Hey Ho tax dodgers, it race time again

It’s first time out for the Brabham BT 21 (number 10) at the back there, behind Iain Rowley’s Lotus 22.

Has been a couple of years getting it back to F3 specification and the 2 practice sessions, qualifying, then 4 races at the Slope Classic at Ruapuna Raceway in Christchurch has been a great debut for her.

Not quite up to Alex Morton, but a better driver might show how it can really be done.

Iain had the crown wheel make an escape attempt in R1, and only just managed to keep it in the housing. A quick strip of the Hewland, then a spot of magnesium welding by the on-site engineers closed the door properly and an ever resourceful Iain was back on track for races 3 and 4, with great results in both.

Just can’t keep Juniors off the track!

The taste for racing is again strong and we have two weekends ahead, at Timaru (Levels Raceway) then Invercargill (Teretonga Raceway) with a grid of around 24 cars.

Life is very good.

Goodnight from a sunny and balmy warm Akaroa, en-route to Timaru.

How long to drive 0.7 miles on the A13 at 3pm?

A really, really long time. Trying to merge into the M25 and we’re at 45mins and it’s still 0.4 miles away.

Maaaaate!

E. R. S Cafe

Breakfast time for the boys.

ERS cafe is the place for that centre warming, belly satisfying, egg sandwich start to a cold day in the paddock.

English Racing Sandwiches at the big yellow van

All charged up, waiting for somewhere to go

Spa-Francochamp. A magic name and a magic place.

But by all accounts, seems the Wee Warrior is a bit reluctant. Maybe she just wants to lay in the sun for a bit.

Backtrack,….. Zandvoort was a bit of a disaster, fuel pump in qualifying, distributor shaft seizure in R1, and shit in the fuel system killing the fuel pump in R2. So full fuel system strip, clean, pump 5 then 7 litres of fuel to test and blah di blah, we’re at Spa.

Yesterday she wouldn’t start! Got spark, plugs are dry, so,….. no fuel in carbs. Fuel pump not working. Fit the second backup pump, all good so we’re ready for qualifying at 4:50pm Friday.

Friday morning, no electrics. Cutoff switch needed 3 or 4 flips to get going. Hmmmn. Car starts OK then just as I’m about to shut down, lost 2 cylinders. Bugger me tax dodgers, but is someone standing out naked under a full moon, sticking pins in a model of my car? Isolate we have fuel in 1&2, none for 3&4. Strip carb and find the needle and seat are stuck closed. Fit a new one of those. Hunt out my ‘backup’ isolating switch and fortunately test it before fitting. It is 10 times worse than the one I’m pulling out!

Seem to remember buying one last year, so a hunt through the spare parts bin (electrical) and voilà mon amis (well I am in French Belgium), a new one to fit.

Wee Warrior starts and runs nice at midday, but nerves about what else could pop up are jangling a bit. Above all, you have to laugh!

Results later people, ciao

Why we love EVs and their owners?

Yeah mate, just park her out in the middle of the drive through, plug in the lead, piss of for a coffee and stick your cone in the road!

Holy snapping back-passages comrades, but he was parked there 40 minutes full of waving arms and self-justifications when trucks or vans tried to use it for through access, because the right side lane was blocked by big rigs.

What a character!

Can’t really think of a title

Dan Setford was having a bbq and someone was needed to get the fire started and the coals right. Nothing like asking a guy who was a pyromaniac from age 4. Bloody bbq ended up being a zone 2m radius near the melting point of lead.

How quick to cook a burger or a pork steak? Less time than it takes to ask the question!

Hi ho, drivers briefing 10hrs, qualifying Zandvoort in 12 hrs. Goodnight all

I was just thinking,…

That this looks a little too much like Scott’s camp in Antarctica.

Not surprising that Oates did a runner really. I’m supposing that they were on beans and bacon a couple of time a day, not so dissimilar to my beans, broccoli and beer diet, so thanks to the Universal Mind that I’m on my own in here.

Anyone remember stacking a truckload of firewood?

Especially if it arrived wet with resin and rain, dumped on the sidewalk outside the 2metre high fence at your house.

Isn’t this just the ants pants? Delivery by truck and pallet carrier in a nice neat double stack box.

Perhaps what is most remarkable is that it is seemingly common to have open fires to burn it in, within cosmopolitan areas in Europe. Maybe that open fires issue, isn’t one?

Ravings (… or could be a rambling)

Engineering.       BIG, g-man size engineering. It ought to be celebrated whenever you find it.

Just another lock on the canal? With a 50-60ft lift/drop.

Two canal docks that reciprocate. Both always full of water (or water and barge, which makes it the same) for simplicity and ease. And a single central piston,.. way macho! So very very cool. Icebox!

(Video has multiple stages to save data space)

As if this isn’t enough, the main canal (the other is more tourist and traveller) has a problem as across the valley, the plateau is about 250-300 ft above the main canal, so like a motorway interchange on multiple levels.

Engineering as art.  The canal extensions driving out from the plateau are swooping sculptures in concrete just on their own. 

An up a bit closer, see the whole Dock up there on the LH side. The barges lifted are 80 – 100m long. 

You may be surprised,..

….   But Ollie diverted to Mechelen looking for a bar showing the Belgian Grand Prix. But no, it was a citywide music festival instead. Found the free concert venue and a decent 1st act who only sang in what sounded Flemish. Then an ABBA tribute band came on. Well,…. what could I do, but grin and bear it. Hahahaha. Good Times from the Dancing Queen? No Fernando, no. Aarghh, its an SOS!  Oh, Mama Mia.