Author Topic: Warren Johnson not going BV racing  (Read 5330 times)

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Offline racergeo

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Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« on: August 16, 2020, 12:13:18 AM »
  I had the occasion to contact WJ a few months ago concerning an engine I'm building. He is the guy to ask about anything all out BBC.Amazingly he very graciously answered all my questions and then some. I'll tell you one thing the man is opinionated but his considerable testing has led him to a lot of knowledge.
  I then asked him about the rumor floating around the LR community that he was going to build a car for a LS record. He said he had entertained the idea but the "sponsorship" amount, $200,000 couldn't be justified. Yep, an E gas streamliner and Warren doesn't do things out of his own pocket. So you know he crunched the numbers to come up with that figure. I know you can build things on the cheap if you have all the time in the world to do it, but if you want to get it done you have to step up. If it was cheap there would be a lot more entrants at Speed Week

Offline aircap

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #1 on: August 17, 2020, 12:01:07 AM »
Yeah, he rubs me the wrong way but I cannot deny his engine building savvy. Warren knows his stuff.
"Act your age, not your shoe size". - Prince

Offline Beef Stew

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #2 on: August 17, 2020, 01:25:44 AM »

  I then asked him about the rumor floating around the LR community that he was going to build a car for a LS record. He said he had entertained the idea but the "sponsorship" amount, $200,000 couldn't be justified. Yep, an E gas streamliner and Warren doesn't do things out of his own pocket. So you know he crunched the numbers to come up with that figure.
The problem is that an SCTA record has no advertising value, and a FIA/FIM record has little advertising value.

At one time auto factories spent a lot of money on racing. Even LSR cars got money. Remember the long distance records set by Ford and GM? These had advertising value. A few SCTA records were set using factory money. When GM pulled the plug on the Ecotec sponsorships, over fifteen years ago, there has been no LSR interest from the big three. Nowadays the money goes to drag racing, NASCAR and Indycar.

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I know you can build things on the cheap if you have all the time in the world to do it, but if you want to get it done you have to step up. If it was cheap there would be a lot more entrants at Speed Week
Building on the cheap usually results in slow hobbycars. With embarrassingly slow records. When someone with money comes along, the records jump big-time.
Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline Stan Back

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2020, 03:41:14 PM »
"Nowadays the money goes to drag racing, NASCAR and Indycar."

And it looks like that faucet is being pinched closed to some ? like John Force.

NASCAR racers do have different decals on them.  Hard to equate them to anything the manufacturers are trying to sell.  And Indy Cars ? how long can that association with manufacturers last?
Past (Only) Member of the San Berdoo Roadsters -- "California's Most-Exclusive Roadster Club" -- 19 Years of Bonneville and/or El Mirage Street Roadster Records

Offline Calkins

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2020, 03:50:58 PM »
How long has the "Blue Deuce" had sponsorship from Miller Brewing?  30 years?  Now, Penske's #2 has a different sponsor every weekend.  Sponsors see how motorsports are a waste of money for them.  Even automotive manufacturers can't support the sports that use their products.
Justin Calkins - Iowa Falls, Iowa  USA

Offline floydjer

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2020, 06:59:13 PM »
Bob Lutz described race car sponsorship as a "Deductable perk for low level management"
I`d never advocate drugs,alcohol,violence or insanity to anyone...But they work for me.

Offline racergeo

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #6 on: August 20, 2020, 12:41:03 PM »
  I only posted this in order to give you some insight into how some one like the "professor" would approach a BV build on a for profit basis. He expected to draw a wage during the build. Most of the well known racers of our era have approached racing as a business as well as a hobby. Richard Petty in NASCAR, Big Daddy in drag racing M/t and the Sommers Bros. In LSR and 100's of others owe there success to corporate backing. 
    I'm not suggesting you can't succeed with out sponsorship help, I'm just saying it's harder to make it your vocation. I didn't ask, but with a long history of GM's help Warren would have wanted to use the straight 6 that is used in many GM SUV's and trucks. There's a 24 valve head for them and some Comp Eliminator drag racers that can make big power with them. If Warren would had come to BV I think it would have brought some needed attention and perhaps some new blood, to a sport that is fast getting depleted

Offline RichFox

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #7 on: August 20, 2020, 03:00:20 PM »
I'm not so sure the sport is being depleted. You should have been here 40 years ago. One course for everybody. 65 entries at El Mirage. No paved courses. It is never going to be NASCAR, I hope. It is a fun thing to do as a hobby. You want to go pro, there are plenty of places to do that. Takes a lot of the fun out, though.

Offline Beef Stew

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #8 on: August 20, 2020, 10:22:50 PM »
"Nowadays the money goes to drag racing, NASCAR and Indycar."

And it looks like that faucet is being pinched closed to some ? like John Force.
The NHRA Winter Nationals at Pomona seems to be doing OK. But motorsports are a hard sell to youngsters who don't own cars. If you Uber everywhere "Win on Sunday Sell on Monday" is meaningless.

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NASCAR racers do have different decals on them.  Hard to equate them to anything the manufacturers are trying to sell.  And Indy Cars ? how long can that association with manufacturers last?

NASCAR is slowly dying. Roger Penske bought Indycar from the Hulman and George families. The COVID19 pandemic has hurt Penskes first year. The real Indycar problem is that no one is watching their races on NBC Sports. So the question is how long will Penske support Indycar with his own money? The Uber generation could not care less.

Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline Beef Stew

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2020, 10:46:45 PM »
I'm not so sure the sport is being depleted. You should have been here 40 years ago. One course for everybody. 65 entries at El Mirage. No paved courses. It is never going to be NASCAR, I hope. It is a fun thing to do as a hobby. You want to go pro, there are plenty of places to do that. Takes a lot of the fun out, though.

Lots of very old people at Senior Citizens Timing Association meets. Where are the youngsters?

I started running SCTA in the late 1950s. My first Bonneville I doubt there were 100 entries. El Mirage in the early 1960s was done by 12 noon, leaving you time to do some drag racing Sunday afternoon.

It was a very expensive thing to do as a hobby. Looking back, it doesn't seem like I got my monies worth  :-(
Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline racergeo

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2020, 12:34:53 AM »
  So someone asked me one time,"do you regret spending so much money on racing?" me"I regret not spending more". It's fools like me that fuel all hobby's. You have thousands that are taken up with the adrenaline rush or the enjoyment of belonging to a community or the opportunity to learn something new.Then you have the entrepreneur who sees a business  opportunity.
 
  Any way you look at it, nothing is worse then being that person that says "I always wanted to build/own /drive/do something like that". Most of them technically lack just one thing---MOTIVATION

Offline Stainless1

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2020, 11:17:38 AM »

Lots of very old people at Senior Citizens Timing Association meets. Where are the youngsters?

It was a very expensive thing to do as a hobby. Looking back, it doesn't seem like I got my monies worth  :-(

Beef, If you had attended SpeedWeek 2020 you would have spotted the youngsters....   :clap
Didn't get your monies worth.... you must have been doing it wrong.....I guess that's why you are not involved any more except to gripe about rules and classes...
become part of the solution, not the problem  :cheers:
Stainless
Red Hat 228.039, 2001, 65ci, Bockscar Lakester #1000 with a little N2O

Offline Stan Back

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2020, 12:11:55 PM »
"The Uber generation could not care less."

I guess that means they care a lot.
Past (Only) Member of the San Berdoo Roadsters -- "California's Most-Exclusive Roadster Club" -- 19 Years of Bonneville and/or El Mirage Street Roadster Records

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #13 on: August 22, 2020, 12:47:21 PM »
I noticed lots more of the younger generation this year than in the past few.  Frank Silva Jr. ain't really "young", but he's made a big step in carrying on with the family name and story at the salt.

Then there was this old guy and his grandson in a pickup just coming off the salt as I was at Land's End.  I think he was kinda showing off to the young lad as he shouted at me "Get out of the way!  I don't see too good and can't drive very well!!".  I laughed as I looked at who this duffer was - and saw the smiling face of George Poteet looking at me and laughing as Graham (the kid) watched me...

I had a kid come into the radio shack and (with his dad) ask me to autograph a guitar.  Kids this, kids that --

Nope, I didn't see a shortage of potential racers. :cheers: :cheers:
Jon E. Wennerberg
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 Skandia, Michigan
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Offline Calkins

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Re: Warren Johnson not going BV racing
« Reply #14 on: August 22, 2020, 01:00:06 PM »
I guess it depends on what you consider "youngsters".  I am 37, and consider myself a youngster, relatively speaking.  I crew for a man in his mid 60's who is just getting started in LSR.  A fellow Iowa team, Pigasus/RVS, is headed by a pair of men in their mid 40's, and I would consider them youngsters.  Another Iowa team, My 3 Sons, are in there mid 40's racing with their Father.  How about the Ark Mile?  Lots of newbies there.  Seems like there is plenty of 'young blood' to keep the sport alive for many generations...

 :deal
Justin Calkins - Iowa Falls, Iowa  USA