rules of the class in which I subscibe to
race
> makes me a purist so be it....and I take no offense at that....but the cut
> off has benn argued and maintained for many years in Vintage racing for
> exactly the reasons that Susan stated.... 1972 was a generation of
technology
> change that simply displaced the technology we have raced with in our
> 1950/60's vintage autos. Maybe not so revolutionary for Triumph.... but in
> the open field of "vintage" that means that my agricultural TR4 would have
to
> compete with 7000+ rpm revving twin or overhead cam Japanese hardware with
> full coil over or McPherson suspensions and five speed close ration
gearboxes
> in 1200 pound cars.
>
> I just don't have much interest in spending my track time dodging closing
> rice rockets when by maintaining a technology/age cutoff I can spend it
> competeing with like prepared cars. I have to assume it's a lot like
dodging
> the D Sports racers we occasionally fill the grid with at some of the
smaller
> race venues......I don't really enjoy that either but understand the
> economics of the mix at times.
>
> Now ,if the various sanctioning bodies start to grow the 1972 or even
later
> vintage cars, I say GOOD. Good for FOT, good for the Triumph marque and
good
> for all the owners who want to race that vintage. But give them their own
> class to race in. I'd love to watch that sort of wheel to wheel as much as
> formula 1!! But I have no interest in being on the track with Slagels TR8
> closing on my in turn 9 at Willow.
>
> So hope that clarifies.
> Let all Triumphs race (love to see SCCA Spits still beating modern
Miata's,
> etc.)
> Let post 1972 autos be as vintage as they like ... and give them their own
> classes (although I still say they should go back to steel and get rid of
the
> fiberglass if they want to race 'vintage'....but that is a personal
opinion)
> Keep the 1967 Group 1 and 2 preparations racing together.... and even the
> group 3 up to 1972 cars .... but give the 1972 and later their own
classes.
> I'd love to help with a TR FOT race event if it's at Monterey or other
> significant west coast track. And would love to race it as well.
> But I prefer to race and bench race rather than 'show' to race at a
spectator
> event and get more track time rather more 'press' time .... but again a
> personal preference so don't hold that against me.
>
> OK...more than four bits in this one...hope it helps.
>
> Cheers and Happy Holidays to all FOT
>
> Bill Burroughs
> E Ticket Triumphs
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