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02/06/2004 GRUMPY LOSES HIS BEARINGS Readers of our Thunderball report will know that we had to fit a new crank to one of the Brad Andersen engines. Well it turned out that the second Brad also had a terminal crank so we ‘borrowed’ a brand new one from a spare Keith Black engine. So, 2 good Brad engines for the Main Event then, well no as it turned out. We were pleased to welcome 2 new sponsors on board namely ELAS (Employment Law Advisory Service) and Bling Rims. A new tow-car had been provided, a long-wheelbase pickup with wild graphics and a set of Bling Rims with low profile tyres. We also had another racer sharing our pit, none other than Jon Cohen brother in law of Anthony Cohen and partner in the American Car Imports company. Jon was campaigning a special ACI version of the new Ford Mustang in a sportsman class. Friday was spent setting up the pit and warming up the car as we didn’t want a repeat of the ACI Thunderball Fireworks display. Thankfully everything seemed fine. The usual Santa Pod weather mix greeted the first round of qualifying – sunshine yet chilly and very strong winds. The weather station data was almost beyond belief as the barometer went into freefall. This would be an interesting day. Our first run nearly didn’t happen as the car was reluctant to start in the fire-up road (been there, bought the T-shirt and dvd). A quick check of the plug leads and it was obvious that no 3 had swapped itself with no 5. It’s just amazing how they can do that. Once the correct firing order had been re-established the engine fired and we rushed round to the start line and to face a strong headwind. The launch was strong but with a lot of tyre shake, so much so that, afterwards, the tyres were found to be slightly blistered. A surprisingly quick 5.44 was our first run straight off the trailer. 2nd qualifier had the plug leads correctly positioned. We know this because we all checked them and a piece of paper with 4 signatures was given to the driver! Significantly worse tyre shake for this run but still a 5.49. Interestingly the car and driver were 17 pounds lighter at the weigh-in for this run. Who needs an Atkins diet? Our return to the pits was marked by the combined cheering & shouting of 30 children brought by a charitable organisation and organised by our new sponsor ELAS. Needless to say they all wanted their T-shirts signed by the granddad from Farnborough. The slightly blistered tyres were now slightly more blistered. We made some changes for the 3rd qualifying run and the tyre shake was cured. A steady 5.49 @ 252 mph gave us a good launching pad for the final qualifier. That was until Harry stuck his head inside the sump and found a handful of large metal shards. Our worst fears were confirmed after a destroyed main bearing was identified and the crank probably damaged beyond repair. Not bad, 3 runs from new and it’s history. 4th qualifier and we had a new engine and blistered tyres. Time for caution, so a checkout half-pass was made and the bottom-end stripped for examination. Guess what? The same main bearing on the second engine was damaged. This was scary. The crank was fine and different bearings fitted to see if that sorted the problem. The blistered tyres now had chunks of rubber missing and were replaced that evening. Caution was beginning to control our thinking as we had a bye for the first round of eliminations and it was decided to ‘break the beams’ only and forget lane choice for round 2. Whilst back in the pit we had a strange visitor in the form of a pigeon that wandered from under our truck and sat on some body panels that were lying on the floor. It refused to move and sat there looking round with wide-open eyes. We thought it cooed with a German accent and as we had 2 German teams to our left we were suspicious. We eventually managed to get it to move although its reaction time was very poor. 2nd round was against our old adversary Peter Schofer. Both left the line strongly then Peter got seriously out of shape. This was not going to stop him and we watched spellbound as he weaved his way down the track just like Steve Irwin chasing a King Cobra. Impressive driving, but Dave was long gone and recorded a new European record of 5.425. What a race and what a result. The final was a race against another old adversary Rob Turner. It’s been said in these reports before but the Turners are winners and seek to take any scalp that presents itself. There was nothing between them as they left the line but it was quickly clear the ACI Flyer was beginning to edge ahead and sure enough the win lights beamed their welcome message. Not only a win but yet another European record time of 5.422. This was a weekend to remember certainly but not just for the racing. The crowds were exceptional in their cheering and good wishes and the visiting group of children added an extra dimension. One of the abiding memories was Andy Robinson visiting our pit with a dazed look on his face having just run several new personal bests in his newly-blown Studebaker Pro Mod. That’s what makes this sport so special. See you in Finland and absolutely no mentioning of Moose – promise!
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