Art, sorry to jump on you and Q, he's a great guy, and he lives close by!!! But...if nothing is done with this class Q won't have to participate, there won't be a class. As far as rising costs are concerned, have you looked at the sticker on a F500 lately? It's a couple bucks more than it was 10 years ago, and at $20k, it's still nothing to sneeze at, and there's no drysump!!!! As far as Q's R&D money for the motorcycle engine development, your looking at it, I'm doing it for him, and will happy to share whatever info I can with him.... I'm sorry and I'll say it till I'm blue in the face, there's no reason why a car with 600cc "STOCK" motorcycle engine would be any more expensive if not much cheaper to operate than a single source 2 cylinder 2 stroke. CR
Art <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Steve, As far as the statements I made about the two manufacturers, they are right from the horse's mouth, sorta speak. They will not get on this email list or the eformulacar forum and say anything. That's what I do for them :-). And Steve, I am the spokesman for QRE and have been given permission to speak on this subject for Sidewinder. Believe that information or don't, your choice as I said. But, if this class goes MC engined with shocks, they will not participate in it anymore and that is just two less manufacturers to build cars. I'm sure there are tens of manufacturers waiting in the wings to replace them........not! As far as numbers of new cars they have produced in the last two years, I don't have a current count for Sidewinder but QRE has sold 7 new cars in the last two years and has put 26 Invaders out the door of his Westchester, NY shop. BTW, that does not include any updates to current chassis' that Q does constantly. And Steve, the fact that they don't wish to develop a MC car has much to do with money, current designs, and the desire not to screw with the class philosophy. But, of course, there is a solution to this. Q has told me that if someone out there wants to write the check, he'll be glad to give them the best R&D their money can buy. First class all the way. Can you write that check? No? Didn't think so, most folks can't. Q can't either and won't. As far as people attending Nationals, the entry across the nation is low because folks just don't care to attend those races for various reasons, and probably have no desire to go to Topeka. They race where they wish, when they wish, and are not dictated to by a need to go to Kansas. If it is a National or a regional, it makes no difference to them. They race on their own terms. I don't race but I do hear the same thing over and over again, "Why should I spend the money to go to Topeka? I have just as much fun at a home track and have money to spare for the next race I can attend." So, the attraction of Topeka is just not there for low budget folks, you know Steve, the people that this class is all about. Perhaps that is where the CRB and SCCA should pay some attention; making Topeka and a local national more attractive to the folks instead of trying to change the class to fit their subjective viewpoint. As far as new people in the class, sure, we need to encourage that as best we can by promoting the INEXPENSIVE reality of a F500, not increasing the costs to those that are currently here or for whose we do draw into the class. I know some have said that they wish to incorporate the MC engines and shocks into the class without causing problems with the current genre. A nice goal but probably unattainable because they will be two entirely different cars. I find parity not impossible, but very, very difficult to imagine ever happening. As people have already noted, shocks can not just be bolted to the current chassis' without some major redesign. And the installation of a MC engine into "our" current chassis' can be problematic to some. More costs for those already here. The focus should be on making the class attractive to those on a limited budget and publicize what we are about, not to try and do a better job then what SCCA did with the F1000 rules. I find it incredulous that you would suggest (if you are), or that SCCA itself, is trying for "do-over" of the F1000 rules. If anyone wants another try at redoing F1000, I suggest they should look in another direction and leave this class to the philosophy it has had since it's inception; entry level, low cost formula car racing. Focus on talking that up, not a complete redesign of the class. Art --------------------------------- 8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time with theYahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut. ________________________________ FormulaCar Magazine - A Proud Supporter of Formula 500 The Official Publication of Junior Formula Car Racing Subscribe Today! www.formulacarmag.com or 519-624-2003 _________________________________ _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
