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We
arrived at the Mitsubishi test track at about 9 am, not really
knowing what to expect. We were soon told to park and unload on
the tar. We unloaded the car and a few things from the back of the
truck. At 9.30 am we got in the long queue for scrutineering.
While in the line for scrutineering we were called to the Form Up
Area for Drivers Briefing. After the Clark of Course explained the
day’s events we had to run back to the scrutineering line so the
car could finish being checked. We wheeled the car back to the
trailer and discovered that Samantha had to be lined up in the
Form Up Area. There was a mad rush getting the car ready. Sam
missed her allocated run although she managed to slip into the
queue. The event consisted of rolling up to the cones, doing a
burnout to get warmth into the tyres, and then a start at the next
set of the cones. Samantha’s burnout wasn’t very good so there
was minimal heat in the tyres. She lined up at the start and
revved the engine. The car took off with what we suspect was
probably a little too much wheel spin. Nevertheless she still did
a time of 14.21 seconds. After crossing the line the car was
parked off to the side of the track until there were 12 or more
cars waiting there. Then
they headed back to the pits.
Once
the car was back in the pits I had to jump in it straight away. We
had to change the seats over and place a 1 next to the number
plate because I was running #521 and Samantha #52. With only 2
fifteen-minute sessions under my belt in a manual car I was
extremely nervous. I had been having problems getting the car
rolling off the line. I managed to stall the car about 3 or 4
times before the burnout area. After pulling up to the burnout
area and dropping the clutch at about 5,000 revs the rear wheels
lit up. The wheels however, didn’t get great amounts of wheel
spin. I was soon off the accelerator - I had only made it about
halfway up the burnout pad. I rolled up to the line and waited for
the Marshall to place the timing device in front of my front
wheel. After he gave me the signal of “when you want”, I was
hard on the accelerator and watching the revs build until they got
close to 5000. I dropped the clutch and the car kicked and bogged
down. I now think that it was due to the fact I didn’t have my
foot flat when I was building revs. The revs rose to 6800 and I
changed smoothly into second. The car built up speed. I was
dreading the next change because I had messed it up so many other
times. I smacked in the clutch and slammed in third, the gearbox
found it and I was soon hammering it approaching the end. The car
was revving close to its limit very close to the end, but there
was no point in changing gears, I would have just lost time. After
crossing the line I was on the brakes and onto the side of the
track where I was told I did a 13.54. I later found out it was
actually a 14.54. I waited in queue to return to the pits.
After returning to the pits we
allowed the car to cool off. We put Samantha’s seat back in and
got her ready to roll again.
One complete cycle of all the
cars took about 45 minutes so it was soon time for Samantha to get
in and drive again. We warmed the car up and she drove over to the
form up grid. We then shut the engine off because we thought it
was getting too hot. We re-started the car and Sam pulled into the
burnout area. She revved the car and dropped the clutch but again
there wasn’t heaps of wheel spin. She drove up to the line and
was given the signal to go. She built up revs and dropped the
clutch. The car took off leaving minimal wheel spin, which we
didn’t know was good or not. She selected second early and then
third and before the end of the ¼ mile she was in top gear. She
crossed the line onto the side of the track where she was told
that she had just run a 13.88.
Sam drove the car back and
again it was my turn. I was already suited up waiting when she
arrived so I could get in the queue as quick as possible.
I rolled up to the burnout area
and dropped the clutch. The car spun the wheels but little smoke
came from the tyres. Again I stopped the burnout early, which was
a waste because I could have got more heat in the tyres. I revved
the car a little less this time and dropped the clutch. I was hard
on the accelerator and the wheels barely spun. The Marshall was
too slow to pull the timing device out so the rear wheels ran over
it. This unsettled the car and bogged it down, although the car
still took off with a fair amount of speed. I changed into 2nd and
then into the dreaded 3rd, the car revved to the
maximum before it was all over and I pulled off the track. I was
given a time of 14.26.
The third round came around
quickly. Sam was in the car forming up. She pulled up to the
burnout pad and smoked the tyres. There was a good amount of wheel
spin before she approached the starting line. The Marshall stuck
the timing device in front of the front wheel and signalled her to
go. Again he was too slow at pulling it out and the rear wheel ran
over it. This upset Sam’s run and she ended up getting a 14.30.
I was shortly back in the car
and still panicking about starts and changing into third. I did a
burnout that had good wheel spin. Although when I pulled up to the
line I stalled and ran over the Marshall’s timing device. He had
to reset it and do it again. I was given the signal to go, and I
built up revs, the car crept forward onto his timing device and
started the clock. It was only a split second after that I fully
took off but it was enough to leave me with a 14.90. I shut off
the engine while waiting for other cars to queue. Once there were
12 cars it was time to restart the engine and take off. This was
made hard due to the fact that the battery was flat. I was then
unsure of what to do so a marshal came over and helped push start.
The car didn’t fire. So I was then towed back behind the Magna.
I later found out that I should have been trying to start it in 3rd
or 2nd rather then 1st.
Once I was back we hooked up
the external battery to the internal battery to try and give it a
boost just in case Sam or I stalled.
We started to pack up the kit
so that we could go home as quickly as possible after the last
session.
Sam was back in the car for her
last run. She pulled up to the burnout area and dropped the
clutch. The wheels smoked up well before she was off the
accelerator and taking position on the line. She built up revs and
took off and again she complained of the rear wheels running over
the timing device. Her run was still fairly fast coming in at
14.08.
I hopped in and was worried
that I was going to stall so I tried to be as gentle on the clutch
as possible. I rolled into the burnout area and smoked the tyres.
I tried to keep my boot into it a bit longer to get more heat in
the tyres. I rolled up to the line and selected first. I then got
the signal and took off. The car kicked a little sideways and then
shot off. I changed into 2nd and then 3rd.
The car shot across the finish line. I rolled off to the side of
the track where I was told I did a 13.96. I then had to leave the
engine running because if I turned it off I couldn’t start it.
Luckily I was the second to last car because the engine kept
getting hotter and hotter. I drove it back and we packed it away.
We left at about 4 pm.
Overall the day was a success
because we got all our starts right, and I didn’t miss any 2nd
to 3rd gear changes. |