Quote:
Originally Posted by gary396
I suspect he's too busy enjoying the good food & wine to update us.....
|
Yes and no....... My pay as you go simcard ran out and without Internet couldn't reload...... Clever!
Well, as for the racing all I can say is YIPPEE!
After 3 (GT&SCC & Masters) races so far with incidents and / or car problems the SLR finally ran two hours like a metronome and gave us a strong result with 15th o/a. Sadly no class podium as very strong in GT3 with Healeys, other SLRs, a Corvette and sundry others. Class winner was the SLR of Keith Ahlers and Billy Bellinger with an amazing 4th o/a. My buddy Rick Bourne with Malcolm Paul in the latter's Grantura came an excellent 10th and won GT2. They have also had some reliability issues this season and arrived with a new engine fitted day before departure. Winners overall were Leo and Simon in the familiar Cobra. Jon Minshaw was on the pace in his E Type but suffered car problems later in the race. Several other cars, mainly Jags, expired in the heat, one bringing out the SC early in the race when it lost a front wheel and finished up in the middle of the pit entrance lane!
The rules for the series in a 2hr race, where two drivers are sharing, are slightly complicated. The owner must drive 50% of the race. Neither driver can do more than 50 minute stints. So two pit stops and driver changes required. (If one driver still has to do two stops) Our plan was that Simon would do between 20 & 50 minutes, I would do 50 definite and then he would finish race. The "between 20 & 50" was dependent on if there was a SC period. The E Type wheel incident happened at 18 minutes....... I guessed Simon may come in regardless that it was early and donned helmet and gloves quickly. He was first in and stopped at 19 minutes, so after I was belted had to wait until 20 before going out, but luckily did so before the train came round, catching it in a couple of laps. Unfortunately the SC period was long enough for virtually the whole field to come in and change drivers so our advantage was cancelled out. It did mean for a few laps we were pretty close to the front though, until the restart!
I love Dijon circuit with it's one straight. The rest of the lap is constant flowing corners, all in 3rd or top in the Morgan. No Micky mouse stuff there......... Combined with being in a beautiful area of France, racing there should be high on everyone's 'to do' list.
Our event wasn't completely trouble free, as after qualifying, while going through the car I found the LHR hub seal was allowing grease to escape and some had got on the (new) shoes. Fortunately we had more new shoes and Brett from Brands Hatch Morgans had a seal. He also had the massive hub puller required to get the darn hub off the half shaft! I remember trying to get them apart on my +4 and eventually had to use a ten ton press.......... Apart from that though, no dramas, so hopefully not too much work needed before The Classic in two weeks. Good news!
