It's not only the technical challenges of the sport compact scene that gives me my jollies, the enthusiasm of the fans and all of the competitors makes this a great sport to be around. Now that we're starting to see corporate America stepping in with sponsorship dollars, I'm convinced this sport is only going to get faster, bigger and better.
I know there are many racers on the domestic side of the sport who are keeping a careful eye on the sport compact scene. We'll probably continue to see an increasing number of new faces crossing over and they will bring with them years of racing experience. The question is: Can they deal with the differences in racecar dynamics and technology?
I guess I'm proof that an old dog can learn a few new tricks. All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to learn, so I would say that any new-or old-blood is welcome.
Come on guys, bring it on.
Banning BobMy Ferrari 308 BB-altered was probably one of the wildest racecars I've ever constructed. With a chrome-moly Pro-stock style chassis, powered by a blown, flat-12 Testarossa engine this was a little off the wall for the powers that be.
It wasn't the car I chose (as unusual as it was) or the fact that I was running a 12-cylinder, 5.0-liter engine against the domestic V8 crowd. What really did the trick was my choice of supercharger.
At the time (1991) the only practical "off the shelf" solution was a Roots-type blower. I was convinced there had to be a more efficient way of generating boost for my 12,000-rpm Ferrari engine.
After spending a lot of time looking at my options, I decided to create my own answer based on a massive 118mm Holsett turbocharger that would be mechanically driven rather than driven by the spent exhaust gases.
I fabricated a gear drive system that spun the turbine to 85,000 rpm and the end result was probably a forerunner to today's popular centrifugal supercharger systems.
The system generated around 50 to 60lbs of boost and was a perfect match for the high-revving boxer engine.
The only problem came when I turned up with the car at the races and ran a 7.02 ET on a 7.50 record and the NHRA decided to outlaw anything but Roots-style blowers. Then it also decided it didn't like my air/water intercooler system.
The new rule changes made the project a dead duck and the car still gathers dust today in my storage unit. Back to the drawing board.