Quote:
Originally Posted by flat broke
Those of us lucky enough to have a good Kent motor are having a blast. This year we had close to 250 cars at Road America for the 40th reunion. Over 85 cars on the (club ford) grid. My local series (Ontario Formula Ford Challenge) had another strong season despite the economic doom and gloom. A healthy mix of experienced drivers and young hard chargers. Both Conor Daily and Josef Newgarden ran the same series last year.
Most of us became aware of the Honda proposal at the 40th. The conversion was professional and many of the top drivers ran the car throughout the weekend. As far as I am aware, it was initiated by folks within the Honda performance division. Other than the perpetual grumbling about the supply of Kent blocks, I don't believe it was a response to a request to find an alternative from racers or the SCCA.
Any such proposal (and offer of future support) has to be given serious consideration. South of the border, Formula Ford has trouble attracting new (young) blood and having a old pushrod, non EFI lump in the back seems to be part of the image problem. Cost of building a reliable Kent motor is another.
|
As far as I am aware the kent engine in the states is a distant cousin to a UK kent engine: Ally head, light flywheel etc. If those mods dont make the engine reliable, what chance have we with flywheels from a WWII Sherman tank and heads heavier and older than the ones from Easter Island?
