Source: Gerald Laurie
Date: 02/29/2008

The Supermodified Racing Association has a brand new two car team for 2008. James Belfiore, who has built and owned Supermodifieds on both coasts for many years, is planning to run cars for both the SMRA Title and for the International Super Modified Association Crown.

Belfiore has put together a new fabrication facility (Belfab) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Complex. He currently has three brand new chassis under construction. He also owns another Belfiore chassis that has remained in New England with his established team to contest the ISMA Series with his son Justin Belfiore in the cockpit. The first two new cars will be driven exclusively in SMRA races by Justin Belfiore and SMRA veteran Jim Birges.

The new cars are a bit different than most existing chasses in the SMRA. Both cars feature torsion bar rear suspension for easier adjustability of spring rates and control of roll centers. The front suspension will use coil over springs, similar to most of the competition. Front wing set up is similar to nose wings on Formula One cars with the wing suspended below and a bit forward of the nose piece.

The Birges piloted machine will be powered by a Ken Coventry built 410 cubic inch aluminum small block Chevrolet with a race ready target weight of 1900 pounds. Birges and crew will maintain the car in Jim’s Fresno, California, race shop. Birges and Belfiore plan to run the entire SMRA Schedule and compete for the 2008 championship.

Justin Belfiore’s car will be powered by a Rex Hutchinson built 480 cubic inch aluminum big block Chevrolet. SMRA rules require that a car with this displacement weigh 2000 lbs with fuel and driver. This car will be kept in the Las Vegas shop and maintained by Jim Belfiore and son Jamey who is the chief fabricator for Belfab. Justin Belfiore will run all the SMRA races that do not conflict with ISMA dates. Justin’s priority will be to compete for the ISMA championship. This team has a lofty goal of possibly winning individual titles on both coasts with Birges and Belfiore.

Most West Coast Supermodifieds run with the engine tilted at thirty plus degrees to the left in order to get more left side weight. Jim Belfiore originally designed the new cars with a fifteen degree tilt to the engine to get the crankshaft lower in the chassis. However, since both engines were built by West Coast builders who favor a thirty two degree tilt, Jim went back to the drawing board and was able to modify the design to utilize the thirty two degree engine tilt. After much consternation and considerable work, he was able to accomplish the change without adversely affecting the roll center of the new chassis. At a luncheon meeting in Fresno last week, Jim showed us several autocad drawings of the new design and explained many of the features of the new cars. With the fabrication shop based at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Bullring facility (3/8 mile banked oval) is available at virtually any time for testing to get the baseline set ups correct. Belfiore told us he is planning to have both cars ready for testing in late March. He picked up the big block engine and a mock up of the small block (Coventry is still assembling the actual power plant) while in Fresno along with some other pieces and parts supplied by Birges for the two cars.

Belfiore is also planning to build new cars for any customers wishing to enter Supermodified Racing or upgrade from their current racers. He has built jigs to fabricate the chasses and, in fact, has the materials on hand for a third car and plans to start assembly this week. The first chassis is 70 percent completed and the second is nearing 40 percent completion. The third car will likely be a customer car as he has received inquiries from several existing SMRA Teams. Belfiore says he can build a new frame rather quickly once the two new prototypes are completed. It will be interesting to see how the cars compete with the established Hyder and Silsby units that are out there. Most of the West Coast cars are several years to over a decade old. Only two new cars have been built recently. The newest are Tom Silsby’s 2007 creation and Steve Kent’s 2006 Hyder clone.

The first scheduled race for the team will be the SMRA Season Opener at Madera Speedway in Central California on April 5, 2008. This event will be preceded by tests at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and scheduled practices in March at Madera Speedway.

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