Team QRP

Team QRP didn't fair so well. Qualified P3 and we were leading the class at the half way mark when we lost the oil pump and subsequently the engine. Next time.
 

Dr. David

Lifetime Supporter
My condolences to the oil pump, the engine, and of course to the QRP Team. So sorry for your loss. The term that you may hear: "That's Racing" nowhere near covers the disappointment ........ or the bill.

A 99+% chance it was a dry sump system. Not an option, but a necessity. However, oil pump failure or engine failure, which came first?

To share a possibly similar (or not) personal experience: .....On the track, pushing only moderately down the back straight, noise immediately behind the rear bulkhead, oil pressure drops---kill switch........Back in the pits, belt is off the oil pump (only lost a belt?), but it looks shredded in one area, (??) On further inspection, oil pump does not turn without a struggle. (lost an oil pump?). In the garage, dis-assembly of the oil pump revealed foreign material has scoured the gears. Further debris in the scavenger-to-pump line revealed fragments of a hydraulic roller lifter.

The Diagnosis: Engine (valve train) failure caused a pump failure, which stopped (jammed) the pump, which caused the belt to turn to toast in one location.
The treatment: Rebuild the engine, but many of the parts, (crank, rods, block, heads, etc) are still in good condition. (Thanks to the failure of the oil pump)

The amazing part to me was that this engine, verified on the GoPro, was performing so strong at 160+ MPH when the pump failed, which must have been a while after the lifter failed.

Hope this is relevant, just thought I would share this story so perhaps someone could learn something from it.
 
The amazing part to me was that this engine, verified on the GoPro, was performing so strong at 160+ MPH when the pump failed, which must have been a while after the....

Front straight of Portland International Raceway?




Sorry to hear about the oil pump and engine failure. I hope you guys can get that car back out as soon as possible.
 

Dr. David

Lifetime Supporter
Front straight of Portland International Raceway?

Actually at the Thermal Club.

Engine was off the Dyno today. The car should be together within a month, or whenever I take time off from my day-job to go down and put it back together.

Can't wait for my RCR-LMP-1 chassis, but this thread isn't about me.
This thread is about Team QRP. Hang in there and keep up the great work guys!
 
Thanks for the condolences. We didn't tear into it at the track but the light came on and hit the kill switch but it was already seizing up. Waiting for tow vehicle power on hit starter button 'click'. So it's locked up but some of the parts hopefully are still usable.

That is as they say how racing goes.....
 
I want to say thanks to Ted and Don and all the guys who help out at the shop and the track. The car was prepared as well as any I've ever driven and the proof is in the pudding. I bettered my time by a full second carrying an extra 15 gallons of fuel. I'd like to pound my chest as a driver but it can't happen without them and the meticulous care they take of the Blue Mistress. Thanks guys and I appreciate everything you do. Makes my job easy. With how the weekend went I focus on the negatives but after some time to think. We have a great car and a great team just an unfortunate outing. We'll be back once we diagnose what happened and take measure to keep it from happening again.
 
We'll tear it down next weekend. The oil pump drive belt(dry sump) is off. The pulley is gnarled up.I'm sure Ted or Don will give a better report once we open it up. Big thanks to Chris for letting me help out on the team. Looking forward to more races this season.
 
Blue Mistress is nearly back together and team QRP is planning on a weekend of racing at Buttonwillow for sprints and a 3 hour April 5-6. Come on out and hang with us. Thanks to the guys for their hard work, it is much appreciated.
 
Team QRP won the NASA 3 hour endurance at Buttonwillow Sat night. Great job by Ted, Don, Cary and Shawn putting the car back together in the shop after we lost the engine in round 1 at Sonoma. Thanks also to John, his wife Tracy and Scott for coming to the track and helping out with the rest of the crew. Thanks to Mike Skeen for the excellent co-drive. Thanks to our sponsors, Superlite Cars, Quick Racing Products, Hawk, Hoosier, Rigid Industries, Jongbloed for supporting us. Also have to thank PDG for giving us some materials which allowed us to make the enduro after I made contact in the SU race and smacked up the nose. That was my first at fault contact in my 7 years of racing, I guess it had to come sooner or later and those that know me know I've beat myself up sufficiently but I think I redeemed myself in the enduro just had to get back on that horse.

Mike put the Blue Mistress on the pole. I ran the first 1.5 hours never losing the overall lead, pitting w about a minute lead on the field. Nice quick stop by the guys and Mike doesn't take but 12 laps to make up the lost time and take back the lead which he never lost.
 
Team QRP won the NASA 3 hour endurance at Buttonwillow Sat night. Great job by Ted, Don, Cary and Shawn putting the car back together in the shop after we lost the engine in round 1 at Sonoma. Thanks also to John, his wife Tracy and Scott for coming to the track and helping out with the rest of the crew. Thanks to Mike Skeen for the excellent co-drive. Thanks to our sponsors, Superlite Cars, Quick Racing Products, Hawk, Hoosier, Rigid Industries, Jongbloed for supporting us. Also have to thank PDG for giving us some materials which allowed us to make the enduro after I made contact in the SU race and smacked up the nose. That was my first at fault contact in my 7 years of racing, I guess it had to come sooner or later and those that know me know I've beat myself up sufficiently but I think I redeemed myself in the enduro just had to get back on that horse.

Mike put the Blue Mistress on the pole. I ran the first 1.5 hours never losing the overall lead, pitting w about a minute lead on the field. Nice quick stop by the guys and Mike doesn't take but 12 laps to make up the lost time and take back the lead which he never lost.

Got some pretty good video - Viper vs SLC - will post soon.
 
That white truck was all over the shop, eh? Good fun except for that last part, some of the lines seen out there were, uh......inconsistent? The track looks like it's nothing but patches these days.
 
Holy moly! The first half of that looks like it could be a drifting competition.
"inconsistent" is putting it mildly and the track definitely looks worse for wear. Id say even Grattan is in better shape. Congrats QRP on a job well done!
 
What in the world was the white vehicle in front of you for the first part of the video? It looks like an amalgamation of a roadster, a truck and one of Jim Hall's "sucker cars" with the snow blower engines on the back. What ever it was, it looks to be an engineer's nightmare that was having more drifting moments than race experience.
 
What in the world was the white vehicle in front of you for the first part of the video? It looks like an amalgamation of a roadster, a truck and one of Jim Hall's "sucker cars" with the snow blower engines on the back. What ever it was, it looks to be an engineer's nightmare that was having more drifting moments than race experience.

A Ford Ranger XLT, with rads in the tailgate. I know I did a double take too.
 
Back
Top