Post by dustymojave on Oct 5, 2017 16:37:45 GMT -8
The story I referred to above is related to Formula Ford and Vee wheels.
In the 1960s and early 70s, I was a Tech Inspector for the SCCA Cal Club Region.
Cal Club is the Southern California (LA area) region which had been a very large and powerful independent sports car race club in its own right before they merged with SCCA at the end of 1962.
I was also on the Rules Enforcement crew. This was a group particular to Cal Club, not found in the rest of SCCA regions. We were the Tech Inspectors who did the in-depth inspections such as post race tear-downs of engines. Other inspectors didn't do this work. I had responsibility for crash inspections too, where race cars that crashed on the course were brought to me for inspection and write-up in the SCCA log book for the car. Many regions didn't do this, even though SCCA rules required it.
Another duty of mine was that I had a specially made caliper to measure wheel rim width. Formula Fords and Formulas Vees were restricted to using stock factory stamped steel wheels. It was rather popular to encounter wheels with stock centers installed into wider rims. Vees could use the aftermarket Mangels wheels that came with 4.5" wide rims instead of 4.0". Formula Ford racers could get the rims replaced with wider ones for about $20 per wheel at that time. Wider rims allowed wider tires and put more of the normal size tire on the pavement For more grip either way. My caliper was calibrated so that the thickness of the rim was accounted for, so that an actual measurement of 4-3/8" read as 4" for Vees or 5-7/8" would read as 5.5" for Formula Fords. So during pre-race Tech, I would cruise the lines of waiting race cars and measure wheels. I often found racers trying to cheat. Especially racers from other regions. Locals got used to being checked.
One time in the summer of 1972 or '73 I was working crash impounds at Riverside. Hanging out with the Tow truck guys, the ambulance crews and the race Doctor in the infield of Turn 9 near the pit entrance. At the time, most all of the FF racers had switched over to the new for them slick tires. Temp was around 100 degrees, sunny, but some clouds were building up.
As the Formula Ford pack of track maximum field size of nearly 50 cars was finishing their pace lap in the hot sun, word came over the radio from turn marshals in the esses that they had some sprinkles. Not visible from my location. The green flag dropped and the pack roared off in typical very close formation. Just as the field was all past Turn 1, word came over the radio in loud shouts that it was pouring down hard and the marshals were calling for a red flag. Meanwhile we could still see the cars racing up the straight towards Turn 2 in the bright sunshine.
As the leaders rounded Turn 2 they disappeared into a gray wall of water. There wasn't a single car that made it to Turn 4. Slicks on wet pavement = NOT GOOD!
I rode on one of the tow trucks to help out clean up the mess and as we rounded Turn 2 I saw a whole afternoon ahead for myself of writing up log books. Fortunately, Riverside had the widest run-off areas of any road race course in the world at the time. Nobody seriously hurt, I don't recall anyone getting loaded into the ambulances, but there were few cars not damaged. They were on top of each other, upside down in the sudden mud, and strewn all over the place. Several drivers couldn't get out of their cars until we removed cars off the top of them. It was good that the downpour was short lived, but what a mess!
In the 1960s and early 70s, I was a Tech Inspector for the SCCA Cal Club Region.
Cal Club is the Southern California (LA area) region which had been a very large and powerful independent sports car race club in its own right before they merged with SCCA at the end of 1962.
I was also on the Rules Enforcement crew. This was a group particular to Cal Club, not found in the rest of SCCA regions. We were the Tech Inspectors who did the in-depth inspections such as post race tear-downs of engines. Other inspectors didn't do this work. I had responsibility for crash inspections too, where race cars that crashed on the course were brought to me for inspection and write-up in the SCCA log book for the car. Many regions didn't do this, even though SCCA rules required it.
Another duty of mine was that I had a specially made caliper to measure wheel rim width. Formula Fords and Formulas Vees were restricted to using stock factory stamped steel wheels. It was rather popular to encounter wheels with stock centers installed into wider rims. Vees could use the aftermarket Mangels wheels that came with 4.5" wide rims instead of 4.0". Formula Ford racers could get the rims replaced with wider ones for about $20 per wheel at that time. Wider rims allowed wider tires and put more of the normal size tire on the pavement For more grip either way. My caliper was calibrated so that the thickness of the rim was accounted for, so that an actual measurement of 4-3/8" read as 4" for Vees or 5-7/8" would read as 5.5" for Formula Fords. So during pre-race Tech, I would cruise the lines of waiting race cars and measure wheels. I often found racers trying to cheat. Especially racers from other regions. Locals got used to being checked.
One time in the summer of 1972 or '73 I was working crash impounds at Riverside. Hanging out with the Tow truck guys, the ambulance crews and the race Doctor in the infield of Turn 9 near the pit entrance. At the time, most all of the FF racers had switched over to the new for them slick tires. Temp was around 100 degrees, sunny, but some clouds were building up.
As the Formula Ford pack of track maximum field size of nearly 50 cars was finishing their pace lap in the hot sun, word came over the radio from turn marshals in the esses that they had some sprinkles. Not visible from my location. The green flag dropped and the pack roared off in typical very close formation. Just as the field was all past Turn 1, word came over the radio in loud shouts that it was pouring down hard and the marshals were calling for a red flag. Meanwhile we could still see the cars racing up the straight towards Turn 2 in the bright sunshine.
As the leaders rounded Turn 2 they disappeared into a gray wall of water. There wasn't a single car that made it to Turn 4. Slicks on wet pavement = NOT GOOD!
I rode on one of the tow trucks to help out clean up the mess and as we rounded Turn 2 I saw a whole afternoon ahead for myself of writing up log books. Fortunately, Riverside had the widest run-off areas of any road race course in the world at the time. Nobody seriously hurt, I don't recall anyone getting loaded into the ambulances, but there were few cars not damaged. They were on top of each other, upside down in the sudden mud, and strewn all over the place. Several drivers couldn't get out of their cars until we removed cars off the top of them. It was good that the downpour was short lived, but what a mess!