The Crusade is over!!!!!!!

[JackD]

Instead of a real live person as sidecar passenger, why not just require an inflatable mannequin?  Lots of the guys probably have one already.  You could add about 130 to 150 pounds of ballast for a proper simulation.  This should be adequately realistic.

You must have been napping.
He was completely outfitted like a passenger and with 1 eye and 1 arm  covered to look like Cagle his name tag read Elmo Gillette.
That was the first thing out of the box at the next event in Bob's younger days.
The bad part was all the camera operators climbing all over each other to get a good shot.
Elmo still doesn't like that story.

[Freud]

When side cars were developed, they served a purpose. Today they are a throwback
to an earlier time that has faded in practicality.
Side cars in European GP racing have no statis in present day events. They run
on their own and the crowds at a Moto GP do not beg to have them included in
todays programs.
They were phenomenal with their performance. Huge horsepower propelled them to
amazing speeds. That did not keep them in the program.
People still run '27 T Ford's in LSR but they don't look like when they were new. They are not practical.
Neither are most side car projects in the USA.
If you are compelled to use motorcycle technology, build a solo and face the challenges
presented by the development of a machine that is still current.
The wild fotos from side car racing were not enough to keep them in the publics eye.
If you are bound to run a side car, buy one that ran 5 years ago in the GP races and scare yourself.
It's the cheapest 40 MPH you will ever gain.
Thanks bak189 for surrendering. It's a can't win battle.
FREUD

[Nortonist 592]

Practicality and land speed racing have never gone hand in hand.  If we thought in practical terms we wouldn't trudge out to El Mirage in July or go to a big salt lake to fry in august.  If we thought in practical terms would we spend huge amounts of hard earned cash on a vehicle designed to do nothing more than go in a straight line very fast?  Thank God we don't!!  Sidecars are as practical as a '23 T is today.  A sidecar gives you an opportunity to do something a little more different than buy a 'Busa and a turbo.  I'm still against carrying a passenger.  There is no need to.  Anymore than any of the car classes should carry a passenger.  Just because that fuel burning sedan originally could carry three passengers doesn't mean that three passengers should be carried on a run.  Leave well enough alone and lets go race.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

"Practicality and land speed racing have never gone hand in hand.  If we thought in practical terms we wouldn't trudge out to El Mirage in July or go to a big salt lake to fry in august.  If we thought in practical terms would we spend huge amounts of hard earned cash on a vehicle designed to do nothing more than go in a straight line very fast?"

Once in a great while I think about the practicality of land speed racing -- but I try to let that thought go before I start to cry.  I spend about 15 cents per mile on fuel in my pickup, and there's another 15 cents or so/mile for the payment, and probably another dime in maintenance and insurance and so on.  Let's be generous and guess-ti-mate that I spend 50 cents/mile to drive the beast.

Race bike:  Unh, A8C is $12/gallon, and I use about a gallon for warm up, tune-test, and a long course run.  That's $2.40 per mile.  Mmmm, I'll take an EWAG and say I put in a dozen runs per year, so there's 60 miles plus two miles of shut down/return to return road per run, and now we're up to 84 miles.  Maxton is a two-mile run plus two miles from pit to start/finish to pit -- and I make ten runs/year there, so add in another 40 miles.  I'm up to 124 miles.

I'm not gonna say how many dollars per year it costs to ride those 84 miles, but the costs include about 25,000 miles in the pickup getting to and from events, maintenance and such on the trailer, room & board getting to and at events, and so on ad infinitum. 

Let's take a stab -- 300-500-750 bucks/mile to race.  Who says this isn't a practical sport?

Now there's the other side of practical:  Folks ask me what Land Speed Racers "win".  I tell them that we don't win anything -- but the respect and admiration of our fellows, and some fancy pieces of paper to hang on the wall.  They ask how much money these intangibles cost -- and I compare the cost to the price I'd have to spend to have a really nice hunting camp, or to have a cool cabin cruiser on the lake, or to play golf at the famous courses in the world.  But -- But, I remind them -- those folks with the boat or the bag of clubs -- they just have those things -- I've got legitimate "world's fastest" records that I set.  Every one of us that has a record is the best in the world at something.  That's worth it to me.

Q.E.D.

[bak189]

Yes, the Crusade is over regarding passengers in our sidecars at SCTA/BNI events......and  Freud, you are right it is a "can't win battle" at last with
SCTA/BNI.  But you are mistaken regarding your
statement about roadracing  sidecars running with Moto GP ....having spend about half of my life living and racing  in Europe, I know for a fact the the reason
sidecars are not part of the Moto GP. program
is due to "politics" (and a change is comming).
I resently attented a sidecar roadrace  in Germany with over 60.000 spectators.  And you are right in your statement that they are "phenomenal with their performance".
You show your lack of knowledge about the sport
in you statement about buying a 5 years old GP rig and going faster........we have a 2006 GP racing sidecar, but not until the BUB event, could we LSR race it in N.America........the antiquated SCTA/BNI rules would not allow it.  One more point about your lack of knowledge regarding our sport.....check with Craig Anderson and Kent at Airtech about "most sidecar projects in the USA" not being practical.
Yours in sport   B.B.
 

[bak189]

Hey, Slim ....forgive my English in the above post
....after all I am a "Alien"
Like it says on the back of my new race trailer...
"born Dutch but American by choice"

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Gee, whiz -- maybe I should have a disclaimer instead of the "Potentate" statement by my picture.

I'm not trying to be a pain in the butt about English usage, punctuation, grammar, and so on -- but rather I'm taking a few shots at easy targets when I think they're just waiting for someone to notice.  I remember Keith's frequent statement that spelling/etc. is of secondary importance -- and I concur, for the most part.  We are here to talk about our hobby/avocation, and if the message gets through -- then we've done that.

But if someone fractures his speech so aggressively that what he's said is open to misinterpretation -- then a gentle question, perhaps worded as a poke in the schnozzola -- is called for, if only to see what the heck he's really trying to say.

So please don't hesitate to post your stuff -- I'll only get after the egregious violators.

[JackD]

The loss of the allowance for a passenger in a sidecar at SCTA events was a response to a clear abuse that was safety related.
The subject passenger could not have survived the trauma of a crash regardless of the appropriate safety measures and that was the end of that.
The motorcycle with a wheel on a stick is a bastardization and abuse of a side car that is a sign of SCTA not caring enough to inquire why.
The cost was respect and the product only suited the slackers.

Wanna buy a shirt ?