Hi all,
Just got in from work and wondered how this thread would have developed through the day!!
Answers to questions first:
The field in the picture was our six hour field from the past couple of years - its roughly 18 acres, and the long straight up the left hand side of the pic was around 300 metres - so add a few if you want it in yards!! We fitted all the campers and caravans in the "top end" and the marquee/catering was more or less in the middle of the picture. This being a "club race" it's not really advertised to the public so we didn't have to worry about somewhere to put them as well - you guys would probably have to do things a bit differently I guess with the sponsors to keep happy?
No backup machines are allowed - if it breaks and you can't fix it then you're out. You can take whatever you like with you in order to fix it though. No big fuel tanks allowed. Max three drivers per team - and the driver stints are as long as you want to run - not many teams do more than 45 minutes at a time. You can change pit strategies as you like depending on what's going on and how you feel!
The machines are the same ones we run all season generally - though there are one or two that only seem to come out for the big races. Our biggest difference to you guys is that everyone here runs a single speed transmission. The Peerless boxes aren't up to our racing conditions here - a few guys have tried them from time to time but they don't last more than a race or two. So - the art is in getting the gearing low enough so you don't bog in the twisty bits, but high enough so you can keep the motor together on the long straights - remember our engines are stock apart from governers and exhausts. I have an advantage of sorts in that I run in a class that's a bit different to the rest and we can run torque converters - makes gear selection a lot easier - one sprocket for all season and one for the 6 hour!
George said it wasn't a speed race - which is partly true - but these races are the biggest tracks we run over here and so also happen to be about the fastest as well! It's a real balancing act at the end of the day - you can't hang about but if you don't make it to the end you don't get placed.
A lot of machines break - the corners get very rutted and bumpy after an hour or two and we have broken axles and all sorts to contend with. One guy on the USLMRA yahoo group suggested racing on a horse track today - I wouldn't recommend it unless the owners don't mind you destroying their track - it won't be fit for the horseys once you've finished! The field we use is in what we call "set aside" over here - ie it's not currently used for agricultural production, so damage is not a problem - as it will all be ploughed up at some stage anyway.
I really think you guys should keep the momentum going on this - it really could be the "main event" over there as it is over here!
Andy
NWLMRA #7 - The Stig
Group 2 Wheels Champion 2005
www.fastmower.co.uk
