Silence!

The RAC have extended the mandatory silencing of exhaust systems for racing cars still further this season. Last year six categories were affected, and a further six are to be drawn within the net for 1979, leaving only international formulae outside the web.

The largest outcry has come from the requirement to silence Super Saloon cars. By their very nature these machines carry all kinds of exotic power-plants, as we on Motor Sport discovered when track testing a Volkswagen propelled by an elderly Cosworth DFV 3-litre some two years ago.

It does seem a shame to lose such an inherent part of racing, but when one considers how close some venues have come to closure over noise requirements, it is not a surprising measure.

The exempt categories are: Formula 1-3 single-seater; Atlantic and International Group 1½ (though it is not an FIA formula); Group 2 saloons; Group 5 “silhouette” cars; Group 6 sports cars and recognised historic cars complying with past or present FIA regulations. The level required is 85 dBA at 16 metres, or 115 dBA at 0.5 metres.