chad Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 seriously.... what did you all think of us as drivers? were we bonzi's? give plenty of racing room? please tell us how you feel! yes...i'm the one that punted the factory 5 driver....UNINTENIONALLY..... i for one liked racing with yall....gave plenty of room....you all are VERY FAST!!! it was nice to have to work for a pass and not just muscle (i say that laughing cause i'm in a honda) by other series cars.... it was the rabit game for me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jim P. Posted August 4, 2004 Members Share Posted August 4, 2004 I was impressed, all the H1 honda's did very well against the big bore cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanElam Posted August 5, 2004 Share Posted August 5, 2004 Chad- Since you bring it up..... Let me try to answer in a way that is helpful and not too critical. I'll apologize in advance if I don't get the tone just right so don't try to read too much into it. It's gotten a lot of discussion among the big bore group. I think the general consensus is that the HC-1 guys handled themselves pretty well. The speed differences with big bore are much better than say with 944 Cup or even the other Honda Challenge subclasses. With 944Cup you are looking at up to 23 seconds for a different lap time, but just about 10 seconds with Big Bore - and you guys were right in the middle so the relative difference isn't with HC-1. Not only that, but several of the HC-1 cars have more power than many of the cars including the Cobras and CMC cars giving you the ability to outdrag a good portion of the field. With better suspensions than most of the cars, you guys as a group more than hold your own and the comments I have heard reinforce that we think you guys match up better in big bore than every other group. (I know some of the non HC-1 HC guys think it takes away from the marketing aspects of not having all the HC guys together at the same time and maybe for events like Hyperfest it might make sense to rethink it for the big picture, but after seeing the dangerous mismatch with 944 Cup and the multiple hitting in that session, I think the safety concerns need to be paramount.) I was sitting behind you when you punted the west coast FFR guy on turn 3 of the first lap. (Quick story: we've been bragging on the east coast about how we have so much less bumping than the west coast, so punting the west coast guy to the back of the entire field after two years of bragging was both ironic and in some ways a little funny.) I'll be the first to agree that you weren't trying to intentionally force him off, but it was just as clear that you were too aggressive and not even close, especially for the beginning of a race. I had already let you by in turn 2 because that wasn't a safe/typical passing zone and didn't want to force the issue. Now don't get me wrong - I am a *huge* believer in picking up spots quickly because it's harder to pick them up as the race goes on, but it's a balancing act too. Several workers commented on your aggressive tactics throughout the weekend and people haven't forgot that you hit that car on the last lap of the February endurance race. (Your crew's sportsmanship did not help your cause that day.) It's certainly a flag about your driving, but by no means an indictment. My guess is that you'll personally be under a bit of a microscope for a few races, but so will HC-1 in general. Despite this, you should take comfort in both your driving and the car for your win on Satuday and crossing the line first on Sunday. To anwer your big picture question about HC-1 intermixed with big bore, I think most people agree that the HC-1 drivers did *not* live up the reputation that proceeded you guys. No one I talked to felt that the group was unsafe or unfair and that's pretty good considering people were probably keeping an especially close eye on Honda drivers after the 944 stuff. HC obviously has a different philosophy than some other NASA classes, but big bore in particular. Bump drafting and the contact just isn't something that the cars in big bore handle very well. To date, HC races have been closer to SCCA spec RX-7 than NASA traditional big bore. If HC-1 can learn to play by rules similar to the rest of big bore (and I am confident that the group can), then I am sure that everyone will conclude that HC-1 has finally found a home. Continue with the (relatively) good performance from VIR and I feel certain that the scrutinty the HC-1 guys face today will quickly become a thing of the past. Look forward to running with you and the other fast HC-1 guys at Summit. -Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honda318dx Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 Dan, that was excellent input and probably what most of us H1 guys and Chad wanted to know.. Chads "punting" was accidental, and could have been avoided (like most other punting). But don't let CHAD be the one to set the example for the rest of us! I have been screaming for years that HC, or just H2-H1 should be with Big Bore, you guys are awesome, headsup, experienced drivers who know how to race, plus, its a great show!! V8's and 4cyl hondas on a standing start! how much better could it get!? Anyways, I want to thank ALL of the big bore cars that were at VIR to the awesome headsup driving, THANK YOU and hope to race more with you guys this year Corey - H1 Honda Prelude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad Posted August 12, 2004 Author Share Posted August 12, 2004 several of the HC-1 cars have more power than many of the cars including the Cobras and CMC cars giving you the ability to outdrag a good portion of the field. -Dan h1 cars average 185-215.....not even close to a cobra..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jim P. Posted August 12, 2004 Members Share Posted August 12, 2004 h1 cars average 185-215.....not even close to a cobra..... You might want to double check that - most CMC & Cobra cars are 190-230hp - with 230hp being the limit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chad Posted August 12, 2004 Author Share Posted August 12, 2004 [quote="wildhorsesracing You might want to double check that - most CMC & Cobra cars are 190-230hp - with 230hp being the limit wow.....didn't know that....thought the v8's had more than that.... are they a spec engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Ginsberg Posted August 12, 2004 Share Posted August 12, 2004 wow.....didn't know that....thought the v8's had more than that.... are they a spec engine? CMC cars must use a stock engine - no mods allowed. Stock EFI intake, stock exhaust manifolds, stock injectors, or a spec carb/intake setup. Our limit is 230rwhp and 300rwtq, but our minimum weight is 3125 as we come off the track. Cobra's are not legal for CMC competition. In Texas, we run with the HC guys, and our lap times ( CMC vs. HC ) are VERY close - many times, we are racing each other. Typically, one of the few ways to pass a local HC car is at the start. AI is much more open to engine mods - most competitive AI cars are in the ~320rwhp range. AI is managed by a HP to LB ratio of 9.5:1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Shugg Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Sorry to be a little late to this thread. Work has been hellacious these past few weeks. I thought running with you guys was great. I think the H1 cars probably could have come out on top had there not been a bobble or two on their part (I'm not totally certain what happened still, but I understand that a few of you guys went mowing...). I also think you guys are respectable drivers who respect property. This is amateur racing and we don't have the budgets to bang out the fenders. Clean racing is fun racing is cheap(er) racing. I applaud you guys for your gentleman approach to racing. I say - you guys should race in Big Bore more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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