Ruapuna last Sunday was less tham memorable results wise, but we finished the day with the car intact, more as a result of good luck than good management.
During the week I had fitted softer pads and I had hoped to be able to sneak out before our practice session and bed them in. We had got out to the track super early but no such luck! So I was out there in our practice session carrying out the gentle bedding in process and some pilot in a WRX tried a kamikaze overtaking move, hit my front and sent us both spinning off. Jeez, it was an untimed practice session, WTF! Never mind, no damage to my car, but he's got a door and a sill to fix on his.
Qualifying was uneventful, the track was slippery all day and times were off by about two to three seconds. I got out-qualified by exactly one second by a Commodore V8 Touring Car and that little RX7 Batman (the white one in the Dec pics) also slipped in between us. Not sure how a late model V8 Touring Car gets to race in Classics? So I was on grid 3 for the Scratch Race.
On the warm up lap I noticed the throttle cable was sticking slightly and made a mental note to check it out after the race. When the lights went out I blitzed the two cars in front of me and opened up a handy lead. I figured I'd be able to keep them behind me for the duration of the race but that was not to be. On the second lap, coming into the high speed corner off the main straight, the throttle stuck momentarily and it was all over. There were fresh earthworks in the form of soft soil just off the track and the mini duststorm which invaded and surrounded the car was both blinding and choking. I knew I was in the kitty litter as well and with all the bouncing and shaking the engine revs had dropped back too, but I'd managed to keep it running and the car was still moving. So I tried to boot it out of the kitty litter but since I couldn't see a thing for all the dust it was sheer luck that I got out. Had to wait for the dust to clear inside the car before I could see to get back on the track. By which time most of the field had gone by. Not that it mattered, back out on the track I was having trouble selecting gears, there were some horrible noises coming from under the car so it was a matter of just getting it slowly back to the pits. That happened without incident although apparently the car looked quite spectacular with a large vortex of dust coming off it and the air in the cockpit (what air, I was breathing pure dust!) could still be seen to be full of the stuff. So hero to zero, a DNF.
Back in the pits and the first thing was several large (non-alcoholic) drinks! To try and wash the dust off my throat. Then we had just under an hour to get the car shipshape for the next race. Close inspection revealed a throttle return spring that had become detached, the noise under the car was a bit of a mystery untill we found that the right hand sill which is normally empty and open at both ends was full of kitty litter and the noise was it hitting the track as it fell out. The gearchange problem was the combination of a mounting block bolt that had come loose coupled with the extra friction of all the dust which caused binding in the rod movement. The major job was cleaning up both the interior and exterior of the car. Having Lim and John there to do the majority of the work sure eases the burden and the car was ready and refuelled just minutes before I had to go out on the grid. Well done guys!
The second race was a six lap handicap race and I was given grid 31 and was off 95 seconds along with the Commodore and the Batman. The three of us were pretty much handicapped out of it. Blitzed them off the line again and came through to 8th, 15 seconds behind the winner and set fastest lap.
The last race was another 6 lap handicap this time the three of us off 90 seconds but it was getting late in the day, the autumn sun was low in the sky and straight ahead down the main straight. The Batman and the Commodore didn't show. Looking into the sun, I couldn't see my tacho, or any of the gauges if it came to that, or the track actually either... Unless I put one hand up to shield my eyes which was OK until I had to change gear. None of that worked very well, rather inauspicious, started last, finished last, 30 seconds in arrears.
Still, despite a rather frenetic and at times exciting day, the car is in one piece, and after a check over, ready for next weekends racing, Classics, on the 17th, again at Ruapuna.
The new softer pads seem to have led to less pedal travel, which is what I was hoping for, but with the slow track, maybe this last weekend is not a reliable indicator....
2nd gear continues to be awesome off the line, it's very easy to feed in just the right amount of wheelspin and as a defacto first and good for 150kmh before the first gearchange, I haven't met anything yet which will beat it.
epper:
Pics.
#1 The car almost ready to go again after the Race 1 off
#2 Someone has to be the supervisor.....
#3 Long shadows on the dummy grid before the last race
#4 Happy driver, intact car, after the last race.
#5 "The A Team"
