BIC 6's a Possibility at Lake Geneva in 2003! By Dave Kamholtz

November 5, 2002; Lake Geneva, WI. - While still in its infancy, Lake Geneva Raceway has begun to examine the possibility of adding a new division to its Friday night program. The new division will be similar in nature to the current Basic International Car (BIC) division, but allow drivers more creativity and opportunity to expand their engineering skills by upscaling to a six-cylinder car. The division will be officially known as the Basic International Car Altered Stock Six-Cylinder Division, but will commonly be called the "BIC - 6 Division."

Currently, Lake Geneva Raceway has in place a four-cylinder division known as the BIC division in which the rules and regulations are very strict as to what changes may be made to the vehicle to make it suitable for racing. The tire size, spring rates, and suspension modifications are limited to those available as manufactured and delivered from the factory. The new class will allow for greater degrees of modification and adjustment as well as raising the bar for racecraft.

"This will be the next logical step in the growth and development of the BIC (Basic International Car) division," says leading proponent and Lake Geneva Raceway announcer Dave Kamholtz. "It will allow the better drivers a chance to fine tune their racecraft skills and lay a good foundation for their future as racing drivers. This could turn into the best stepping stone for a driver looking to move into a Super Stock or Sportsman [style of car]."

The new division will allow a five or six cylinder, non-turbocharged, non-supercharged car with only the single overhead valve or single overhead camshaft being legal. This will limit the dollar value placed on the car and still be readily available to the racer. The wheelbase will also be limited, but at this time the final specification has not been decided. Allowable adjustments will range from vaiours tire profiles and widths to obtain stagger, but will also allow for ground effects package and "Indy Car" spoilers that do not exceed the height of the roof. Spring rate changes will also be allowed in an attempt to allow the racers to gain valuable knowledge to the inner workings of a race car.

"It is not our wish to end up with an entire field of one brand of car and by going with a limited engine program, this will curtail a number of cars such as the Ford Taurus SHO and the Chevy Lumina Z-34. These cars would produce too much of a horsepower/torque vs. weight ratio and would not, in our eyes, be suitable at this time," Kamholtz added.

In addition, drivers will be required to contact Lake Geneva Raceway for a number as no duplicate, letter suffixes, or four digit numbers will be allowed. As well, all cars must utilize a number that begins with a "6" (such as 601, 691, 634, etc.). When this is combined with the unique spoiler rule and allowable ground effects, these new cars should be sufficiently differentiated from the current four-cylinder division.

Drivers interested in this new division, should contact Kamholtz via telephone at 262.279.7885 or e-mail at dakamholtz@yahoo.com as soon as possible so plans may be furthered along. Drivers can also contact the Lake Geneva Raceway office during normal business hours at 262.248.8566.