"Rotax max lap recorder over 1 second a lap faster than Formula Blue at 3 Sisters. At a recent Clay Pigeon Club meeting the Rotax Max fastest lap times were about 3/4 second a lap faster than Formula Blue."
As always, there is some truth in this but also some misdirection.
A Formula Blue engine is 'equalised' by a restrictor, so that it is in effect always running in the same class as a 177. (It's one of the attractions of the class that the racing isn't so stratified, so that regardless of age or weight one is always racing against everyone in the class on driver ability)
The engines also perform to completely different power curves, the Lynx has a venturi carb and the Rotax has a power valve carb.
Lastly the tyres have completely different performance characteristics. Typically one notices that drivers who have switched from one class to the other have rarely done as well in the new class as they did in the old until they have learned the different techniques applicable to the class.
Mixing the classes probably cannot be done as a unified grid. I regularly drove in a mixed grid with TKMs and even when given a 300 yard start, would often be amongst the TKM pack at the end of the race. But the two classes were scored as separate events, which lead to some complaints that both sets of championships could be ruined by someone who had no involvement; eg: a Blue blocking a TKM and vice versa.
It probably would be more effort than one could spend to try and equalise all those different engines too.
Of course, if you got a driver who removed the Blue restrictor and used the same tyres, you might get a very much closer performance between say Rotax and Lynx, but then would there be much point?
As far as driving is concerned, you need the same level of skill to get a Blue round the track to lap record times as you do for a Max. Just as having better drivers in a class will also improve the laptimes for a class.
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2 Stroke Engines.. by 'Roberto982' (09 Jun 2009 @ 0:34)
