Waikaraka Park 05-11-05 - Superstock 53a

With our efforts recently being focused on trying to complete the new car, Saturday was a day to focus on the old/current 53a. With the exception of 2 weeks ago when we moved the car from one shed and onto the hoist, the chassis has not moved since March. So after checking the oil and water, I stuck a battery in it and fire the Toyota into life. As there was nobody around I snuck out into the paddock and went for a bit of a hoon and cut up a bit of grass. The engine seemed to go alright, at least with the electronic ignition system I run there are no worries about the timing being out or changing through the off season. Then finally the car was parked were after a number of months it finally had a wash.

We were planning on making a grand entrance to the track with all 3 cars being transported in one large trailer being pulled by a big 380hp Volvo, but would you believe the total length of the 3 cars ended up being about 12cm to long for the back doors on the trailer to close! So we had to go back to using the smaller truck and trailer.

All 3 cars 26a, 53a, 73a left the workshop and headed off to the track and we all managed to park together which was a bonus. We got the cars unloaded and as it was the first time 53a had turned up to the track this season it had to be green sheeted which it flied through without problems. There was only a small handful of A grades (Superstocks) present, but as this was going to be the cars first run I was quite happy running with a smaller field.

Race 1.
Starting off from grid 3 I got good start and followed 8a around the first bend, then 73a (Bryce Marx) came down across the corner and onto my front bumper, and with a Huntly car behind me I had no choice but to keep going and I turned Bryce around. Perhaps if we had of made the throttle a little easier to use I might not have turned my brother around, but never mind. It took me a little while to get the grips of driving the car around the track. Because the throttle is either on or off (with very little in between) if you get the corner right and straighten the car up in time, even with the standard engine the car can put in some very good lap times. Unfortunately even with running low ratio gearing to keep the revs down if I pushed the car hard through the corners by ¾ the way down the straights I could have easily bounced the engine off the rev limiter @ 7600rpm. After mucking up a couple of laps trying to remember how to drive, I caught up to the back of 26a (Lance) and I noticed that down the straights he had a lot of sparks coming from his diff. Then without warning I had no drive and a gearbox making heaps of noise. I tired to get back into top gear but without luck. Then I realized I had lost 2nd gear and after coming to a stop on the infield I could see that the gear stick was moving but the selector on the gearbox wasn’t.
All I could then do was wait on the infield until the end of the race and then cross the finish line, and it was a slow trip back to the pits with only using 1st gear.

Back in the pits Wayne set to work removing the broke gear change cable and swapping the cable from the 1st and Reverse selector and onto the 2nd and 3rd gear selector. So this meant the car could at least go forward. As there was only 4 Superstocks left running we lined up on the dummy grid quickly, then just before we were about to hit the track we were told to wait as the fireworks were going to be let off in case the rain came in. The fireworks were pretty good, except I like the ones that go way up in the sky and boom so loud you can feel them.

Race 3.
A change to the race format while the 4 A grades (Superstocks) were sitting on the dummy grid meant that it was to be an all-in race with the stockcars (stds). I could say here that I think this was a stupid call because of various reasons, but there is not much point in moaning about why. I just hope that when the officials moan at the drivers during the drivers meeting about wasting time etc they can actually hear themselves.
Anyway the race got underway and I followed 818h around the first bend, and with trying the race and stay out of the way of the stds it was a bit tricky. I had to drive around a few of them and as I watched the water temp gauge getting higher I decided that the car had been given a good first run and I pulled off.

I was quite happy with how the car went, I remembered how tricky the car is to drive, but also how much fun it can be when you get the corners right. Being a little shorter in the wheel base the rear end flicks out fast and then on the straights it whips back around. It is heaps of fun.

On the brighter side of the night the seat and padding for the new car was dropped off and Geoff you have done an awesome job. Thank you so very much.

Not sure where we are racing this weekend as we don’t have a calendar from our Club so I guess we will find out later in the week.

Catch ya….MadPhil