Got STEWed!

Savannah March 06

  The big Interstates Lines hauler delivered my new ex-Chesmore Cheetah 19 days before the Savannah race.  Spent those days repairing fiberglass, augmenting the paint job, pouring a seat, polishing the tub and adding rub and body protection bits.  (The todo list had 34 items!) Having owned a Cheetah for 8 years prior, I knew what to do. 

  Although it is my custom NOT to do practice days, I signed up for one at Savannah.  It turned out to be money well spent, even though I got few laps in.  I went out for an early session to shake down the car using the well-aged tires that came on the car.  Something was severely out of balance as the vibration was so intense I could hardly see.  Did a few laps and also determined that the car was geared wrong as I ran out of revs half way down the front straight.

  Changing the gearing would consume hours and I was fortunate I had all of Friday to do it.  I put a 16-tooth sprocket on the engine only to find out the chain was now too short.  I had no spare chain and only one other spool sprocket.  I begged a couple of chain links from Bill Gurley and spliced it into my chain, although I really hate having to use two master links in a chain.  Chain turned out to be too long now.  By using the only share spool sprocket I had, a 43-tooth piece, I was barely able to make the chain work.  By now I was completely dirty from chain gunk.  Put on the other set of wheels that came with the car (7 month old R25’s which I reasoned would be ok for Savannah’s extremely abrasive track) and make the last session of the day.  Car ran great, and I only shifted wrong once…. As I was now shifting backwards from my previous cars.  Weather was great with temperatures around 80.  Bill Gurley was there for practice day, but had to go home after a fuel cell leak.

  I ran the old R25’s for the Saturday morning practice session and turned laps in the high 1:09’s.  Things were looking up.  Gearing was still a bit wrong as I ran into the rev limiter before turn one.  Gotta buy chain and sprockets.  I would make do.

  Per Hoosier’s recommendation, I mounted new R35’s for the qualifying session.  The thermometer on my trailer showed 94 degrees.  WOW.  Car did not seem as good with the R35’s.  Maybe it was just the heat. In about 6 laps, the engine was popping some and then went to a big off-song.  I knew I had an exhaust problem and came in.  One header has a dime-sized hole in it and many cracks in a spider like fashion around it.  There must have been 10 linear inches of cracks.  Tuned a 1:10.8.  The guy in the adjoining paddock space had been using a welder earlier in the day and volunteered to help.  The header was VERY thin; probably worn out.  Using a balky welder we borrowed, he slowly and carefully made he repair, suggesting it wouldn’t last long.  It took a couple of hours.  I put the car back together and Kathy and I were joined for dinner at Churchill’s (downtown) by Travis and Craig Stafford.  Travis’ engine (he was running one of Ben Johnston’s cars) gave up in qualifying.

  Our group one at Savannah ended up with only 11 starters.  The top 5 DSR’s all qualified within one second.  It was gonna be fun.  Coming around T9 to the front straight and the green flag, the field did its usual abrupt slowing (I had to brake really hard to avoid giving Pete Frost a love tap.) then accelerating.  Kathy, who had not used the radios since last summer, had misplaced the mike key and wasn’t giving me the “get ready”…. Etc.  I moved over maybe ¾ of a car width behind Pete Frost to be able to see the starter’s stand.  Pete also moved over a bit.  Green flag.  Dave Obehauer in the CSR Radical immediate blew past me.  In a couple or three laps, I got around Obehauer and Stafford as was running third in lockstep behind Dorian Foyil and Frost with Stafford on my tail.  Foyil has having some handling problems in the high-speed turns (3 and 9) and we were nearly able to get by several times.  (Foyil said the wicker bill came off his rear wing.)  After a few laps of very intense battle, I saw a black flag with my number on the board.  I went to the pit, where I was told that I had jumped the start was being assessed a stop and go penalty.  My race was essentially over.

  Had to go to the “principles office” after the race where a glum group of STEWards outlined my grave transgressions.  This group of fossils had an average age of at least 104 (ok, I exaggerated a little) and acted like I had spit in the stew. They said I had jumped the start.  I countered that I had not improved my position and in fact had been passed by the CSR.  Then they said I had failed to stay in line.  I said I needed to move over a bit to see the starter.  They said, NO EXCUSE.  Then they said I had ignored the black flag.  I said I came in as soon as I noticed it.  (My radio person had not seen it also, but had found the mike key by then.)  They were convinced that I was deliberately ignoring the flag and their authority.  (For what purpose, I asked?)  Anyway, they disqualified me and put 4 “bad boy” points on my racing license and said I should be thankful that the punishment wasn’t more.

  Got out my GCR this morning.  Sections 7.5.6 and 7.  It says that the starter should waive off the start, if he determines that the field in not in good order and “out of line.”  Instead, they ruined my race.  Got STEWed!  May have to wait a few years before returning to Savannah to give Mother Nature time to thin the fossil herd.

  Overall, I was very pleased with my new used Cheetah.  It goes like stink, brakes very well and handles nicely.  Just what I need.  Kathy is much happier since the car is easy to push around and fits into the trailer without fuss.  In the race, the car was not as stable in T9, as I like (by fine in T3 at full throttle) but I was running more ride height than recommended to prevent eating the front spoiler.  Car has more potential, not sure about the driver.