Legends car racing
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Legends car racing is a style of race car, designed primarily to promote exciting racing and to keep costs down. The bodyshells are 5/8-scale replicas of American automobiles from the 1930s and 1940s, powered by a Yamaha motorcycle engine. The rule book committee for Legend car racing is called INEX, which stands for "INEX"pensive.
The cars all run to the same specification, with the only variable (in theory) being the body style. They also have a lot more power than grip, which ensures exciting racing.
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[edit] History
In 1992, Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) officials noticed a need for lower cost racing cars with little maintenance time and cost. They found such a car existed, in the guise of the motorcycle-engined Dwarf Car, a 5/8-scale, steel-bodied & fenderless '35 Ford coupe, which was being manufactured by the Dwarf Car Company in Phoenix, AZ. As the coupe concept wasn't exactly in line in what they were looking for and deeming steel replacement bodywork too costly, they adapted the Dwarf Car concept to fit their needs, creating cars resembling those of the 30s and 40s which competed in the early NASCAR Modified Tour races. To this day, the primary difference between the two cars is the Legends have fenders over the tires, whereas the Dwarfs have no fenders. The first Legend car was unveiled in April 1992 at Lowe's by track President and General Manager Humpy Wheeler and road racer Elliott Forbes-Robinson. Legends Cars are produced by 600 Racing, Inc. in Harrisburg, North Carolina. They are the largest mass producer of race cars in the world.[1]
[edit] Legend car racing around the world
Although the cars originated from the USA, other countries including Canada, England and Scotland also host championships. Each November, the World finals are held in the USA.
[edit] USA
Drivers can be classified into four different divisions. The Pro Division is for the experienced drivers. The Masters Division features drivers 40 years and older. The Semi-Pro Division is the novice class, featuring the drivers that are new to the sport or have been inactive in other forms of racing for a while. Finally, there is the Young Lions Division, which is designated for drivers between the ages of 12 and 16.
Famous graduated Legends Car drivers include Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch.
[edit] UK and Ireland
Running since the late 1990s, Legends Racing UK visit tracks all over the British Isles, and ran a 15 round championship, however they did not visit Scotland this year.
3 races are held – 2 heats and a final – at a round of the championship, the heats lasting between 7 and 12 laps depending on the circuit, with the final a few laps longer. The grid for race 1 is drawn by lots, with the reverse for Heat 2, and in the final the grid is formed by the reverse of the drivers points in the previous two races – meaning the most successful driver will start at the back.[2] In each race however, all rookies start at the back of the grid.
Historically, Legends racers from the UK have performed well at the world finals, winning Semi-pro and masters divisions.
[edit] Scotland
Brought to Scotland by Aly Hunter, and with only 6 cars taking to the grid in April 2000 at Knockhill, it is now the norm to find around 20 cars taking part, with 25 competing in the support races at the 2007 BTCC meeting. 2007 saw all of the races took place at Knockhill, but the series has organised “away” rounds at Croft and Anglesey in recent years. The series observes the same race format rules as the UK Legends, however the races are 8 and 10 laps long for the heats and final respectively.
Legends are available for race or track hire at Knockhill.[3][4]
[edit] Northern Europe
Legends Cars Baltic racing run a Baltic championship, comprising mostly of Finns and Estonians.
[edit] Central Europe
Legends have been raced in France since 2004.[5] and have supported the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours; also in Belgium and Spain[6].
[edit] Mexico
A Legends racing series has been announced in Mexico for 2009, consolidating a true ladder system for the NASCAR Corona Series. The series will be open for drivers 12 years and older, and is marketed as being the step before the NASCAR Mexico T4 Series.
[edit] Australia
For a number of years Legends raced on Australian oval tracks, surviving as a minor category, as the popularity of oval track racing "down under" is not what it is in the United States. Phil Ward, a former Touring car racer, recognized the potential for this type of economical racer, and developed the Aussie Racing Car, with a focus on road racing. The Aussie Racing Cars retain the same Yamaha motorcycle engines, but primarily feature the modern body styles of Australian makes, such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. The category has visited many of the major events across Australia including the Clipsal 500, ING Australian Grand Prix, Gold Coast's Super GP and Sydney's brand new street race, Sydney 400. The addition of the modern style bodywork has paid a dividend, lending high speed stability as straightaway speeds can approach 130 mph on some of these circuits. Over the past few seasons Aussie Racing Cars has become one of the most recognizable of all the categories racing at a national level, and the growing success has been hailed as one of Australian motorsport’s major success stories, with over 40 cars competing at each event.
[edit] Car specifications
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- Wheelbase: 73.00 in (1,854 mm)
- Overall Width: 60.00 in (1,524 mm)
- Overall Length: 10 ft 6 in (3,200 mm)
- Height: 46 in (1,168 mm)
- Engine: Yamaha 1250cc (sealed)
- Horsepower: 122 hp (91 kW)
- Weight: 1,300 lb (590 kg). with driver
- Tires: 205/60R13 BF Goodrich Tires Comp TA HR4
- Wheels: Width: 7" / Diameter: 13"
- Suspension: Coil Over with Bilstein Shocks
- Frame: Full Tubeframe with Integral Rollcage
- Harness: FIA approved Five-Point
The cars have very tight specifications to ensure cars are quite similar with each other. All cars utilize the same parts, engine and tires. The only variable (in theory) is the body style.
[edit] Available body styles
- 1934 Chevrolet Coupe
- 1934 Ford Sedan
- 1934 Ford Coupe
- 1937 Chevrolet Sedan
- 1937 Dodge Coupe
- 1937 Ford Sedan
- 1937 Ford Coupe
- 1937 Chevrolet Coupe
- 1937 Dodge Sedan
- 1940 Ford Coupe
