Death of SLM Class?

[a]

Wow... what a disappointing race night. Only 8 SLM's!! Where are the out of town guys we saw at the beginning of the season? Why does the same car win every week? Why does the track seem to make the same bad calls during the race? Some things never change…

The only thing that resembled a show was the 5 being sent to the back on lap 1 because the 96 cut him off like he does to everyone else. And watching the 5 get back up to 3rd, behind the 96 on the last lap just so the 96 could do the same thing that he did on lap 1. At least the track made that bad call so we had that to watch while we waited for the rest of the 18 cars to show up to fill the field... thank you to the 8 cars that showed, the fans appreciate what you do!!

[bumpnrun]

Now that Blair is gone they need to do the following:
1) Blend SLM with LM like before (It was working!)
2) Get back on the 970 tire and get a tire distributor that knows what they are doing
3) Quite putting 4 barrels with 2 barrels
4) Outlaw bump stops
5) The local guy should not have to suffer using a spec engine just because an out of town guy shows up to race

Problem solved!

[sg38]

First off the tire barn killed it

The new 2040 is way better the the 970 . Got 6 races on this set

Bumpstops are so much easier and cheaper just apply your self you'll thank me later

And the Vegas engine is the way to go . I took my old ass$ 1997 Howe and made it work that is a late model with a spec engine and made it work . I think you should come out and spend some money and you'll see that you can compete instead of just complaining

[topfive]

The Bullring is still a good entertainment value for the dollar if you use your imagination. Instead of watching the same bunch of grizzled veterans chasing Scotty around the track, I just turned around and watched the control tower- It was like a big screen version of F Troop.
When Orange Show and Irwindale closed their doors, there were probably fifty cars from So Cal desperate for a place to race. Somehow the Bullring management did not find this out until half way through the season, then when a few show up, they can't find any tires to run.

[team21]

I agree with Scott that any car can be made to turn. The chassis doesn't know how old it is. With today's set-ups it all about setting the car at it's full dynamic height. Anyone can achieve this with any chassis. "Fabricated or OEM"

If you don't understand the latest technology read a book or hire someone to help you!

As for 970 vs 2040 tire. The 970s worked because they were cheap. They lasted for 4 full nights and leveled the field due to limited grip. I understand why Scott doesn't like them, he didn't win many races on them.

Everyone keeps thinking that the 4 barrel's "stock 650" used on the spec engine is better than the 2 barrel? "VDL 500" I would be happy to put my VDL 2 barrel on and remove the lead, run what ever gear and remove the 6800 rev limit. All of these sanctions are what LVMS is mandating to the guys from Cali with the CT525 spec engine.

I agree, the LVMS spec engine was a great program. In the last three years I am yet to see them checked. "heads, cams, comp ratio, cubic inch" I am sure everyone is now using light weight rotating assembles and oval ported heads. "passes the round gauge"

I understand the game and LVMS will probably pull engines after the last points event once everyone has switched to legal engines.

I don't understand why LVMS doesn't check things like valve lift and cubic inch/comp ratio through out the year? They have the tools? This does not require racers to take apart their engines. Instead they check width and weight 3 times in one night?

I will repeat what I have said the last 3 years! Put everyone back on the 970 or a harder narrow tire and mandate a 3000lb rule for everyone. I know the guys will try soaking and cutting tires to get more grip, but this is where you have to enforce the no touch rules already in place. Run what ever engine you want with a 4412 2 barrel. "with casting marks"

Make the rules consistent and harsh. They must be simple and easy to check on a weekly basis. What good is a rule if it is not enforced?

If anyone is caught cheating they must loose their points for the YEAR and sit out the following event. Twice you are done for a year!

Stop being GREEDY! Is the monies you are making off the tires and fuel worth driving all your customers away? "BIG PICTURE"

Don't turn anyone away!


Professor

[bumpnrun]

You are on the right track professor. The whole idea about getting the car count up is to bring back the fun and keep the costs down. The 970 tire will be just as fast in the 4th race as it was in the 1st race. The 2040 will last maybe 3-4 races but it heat cycles and falls off. So if you want to run up front you have to put new rights on every 2 races. Unless you are the 38 with bump stops. BTW: The supers where running faster on the 970's than they are on the 2040's. Of course bump stops done right will work great but who can get their chassis manufacturer to send an engineer from back east to get you dialed in. How much will that cost? Not in the spirit of this class. I love the idea of making all cars run the 2 barrel no matter what engine they have. (spec,crate, irwindale) Now you are talking!!!!!

[03birdsong]

i agree with scott...you cant just throw any bumps on a shock and expect to be faster but it doesnt take an engineer to get bumps to work, just a day in the garage and some test sessions. just like any other setup. there are some tricks and everyone has their ideas but thats racing. making all cars run a 2 barrel is a good idea but the ls3 is an all aluminum motor and thats alot less of a boat anchor on the right front when cornering. maybe offset the engines to the right to make up for the weight pendulum advantage when cornering. any irwindale engine should have to run the restrictor plate. as for the 2040 and 970 tires, i feel they are pretty close to the same, the 2040 is a few tenths faster but still lasts as long as the 970.

[bumpnrun]

So the track pushed hard to get out of town cars to show up and the grandstands are still empty. They tailor to the out of town guys at the expense of the local guys. They end up with 31 cars and only 10 locals. They start 24 cars and only 8 are locals. Only 2 locals finish the race. The other 6 didn't finish. Does the track realize that spectators want to see the local guys run well and cheer them on. Yes Clyne made it exciting and Ash ran well and finished 2nd. But Ash has a 525 crate motor and not a spec motor. Thats why he was able to keep up with the out of town guys. Just look at the tour race, no locals and no one in the grandstands. If this program is going to survive they need to get back to a strong local base and give all the breaks to the loyal guys that run the spec motors instead of forcing them to buy/build expensive motors like the out of town guys have. Or better yet, just let the spec motor have a 4 barrel and then the locals can be competitive. Focus on the local guys and see what happens to your ticket sales. If you have a race that pays $10,000 to win and you only get 10 locals out of 31 show up you have a problem.

[team21]

The stands were empty because it cost $20 per person. I know several people who showed up and where turned away by the high ticket prices. I guess its better to get money at the gate then by concessions stands? NOT!

As for the Spec engine. The times where consistent with what everyone ran in July. I can't explain why all the local fast guys dropped off? Hummm

I can only speak for myself, we missed on the set up. Wasn't our weekend!

I hope everyone has a safe off season and Holidays.

Billy

[professor]

What was the car count last race?

[underdog34]

Double main. 12 in first, 11 in second