Yup, I was invited to join a local Sprint car team yesterday. It's a well sponsored team that wins races. I'm pretty excited about it.
How cool. You'll have to post pics.
Quote from: Rjb3 on February 06, 2016, 08:37:30 AM
Yup, I was invited to join a local Sprint car team yesterday. It's a well sponsored team that wins races. I'm pretty excited about it.
Tonight was my first night actually wrenching on the race car. It felt good. The show car is done. Yes, we have a car just for shows and display.
Next week we start on the one we're going to race. That won't take long. It just needs the fresh motor put in and the wheels and tires put on. Odds and ends won't take long either. April 30th is opening night.
Quote from: Rjb3 on February 10, 2016, 10:29:42 PM
Tonight was my first night actually wrenching on the race car. It felt good. The show car is done. Yes, we have a car just for shows and display.
Next week we start on the one we're going to race. That won't take long. It just needs the fresh motor put in and the wheels and tires put on. Odds and ends won't take long either. April 30th is opening night.
What size engine can you run with those rigs?....
your going to have a lot of fun bob. About 15 year ago i was a mechanic on a outlaw team had so much fun.
The car runs a small block Chevy crate motor naturally aspirated on alcohol. It's a new class of car for the local track.
Finally, after a ten year absence, I was in the pits again. It felt pretty good, too. Testing went good last Saturday night. It was a lot of work. Every change made the car faster. Because it's a sealed engine class, all attention goes to chassis set-up.
Although nothing was discussed at the track, on the ride home we talked about how we were the fastest car on the track. I hope that trend continues. All the cars entered in the class weren't at the Saturday practice. There was a second session on Sunday that we didn't attend. We'll see what they got this Saturday on opening night.
Last night I mounted all new tires for the season. All will be measured and sized on Saturday for future use.
I'm sorry there was no time for pics.
..sounds like a blast, do you tow the car there for each event, or store it at the track?......must be loud too, ear plug special ?....
As I watch the front wheels wobble in the curves I wonder haw you manage to keep them on the vehicle all the time!
Quote from: Mugwump on April 28, 2016, 08:31:42 AM
..sounds like a blast, do you tow the car there for each event, or store it at the track?......must be loud too, ear plug special ?....
He has a semi tractor and trailer that holds the race car, our tire rack, and a Suzuki Samurai. The Suzuki is not a car anymore. Its chopped in half. The front half is the fenders and hood. The back half is a big toolbox. It's actually a self propelled tool box. We use it to push start the race car.
Quote from: Rjb3 on April 28, 2016, 06:34:51 PM
Quote from: Mugwump on April 28, 2016, 08:31:42 AM
..sounds like a blast, do you tow the car there for each event, or store it at the track?......must be loud too, ear plug special ?....
He has a semi tractor and trailer that holds the race car, our tire rack, and a Suzuki Samurai. The Suzuki is not a car anymore. Its chopped in half. The front half is the fenders and hood. The back half is a big toolbox. It's actually a self propelled tool box. We use it to push start the race car.
..can't wait for pics of it all....sounds like quite an operation....
..I had a friend who worked pit crew for Bobby Rahal.....oh the stories he could tell....
Tonight would have been opening night, but we're rained out.
rats.
..that stinks....
We all knew the weather was headed this way. They already cancelled the Saturday races yesterday. I will wait impatiently until next week.
The good news is (Tuh da da dut da dah) I got a really big raise at the gun shop for doing a good job and bringing in business. The raise will almost cover my health insurance for the year.
And . . . . . Trap season opens tomorrow. Gale and I are shooting on a trap team in a league this year. That starts on Monday.
I feel old some days, but I'll never get old because I look forward to things. You know, like a kid.
Quote from: Rjb3 on April 30, 2016, 07:20:58 PM
We all knew the weather was headed this way. They already cancelled the Saturday races yesterday. I will wait impatiently until next week.
The good news is (Tuh da da dut da dah) I got a really big raise at the gun shop for doing a good job and bringing in business. The raise will almost cover my health insurance for the year.
And . . . . . Trap season opens tomorrow. Gale and I are shooting on a trap team in a league this year. That starts on Monday.
I feel old some days, but I'll never get old because I look forward to things. You know, like a kid.
Congrat's on the raise !!.....'old'.......LOL....is relative.... |^|
Quote from: Rjb3 on April 30, 2016, 07:20:58 PM
I feel old some days, but I'll never get old because I look forward to things. You know, like a kid.
Me to! That's the way to live your life.
Our first try at league trap shooting went well. Once ya get the first one out of the way it's all downhill now. Scores weren't stellar, but we didn't embarrass ourselves. We're all friends so that makes it easy.
..looks like rain again for tomorrow..??....I hope it misses you guys so you can get the race in ok... |^|
I noticed that, too. The car is ready. I mounted all the new tires and set the pressures. They're all listed by size on a spread sheet so stagger can be easily calculated and changed. We are so ready to go racing.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 06, 2016, 05:30:45 AM
I noticed that, too. The car is ready. I mounted all the new tires and set the pressures. They're all listed by size on a spread sheet so stagger can be easily calculated and changed. We are so ready to go racing.
+1..... ;D
Quote from: Ron Sower on April 28, 2016, 08:49:50 AM
As I watch the front wheels wobble in the curves I wonder haw you manage to keep them on the vehicle all the time!
I know what you mean. It's kinda like a controlled skid constantly adjusted by the driver. I love to see the tires go back and forth.
The wheel lugs and tire pressures are checked every time the car comes off the track. At least once during the night the stagger is checked in case the tires grew. So far, I've only been involved in testing and watching hot laps. I can't wait to see the car in a race.
A long time ago I was involved in a stock car team. Every time the car came off the track my job was to check the lugs. They always loosened up. Every time. The sprint car not so much. That old Plymouth was a modified street car that wasn't designed to do what we were doing with it. The sprint car is designed from the ground up to race. The big lo' nut on each rear wheel doesn't move much after you tighten it.
The tires are set to make the car want to turn. Big ones on the outside. The caster is also set on the front wheels so it also makes the car want to turn. The front only has brakes on the left. It's definitely set for left turn only.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 06, 2016, 05:48:34 AM
Quote from: Ron Sower on April 28, 2016, 08:49:50 AM
As I watch the front wheels wobble in the curves I wonder haw you manage to keep them on the vehicle all the time!
I know what you mean. It's kinda like a controlled skid constantly adjusted by the driver. I love to see the tires go back and forth.
The wheel lugs and tire pressures are checked every time the car comes off the track. At least once during the night the stagger is checked in case the tires grew. So far, I've only been involved in testing and watching hot laps. I can't wait to see the car in a race.
A long time ago I was involved in a stock car team. Every time the car came off the track my job was to check the lugs. They always loosened up. Every time. The sprint car not so much. That old Plymouth was a modified street car that wasn't designed to do what we were doing with it. The sprint car is designed from the ground up to race. The big lo' nut on each rear wheel doesn't move much after you tighten it.
The tires are set to make the car want to turn. Big ones on the outside. The caster is also set on the front wheels so it also makes the car want to turn. The front only has brakes on the left. It's definitely set for left turn only.
...wider tire on the inside..??
Wider and bigger around on the outside. Pressures are different, too. Five pounds inside and ten outside. You can hear it when the tires are gripping just right.
We're finally here. I'm broadcasting live from Wilmot Speedway.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 07, 2016, 03:34:38 PM
We're finally here. I'm broadcasting live front Wilmot Speedway.
....good luck, have fun.....be safe.... |^|
We set fast time in qualifying. How cool is that.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 07, 2016, 07:01:34 PM
We set fast time in qualifying. How cool is that.
Why that is extremely cool |^| |^| |^| |^| |^| |^|....
Hope you saved something for the races!!
Here's how we ended up this evening. Fast time qualifier, second place in our heat race, and we won the feature event. Not a bad first night at all.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 08, 2016, 01:46:37 AM
Here's how we ended up this evening. Fast time qualifier, second place in our heat race, and we won the feature event. Not a bad first night at all.
Congrat's !!....I'll bet it feels good to have the first races of the season done....?
Yup. Feels good.
Quote from: Mugwump on May 08, 2016, 06:04:14 AM
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 08, 2016, 01:46:37 AM
Here's how we ended up this evening. Fast time qualifier, second place in our heat race, and we won the feature event. Not a bad first night at all.
Congrat's !!....I'll bet it feels good to have the first races of the season done....?
Nice going!
Thanks everyone. When I get used to it a month or two into the season, I'll probably post less and less about it. But for now it's still pretty new.
Fast time again. More later.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 21, 2016, 08:00:25 PM
Fast time again. More later.
...great...be safe out there.. |^| |^| |^| |^|
Won the heat race. Now we set our sights on the feature.
Well, we're home. The feature didn't go so well. We started seventh in a thirteen car field. As soon as we took the green the front row tangled and started flipping end over end. We got caught up in it and started flipping, too. Our driver is okay, but the car is totaled. The front and rear axles were both torn out of the car. Two of the wheels are bent beyond repair. The chassis is bent and broken. All the links and radius rods are bent and or broken.
The idiot that caused the wreck came over and said he was sorry. Tough night. The good thing is we have another car back at the shop that's ready to race.
Quote from: Rjb3 on May 22, 2016, 12:27:13 AM
Well, we're home. The feature didn't go so well. We started seventh in a thirteen car field. As soon as we took the green the front row tangled and started flipping end over end. We got caught up in it and started flipping, too. Our driver is okay, but the car is totaled. The front and rear axles were both torn out of the car. Two of the wheels are bent beyond repair. The chassis is bent and broken. All the links and radius rods are bent and or broken.
The idiot that caused the wreck came over and said he was sorry. Tough night. The good thing is we have another car back at the shop that's ready to race.
....I'm glad to hear that everyone's ok....those starts can be pretty dicey....in all of racing....
Well, season is over this Saturday. It will be official on Saturday. Our driver won the championship at both Sun Prairie and Wilmot. It was a good season.
Congratulations, Cap'n!