Re: More Racing News

[Ssgacc@aol.com]

In a message dated 99-03-10 19:37:09 EST, you write:

<< Hey!  I saw two Fords burn on the weekend AND I saw two Mercedes-Benz
 powered vehicles fail to finish.  Maybe it's an epidemic...  :-) >>

I saw the MB problems also.  How do you think they felt at Lemans last year?
I thought the Aurora was a pretty reliable engine.  There are too many factors
to easily predict whether a failure will occur.  It seems to me to be about
how much of your "margin of safety" you need to use up to be competetive.
You're O.K. until someone else has better thermal efficiency, then you have to
push harder.  Higher RPM's equal engine failure, at least until you figure it
out.  I remember in NASCAR about 2 years ago when Mark Martin (read Jack
Roush) and Bobby Labonte started winning on fuel mileage.  Everyone started
leaning out their motors to TRY and match their fuel efficiency and burned
holes through the tops of their pistons.  Same thing happened when they
started pushing through the 9,000 RPM level.  Motors go bang.  You saw it last
year at Daytona.  Ford pushrod V-8 vs. Ferrari OHC.  No contest on rev's.
Nearly cost Ford the race.  Their motors were coming apart but they NURSED it
home.  Certainly the curtain is falling on pushrod motors.
I'll go out on a limb and say that the Northstar motor will be competitive on
both the HP and reliability fronts.  Whethter it will finish or not remains to
be seen.  Corvette at Daytona?

Jim Accordino