Additional RPM cup for the race-winning TCM Pacer

Cameron Tilley. Photo: Touring Car Masters Facebook
Cameron Tilley’s Valiant Pacer has had its rev limit reduced ahead of the Townsville round of the Gulf Western Oils Touring Car Masters series next week.
Speedcafe.com has obtained the weight and rev log for Round 3 of the season, which shows the #60 car will be subject to a 7500 rpm rev limit.
This is down from the 7,800rpm limit that applied for Round 2 at Sydney Motorsport Park, even before the achievement adjustment for winning Race 3 this weekend was taken into account. account.
With the 100 rpm pass adjustment applied, Tilley’s blue Pacer will be limited to 7,400 rpm in North Queensland.
Success adjustments are entirely non-discretionary changes to which all competitors are subject if they win a series race (i.e. not a trophy race), although the magnitude and type of adjustment vary depending on engine size and specifications.
What’s notable is the additional 300 rpm reduction, which brings the #60 car somewhat back in line with similar vehicles in the field.
Tilley’s Pacer is fitted with a six-litre V8 engine and the car is subject to a minimum weight of 1450 kg.
For comparison, the Whiteline Racing Camaros, one of which was driven to victory by George Miedecke at the first round in Sydney, both have 5.8-litre engines, minimum weights of 1500kg each, and are both limited to 7500 rpm.
The Ian Woodward-owned Chevrolet Camaro that Cameron McConville drives is exactly the same on all three parameters, as is Tony Karanfilovski’s Ford Mustang Trans Am, for example.
The Tilley Pacer, a car popular with fans in part because of its NASCAR-like sound, had therefore been something of an outlier when it came to weight and rev register.
It continues to enjoy a 50kg weight advantage over the aforementioned cars, but is now limited to the same maximum rpm (before the Success Adjustment was applied).
John Bowe, who won two races last time out at SMP in a Holden Torana SL/R 5000, is limited to 7800 rpm once his 200 rpm passing adjustment is applied.
Hit adjustment is covered by Article S16.2 of the TCM Sporting and Technical Regulations (See below for excerpt).
For every one to two series (absolutely) race wins, a car loses 100 rpm up to a point, after which weight is added instead.
These passing adjustments are reversed, on a last-in, first-out basis, when a driver is placed fourth or worse (absolutely) in a series race.
With Miedecke winning the final series race at round one in Sydney, he made a 100rpm adjustment in the Shannons Motorsport Australian Championships event at the same circuit.
Bowe won Race 1 of Round 1 but then finished sixth in Race 3 (noting that the other was canceled due to circuit flooding), before taking victory in Races 1 and 2 of round 2.
Despite being hit with a controversial grid penalty for a tire marking breach, he then charged from 11th to second in the Round 2 Final, and therefore retains the cumulative adjustment of 200 rpm for round 3.
Miedecke, however, was a DNF in Race 3, meaning the 100 rpm setting is cleared for the #85 car.
Meanwhile, the weight and rev log shows Andrew Fisher will be competing with a minimum weight of 1370kg and a rev limit of 8000rpm in the Holden Torana A9X he will drive in Townsville.
The regular V8 Utes-turned-TCM has ditched his usual Falcon ride for the time being due to handling issues that are still being addressed in the XY GTHO after a prang at Bathurst last year.
Tilley has also changed something to get a feel for in North Queensland next week, given the Pacer had a six-cylinder engine under the hood when it last ran there, in 2018.
TCM has a busy Friday in Townsville next week (July 8) when practice, qualifying and the trophy race will all take place.
Three other races will follow on Saturday and Sunday.
Achievement Adjustments