Arrival at Track and Tech Inspection

We arrived at the track by at 9:30. The first practices was occurring, and we looked longingly at the track. However, we had work to do. Lemon's rules and Lucky Dog rules are similar, but there are subtle differences. The D has been running since 2011, and has evolved as the rules evolved. So, there is a bit of patch work nature to the car. More was now needed.

The most obvious problem was the lack of seat. The seat was pulled two weeks ago for a bolster fitting. We need to wait for Queen and Torch to pick up the seat from Lugnut house and get it on track. The next problem was we did not have a window net. So, a quick trip to the pro shop, we acquired the hardware, and proceeded to install the net.

We did many more changes, however, was left with one that would take us all day if ask. A dash bar to the roll cage. The car does have a stock bar, but to the rules are the rules.  So, once we got of the changes, stickers, and seat in time to tech.

In tech, I had to talk to the race manager, and plead for the change in cars. Then when she took one look at the D she just laughed. "There has to be a good story for this". I was not sure if she was talking about the car change, the theme of the car, or the shabby nature of the whole thing.  When I looked, I think I understood.  The last the D ran was in 2019, and it had an adventure through the fields, and is was still covered in mud (not me for once). With her grace we proceed to talk with the head Tech Inspector.

That started out well, until he looked at the inside of the car with his first words " I am not thrilled". Oh, I knew I had some work on my hands at this point. With a lot of yeses, we are two, this is the car's last race, and this is not what was planned. In the end he did pass us. However, I was not give a new inspection book like new to them cars get, and a curious note on the tech sheet of one time acceptance.

Ok, we can live with that, and it is now time to hit the track.

Well that did not go as planned

Lugnut and I work through the day to get and load the trailer and RV. By about 3:30 we looked round and said "ok lets load the Z". Well, the car would not start. Well... Ok, we then start the checks to figure the problem. We first started with the classic checks, Fuel, Air, and Spark. Well no spark. Also, after a few cranks it was noticed no fuel either.

Ok... historically we have seen this trouble with position sensors. There are two upper cam sensors and one lower crank. The crank, is in an exposed spot, so that was the first one we worked on. No joy. On to the uppers. No Joy. By this time we were getting past my 5:30 planned launch time.

Time to implement plan B. Sparky!!!! What are your thoughts? After another hour, we exhausted what we could do on the phone.

So, Plan C, a visit from Sparky. Looking at the clock if we did not leave by 7:30, we would not make tech. After another hour of Sparky going through many of the system, we still did not have an operating car. As another hour went by, it was clear that we were not leaving that evening. Lugnut and I then took a break for dinner. When we came back, we still did not have a starting car.

Plan D??? Press the D into service. Lugnut and I turned to the D and did the prep need to get the D going. By 11:00pm, we called it quits and plan to leave at 8:00 for the track. In the morning we promptly load the D and headed to the track.

Next Race... Revenge of the Underdogs, February 12-14

Well the December race was a bit of a bust. 24-hour Hours Lemons was forced to cancel the race for the Holiday Covid closures. 

However, two months later, and we are at it again. It still looks like a go for the race hoisted by Lucky Dog Endurance Racing at Sonoma. To get ready we only really need to dusted off the Z, refreshed the safety equipment, and apply a coat of paint (I suck at painting so Picasso you will have a bit of work to recover from my mess).  And with that, I think we are ready.

For this race, there are still a lot of Covid restrictions, so this will be a light affair for the team. Only Lugnut and myself will be piloting the Z. On Friday we will have an extended practice in two sessions, followed by a qualifying session. First qualifying, of the lower half paced cars will be from 3:00-3:45. Second qualifying, will be from 4:00-4:45. The Z should be quick enough to be in the top half, but one never knows until we hit the track.

Then for the race the schedule will be:

Saturday 9:00-5:00

Sunday   9:00-4:00

Now, we will try to run the video for most of this. Sparky will not be there, so it is up to me to see if I can make it work (no guarantees I can get it to run or keep it running). We did perform an upgrade that might help. Sparky added an axillary battery to the system that will keep parts running and connect while we are pitted and refueling. This will mean we only need to launch the system in the morning, and it should run all day. I am meeting with Sparky tomorrow to review how to operate it. I will post the url address in a later post, so you can gain access to the video.

We also have two other upgrades in the rear differential that will get their shake down cruise. 

The first part is the rear differential has been replaced as a result of the catastrophic failure at Laguna Seca last January 2020. This new differential is thought to give a little better speed out of the corners. Two place it should show up, is turn 2 exit and 7B through turn 8A. Out of turn 2, it should give a better feel when you get on top of the hill and the road goes off camber all the way through the exit. For turn 7B the old setup required a lot of finesse on the exit and all the way through 3rd gear. The new setup should get you through with more pedal and thus more speed. In addition to the differential core change, the ring and pinion was exchanged for a Q45 setup. 

This give us a little high gear ratio and should allow us to use more of the gears (i.e 2nd might be an option and look at those nice teeth.  The last ring in there had those as optional). 

So, 5 days to go.