ChumpCar – Octoberbrew N Bats – Portland – Day 1
It's been over a year since we last set foot in Portland. Last year was a very wet and cold affair; come to think about it, it's always been wet and cold for the past 3 seasons in Portland.
Preparing the chumper after surviving The Thirty-Six in Spokane has been a difficult journey. Our attention was placed right away to our Regional NASCC races held on July 18, August 24, and the final race September 15. As a result, the ChumpCar has since sat in storage, longer than it should have been.
We were successful last year bringing home the First Place trophy, and hopefully with little track drama, we may repeat it again.
We met up with Chris and Mike (ChumpCar Officials) at the tech station, and laughed at the battle scars of the Chumper - It was never a pretty race car, but after "The Thrity-Six," it has seen better days. Like many of the other ChumpCars, our passion is the race.
I wonder if a band-aid would improve the image?
We herd another team from Calgary would be debuting their ChumpCar. Not much was known about the car other than it was a secret. We finally see it in person, it's a sharp looking Fiero. (FieroDynamics).
While waiting for tech inspection it was also a surprise to see the number of Fiero entries and they looked pretty - setting that bar that much higher....well, ok, the bar isn't that high, but, they look cool.
Another quick last minute rear bumper body stich - also by Stu (body work not by Triple K Autobody)
Rain was not in the forecast but in its place was a light fog. This would be a first for the October Chumpcar series where it didn't rain, produce heavy fog , or a combination of both. It would give the drivers a chance to stretch their legs and see what dry times would yield.
The turquoise DA9 (integra) is Toxi Avengers, whom we have pitted with on numerous occasions. Their now defunct neon ChumpCar finally packed it in, and this would be their debut race.
As the green flag dropped, we were in position 21 of 48 cars on the grid, and quickly moved to 8th position.
Lap times started to drop from 1:40's to 1:37's. The day, however, never really did warm up, even with the sun coming out. The cold would make it a challenge to maintain tyre temperatures.
One of the teams yelled out: "Nice shoes Cathy!"
Cathy's comment: "...so you guys don't hit me!"
The first incident in the morning (lap 14) is a PY penalty - Passing under yellow; the penalty is a 5 minute wait at the pits. Rick calls in that another chumper pass him under yellow and then immediately returned the position before the next corner. While serving the penalty, we are now in position nine-teen, losing ten positions - ouch.
About ten minutes later, a marshal comes by and informs us that they agree with our findings and will remove the black flag and return a lap back to us - better than no laps returned.
By the afternoon, we were battling in the top five position until we received a radio call back from Stu - "I just got black flagged". One of the marshals that we often bump into comes by and tells us that Stu was being called in for a PY - "Passing under Yellow". Stu, missed one of the corner stations under yellow - so much for minimizing track drama.
BSD Integra about to pass under the BI-Mart bridgeAs the night progressed, the transmission was being radio'd back as notchy with third-gear being increasingly difficult to get into gear and, on an oil check, we had to add a half a litre of oil - not a good sign.
The night ends, with fifteen minutes left, multiple contacts by turn 8. Among the casualties is Toxic Avengers, they were hit hard and landed in an awkward location to get towed out (landed on top of a tire wall against the concrete barrier) - driver is OK.
The race ends under a full course yellow. Stu crossed the finish line taking the checked flag, maintaining third-place. Good job!
At the impound we notice the AE92 (1988 Corolla GT-S) has individual throttle bodies (ITB)... ChumpCar officials tell us the #360 JAT, has been scrutinized (the math works) and legal. (My inner fanboy gives a thumbs up - japanese 4AGE 20v with ECU and, ITB - very cool)
This of course means, we have not done our homework - How do we get a B18C (Integra Type R) motor to have the math work out?
After impound we are back in the pits setting up for tomorrow.
Originally, we thought the engine was consuming oil but, upon closer inspection we see the oil pan is coated in a film of oil. As we go through the diagnostics we can't seem to find the leak - it's very small or we will be needing an engine... again.
Among the other issues, Stu, noticed that the steering wheel was starting to move in his hands. As it turns out, there is a crack where the tapered holes meet the hub. It is a slight cause for concern...
A quick band-aid fix with some aluminium, the corners shaved, rounded out (not pictured) and, it's just like OEM...Chump style.
Duane put some words of encouragement and, it's ready to go (Rick, whom I'm sure will be shedding a tear as we retire the steering wheel after the race).
Other issues:
- Alignment issues - The chumper favours the left side of the track mainly because the wheelbase received some encouragement from The Thirty-Six
- Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) - acting up (most likely as a result of the damaged transmission)
- Transmission is notchy and most pronounced in 3rd gear - There isn't a spare transmission
- Mysterious oil use; a cardboard sheet is placed underneath the engine in hopes that we get a better visual in the morning
There are more issues to list but, then this will start to sound like an excuse list and racers don't make excuses, right?
