600cc in speedweek

[SlowPhil]

An alternative

F1 1000cc long chassis
F2 1000cc short chassis

Thats sorted that then

Beat me to it

[Kickaha]

An alternative

F1 1000cc long chassis
F2 1000cc short chassis

Thats sorted that then

We sort of already run that but we have a 1300cc limit instead

[Belly]

Eckart, 600s are only popular for one reason the TT. You should know that having competed there yourself!

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I seem to remember your last master plan was std engines!!! "It will happen" Oh that worked well...

If you think people can do the TT, other preferred road race meetings and a world championship then keep talking get because it won't happen!!!

The one reason the World Championship isn't popular is simple! No money or incentives to help people travel to compete across the continent!! Could you explain to me how 600s engines will fix it?

[mervnoble]

That was a very old fashioned Teutonic response Eckart.

You might want to be careful or Kew and Old Belly will be getting out their Enfield 303s that they stashed away under the stairs some time ago............

(a joke, I hope you understand)

I do think that you'll find that people will do pretty much exactly what they want to do, rather than what they're told to do.

Ralphs obsession with how many outfits enter the TT has skewed his thoughts on this subject. The TT is an event that exists outside the normal rules of motorcycle circuit racing and has peculiar attractions that 600cc engines in long outfits simply will not replicate. If you think that those 70 bikes will suddenly decide that they want to take part in the World Championship, you are wrong.

I can only point towards the FIM F2 Trophy, which is already there and available but does not attract the support of those teams. All that will happen is that the teams currently using 1000cc powerplants will be forced to re-invest in 600cc equipment at considerable cost and struggle to sell on their old engines.

The SAFETY card has been played by the FIM, but we all know that this is total nonsense as more drivers/passengers have been seriously injured or killed on F2 Sidecars than F1 Sidecars in the 21st Century. If you were going to adjudicate based purely on the real life accident statistics, it would be F2s that the FIM shied away from not F1s.

But hey!............... Let's not allow the facts to interfere with what we want eh?

Absolutely on the button, for donkeys years I have had the pleasure to mix with TT regulars.
They appear to plan their whole season around the TT.
They are not going to be world champ contenders.
Hopefully some young guns will prove me wrong

[tonybsa2008]

If the spectacle is not improved for spectators,there aint going to be any young guns in future.What is the average age of sidecar drivers in the FSRA British F2 championship for example?

[Welsh Daph]

Quite a variety of ages Tony,I should think that Roy Hanks is one of the older ones and the young ones are late teens early twenties

[pat]

Will have to try and work it out Tony but I don't go round asking them all their age! but there are a lot of new young guns in the British Championship perhaps when your racing at Anglesey at the end of the month you will have to have wander round the paddock and take a look has the British F2 Championship will also be at the same meeting.

[tonybsa2008]

If there are a lot of new guns,then there is no problem is there?

[paulsparkie]

Thanks for all your inputs,it's certainley a topical subject and provoking in some cases I also think like Phil ,would it be the end of the long bike I hope not as the advances from standard format of sidecar chassis F2 type have been great,and where would it leave everyone who had invested in 1000cc and ,F1 style outfits, I was speaking to Steve Webster and the concern of the terminal speed of F1 was concerning him in relation to the handling at high speeds so is it time to slow them down ?, I know nobody makes you race its up to you etc but safety does have an important feature as no one likes the accidents in any format and we all know they happen thanks to all who have commented great views ,cheers all

[Jeff]

I hope our national body in Australia doesn't blindly follow the Germans in this, last time with the 1000 rule it decimated the fields. Suddenly you were told you had to spend $10,000 on your $10,000 sidecar just to keep competing, and your old 1200 was worthless. Many got parked in sheds or converted to historics. I see a lot of F2 guys here change engines a lot more than F1 guys, so that doesn't fill me with confidence at their reliability or longevity.

Jeff

[Kickaha]

so is it time to slow them down ?,

No

[realroadracer]

Erm, where will all the extra 600cc engines come from?

[oldbelly]

They will need some Geoff. Theres so much money at World level theyl just buy new bikes.

[leewatson]

Not sure about there being loads of money at world level- but they would need to buy new bikes to be competitive!

Dave Stewart is absolutely on the button here- changing engines will do nothing but reduce grids because those people who cant afford to change engines and those people that love F1's will stop... two weeks at the TT and one weekend in Germany cannot be used to estimate participation levels across a whole season.

As a competitor and a sidecar fan I really hope this doesn't happen, especially as it feels like we're making some progress with BSB and certainly the work that started back in 2009-10 with the F1 championship is starting to bare it's fruits (from a quality point of view if not quantity) with the likes of Ricky/Ryan and Steve/Rob, TB/various having progressed to the championship and now competing at a truly world class level.

[teamradar]

Apart from this being the worst idea I've heard among a lot of poorly thought out ones, the standard ignition part is the most stupid part.
Has anyone tried running an outfit with a modified airbox and exhaust on a bog standard one?
Also the loss of easy logging will result in more engine blow- ups due to poorly designed sump & oil systems, which are the main cause of most engine issues.