Mighty Minis, 7th of April, Cadwell Park

[DAVID PATERSON]

Good luck Chris, hope it goes well for you. Maisie showed me a pic of the new paint job the other day. Wow, it looks really good!

[Carrie]

Got back from Cadwell about an hour ago. Great circuit, but very cold. Nice to finally see Voggie running on track, just a shame about the end result. However, on a positive note, James Levy was definitely showing he was the class of the field in the Fiats

[Peter Mallett]

So what happenned then?

[Chris Y]

Bit of a 'long story' but here goes:

I spent most of the weekend in the garage underneath the Mini. I decided to go for a 'test run' on the local roads on Friday night, just to run the engine in a bit before the Cadwell race on Sunday, but I only got half way down the road, before a worrying rattling noise started up, and then the car lost power and stopped. Gears were difficult to engage, and the clutch pedal was vibrating. The engine ran ok on idle, but any sort of attempt to move the car ended with metallic grinding noises and the engine dying!

So, a tow back to the garage, and a look at the clutch area revealed little metal fragments every where around the starter motor. Bad news. There was a suggestion that perhaps the engine had thrown a thrust washer, and the flywheel was able to move around, but the starter ring gears weren't damaged enough, so the metal swarf must have been coming from somewhere else.. Spent loads of time
removing the clutch cover (for which you have to remove the master cylinder, engine mount, and half the wiring!), and then discovered that the flywheel and clutch assembly was free to rotate around the crank, which is not supposed to happen... The problem was that the 6 bolts securing the pressure plate to a little hub (which is then an interference fit to the crank) had all come loose, and were grinding themselves down on the clutch plate.. Wierd! The bolts were new when I rebuilt the engine, and were fully
thread-locked....

So, 4 hours of sweating and swearing later, and I managed to get the little hub away from the crank nose. Some of the metal swarf had embedded itself on the crankshaft nose, so getting the hub off was so much more difficult, even with a hub puller.. At this point, it was nearly 4 in the morning, so time to head home for some sleep. Got up the following morning at about 9, and spent a bit more time wrestling with the hub, then travelled to Harrogate, where a Mini racer friend had a spare flywheel and clutch assembly that I could borrow. So armed with that, I cleaned up the
crank nose, and refitted everything, which took until about 4 in the morning again - largely due to the engine mounts not wanting to line up with the subframe, and the bolts stripping! I hate Mini engine mounts!!

Back home again for 1 hour's sleep, except we overslept by an hour, so we left home at about 6:25, and left the garage at 6:50. Got to Cadwell for about 9:45, and had only 20 minutes or so to sign on, get scrutineered, do the tyres and damper settings, and get changed for practice.. Just made it, and qualified 14th out of 26, which I was pleased with, especially since my flying lap was baulked by slower cars, and I could have probably made 10th.

In the race, it was pretty mad - there were cars flying off everywhere, quite a lot of contact, and some very scary moments (Cadwell's scary enough on your own, but when you try and go 3 abreast through the Gooseneck, it's brown trousers time!). At one point, I thought someone was going to t-bone me in to the Hairpin, so I went a little wide in avoidance, except there's no run-off there, and I clouted the tyre barrier with the side of the Mini.

Luckily it was a glancing blow, so I just lost a bit of paint, a trim strip, a bit of the plastic wheel arch, and a door mirror, but no panel damage. Eventually though, I had to pull out of the race 1 lap before the finish, because of a 'fuel pick up problem' - yes, I didn't put enough fuel in!! My excuse was that I lost the dipstick that I use to check the amount I fuel I had, and I used more fuel in the race. (and I'm sticking to it )

Still gutted about that, but I'm happy that the car ran reliably, and it's much faster than in the same race last year, plus if feels like it's handling really well - really chuckable - despite a twisted front-end from that accident last year.

Phew! I'm going to relax for a few day. This season's been too stressful already

[paulzinho]

Unlucky Chris, better luck next time!!!

BTW where were you running when the fuel didn't "pick up"?

[Peter Mallett]

Chris,

When you hit the barrier at the hairpin, did you notice an MG Metro badge there by any chance? It's just that I lost one there a few years back.

[Chris Y]

Originally posted by paulzinho
BTW where were you running when the fuel didn't "pick up"?

There were so many position changes in the race, that no one could keep up! I started 14th, and then proceeded to lose about 4-5 places in the first couple of laps because I was afraid of getting shunted. Most of these were going into the Hairpin, or at the Gooseneck. I gained a few places back going up towards Charlies, and over the mountain (now THAT was FUN!), but I think I was running in about 14-16th when I ran into my fuel delivery problem

It was quite a shame that I lost so many places early on, because I made a fantastic start - the lights changed very quickly, and I was about the only one ready.. I also make a pretty mean "granny start" I got between two other cars on the start/finish straight, but it looked like they were going to turn Voggie into a triangle, so had to back off.

I did have a good luck for your badge Pete! Even moved the wall back a couple of inches in case it was underneath, but sadly nothing. The shell of my door mirror is still lying next to the tyres at that corner

Incidentally, just before my race, one of the Formula Honda's did a neat trick of putting two wheels on the tyres, and two on the ground, so that the whole car was at 45 degrees. Apparently he went along the wall for a good couple of metres before coming off and breaking his suspension

On the Formula Honda front - sorry to Andy Roberts, who we really meant to come and see all day, but never got the opportunity to do so. Sorry mate. What happened to your steering link during the second race?

I want to drive a Fiat now. Well done to James Levy for a most spectacular driving display. (and he called it boring..) Went on to win it by a good few seconds. Top drive!

[Andy Roberts]

Oh bad luck with your race Chris. I managed to watch some of the mini race and did see you once in the paddock from a distance (mini looks nice) but it was one of those weekends for me to I'm afraid.

You probably don't want to hear this but I'll say it anyway! I was one of the fastest in testing on Saturday and the car was running beautifully until qualifying on Sunday. The car wouldn't handle the same on any corner and when your doing 130mph into Coppice on lap and the next lap it doesn't turn isn't the most cofidence insiring thing you can have so I qualified a dissapointed 6th.

I got a corking start but the guy who entered the lone Yamaha (400cc more than a honda and got his butt whipped!) made a bad start and blocked me in but I stayed 6th for the first lap. Unfortunatly though the car in front ran wide and chucked loads of dirt up with my car thought would be helpfull to suck into the carbs dropping me onto 3 cylinders for the race so I finished 9th.

In the second race I didn't get baulked of the line and was up into 7th by lap 3 having a great scrap until lap 5 at the Mountain. I was coming over the Mountain right behind Mark Fell who just at the very top of the hill had a gearbox problem causing him to slow. As I was tucked right up behind I couldn't get out the way quick enough and ended up flying over his rear wheel and landing on my right front on the grass!! The front wing was trashed but I kept going and incidentally set my fastest lap of the race on the next lap before as I went into Hall Bends on lap 7 the right front stub broke clean of and I coasted to at halt at Barn.

Not a good weekend to only come away with a single point and hopefully that will be all my problems for this year!

Whens your next race anyway Chris? If I'm around or at the circuit at the same time I will come over and say hi for sure

[Chris Y]

I'm hoping to get all my bad luck out of the way at the start of the season as well. Hope it doesn't get any worse before it gets better!

Anyway, the next time we share the billing is at Snetterton (the end of the season for us) on the 21st and 22nd of September unfortunately.

[WoodyTJ]

Chris - it was nice to see you out in the mini and I promise not to wish you any kind of luck before your next race!!!!!!!!!! Cadwell is a lovely circuit.

[Lorna]

Is it No3 you are racing in Andy?

[Andy Roberts]

Lorna, sure would be...

[Maisie]

Andy,

At least you weren't the chap who did the wall of death type stunt at 45 degrees with one pair of wheels halfway up the tyre barrier at the hairpin

Oh, and I believe a small part of your suspension is on the grass behind the kerbs on the inside of the hairpin

[Andy Roberts]

Ahhhh, so thats where you guys were watching

I was glad it actually broke where it did as the next corner that the right side would be under load was the flat out entry to Coppice! 135mph put your head between your knees and kiss your a** goodbye

[Lorna]

Originally posted by Andy Roberts
Lorna, sure would be...

Aha!

[Lorna]

and...

[louis]

lorna have you got any pictures of car 6 Louis Hamilton-Smith in the formula honda race at cadwell park last weekend

[Lorna]

I haven't. Sorry louis. I was messing around with my digital camera and I'm luck those two turned out!