If you've joined the forum recently and are in the process of building, you might like to register your cyclekart number in this thread.
At some stage we might introduce a chassis number register. But for now, its racing numbers and the stories behind them. Have a look at the first post in this topic and you'll see the format needed. To register just reply here and I'll add you. Thanks
Stephan, might I make the suggestion that as the Club is turning into a more organised and formal organisation on 5th March, that the chassis number registration is adopted sooner rather than later.
The reason for the request is that there are some issues that I see with the present car numbering arrangement.
Firstly, as has already been mentioned in this thread, some of the prototype cars never carried numbers.
Secondly as has also been mentioned, if inspirational cars are followed they often had numbers that have already been taken, and therefore you lose some of the connection between kart and original, and this is already happening with only around 20 karts registering.
Finally there will hopefully soon come a time when only numbers in the 100’s are available, and this is unusual to see on the cars we are trying to emulate.
If the purpose of the numbering is just to keep track of the number of cyclekarts it seems a pity to take away some of the connection to inspirational cars when a chassis numbering register would fulfil that objective, particularly when under the present system only about half of the numbers are actually running.
I can't see duplicate cyclekart numbers posing a difficulty, it doesn't seem to have held Carlos back from organising world wide statistics, even though there are many duplications.
The only downside I can see is with identifying electronic timing such as that which I saw in use at Castle Coombe, but I can't see this as being an insurmountable problem.
For all sorts of reasons, such as insurance, publicity, scrutineering, Club organisation etc. it would seem to me that chassis registration by the Club is a better route, and that numbers issued only to rolling chassis, or maybe completed cars, evidenced by photos, is the future, and that the sooner it becomes adopted the easier it will be to implement. This way there should always be an accurate record of the number of running cyclekarts in the Club, and if necessary, that they have been ‘looked at' to deem them fit to participate in events. Again, it's better to give grandfather rights to cyclekarts that have proved themselves when numbers are small.
And lest you think this post has been brought about by my inability to find an appropriate number
you would be wrong, the fact that Chris Loader and I are both building the same cars is not likely to find us fighting behind the pits over the no1, it's something that was dealt with very simply by the Works team, - the simple addition of a, b, or c, on the tail!
Peter
