 Prez
Sez
4/20/2008
|
Prez Sez:
We’ve had a great start to the 08
season. 141 entries at the
Feb School/Races included a very able student group. The students
performed
flawlessly throughout the weekend. They showed awareness of the vintage
spirit
all weekend. Hallet was down 6 entries to 98, but the weather was
beautiful and
the dedication of the Mike Stephens Victory
Circle
was well received. If you missed Hallet, you missed some great racing
and a
great party.
I want to give a special thanks to John Furlow and Greg
Reynolds for chairing two fantastic events.
We
were featured in Texas Southern Living, a
regional magazine in the
March issue. There were lots of great pictures and a great write-up.
Italian TV
also taped 5 hours for a TV show much like Top Gear. We are supposed to
get a
copy but haven’t seen it yet.
We think we have solved the timing
problems from February.
It turns out the decoder randomly dropped cars. Reb had to reconstruct
the Sunday
races car by car, lap by lap. It took him close to 60 hours to do it.
Saturday
was lost all together. For those of you that showed patience, THANKYOU.
Timing
and Scoring is a thankless job. If it goes well no one knows, if it
jumps off
the tracks, everyone knows.
The next Board of Directors meeting is May 10.
It will be
held at the
Best
Western Motel in
Temple, TX.
(That’s central to all the directors). Once
again, there will be a 30 minute time slot for member input. We won’t
take
action on your comments but they will become action items for the next
meeting.
If you would like to address the board, or just see what goes on at our
meetings, come on down.
Eagles
Canyon
is just around the corner. It is a driver’s track for those that missed
the December
race. As Maytag said, “It’s Hallett on steroids.” It is very technical
with 70 feet
of elevation changes multiple times. The flat parts are in the grid and
paddock. We plan on having the big rigs
park in the lower paddock to avoid the congestion of December. Fuel is
available
and there is a snack bar that serves a mean lunch. Friday will be test
and
tune, with races Sat and Sunday. Eagles
Canyon is
12miles north of Decatur TX
on HWY 51. The storms took down the sign
so be alert for the track entrance.
A word on safety: We race for the enjoyment of
driving
vintage cars, not for the glory. You have a lot to lose, including the
respect
of your fellow drivers. A successful weekend can be noted if you put
you car
back on the trailer in the same condition you took it off. Let’s
reverse the
trend and have an incident free weekend.
Jeff Wilt has set up our logo at Panda Embroidery. You can
go to their website
www.pandasportswear.com and
order knit shirts and jackets.
You pay when you order. John Furlow has hats and decals. Look him
up at ECR if you
want decals for your tow vehicle or race car. It’s a good way to
advertise your
hobby.
The vintage racing community lost a good friend and
competitor with the
passing of John Roper on April
3, 2008.
John most recently ran an MGB with CVAR, but had raced many different
cars for
many years. He was best know recently for racing a TR-8 in the SOWDIV.
At one time John was flat
towing a Frog-eye. As
he went down the road he kept hearing an engine trying to start. He
pulled over
and the Sprite was trying to jump in gear! Some of us have laughed at
that
story regardless of how many times we heard it.
See you at ECR-- George
Authenticity
Report - from Jan. 2008 BoD Meeting
|
January 2008
BoD Meeting - Authenticity
Report
- An
overall
Authenticity Program has been initiated that will reward the most
authentic
closed wheel and open wheel
car at the end of the 2008 season.
This
program is not associated with the
current championship.
Charlie Jones
will
head up this new committee. Current members are Bruce Revennaugh, Dan
Haynes,
Don
Gwynne,
Michael Jenniges and Howard Pace.
If you
would like to be part of this effort please
contact Charlie
at:
cjones@forumoilfield.com
The Committee is
to have a rough outline for submittal to the BoD at the next meeting.
The BoD has
authorized funding for two trophies
- We had one
petition for rule change in 2007 from G-1, which was unsuccessful but
did bring
to light
problems associated with
the process.
Seth Higgins has
been given the task of consulting with the other GReps and modifying
the
petition process.
A preliminary
report to the BoD is scheduled for the next Board meeting.
If you want to be
part of that process or have ideas you wish to share, please contact
Seth
at: SHiggins@advaoptical.com.
-
The car
weights are currently
posted on the web-site with last year’s championship scores. If you weighed
last year, and we have your
weight recorded, you need not weigh again in 2008 unless you want to
verify
your weight.
It was reaffirmed
at the BoD meeting that any closed wheel car can run under the GCR’s
dating
from
1967 to
1972, but no cherry picking from different GCR’s is
allowed.
For 2008 there
will be weight enforcement. In order to
receive the full 3 bonus authenticity points in the “Mechanical”
category, your
car must be within 5% of your required weight. If
your car is not within the 5%, your maximum
possible award will be 1
point, in the “Mechanical” category.
No car will be
turned away in 2008 for being under weight.
Some of the
earlier GCR’s are more generous in the minimum weight.
The GReps will use the 1972 version unless you
provide the earlier GCR and additional weight documentation.
For G-1 Sedans the
minimum weights are as follow: 1967 GCR;
2700 lbs dry weight or as per Homologation papers.
1968 GCR; 2800 lb dry weight. 1969 GCR; 2900
lbs dry weight. 1970-72 GCR; 3200 lbs
wet weight. CVAR will use 6 lbs/gallon
for fuel to adjust your weight. (you
tell us gallons of fuel in the tank when weighing)
Production cars are as per the PCS.
For G-1, you
determine the GCR you want to run under based on how your car is built. CVAR will use the performance items of your
car to set a minimum GCR year. As an
example, A-Sedans first used rear disc brakes in 1968, using them would
mean
you are at least running to the 1968 GCR. The
302 motors in Fords were first used in 1968. The
Lincoln
brakes were produced in 1969. Dry sumps
were in 1972 and would require a 3200 lb minimum weight.
Remember, no cherry picking of performance
items from different GCR’s. Performance
items are considered to be 1) Motor; 2) Drive train/Suspension; 3)
Brakes; 4)
Tires/Wheels; 5) Weight.
-
Cars
constructed with uni-bodies
from post 1972 (or 1974 for FIA) closed wheel cars has been limited to
“within
model series or chassis series” with a maximum date of 1990.
Cars that are not
completely back dated will not be awarded full bonus authenticity
points in the
“Body” category.
It up to the
entrant to prove that the later uni-bodies contain no significant
structural
enhancements. If at later date, it is
discovered this to be an error, the log book may be with drawn.
CVAR is not going
to check VIN numbers, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and
quacks
like a duck….it’s a duck, until proven otherwise.
Cars belonging to
CVAR members that do not have a CVAR log book and are not legal to run
under CVAR
rules are not allowed to compete in the race weekend.
The are however allowed during Fridays
testing and tuning providing they pass the standard CVAR tech.
All cars must have
a log book to be allowed on track on race days. The
only exception is for Student cars, which may
operate under the
novice permit. Drivers of cars on track
without log books are subject to disciplinary action by the Chief
Steward.
All cars must pass
CVAR tech before being allowed on track. Drivers
of cars on track without tech inspection are
subject to
disciplinary action by the Chief Steward.
All cars for 2008
must have an up to date Declaration form on file with the appropriate
GRep. New forms for 2008 are posted on
line. The Chief Steward considers
falsifying this document to be a serious offence. If
you are caught falsifying this document
your license will be suspended for a minimum of 6 months.
-
As per the
January BoD meeting the only
Board approved G-1 exceptions to the GCR
are the following:
1)
The allowance of 302 cubic inch motors in Shelby GT-350’s, 289
Cobra’s, and Tigers.
2)
Roller rockers for AS; AP, and BP classes.
Not
approved by the BoD within the G-1
petition are the following:
1) Multi-disc
clutches in Production cars. These
must be removed as per the previous
2007 memo to G-1. The removal date will
be extended to the summer break of this year. Any
Production car with a multi-disc clutch will
have a maximum
“Mechanical” authenticity point award of 1- point.
2) Lincoln
brakes
on Shelby GT-350’s. The GCR does not
allow updating a production car beyond the car’s PCS page.
The Lincoln
brakes, while true Ford production items, are in fact a larger diameter
rotor,
and larger caliper than the PCS specifies. The
BoD did agree that so long as the rotor is the
correct diameter and
the correct caliper is in the correct location, after market rotors and
hats
are allowed in the AS, AP and BP classes. G-1
cars which do not meet these rules have 12
months to remove/correct
this item. No reduction in authenticity
scoring will be taken at this time, since G-1 felt these brakes were
approved
by CVAR.
3)
Modified upper and lower control arms are not allowed by the GCR. The wording differs slightly for Production
and Sedan classes. Reinforcing
is allowed, but changing the angle of the upper ball joint by cutting
and
welding is not allowed under the GCR. The
addition of heim joints to the lower control arm
is also not
allowed. G-1 cars which do not meet
these rules have 12 months to remove/correct this item.
No reduction in authenticity scoring will be
taken at this time, since G-1 felt these control arms were approved by
CVAR.
The
GCR does not specify a limit on tire size; hence the G-1 adopted limit
is
invalid. The only limit is the wording
of the GCR. The BoD did mandate a 60
series height to width ratio in G-1. (Treaded
Vintage Hoosier, or current treaded
Goodyear Blue Streaks are
acceptable). The later Hoosier radial
DOT slicks are not acceptable in any Sedan
or Production class.
-
BoD
approved clarifications to the
GCR as they apply to G-1 are as follows:
The
limit of 310 cubic inches for AS and BP Shelby’s was acceptable to the
BoD. This is based on a stock stroke and
+0.060”
over bore.
The allowance of Ford
351 Windsor (big plug) heads in place of Ford 289 heads is acceptable
to the
BoD. We have on file a current listing
of approved GM heads.
The allowance of
aftermarket block and internal components of the engine is acceptable
to the
BoD, so long as the blocks are dimensionally the same with respect to
bore
spacing, cam center, etc, and are of the same basic material as OEM. Internal components must be of the same
basic material as OEM.
The BoD clarified
the GCR wording as it applies to Production Cars in Section 2;2.2;D;25
and
Sedans Section 6;6.A.4;F;1, to mean more than one engine oil cooler is
allowed.
-
Herb Hilton
will make the
Authenticity Chairman aware of any non-CVAR entrant who enters a CVAR
event. This info
will be passed to the appropriate GRep for screening of the driver and
car. The GRep is
responsible for making
sure the entrant “plays nice” with the rest of the Group.
If the entrant is not CVAR
material, he may
be banned at the GReps discretion.
- It was
brought up at the BoD
meeting that some cars do not have all lenses taped.
The decision was to
strictly enforce this
rule.
- We have
seen stock harmonic
balancers come apart and cause a major oil down.
CVAR
recommends all
cars run an SFI approved
balancer.
- CVAR will
revisit the Caterham
issue in the future.
Please make you
opinions known to your GReps or BoD
members, before the
May 10, 2008 BoD meeting.
top
Safety
Summary 2007 - posted 1/31/2008
|
“Ya gotta finish to win”
The CVAR Safety
Committee
wants to sincerely thank each and every driver for an outstanding year.
To bring
better consistency to our Safety Program last year CVAR initiated a
revised
comprehensive Safety Program where we established a proactive approach
to
Safety. Vintage Racing and CVAR in particular consider any Car-to-Car
contact
incident a “felony” and a “Black Flag” event a “misdemeanor.” The
Safety
Committee does not want to use the “shotgun” approach where an entire
group is
punished for the actions of one or two individuals; therefore we began
to track
those drivers who were “Black Flagged” for any reason other than
mechanical
issue. The reasoning being “Black Flag Events” indicate a lack of
control
and/or a “non-vintage” attitude that can (and does) lead to Car-to-Car
contact.
Almost everybody who races will, on a rare
occasion,
slide off the track or spin; however if certain drivers have an “Event”
once,
twice or three times each weekend over several weekends then that
driver has
either a car issue and/or a driver issue. It is obvious these
individual are
more likely to be involved in or cause a Car-to-Car Incident.
Last January no one knew what the data would
reveal.
No one knew how many times individual drivers were “Black Flagged.” The
results
were very surprising and remarkably good. Remember, mechanical
problems and
“offs to avoid” are not counted in these statistics.
The data revealed the VAST MAJORITY
of us drive with the “Vintage Spirit.” Overall we had one “Black
Flag” event
per 18-car race. [Based on the following: total of 829 cars entered
in 7
race weekends: six times on the track and 9 laps per time on the track:
a total
of 44,766 “car laps” (one car driving one lap). We experienced a total
of 264
“Black Flag Events” for the year, this equates to one event per 166
“car laps”
which translates to 18 cars driving 9 laps each.]
Congratulations to
all of
us.
When the “Black Flag” data is broken
down to the individual, the “Black Flags” flew 9 times for
2
drivers, 8 times for I driver, 6 times for 1 driver, 5 times for 4
drivers and
4 times for 4 drivers. Thirteen drivers accounted for 72 (28%) of the
“Black
Flag” events — and some of those drivers did not drive every weekend.
The worse
offenders have been informed of their substandard performance and all
agreed to improve their driving. The rest of us have three or less
“Black Flag
Events” for 7 races.
For 2008 we have simplified the
chart that details the action your Safety Committee will take to
chronic
non-contact offenders. We will track “Black Flagged” events over a
moving
window of 12 months. We will begin to warn drivers with 5 or more
“Black Flag
Events” after the April Hallett Race. If drivers continue to accrue
“Black Flag
Events,” penalties will be imposed beginning in February 2009.
This long
lead period will give everyone time to evaluate and adjust, if
necessary, their
driving.
The Revised Safety Program
Here is the Revised Table taken from
the revised CVAR Safety Program: Section
2, Table 1, #2. Continuing Non-Contact Event — NOTE: The objective of
this
tracking program is to assist drivers in detecting and correcting the
reason(s)
they are having problems. Drivers who are unable to control their
driving will
not be allowed to participate in CVAR events.
|
Number
of Black Flag
Events
per Tracking Period
|
Penalty
|
|
One
through Four
|
No
action
|
|
Five
|
Warning
Letter, Introduction to Group Mentor, Placement in Driver Identification Program
|
|
Eight
|
Internal
Probation for Three Race weekends, Placement of Novice “X” on car
|
|
Ten
|
Internal
Suspension for One Race Weekend
|
So
word to the wise: if you visit the pits you won‘t win the race — and you might not even finish.
Contact Events were too
many — One is too many
“Touching is a felony”
Unfortunately we had several
Car-to-Car Contact Incidents and some significant Single Car Contact
Incidents.
Drivers have been put on the trailer, placed on internal probation or
VMC
probation. While we may be somewhat understanding of Non-Contact
Events, your
Safety Committee becomes very stern and harsh when cars touch. We will
take
into account extenuating circumstances and track conditions, but if
you are the driver at fault
in a contact incident expect, at the very least, to be sent home.
Believe it or not, we had one driver
(who was sent home) punt a slower car off the track. When questioned he
said,
“Some tapping and touching is simply a part of racing:” Maybe touching
is okay
in NASCAR or SCCA, but not in CVAR. Our Objective clearly states: “Vintage
Racing does not tolerate deliberate contact or a “win at any cost”
attitude.
Vintage drivers compete in a spirited but controlled manner giving
their fellow
drivers room to race.” If the Safety Committee believes
deliberate
touching is occurring during a race those drivers do not have the
Vintage
Racing Spirit and will be put on the trailer, placed on probation or
possibly
suspended from racing. Your fellow vintage driver does not want to be
hit.
Remember, you are in control of your racing future; just as our
Objective
states; “ … each driver holds the key to his or her ultimate
success
within CVAR. You are in charge of your own racing future.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Below are summary
tables for
“Black Flag Events.”
Table 1: Cars Entered per Group: Example Gp I had 25 cars
entered at TWS in Feb
07
|
|
Feb 07
|
Mar 07
|
May 07
|
Sep 07
|
Oct 07
|
Nov 07
|
Dec 07
|
Year Total /
|
|
Group
|
TWS
|
Hallett
|
TMSR
|
TWS
|
Hallett
|
TWS
|
ECR
|
Avg Wk End
|
|
1
|
25
|
11
|
21
|
27
|
11
|
24
|
25
|
144 / 21
|
|
2
|
22
|
21
|
21
|
16
|
20
|
15
|
16
|
131 / 19
|
|
3
|
16
|
15
|
12
|
16
|
19
|
15
|
10
|
103 / 15
|
|
4
|
11
|
12
|
10
|
13
|
9
|
13
|
16
|
84 / 12
|
|
6
|
22
|
23
|
20
|
23
|
42
|
18
|
22
|
170 / 24
|
|
7
|
29
|
22
|
30
|
32
|
25
|
32
|
27
|
197 / 28
|
|
TOTAL
|
125
|
104
|
114
|
127
|
126
|
117
|
116
|
829 / 118
|
Table
2: Black Flag Events: Example Feb 07, Gp 1 had 10
Black Flag Events
NOTE:
This table does NOT represent the number of drivers with a Black Flag
Event as
some drivers go off more than once a weekend.
|
|
Feb 07
|
Mar 07
|
May 07
|
Sep 07
|
Oct 07
|
Nov 07
|
Dec 07
|
Year Total
|
|
Group
|
TWS
|
Hallett
|
TMSR
|
TWS
|
Hallett
|
TWS
|
ECR
|
Avg Wk End
|
|
1
|
10
|
2
|
11
|
5
|
15
|
8
|
6
|
57 / 8
|
|
2
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
Zero
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
27 / 4
|
|
3
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
14
|
2
|
6
|
39 / 6
|
|
4
|
Zero
|
5
|
4
|
Zero
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
20 / 3
|
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
21
|
4
|
13
|
70 / 10
|
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
7
|
3
|
10
|
3
|
14
|
51 / 7
|
|
TOTAL
|
34
|
26
|
26
|
20
|
69
|
26
|
49
|
264 / 38
|
Table
3: Number of Drivers with 4 or more Events:
NOTE:
GROUPS 2 & 4 had Zero drivers with a total of 4
or more events over 7 Race Weekends –
EXCELLENT RECORD - CONGRATULATIONS !!!!!!
|
# of Events à
|
4
|
5
Warning
Letter
|
6
|
7
|
8
Penalty
|
9
Penalty
|
10 or more
Suspension
|
Total
# of Driver with 4 or more Events
|
|
Group
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ZERO
|
|
3
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ZERO
|
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
|
|
