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Well, for the few who are interested . . . .
Try this, just for the sake of discussion. I'm not so invested in the ideas that I'll argue for them. I see this notion as just possibly having some interest to some APBA clubs, not USTS:
First point - - The idea here is to set things up so that the old motors are not left two and a half laps behind, BUT to avoid favoring them to the extent that they could run on an equal basis with the new engines. Nobody who has invested the megabucks for up-to-date equipment should have his competitiveness taken away by rule changes.
Second point - - As I hear it, the four-cylinder Konigs and Yamatos, as Fuschlin and Kirts have shown, still can be built to make a good showing against the newer motors, so no step-downs for them.
Third point - - Step down rules would only be in effect for local club races, not national events. But the local races are usually where more boats are needed to fill up a class.
Old motor step-down rule: Any two cylinder older than (pick your date, maybe 1980?) could step down one class. Old Class A/250 engines could step down to 175cc, old Class B/350 twins could run in 250cc, four cylinder Quincy loop C engines could run as 350s, and so on. These rules would basically apply to manufactured engines. Engines judged by the race inspector or referee to be sufficiently modified or hand-made that they are not representative of performance levels of 1980 would not be allowed to step down. Quincy loop sixes or copies could not step down.
Cross-flow motors with open pipes could step down two classes, with the exception of sixes, which could only step down one class. Thus, old A Mercs could run in the 125cc class, B Mercs and Champs could run in 175cc, and so on.
Step-downs would not be eligible for national or local points.
If there are enough boats to require eliminations to get to twelve-boat final heats, step-down boats would not be allowed to bump any regular class boat that had made a legal start and finished the eliminations heat.
There would be an APBA "step-down czar" who would take note of actual race results, and make adjustments to the stepdown rules to keep them in the spirit of my first point, above. And again, the local club inspector and referee could make rulings on the spot to keep things in compliance with my first point. Furthermore, the PRO commission could make rulings, or even terminate the step-down rules anytime during the season if it proves unworkable or causes dissention.
A couple of thoughts. It very well might be that hardly anyone will want to bother with running and possibly breaking their old museum-piece motors. An exception might be Yamato 80s from the Restricted B era (which could run as 250s) because, as I understand, new pistons are on order (yes? no?). Stock Model 80 pistons wouldn't work well for a full-house alky motor, but if owners got together maybe they could make a quantity purchase of semi-finished pistons from the new manufacturer. Could this work for some other motors? Are there motorcycle pistons that could be made to work in Quincy loopers? Could/would Konny make a small run of 500cc pistons with the skirt dimensions of the old FA Konigs? And do the collectors have anybody making new pistons for A/C or B/D/F Mercurys?
Still, it's highly probable that this is a lot of gimmickry that might only bring out a dozen old rigs, a couple of times each, spread around the country, and if so, it's not worth fooling with.
Fun idea though. There must be nearly a dozen old A Konigs and early 250 Yamatos and A/B Loopers in Reg. 10 alone that could be assembled and run, as a way to get a 175cc class off the ground here (and that's a good class for old guys).
Try this, just for the sake of discussion. I'm not so invested in the ideas that I'll argue for them. I see this notion as just possibly having some interest to some APBA clubs, not USTS:
First point - - The idea here is to set things up so that the old motors are not left two and a half laps behind, BUT to avoid favoring them to the extent that they could run on an equal basis with the new engines. Nobody who has invested the megabucks for up-to-date equipment should have his competitiveness taken away by rule changes.
Second point - - As I hear it, the four-cylinder Konigs and Yamatos, as Fuschlin and Kirts have shown, still can be built to make a good showing against the newer motors, so no step-downs for them.
Third point - - Step down rules would only be in effect for local club races, not national events. But the local races are usually where more boats are needed to fill up a class.
Old motor step-down rule: Any two cylinder older than (pick your date, maybe 1980?) could step down one class. Old Class A/250 engines could step down to 175cc, old Class B/350 twins could run in 250cc, four cylinder Quincy loop C engines could run as 350s, and so on. These rules would basically apply to manufactured engines. Engines judged by the race inspector or referee to be sufficiently modified or hand-made that they are not representative of performance levels of 1980 would not be allowed to step down. Quincy loop sixes or copies could not step down.
Cross-flow motors with open pipes could step down two classes, with the exception of sixes, which could only step down one class. Thus, old A Mercs could run in the 125cc class, B Mercs and Champs could run in 175cc, and so on.
Step-downs would not be eligible for national or local points.
If there are enough boats to require eliminations to get to twelve-boat final heats, step-down boats would not be allowed to bump any regular class boat that had made a legal start and finished the eliminations heat.
There would be an APBA "step-down czar" who would take note of actual race results, and make adjustments to the stepdown rules to keep them in the spirit of my first point, above. And again, the local club inspector and referee could make rulings on the spot to keep things in compliance with my first point. Furthermore, the PRO commission could make rulings, or even terminate the step-down rules anytime during the season if it proves unworkable or causes dissention.
A couple of thoughts. It very well might be that hardly anyone will want to bother with running and possibly breaking their old museum-piece motors. An exception might be Yamato 80s from the Restricted B era (which could run as 250s) because, as I understand, new pistons are on order (yes? no?). Stock Model 80 pistons wouldn't work well for a full-house alky motor, but if owners got together maybe they could make a quantity purchase of semi-finished pistons from the new manufacturer. Could this work for some other motors? Are there motorcycle pistons that could be made to work in Quincy loopers? Could/would Konny make a small run of 500cc pistons with the skirt dimensions of the old FA Konigs? And do the collectors have anybody making new pistons for A/C or B/D/F Mercurys?
Still, it's highly probable that this is a lot of gimmickry that might only bring out a dozen old rigs, a couple of times each, spread around the country, and if so, it's not worth fooling with.
Fun idea though. There must be nearly a dozen old A Konigs and early 250 Yamatos and A/B Loopers in Reg. 10 alone that could be assembled and run, as a way to get a 175cc class off the ground here (and that's a good class for old guys).
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