28 April - Waikaraka John Webster Memorial

Well it had been a few weeks since our last meeting and to be honest racing was really the last thing on my mind. With Exchange Server upgrades, new SQL Servers and configuring Firewalls, I had pretty much no time to even think about the car. In fact both cars hadn't even been out of the transporter as Bryce had even more on his plate. To be honest the lack of thought and possibly enthusiasm really did show on the night. Being it was a big meeting with the inclusion of some classes from Western Springs and an earlier start time we headed off quite early to get a good carpark. Also both cars still needed to be washed so it would be just as easy to wash them there instead of unloading and reloading the cars at home.

The wash was very fortunate for 53a as I found the rose joint on the inside drag link holding the front beam in place had been pulled apart and destroyed. Probably because of bouncing hard through the ruts at our last meeting. If the link had failed the whole beam would have twisted and probably cause a fair amount of damage.

It was excellent to have 22 cars ready to race for the Auckland champs, combined with good sized fields in the other classes it would be a great nights racing.

Race 1.
Starting off grid (6 or 8), the light went green and off went the clutch up to 7000rpm, good traction, hook top gear, drop the hammer and it popped out of gear, jammed it back but it was too late. That moment of no power was enough to have me swamped and I saw coming from my left was 414a and we were pushed into the wall. Off again and down the back straight catching back up to the pack and I see Bryce (73a) heading to the infield and cars all over the place. I slipped down the inside and past a couple of cars. I held that spot for a couple of laps before a complete loss of concentration had me hurtling right off the front straight and into the wall. The impact was hard enough to bend the bumper end cap up into the bumper and crack the oil cooler, I put the car back into gear and headed off again. The next lap or so I came out of turn 2 and caught the slush with the inside front wheel and it turned the car around and I found myself heading backwards across the infield. I tried to find 2nd gear (with a bit of force) and after a couple of attempts I realized that I had no gears at all and spent the rest of the race watching.

Bryce however only managed ¾’s of the first lap. With all the cars reaching pit bend at once Bryce got turned sideways and hit the wall head on, then hit in the side turning him and sending him into the wall again backwards. The combination of force and angles was enough to hurt his lower back and his knee came up and hit the steering box something that has not happened before (even with all his teams racing). Oh and he also bent the steering wheel backwards over the steering box. As a result he was rather sore and wasn't able to get back in the car. It would be nice to mention all he was actually worried about was the fact he would not be able to finish off painting the outside of his house the following day.

Unfortunately my gearbox was completely destroyed, because it has been playing up I will admit to being a little rough with it. As a result I had managed to crack the rear housing and push the entire main cluster and rear seal backwards out of gearbox and there was no easy fix we could perform on the night. So I am now looking forward to having a car with no Holden parts for next season as the gearbox was really one of the biggest problems we have had to deal with.

That was pretty much the end of the night for us. I took Bryce's car out in the second race but after its hit into the wall I wasn't able to get full throttle, and couldn't make it clear itself and get it to rev properly. It was pretty much the same problem in the third heat. Basically I couldn't grasp how to drive the 73a car. I managed to give the Auckland cars higher on points (16a and 11a) a small advantage by holding up 62r from the green for nearly half a lap, but he was so quick I think 62r still managed to finish 2nd in that heat and took the title. I also tapped the Huntly tank a couple of times but quickly realised that he was if anything helping the Auckland cars by holding up 7r and 62r. Without any revs or power I eventually pulled off.

I understand that 16a ended up in 3rd place, but of course I don't think the Waikaraka site has been updated with the actual final places so who knows. But if it was a 3rd for 16a it was a great feat especially considering that since the Palmerston North Teams Champs he has run a standard short block Toyota V8 engine, the only modification being ARP rod bolts.

I was hoping that I could have got the car to the sponsors day but with no spare gearbox a few people had to miss out.

Anyway onwards and upwards to the off season.
Not sure what the plans will take shape, definitely a new gearbox, probably a ZF (which means new clutch plates). I will attempt to port another set of heads but this time have the ports welded up so I can get better flow to and from the manifolds, and if funds allow I'd like to try a tri-y extractor configuration. But who knows, just have to wait and see.

Over the off season I will keep the site up-to-date with any interesting things that go on. We have some changes lined up for the transporter which will help us to organise things a bit better, and new ramps will make loading much easier. I will also try to find some pictures of the previous transporters we have used over the past years.

Catch ya....MadPhil