Return to Abiline ...
The Sunburn Grand Prix in Abiline, Texas once again lived up to its name.
The weather, like the racing, was hot! This was my first outing with the
disk brakes. I finally got seal kits in hand last Wednesday evening, and by
Thursday I was testing the car up and down the street in front of my house.
That's something I do very, very rarely so as not to antagonize neighbors,
but I had to know that the brakes would work before I loaded and drove 4 1/2
hours to Abiline. The brakes were okay. No, better than okay, they were
good! I've got a little more pedal travel than I really like, but the pedal
never hit the floor, and the brakes didn't go away. I have to call that
good. With the new brakes, my '59 Healey 100/6 (the 'Lead Sled') was
remarkably well mannered. I was taking it a little easy, never pushing
things to the limit the entire weekend. It was quite different having good
brakes however, and I never really found the best braking point for all of
the turns. With the old drums, you just started braking earlier each lap.
Turn one was the only place that had shutdown markers, and they were on
the right side of the course (they had put concrete barricades on the left
side to protect spectators). Naturally, we're traveling down the left side
to set up for the turn. Plus, with the barricades, spectators, T&S platform,
Corner Station, announcer and camera trailers, etc. there was a lot of
visual pollution that made it tough to concentrate on the markers. Then, of
course, there was a tire wall in front of concrete barricades straight ahead
guarding the hot pits and reminding everyone of the penalties for error ...
Let's see, I spun twice. Once each day. Saturday during practice a
Caterham 7 dove inside of me at turn 7 (a sweeping left hander) and then
realized he was too hot and put on the brakes as he went across my bow. I
had to lift and looped it down the center of the track. On Sunday I got a
little wide in the race through T6 (a 110 degree hairpin to the right) and
put a couple of wheels off on the grass. I tried to bring it back too
quickly. Result -- spun down the center of the track and then let it go
backwards off to driver's right to wait for a point from the corner station
signaling that it was safe to re-enter the track.
In Saturday's race, a Caterham (don't know if it was the same one that
gave me grief in the practice session) came up on me in T8 (a 135 degree RH
hairpin) and entered the turn from the center of the track. I was at the
outside, and was simply astonished to see him make his turn-in from that
point, traveling at the same speed as I was. I thought to myself with
amazement "He can DO that!?!" but had to smile as he went off course at the
exit "Nope, he can't" and I re-passed him while he cruised sideways through
the grass.
I put my new alloy wheels on for Sunday with Goodyear Blue Streak tires.
Running the bias plies is a nice feeling. They may not be quite as fast as
the Yokohama A008 radials, but they're soooooo smooth and controllable in
the turns. No chirping or squealing, no skipping, no panic. Just an easy
slide to the outside that ends with a flick of the steering wheel. They
seem to wear much faster than the Yokohamas however.
I was hoping to keep up with Fred Crowley, what with the disk brakes and
all. Fred, however, has done some significant engine work and slipped away
from me on the straights. Now that I've (finally) got an overdrive, I guess
I need to take out my tall differential and put in a 4.10 ratio. That might
allow me to keep Fred in sight a little longer. Fred and Jim Johnson are
planning on taking their big Healeys to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
next month. Hmmm, is my bank acount totally flattened yet?
_______________________________________________________________
Dave Lapham HEALEY@OAKHILL.sps.mot.com Austin, TX
Sometimes I think I'm having fun with my cars ...
... and sometimes I think they're having fun with me !
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