Hi Bill,
Interesting topic, one I have thought about a lot recently, the drive home from Early Birds '14 kicked it all off.
I personally think these 'off the peg' chassis are both very good, and potentially, bad.
Firstly, they do allow a wider range of chassis to fit the cars, as do the other popular offerings from PP and the like. However the sudden performance gain and influx of BRSCA style steel chassis means that now everyone can have access to potentially a race winning car. This on the whole is good. If the whole field uses these 'new' style chassis, then the competition level will still very high and performance closer than previous.
However, the other side of the coin is that the fabulous Scratchbuilt chassis that we have all admired over the years, could become obsolete, or at the very least, rarer, because rather than spend hours painstakingly drawing, cutting, filing and assembling a chassis, we can by an off the peg chassis, and have a complete running car in less than an hour.
This won't put off the true craftsmen, but perhaps our friends who give it a go (and I include myself in this) with varying levels of success, could be put off. If a meeting has 20 entrants, let's say five craftsmen (Mick Kerr springs to mind), 5 Penelope Pitlane/PCS and more conventional chassis'd runners, leaving half the field to battle it out with the latest Beardog or Mack chassis. This on the whole will lower also the standard of concours, as the majority tend to prefer a beautiful car with a scratch made chassis, over a beautiful car with a purchased chassis.
Also the CSCRA/Wolves, has always had a very competitive atmosphere, but at the same time, a real laugh. If we become to fixed on running stock chassis which we can all buy, it could potentially lower the enjoyment factor.
Now, it is very difficult to excersise this. If the rule read "no laser cut chassis", Mick Kerr for example would have to throw away his chassis from the last few years at least. Discouraging. I'm dipping my toes in with a Laser or a CNC machine, which if this regulation came in, would mean the time and money invested has been wasted.
If the rule read, "no stock chassis", then there would be no Penelope Pitlane chassis, or PCS chassis on the grid. Not fair on Steve Ward for example who has been a stalwart of Classic racing for all the time I have been involved (7 years now!!!!). As well as those who can make a PP chassis go well.
Or you would have to restrict items made my different companies/people. Purely using a Richard Mack as an example, I doubt he and the community would be happy to suddenly have their items banned from CSCRA or Wolves meetings.
The only way I could see a rule being enforced, would be a handicap of say one lap per heat for these purchased chassis, to encourage scratchbuilds. But then this would cause others to up arms!
So as a chap that enjoys scratchbuilding, and is by no stretch of the imagination, a front runner, this would be the only solution I can think of. I'll enjoy watching this thread develop!
Interesting topic, one I have thought about a lot recently, the drive home from Early Birds '14 kicked it all off.
I personally think these 'off the peg' chassis are both very good, and potentially, bad.
Firstly, they do allow a wider range of chassis to fit the cars, as do the other popular offerings from PP and the like. However the sudden performance gain and influx of BRSCA style steel chassis means that now everyone can have access to potentially a race winning car. This on the whole is good. If the whole field uses these 'new' style chassis, then the competition level will still very high and performance closer than previous.
However, the other side of the coin is that the fabulous Scratchbuilt chassis that we have all admired over the years, could become obsolete, or at the very least, rarer, because rather than spend hours painstakingly drawing, cutting, filing and assembling a chassis, we can by an off the peg chassis, and have a complete running car in less than an hour.
This won't put off the true craftsmen, but perhaps our friends who give it a go (and I include myself in this) with varying levels of success, could be put off. If a meeting has 20 entrants, let's say five craftsmen (Mick Kerr springs to mind), 5 Penelope Pitlane/PCS and more conventional chassis'd runners, leaving half the field to battle it out with the latest Beardog or Mack chassis. This on the whole will lower also the standard of concours, as the majority tend to prefer a beautiful car with a scratch made chassis, over a beautiful car with a purchased chassis.
Also the CSCRA/Wolves, has always had a very competitive atmosphere, but at the same time, a real laugh. If we become to fixed on running stock chassis which we can all buy, it could potentially lower the enjoyment factor.
Now, it is very difficult to excersise this. If the rule read "no laser cut chassis", Mick Kerr for example would have to throw away his chassis from the last few years at least. Discouraging. I'm dipping my toes in with a Laser or a CNC machine, which if this regulation came in, would mean the time and money invested has been wasted.
If the rule read, "no stock chassis", then there would be no Penelope Pitlane chassis, or PCS chassis on the grid. Not fair on Steve Ward for example who has been a stalwart of Classic racing for all the time I have been involved (7 years now!!!!). As well as those who can make a PP chassis go well.
Or you would have to restrict items made my different companies/people. Purely using a Richard Mack as an example, I doubt he and the community would be happy to suddenly have their items banned from CSCRA or Wolves meetings.
The only way I could see a rule being enforced, would be a handicap of say one lap per heat for these purchased chassis, to encourage scratchbuilds. But then this would cause others to up arms!
So as a chap that enjoys scratchbuilding, and is by no stretch of the imagination, a front runner, this would be the only solution I can think of. I'll enjoy watching this thread develop!
