Good Lord...I feel like I was there!
Sent from my iPhone
> On Aug 24, 2016, at 5:50 PM, "Jason Ostrowski" <jason@multivintage.com> wrote:
>
> Prelude to Grattan:
> Since My last post (which left us with a broken Hub kit after the Hawk at
> Road America)...Great strides were made in August for our Friendly Ghost
> Racing GT6 program.
> The timeline for getting the new hub made for our #69 Zippy GT6+ didn't seem
> reasonable to get the car ready for the Midwest Summer Party at Grattan
> Raceway near Grand Rapids Michigan.
> A Beady-Eyed Favorite event for some 3 decades...
> This Grattan venue has a powerful Hook.
> Bringing the best of track, party, and competition to a weeping willow, sand
> and lake-littered spot that is almost too fantastic for the Triumph Faithfull.
> The magic that happens in the mind when your Triumph runs well at Grattan
> fills you up with the inner smile of personal victory that we all strive for
> in this game.
> Somehow the track is both calm and punishing;
> It has a flow when driven well that locks beautiful visual reference in your
> brain.
> A magical freeze frame in your mind that exists inside you as pure reason for
> the racing disease to run in blood.
> Grattan is hard to beat.
> So every year in August I get the bug bad and prepare my car well.
> The summer-long hope is to reap the reward of mental championship found by
> doing well on the asphalt through this swamp.
> The track's fine blind plunges and sightless climbs make a month of sweat-
> drenched race prep a small price to pay.
> So sweat I Did...
> To bring my Yellow car out of a two-year slumber was a rather ambitious
> undertaking even by Friendly Ghost Racing standards of insanity.
> Forever done with the factory transmission's set-up for disappointment: we
> pushed the program for drive train upgrade; up to...immediately.
> The decision to make the inevitable conversion to our solid solution for gear
> drive success (that we have perfected in our British Racing Green "Zippy"
> GT6+) would have to be used for the first time in our slightly more period
> correct yellow car....if we were to show up with any faith in our machine.
> From a roller with no motor, trans, drive shaft, or rear end...
> To a finished prime example of GT6 manhood in 30 days?
> The yellow car, a 6 million dollar automotive man?
> Could it be?... and how did they do it??
> Logic and common sense would say it should be Nothing short of impossible;
> especially on my budget.
> But, fueled by bushel baskets of now empty imported beer cans.
> The nights went by; one by one.
> For starters, I rebuilt a totally unknown spare motor. This motor has sat on
> a shelf for some 20+ years (It came with my yellow car when I bought it) and
> since essentially "free" was the keyword; I figured it as the best choice to
> be used with the new aspects of our development.
> The downside:
> everything about the power and drive for the car would be open to potential
> gremlins and be much unknown.
> With attention to every detail I put my head down and worked.
> Mostly just examining and reassembling the spare motor, and then measuring,
> fitting, cutting, sparking and tweaking all the parts of our custom FGR GT6+
> driveline that Brian and I have recently redeveloped.
> The Ideas and primitive templates that were originally engineered over the
> past several decades by John Reed and Chris Beebe in the famous Zippy Racing
> GT6+ and were nothing short of masterful design...
> and Now in the yellow car.... we have made it better.
> We have done it.
> The Kit has been reproduced with improvemnts.
> The parts have been small-man engineered and manufactured.
> Our first new and improved kit and the install of such has been completed.
> The "Kit" consists of a fully functional upgraded racing drivetrain that runs
> completely custom from the engine plate back to the rear-end.
> FGR financial supporters get all the secrets... but it utilizes a Custom made
> engine plate, flywheel, Tilton clutch, relocated slave cylinder with trick
> throw-out unit, upgrade transmission, custom starter and spacer, trick
> slip-yoke drive shaft, all partnered with our "better than ever" newly
> developed welded differential.
> Over the past several weeks we got the Yellow car ready to go with all the
> goodies and the old spare motor.
> Not without some hitches and panic phone calls to many of our FoT Heros.
> I completed the car and started it up in the late hours of the Grattan
> deadline.
> The car Fired up and was mostly ready; but only as a short and untested
> "Thank the racing Gods" six cylinder explosion
> I left the next day with my hope and dreams in tow.
> With all that hard work in the rearview, I am happy as ever to report that
> with all those upgrades, changes, developments and unknowns the car took
> every green flag and saw every checkered offered through-out the entire
> weekend.
> That's right folks...EVERY GODDAMN SESSION!
> Well, OK; Forget about the fact that the first session I ran out of gas
> trying to burn all the old gas out of the tank.
> But Hell, If the hardest fix was pouring some fresh 110 into the tank; this
> was Weekend was truly an amazing accomplishment.
> A mechanical Victory for Friendly Ghost Racing!
> Albeit the fact that the spare motor doesn't have the same grunt as some of
> my other motors... the car was great, the trans works awesomely and it was a
> real treat to finally be able to shift that car the way a racecar should be
> driven. No more pussying around with the pedals and the stick... the #27 car
> is now ready to race.
> I came home, cleaned the car up and registered for my next weekend of racing
> (a rare and welcomed task).
>
> Our whole group of FoT Folks had pretty good showings with Murphy's,
> Alexander's and Moore holding up their flags highest in group 2 even bringing
> on a Tornado (literally) as their session on Saturday ended with the warning
> siren.
> John S. in his TR3 that keeps getting more and more awesome and Tony Drews
> had the speed early in the weekend; but each had their woes and were unable
> to finish the weekend due to mechanical unraveling.
> Most spectacular fail had to be Tony's neat and pretty NASCAR axle which
> apparently due to "Incorrect Preload" took a vacation...
> The entire Splined axle Shot itself out of the hub end of the wheel like a 2
> foot long Billet harpoon aimed at Moby Dick!
> Amazingly, The pieces were all found mostly intact.
> Aside from a lone bolt that needed proper time and facility for replacement;
> stuck deep inside the center of the car towards the differential inards, he
> almost got it all put back together for more racing. But after Friday, it was
> back to the Stock Car shop early for Mr. Drews.
> And Thanks to Tony for sticking around to host us all for wine and cheese up
> in the old Beady-Eyed Garage Area
> (We missed you Bill And Shirley)!
> Anyway, This selfish bastard was happy to be the fastest in the end; and best
> of all was to be still standing up proud at the finish. A real happy ending
> to a long month of hard work.
> Everything is about Getting ready for the next Kastner Cup!
> See you all Then!
> Jason Ostrowski
> Friendly Ghost Racing
> 1969 Triumph GT6+ Racecars
>
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