August 31, 2001
Magnaflow Vintage 2.5 Challenge
Laguna Seca tops our News for this Issue
VSRG Special Guests will be at this event once again. We anticipate that Horst Kwech and John Morton will attend one or more days of the weekend. As most of you have probably heard, Road and Track will be shooting photos of the BRE Datsun, Pepsi Alfa and the Hyde Park BMW on the following Monday for a feature article to be published in the January 2002 issue. We have been advised that the R & T personnel plan to attend the Magnaflow 2.5 race on Sunday as well.
We have a full field for the fourth round of the series. We were limited to 25 cars in our group and the field is full with a few on a waiting list. The VSRG Notices page has a link to the entry list and you will note that we have a number original 2.5 cars entered. The longest tow award will have to go to Sam Cummings of Grand Rapids, Michigan who will bring the original #3 Alfa that was driven by Horst Kwech. With Shelly Zide's #4 Alfa present, Kwech will be reunited with the two cars he drove in the original series at this event.
VSRG Dinner on Saturday night? We are working on a VSRG hosted dinner on Saturday evening for members, drivers, family and crew. This will be at a local restaurant in the Monterey-Salinas area. The plans (and funding) are not firm at this time however if we can put this together we will send out a special e-mail to all members with the details.
We have been notified by HMSA that the paddock at Laguna Seca will be closed to spectators and that only drivers and a limited number of crew members will be allowed access. Our understanding is that this is due an insurance issue between the track and HMSA. Please be aware that we have no say in this matter as we are simply a guest of HMSA.
Entrance to the paddock is by special pass only and these will not be sold at the track. If you plan to attend to watch the race, you should be able to do so from the normal spectator areas to include the corkscrew area. We are attempting to collect the unused passes and will make them available to members on a first come- first served basis. If you are planning to attend, and would like to enter the paddock, please drop us an e-mail (jim@bsedan.com) with your request. Please send in your request early as we will have to mail the passes to you.
The Sound Level at Laguna has been a topic of a few e-mails in the last month or so. We have received conflicting information regarding the acceptable sound levels so we strongly advise that drivers prepare their car to be as quite as possible. We think that we will be one of the earlier groups to run and the early groups typically have a lower limit than later in the day. Our best advice is to be as close to street car levels as possible to avoid a potential problem. HMSA advises that a car that is a continual problem will be asked (read required) to use a "soft pedal" in the area where the sound is measured however we have also heard that such cars will sometimes be eliminated from the field.
Peter Nitoglia of Magnaflow recently responded to a member's question regarding the effects of wear and time on the sound level of mufflers with the following information:
"It is always difficult to generalize about the performance of Magnaflow mufflers in different applications. However, in the case of degradation over time in racing applications, yes, under high temperature worst case racing conditions the insulation will fail at a more rapid rate. Generally I would expect this to be a two-season interval.
The best check is the highly un-scientific “knock”. Using any object, knock on the side of the muffler casing; a deep metallic thud sound indicates that the insulation continues to be effective; a high metallic (hollow metal box) sound indicates that the insulation has broken down.
Other factors that affect DB levels are the tailpipe orientation and muffler type. I would expect tailpipe orientation to be a minor factor as long as the tailpipe is not directed at the microphone. I would also expect baffle type mufflers and reduced section pipe to have negative effects on engine performance although they might be somewhat quieter.
Again speaking from experience, I have observed an Alfa at Laguna Seca, equipped with two of our mufflers, which did not have any trouble with the sound restriction. The main ingredients in my opinion are: One oval muffler plus one round (4” diameter) and a full length exhaust system."Peter also advises that some members have been calling the sales department to obtain mufflers and parts (as well as followup calls) under the Magnaflow Vintage 2.5 participant program. Please be aware that this only causes delays and confusion and you should contact Peter (and only Peter) at pnitoglia@magnaflow.com . Magnaflow products shipped in the participant program are done so on an "as available" basis and that there will be times when a specific item may not be immediately available. Please be patient, Magnaflow will ship the parts as soon as possible. Below is a description of the participant program:
MagnaFlow has announced an incredible free offer to VSRG members that compete in the 2001 race series. Their statement reads as follows:
MagnaFlow will make available to VSRG members, mufflers and exhaust pipes from its inventory of cataloged parts at no cost . The free parts will be provided to those members that are planning to enter their racecar in the 2001 race series. To qualify, proof of the following is required:
o Current VSRG membership (VSRG will provide this directly to MagnaFlow).
o Photos (photocopy OK) of the racecar and a brief description (make/model/history).
o Photos and driver info can be posted on the MagnaFlow website, if actual photos are provided and if consent is granted.
While this is a great offer for VSRG members, it gets even better! MagnaFlow even adds free installation and dyno runs to this offer! That's right, free muffler, free tailpipe, free muffler installation and free horsepower testing on your racecar using MagnaFlow's state of the art chassis dynamometer.
Installation and dyno runs are available on a limited basis at the Magnaflow Product Development Center in Rancho Santa Margarita, California. To take advantage of this offer you will need to make an appointment . For further information, please contact Peter Nitoglia by e-mail at pnitoglia@magnaflow.com .
The 2002 Schedule is starting to come together. We have 4 dates set for next year and we hope to firm up another three or four dates in the next month or so. If all goes well, the west coast series should consist of eight races next year. The 2002 schedule is posted on the web site and will be updated as races are added.
We have some questions regarding the possibility of using the proposed new road course at Fontana next year but as of now we are taking a "wait and see" approach. Our understanding is that “club” races will only be allowed to use a very short (1.2 mile) course that consist of no less than six (6) ninety degree turns! After Willow Springs, Thunderhill, Laguna Seca and PIR, such a course would seem more like an autocross than a road course but time will tell.
VSRG on the Air on San Diego radio station KMFB. Dave Stall, the host of the popular “Motorsports Weekly” radio show (760 AM) on Sunday afternoon’s, invited VSRG to sit in on his show on August 25. We spent a good part of the two hour show discussing the current series. Peter Brock, John Morton and Preston Learner (of Automobile Magazine) each took the time to call into the show to discuss the original series, the recent Monterey Historics and the Magnaflow Vintage 2.5 series.
The Historics are history but it was a great weekend for 2.5 cars. A tot al of five of the 2.5 cars were present and put on quite a show.
In speaking with John Morton a few days after the race he made an interesting statement. “In my 40 years of racing I have never driven a car that draws as much interest as that little Datsun”! It was apparent to most observers that the 2.5 end of “Trans-Am row” always had a crowd around the cars.
Contacting the Rules Committee:
If you have a question regarding the rules or the proper interpretation you should submit your question via e-mail to rules@bsedan.com . Questions will be forwarded to the committee members and we will provide a response a quickly as possible. We strongly suggest that your question provide the specific rule(s) you are concerned about as well as any details regarding parts/components that are to be considered. As questions are answered, the answers will be compiled for an on-line reference so that all members will have access to the answers. The committee will not consider questions on or just before race weekends so you should send your questions in at least 30 days prior to a race.