The Official RRR Motor-Racing Thread

[Doug Forrester]

I've been meaning to do this for quite some time. Obviously, according to a bunch of recent light-hearted (aren't they?) comments about the relative merits of various kinds of car racing, there are enough car racing enthusiasts here to start a forum. So lets talk motorsport.

[Doug Forrester]

Has anyone else noticed that Speed TV of late has gotten much more interesting to watch. Most of the main racing series are finished for the year and now we're getting some coverage of lesser known series, boat racing, Aussie racing, SCCA Runoffs - the way Speedvision used to be. Of course that was before Fox came along and bought out the network, changed the name to Speed TV and broadcast 25 hours a day Nascar coverage :D

[eddieh]

Ya Know doug

I used to be an avid race fan, would watch all the races on wide world of sports when I was younger, and loved the "stock car" races when it was race on sunday sell on monday, when the stock cars were sorta like what you could buy, had to have 500 etc sold to the public, I am not sure when this changed ( I assume when everything was going front wheel drive) but it totally leaves me apathetic, yeah great engineering etc, but very little brand name identification, I mean it's chevy/ford/chrysler, I tell you not interested enough to be following on a die hard basis,
they did the same with drags, I used to go out to national speedway when i lived in long Island like 3 times a month more over the summer, I love to see real street cars run, not street legal, but street cars, factory super sports etc, the nostalgia drags seem to be doin good business,
I do like the european sedan racing as that seems close to what stockcar racing was,
anybody else feel this way or am I just getting old and stuck in my ways....

[Andy C]

who all is a sprint car fan!!!!! the cool thing is i only live 20 minutes away from knoxville speedway.

[Doug Forrester]

I absolutely love the winged "Outlaw" sprint cars. They are really spectacular to watch. Those huge wings look so cool!:D

[Dan Chase]

Speed has been a LOT better lately, I have seen a few documentaries I have not seen since the Speed "Vision" days. It's also good to see the grand Prix bikes race again, but they have pretty good coverage of bike racing all year. The night before last my son and I watched the Speedway world championships, have not seen Speedway bikes in years!

On the subject of bikes, did anyone else catch the documentary on the history of the motor cycle last night on the History Channel? It was 2 hours long and they really did a good job of touching on a little of everything, even if all their facts were not correct. The best part was when they showed the old board speedway bikes from the teens and 20's, great vintage footage!

Eddie, I never had much interest myself in the stock classes, but I LOVE going to the nosalgic drags! The one exception, even though they are hardley stock, is the rally races in Europe.

Andy C, yeah, I like the sprint cars and midgets too, I did a little sprint and midget racing in the late 70's and early 80's. The sprint (unwinged) was a rush to drive, with all that HP, but the midget was the real handful with the short wheelbase. I still go watch the local sprint car races 4-5 times a year and ALWAYS when the outlaws come to town! :D

[cjs]

My dad's friend races SCCA around the Iowa areas and anywhere he can get to and it is so fun to watch. The drivers basically race themselves and up their own times. If I save enough money next summer I plan on taking the courses and building a SCCA car. Funny thing is, I might have a good idea for a car, but don't laugh. It is a Ford Festiva, turbo charged! LOL, I know it's funny, but it would be my first SCCA car b/c I could build it relatively cheap.
Bye.
-Chris

[eddieh]

Originally posted by Dan Chase

Eddie, I never had much interest myself in the stock classes, but I LOVE going to the nosalgic drags! The one exception, even though they are hardley stock, is the rally races in Europe.
:D
Dan I am in to that too.. I love when speed vision show's those old clips, of the factories pitting against each other, man I use to have a 69 mgb, man the starter on my excursion is bigger then that motor, but a friend of mine had an mgc it looked like a regular mg but had the 6 cylinder, a few years later they were dropping in rover (gm) v8's scwingggggg..... Nostalgia drags are really cool, I am a bit young to have seen the greats, but as a kid I remember talking to grumpy jenkins, it was a big thing then and still is to me now,,
but getting back to stockcars,,, I remember seeing exhaust manifolds for sale for a twin turbo for a pontiac 421!!!!! this is some factory goodies!!!! and how many of you guys can remember what a real 409 sounded like!!!!
I get a kick out of the younger guys today they have 1000w stereos and all you hear is the stereo, anybody here admit to running mickey thomson cheater slicks and open pipes???? hehehehe boy was I stupid!!! gonna look downstairs for a pic of an old nova I had( 67 ss) I love this stuff!!!!

[JimClark]

Personally I love going to the Historic races thay have here each year. Nothing like a Cobra 428 pounding around the track or a big block transAm car. Puts chills down my spine. Also makes my bad ear drum rattle not a good feeling.
Jim Clark

[eddieh]

Ahhh Jim so your a shelby fan eh!!! very nice, great article in this months hotrod, about building up an fe block!!! same as the 390,,,, Ford still has great out the backdoor buys for racers,, very cool Jim,, cheers eddie

[Dan Chase]

Originally posted by Eddieh

man I use to have a 69 mgb, man the starter on my excursion is bigger then that motor,

Your kidding!!! I had a 69 MGB GT! I Hot rodded the crap out that car, not real smart, I should have put the money into replacing all that Lucas electrical crap! It ran like race car when it ran or didn't overheat. I don't think the Brits ever imagined some stupid Kalifornia kid putting in a full race cam ports the size of a golf ball and running it when it was 110 degrees out!

There is still a guy in town that used to be a big time Drag Racer in the 50's & 60's. He has a good old fashioned speed shop that specializes in Flatheads. I go over and he lets me drool on his old scrap books. He drives a chopped top '49 Merc with a total hot rodded flathead and a flame job. It is soooooo cool! :cool: :cool: :cool:

Here is a pic of his car:
http://www.flatheadjack.com/images/merc/merc_34.jpg

[Avenger]

by the summer i'll have my torino all up and going! 429cj ahhhhhhhhh.... and do u remember when i re-built the engine in my grany car (the grand marquis) well since then i have put a larger cam (not huge) converted the speed density system to a mass air flow system and did i full exaust job including full lenght headers and 2" dual exaust going threw 2 hi-po cats and flowaster mufflers! it soulds so sweet! plus it has an electric water pump and fan too... next on that list will be the trany i'll put a shift kit into the AOD and the rear end... im thining 3.55 w/ a posi! (stock is 2.73 and it will light the tires up like there is now tomorow!) my guess on HP in the grandma car is around 200-225 with around 325-350 ftlbs of torque (it had 300 stock!)

[eddieh]

I love flames!!!!!!!!!!!! didn't somebody just run a newbie flathead at bonneville???? did really well, I still love older catalina's with 389's 421's, and of course 4 speeds,,,, my mg was stock, but it was tough gettin 6' 61/2' ME inside, but once in plenty of leg room, did you have those funky 2 6v batteries wired in series??? (embedded into the floorpan behind the seats???) I still miss that gorgeous realwood steering wheel, and the electric overdrive was cool,,, , talk about stupid, I traded the car for a brand new edelbrock tunnel ram, with twin 660 center squirters, for a 67 big block camaro I was building, yes a real rs with hideaway headlights, gave away the factory hood (with the humps) and got a stocker hood which I took a sawzall too, man was I stupid!!! LOL, come to think of it not to much smarter today;)

[B.K. Foster]

The folks round this way think racing is trying to outrun the fuzz... and we have quite a few dirt tracks...LOL

Laters,
Bry

[Dan Chase]

I think I heard something about a flathead running around 300mph at the salt flats recently.

The more I think about it, I think my MGB GT was a 72, I had a '69 Firebird that was army green, yuch! But, it had a 400 in it that I hot rodded. I usally had a a rust bucket or two since I was about 15 when I bought my first car.

You know, leave it to us Eddie to get into an Off Topic thread about car racing and go off topic into the street rides of our youth, so, just to get back on Topic, I used to street race my cars... ;) :p ;)

Soooo.... How many races do you think Ferrari will let Rubin's Barrichello win next year and if you were Michael Shumacher, would you be worried about your salary??? :D

[Dan Chase]

Originally posted by B.K. Foster
The folks round this way think racing is trying to outrun the fuzz... and we have quite a few dirt tracks...LOL

Laters,
Bry

I'll just bet you hate it when that happens, eh, Bryan? ;)

[B.K. Foster]

Originally posted by Dan Chase


I'll just bet you hate it when that happens, eh, Bryan? ;)

Nope,

On the ground or in the air... Gizmo is as cool as ice and as methodical as a nuclear physicist...LOL While the other guys are yelling... "I'm in a pursuit!!"... I am jamming to Roger Creager's "I got the gun's"

Think about this when I get the opportunity to race with ya' Dan-gerous Chase....

Laters,
Bry

[vicman]

You guys act like you dont remember the king of the late night drags! BIG BLOCK CHRYSLERS, DODGES, AND PLYMOUTHS. Personally I like them all, but the MOPARS hold a very special place in my heart. Anyone actually hear, (in person), a TRUE 426 "RACE"HEMI? Not many of them. and they were not EVER put on the street. Sold "AS IS'' for drag racing only back in the days of the factory superstock wars. That is a sound you never forget.

I spent alot of time building mopars, (big blocks and small blocks).
My favorite was the 440ci RB(raised block) Wedge engine.

vicman

[Dan Chase]

Originally posted by B.K. Foster


Nope,

On the ground or in the air... Gizmo is as cool as ice and as methodical as a nuclear physicist...LOL While the other guys are yelling... "I'm in a pursuit!!"... I am jamming to Roger Creager's "I got the gun's"

Think about this when I get the opportunity to race with ya' Dan-gerous Chase....

Laters,
Bry

Well, Bry, you just might get your chance if I can figure out how to convince my wife that we need to go to Conroe, TX, to see New Orleans for your race next year!

BTW: I used to fall asleep in my race car before a race I was so calm, I tend to get real excited and nervous before a RC race now, go figure. :D

http://members.aol.com/danimation/images/sv_chekeredsm.jpg