Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Ending of Vodden 2018

Were did we leave you?

Oh yeah, we started the second day...

To start the race, Sparky was in the Z and Torch in the D.  After a few laps there was no word from the cars, and in this environment no news is good news.  After the designated hour stint the pit radio crackled "pitting next lap", and all was going to plan.  The Z rolled in, Sparky jumped out, and then the checks and refueling began.  After a quick look it was determined that the front tires were now shot, and would not last the rest of the race.  So, a fresh front set was placed on.  A quick word from Sparky indicated the car was good, but the slight fuel hesitation was reappearing at the end of the stint.  Planning to avoid this as much as possible, refueling would happen after each hour stint.  After that, Muddy jumped in to begin his stint.

The D next came in after the planned 1 1/2 hour, Torch got out, the car got refueled, and Queen left and all was well....

Muddy's stint went well, at first...  after about 20 minutes, the severe cutout seen in the beginning returned.  After a lap, he brought it in and the team jump on it to determine the trouble.  After a quick check of fuses and connections, the thoughts turned to our nemesis on this engine.  On the bottom of the transmission bell housing there is a crank position sensor.  When looked at, the electrical lines had some play in them and made contact with the hot exhaust system.  The line appeared to show signs of scoring, so with a quick repair by Sparky, it was fixed and Muddy sent out to test.  That appears to clear the problem, because Muddy did not call back and keep racing.

On the D side the only trouble was an interesting one for Queen.  She must either really hate Hyundai, the Supreme Leader, or some Quantum Synergy exists between the two.  For the second time this race a Black Flag for contact with the Safety Third - Kim Jong Elantra was issued.

In both instances the Hyundai could not penetrate the D's foam bumpers, and both times there was minimum damage to the D.  The Hyundai however did not fair as well with doors and fender panels pushed in. (Sorry Safety Third about that).  After a quick in and out penalty Queen finished up her stint with no further trouble.

This patterned continued for the rest of the race for the Z, Muddy was followed, by Lugnut, then by Torch, and then by Queen.  The D had Muddy, then Lugnut, and then finished with Muddy.  The only trouble in this exchange was at the end of Muddy's first stint in the D.  At this point the Z was hot on the tail of the D for two laps.  During the third lap, Muddy bounced off a curb that sent the car four wheeling followed by a quick recovery to get back on track.  However, the damage was done and Black Flag imminent.  Muddy took the D directly into the penalty box with the following exchange with Judges:
    Judge, "So why are you here?" (They know why but want to hear from you)
    Muddy, "Because I am an Idiot"
    Judge, "What did you do?"
    Muddy, "Four wheels off in the back somewhere"
    Judge, "and why did you do that?"
    Muddy, "Because I was trying to keep ahead of the team's other car"
    Judge, "You know that it is the 3rd fastest car out there"
    Muddy, "That is why I am an Idiot"

That fact that they knew the Z was 3rd quickest at that time is a bit troubling.  As for the penalty, after the exchange things got friendly and Muddy was quickly on his way to exchange drivers with Lugnut.

The race ended with no further trouble, with both cars running and only one lap between them.  So, in the end the D had 179 laps finished in 40th place.  The Z with 178 laps finished 41st.  Awesome!! Four Checkers this weekend.  Nicely done team, and thank you for the Fun!

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