BFun wrote:... How was the transition handled for the Renault to Ford way back when, did they play together right out of the box...

Oh, to have the archives from this forum back then.

BFun wrote: How was the transition handled for the Renault to Ford way back when, did they play together right out of the box, or were their some sort of equalization program (balast) to make them more even?

As for the transition period, I started in Spec Racer at that time in Renault and they just threw SRF and SR out on the track and we brawled as two separate classes until the 1997 season when everyone had to switch to Ford. (Approximately 70-100 owners never converted.) As Hal said, it often got quite interesting on certain tracks. Ahhh...good times.

the comments about not splitting the grids are relevent again in the Northeast. Entropy Racing has been fielding Renaults under the new regional-only class and without split grids it is a mess and a pain. With split grids we had fun with the fords and didn't get into any trouble.

Our team hotshoe started at least 20 seconds back from the fords and ended up mid-pack among the them but did so by picking his way forward slowly rather than continually passing and being repassed by the same cars trying to have their own race with others. our mid pack guys caught and passed a few fords, but in the end neither race interfered with the other and everyone had fun without incedent. in the 4 regional weekends we ran with SRF there was only one tire swirl between a ford and a Renault.

Split starts and split grids are an important tool to good mixed class racing where speed and performance differentials are small.

Hopefully the transition (if it happens) will not leave a bunch of cars orphaned as the Ford conversion did since the conversion raised the price of the car significantly and put some in a position to park or sell. Disallowing Renaults for over a decade took many competitors to other classes and other places to play. the hope is that the graying of the class will be adressed before an expensive conversion is mandated. Great class, great people, but not a lot of youth there any more.

I will be there to buy your Ford parts when they are no longer current.

Renaults are still running and while I had to buy pistons from Weisco and bearings from Israel, the parts still exist. Change is inevitable, I guess, but my tow vehicle will turn 61 years old on July 8th so maybe it isn't as inevintilbe as we thought.

I didn't know Renaults were allowed to race again. Is that in all divisions? Are the engines and trannys still sealed? What is the class name?

thanks Clay

Clay: if you can post, you can race! Get up here for tomorrow!

Sorry Kramer - too many other issues going on.

I agree with Charlie. Now that the Renaults are back, when possible, we should have split starts.

since the Roush contract expired there is nothing to exclude the Renaults from regional competiton. 3 years ago we got approval to run the 12 hour at Nelson and 2 years ago we ran the NJMP Devil in the dark with 2 cars as well.

the final decision was to call them Sports R or SR and the engines and transmissions are not sealed but pretty restricted to the original concept. there are three brake pad choices (all hawk) any tire that had been run on a ford or Toyo RA1s or 888s are legal. engines may not be more than .010 over and no more that 10:1. Bodywork and chassis are unchanged,

as far as I know Entropy Racing is the only group running them extensivley ,although I heard that a midwest council SR or 2 showed up at Nelson for a regional. since

we have only run Nelson and NJMP events so far and are very involved with a new sanctioning body called the Independent Motorsports Group (http://www.imgracing.com) so I don't know how much regional racing we will do this season although among the team there is talk of doing the 13 hour at VIR.

Just a fun group of guys racing together with no great agenda and a minimum of BS and stress both in SR and with IMG.

It's a bit ironic that there is a discussion of the Renault cars in a new engine thread

I didn't know Renaults were allowed to race again. Is that in all divisions? Are the engines and trannys still sealed? What is the class name?

In New Jersey we have worked with Charlie and Entropy to create a class called Sports R. The class ruleset is posted on the NJRRS web site: http://www.njrrs.com/SR%20Rules.pdf . Sports R is a regional specific class at all of our NJRRS regional races and in The Devil in the Dark 12 Hour endurance race.

Terry

Thanks Terry - I thought the weight of the SR was 1580# but your rules are 1550#? I remember all the wars we had to raise the weight rules to accomodate us fat guys - but I'm not starting that thread here again.