Restoration/Rebuilds and Associated Problems with Eligibility

[p261brm]

Restoration/Rebuilds and Associated Problems with Eligibility

A follow on from What would you do with this;[QUOTE=john ruston[;2747864]
Another thread?
What should you race?
Got my Chobham Armour reinforced waistcoat on so here goes; To ensure the safety aspect particularly in historic racing then due consideration of the mechanical components are as important as that given to the chassis/suspension group, otherwise reliability will suffer, and the resultant acrimony towards the guilty competitor on whose oil his/her fellow racers pirouetted on. Improvement through later technology in materials and methods increase the reliability and also usually result in an increase of performance, and a driver/owner is not human [or a racer] if he/she does not utilize the increase; Hardly a ‘just as it was in period gov’ statement to appease the scrutineer’s.
Two recent close involvements’s to illustrate the point, a dispute as to what engine the car raced with in period, and where the end result was some doubt as to the entire cars’ eligibility to compete in a particular race series. In the other is a car that had some influence on my life in the pit lane, in period, if not the bar! After repatriation from the USA, the car had competed at the first LMC and resulted in the FIA ‘papers’ being withdrawn due to irregularities, I was asked to inspect and confirm where possible, it was as it raced in period, and as it has been explained to me this meant compete in a full International event; to the best of my knowledge, viz. The British Grand Prix sports car support race 15th July 1967, where a creditable 10th the result against the likes of GT 40’s etc., incidentally the driver who won the event was later to become one of the ‘influence’s’ in life. This was probably the last full International event an E competed in, as further Group 4 event applications were turned down, 109% rule probably. There may have been later events but the F2 races at the ‘Palace’, Thruxton etc were International for the main event and National for support races. The engine as fitted to the car on inspection was a 4-2 so a big No No there, and I agree, and wide angle heads were not allowed either, only on the lightweights [12cars originally], should be 3-8 bored to the maximum obtained as standard available from the cars manufacturer, plus .060 if memory serves. This is where I come to blows with the present regulations. The brakes were Girling CR calipers and solid disc’s at the front, and Mk 10 calipers and solid discs rear, and bronze bushed front suspension, solid mounted and rose jointed suspension at the rear, the rear suspension as it had been when I last saw the car in1969, so why not now?. Most of the similar cars in period were all so equipped. How we allow vented discs on to-days similar ‘period cars’ I am at a loss. As raced in period car should be just that, the real gem’s of the car world such as the 1937 Adler Super Trumpf in Mr. Turner’s thread left for prosperity.