Not only are Corvairs showcased at the CORSA International Convention but so also are certain Corvair parts. For example, the Valve Cover Races, where ingenious individuals convert a cylinder head valve cover into a race car to compete for the championship of a 24-foot long track. The Valve Cover Races are scheduled for Friday, July 27 during the upcoming Pittsburgh Convention. What Fun!!
Now's the time to start building a racer. This is an activity for the whole family - a family bonding opportunity. Build a racer with your spouse, daughter or son; build one that will leave the competition eating your dust (you will have to provide the dust yourself)! Valve cover racers are marvelously varied in their design - let your imagination go free. A few rules are needed to keep the playing field level, even if the race track is not, so here are the rules as they pertain to racer construction (in a more humorous light).
1. The racer must use a Corvair valve cover in its construction. To stay within the spirit of the event, the majority of the cover should be used (thus, to say you are only using the bolt holes would seem to be stretching the rules).
2. Only warp-drive powered vehicles allowed! Yes, you must use a warp in space-time (AKA gravity) to move your racer - none of those more primitive drives such as motors, springs, magnets, jet-propulsion, flux-capacitor, etc. are allowed.
3. The maximum weight is 4.5 pounds. There is no minimum weight, so theoretically, your racer could weigh nothing, but that could be a disadvantage in a gravity-powered competition, unless you're hoping it might float across the finish line.
4. The racer can be at most 16" long and 8" wide, including wheels. However, there is no minimum length nor maximum height limit; so maybe yours could be the first racer to use a valve cover mounted in the vertical orientation?
5. No part of the racer can hang over the 3" high start gate. Surely we all agree that a racer with a 24 foot long nose cone would have an unfair advantage.
6. The blue, quasi-Loadside racer shown here is mine. Looks nice, ran horribly. So if the intent is to win, don't build yours like this one.
Want to know more? Click here to get the official valve cover racing guidelines. Not a member of CORSA? Please consider joining, and click this link to find more about CORSA membership.
The 2018 CORSA convention in Pittsburgh, July 23 – 28, is hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Corvair Club. Visit the WPCC Convention web page for hotel reservations, event scheduling and other convention information. Anyone can attend the Convention and register at the host hotel. Beginning in April, CORSA Members can also preregister for events, vender space, the banquet, etc. from the CORSA Convention web page.
Steve Spilatro
CORSA Social Media Coordinator
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