GRAND AM: Air Intake Restrictor Rules Revised for V8 Riley & Scott Race Cars
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
May 2, 2001
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Grand American Road Racing Association issued a Technical Bulletin today that rescinds a special consideration for V8-powered five-speed Riley & Scott chassis regarding engine air intake restrictor dimensions. The ruling is effective immediately and will be in place for the next round of the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Six Hours at The Glen on May 18-20.
Grand-Am rules had previously made an exception for the five-speed R&S cars, allowing the teams to fit an intake restrictor that was slightly larger than the standard for all other cars with the same engines. With this announcement, the five-speed Riley & Scott models will be using the same standard units as any other chassis. This change brings Grand-Am in line with other major sanctioning bodies around the world.
The most prominent of the Riley & Scott entrants has been the championship-winning #16 of Dyson Racing Team. While the original intake restrictor rule was based on the assumption that the older chassis would need an equalizer to be competitive, the accomplishments of the Dyson team have proven that assumption false.
"I don't believe this change will materially affect the performance of the teams fielding this car, but it will go a long way towards insuring that they get full credit for their successes," Grand-Am President Roger Edmondson said. "Unfortunately, the achievements of the Dyson Racing Team has been tainted by some members of the press who focused on the restrictor break rather than the overall excellence of the team and driver performance. This should not be looked at as some kind of penalty for these teams as much as it a recognition of their ability to compete."
Grand-Am's Director of Competition David Watson concurred, remarking "This chassis in a five-speed configuration has earned the pole position at 75 percent of our events and has been the race winner in most of our events. It seems quite clear that a designer capable of winning the Indy 500, the Rolex 24 At Daytona, LeMans and Sebring does not need any help from us."
Text provided by Christie Hyde
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