May Minutes

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cendiv37
Posts: 386
Joined: June 25th, 2006, 7:29 pm

May Minutes

Post by cendiv37 »

The FV Ad Hoc Committee met May 6, 2015


Members attending: John Petillo, Steve Davis, Alex Bertolucci, Bruce Livermore, Dietmar Bauerle
Guests: Bill Johnson, Fred Clark


Item 1 - Forged Pistons:

Due to continuing parts supply concerns, the possible sourcing and future legalization of forged pistons has been discussed often by the FV Ad Hoc Committee over the past few years. Although we have received information from and about several potential sources of forged or billet machined pistons, at this point, no decision has been made to pursue obtaining them or to change the rules to allow them. It has been brought to our attention that some engine builders may be offering forged or billet pistons to their customers. The committee believes that the use of these pistons is a clear violation of the current rules.

GCR rule 9.1.1.C.5.C.4.a currently reads:
Piston material shall be cast aluminum with steel inserts.

It is the consensus of the committee that, while it would be far easier, obtaining a source for pistons alone (without cylinders) is not adequate to sustain the class long term. The committee is therefore continuing its efforts to obtain a supply of complete piston/cylinder sets (from AA in China) that will meet the needs of the class going forward. It was also noted in passing that cast pistons (alone) are in fact still available direct from K&S but a group purchase for any of these has not been negotiated amongst the FV engine builders and parts suppliers. This was the method used to obtain complete K&S piston and cylinder sets in the recent past.

Item 2 – Promotional Video Status Update:

Work on the FV promotional video is underway. A film crew worked at Buttonwillow over the May 1-3 weekend documenting a “typical weekend at the track” from the perspective of an FV racer. Filming was done on and off track, from in car and out and also included extensive interview sessions. Aside from the action, filming captured how FV can be affordable, can be managed with moderate mechanical skills, the family aspects and camaraderie, as well as other aspects of FV. The film crew was said to be very happy with the results so far and was treated extremely well by all concerned. Special thanks need to be passed along to the SCCA and Buttonwillow staff at the event that went out of their way to make this work. Efforts are also underway to collect historical FV footage to use in the final product. The committee members also discussed what additional video might be best to include if more is needed. The consensus was that it should emphasize the low cost and community aspects of the class. It is hoped that a first draft will be complete by the end of June.

Information on the project is available at:
http://formulaveeracing.org/news-and-ev ... onal-film/

This project is being done on a shoestring budget and additional donations are encouraged.
Donations can be made at: http://formulavee.us/Donate.htm
or by mail to: Stevan Davis, 934 Holloway Rd, Danielsville, GA 30633

Item 3 – New FV “Interchange” Forum:

The FV Interchange Forum has been successfully moved to a new server and is under “new management”. Transfer of the FormulaVee.org URL is proving difficult but efforts continue. All but the 2 most recent threads at the old location have been brought to the new server and most of the ‘issues’ that plagued the forum in recent years have been resolved. The committee encourages everyone to visit and post on the fully functional forum at its current URL: http://www.formcarregistry.com/interchange/index.php
Special thanks to Steve Davis for all his work to make this happen.

Item 4 – FV single class race at Summit Point:

A single class race for FV is in the works for the August 1-2 weekend at Summit Point as part of a “Formula Fest” planned for that weekend. There are expected to be 3 open wheel groups with DUFFUS and FV being 2 of them. We will provide further information as soon as it is available. This event is a TEST, and FV needs to support it to have any hope of similar events in the future.

Special thanks to Bill Johnson for joining us for this meeting.

No other items were presented or discussed at the meeting.

Note: It was learned after the meeting that there will also be single class racing for FV at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park on May 29 and 30. Further information will be posted here on the Interchange.
Bruce
cendiv37
sharplikestump
Posts: 183
Joined: January 12th, 2009, 2:28 pm

Re: May Minutes

Post by sharplikestump »

"The committee is therefore continuing its efforts to obtain a supply of complete piston/cylinder sets (from AA in China) that will meet the needs of the class going forward".
I don't get it. I keep hearing this, over and over, making we wonder what the objective is. How about making one phone call? Just as I did last week. That is all it would take. The sets are here now, stateside, complete, including pistons, cylinders, pins, rings, and circlips. I was told that there were eighty one (81) sets on the shelf with seventy two (72) additional sets on order. These are the late style (18 full fins, wide base, 90mm diameter, suited for the late style case). Yes, they have the 2.0mm ring groove........big deal. We use spacers to fill the 2.5mm grooves, just adjust your spacers. Price? Less than you will pay for four (4) forged pistons.
Actually, that number is now seventy one (71) sets.......I bought ten (10).
Mike Palermo Jr.
Peak Performance Racing
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