Coolest racing engine of all time???

**RichardKCMo** · 02-21-2007

Those coolest motors all seem to be oppossed cyl., i guess history repeats.
By the way Corvairs win most all the sand drags in this area, slightly over 3.5 sec. at the local track.
RichardKCMo

**Mark75H** · 02-22-2007

Brain, lighten up a little ... this is coolness ... by the poster's opinion, not by number of motors made, difficulty of production, number of races won etc.

If we were going to absolutes we could DQ Quincy for using someone else's lower unit instead of their own and DQ the Soriano for not being entered in many races. Neither of those criteria stop them from being amoung the coolest ever made.

**Jeff Lytle** · 02-22-2007

Let's all keep an eye on the race results with this Jarnos engine. Perhaps they do have an edge that no one has perfected yet.

As for Brian's post to Thomas.....I agree with Sam, there must have been a better way to get your point across without coming across like you did. I'm sure there was no harm intended, but Sam and I have been around long enough to see a potential verbal battle flare up over the simplest of comments. Just food for thought.

**corin_huke** · 02-22-2007

I certainly don't want to fan the flames of any fire which is smoldering away at the moment, but may be Thomas can explain why he thinks the Nurmi engine gets his vote

I'm fortunate enough to have seen it first hand and the workmanship is 1st class. And as far as perfomance goes, Jarno was credited with speeds well in excess of 100mph (160 km/h) four may be five years ago - speeds which only today the 250 of Rossi & VRP are now achieving.

There is no two ways about it, the VRP engine is well engineered. In my mind, I always think of Carlo as an engineer, as at the end of the day, that's his background and building racing engines only accounts for a very very small part of his business/work. Giuseppe is a racer and although sometimes his workmanship is a little inferior to Carlo's what he turns out of his workshop is built for racing and sometimes does not look as 'elegant' as the VRP, but boy it does its job well!! I guess going back in years, it was the difference between König engines and those produced by Yamato

And you also have to remember that in this day and age there is "very little that's new under the sun" and that most things are taking someone else's work and improving upon it in whatever way. I know for a fact that both the VRP and Rossi engines were influenced by other racing outboard engines and that Carlo & Giuseppe also take ideas from other forms of 2-stroke racing - karts, bikes, etc

The above having been said, I take my hat off to both Carlo & Giuseppe for building such good racing engines and having the desire to continually improve them. Giuseppe once told me how many years it took to prefect the needles in the carbs on his 250......jeeeze I'd have given up by then and retired to the bar for a large vino!!!

**David Weaver** · 02-22-2007

Originally Posted by corin_huke

I'm fortunate enough to have seen it first hand and the workmanship is 1st class. And as far as perfomance goes, Jarno was credited with speeds well in excess of 100mph (160 km/h) four may be five years ago - speeds which only today the 250 of Rossi & VRP are now achieving.
:

Check your history. Sean McKean set a 250cc kilo record with a Yamato in excess of 100mph many, many year ago. And Chris Hellsten established a 1 2/3 record in the low 90's, many, many years ago (so he was at or close to 100).

I have seen 97mph on the GPS a couple of times with the VRP and I have no doubt that it will go over 100mph. But, if I cannot use it in competition then it does me know good. More and more, this is an acceleration sport...

None of this has to do with the coolest engine though. My personal favorite is the Crescent Super "C". I just thought those enignes rocked in their day....

**corin_huke** · 02-22-2007

David - in Italy last year they had an Italian 250 race at the same time we were there for a European 350 race.

In Italy they have transponder approach to timing with each boat having their own individual transponder firing a signal to a beacon at race control. They happened to use it for top speed also (quite how I don't know) but the 250s were recording speeds of 164, 165 and I think the highest 167 km/h which is way over 100mph

This was on a river course - 750m straights, pin turns, in full race trim

The 250s were considerably quicker than the 350s on both top speed and lap times. The pole sitter in 350 would have qualified 4th or 5th in the 250 race

So you like the Crescent engine do you....like this one?

**David Weaver** · 02-22-2007

Originally Posted by corin_huke

David - in Italy last year they had an Italian 250 race at the same time we were there for a European 350 race.

In Italy they have transponder approach to timing with each boat having their own individual transponder firing a signal to a beacon at race control. They happened to use it for top speed also (quite how I don't know) but the 250s were recording speeds of 164, 165 and I think the highest 167 km/h which is way over 100mph

This was on a river course - 750m straights, pin turns, in full race trim

The 250s were considerably quicker than the 350s on both top speed and lap times. The pole sitter in 350 would have qualified 4th or 5th in the 250 race

So you like the Crescent engine do you....like this one?

Two years ago, while testing for the nationals my GPS read 156 mph. Should I assume it was the prop? Or just an off day for the sattlelites?? No doubt that 250's are very fast. But, in the US they never go over 100 mph in competition.

If they did, big brother my take an interest in the class....

**epugh66** · 02-22-2007

To me, the coolest engine is the one you like the most. For me, it's the old "almost" Yamato 250 of mine. I almost won the nationals, I almost set two records and I almost blew over( I did nose dive and barrel roll, I'd like to have those back) with.

**David Weaver** · 02-23-2007

Originally Posted by epugh66

To me, the coolest engine is the one you like the most. For me, it's the old "almost" Yamato 250 of mine. I almost won the nationals, I almost set two records and I almost blew over( I did nose dive and barrel roll, I'd like to have those back) with.

Eric,

What about our Konig 125's??? I probably had more pure fun racing that vibrating machine than any other!! I still remember being towed in at Constantine with you on the same tow-line. Nothing major to either enigne, "stuff" just fell off during the heat. And we went right back out for the next heat.

My favorite engine and probably the least competitive that I ever owned was a late-model 4-cylinder Konig 250. That engine just ran so smooth, but we bought it too late. We had over 100 heats plus test time on the original crank (only changed 1-piston and 4 rings) before it finally blew-up.

DW