No Malcolm,
It's not the messenger, it's the attitude; which is as sensitive as the one
which prompted the Boston Tea Party. We "Colonials" are perfectly capable
of doing something the FIA, FIM, and other foreign "Governing" bodies used
to have a purpose for doing. No more!
In other replies, it has been mentioned that the FIA and its predecessors
have been certifying records since before WW I. The primary need then for
the FIA was supplying the most accurate timing equipment and standardized
rules available. Not today. Their antiquated and largely unrealistic
classifications for land-speed racing, as has also been brought out, are for
engine displacement only, ignoring body types. Who can relate their
classifications to real life land-speed racing? How many on this list could
explain their classes? This is about as provincial an attitude as can be
found when an active racing community has grown beyond those limitations.
Look at the wider variety of FIM motorcycle classifications, (don't the
tricycle tracked jet cars run under their classes)?
I'm not doubting the reasons for people like Mark Lingua, Fred Larsen, The
Danny Boy crew of Richard Thomason and Ed Tradup, Harry Hoffman or other
Hot-Rod racers who have FIA records. Each has approached their FIA mark for
a different reason. The fact they set their records under FIA rules rather
de-fuses the one hour turn around argument doesn't it?
There are, as with your Gillette Mach 3 Deal, some serious sponsorship and
advertising dollars available which are tied into FIA and FIM records. Your
team largely lost more of those dollars (or pounds) when you couldn't back
up your run. You are actively looking for another sponsor to get you
another try. I don't see that as sport but as commerce.
I hate to see a sport which has been largely free of the intense pressures
of sponsors have to depend on those financial deals. If we can keep those
deals as isolated as possible I truly believe it will make for a healthier
sport. There have always been sponsors at Bonneville events but in the
distant past they were there as more of a public relations service for all
racers as represented by Firestone with their tires and Champion with spark
plugs. Their representatives became good friends of all the racers as they
returned year after year. Today there isn't big money represented on the
salt that way, they go to CART and NASCAR events instead. We occasionally
get a manufacturer to send their technical people to the events but as the
racers have become more skilled the need has been served quite well by
people like Rick Gold and others from ERC or tech inspectors who make
suggestions based on their own experience and very skilled racers who
willingly share their knowledge.
Most often it is one company, most usually the racers full time employer,
who funnels money to one specific car or bike. The ever increasing cost of
racing will make more racers look for sponsor dollars but at what emotional
cost to the individual racers and the overall health of the sport?
What about the racer who can do it without the big dollars? That's what we
cheered when the Shadoff Special eclipsed the Auto Union record. When the
first runs were proposed on the salt by hot rodders they were told the FIA
record for the one displacement class most of their engines would fall into
was that Auto Union 217 mph. Would we be happy with everyone running on
that one same record classification today? Are you kidding?
On one hand we have big dollars coming to individual attempts like your
project. On the other we have organizations like USFRA and SCTA/BNI who
have to scrape for every dollar they can to keep staging these events.
These are not money makers. If event workers were paid what they are worth
and gate fees were in line with the quality of racing and equipment people
see on the salt, prices would skyrocket. Perhaps we should make an
exception for the racers with deep pockets behind them and factor their
entry fees to reflect their sponsors involvement. Would we happily accept
several thousand dollars from a heavily sponsored racer? What would a
sponsor demand in return? Do we want to know? Would the FIA be more
interested in, and responsive to, the sport if there were many more dollars
in it for them? That is one answer we all know.
Do blatantly commercial record attempts like your rocket bike represent a
threatening cancer which could kill the sport. That I don't know. If they
do may you get more than singed! It might be a very good reason for
shooting the messenger.
I'm speaking for myself. I have been enamored with land-speed racing for
over fifty years. I want kids visiting the Bonneville Salt Flats today to
have every opportunity for life long love affairs with land-speed racing
there too.
Of that I am very sure!
Wes Potter
*************************!
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> From: Malcolm Pittwood <MPittwood@compuserve.com>
> To: "Land-speed@autox.team.net" <Land-speed@autox.team.net>
> Subject: "Shooting the messenger ?"
> Date: Wed, 1 Mar 2000 17:53:40 -0500
>
>A lot of reaction to my prompt on topics that might be discussed in
>Jonathon Amo's chat session.
>Why shoot the messenger then flame him as well, the temperature in the UK
>wen't up to boiling point !? I have to defend some of the 'attacks' which
>relate to the the rocket bike, which I will do in a moment.
>I am not employed by the FIA or the FIM, all I did was tell the list how
>they accept records on an International basis. To correct Louise - Al
>Teague and Bill Summers do not hold 'World Records' - they are both
>International Automobile class record holders, with one the fastest blown
>car and the other the fastest unblown car in the World.
>Wes, Tom and Glen - I have never criticised tha accuracy of timing at
>Bonneville but that is only one element of setting records. (Thanks to Ron
>Christensen for pointing out the greatest difference is on the one hour
>turn around rule).
>I cannot speak for Andy Green, but you all know he was to drive the
>'conventional' MG at Bonneville, just for a timing slip. Both Andy Green
>and Richard Noble were honoured by fellow racers with 200 mile per hour
>club memberships - very heartening as neither set their records on the salt
>flats.
>Most people over here know nothing about Nolan Whites 442 mph - are there
>more details ?
>If the list arguments are accurate, why do US racers such as Pat
>Rummerfield, Bruce Linsemyer and Don Vesco wish to have FIA recognition as
>well as their SCTA/BNI records ?
>I have never / would never make any disparaging remarks about any
>Bonneville record holder or 'garbage' their efforts. Please read what is
>written in my e mails, do not add any phrases I would never utter. I met
>many racers at the 50th Bonneville in 1998 and some were a great help on
>the salt last September at our private attempt.
>Joe - I have no worries about Team Maximum Impulse missing the FIM record
>or indeed any record. On a first attempt and with just seven powered runs
>we proved a lot of new technology works safely and the team can operate
>well. As only the FIM recognise our thrust powered two wheeler we have to
>work with them and the AMA. As we cannot run the rocket bike at any
>organised Bonneville event, we will never know what we would claim under
>'your' rules. (The teams objective had to be a FIM World Record in their
>thrust powered class).
>Glen and Wes - Any safety slurs against the rocket bike are uncalled for -
>did you see the bike close too ? How many engineers on the list came to
>see it run and have inspected the bike ?
>The AMA have a construction report which I believe shows that Richard built
>the most tested two wheeled design ever. For reasons that the designers
>felt were best for the type of vehicle created, there are two areas where
>SCTA motorcycle tech inspection would probably have turned us away. If
>anyone knows what those two items are, without guessing, post them to the
>list !!
>I don't take an interest in Boxing and I don't drink much tea, but I deal
>with motorsports governing bodies in England, Europe and the USA and have
>to live most of the time with a European preference for FIA and FIM rules.
>When I get a badge which says something other than "Bonneville Nationals"
>and more than two countries adopt USA class rules and operating procedures,
>then we all may see a change to the facts of International and World
>recognition.
>Malcolm, "still feeling singed and warm", Pittwood, Derby, England.
>
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