by Steve Holmes » Sun Jun 16, 2013 3:20 am
Thats a good question Richie, and I've wondered the same thing myself. Breaking each class down, it does appear there are a lot of classes, its not really for me to say if there are too many or not. I feel each class offers something unique, that will appeal to different people. Just because two different people want to go racing in 1970 Camaro's, doesn't mean those two people want the same thing from their racing.
Firstly, I'd say break the classes down into historic racing classes, and non-historic. There are people who are only interested in going historic racing, while others want to chase points and appear at high profile modern racing events as Touring Car Masters and Central Muscle Cars do. You'll find, speaking with people from either TCM or CMC, that they really have no interest in the historical side of racing. They just want to chase points and go as fast as possible. So you could say they're very different people to those who want to just go historic racing and slide around having fun with like-minded enthusiasts.
Therefore, I guess you could say Historic Muscle Cars is a bit different in that respect, because the class was only ever created to appear at historic events, with no points racing, and with the emphasis being on getting the cars as historically correct as possible. For some people racing muscle cars, thats an incredibly unappealing scenario. I've spoken to people who just can't understand why you wouldn't want to race for points and a championship, and make your car as fast as possible using all modern technology. So the different classes appeal to different types of people.
Breaking the remaining classes down further; In Aussie there are Touring Car Masters and Australian Trans-Am. In NZ there is Production Muscle Cars, Northern Muscle Cars, Central Muscle Cars. Both Northern and Central grew from Production. This happened because Production require that the cars retain a vast amount of original road car parts. This appeals to many people, but others want to go faster, and fit stronger parts. So Northern was created as a breakaway from Production, but was largely Auckland based. Central Muscle Cars was created by a group of people in the central and lower North Island, who wanted to race outside of Auckland. CMC and Northern do seem to have quite similar rules, and do race together at some events, but they're run separately from each other.
As for Touring Car Masters. This would be the most expensive of all the classes you've mentioned Richie. Part of the reason its so expensive is because of the travel around Australia, as it supports V8 Supercars. But its expensive because of the freedoms it has and the parts that are allowed. Don't be fooled by the 15" wheels into thinking these cars are historic based. They're not. If you really examine closely the parts fitted to a TCM car, break down the cost of things like the brakes and suspension, they're pretty high tech cars. Australian Muscle Car mag did a feature about 18 months ago on Jim Richards' AMC Javelin, and the parts that went into this car were pretty impressive. Also, the TCM cars run radials tyres which are almost a slick. The TCM cars are actually the fastest of all the groups you mentioned. They're even faster than the CMC cars. Also, to compete at any TCM races, you need a TCM licence. Those are expensive. Check out the For Sale page on the TCM website. The cars listed here are for sale at a fraction of their build cost. This is great for people who can afford it. Cars for sale here:
http://touringcarmasters.com.au/trade.php The TCM has a cut-off date of 1974. That means no cars newer than 1974 can compete. But each model that does race is there only after a committee has allowed it in. So you can't just show up with anything.
Aussie Trans-Am was created because, in Aus, you have a choice of either Historic Group N, or TCM, and these guys wanted something different. Most of the cars that race in ATA aren't accepted in either Group N or TCM. For example, you can't race a 1970 Mustang in either, nor a Pontiac Firebird.
I do agree that it would be neat to see a one class fits all, and this is much more the case in Aus than it is in NZ. CAMS Historic Group N is used right throughout Australia, so if you happen to live in Perth, and want to build a '69 Mustang to Group N rules, if you take your Mustang to a Group N event in NSW, or Vic, the other '69 Mustangs in your race will be built to the same set of rules as your car. I really like that, and find it really appealing. But again, there are those in Aus who feel the Historic Group N rules are too restrictive. Car makes and models that race in Group N are only those that started an Australian Touring Car Championship through to the end of 1972. 1972 is the cut-off date for Group N. Therefore, a 1969 Mustang is eligible, but a 1970 Mustang isn't. A 1967, 1968, or 1969 Camaro is eligible, but a 1970 Camaro isn't.
So, essentially, what I've just said above is that different people want different things from their racing, and just because two people might be enthusiasts of the same make and model of car, doesn't mean they want the same thing from their racing. I know I've been of no use to you Richie, but I'm just trying to explain why there are so many different classes. Are there too may? Possibly. But the flip-side is that you have so many options when building a car.
Thats a good question Richie, and I've wondered the same thing myself. Breaking each class down, it does appear there are a lot of classes, its not really for me to say if there are too many or not. I feel each class offers something unique, that will appeal to different people. Just because two different people want to go racing in 1970 Camaro's, doesn't mean those two people want the same thing from their racing.
Firstly, I'd say break the classes down into historic racing classes, and non-historic. There are people who are only interested in going historic racing, while others want to chase points and appear at high profile modern racing events as Touring Car Masters and Central Muscle Cars do. You'll find, speaking with people from either TCM or CMC, that they really have no interest in the historical side of racing. They just want to chase points and go as fast as possible. So you could say they're very different people to those who want to just go historic racing and slide around having fun with like-minded enthusiasts.
Therefore, I guess you could say Historic Muscle Cars is a bit different in that respect, because the class was only ever created to appear at historic events, with no points racing, and with the emphasis being on getting the cars as historically correct as possible. For some people racing muscle cars, thats an incredibly unappealing scenario. I've spoken to people who just can't understand why you wouldn't want to race for points and a championship, and make your car as fast as possible using all modern technology. So the different classes appeal to different types of people.
Breaking the remaining classes down further; In Aussie there are Touring Car Masters and Australian Trans-Am. In NZ there is Production Muscle Cars, Northern Muscle Cars, Central Muscle Cars. Both Northern and Central grew from Production. This happened because Production require that the cars retain a vast amount of original road car parts. This appeals to many people, but others want to go faster, and fit stronger parts. So Northern was created as a breakaway from Production, but was largely Auckland based. Central Muscle Cars was created by a group of people in the central and lower North Island, who wanted to race outside of Auckland. CMC and Northern do seem to have quite similar rules, and do race together at some events, but they're run separately from each other.
As for Touring Car Masters. This would be the most expensive of all the classes you've mentioned Richie. Part of the reason its so expensive is because of the travel around Australia, as it supports V8 Supercars. But its expensive because of the freedoms it has and the parts that are allowed. Don't be fooled by the 15" wheels into thinking these cars are historic based. They're not. If you really examine closely the parts fitted to a TCM car, break down the cost of things like the brakes and suspension, they're pretty high tech cars. Australian Muscle Car mag did a feature about 18 months ago on Jim Richards' AMC Javelin, and the parts that went into this car were pretty impressive. Also, the TCM cars run radials tyres which are almost a slick. The TCM cars are actually the fastest of all the groups you mentioned. They're even faster than the CMC cars. Also, to compete at any TCM races, you need a TCM licence. Those are expensive. Check out the For Sale page on the TCM website. The cars listed here are for sale at a fraction of their build cost. This is great for people who can afford it. Cars for sale here: [url]http://touringcarmasters.com.au/trade.php[/url] The TCM has a cut-off date of 1974. That means no cars newer than 1974 can compete. But each model that does race is there only after a committee has allowed it in. So you can't just show up with anything.
Aussie Trans-Am was created because, in Aus, you have a choice of either Historic Group N, or TCM, and these guys wanted something different. Most of the cars that race in ATA aren't accepted in either Group N or TCM. For example, you can't race a 1970 Mustang in either, nor a Pontiac Firebird.
I do agree that it would be neat to see a one class fits all, and this is much more the case in Aus than it is in NZ. CAMS Historic Group N is used right throughout Australia, so if you happen to live in Perth, and want to build a '69 Mustang to Group N rules, if you take your Mustang to a Group N event in NSW, or Vic, the other '69 Mustangs in your race will be built to the same set of rules as your car. I really like that, and find it really appealing. But again, there are those in Aus who feel the Historic Group N rules are too restrictive. Car makes and models that race in Group N are only those that started an Australian Touring Car Championship through to the end of 1972. 1972 is the cut-off date for Group N. Therefore, a 1969 Mustang is eligible, but a 1970 Mustang isn't. A 1967, 1968, or 1969 Camaro is eligible, but a 1970 Camaro isn't.
So, essentially, what I've just said above is that different people want different things from their racing, and just because two people might be enthusiasts of the same make and model of car, doesn't mean they want the same thing from their racing. I know I've been of no use to you Richie, but I'm just trying to explain why there are so many different classes. Are there too may? Possibly. But the flip-side is that you have so many options when building a car.