F2000 Open House Update

[stonebridge20]

Being new to this racing stuff my question may seem out of place:

Why can't the minimum weight be increased????? I, being 6'1" 235-240lbs and 43 years old, am at a disadvantage. And yes I could lose a few pounds (at 215lbs I have a BMI of 16) but no where near the 55lbs to be competitive.

Charles Finelli

Charles, You may not like this but,....Your fat. face it! I can ONLY say this because I'm fat to! I have been racing for 22 years and EVERY winter I gain about 10% body weight. Here's how I take care of it. I always buy my drivers suit 1 size too small. I make sure I pay a ton of money for them. That way I know if I don't loose the "roll" by the first race of the year, it's gona cost me about $1,200 to buy a new one to fit around my lazy fat ass!
Try this plan. Heathly choice dinners. You get them in the frozen food section at the grocery store. There 300-400 calories each and they taste pretty good. Eat one for lunch and one for dinner from now till the first race of the year and you won't be looking for a weight increase for F/2000. You'll also be skinny enough to run me down and punch me in the mouth for calling you fat!

Agnif

[carnut169]

Not that you will care, or think this is an intelligent response... but you can manage weight with $$. Buy ICP calipers and the lightest wheels available. Plan and only run the fuel you use. Pennon wings are very light. A smaller battery can save weight. I'm sure there are other things you can do... but like Stone said above losing that 10-20 lbs you are requesting to add to everyone's weight you could run off that belly of yours.

What you are requesting is for the guys who have spent $$, planned, recorded data etc etc for years to change everything. They will have to add lead weight below their seats- an added cost and pita. They might change the amount of fuel they run or ?? Should we require that the cockpit sizes be increased as well? Taller rollbars?
Point is, the weight is fine for the class.

On the other hand...
I'll bet you could get enough $$ for your VD to buy a very nice tintop.

No, I doubt I'll be at VIR this year... hope to go next! Road Atlanta, Barber, for sure.

[Zebra]

I like to call myself morbidly obese thank you. The PC term. And most animals do not as time goes on improve their diet. Man, unlike animals, has improved prenatal care and diet (protein) as well as mixing of the gene pool. Creating stronger and taller Americans not just fat. And yes you are right that karting kids are abnormally small but that again is the weight advantage not skill. So a healthy kid can not compete and leaves. Then the FC class adopts the little kid, and by the way FC is the geezer class not too many kids arriving accept in the Cooper series but that is exactly the Formula you do NOT want. Champ car just lost its Main sponsor, Visa, and by the way the main attraction at Champ car was not that wimp Bourdais but big guy Paul Tracy, Indy is in sorry shape so where is open wheel racing nowhere, boring little tinny 21 year olds. Bring on the Man show

[Zebra]

Guys do not take anything I say personally. That said, I will be down to 210-215 by the race in VIR. But I can not physically be below 205 no way no how no matter how disciplined and Doug like I become. Do to my Northern Italian/Irish/German backround I am not a small guy muscle/bone mass is high. the last time I weighed 175 is my freshman year in High School.

All I have asked is that the weight be increased by 15lbs bringing it to roughly 200lbs as the average weight AND maybe the karting class should do the same. Brings a lot more people to the party and that is needed. The only 2 karting kids I met that are competitive were very small and they were competitive because of talent and weight unless you believe that only tinny people can drive.

I have not been doing this very long and I went into FC because a few guys around here had them. In retrospect I should have gone 008 Atlantic and now a 014 Atlantic. I have been watching the FC class and open wheel as a whole, it appears very myoptic, it is in decline and no one wants to address it and leaving out normal kids from karting may be the problem. The normal kids can not compete because of weight so they either drop out of racing or chose different type of cars. Auto racing as a whole is huge and growing fast maybe the open wheel guys should reflect on why they are in decline

[LenFC11]

charles

you know i love.....give it a rest

len

[Zebra]

Len how much do you weigh

[Zebra]

Len, I am trying to get to Atlanta end of march to do a little testing at the SCCA regional, Our New trailer arrives a little late, are you going down and is Rick going???

Charles Finelli

[Wren]

Wren, why do you compete knowing you have to be superhuman to win!!! Do you think of yourself as elephant man, a freak or do you see yourself as normal. If the normal male in our society has increased in weight since the Vee cam out why not adjust the weight up.

I AM NOT ASKING FOR 50LBS but we must recognize that the average male in the United States has a HEALTHY increase of 15-20lbs in weight over the last 40 years.

I'm not going to bitch about that any more than I am going to bitch about the guys who have more money than me.

when every field is in ascending order of size/weight then you will have a point. That isn't happening. I've been in front of smaller guys in lighter cars, hopefully you have too.

you are new to racing, do you really think that weight is your problem? more than likely it is experience, I know that is my problem.

Like anything else, it's all about how bad you want it, unless you are absolutely ripped at 215, you have more weight to take off. I've watched the guys I work out with, who are in great shape, drop 10-20 pounds in a day to make weight, how bad do you want it?

Also, let me get this straight, you aren't willing to race in FC, b/c you think your weight is an unovercomable advantage, but you will go to run with the Atlantics, and be much slower than them, with smaller fields(only the other Pro-Zetecs that show up), and be happy?

[Zebra]

Good point, but it is not all about me, I never thought about the weight issue until a couple of days ago when i read about how much a car slows down with just 30lbs. on the Apex thread. And when Doug mentioned how everyone in open wheel from karting on up is small it lead me to beleive that the weight issue is limiting open wheel racing, unless you believe only small people have the talent to drive a car.

[Wren]

Good point, but it is not all about me, I never thought about the weight issue until a couple of days ago when i read about how much a car slows down with just 30lbs. on the Apex thread. And when Doug mentioned how everyone in open wheel from karting on up is small it lead me to beleive that the weight issue is limiting open wheel racing, unless you believe only small people have the talent to drive a car.

no, I do not believe that, b/c big guys are winning. How much do they say that 30lbs is worth? .1 seconds? Is that how far off the front of the field you are?

[Zebra]

In FC Rules and Regulations/new cars mid page Rob Nichols, who tested Zetec/Pinto at Summit Point around Thanksgiving, stated "From memory the zetec was .3-.4 tenths slower per lap w/ 25lbs." pretty significant.

[dc]

I don't know if I have ever heard first year driver's looking for TENTHS before.








TENTHS!



Unless you're looking for a National Championship this year, it is NOT significant. And even then... that's 8 seconds in a 20-lap race. Are you only 8-seconds off the winning pace? If so, I take back everything I said. If not, you have a long way to go, and weight is the least of your concerns.

[HazelNut]

this will be charles 3rd year actually.

as for a min wieght increase i'm 210 and i can just about make weigh!

Loose your jabrock, steel floor, 1" thick bodywork and cut out a few beers with the cheeseburgers down at the shipwreck and you'll make weight too.


FYI this whole rant of his was started cus he got his ass kicked up at the indoor go kart place in CT when we all went up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zebra]

I think the weight advantage with a 5 hp go kart does exist, tell me I am not crazy there. This will start my 2nd year in Zetec. And yes I plan to be in the top 10 in the F2000 series and getting better exponentially every race. At end of year I plan on running into the weight issue, hopefully. As for Jabrock it is a safety feature I would like to keep. Hazlenut/Brenden post your floor for everyone to see!!!!!!
By the way that floor happened when I passed you AND the Atlantic

Charles Finelli

[Zebra]

Brenden we should be looking for people to hop a ride on our new trailer from California to New York March 20th

[Zebra]

It is not all about me. This weight thing got me thinking especially when you said karters are small and when they come to FC they are small and therefore open wheel is for small people. That may, and I mean may, be why Formula cars are dwindling and spec miata taking off. We should be attracting all sizes to the sport karting on up.

[HazelNut]

By the way that floor happened when I passed you AND the Atlantic
Charles Finelli

hahah you say that like you "earned" a position. The atlatic spun on the 3rd or so turn as doug i were all over him. He damn near took me, but I went and did some extreme mudding instead! it was at this poitn when i was knocked back to DEAD LAST that you got around me.

As I recall within 10 laps I worked back through the entire field and was running 3rd and on your ass until my camber shims came loose (I'm assuming the offroading lossed em up and caused teh damage to the floor) and I had to park it.

and BTW the armor plated steel floor on your car is tough enough without the jabrock!

[Zebra]

WOW with writing like that Brenden you could write for Racer magazine (or race fiction weekly) but then again you would have to write about someone other than yourself, are you up to it.

[LenFC11]

charles,

i wiegh about 190 give or take a cheese burger or slice of pizza. thats not the point though. you think it dosnt drive me nuts when i see these little kids at the kart track pull 15 - 20' on me in the strieghts only to be realed back in come the cornes. i know your painn chuck but we chose this class and knew the wight. you can loose a few, but the truth is, your not losing races because of your weight.

I am fairly sure we are going to atlanta for the race, but am fairly sure it's a national.

I have a bet for you, it's only between us, hope you take, when i offer it to you.

len

[Zebra]

Always up for excitement.

Charles

[Zebra]

And I know I am washed up fat old geezer and I really just love good friends and good times at the track and do not mind being a back packer, you should know I really don't care about the issue for me at all and at 1st threw it out to get off the 8 & 10 topic. BUT it got me thinking why open wheel is in decline when everything else is taking off. My biggest fan in Open wheel is Paul Tracy and why, because he seems like a man not a little boy. Bourdais, whimpy and whats with those red Deiter glasses he wears.

[stonebridge20]

And I know I am washed up fat old geezer and I really just love good friends and good times at the track and do not mind being a back packer, you should know I really don't care about the issue for me at all and at 1st threw it out to get off the 8 & 10 topic. BUT it got me thinking why open wheel is in decline when everything else is taking off. My biggest fan in Open wheel is Paul Tracy and why, because he seems like a man not a little boy. Bourdais, whimpy and whats with those red Deiter glasses he wears.

Dude, I'm gona help you out here a bit. I know your kind of new to this racing thing so,... You don't want to admit to being a "back PACKER". That's a whole different deal ! What you want to admit to, atleast is being a "back MARKER". You'll make a WHOLE lot more friends at the track that way and people won't be afraid of turning their back too you!

Agnif

[Zebra]

In know what you mean but I do not like chocolate, how about chicane