Blondie Chamberlain article in Taranaki Daily News today (Read 4,154 times)

[youngone]

www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/sport/64286606/Blondie-Chamberlain-plots-his-return-to-the-race-track

[Yard]

Some what confusing.
A Saloon or a Super Saloon ??

[tank11]

Was that how it was printed?

Two glaring spelling mistakes.

[nakifans]

I can't get my head around why Blondie would build a car to prove or try to prove how silly SNZ rules are. He has won 4 No 1 titles under their rules.
If these rules are as silly as he say's why do other competitors and chassis builders accept them.
As we know, thru the ELF and SSCAR series the class has grown and so has the following.
Why did it take him 12 yrs after retirement to make this statement?.
Will he be remembered as one of our greatest drivers or a lone renegade?.
There is enough chassis builders in the Naki to chew the fat with, one has a lot of clout within SNZ.
If he succeeds in both his aims[ rules/title] good and congratulations will be warranted.
Don't get me wrong, I've been a huge Blondie fan from day one, t shirts, anorak etc.
Just a little perplex at his motives so late in his career.
He didn't mind racing compliant SNZ cars when racing other peoples money/cars.
Fonzie the wedge car, Livermore the current 96a car.
The 7x cost he quotes in the article would only be a very small section of competitors.
Most would be $100k and less. Know of 1 Hypermac put on the track new for under $50k.
The chassis cost is minimal , the rest of the cost is whether you assemble yourself or pay someone.
Quote a song of the 60's by Bobby Fuller 4.
I FOUGHT THE LAW AND THE LAW WON.
Only time will tell.
I think if his car is all legal, Wellington will have plenty of bums on seats at the NZs.

[Super Salooncar Fan]

The article says that the "brains trust" changed the rules governing the body etc well that isnt totally true the competitors requested the change via a pole and a special meeting held at the christchurch speedway clubrooms held the thursday night before the NZ champs a couple of seasons ago. The changes are what was requested by the drivers at that meeting.

The cost that you put into your car is purely upto the individual it isnt across the board thing for example the driver i crew for built a new car for this season and I can promise you he would be a LONG way from $100k, if that was the budget to build a car I think we would be at home this season playing cards.

What we have got now is that is what the competitors want and has come about by a lot of hard work from a few. We now generally have 2 salooncar classes and the product that we are able to produce is top class. This attacking of the class by Blondie is not helping at all and isnt winning many friends within the class. Times have moved on and changes have been made.

[dps]

Its time to see this thing run up against a full field of quality Super Saloons.
You cant knock Blondie for his achievements on the track and hes always has done it on a budget, I respect him for that But to me this is making a bit of a mockery of the hard work drivers have put into this class in recent the years.
Times change classes evolve...

[spdwayorthehway]

Dec 19, 2014 10:54:39 GMT 12 dps said:

Its time to see this thing run up against a full field of quality Super Saloons.
You cant knock Blondie for his achievements on the track and hes always has done it on a budget, I respect him for that But to me this is making a bit of a mockery of the hard work drivers have put into this class in recent the years.
Times change classes evolve...

Whose to say that this isn't a step in what you are saying.
Did the worlds fastest Indian come from mainstream thinking?
Is Mark Osborne straight to the top with mainstream thinking?

[tank11]

The drivers may have got together and made the submission to change to the non-specific body/engine combo but Blondie is saying "it is not of the era he drove, so with the rules at present this is what you can do within these rules"
Now the same drivers are saying he has gone too far?
Good on him and good luck.

[nakifans]

Wasn't Ken Simes, [think that's was is name]running a super charged rotary at the new Bay Park in its early days. From memory it was a Moore chassis and started off as turbo but later ran a super charger. It was one quick rotary but plagued with issues.

[woodart]

well for those on here questioning blondies motives , I have a question, if as some claim, all is well with super saloons, how many tracks can put out a full feild of super saloons without relying on visitors, or saloons to pad out the feild? if as claimed ,costs arent out of control, why arent more saloon cars and drivers graduating to the top class? it seems to be the other way with many super saloons being down(?)graded to saloon status.If blondie can put together a competitve super saloon for a fraction of the cost of most others , and in the process , possibly cut the cost of racing for others,I say ,thumbs up to him . but, it seems reading some of the posts on here, that their are some who dont want him to suceed. why?

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2014 14:15:26 GMT 12 woodart said:

well for those on here questioning blondies motives , I have a question, if as some claim, all is well with super saloons, how many tracks can put out a full feild of super saloons without relying on visitors, or saloons to pad out the feild? if as claimed ,costs arent out of control, why arent more saloon cars and drivers graduating to the top class? it seems to be the other way with many super saloons being down(?)graded to saloon status.If blondie can put together a competitve super saloon for a fraction of the cost of most others , and in the process , possibly cut the cost of racing for others,I say ,thumbs up to him . but, it seems reading some of the posts on here, that their are some who dont want him to suceed. why?

Serious question to Woodart, TrevG, Anthony (supersaloonfan I think his handle is) and other staunch super saloon fans, would you rather have a diluted class that's a step or two above what is currently saloons but a step or two below what we now call super saloons as the premier saloon class with bigger field at most tracks that run them, but there will be that something missing that seems to happen in restricted classes

Or

An anything goes type (F1) approach with most tracks struggling to put on a good field and instead putting on 1 or 2 big shows at each track a season as part of travelling shows (BK series type deal) & championship events. These would be big, great meetings, but you either have to travel to see them or only see one or two a year.

For mine, I'd rather the F1 type deal. Although I say that as someone who likes good saloon racing but not a die hard who lives & breathes it. I'm interested to hear the views of those who are diehards.

[Super Salooncar Fan]

Dec 19, 2014 14:43:31 GMT 12 Ramjam said:

Dec 19, 2014 14:15:26 GMT 12 woodart said:

well for those on here questioning blondies motives , I have a question, if as some claim, all is well with super saloons, how many tracks can put out a full feild of super saloons without relying on visitors, or saloons to pad out the feild? if as claimed ,costs arent out of control, why arent more saloon cars and drivers graduating to the top class? it seems to be the other way with many super saloons being down(?)graded to saloon status.If blondie can put together a competitve super saloon for a fraction of the cost of most others , and in the process , possibly cut the cost of racing for others,I say ,thumbs up to him . but, it seems reading some of the posts on here, that their are some who dont want him to suceed. why?

Serious question to Woodart, TrevG, Anthony (supersaloonfan I think his handle is) and other staunch super saloon fans, would you rather have a diluted class that's a step or two above what is currently saloons but a step or two below what we now call super saloons as the premier saloon class with bigger field at most tracks that run them, but there will be that something missing that seems to happen in restricted classes

Or

An anything goes type (F1) approach with most tracks struggling to put on a good field and instead putting on 1 or 2 big shows at each track a season as part of travelling shows (BK series type deal) & championship events. These would be big, great meetings, but you either have to travel to see them or only see one or two a year.

For mine, I'd rather the F1 type deal. Although I say that as someone who likes good saloon racing but not a die hard who lives & breathes it. I'm interested to hear the views of those who are diehards.

This is a simple question to answer for me ... exactly what we have now, i love where we are now.

May be a slight change with the saloons to slow them a little and truely make them budget racers. Why do we need 2 budget classes, if he or anyone is truely concerned by the cost then choose a suitable class. I truely dont see what his issue is there is a budget class ?

[tank11]

Get off the budget bandwagon.
I would hate to think what some saloons are at cost wise, the same with stocks.
Blondie is saying " let's build a super at budget price under the new rules"
Now his $30k budget may not be everyones cup of tea but it's his budget.

[TrevG]

Good question RamJam. I personally enjoy anything racing on a Speedway track. My wife and I financially support a Ministock family. As to your question I think that the Saloon class and the Supersaloon class have evolved to a world class of engineering skills and drivers capable of competing with the best in the world, as has been proven at Baypark many times with the appearance of Americans and Aussies. The present system has arisen through the total dedication and ability of the combination of Drivers and the skills of people to manufacture and perfect a Saloon style racecar.We also have some very dedicated people with the skills to put together a series for the Burger King SuperSaloon Series,And the DHL series for Saloons. Unfortunately it is not possible to stop progress, but then why would you. Look what we have today compared with 40 years ago.why would you even consider turning the clock back. it is still possible today for someone to self build a competitive SuperSaloon, just look at the result of the BK SuperSaloon result at Napier. Unfortunately for the Goodwill of Speedway you are always going to have the same people knocking anything or finding a negative on any subject that arises,instead of praising the results of the efforts of the people who are successful due to their dedication and hardworking hours in the shed, and behind the wheel. Yes there will always be aspects that don't suit everyone, but majority rules. F1wins for me.
Because the Saloon class has become so professional in the presentation, engineering and driving ability, I would look at maybe (where there are sufficient numbers) of a two tier structure in the Saloon class,sayA and B grade as an entry level . I would also consider for spectator appeal handicapping one or more saloon races per night.

[Deleted]

ok - since you buggers are now arguing about this Im going to wade in - first by telling you MY experience with building a car. My FAILED experience and why it failed.

I bought a chassis for about $800, after seeking advice and being told to "scrap it - you cant build a saloon on your budget" - after not even telling people what my budget was, it sat for over a year.

after a while I thought I would give it another go.

I bought an old ford courier chassis so I could salvage the steering and front suspension, since I was new to this whole building a saloon thing I continued to ask for advice and usually got variations on "youre doing it wrong". including "that wont work", "you wont be competitive", "youre wasting your time" and a regular dose of "you cant afford to build it that way"

during this extended bout of foolishness on my part I asked for advice on my ideas, come of which apparently COULD have been darn good. these included 1/4 elliptical leaf springs, independant diff, cantilevered suspension, etc...

I bought a morris commercial diff, a seat... now all gone though... I started getting messages and emails saying i was being stupid. apparently being open and honest is a drawback when you are trying to build something different.

I also said I wanted a straight six - to be supercharged at a later date after the car was built - instead of a v8. Apparently that was my greatest mistake, a six cylinder anything is apparently no match for a v8! I honestly lost count of the personal messages, txts and emails that told me exactly that.

I started with the intention of building a car that was cheapish, different to the rest in looks {as in recognizable as a car} and unique in the way it was built. But instead it got to the point where I went from being very passionate about the class to not wanting a bar of it. I sold everything except the chassis to the scrap man and the chassis got sold for $200 just to get rid of it. - theres the result your input guys, well done. I bet youre all feeling proud.


Now I guess there are reasons for being sheep and following the latest expensive trends - like calling all these overpriced identical door stops cars and saying "they are an improvement on what used to be recognizable brands of car in an immensely popular class" - but guys like blondie are MY inspiration, guys who look at whats going on and say WTF??!! and then prove to others that new ideas - or old ones like mine, incidentally some of the things he has done are the same as I would have done them too, can work better than people expect.

[Super Salooncar Fan]

Dec 19, 2014 15:59:06 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Get off the budget bandwagon.
I would hate to think what some saloons are at cost wise, the same with stocks.
Blondie is saying " let's build a super at budget price under the new rules"
Now his $30k budget may not be everyones cup of tea but it's his budget.

Now im confused being told to get off the Budget Bandwagon .... but wait isnt that the whole message Blondie is getting at, building his Salooncar/Super Salooncar for $30k ?? thats his budget.

[Deleted]

Dec 19, 2014 16:39:42 GMT 12 Super Salooncar Fan said:

Dec 19, 2014 15:59:06 GMT 12 tank11 said:

Get off the budget bandwagon.
I would hate to think what some saloons are at cost wise, the same with stocks.
Blondie is saying " let's build a super at budget price under the new rules"
Now his $30k budget may not be everyones cup of tea but it's his budget.

Now im confused being told to get off the Budget Bandwagon .... but wait isnt that the whole message Blondie is getting at, building his Salooncar/Super Salooncar for $30k ?? thats his budget.

agree with super salooncar fan, thats what this whole thing is about - He's proving - not even trying, just doing it - that you dont need to spend as much as people are saying, you dont need the high cost v8 and you dont need the specialized chassis to race in the top classes.

[TrevG]

Dec 19, 2014 16:15:42 GMT 12 @rhodesta said:

ok - since you buggers are now arguing about this Im going to wade in - first by telling you MY experience with building a car. My FAILED experience and why it failed.

I bought a chassis for about $800, after seeking advice and being told to "scrap it - you cant build a saloon on your budget" - after not even telling people what my budget was, it sat for over a year.

after a while I thought I would give it another go.

I bought an old ford courier chassis so I could salvage the steering and front suspension, since I was new to this whole building a saloon thing I continued to ask for advice and usually got variations on "youre doing it wrong". including "that wont work", "you wont be competitive", "youre wasting your time" and a regular dose of "you cant afford to build it that way"

during this extended bout of foolishness on my part I asked for advice on my ideas, come of which apparently COULD have been darn good. these included 1/4 elliptical leaf springs, independant diff, cantilevered suspension, etc...

I bought a morris commercial diff, a seat... now all gone though... I started getting messages and emails saying i was being stupid. apparently being open and honest is a drawback when you are trying to build something different.

I also said I wanted a straight six - to be supercharged at a later date after the car was built - instead of a v8. Apparently that was my greatest mistake, a six cylinder anything is apparently no match for a v8! I honestly lost count of the personal messages, txts and emails that told me exactly that.

I started with the intention of building a car that was cheapish, different to the rest in looks {as in recognizable as a car} and unique in the way it was built. But instead it got to the point where I went from being very passionate about the class to not wanting a bar of it. I sold everything except the chassis to the scrap man and the chassis got sold for $200 just to get rid of it. - theres the result your input guys, well done. I bet youre all feeling proud.


Now I guess there are reasons for being sheep and following the latest expensive trends - like calling all these overpriced identical door stops cars and saying "they are an improvement on what used to be recognizable brands of car in an immensely popular class" - but guys like blondie are MY inspiration, guys who look at whats going on and say WTF??!! and then prove to others that new ideas - or old ones like mine, incidentally some of the things he has done are the same as I would have done them too, can work better than people expect.

Sorry to hear your project didn't come to be, you obviously were very keen and maybe perhaps if you had crewed for a successful competitor for a season ,or while building your own racecar you would have had the fnecessary knowledge and experience and at the end of the day you would have been able to realize your dream. Never too late to achieve something if that is what you want.

[japsuper]

Rhodesta, if you really wanted to do it you would have. People like Blondie just do it like they want and give it a go, if it doesn't work well that's a learning experience. He doesn't go on forums asking advice on everything and posting photos etc.
I think you will find that most of the budget racers and guys who build their own cars, haven't got time to be keyboard racers, they are just too darn busy actually doing it !!!

[beachboy]

Dec 19, 2014 15:21:13 GMT 12 Super Salooncar Fan said:

Dec 19, 2014 14:43:31 GMT 12 Ramjam said:

Serious question to Woodart, TrevG, Anthony (supersaloonfan I think his handle is) and other staunch super saloon fans, would you rather have a diluted class that's a step or two above what is currently saloons but a step or two below what we now call super saloons as the premier saloon class with bigger field at most tracks that run them, but there will be that something missing that seems to happen in restricted classes

Or

An anything goes type (F1) approach with most tracks struggling to put on a good field and instead putting on 1 or 2 big shows at each track a season as part of travelling shows (BK series type deal) & championship events. These would be big, great meetings, but you either have to travel to see them or only see one or two a year.

For mine, I'd rather the F1 type deal. Although I say that as someone who likes good saloon racing but not a die hard who lives & breathes it. I'm interested to hear the views of those who are diehards.

This is a simple question to answer for me ... exactly what we have now, i love where we are now.

May be a slight change with the saloons to slow them a little and truely make them budget racers. Why do we need 2 budget classes, if he or anyone is truely concerned by the cost then choose a suitable class. I truely dont see what his issue is there is a budget class ?

It's not Blondie who is concerned about his cost's it's the rest that have spent loads on there square wedge Hypermac's that are worried they are going to be beaten by your so called Budget racer. All he's saying is he wanted to try a supercharged RX7 but didn't really want to race it inside a wedged shoe box with some headlight stickers on it like all the rest are even thou the rules allow him to if he wanted to.