Hey everyone! Wanted to pop on and take a couple of minutes(when I should be sleeping) to let folks know how things are shaping up in our prep for the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri in February.
First, I’ll be posting blogs on the lastditchracing.com site. These automatically pop up on Facebook and Twitter if you’re following me there. You can also subscribe to the blog RSS feed if you want.
Anyway, prep is going well, although the list is long(always is). Our goal with every race is to field a car that’s as close to 100% as possible. This increases my confidence level and allows us to push harder, knowing that every bolt has been checked by hand and the pre-flight checklists completed.
Current project is the relocation of the battery to the rear seat area and general optimization of the electrical system. Electrical systems in rally cars tend to be quite organized initially. Then you need another electrical item/system and wires start multiplying. When I couldn’t identify which wire did what, I knew things had gotten out of hand! đ
So, we’ll bring as much wiring as we can back inside the car, out of the elements. This will also shorten wire runs. Wires will be labeled and a wiring diagram of the car will eventually be printed and remain in the service truck. Relays for accessories(like fans and driving lights) will be labeled and within easy reach so that they can be changed in the event of a failure.
While we’re visiting various areas of the car, we always have an eye open for improvements we can make and each event results in a progression or development of the car.
Our engine has been diagnosed as ill today, with 40% leak in cylinder #2. This could be rings or some other issue, so a teardown has commenced. Always scary for a team on a tight budget. We’re not coming to 100AW to go slow, so we’ll fix her so she’s making full power! đ
Cheers! John
Happy happy joy joy happy happy joy joy! Almost Rally time in Missouri!! We are stoked about coming out to the race and hanging with the team John. Should be an AWESOME time!
BOOOO engine leaks
Thanks for the update John. We look forward to seeing you in Missou
Hope your garage is heated and warm, John. This is a brutal time of year to be busting your knuckles in the cold.