At Snetterton this weekend I was most impressed by Christian Pedersen's performance in this car:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1QmpZb2ZZiE/U7_Hz-Gy5UI/AAAAAAAAAfs/3Lj_o7AHm10/s1600/99+Christian+Pedersen+-+Austin+7+supercharged.JPG

He was on track just about every other race so I never got a chance to give it a close look. Is it supercharged? The program said not but it had a beautiful deep exhaust note quite different to the others. He drives very well so will be out the corners quickly and getting the power down well but all the same it really seemed to go in a straight line...

I'm intrigued!!!

David

Location: OX26 5EL

Do the VSCC accept Aisin superchargers now, then? I ask because I was told "no" a couple of years ago. If there's been a change if mind, I'd rather like to use one.

Looking at the results in race 5 he beat Will Mahany's HRG and that's pretty fast,any photos ?

Location: Leafy Surrey

I find it odd that the VSCC will accept the Lancia volume supercharger but don't accept the small Aisin.
I don't understand why you can't belt drive a supercharger and be vintage. (It must have been done)
I have been told that it is possible to get the same power output on a supercharged 7 using an Aisin or replica Cozette,
7th or 8th attempt!

I thought you could belt drive but it had to be V-belts. Its a long time since I read the regulations and it might be those I see they would not permit to be built again or under new ownership.

With the Lancia Volumex blower I understand that they insist on some grinding to remove the logo and various square looking mounts to have it look period. Perhaps if someone went to see the eligibility committee with an Aisin (or selection of) for them to see in the metal they might come to some compromise as to a level of modification and a method of drive they considered sufficiently "period".

David

VSCC had some clarity issues around the wording on V belts and multi V belts.

It became clear after a while that you couldn't have what is called a multi V belt, (ie one belt with multiple Vs) but you could have multiple single V belts.

Location: United Kingdom

That's true, but if it's belt driven it's classed as post-vintage. To be vintage you need chain, gear or direct drive.

Something else I didn't understand is how the Morgan trikes STILL get away with what look like superbike tyres. Watching them through the bomb hole (a fast right hander with a drop in and rise out) they were so much more secure on the road than the others.

While I expected them to be on Blockley's or similar and accepting there may be a reason for them being on bike tyres I still would have expected a minimum hardness and a more period tread pattern - classic bike tyres.

David

Sadly the VSCC's horse bolted many years ago.

Don't agree. On the subject of tyres the VSCC have a list of what's allowable. Checks have been made for rubber hardness and if it's too soft it's not on the list. I'm not saying nobody is cheating but the VSCC have a difficult balancing act between originality and competitive racers. I think they do a pretty good job of it.

A photo of a volumex setup. Is this a previous car or has it been modified to a VSCC acceptable drive and painted?

http://pub25.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=2099944454&frmid=5&msgid=922656&cmd=show

My own opinion on the VSCC and tyres is that they've been very sensible and it always seems to be evolving and for the better. Hence my surprise at the Morgan's still "getting away with" very modern looking rubber.

Doubtless inconvenient, but I can't think of a pre-1931 car fitted at the time with a belt drive blower (A7 or otherwise ). Hence the VSCC are probably right in their ruling. I'm not sure why Volumex is better than Aisin , however...

John

The Lancia Volumex were allowed in years ago. Whether that was wise is a question for historians of the future. What is true is that they have allowed anything & everything mid sized to go very fast cheaply.
If the VSCC allowed Asin blowers in every small car would have one. Fundamentally they are not a prewar supercharger so should not be allowed.

Anyone who argues that they are the same design as many pre war Roots blowers is correct (straight rotors etc) but then again a Ford Crossflow is the same as design as many prewar engines and we wouldn't want them either.



Charles

There's more to it than that Charles. I think the aisin blower has plastic rotors. The inertia of these must be quite small in relation to a pre war roots blower. It will require much less power to spin up. If the VSCC allowed them I'd have one. However, I think it's the right decision and I'm quite happy not to.

We do allow Aisin superchargers in the Bert Hadley Championship but anyone who has one gets a time penalty added to ensure fairness for everyone. I agree with the VSCC not allowing them.

Just to clear things up, Christian's car has an ordinary Pigsty 1 1/2 splash fed race engine with a Volumex supercharger running on methanol with approx 30lbs boost. The engine on the dyno was putting out around 80bhp last time we tested it. At this power output, we had to do a host of transmission modifications. The car attains speeds of around 110mph, which has led to extensive suspension and steering modifications to be needed. Well done to Christian on a brilliant bit of driving to win the Spiro. Look out on Pigsty's Youtube channel, I will try and get the race on in the next few days.

Location: gatwick

Location: gatwick

Location: Auckland

Alex,

Thank you for that info. It is to your great credit that he had the confidence to really use it and to enter so many races. It wasn't being treated as a fragile sprint special.

David

David, I just wanted to echo your sentiment Re the reliability and strength of Alex's engines. As many of you know I too have a blown(aisin) pigsty engine in my car. The car is used extensively on the road an now the track. Last week we did a 500 mile round trip into Scotland tomorrow I'm at Curborough sprint, i haven't had an issue with the engine since fitting it in the car earlier in the year and recommend Alex's work to everyone. I'm not at all surprised at Christians success with his car.
Regards Ian.

Location: Work (sheffield )

Blue Mouse is an AMAZING wee car, with SO much careful development, and driven with MASSIVE commitment. The engine is but a part of it.

The blown single seater I'd expect to be significantly heavier and carry its weight higher. What immediately struck watching it practice was the sound and the way it took off down the straight. The engine dominates to the extent that if I was told it was a Riley 6 in there not Austin 7 I'd have believed them.

Its driven well and smoothly but Frank more often than not looks completely nuts. Who was it who asked about the Austin 7 changing up a gear mid slide on the way out of the big 180deg corner at a wet Curborough? He'd been hard at it in that car for a long time, a great partnership between driver and car and a specialist.

If the question is "is 70bhp too high" I spoke to John Sutton the other day about what he used to get out the Mac. He got well on the way to 70bhp with a bit less than the boost quoted above. Its believable.

David

I had a look for a movie of those races but could not find any. If somebody knows of one thanks to point it to me.
Renaud

Location: Sunny Brittany again!

There's the video on Youtube."Austin Seven Racing, Miss Green"

Location: Sheffield, the home of Hendersons Relish.

Location: Sunny Brittany

Interesting reversal of places in the Spero at Cadwell this year and very interesting times.

True. Unfortunately Christian had a very poor start which rather put him out of the race. Great testament to Alex's engines which won and took three of the top four places in the Voiturette (unsupercharged) trophy.
Outstanding meeting at Cadwell (well done VSCC) and the sun shone!
David B.

Location: N Oxfordshire

I found the lap times of interest because twenty years ago the winner's time always hovered around the 2.00 mark. After last weekend the best lap of the last three winners of the Spero, the HRG, Miss Green and the Blue Mouse is 1.56. Does anyone have weight and power figures for these cars?