Some racers actually preferred the splasher engines- - - -they claimed a solid, non-drilled crankshaft was stronger, and a properly set up splash engine doesn't have oiling problems. The idea that splash oiler engines are fragile belongs in the same category as the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and honest politicians- - - -they don't exist!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!