Alright, WAKEY,WAKEY! Seeing as how everybody has been slumbering for the last couple of months, I thought I'd get your attention. The Sydney Dragway Atura championship series kicks off tomorrow, Saturday 18th February. Hopefully we'll have some exciting results and the odd video for you to peruse. Or there will be odd results and less than exciting videos to peruse. I'll get back to you Sunday with one or the other.
A less than glorious start to the year. Racing was to kick off at 8.30 a.m but a few, including us, got held up by a traffic snarl on the way to Sydney so the start was delayed. We had six HAMBsters turn up. Me, Ezio, Jeff, Steve, Joe and Gerard's daughter, Georgia who has driven Junior Dragsters but hadn't experienced the ground-pounding, adrenaline rush that comes with piloting a missile using nothing but 1960's technology. Because of the rush to get paperwork done and hastily unloading the racecar, I didn't get the camera set up so no footage from the first run. I ran against Ezio who had spent the last couple of weeks giving his car a cosmetic freshen up and it looked a treat. I'd changed from a 4 speed 'box, using only the first 3 gears, to a 3 speed 'box and changed the diff ratio from 3.08 to 3.55. My 60' times were better but going into top it wouldn't rev so I was half a second slower. Might have to rethink that one. Georgia didn't run as she's still trying to get the hang of a manual gearbox. Second run I was up against Jeff, Ezio against Steve, Joe with a solo run and Georgia with a solo run she might wish to forget. I'm sure we've all had one of those runs. More tomorrow
Nice report Spanners, I'm making slow progress. I think it was you that suggested EH spindles. I have gone that way but man, the rusty front end I took them from required some work (read: Grinders, Heat, Very BIG hammers). I am going to go with the Chev king pins so I will have to make the bushes myself. Just chasing a LC/LJ Torana Diff and I can really get moving. Can't wait to see next chapter! -Pete.
Thank you for your kind replies. We lined up for the first of the Chicago shootouts. Georgia chose not to run so that gave Jeff a bye run. I ran against Ezio with me narrowly taking the win after Ezio missed a gear. Steve and Joe ran with Joe taking the win. This is an in car video of the run against Ezio and take note of the sky as I turn onto the return road. That, my highly excitable audience is how the day panned out. By the time we got back to the pits it started pissing down with very nasty lightning strikes in the vicinity. Race day over. Sorry about that. Gunnedah 18/19th March and Sydney Round 2 the following weekend. I won't be racing at the Day of the Drags on 11th March so hopefully someone else will fill in the gaps.
I feel for Georgia. The shifter has a strange angle to it. But once you get the hang of it, it shifts real smooth. Especially flat changing at 5000 rpm. Cool Pete.
The Jalopy Journal
