Race Cars and Motorsports

It certainly does look GREAT --- and I can't wait to see it in person!

Phil, it came out great! not too many appreciate the work and $ involved in a body project,and that's just a part of
the whole process ! good luck racing this year.

Dave Craddock

the lights are not real...they look real, but are photos of the original RV8 lights and printed on vinly and glued to aluminum plate or fibreglass molds of the originals

original RV8 lites are unobtainable and would be wasted in racing accidents


the rear tail lites and running lights are even more trick. tail lites are fibreglass molds and copies of the original RV8 tail lites - were photographed and printed on vinyl and "wrapped" onto the fibreglass molds

The SCCA GT2 RV 8 project car arrived back in KC safely & unscathed from the tow to and fro the Indy British V8 2010 event. This was the second outing for the nearly completed project. (A test day in Omaha at MAM) was just last month.

SCCA racer Robert Maupins reports that the event was all and much more than he ever expected. Many of the world's finest British V8's were on display. The engineers on hand and the engineering displayed was extraordinary, Robert reports.

I do regret not being on hand for the event. SCCA duties in the form of an unexpected funeral for a passed SCCA racer and great SCCA character took precedence.

Three people have been the core of the team contributing to the SCCA GT2 RV 8 project. (So many others have been instrumental in the steady progress of the, now, 2 + year-project.)

Many of you have now met Robert Maupins at the Indy British V8 2010 event. Thank you all for the hearty welcome of Robert Maupins at the Indy Brit V8 2010.

Clancy Schmidt, a very well-known SCCA'er and Brit car builder and fabricator and Number One of our three RV8 GT2 project core team members also was unable to attend due to the unexpected funeral.

So below, I present a snapshot of Clancy Schmidt in his garage with the SCCA GT2 RV 8.

Hi Philip.

I didn't arrive 'til Friday afternoon. So sorry I missed seeing your work of art. She's a beauty!

Racers,

Here is an illustrative snapshot of some of the inner workings of the SCCA GT2 RV 8.

keep them on the track,

phillip g

Phillip, it was great to see the car in person so to speak. Robert did seem to have a good time, kept talking about building a V6 powered MGB for himself. Sorry you couldn't make it, but know that your efforts were appreciated by all. See you in August at the vintage races for sure.

I've just been looking over my snapshots of the RV8 racecar from the meet... AWESOME!!! Some really outstanding craftsmanship! I know the car will need a lot of development and shakedown before it's ready to race, but its already extremely impressive. Can't wait to see it race! FINALLY, an MG will race in one of SCCA's "GT" classes (instead of a "Production" class) and one of history's great wrongs will be righted.

Here are a couple favorites:


Robert Maupins Presents Phil Leonard's New MG RV8 Race Car

(I had a really great time getting to know Robert too... although Bill, I didn't hear him say anything about a V6 project. I heard "V8" several times though! How many V8/V6 MG's did he ride-in or drive during the meet? At least four or five, I think.)















So, who is ready for THIS upcoming "how it was done" article?

I was assuming a V6 car as Robert was saying he'd made a deal with Bill Davidson who's also from KC and built the engine in Leonard's car to buy a V6 type T5 that he had extra. Bill's planning on using a V8 style T5 in his V6 converted MGB GT which is getting pretty close to completion. Give us a year or so and we should have at least 4 V6 cars in KC along with a couple of V8s also in the area.

i"m really sorry I missed seeing this car in person. I'd have given $20 just to sit in it for 5 minutes! ;)

MG racer fans,

Here is another illustrative photo of the inner workings of the GT2 RV8

Racers,

Here (below) is a Youtube URL for our testing of the SCCA GT2 MG RV8 at Mid America Motorsports race track on June 11, 2010.

Do take note of the tricky handling in the early sequence of our first test. Many modifications and development of the suspension and brakes are obviously needed. Note, too, that we were NOT using the wing at this first test day - which will greatly influence handling and braking. So, much development is needed before the first race entry, but the "MG GT2" (RV8) will have some top end speed, only to be enhanced with much stronger 3.5 Rover engines sometime in the future.

Much was learned in the several hours of lap time at the MAM race track.

keep thm on the track

phillip g



[www.youtube.com]

Phillip's car got it's first inspection and race sticker on the roll bar this past weekend at Heartland Park. Here's a shot of car builder Clancy Schmidt attaching the sticker, first of many we hope.
Still undergoing a lot of development work for now, but the car ran pretty well after we sorted out some shifter issues.

Racers,

Here are snapshots of the SCCA GT2 RV8 after the very first laps of racing at Heartland Park Topeka. All went well. Nothing fell off and we diagnosed several problem areas that will need correcting.

keep them on the track

phillip g

Good news for MG V8 racers,

News from the SCCA - the .38 mm SIR (Single Inlet Restrictor) requirement on the MGB GT V8 and the Rover MG RV8 competing in the GT2 class has been rescinded as of October 1, 2010 and the new induction requirement - now - allows a restrictor plate as specified below.

This change makes for a major change in the build restrictions on the Rover 3.5 V8 for the MG V8's in the SCCA GT2 class.

Hopefully, other MG V8 racers will adapt to this new SCCA induction allowance and choose to modify their V8 MGs for competition in the Big Bore SCCA Regional and National races.

Check out the new ruling in the SCCA FasTrack memo for October 2010 !

keep them on the track,

phillip g


SCCA FasTrack
October 2010

Grand Touring
GT2
1. #2356 (Phillip Leonard) Allow alternate induction on MGB GT V8 & RV8
In 9.1.2, GT2, Engines, BLMI, add to Notes: “Alternate induction: Holley P/N 0-80507-1 (390 CFM) on unrestricted manifold
with a mandatory plate between the carburetor and plenum of 0.060” flat steel or aluminum plate with four (4) 1 1/16” holes.
Spacer is unrestricted. The restrictor plate shall be positioned within 4” of the throttle butterflies. All inducted air shall pass
through the specified restrictor plate.”