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Race Report: Portland Double Regional

To: "'spridgets@autox.team.net'" <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Race Report: Portland Double Regional
From: Jeff Zurschmeide <jzurschm@etec.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Aug 1998 15:36:06 -0700
Reply-to: Jeff Zurschmeide <jzurschm@etec.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
Hello Fellow Spridgeteers, 

I went racing with the new configuration on the bugeye 
this weekend. This is the configuration I outlined in 
my mail a couple weeks ago. 

Everything went very well indeed. I dropped my lap 
times from the 1:38s to the 1:35s. Of course, the 
other bugeye dropped his from 1:36 to 1:24 by 
installing a 120HP motor built by Loynings (a 
groovy NW engine shop). Sigh. I think he's got 
about the fastest sprite in the northwest now. 

I had a great race on Saturday with a Formula Vee
and found that I can now throttle steer the car some,
which was great fun. I never had enough power to 
do that before! I tightened up the rear sway bar to 
get a little more tail out of her (not a word about 
Anaheim! ;^) and I played around some with the
tire pressures. 

I messed up my Sunday race somewhat, however,
and this is a classic mistake that you may all want
to learn from - the car had been running great all 
weekend, and then someone came by while I was
working - dunno who it was - probably didn't even
look at them - they asked "what fuel pressure are
you running?" - "five pounds" says I - "Really? Webers
run best on about 3 pounds" - "Oh, thanks." 

I didn't think about it until I was warming up the car
for the race, and then I inexplicably reached over 
and turned the fuel pressure regulator down to
four pounds. Well, all was well until the green flag 
dropped, whereupon the car had no poop whatsoever. 
It felt like ignition or something - either someone had
retarded the ignition about 20 degrees or stuffed a 
sock in the carb throats. 

I coaxed her around for half the laps (guaranteeing a 
credit for finishing) and then pulled in to the pits to 
change back the only @*^&%$%# thing I had touched
since qualifying and after a brief moment of panic when 
condensation on the carb was mistaken for a fuel leak,
went back out and Ba-ZINNNGG! Everything was back 
to its previous glorious state. 

I spent two laps in the pits. I missed trophying in my 
class by one position and less than two laps. You 
all can do the arithmetic. 

The moral of the story is, of course, "If it ain't broke,
don't dink with it right before a frickin' race, stoooopid!" 

But overall, a grand weekend. I feel like I'm working in a 
morgue today by comparison with the technicolor life with
full-surround THX sound I had over the last three days. 

Between now and the next race it's just maintenance - maybe 
a little testing and color-tuning for the car. But - 

1) The Pertronix ignition module seems to work very reliably up
    to past 7000 RPM. (www.shadetree.com - $79.95 and it 
    replaces points forever) Except that the tach needle would
    occasionally wobble some. But the motor didn't miss the way
    it would if you got that bauble with points. 

2) The Weber 45DCOE works great - some folks think it's too much
    carb for a Sprite, but it sure feels great! Of course, I do have a 
    macho cam ;^) and a ported and polished head, so as always, YMMV.

3) If you want to race with the 5 speed conversion, I recommend the 
    4.55 rear end. You'll have power over all engine speed and road
conditions. 
    Of course, if you've got a 120HP motor, you can probably push a 3.9
rear
    end without difficulty. 

That's the short version of my weekend. 

JZ

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