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From: ARDUNDOUG@aol.com
Full-name: ARDUN DOUG
Message-ID: <5e.55f2e8b.2784e988@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 15:46:00 EST
Subject: Re: Rear Engine T's
To: landspeedracer@email.msn.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
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In a message dated 01/03/2001 11:04:09 AM Pacific Standard Time,
landspeedracer@email.msn.com writes:
<< So my question is why are rear engined modified roadsters still outlawed?
John Beckett, LSR Comp Coupe #79
>>
John and Group,
I believe that the outlawing of rear-engine Modified Roadsters happened
for all the reasons that have been discussed already. In the early days guys
made them short wb, as were most LSR cars of the 50's-70's. The resulting
proximity of the driver to the front wheels, along with the inherent tendency
of the swb car to swap ends rather quickly when the car got "out-of-shape"
prompted the rule change.
Once that the accepted "norm" for Modified Roadsters was to have the
engine in the front and guys started realizing that long wb cars handled
better, nobody bothered talking about reconsidering the rear-engine
configuration with longer wb.
My MR is only a 150"wb, yet handles very well with the driver sitting
just fwd of the rear axle. If it gets a little loose I'm the first to know
it. If I was sitting up front, as I was in my 170"wb Lakester, by the time I
realized that there was a problem the car was on the verge of swapping ends.
Having the heavy end trailing instead of leading didn't help either. Neither
did the rack & pinion steering that was way too quick for an LSR car.
In the early 90's I spun the Lakester at about 190mph right in front of
Gary Cagle in the timing stand at Bonneville. The car put the heavy end
forward, swung 90 deg to one side, 90 deg the other way, then settled down
to traveling backwards down the course. It never completed a 360 deg. spin.
Once the heavy end was going the same direction as the momentum it was happy.
I seem to recall that recently there was some SCTA discussion about
liberalizing the MR rules to include rear engine Modified Roadsters again. I
don't know if they would have an advantage over the current front-engine
cars, but the streamlining issue would need to be reconsidered. Currently,
regards streamlining anything goes fwd of the original windshield line,
likewise with the tonneau cover as long as it meets the requirements of an
"open-car". I guess that the roll cage could be faired into the cowl or
tonneau and still meet the criteria.............Ardun Doug King
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