Hey- we had another good vintage race weekend up in Canada, over July 1-3,
This time at Shannonville, Ont.
This is a mixed event, with both vintage auto and motor-cycle racing, lapping
sessions for street cars, and a car show. There usually tends to be a few
interesting cars that show up. Street cars of interest:
-A TR8, which was doing the lapping. (Aqua coloured roadster), (a TR7 also)
-Sunbeams, both Alpine & Tiger
-A nice Morgan V8, with SU's.
-A new Mini Marcos, brought by the Canadian distributer of this kit.
-many minis, MG's, TR's, Loti, Jags, etc.
-A Land Rover Defender (3.9 litre), press car with the top removed. Neat
truck, but with a bunch of cheap plastic fittings that fit poorly, and won't
last.
Tilly was my trusty crew, keeping on top of tyre pressures, and various
other details, with some wrenching help from a friend Ray, who was up part of
the weekend. The UPS truck had turned up 1 hour before we left home Thursday,
with spares from Mini Mania that I really needed! Friday afternoon was
somewhat open practice, with qualifying on Saturday, and the main race on
Sunday. Shannonville is a flat but technical 14 turn track. There's a fast
right into turn 1, a series tight sweepers- both right and left, with little
bits of straight between, then a tight 2nd gear hairpin leading on to the long
back straight. From there, turn right into fast esses, and brake down to
second for the last left and right, leading onto the front straight. You
steer this place more with the throttle more than the steering wheel.
The car ran well, but we had another axle oil seal go out. De-buring the hub,
and double lipped seals seem to have solved that problem. The most serious
problem came when a rear wheel stud broke off in the nut while taking things
apart to check the status. This was 2 hours before qualifying, and the search
for a spare was turning up nothing. We finally hit the right place, got a
stud & nut, and got it changed out just in time to suit up..
There were 2 other Bugeyes (One very fast), and my nemesis, Mike in his
Turner MKI as well. He was breaking in a new engine block, so was running
towards the back during practice. My times had put me behind an Alfa 1300
coupe for the qualifying race, with an MGA from Rochester (Dick Powers), and
the 3rd Bugeye behind. After following the Red Alfa for a few laps, and
watching his weak points, I set myself up, and made my first true racing
pass, down the front straight, in front of the crowds, with the race leader
(a fast Lotus 7) catching up and lapping us at the same time! This held to
the finish, and I qualified 14th of 21, with just the Alfa between me and
Mike in the Turner, one of the other Sprites behind him, and Nancy, the
former owner of my car, in her S1 Lotus 7 in front of me.
The green flew, and Nancy got by this black Corvette in the first few turns,
but it proceeded to hold several of us up for another lap, as it would leap
away on the straights, and we'd be on it's tail again in the twisties. By
this time, the bright yellow PacMan Turner has dispensed with the Alfa, and
was nipping at my heels. Unlike Mosport, he didn't break, but stayed right
there, waiting to pounce on his prey. Towards the end, I managed to get a few
seconds up- perhaps he was over-heating again?, so I eased slightly, and
worked on my lines...
As I passed under the S/F tower, now displaying the last lap sign, then
through turn 1, and hit the brakes for 2, I caught a glimpse of yellow-
closing fast! Ahhhhh- step on it! A couple more turns, and he was all over
me, stayed there through 3 and 4, and took a look around me coming out of 5.
I managed to hold him through the straight to 6, and he took another peek
through 7... I made it through 8, then 9, and downshifted to 2nd for the
hairpin at 10. He stayed glued to my tail down the long back straight, and
back up through the fast esses... We both turned our fastest laps this time
around, and Mike bettered me by 3 seconds by taking the Oh S**t line to
catch up! Out of the esses, downshift to 2nd, and scramble through 13, then
point out of 14 towards the pit wall, and stand on the gas down the
straight... The checkered flew, and I was still ahead!
I managed to finish 12th over all, 2nd in class. That Turner's lighter, and
fast, and Mike's gonna get me one of these days... maybe.
________________________________________________________
Roger Garnett (Roger_Garnett@cornell.edu)
"Wayward Sports Car Racing"
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