Headwaters ClubRally 2003

Headwaters ClubRally 2003
May 10th,
Park Rapids, MN

PreRace: Between races I
improved rear suspension stiffness,
experimented with different shock \
settings and ride heights, transmission
linkage and installed a much improved
center differential. My luck at this rally is
awful...two attempts & no finishes.
Conditions were light drizzle to
heavy rain. The roads held up
surprisingly well though. Only a
few sloppy moments. Top speed
was about 100 mph.

Stage 1: All those improvements have
paid off in a most satisfying way.
This is the best handling car I have
EVER driven. Normally I don't like
the relatively tight & twisty Minnesota
roads but today I was in heaven.

Stage 2: It is apparent we have a
tiny pinhole in the top of the radiator.
As long as it doesn't get any bigger,
we should be okay for the race. Also,
my boost control is on the fritz again.
We over-boosted the motor a good
part of this stage. And the intercom
is flaky again. Go figure. Bob is used
to yelling by now.

Stage 3: I intially thought we burned
a piston at this point from over-boosting on
stage 2. It won't idle & has a loss of
power. I eventually found the issue to
be a blown intake gasket once I was able to
inspect the motor at home.

Service: We will be down on power
but it doesn't look like we will "grenade" the
motor.

Stage 4: A long one. Our corner speeds
were good due to the handling but our
corner exits were pretty bad due to
the soft motor.

Service: Top off the fluids, mount the lights & go.

Stage 5: Night falls. I'm running 3rd in
class but I'm just thrilled to be able to
continue.

Stage 6: If I can keep up this pace
I can get 2nd back since everybody
seems to be slowing at night.

Stage 7: Rainy & slippery but we did OK.

Finish:We finish 2nd in class and 9th overall.
My lead in the points championship
has become much larger but
there is still 5 to 6 races to go.
Though I will have to replace the
intake gasket I was still the happiest driver
at the event. It has taken almost a
full season to sort out this new
suspension on gravel. And I finished
this event! I can't wait until the next one
which will be in Bemidji, MN Aug 22-23.

Attached Images