Bob Shaw is a bad man - Page 9

bill dedman · 03-28-2009, 01:26 PM

Alan,

Your contention, "But it is not just the cold air, but also wheelbase and suspension differences, as well as aerodynamics." is precisely my point.

For many years, a car was a car was a car was a car in the Classification guide. LOTS of years....

If a car was perceived as having strategic disadvantages ("wheelbase and suspension differences, as well as aerodynamics.") relative to a "better" chassis..... guess what? People didn't BUILD that combination.
They built the one that looked better on paper.

The cold air package is something that can be dealt with within the pages of the Class guide as an aside, like the optional heads (+8hp, or whatever) without re-classifying the whole motor as a separate entity (factor).

It seems over-the-top (and, counterproductive) to assign a different HP rating to a car dependent upon the body it's in. The complexxity of that system is its weak point, I think, due to the hundreds of different types of cars running.

Example: Let's say I campaign a Mustang with a certain V8 that was somewhat under-factored to begin with, and I have not been able to keep my foot out of it, so along the way, the powers-that-be AND the AHFS have combined to bestow as much as 34 horsepower on my motor during my period of indescretion.

This (my heavy foot) has moved me up four classes, in the process (these are approximations.)

What to do; I can no longer win class "at will" and am in serious jeopardy in a heads-up during the Eliminator. Perhaps that's as it should be.

BUT.......

All I have to do is locate a different body style of the same make and year, say, a Torino and all that accumulated horsepower goes away... and my competitors are one again faced with an underfactored motor that can run roughshod over the others in that class.

THAT is the flaw in this system of assigning horsepower to engines in one body style, but not another.

Like I said; it creates more problems than it solves. I think it should be done away with.

What to do about the multiple horsepower assignments that exist in cases like the Henson/West situation?

I frankly have no answer for that, but I think that anything would be better than what we have, now.

Just my 2-cents...

Bill

03-28-2009, 01:26 PM	#81
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Bob Shaw is a bad man Alan, Your contention, "But it is not just the cold air, but also wheelbase and suspension differences, as well as aerodynamics." is precisely my point. For many years, a car was a car was a car was a car in the Classification guide. LOTS of years.... If a car was perceived as having strategic disadvantages ("wheelbase and suspension differences, as well as aerodynamics.") relative to a "better" chassis..... guess what? People didn't BUILD that combination. They built the one that looked better on paper. The cold air package is something that can be dealt with within the pages of the Class guide as an aside, like the optional heads (+8hp, or whatever) without re-classifying the whole motor as a separate entity (factor). It seems over-the-top (and, counterproductive) to assign a different HP rating to a car dependent upon the body it's in. The complexxity of that system is its weak point, I think, due to the hundreds of different types of cars running. Example: Let's say I campaign a Mustang with a certain V8 that was somewhat under-factored to begin with, and I have not been able to keep my foot out of it, so along the way, the powers-that-be AND the AHFS have combined to bestow as much as 34 horsepower on my motor during my period of indescretion. This (my heavy foot) has moved me up four classes, in the process (these are approximations.) What to do; I can no longer win class "at will" and am in serious jeopardy in a heads-up during the Eliminator. Perhaps that's as it should be. BUT....... All I have to do is locate a different body style of the same make and year, say, a Torino and all that accumulated horsepower goes away... and my competitors are one again faced with an underfactored motor that can run roughshod over the others in that class. THAT is the flaw in this system of assigning horsepower to engines in one body style, but not another. Like I said; it creates more problems than it solves. I think it should be done away with. What to do about the multiple horsepower assignments that exist in cases like the Henson/West situation? I frankly have no answer for that, but I think that anything would be better than what we have, now. Just my 2-cents... Bill __________________ Bill