Waikaraka Park Opening Meeting 04.11.2006

Well I gave in to temptation and loaded the car up and headed off to the track. I'd had many comments of not worrying about the blown head gasket and the water coming from the exhausts, including one suggestion of adding milk to the radiator to see if we could get coffee from the exhaust. As things ended up it was good to give the car a run and work out some of the bugs.

As Bryce mentions in his review it was disappointing that only a few Superstocks especially as there was a large crowd arriving at the track. But this was only the first meeting for the track and more are due to appear and its not like we haven't missed our share of opening meetings in the past. We were told that the electronic lap scoring track loop had not been installed yet, and from what I heard it wasn't the tracks fault. So they reverted back to their existing computer system, which Bryce and I installed way back in 1999. So I was quickly asked to make sure the new season configuration was completed correctly. Thankfully everything was working fine, I was concerned that with all the digging to install the new system the existing network cable might have been cut like last season.

Because our class was low on numbers we all decided that there was be no point in having the normal 8 lap races, and instead we would go out a have 4 quick hot laps to get an idea of everyone's speed, which would then decide the grid draws for the 1 on 1 run offs, which in turn would give us grid positions for the feature race. Unfortunately this plan came unstuck quickly when both the 351a and 11a cars suffered engine problems during the hot laps which left just 4 cars....well 3 1/2 cars running.

How did my hot laps go? Well first time being back in the car and on track for a while everything felt funny and while the throttle felt responsive I think it is sticky. However that wasn't much of an issue after the first lap, heading down the back straight, off the gas, turn in and bang the gearbox jumped out of top gear. I grabbed the stick engaged top gear again, on the gas and back down the front straight, off the gas, bang out of gear again. The first time could have been an accident, but after the second the box is toast. So I did the rest of the hot laps holding the shifter in third gear and steering with one hand and all things considered the car went well. In that its only a standard engine, but most of all I didn't spin or hit the wall by my own doing!

Unfortunately back in the pits the options didn't look good. There would be no fixing the problem but I decided that with my car out also that would only leave 3 so we had to keep it going for as long as possible. We found a solution in the shape of a bungy cord wrapped around the shifter and back onto the seat mount. Unfortunately it meant that it was not possible to use neutral or reverse and to get second I would have to stretch the cord and hold the car in second gear (the gearbox only has 3 forward gears and reverse).

The 4 cars left headed back out onto the track for the 1 on 1 run offs. I was up against 414 Warick Ansty. Now I knew I couldn't beat him with speed so I decided to just drive into him off the line and try to make the 2 laps as slow as possible. After a bit of pushing off the line he pushed me to the inside of the corner but I managed to catch his rear bumper and gave it a foot full of gas and I managed to turn him, but I wasn't fast enough and he ended up blocking me. Knowing full well I was having gearbox problems and that I wasn't going to reverse anywhere. Warick was able to stay there as long as he wanted. But off he shot with me chasing him down the back straight hounding him. He showed his experience by slowing down before the corner, otherwise I would have given him a big push towards the wall. Out onto the front straight I tried to get him again before he charged off, but I missed, lost it but at least I took out something, the 3 poor cones marking the finish line. Then it was to late he was gone.

So that left me to line up against 73a starting on the outside. Now there was going to be no way Bryce would want to loose to his younger brother. So I expected him to launch off the line as he knows he is faster and that I was having gearbox troubles, therefore the only logical thing to do would be to drive into him. But I got such a good start I decided to try and get in front of him but caught his bumper which turned me slightly. Having to come out of the throttle he got away and from there he pulled away. I knew his car was quite tail happy so I followed his into the pit bend just in case he ran wide but no luck and away he went for the win.

Back in the pits Bryce mentioned the idea of a mini teams race. We all thought it was a good idea as some different, I mentioned that my gearbox was toast but I would still use the car. So 16a Aaron Headington and I lined up against 73a Bryce and 414 Warick. The 351 (Paul Vasey) was going to start on the back straight to do some laps to troubleshoot what was going wrong with his engine. Off the start I tried to use the brakes to hold up 414 but due to a leak the brakes were not that effective. I had trouble getting into top gear which allowed the others to pull away. But I caught up entering pit turn to see Bryce and Aaron tangling. I then had a choice of driving into Bryce or chasing Warick, I took the wrong option by following Warick as shortly down the front straight top gear gave out completely. I had no choice but to sit and wait in the middle of cemetery bend. I tried to get the bungy cord off the shifter so I could freely use 2nd gear but I just couldn't. By the time they came back around past me I have run out of energy holding my foot on the clutch and holding the shifter in 2nd gear and the car stalled. I got the engine refired and the next time Warick came by I tried to slow him up but with a good shot to the outside rear corner he spun me around, and it was all over a win to the Chev's.

Back in the pits we had another attempt at finding top gear and we thought it was sorted but during the formation lap of the feature race I just couldn't get it into top gear so I had to sit on the infield. Which was very disappointing, but at least the engine was still running.

So this week the gearbox will come out and we will have to check bell housing, rebuild a gearbox, or perhaps look at replacing the holden box for a beford box like is used in 73a. Along with that and swapping the heads there is no way I will be racing anywhere this weekend.

Catch ya.....MadPhil

Thanks to Macgor and Dave Shaw for the use of the photos.