RE: More B v WRC

[QSHIPQ@aol.com]

Some discourse...
> I dunno.  The Japanese copy _everything_.

>> I believe you are correct Phil. I remember Andy Granatelli (of STP and Indy
> >fame) running a gas turbine car built by Colin Chapman. The inlet was
>> restricted on those engines to limit horsepower on an equivilincy formula.
>> They just installed a expandable inlet that almost doubled the inlet size 
at
>> speed.

>I was thinking of the flexible headlight blanking plates on the Sport
>quattros that cost Audi so dear one year.  And, according to rumour,
>caused one Audi engineer to leave the company and start up on his own.

...  And the quattro example is what made FIA later ban Toyota all together.  
The argument from toyota was that the manufacturers championship shouldn't be 
penalized by the actions of a few, that were not known to the corporation.  
RCE had a full article on the restrictor violation, and it's obvious from the 
construction of the device (multiple tiny spring lever device that pulled the 
restrictor away from the turbo at speed, then retracted for all scrutineering 
- all in a package only slightly larger than the stock restrictor) that the 
commitment from toyota was a little higher than a rogue engineer giving "a 
little cheat" a try.

The funnist thing about that Toyota cheating incident was that everyone knew 
they were cheating, but no one knew how.  It was a very alert FIA Tech 
Inspector that found the violation, not on a post race protest either.

IMO, the 'dominance' of WRC is impossible in today's technology.  Any 
advances by one, is easily CAD/CAM'd by the others.  So, to dominate, you 
either need to be really good at cheating, or find a driver that raises the 
top gun status.  Neither has long term win prospects.  Get enough 
"refinement" the fighter will eventually exceed pilot ability.  Copying 
groupe B era, just without the HP.  

Smaller restrictor than 33mm?  IMO, a 2wd ruling would be more entertaining.  

Next year should either prove really exciting, or a total bummer in terms of 
awd and FIA.

My .02

Scott Justusson