Hey, Frank!
Everyone deserves a day like that. Glad you had lotsa fun. Mmmmmm,
torsion bar suspension? Sounds great!
the Best, Paul A
FROM: Frank Clarici, INTERNET:spritenut at Exit109.com
TO: Spridget List, INTERNET:spridgets@autox.team.net
CC: chuck Christ, INTERNET:cfchrist@earthlink.net
Ron Soave, INTERNET:soavero@yahoo.com
DATE: 10/1/00 10:28 PM
Re: Sprite Adventures at Summit Point
Beautiful days, beautiful roads, beautiful track, and beautiful vintage
sports cars. And charity run laps for us Wannabe racers!
This is where the adventure starts.
For a few bucks I was allowed to drive my Bugeye at speed around the
road course at Summit Point. I jumped at the chance.
I started out from the pits and soon found out the Datsun 5 speed does
not like to be shifted at high Rs, gear clash every time I shifted over
6,000 rpms.
But There was NO WAY that Honduh was going to pass me so I had to keep
the Rs up. I even got into fifth gear and was going over 90 when curve
10 was fast approaching. Down to 3rd and hit the brakes but I took the
curve too fast and spun out. Quickly get the car off the track, I know I
heard metal crunching but I was determined to get back on the track. I
can fix the rocker panel later (so I thought) Back at speed and more
aware of the curves and my speed I hit the "carousel" at a safe speed
only to have the Sprite start drifting.
A few more laps and the drifting was still there but now I use it to my
advantage.
Then the brakes fade, I call it quits because coming up on some of the
"tourers" out for a Sunday drive on a race track with bum brakes was
unsafe so I headed back in.
I looked at the body and saw no caved in rocker, no dent in the rear 1/4
panel but left side of the car was about 8 inches higher then the right.
I could not see what I bent or broke under the car. Then after some
digging around I see I ripped out the left rear spring box from the body
of the car.
OOPS! Big question now is how to drive home 5 hours on interstate
hiways?
Fortunately Chuck and his crew were at the race. I headed over to see if
Chuck had any ideas, some metal and a welder would have been ideal too.
Chuck looks under the Sprite and says "Oh Fu8#!" I didn't want to hear
that.
But with a bit of chain, a hunk of pipe, some track side engineering and
a few bolts, all was "patched up almost as good as new" Now my bugeye
has a torsion bar suspension (well sort of) and a chained up spring
hanger. Hey it worked, I made it home at 70 mph most of the way and the
car handles fine on twisty West Virginia roads and hiway speeds.
A very Special thank you to Chuck and his gang for helping me patch up
the car.
Hey Chuck, how come you were not at the Lobster Feast Saturday night?
All the beer, wine, ribs, chicken, and lobster you could eat! I only ate
3 whole lobsters and a rack of ribs because I had too many hors d ovres
during the happy hour (included) the apple crisp was out of this world
too.
All's well thanks to a fellow lister.
Would I do it again? In a heart beat! But not with street tires and
brakes.
Hey if you're gonna race, give it 110%.
--
Frank Clarici
Toms River, NJ
The bug in the rice bowl
http://www.exit109.com/~spritenut
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Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2000 22:23:04 -0400
From Frank Clarici <spritenut at Exit109.com>
Organization: Positive Earth Drivers Club
To: Spridget List <spridgets@autox.team.net>
CC: Ron Soave <soavero@yahoo.com>, chuck Christ <cfchrist@earthlink.net>
Subject: Sprite Adventures at Summit Point
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