Last season turned out pretty poorly after all that hard work getting ready for the season. We loaned our best car to someone who totally wrecked it. It was new, undriven and season ready when he rolled it every which way, he destroyed the new hand made body I’d built, tore the wheels off and tumbled the thing lengthways along the track.
So begun a rushed rebuild to make the car ready for the season…which had already started.
Although we missed a couple of meetings, the car was made ready and raced, but for the next several meetings it failed every time at the eleventh hour. Each failure was traced back to cracks and fractures coming from that first wreck, the last straw was a complete motor meltdown caused by a partial oil starvation as the motor had continued to run as it rolled. By the time it all became too much and every nut, bolt and replaceable item was replaced it had cost us a full season.
The lesson was learned…. In the off season the two cars have been stripped to the last bolt, everything being crack checked or replaced as a matter of course. New bodywork, new brackets and all these weeks spent crafting one off pieces so everything fits perfectly. Our team manager is a Fitter and Turner Machinist so everything is fitted to exacting specifications.
The two cars are now sitting on their own stands, surrounded by all new tools, flanked by a new spare motor each and several new bodies. They sit with their fully rebuilt Methanol engines ready to fire up, ready to race.
Nothing left to do but wait for the season to start…. This weekend!
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8 comments:
Hi Tempo,
Lesson learned is right, my goodness what a mess they made, it's a pity you couldn't charge them for all the damage.
Good luck for the new season, with all the hard work that has been put in, I'm sure the cars will do well.
Sounds like you need a new driver. I remember back in the 60's i went with my dad to the speedway at mariybrnong which is now a soccer ground and laverton. Sadly one night at the mariybrnong speedway a driver died after rolling end on end and landed on the wire mesh fence and was speared by a steel pole :-(.
Hi Mags, we gave up counting at 5 Grand and that was before the engine disintegrated, that alone was over 12 grand. We thought we had it all sorted last year at this time... we were wrong, but thats motor racing for you.
We have a great driver but the team boss made the swap deal with another team so we could use their car when we visited Sydney. I'm sure we never expect to lose a driver and no one expects to die... how sad.
TEMPO?
Something tells me I know you.
Maybe it's the image you put on your blog .
Something like " RICK'S SETAIN".
And then there's " PREOEVIL", too.
How about just plain " FOCK WORMS"?
TEMPO?
TEA PARTY?
MP?
OSIRIS?
The amount of thinking and deliberation and international
" weaving" won't give you much " wiggle room"....and that's not even before " punishment"...or damages....
" forevermore".
Hi Michelle, Perhaps I do know you. If you click on 'View my complete profile' it tells you where I'm living and gives my email addy for personal correspondence. Tempo comes from the blog name and thats all there is to that, me thinks you're over thinking it.
If I show my husband these pictures, he'll get a hard on...then he'll start making noises like he's a car motor.
Hi Sandra, I'm hoping they still look this good when they come back after racing this weekend. (not much chance) Men and motors...dont know why but they go together naturally. So show him the pics, wipe up the dribble and make the most of it...
"This is why we can't have nice things."
Heh...
I'm all for using things as they're intended, but to thrash another man's ride just isn't cool. Glad to hear you were able to work your metal magic on a rebuild.
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