HPV Changes
As many of you know, the HPV is now imported and sold through Lynn Haddock rather than Horstman. The only substantial changes are to the clutch and name. At CHMS, we will allow either old or new clutch within guidelines.
The engine has been renamed the KOMET Piston Valve. This really doesn't affect us more than a new name for the class.
The clutch will now be a similar style to the Leopard clutch. This allows lower maintenance and no adjustment of stall speed.
For CHMS Points Racing in 2010, we will allow either old or new clutch. Tech will involve testing stall speed while driving over a block, similar to the WKA test in years past. While the specific RPM required has not been determined, we will do testing during early spring to ensure no advantage by using the old style.
Oiling the clutch for the start will no longer be an acceptable practice, and testing will be regularly done on the grid prior to races. Allowing the old clutch should be used to save the racer money, not to circumvent the intent of the rules.
As always, feel free to add a comment below, or email your thoughts.
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Submitted by Andy on January 24, 2010 - 3:35pm
Comments
HPV Changes
Good to see you will be allwoing both cluthes. At least until you can determine if there truely is a difference. Um, I always thought oiling the clutch for the start was never an acceptable practice. Perhaps its good you will be testing then.
HPV clutch test
Oiling became something that was not really discouraged when WKA quit using the bump test. The test currently is just to roll one full tire rotation forward without exceeding the specific RPM. You can do that with a lean carb and a careful foot even with oil on the clutch.
If you've been to nationals in the past couple years HPV's have as much smoke from the clutch as the pipe when leaving the pits. That's why.
The 'roll over the bump' test will make things more equal, and save some $$.
Andy
komet clutch test
Andy,
The new komet clutch will not be a performance advantage over the old HPV clutch.With testing that we already have done, the new clutch will stall at 4000 RPM. If the bump test is implemented, that will probably increase a couple hundred RPMs, along with the same increase in RPM for the old clutch. If you simply check that the clutch has not been oiled before heat race,that is all you can hope to accomplish for equality.Maybe send them around the track for 2 laps to burn off any oil? I dont see how both clutches can be tested the same way. The new Komet clutch will diffenetly be a money saver in the racers budget, but not necc. a performance enhancement. This will change the way some racers perform, this will change driving styles somewhat? All WKA racers will have to run the new clutch by April 2010, the 2nd Man cup race, so Concept Haulers Racers will have an advantage over racers that use new Komet clutch.
Thanks,
Steve Jacobsen
HPV clutch test
Thanks for sharing your experience Steve.
I figure the bump test will help find the oil. Testing both style clutches this way should provide VERY similar performance on track. The most I think we can do is make them fairly even, and allow the racer to switch based on his own needs, not ours.
The whole process might need some tweaking, but I'm sure we'll be able to find the right balance.