Group,
This thread reminds me of an incident about 10 years ago at World Of
Speed. A couple of railbirds (namely a high-ranking NHRA official and a
certain bespectacled writer) made some comments that later got into a
national magazine regards the "slower cars". Seems they were both lamenting
the number of these "slower than 200MPH" entries that, according to them,
were benevolently allowed to run at WOS despite his stated opinion that the
event was intended for the "faster" 200+ MPH cars.
If the event promoters were to limit cars to a minimum speed, thus
excluding a significant portion of the entries, the so-called "faster cars"
would see their entry fees significantly inflated. If the "faster cars" want
the course all to themselves let them rent it from the BLM and conduct a
private or "by invitation only" meet.
The biggest threats to LSR nowadays are: 1. over zealous
environmentalists, 2. corporate entities that are raping the slat flats and
not repleneshing what they take, and 3. a diminishing base of young
up-and-coming competitors.
We are all vigilant to protect the hobby from #1 and our Save the Salt
has hopefully made lasting progress towards #2. #3, however, is the
responsibility of all of us. Each racer, car or bike, must respect and honor
the differences of choice that make some competitors choose Model "A"
engines, some to choose 50cc motorcycles, some to choose Flatheads, some to
choose electric vehicles, turbines, or steam power. Another racers choice of
engine, fuel, and chassis class might not make any sense to us, but remember
that our class probably doesn't make any sense to him either. If the guy in
the 300-400MPH Liner can wait for my Vintage Engine Roadster to struggle down
the course, then I can wait for the guy in the 50cc sidecar cyle to clear the
course.
Both Bonneville and El Mirage have procedures to expedite the flow of
qualifying passes. Bonneville has the long-course and short-course format
while El Mirage has the 200MPH line to get the faster cars on with their
business.
Finally, I can't remember many Bonneville events where there were
significant waiting lines after the first 2-3 days. At El Mirage, wind and
weather nonwithstanding there aren't many long lines when the meet is finally
called to give the workers time to close the event before
nightfall....................Ardun Doug King
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