103 degrees for tire temp isn't very hot, I wouldn't worry about that, but
you'll have a better time on racing tires. I really like the Hoosiers, but
the new Dunlops sound good too.
Everyone gets loose in 3A/B. Peyote slides sideways all the way through
it. That's normal.
You'll have to make your own screen, but it's easy. Lexan is a good
choice. Either use a very thin piece and just bend it with the bottom
attachments, or make a mold from cardboard and wood, heat the lexan up in
an oven and lay it on.
When I was thinking about beefing up Peyote's windscreen I found this
link: http://www.roddingroundtable.com/dcforum/DCForumID1/2686.html#1
that covers bending windshields extensively. I stuck a small piece of
lexan in our oven and formed it over a small mold as an experiment. You
can actually make fairly complex shapes just with a single sided mold and
some rounded wood sticks to push and prod the draped plastic. The plastic
sheds heat slowly, so you can heat a big piece to 300 degrees or so with a
heat gun. I have a friend who has a pizza place who offered to heat a
windshield for me. Never did it, but I'm sure I could make it work--it'd
probably have cornmeal embedded in the "crust" side though.
One very odd thing about working lexan is that sanding it with a
paper-backed belt can build up a heck of a static charge on it. I nearly
jumped out of my shoes last time I was edge polishing a big piece on a
wood bench and it zapped me.
-----Original Message-----
From: Charly Mitchel [mailto:charly@mitchelplumbing.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 3:27 PM
To: Bill Babcock; ''Friends of Triumph ' '
Subject: Re: Peyote Rocks!!
Bill, I saw your car on Friday while I was doing my novice thing and never
saw you after that. I walked around the pits a couple of times and
couldn't find it, I even walked through the grass area where the TR3 and
Rover TC was at. I was driving the red 69 TR6 #44, this was my first
racer and had a great time.
On Friday I had a couple of sessions running with the TR4A of Jeff
Quick's (great name) and had great fun running with him. My car is still
kinda tight on the new motor, about 1 1/2 hours on it before I got to the
track, tuning it etc. It also seems to not have the timing set right on
it and I'm going to try to work on that a little.
The car seemed to handle decently, a little loose in 3a & b though. I'm
running on street tires and am planning to get some better tires very
soon. My right rear tire was getting pretty warm, about 103 degrees,
compared to the others @ about 90 degrees.
I was running in group 2 and getting passed by the B's, Alfa's and
practically everything but the VW and Imp! Oh well I'm just getting used
to the car and the track and breaking it in yet. I'm planning on going to
the Spring sprints and to Mission in May, I'm just trying to get some
track time in right now. I didn't have a transponder, but the fellow in
my crew said I ran a best time of about 2:02, not very impressive, but
learning, what the heck! I attached a picture of the car, its not quite
done yet, but was good enough to run in the Novice day and defrost. Does
anybody know of where I could get a preformed plexi type windscreen? I'm
looking for the low profile type something like the Group 44 TR6 ran in
69. I've got a piece of Lexan and was planning on shaping it my self if
necessary, but would rather have something already done if it's
reasonable. Charly
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Babcock" <BillB@bnj.com>
To: "''Friends of Triumph ' '" <FOT@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, April 20, 2003 2:26 PM
Subject: Peyote Rocks!!
> I drove Peyote in the Sovern "defrost kickoff" this weekend. Had a
> great time. the new limited slip diff is wonderful--I could drive hard
> out of corners that I previously tiptoed through looking for traction.
> The bump steer elimination project also paid great dividends, though
> at first I was disappointed. In the first practice I still found the
> nasty kink and bump near the end of the front straight at Pacific
> raceways was still upsetting the car a lot. But I finlly figured out
> that it was still a bump, and I was trying to compensate for the
> wiggle I got banging over it at high speed. I relaxed and held the
> wheel with just my fingertips, and the car tracked perfectly straight.
> The steering input was coming from ME not the suspension travel.
>
> I think I've done better lap times at Pacific, but probably not during
> the first race of the year. I can't find my lap times from last year
> for the new course. My qualifying time was 1:44:something which was
> about three seconds a lap faster than second place. After three laps
> in the race I lifted and waved the guy in second past--he's got a
> Healy 3000. So I played cut and thrust until the last lap, and then
> decided to do a fast lap for time and just ran away.
>
> Second race I asked to start from the back so I could have some fun. I
> didn't want to just charge through, so I hung out in the back for the
> first lap to let all the cars spread out and settle down, then I ran
> through them. I got up to the top three after about four laps--a Lotus
> 11, a Elva, and the big healey. Passed them, then waved the first two
> past and chased them awhile and finally repassed them. I meant to wave
> them past for the last lap since it doesn't feel right to push the
> heck out of them with a far faster car and then blithely take the win,
> but I must have miscounted the laps. I passed the transponder wire in
> first and waved them past only to see the checker at the flag station.
> Ah well, at least they got the checker first if not the official win.
>
> I need to get them to move me up a group or two, though when the
> Poopers are at the track I have a race on my hands in this group. My
> time would still have taken first in the Historic class and would have
> been top five in the sports racers and formula cars and third in the
> big bore against a raft of cobras. What a car!
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