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Re: 88,89 imsa cars



> how much structural stiffness would you lose if you got rid of the body
> shell?

A bit but only because the cage was designed to complement the bodyshell and
not replace it ... give me a clean sheet of paper and the results would be a
lot different.  And I do mean a *LOT* different!
   
> was it hans the man who told you, or hurley or walter?  one theory is
> that it could have varied in the beginning by a tiny percentage while
> they were fine tuning it...

Neither ... I stumbled across the shop by accident while driving around the
town (kind of a quaint place, btw) and spoke to the guy who opened the door
when I banged on it.  I assume he was one of the mechanics but never asked.
I told him I was killing time and just wanted to see the legendary Group 44
workshop I'd read about in my misspent youth (back when they raced Triumphs
and the like).  He agreed to show me around the place, let me look at a few
of the cars, answered some questions and then escorted me back out the door.
Twenty minutes on a Saturday morning that I've never forgotten...

> the other theory is that whoever it was who spoke to you just had no
> clue and was BS'ing their way out of saying "i don't know".  it is
> actually quite well known that many racing drivers, including the
> great ones are not the most articulate or the most informed about the
> engineering that goes into their cars.  that's why drivers like prost
> and jacques villeneuve are well appreciated by their teams.

I'll second this ... every now and again, I'll take an afternoon off during
the winter and hang out at Firebird watching the Indycars test.  When I get
lucky, I can sometimes wander into the pit area (unless I have a camera, in
which case they'll kick me out almost immediately) and overhear the drivers
talking with their crewchiefs ... you'd be surprised how inarticulate a few
of the big-name drivers really are (and vice-versa, of course;  Little Al's
a particularly good example).  Lots of fun and it doesn't cost a dime!

     _             _              _
    / l       l o l  \       l o l  \  _   _ o  _   _   AudiDudi@delphi.com
   /__l l l / l l l  l l l / l l l /  / l /  l l \ / _  Jeffrey Goggin
  /   l l_l \_l l l__/ l_l \_l l l  \ \_l \_ l l l \_l  Scottsdale, Arizona