I had hoped to post this a couple of days ago before going bush.
GM 604 trial
If we look at the history of stockcars/super stocks through the years, we will see a number of rule changes to engine sizes that have been made for a combination of safety & cost reasons.
In the first instance that I'm aware of, we saw Palmerston North promoter, Ray New, insisting on some of his competitors removing spark plugs as the engines they were running - Buick straight 8, was deemed by Ray to give an unfair advantage & put others at risk of being injured due to that car being faster than the rest. Shortly after that, a limit of 241.6 cubic inches was imposed as that was the size of a flathead V8, with an oversize set of pistons, which was commonly used & considered 'about right' at the time.
Another substantial development was made in the mid nineties, which said engines must now also be under 10:1, compression ratio. This was due to engines having too much power at the time, making them dangerously fast. Unfortunately, some drivers found that with extensive cylinder head development the power could by replaced – at a large expense. The emergence of the ‘Cosworth’ type Japanese engines alleviated some of that cost in the short term, but they too seemed to grow exponentially in cost in order for them to become competitive.
A more recent engine rule change has allowed the size of the engine to be lifted from 238.6 ci, to now 248 cubic inches. This was to reduce the cost of the then engine reducing exercise that most of the then popular engines would require. This was some 40 years after the first engine size restriction.
We currently have a situation in the Super stock class, were the limit is 248 ci, & 10:1 compression ratio, plus other limiting rules that are in the rulebook for all to read. There is nothing other than money/resources stopping a determined person from developing an engine with more horsepower than the next guy to give him an advantage, which in turn encourages others to follow suit, in order to remain competitive. Unfortunately, many potential, & some former competitors are being excluded purely on affordability.
We now have a mindset that we must build an engine to a specific size, and develop that engine within the rules to make as much power as we can, within (& sometimes beyond) our budget. Depending on whom you talk to, most would say we have super stocks within 350 – 500 hp range largely dependant on budget.
I want to trial an alternative Super Stock engine – the GM 604.
Recently in the USA due to spiralling costs of race engines, General Motors (& now very recently Ford) have developed Circle Track Engines specifically for oval track racing, with specific specifications inside of engines that are sealed, & can only be assembled by authorised technicians using authorised seals. Another words cannot be tampered with. The main attractions are cost to purchase, & cost to rebuild, and availability. Presently, & depending on the exchange rate on the day, a GM 604 can be landed into NZ fully paid for quite less than $10k NZD. A similarly powered engine from a reputable super stock engine builder might cost ~ $35k NZD. A full rebuild on the GM 604 would be expected to come in quite less that $5k, & would theoretically require ‘less often’ rebuilds then the current 248 ci highbred due to them (the GM 604) pulling far less revs – they would be limited at 6500 RPM. The GM 604 (350 ci Chevrolet) is rated at 400 hp, & 400 ft/lb torque, so theoretically this should be about middle of the range of current super stock engines horsepower wise, & possibly towards the top end torque wise, still giving the advantage to those willing/able to spend money/resources on the development of the 248 engine. Actual power figures of the 248 engines are reasonably guarded, so it’s a little difficult pin pointing exact figures.
Currently, I have SNZ approval to complete a trial for the remainder of this season, as well as all of next season. We currently don't have a car ready to go, as I was unsure the trial would be given the go ahead until very recently. We are hoping to have something ready to test from ~ mid/late March, which should give us some data to think about for next year.
After the trial, & it must be stressed this is only a trial, & once all data is analysed to determine compatibility, it will be up to SNZ via the remit process, to have this allowed (or otherwise) as a super stock engine option.
It is my own personal vision that this trial will be successful, & will be adopted along with strict control measures such as standardised carburettor, limited number of authorised technicians based on cost/reputation that will be periodically reviewed, etc, etc, giving an affordable entry level super stock engine with good reliability, low maintenance costs, & good availability. I would like to see an affordable safe option to advance the bottleneck of talented drivers that may not currently have the resources to move up to the super stock class, & to encourage others back into the class. I think it a shame to see so many good drivers we all know have the talent, & unable to make the move simply because of affordability. All too often you hear the same thing, Super stocks have become just too expensive. Well I’m giving this an honest attempt at reining in those costs, hopefully I will get the support needed.
Since being given approval from SNZ & having discussed this issue with various people of interest, I now know there was a similar trial conducted approximately 10 years ago. That trial was conducted by Pat Westbury (I hope you don’t mind my mentioning you’re name), using a slightly modified ‘less than 320 cubic inch v8’ with carburettor & exhaust restrictions. I had heard, although I may have this wrong, Bob Clarkson was willing to supply these engines free of charge to his competitors if it went ahead at that time. Clearly it never went ahead, or we wouldn’t be talking about it now. From what I can gather, the major differences between Pat’s trial, & this one are as follows;
- GM has developed this engine (GM 604) specifically for circle track racing, with clear engine specifications that cannot be tampered with, Pats was a modified engine.
- Two of the ‘major traditional’ sources of revenue for speedway, the motor industry, & the construction industry, have both taken heavy hits in recent times & are unlikely to recover in the foreseeable future making speedway funding more scarce.
- Pats engine cost less than $10k at the time, & the top engines at that time were reported to be ~ $30k. The GM 604 will still cost less than $10k, but the leading Super Stock engines now are reported to be costing as much as $100k.
- The Super Stock class has not seen the growth that some classes have enjoyed, & is expected to decline according to SNZ data.
- There are different people now involved with SNZ.
- At the time of Pat’s trial, there wasn’t the same perceived level of ‘lack of affordability’.
- We are aiming for this engine to be an ‘entry level’ power plant with less power then the big hitter engines, but something capable of being competitive in a well driven, well adjusted racecar, Pat wanted his engine to be as powerful as anything out there.
Pat did say it was a shame that his engine didn’t go ahead, he thought it was about right power wise, but without the high cost.
www.circletrack.com/ultimateracing/ctrp_0803_crate_engine_racing/index.htmlAs a reminder, this is only a trial to determine compatibility of the GM 604 engine with the 248 highbred engines, so any comment without having even cranked the engine over would be speculation at this point. Let the trial run, get the facts (we wont be hiding anything), & then decide. How it might or might not work alongside the 248’s is another matter that will need to be looked at a little further down the track, so I wouldn’t be commenting on that just yet.
Thank you, Brendan Lucas
P.S. I also would like to see a Ford option, there wasn't one that I could find prior to submitting this to SNZ, but I see there now is.
