Folks:
I had a nice long chat with the owner of the local go kart track today just south of Kincardine. I spoke with him about an idea I have been tossing around. His track is pictured below and is a 1/2 mile track with many turns as you can see.
My concept would be Grand Prix style Vintage races probably limited to single cylinder sleds to keep the speed down as well as mini sleds too of all years.
The track owner goes away for part of the winter but is usually back by late February.
I wanted to toss the idea out to see if there would be enough interest in this style of race prior to me doing any organizing of such an event.
I would like to see at least 20 racers interested to make it worth the cost of insurance and rental of the track.
They have a building on site that could be used for an indoor gathering spot. It is an arcade and games room now but would easily fit 50 or more people for awards etc.
The track has a fully barrier all around with rubber tires and belting attached to the tires as well as a fence external to the track to keep spectators off the track area.
I personally think it would be a pretty cool race idea with speeds that would not be excessive but would offer some good competition.
It would be a flat snow groomed track, not ice and the track itself has very little elevation change so visibility is good in all areas of the track.
I would expect with the asphalt area of the track at 20' wide, that we would look at heats of 4 sleds with 1st and 2nd moving on to the next round.
Please give it some thought and let me know if there is an interest.
Again, it would be late February to early March, no specific date, 1/2 mile grand prix style, single cylinder and mini sled races.
Thanks in advance for your input.
Rob.

 

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-11-25 10:27:49 --

Here is a video I put together earlier this summer at the track. Gives a bit of an idea of the size of the track. I believe the track surface is 20 to 30 ft wide so we would limit the heats to 4 machines with 1st and 2nd moving on to the next heat and then to the final. The back section would be the fastest with a long almost straight section into a sweeping curve before getting into the tight centre section. Likely run 3 lap heats and 5 lap finals. I think that would be long enough considering all the handling and corners involved.
I would probably put the start/finish line on the start of the back straightaway so that sleds would have a chance to spread out before hitting the first sweeping curve. That section would probably set the pace for the rest of the race.
Anyway, here is the video clip. It's about 2 minutes long.
Rob  

http://good-times.webshots.com/video/3078369970063439709UtKRUI  

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-10-28 05:44:24 --

Folks:
Here is a potential list of classes that we could look at using for the Vintage Grand Prix race I am working on.
I tried to seperate out classes not only by engine size but also by era with handling improvements in mind as this style of race will be more driver and handling than raw speed.
Let me know what your thoughts are. There are a total of 13 groups of classes which is probably too many but some can likely be combined or trimmed out.
This does not include the mini sled classes. They will likely be broken down into 3 or 4 classes.
Thanks.
Rob Noakes.


Revisions made, scroll down.  

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-11-02 08:18:18 --

Anyway, I am also considering adding a champion cup, maybe call it, The Kincardine Cup.
It would be awarded to the person with the most points for the day with a minimum required.
Points would be awarded based on 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in a class final.
Maybe 8 points for 1st, 4 points for 2nd and 2 points for 3rd. Probably a minimum of 10 points required to win the cup or something like that.
Make the cup as one that gets a name added each year and stays on display at the Bluewater Snowmobile Club House..


Oh yes, by the way, in case I didn't mention it before, the track owner wants $20 per sled per day. I would anticipate that they would be set up to collect that.
I was thinking that we would set the entry fee at $10 per class and make it 100% payback from that $10 fee with no trophies. For the first year, trophies would be very hard as we don't really know until race day how many classes would run.
To make it interesting, maybe allow those that make it to a final to put more money into the pot. Just a thought.
Payout would be somthing like
1st place 50%
2nd place 30%
3rd place 20%

So if there were 10 sleds entered in the class, prize money would by $50 for 1st, $30 for 2nd and $20 for third.
In the event of only having 2 entries per class the split would be 60/40. That would be $12 for 1st and $8 for 2nd.

So if you race in say three classes on one day it would cost $50.

No extra fee for racers and crew. Spectators would pay a nominal fee to watch and that may be something I would just have the snowmobile club colect and keep for the club.  [/s][/i][/i]    

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-11-02 08:26:13 --

Hi folks:
Latest revision on November 25, 2008.
Rob.

Vintage Grand Prix Classes

1968 and older
Single cylinder 2 stroke
Single cylinder 4 stroke

1969 to 1974 – Single Cylinder Stock Fan Small Carb
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
0ver 300 CC

1969 to 1974 – Single Cylinder Super Stock Fan
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
0ver 300 CC

1969 to 1974 – Twin Cylinder Stock Fan/Free Air Single Small Carb
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
301 to 340 CC

1969 to 1974 – Twin Cylinder Super Stock Fan /Free Air
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
301 to 340 CC

1969 to 1974 – Single Cylinder Free Air Modified
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
0ver 300 CC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1975 to 1981 – Single Cylinder Stock Fan Small Carb
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC

1975 to 1981 – Single Cylinder Super Stock Fan
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC

1975 to 1981 – Twin Cylinder Stock Fan/Free Air Single Carb
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
301 to 340 CC

1975 to 1981 – Twin Cylinder Super Stock Fan/Free Air
0 to 250 CC
251 to 300 CC
301 to 340 CC

1975 to 1981 – Single Cylinder Free Air
0 to 250 CC
Over 250 CC

Master’s Class
Open Super Stock class
Any size single cylinder F/C and up to 300CC Twin F/C
For drivers age 45 and older.

Kids and Mini Sleds – no class entry fee and all kids will get an award
Vintage and Kitty Cat – 200 CC Maximum Size
Late Model 120 Stock
Late Model 120 Modified

Personal Protective Equipment:

Full face helmet, must be current design, no Vintage helmets allowed
Chest protector recommended but not mandatory
Boots and gloves must be substantial
Goggles or face shield required
Driver must wear an Orange construction safety vest over clothing for visibility
Sled to have a 2 digit number with 6” black letters on both sides of hood with white background. Can be a printed sheet taped to sled.

Tech Rules:

Braking systems can be upgraded in any class to improve safety.
Gearing can be changed in any class.
No studs or carbides in any class. (Don’t want damage to asphalt track)
Full snow flap
Ski tips must be padded
Ski spreaders with maximum 3" extension per ski allowed
Must have working tether
Must have working brake
Metal belt guard
Hood must be secured

Stock classes:
Original chassis/engine configuration.
Stock carb, stock suspension, stock exhaust, no stinger pipes, megaphones or other non stock tuned exhaust systems.
Primary clutch can be stock or replacement equivalent such as Comet Duster, Power Block etc. Secondary must be stock or equivalent. (Brake upgrades ok)
Sleds can jump up into Super Stock and Modified Classes of same CC. Singles can jump into twin classes of same CC.

Super Stock Classes:
Original chassis/engine configuration.
Can change carb(s) and/or clutches, no open stinger pipes or megaphones but can have an aftermarket tuned exhaust systems.
Sleds can jump up into Modified classes of same CC. Singles can jump into twin classes of same cc.

Modified classes:  
Any chassis engine set up as long as both are from snowmobiles and are 1981 or older. Any engine, drive train and chassis mods are ok as long as they are sound and safe to run.
Singles can jump into twin classes of same CC.  

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-12-08 06:16:07 --

Here is a quick track layout I did up to give folks an idea of where things will be located and track route.
If you click on tghe link and follow it, you can view the full size picture which will be larger than what you see here.
Rob.

Here are some more details on the race.

--------------------------------------------------

Race Date:
Practice – Saturday February 28th, 2009 - $20 Per sled track fee for the day.
Time TBD

Race – Sunday March 1st, 2009
Registration 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Race Starts at Noon

Race Structure:
Track fee -  $20 per sled – to be paid to track owner
Entry fee - $10 per sled per class

Each class will be run with 3 lap heats of 4 sleds with the 1st and 2nd place finishers in each heat advancing. Heats will be done until a final 4 is determined and then a 5 lap final will be run.

Payout of 100% from the entry fee will be paid as follows:
1st Place - 50%
2nd Place - 30%
3rd Place - 20%

No class will be run with less than 2 participants.
In the event of only 2 racers, the payout will be:
1st Place – 60%
2nd Place – 40%

Point system:

Points will be awarded as follows (class finals only)
1st Place – 8 Points
2nd Place – 6 Points
3rd Place – 4 Points
4th Place – 2 Points

The Kincardine Cup

The Kincardine Cup will be a perpetual award given to the racer with the most points from the running of the Grand Prix de Kincardine. Their name will be placed on the Cup along with the year and the Cup will be kept by the race organizer until the next year. The Cup will be placed on display at the Bluewater Town and Country Snowmobile Club, Club House for all to see.
Note:
The winner must have at least 8 points to win the cup.
In the event of no one having 8 points, the names of the racers that have competed and accumulated points will be put in a hat and a winner shall be drawn.
This will also be done in the case of a tie.
 

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-11-20 08:20:38 --

I made some revisions to the classes. Scroll up to check them out.
I basically increased the twin FC classes up to include 340 CC. This is in both early years and later years classes.
I also added FA to the twin stock single carb class to include the likes of JD Spitfire, Kawasaki Drifter, AC Jag etc.
This should add a few more possibilities for folks.
Thanks.
Rob Noakes.  

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-11-25 06:08:15 --

Hi Folks:
I have made a slight change to the Twin Cylinder Super Stock Class. I have added free air to the class as well as Fan Cooled. This should open up a whole new area of possibility for sleds to compete.
I hope to get some time to do some laps around the track in the next week or so, provided we have enough snow of course, to get a better feel for the track and what kind of speed it might hold safely. I have enlisted the help of Drivebelt to make the assessment so will let everyone know if there is any changes needed.
Thanks for the support.
Rob.  

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-12-08 06:16:30 --

Last night was our monthly snowmobile club meeting.
Along with the usual business, I had a chance to speak with a few people regarding the race.
All are very supportive of the race and really looking forward to it.
The owner of the track was there and he is completely on board with the venture. We spoke in more detail regarding what will be done with the track to pack and prep it along with indoor facilities being available along with all the stuff they had such as flags and scoreboards from when they ran go kart races at the track.
I have set up with him to do some laps around the track after Christmas to get a better feel for the track and do some more planning.
The owner of the neighboring golf course, Ainsdale Golf Course has committed his full support in offering the use of any equipment he has to do it up right in getting the track ready etc. He has also offered to let us use hi large parking lot for parking of trailers and tow vehicles.
It was very nice indeed to have the showing of support for the race. Let's make sure we get a good turn out so we can make this a homegrown grass roots race that we can have each year and not make it so people have to spend a ton of money to enjoy.

Here are some pictures from Goggle Earth.



 

--Last edited by Vintage Elan Guy on 2008-12-17 09:53:05 --

Just a quick update:
I am going to add a "Powder Puff" class for the ladies. It will be the same sleds as the Master's class. There has been interest expressed by a couple of ladies so far so let's get a group together and see what happens!.
Thanks for all the support folks.
Rob Noakes.