Racing noises
Sir,
Did you enjoy the noise of the Grand Prix, the nostalgia brought back by the sight and sound of the historic car race? All soon to be a thing of the Past if the RAC and certain circuit owners get their way.
As an enthusiast and competitor I utterly reject the silencing of racing cars; to me the noise is part of the spectacle. It’s like telling everybody who goes to the Cup Final at Wembley they can watch, but must not make a sound. A few years ago I witnessed a demonstration of the V 16 BRM. What sheer music! For yourselves, who must have witnessed these cars in anger, the Pre-war Mercedes and Auto-Unions and the like, noise is part of the motor racing heritage. Am I, and generations to come, going to be denied this Pleasure of a silent Grand Prix, the spectacle of two 2,000 b.h.p. Funny cars, car shattering, ground shaking their way down those hectic 440 Yards. in drag racing? Already our friends in the motor cycling world have started to succumb. They need our support and we need theirs.
From world champion to the humblest competitor we must all stick together, because once they have got silencers on even the lowest class, we have had it!
With the repercussions of President Carter’s Energy Bill still to reach us, never has Motorsport (two and four wheel) been under such Long-term pressure. If we don’t all get together and bc. clear cut in what we want, we will be ‘screwed up” just as our private motoring has been. If silencing does come will we have unlimited numbers of meetings at Castle Combe, Thruxton etc. (so generously allowed five and twelve meetings a year), the re-opening of Crystal Palace or night racing? No! The “professional moaners” will still be at our door.
Canterbury MR. T. R. HUDSON
P.S. Just heard that the BRSCC organised Debenhams Escorts and Renault 5s championships will have to have the mandatory silencers for 1978. If these are classed as noisy, well!!
* * *
Sir,
Comments in the April and July issues of Motor Sport about the possibility of noise restrictions for racing cars have prompted me to write. I find certain engines offend my ears while other engines not necessarily any quieter are inoffensive. You may think me a little nuts but it would suit my ears to ban all 2, 4 & 8 cylinder engines and allow only 6, 12, 16 or 24 cylinder engines to be built.
I wouldn’t complain of any noise if there were 24 12 cylinder cars in a Formula One field. Would anyone else?
One final thought. How about a field of V16 BRMs? Of course it would be a short race but what a wonderful noise!
You may also be interested to hear that the entire French Formula One race was shown on television on July 3rd. Having Mr. Andretti in Formula One has benefited all F1 supporters here because each time he wins we get to see the entire race.
Melrose, Mass., USA GRAHAM YATES
Sir,
As a Production Sports Car competitor I consider all racing “Production Cars” should be silenced as for the road.
Although a noisy car seems faster and in some ways more exciting, an unsilenced car sounds too much like a racing car to make the “production” tag seem realistic.
Furthermore the advantage to the racing image in the eyes of circuit neighbours would outweigh the modest loss of performance which the cars would suffer.
Somerton, Somerset PETER TAYLOR
(Silencing of production cars is planned for next season. -Ed.)