So, dear readers, you may rightly wonder why such an aeon has elapsed since my last foray into the blogosphere. It’s not so much that nothing has actually happened – it’s just that a blow-by-blow account of the rather turgid pace of progress would have sent the average reader into a coma. However, let me briefly reveal the ‘two steps forward, one step back’ kind of progress we have made.
Having taken off the bent front axle and stripped its (functioning) innards out, it went to Trinity Engineering, whom I was unreliably informed were able to straighten the bent axle casing. Well, it turns out they weren’t willing to take the chance of knackering the axle casing further with their 200-ton press, which is a bit daft as it’s clearly knackered already. So the only alternative was to throw some more cash at the problem and buy a new axle casing – which then of course had to be reinforced, hopefully to a higher standard than the old one.
Then the engine and gearbox were to be re-assembled with the new clutch and thrust bearing. First job is to get the old thrust bearing out of the adaptor plate casting, which sits between the engine and gearbox. Four bolts hold the thrust bearing assembly into the ‘spider’ of the adaptor, and once removed, the adaptor plate casting promptly disintegrated. Bugger! Turns out it was only the bolts that were holding it together. This is another part of the Marks 4WD conversion kit from Australia, so guess what? Give the credit card another good spanking and get a new adaptor plate. Of course, if I’d known it was going to fall apart, I could have got it at the same time as the clutch. Such is life.
Are there any more repairs in store that can go disastrously and expensively wrong? I wouldn’t bet against it. Can Gareth, for example, reinforce the chassis without setting the entire vehicle on fire? Well, actually yes he did, but you get my point.
What we need now is a new radiator, because those of you who have been paying attention will know that cooling is a Big Issue. So I’d been recommended to get an original aluminium V8 Cruiser radiator, but that would have plastic tanks, which would have to be replaced with aluminium for strength, and then we’d have to fabricate a shroud to house the fans, and mountings to attach it to the Patrol. So rather than faff around with that, why not get a proper custom-made race radiator that can solve the problem once and for all? Then we can get a double pass unit with the inlet and outlet on the same end of the rad, such that our hose runs to and from the engine are minimized, which is a Good Thing.
Have you ever read BillaVista’s tech pages on Pirate 4x4? He does go on a bit, so probably best if you put the coffee on first, but you get the feeling that he knows whereof he speaks. And he speaks highly of Griffin Radiators in the USA, and by chance has fitted one of their custom rads to his project off-road vehicle – which just happens to have the same LS2 engine from Turnkey that lurks under The Beast’s bonnet. (The only difference is that he probably got his rad for free, in exchange for giving it a massive thumbs-up. But I digress.) So I dropped them a line, together with a drawing of what I wanted, and they came back by return with a four-figure price. Ouch. I thought it was expensive – until I got another offer from a UK supplier which worked out at nearly double the money. In the immortal words of Griffin’s Benji ‘If this doesn't do it, there's nothing else on the planet that will!’ Time to give the plastic another spanking, I think…
So once we get this rad in, and all the other tedious but necessary jobs are done (like making sure the exhaust doesn’t fall off, and the engine mounts stay where they belong), we’ll be able to take it for a blat – sorry, ‘shakedown’. And assuming it all works as planned, then I need to find a cheap but relatively competent paint shop to remove the massive dent the bastard Frenchies put in my rear doors, and re-spray all the bits that we’ve replaced. In all probability, they won’t do it for free, either.
Then it’ll be ready to race, won’t it? Well, actually, no. Because the FIA, in their infinite wisdom, have decided once again to change the mandatory inlet restrictor size from 2011 from 37mm to 35mm. So I’ll have to get a new one made, and I know from experience that no-one in the UAE can make one the way I want it, so I’ll have to get it made elsewhere.
Somewhere in the distance I hear the sound of a credit card being spanked to death…
These are the voyages of the starship 'Newtrix'. Its multi-year mission: to compete in any rally within striking distance of Dubai, and to acquire shiny trophies. To boldly go wherever this quest may take us, as long as we can be home in time for tea.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
On the mend
Polimar have worked their magic on the Car-o-Liner. We needed a new radiator panel, wing and headlight, and a new bumper and its support frame to complete the rebuild of the front end, but as good as their word, they’ve brought the entire chassis back to the shape Nissan intended.
Having separated the engine from the gearbox, the reason for the reluctant gear-changing became apparent. The diaphragm spring has about a dozen ‘fingers’ which disengage the clutch when pushed in by the release bearing. Or at least it would, except that most of these ‘fingers’ were lying in the bottom of the bell-housing, and the release bearing was shot. Unfortunately, Marks 4WD (who supplied the original conversion parts) are unable now to supply an identical 12” clutch, unless I’m prepared to wait a few months and accept buying it with a new flywheel – which I don’t need! So I’ve had to opt for the same design of 11” clutch, with the same clamping force, which will hopefully do the same job.
The car is now back at A2B for the engine, gearbox and new clutch to be fitted. Their job list comprises:
• remove and straighten the front axle
• drill out and replace the hub bolts
• cut the new wing for the snorkel to be re-fitted
• fit the bonnet fan
• improve the engine mountings
With the engine and axle out, it’s the ideal opportunity to make any modifications that can improve reliability, and Gareth has carte-blanche to use his initiative in that area. We’re hoping to have the work finished by the end of the month, assuming Trinity Engineering can succeed in straightening the axle. Then we can move on to testing, and some further work on the cooling system.
Having separated the engine from the gearbox, the reason for the reluctant gear-changing became apparent. The diaphragm spring has about a dozen ‘fingers’ which disengage the clutch when pushed in by the release bearing. Or at least it would, except that most of these ‘fingers’ were lying in the bottom of the bell-housing, and the release bearing was shot. Unfortunately, Marks 4WD (who supplied the original conversion parts) are unable now to supply an identical 12” clutch, unless I’m prepared to wait a few months and accept buying it with a new flywheel – which I don’t need! So I’ve had to opt for the same design of 11” clutch, with the same clamping force, which will hopefully do the same job.
The car is now back at A2B for the engine, gearbox and new clutch to be fitted. Their job list comprises:
• remove and straighten the front axle
• drill out and replace the hub bolts
• cut the new wing for the snorkel to be re-fitted
• fit the bonnet fan
• improve the engine mountings
With the engine and axle out, it’s the ideal opportunity to make any modifications that can improve reliability, and Gareth has carte-blanche to use his initiative in that area. We’re hoping to have the work finished by the end of the month, assuming Trinity Engineering can succeed in straightening the axle. Then we can move on to testing, and some further work on the cooling system.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
And so begins the task..
42mm, Mr Goat? Nowhere near.
62mm, David? Getting better..
130mm, Ian? Very close, but since I told you the answer it doesn't qualify as a guess. (And anyway, you've had a ride in the Beast already!)
The worst dimension is 132mm, just over 5" in old money. This is the vertical outage on the front left chassis rail. If you combine this with 65mm lateral outage and 23mm longitudinal outage, it's actually 149mm away from where it should be!
So, since I don't allow anonymous people in my car, I pronounce David the winner. Now, if only I knew which David that was...but don't worry, I have plenty of time to find out - the car won't be doing passsenger rides any time soon!
Polimar have confirmed that they can re-align the chassis to 'factory spec' and repair the bodywork, but they need the engine out first. So the Beast is back at A2B, where they will pull out the engine and gearbox complete. (The gears were becoming increasingly hard to engage as the DC progressed, so we need to find out what's going on inside the bell-housing anyway.) Once that's done, I can trailer it back to Polimar for them to work their magic. Then it will be back to A2B for a long list of mechanical jobs.
I've ended up with almost 10 hours of high-quality in-car video from the DC. Now I need to view it all and find the interesting bits, and hopefully have it edited into something watchable!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Going to Car-O-Liner in my mind
It’s taken a while to get round to an update. Unfortunately, my ghost-writing colleague was so completely worn-out and knackered by his narrative efforts that he had to immediately rush off on holiday to India as soon as I got back from the DC. This left me, worn-out and knackered as I am from our rallying, to do some actual work in the office. Sadly, this has taken priority over blogging.
Anyway… 2nd April saw me heading back to White Sands Grocery with the trailer on tow, while Streaky and Dave Pryce headed out from Pryce Mansion in the leafy suburbs of Abu Dhabi. In accordance with my cunning plan, they reached the dead Patrol a lot earlier than me, and did all the donkey work. They winched the truck out of the hole, winched the steering rod into some semblance of straightness and (surprisingly) drove it back to the gatch track, where I only had to load it on the trailer. Job done, and many thanks to the two of them.
Back in Dubai, we realized that we had an impressive list of mechanical jobs to do. Front hub bolts to be drilled out and replaced, gearbox to be removed (sounds like a ton of sand in the clutch), front axle to be straightened, further work on the cooling and so on. And on. But before we get to that, we need to rectify the damage, which turned out to be much more than superficial. With the wings off, we could see that the chassis was bent, so I contacted Mr Sacco Dermoussissian at Polimar. Polimar have the Car-o-Liner, a piece of Swedish magic which makes a 3D map of the damaged chassis and compares it to the record in its 10,000-plus car database of what the chassis should look like. Each of the 60 datum points should be within 3mm of the original, and the data shows exactly what has to be pulled, pushed or massaged to achieve factory-perfect alignment.
So now we have a competition. Using your skill, judgement and the above photos, guess the maximum misalignment of the chassis in any direction. All I can tell you is that the left hand chassis rail is bent up, and both are bent to the right, and anything in excess of 9mm is sufficient to fail registration at Dubai Police (who also have a Car-o-Liner). The nearest guess wins a passenger ride in the Beast once it’s back in one piece!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
It ain't over yet!
Well, first I must congratulate my ghost-writing friend Mr Ansell for his enormously creative and entertaining account of each days events, generally based on our five-minute phone call at the end of each day. All you have read is true - only the facts have been altered to make it more interesting.
The Beast is still in the desert, somewhere out near White Sands Grocery. (I won't give the exact location in case someone gets there before us and nicks it, although they'll have a tough job moving it!) So what needs doing? The tie-bar is so completely bent that moving the steering wheel only bends it more, without moving the wheels, so we need a big lump hammer to break the taper joints before we can replace it. The front LH wheel is off the rim, not a major problem. One of the main engine oil pipes is crushed against the clutch master cylinder, but not leaking - so we need to fix that before we run the engine, to avoid oil starvation. The engine runs but the throttle is sticking. The whole of the front LH area is stoved in, bonnet/wing/lights etc well knackered. Whether there is anough clearance for the front LH wheel to turn, we will only find out once the field repairs are accomplished. Oh, and we're down to three out of six bolts holding the RH hub in place - if they go, we're down the 2WD. The rest have sheared off one by one over the last 2 days.
The good news (yes, there is some!) is that despite all the penalties we got for yesterday's misadventure - about 18 hours by my reckoning - we managed a 10th place finish and have the trophies to prove it! Fadi Melky and Mario Mitri got the 6th place we were hoping for, along with the 3rd-in-Gulf prize, which would have been ours as well if the dice had rolled the other way. I'd set a top-ten finish as my aim, so I should be happy with that - but it's hard when it could have been so much better.
I now realise that we have the speed and the suspension to take on the best in the world - works teams excepted! We pulled 170kph (GPS reading) on the gatch track at the start of Day 5, and climbing through the dunes no-one could catch us. When we crashed out, we had only Novitsky (top seed and eventual winner in the BMW X3) ahead of us, having passed everyone else. With a bit more work on the cooling, we'll be set for next season.
Major thanks are due to Rick Carless and Cesar Marquez, our untiring service crew who battled (and bodged!) for 5 days to keep us running - without their hard work and late nights we'd never have made it. Words cannot express our gratitude, they are the real stars of the team.
Anyway, I have to go - there's a Beast in the desert that needs my help.
The Beast is still in the desert, somewhere out near White Sands Grocery. (I won't give the exact location in case someone gets there before us and nicks it, although they'll have a tough job moving it!) So what needs doing? The tie-bar is so completely bent that moving the steering wheel only bends it more, without moving the wheels, so we need a big lump hammer to break the taper joints before we can replace it. The front LH wheel is off the rim, not a major problem. One of the main engine oil pipes is crushed against the clutch master cylinder, but not leaking - so we need to fix that before we run the engine, to avoid oil starvation. The engine runs but the throttle is sticking. The whole of the front LH area is stoved in, bonnet/wing/lights etc well knackered. Whether there is anough clearance for the front LH wheel to turn, we will only find out once the field repairs are accomplished. Oh, and we're down to three out of six bolts holding the RH hub in place - if they go, we're down the 2WD. The rest have sheared off one by one over the last 2 days.
The good news (yes, there is some!) is that despite all the penalties we got for yesterday's misadventure - about 18 hours by my reckoning - we managed a 10th place finish and have the trophies to prove it! Fadi Melky and Mario Mitri got the 6th place we were hoping for, along with the 3rd-in-Gulf prize, which would have been ours as well if the dice had rolled the other way. I'd set a top-ten finish as my aim, so I should be happy with that - but it's hard when it could have been so much better.
I now realise that we have the speed and the suspension to take on the best in the world - works teams excepted! We pulled 170kph (GPS reading) on the gatch track at the start of Day 5, and climbing through the dunes no-one could catch us. When we crashed out, we had only Novitsky (top seed and eventual winner in the BMW X3) ahead of us, having passed everyone else. With a bit more work on the cooling, we'll be set for next season.
Major thanks are due to Rick Carless and Cesar Marquez, our untiring service crew who battled (and bodged!) for 5 days to keep us running - without their hard work and late nights we'd never have made it. Words cannot express our gratitude, they are the real stars of the team.
Anyway, I have to go - there's a Beast in the desert that needs my help.
BUGGER!!
For once I’m afraid the witty comments and music hall gags escape me. Today started out full of promise, with Ian and Sheila lying in 6th place overall and 3rd in the T1 category. And as they set off on this, the last day of the 2010 Desert Challenge, they stormed through the field, soon dispatching one competitor after another on the early stage gatch track and dunes.
Eventually they caught up with friends Fadi and Mario in the “Strange Rover” and knowing Fadi is an excellent dune driver, Ian decided wisely to protect his race position and simply follow Fadi through the rough patches of desert.
Unfortunately, at some point, Ian drifted just a few feet to the side of Fadi’s own route. Maybe the width of a car or two but not more, yet in the desert, at race speeds, these things can make a huge difference. Fadi crossed a dune crest perfectly safely yet as the front of Ian and Sheila’s vehicle broke over the top just to the right of Fadi’s line, it slammed into rising terrain on the other side with such force that it broke the front suspension. With the vehicle crippled, the heart-broken pair knew their race was over. They were just 100kms from the finish of a 2,500 kilometre race and, having started later than Fadi, were incredibly, running in second place on the stage. Only the works BMW driven by a professional race driver was faster.
To add insult to injury, just a few minutes later one of the Abu Dhabi based Fitech cars came over the same dune, smacked into the back of Ian’s Patrol and incredibly, then drove off without stopping to see if anyone had been hurt or what damage had been done. So, to the French driver of the offending car, I take great pleasure in reminding you that if it wasn’t for Britain you’d be called Fritz, speaking German and eating sauerkraut right now. Ever heard of Trafalgar? Remember Agincourt? We whipped your boys there too. So we happily raise two fingers at you, in the traditional English archers salute. Read ‘em and weep.
Anyway, moving on…..
Ian and Sheila traveled back in a support car to the Yas Marina circuit for the race finish, then Ian and Rick returned to the race car to try, without success tonight, to recover it from the desert. Our good friend Streaky is currently driving a borrowed monstrous Ford F350 truck which is probably the most suitably equipped rig in the area to drag the Patrol to the side of the road, so tomorrow he’s offered to help recover it. Rick must hot foot it back to Dubai tonight because he’s on a plane home to Manchester about now – thanks Rick for your sterling support. What are you doing about this time next year mate?
Also thanks to Cesar who ably assisted Rick, Ian and Sheila. Sorry Cesar but it’s back to reality on Sunday – we’ve got an installation for you at Dubai Investment Park.
Aaaah. There’s always next year……………….!
Fadi went on to finish second on the stage I believe and second highest placed gulf team. A prize that might well have been Ian and Sheila’s but for lady ‘luck’.
Malcolm Anderson and Mark Schofield finished just outside the top 10 but Malcolm drove incredibly well today, covering over 100 kilometres in a 20 year old Range Rover with a broken diff and consequently without front wheel drive. Well done mate!
Sorry but as yet the official results are not on the race website so I can’t be sure how Team FJ got on.
Congratulations too to my friend, bike rider James West. After shattering his leg in last year’s race then suffering all sorts of complications with the recovery, James rode the race of his life this week and finished second overall, giving KTM bikes a 1-2 finish with Marc Coma taking the victory. A works ride for James can’t be that far away surely…….are you listening KTM???
Right, I’m so exhausted I’m now taking two weeks holiday to travel around India. Assuming I’m not eaten by tigers in Ranthambhore, in the words of Arnie. “I’ll be back”. Do you think I'll spot any cheese eating surrender monkeys while I'm there? Je ne sais pas.
Meanwhile ‘normal service will be resumed’ with Ian’s first post race post (ooh, I like that, first post race post. Sounds good) in the next 72 hours I’d imagine, when he and Sheila have slept off their exhaustion.
WELL DONE to the pair of you.
Eventually they caught up with friends Fadi and Mario in the “Strange Rover” and knowing Fadi is an excellent dune driver, Ian decided wisely to protect his race position and simply follow Fadi through the rough patches of desert.
Unfortunately, at some point, Ian drifted just a few feet to the side of Fadi’s own route. Maybe the width of a car or two but not more, yet in the desert, at race speeds, these things can make a huge difference. Fadi crossed a dune crest perfectly safely yet as the front of Ian and Sheila’s vehicle broke over the top just to the right of Fadi’s line, it slammed into rising terrain on the other side with such force that it broke the front suspension. With the vehicle crippled, the heart-broken pair knew their race was over. They were just 100kms from the finish of a 2,500 kilometre race and, having started later than Fadi, were incredibly, running in second place on the stage. Only the works BMW driven by a professional race driver was faster.
To add insult to injury, just a few minutes later one of the Abu Dhabi based Fitech cars came over the same dune, smacked into the back of Ian’s Patrol and incredibly, then drove off without stopping to see if anyone had been hurt or what damage had been done. So, to the French driver of the offending car, I take great pleasure in reminding you that if it wasn’t for Britain you’d be called Fritz, speaking German and eating sauerkraut right now. Ever heard of Trafalgar? Remember Agincourt? We whipped your boys there too. So we happily raise two fingers at you, in the traditional English archers salute. Read ‘em and weep.
Anyway, moving on…..
Ian and Sheila traveled back in a support car to the Yas Marina circuit for the race finish, then Ian and Rick returned to the race car to try, without success tonight, to recover it from the desert. Our good friend Streaky is currently driving a borrowed monstrous Ford F350 truck which is probably the most suitably equipped rig in the area to drag the Patrol to the side of the road, so tomorrow he’s offered to help recover it. Rick must hot foot it back to Dubai tonight because he’s on a plane home to Manchester about now – thanks Rick for your sterling support. What are you doing about this time next year mate?
Also thanks to Cesar who ably assisted Rick, Ian and Sheila. Sorry Cesar but it’s back to reality on Sunday – we’ve got an installation for you at Dubai Investment Park.
Aaaah. There’s always next year……………….!
Fadi went on to finish second on the stage I believe and second highest placed gulf team. A prize that might well have been Ian and Sheila’s but for lady ‘luck’.
Malcolm Anderson and Mark Schofield finished just outside the top 10 but Malcolm drove incredibly well today, covering over 100 kilometres in a 20 year old Range Rover with a broken diff and consequently without front wheel drive. Well done mate!
Sorry but as yet the official results are not on the race website so I can’t be sure how Team FJ got on.
Congratulations too to my friend, bike rider James West. After shattering his leg in last year’s race then suffering all sorts of complications with the recovery, James rode the race of his life this week and finished second overall, giving KTM bikes a 1-2 finish with Marc Coma taking the victory. A works ride for James can’t be that far away surely…….are you listening KTM???
Right, I’m so exhausted I’m now taking two weeks holiday to travel around India. Assuming I’m not eaten by tigers in Ranthambhore, in the words of Arnie. “I’ll be back”. Do you think I'll spot any cheese eating surrender monkeys while I'm there? Je ne sais pas.
Meanwhile ‘normal service will be resumed’ with Ian’s first post race post (ooh, I like that, first post race post. Sounds good) in the next 72 hours I’d imagine, when he and Sheila have slept off their exhaustion.
WELL DONE to the pair of you.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Patrol holes and a Saluki at the vet's....
Sorry folks but it’s going to be a quick update tonight because I’ve just got in late from Abu Dhabi and I’m dog tired. I’ll try to add more information tomorrow.
Ian and Sheila started the day in 5th overall and were running well until somewhere between PC3 and PC4. Driving on white sand at around mid-day when the sun’s overhead and there are no shadows to define the terrain, Ian came over a crest only to drop the vehicle into what he described as a “perfect Patrol sized hole”. With the front of the car pointing skywards over the next crest but the back doors jammed on the sand behind, it took them 10 minutes just to dig behind the back doors enough to open them to get the sand ladders and shovel out.
Fortunately they had just passed some spectators who turned out to be of the friendly, helpful variety, who drove over and gave Ian and Sheila a helping hand to extract the car. Delayed for a while and with the tyres now down at around 12psi, they then sped off. Ian was thinking to himself “I must stop and reinflate the tyres or I’ll pop one off the rim" but then when he was caught by a couple of other cars and dueling with them in the dunes, guess what? Yep, the tyre popped off. So at that point, after changing one, he thought it best to air up again.....
Eventually they crossed the line in just over six and a half hours and in 6th place. Our friend Fadi Melky finished in in third in 6 hours and 6 minutes. See, I told you yesterday he wouldn’t give up easily! Newtrix will start tomorrow, the final day of the rally, from a position of 6th overall, and 3rd in T1 class.
Other local team news
A bad day for Team Saluki. Running in second place on the day, Mark and Paul were again flying through the stage, but today took that concept just a little too literally. They were still at full throttle when they reached a steep drop off which neither crew member noticed in time. The car dropped onto its nose, very hard and at high speed, then rolled and ended up on its side. Mark and Paul were medivaced to Madinat Zayed Hospital for precautionary checks but I’m pleased to say suffered only cuts and bruises. I asked Mark how he was and he said “I’m fine but the car’s………..”. Well actually, on second thoughts, I won’t tell you what he said. There might be children reading!
Fadi & Mario – had a great day, third place on the stage today, good job guys.
Malcolm and Mark; I heard they’d broken a differential but still they finished 10th overall on the day. That old Rangie seems to be hanging in there.
David & Xavier. Haven’t spoken to them but they finished with several hours penalties so I guess didn’t reach all the PCs.
Fingers crossed that everyone gets to the finish line safely tomorrow.
Right, I’ll take a bow now. Or is that a bow wow? Maybe a dognap?
Ian and Sheila started the day in 5th overall and were running well until somewhere between PC3 and PC4. Driving on white sand at around mid-day when the sun’s overhead and there are no shadows to define the terrain, Ian came over a crest only to drop the vehicle into what he described as a “perfect Patrol sized hole”. With the front of the car pointing skywards over the next crest but the back doors jammed on the sand behind, it took them 10 minutes just to dig behind the back doors enough to open them to get the sand ladders and shovel out.
Fortunately they had just passed some spectators who turned out to be of the friendly, helpful variety, who drove over and gave Ian and Sheila a helping hand to extract the car. Delayed for a while and with the tyres now down at around 12psi, they then sped off. Ian was thinking to himself “I must stop and reinflate the tyres or I’ll pop one off the rim" but then when he was caught by a couple of other cars and dueling with them in the dunes, guess what? Yep, the tyre popped off. So at that point, after changing one, he thought it best to air up again.....
Eventually they crossed the line in just over six and a half hours and in 6th place. Our friend Fadi Melky finished in in third in 6 hours and 6 minutes. See, I told you yesterday he wouldn’t give up easily! Newtrix will start tomorrow, the final day of the rally, from a position of 6th overall, and 3rd in T1 class.
Other local team news
A bad day for Team Saluki. Running in second place on the day, Mark and Paul were again flying through the stage, but today took that concept just a little too literally. They were still at full throttle when they reached a steep drop off which neither crew member noticed in time. The car dropped onto its nose, very hard and at high speed, then rolled and ended up on its side. Mark and Paul were medivaced to Madinat Zayed Hospital for precautionary checks but I’m pleased to say suffered only cuts and bruises. I asked Mark how he was and he said “I’m fine but the car’s………..”. Well actually, on second thoughts, I won’t tell you what he said. There might be children reading!
Fadi & Mario – had a great day, third place on the stage today, good job guys.
Malcolm and Mark; I heard they’d broken a differential but still they finished 10th overall on the day. That old Rangie seems to be hanging in there.
David & Xavier. Haven’t spoken to them but they finished with several hours penalties so I guess didn’t reach all the PCs.
Fingers crossed that everyone gets to the finish line safely tomorrow.
Right, I’ll take a bow now. Or is that a bow wow? Maybe a dognap?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tracks, tracking and track rods
STOP PRESS
As of 11.45pm local UAE time the official race website results show Ian and Sheila placed FIFTH overall in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2010 and SECOND in the T1, modified 4x4 category. And since this is the first event of the 2010 Cross Country World Cup, that means that an 'old dog' and his young friend are currently, officially, the second best specialist 4x4 drivers in the world. So no pressure tomorrow then.
The trouble with having live tracking of the race on your PC is that it’s difficult to get any work done. When I checked at around mid-day today Ian and Sheila were FLYING round the stage – they were in third place for well over two hours, which was exciting, so I kept checking. Then the signal from the car disappeared! I thought the worst, even thinking at one point that if they were upside down, the GPS aerial would be covered and that this might be the problem. I rang Rick and he hadn’t seen them pass, and I started to worry. So I checked more and more often, despite being rudely interrupted by customers and staff on more than one occasion. Have they no sense of priority!
Eventually the satellite tracking showed me that Newtrix were in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which I must admit surprised me, and I calculated that they’d been traveling at approximately 2,000 kilometres per hour. Or Mach 1.5. Now that’s impressive. I was concerned that at those speeds Ian might have had the usual engine problems but apparently not – 15 minutes later I checked back in and they’d returned to Liwa. Given that most of the competitors covered just 380 kms today whilst Ian and Sheila appear to have covered close to four thousand, I think they’ve earned a drink. God only knows when they stopped to refuel. I’ll have another word with Sheila about calibrating the trip meter more carefully though. To be honest, she really should have noticed that degree of error.
Anyway once normal tracking service had been resumed, it seemed clear to me that something was afoot. It turned out to be the fleshy, toey thing on the end of my leg. Not only that, but Ian had slowed down. And that’s not an expression with which I’m particularly familiar. By now Team Saluki and a couple of the other front runners had clearly retired for the day so I knew if their Dognesses could cross the finish line, they’d be in a good position for tomorrow’s race.
Another call to Rick confirmed my fears, they’d see the race car go past but a bent tie rod meant that the front wheels were pointing in different directions, causing major drag on Ian’s strength, to keep it moving straight ahead, on the power steering pump, the tyre walls and almost certainly, Ian’s patience. He drove the last three hours of the race like this, finishing after a grueling seven and a half hours behind the wheel, and tells me he’s unlikely to go to the gym tonight. No need really.
And here’s another wonderful benefit of satellite tracking. Early in the day Rick called me to say “are you near a computer, can you tell me where they are? Bear in mind that Rick was at the time located around 600kms from my office and staring at a fairly large sand pit in which he was trying to observe a single car. Silly Boy. A quick check on the system told me that Ian and Sheila had passed the point where Rick was stood about an hour earlier. Upon relaying this information Rick was heard to say “Christ, I’d better go or we’ll never catch them back up” and since he was driving a similar car to Ian’s but on flat tarmac, that gives you some idea how fast Ian was driving.
Ian told me this evening that Sheila has now definitely got the hang of cutting corners at waypoints. By turning at the moment the GPS picks up a waypoint signal and tells the co-driver it's been 'collected', which is typically around 250m before reaching the exact point itself, Sheila is able to give Ian advanced notice of 'short cuts' which means not having to slow down, taking wider turns much faster. This can add up to several minutes saved by the end of the day. "Way to go Sheila" Of course she had a good tutor. Modesty forbids me from mentioning his full name. Tim something or other.
The photos above, of Ian and Sheila racing on Day 1 (note - no chicken wire grille)were kindly supplied by The Right Honourable Mr. Craig McAteer, who writes and takes photos for a Dubai based rally team named after a dog. Hang on a minute.......Deja Vu all over again.
Other local team news:
Desert FJ never started the day – they damaged the front diff in yesterday’s heavy landing (a.k.a. ‘crash’) and since they drive the only FJ Cruiser in the country fitted with a manual gearbox, the available diffs are the wrong spec so they drove to the start line, turned round and came back. Failing to start would mean exclusion from the race. They incur maximum penalties this way but can still race tomorrow if they succeed in repairing the car
Team Saluki were on a mission in the morning, driving even faster than Newtrix (only just). But 3kms after the service point the steering pump pulley shattered, leaving them with no way of running the water pump or alternator. Having no cooling and no battery is a bad situation to be in, so they made the smart decision to return to the service point, then to the bivouac on tarmac, thus avoiding getting stuck in the desert. Smart move, no matter how galling it is to pull out of the race day halfway through
Fadi Melki is apparently still struggling through the desert as I write this. I don’t know what the problem is but Fadi is not the sort to ever give up (frankly, no-one who races in the desert would last long if they gave up easily) so I’m sure he’ll be back tomorrow.
Malcolm and Mark’s “Ansell Chassis Racer” completed the stage in a grueling NINE hours. I know from personal experience how hard it is to keep up the momentum driving an old Classic Rangie in the desert and I don’t doubt that they’ll be shattered. But they made it – a creditable achievement on such a grueling stage.
Emile and Patrick pulled out of the day’s stage at PC2 with mechanical problems and I had a call from Patrick, whom I “taught the DC ropes” to along with Sheila and Mark, asking for my advice about race regulations as they drove back.
Isn’t technology wonderful – enjoying satellite tracking and offering regulations advice whilst 600 kms from the race in air conditioned comfort. And I get to have a proper shower and sleep in my own bed. THIS is the way to do the Desert Challenge!
Woooooooooooff, I’m outta here
Monday, March 29, 2010
Dune Roamin'
Having spoken to Ian a few minutes ago, I’m happy to say that he’s in MUCH better spirits than he was yesterday. The modifications to the bonnet (there’s that word again) combined with the goat deflecting chicken wire (no animals were hurt in the making of today’s rally stage) have helped reduce the engine bay temperature, leading to far fewer occasions when the ECU picked up the ball, cut out 4 cylinders and refused to play.
Unfortunately on one of the few occasions when it DID decide to pack up, even though the car was on level ground at the time, Ian described the sand there as being “as soft as silt”. At least, I think that’s what he said - there was a bit of a crackle on the line at the time. Consequently the car immediately sank into the ‘soft silt’, necessitating the use of sand ladders under the front wheels, and a further reduction in tyre pressures. This cost Ian and Sheila 5 to 10 minutes delay but Ian felt the car drove a lot better from then on thanks to the lower pressures, so they soon made up the lost time, and then some.
Sheila unfortunately was feeling a bit under the weather for much of the first half of the day. Speaking from personal experience I know that the particular dunes they were driving early on had a strange effect on my stomach too when I was co-driving. There must be something about the pitch of the dunes in that section because it was from the same area that I was airlifted out in 2006 due to dehydration as a result of constant vomiting. Sorry but that’s the glamorous life of a co-driver for you. Sheila too ‘fed the fish’ a few times today but being a great trooper (as opposed to a State Trooper – different hats) she Percy Veered. No giving up and taking a helicopter ride for her, oh no. I shall never be able to look her in the eye again. I out wimped her.
At one point Ian stopped the car next to long time friend and off roading companion Alan Passmore in one of the Sweep cars, hoping that he might have a medic on board. You’d have thought that with his wife in the car feeling unwell, Ian would be able to resist chatting up the nurses for just ONE morning, but apparently not! Unfortunately there was no pretty nurse on board, but John Tan, bless his little cotton socks, was carrying some travel sickness tablets (he’d obviously traveled with Alan before) and he was able to administer life saving medication to Sheila. Rumours that John was in fact wearing a nurse’s uniform at the time remain unconfirmed at this juncture. That’ll be Dh 500 then John - Thanks.
So with no further ado, Newtrix bid Alan and his Ward Sister adieu, and sped off again. Soon they were in faster sections with some steep climbs and Ian had time to enjoy the massive torque of the 5.7 litre V8 Chevrolet engine pulling the Patrol along at full speed. When you consider the amount of money he’s spent on an engine rebuild and additional components for the block, if he ever tries to tell you that torque is cheap, don’t believe a word of it.
At the service point they stopped to fix a broken exhaust hanger which was causing the rear exhaust can to thrash around violently under the vehicle. After waiting for hours in the glaring sunshine, Rick was delighted to be able crawl under the shade of the car, cover himself in dust and oil, burn his hands on the exhaust pipe and wish Ian and Sheila “a pleasant onward journey”. What a nice bloke. Did he get a tip? Did he heck.
And so their Dognesses pounded on through the desert, occasionally overtaking vehicles which one might have reasonably expected to able to run faster than Newtrix, but with Ian’s ebullient attitude and incomparable driving skills matched only by Sheila’s faultless navigation, they strove forth in search of glory. Damn. This is good stuff!
However their goal of racing across the finish at PC 5 was not to be – for safety’s sake the organisers will sometimes insist that cars which reach earlier PCs after a certain time limit, must return directly to the bivouac by a more direct route, usually on a combination of gatch and tarmac roads. It means that tired drivers do not end up lost in the middle of no-where late into the evening, thus reducing the load on the Sweep and Rescue teams. Unfortunately Ian and Sheila, along with the vast majority of the field, were subject to such instructions at PC4, meaning that they drove back to the bivouac under the veil of receiving maximum penalties on the day. At the time of writing this blog I know that many drivers who were ‘time barred’ today feel that they have been dealt a rough hand in view of the fact that crews who arrived at PC4 in say, 5 hours, will receive the same ‘maximum’ time (typically 9 hours) on their time sheets as those who made it to PC4 in 7 hours for example. This has been put to the FIA adjudicators and it may be that tomorrow we receive some good news in that respect. Fingers crossed.
So a good day for all – smiles all round.
News on other local racers: Team Saluki put on an impressive display today and are currently in second place overall. Their highest ever race position. Mabrook guys. Dave Mabbs managed to somehow plant the FJ Cruiser on its nose so heavily that he rearranged every component on the front end of the vehicle yet amazingly, not damage the radiator. So whilst he drove it back to the bivouac, it’s currently undergoing major rhinoplasty. Nurse, more swabs please. Where is John Tan when you need him?
Emile and Patrick in Emile’s hand crafted err, vehicle, managed to pitch pole it onto the roof. No-one was hurt thankfully, but by pulling the vehicle onto its side using an on board winch, they flattened the battery so were unable to winch it onto its wheels. It has now been recovered and is back at base camp. Malcolm and Mark in their “Ansell chassis Dune Raider” had another strong day and are running well. I’ll take credit for that thanks.
Until tomorrow. “Walkies”
Unfortunately on one of the few occasions when it DID decide to pack up, even though the car was on level ground at the time, Ian described the sand there as being “as soft as silt”. At least, I think that’s what he said - there was a bit of a crackle on the line at the time. Consequently the car immediately sank into the ‘soft silt’, necessitating the use of sand ladders under the front wheels, and a further reduction in tyre pressures. This cost Ian and Sheila 5 to 10 minutes delay but Ian felt the car drove a lot better from then on thanks to the lower pressures, so they soon made up the lost time, and then some.
Sheila unfortunately was feeling a bit under the weather for much of the first half of the day. Speaking from personal experience I know that the particular dunes they were driving early on had a strange effect on my stomach too when I was co-driving. There must be something about the pitch of the dunes in that section because it was from the same area that I was airlifted out in 2006 due to dehydration as a result of constant vomiting. Sorry but that’s the glamorous life of a co-driver for you. Sheila too ‘fed the fish’ a few times today but being a great trooper (as opposed to a State Trooper – different hats) she Percy Veered. No giving up and taking a helicopter ride for her, oh no. I shall never be able to look her in the eye again. I out wimped her.
At one point Ian stopped the car next to long time friend and off roading companion Alan Passmore in one of the Sweep cars, hoping that he might have a medic on board. You’d have thought that with his wife in the car feeling unwell, Ian would be able to resist chatting up the nurses for just ONE morning, but apparently not! Unfortunately there was no pretty nurse on board, but John Tan, bless his little cotton socks, was carrying some travel sickness tablets (he’d obviously traveled with Alan before) and he was able to administer life saving medication to Sheila. Rumours that John was in fact wearing a nurse’s uniform at the time remain unconfirmed at this juncture. That’ll be Dh 500 then John - Thanks.
So with no further ado, Newtrix bid Alan and his Ward Sister adieu, and sped off again. Soon they were in faster sections with some steep climbs and Ian had time to enjoy the massive torque of the 5.7 litre V8 Chevrolet engine pulling the Patrol along at full speed. When you consider the amount of money he’s spent on an engine rebuild and additional components for the block, if he ever tries to tell you that torque is cheap, don’t believe a word of it.
At the service point they stopped to fix a broken exhaust hanger which was causing the rear exhaust can to thrash around violently under the vehicle. After waiting for hours in the glaring sunshine, Rick was delighted to be able crawl under the shade of the car, cover himself in dust and oil, burn his hands on the exhaust pipe and wish Ian and Sheila “a pleasant onward journey”. What a nice bloke. Did he get a tip? Did he heck.
And so their Dognesses pounded on through the desert, occasionally overtaking vehicles which one might have reasonably expected to able to run faster than Newtrix, but with Ian’s ebullient attitude and incomparable driving skills matched only by Sheila’s faultless navigation, they strove forth in search of glory. Damn. This is good stuff!
However their goal of racing across the finish at PC 5 was not to be – for safety’s sake the organisers will sometimes insist that cars which reach earlier PCs after a certain time limit, must return directly to the bivouac by a more direct route, usually on a combination of gatch and tarmac roads. It means that tired drivers do not end up lost in the middle of no-where late into the evening, thus reducing the load on the Sweep and Rescue teams. Unfortunately Ian and Sheila, along with the vast majority of the field, were subject to such instructions at PC4, meaning that they drove back to the bivouac under the veil of receiving maximum penalties on the day. At the time of writing this blog I know that many drivers who were ‘time barred’ today feel that they have been dealt a rough hand in view of the fact that crews who arrived at PC4 in say, 5 hours, will receive the same ‘maximum’ time (typically 9 hours) on their time sheets as those who made it to PC4 in 7 hours for example. This has been put to the FIA adjudicators and it may be that tomorrow we receive some good news in that respect. Fingers crossed.
So a good day for all – smiles all round.
News on other local racers: Team Saluki put on an impressive display today and are currently in second place overall. Their highest ever race position. Mabrook guys. Dave Mabbs managed to somehow plant the FJ Cruiser on its nose so heavily that he rearranged every component on the front end of the vehicle yet amazingly, not damage the radiator. So whilst he drove it back to the bivouac, it’s currently undergoing major rhinoplasty. Nurse, more swabs please. Where is John Tan when you need him?
Emile and Patrick in Emile’s hand crafted err, vehicle, managed to pitch pole it onto the roof. No-one was hurt thankfully, but by pulling the vehicle onto its side using an on board winch, they flattened the battery so were unable to winch it onto its wheels. It has now been recovered and is back at base camp. Malcolm and Mark in their “Ansell chassis Dune Raider” had another strong day and are running well. I’ll take credit for that thanks.
Until tomorrow. “Walkies”
Sunday, March 28, 2010
It's been a wrrruuuufff day...
Day 1 and Newtrix Racing expanded from two desert bound members to six, two of whom were heroic in their endeavours, two of whom were frustrated racers, and Rick and Cesar were just stuck. This then, is the story of too much heat, too few cylinders, and no volts whatsoever.
Starting in fourth place on Day 1 brought with it the responsibility of working with many of the world’s media, all desperate for an update on Ian’s relationship with Kate Winslet (he doesn’t know her) and Sheila’s with Tiger Woods (she's never met him) before the dandy duo blatted off into the wild yellow yonder in a trail of dust. Fortunately, the organisers had given Sheila some coordinates for yonder, cutting out much of the guess work. Unfortunately, yonder proved to be quite a long way away through nasty sand dunes (in the ‘Desert Challenge’ – who’d have thunk it?) and after just a few kilometres (that’s the equivalent of a few miles for those of you who drive imperially) the first disaster of the day struck when a tyre was ripped from its rim. This tends to happen when the tyres have been deflated in order to maximise grip in the sand dunes, but on a firmer ‘gatch’ track, the load on the tyre’s sidewall means that occasionally it’s pulled sideways off the rim, usually when cornering. A few minutes of slick teamwork had the car jacked up and the tyre reseated, so Ian and Sheila were hot under the flea collar but on their way.
However, their short lived rapid progress was then halted when they got caught in a ‘nasty stuck’. The more experienced off roading readers will know that there are two kinds of stuck. Those from which you are able to remove yourself within 4 minutes through judicious use of forward and reverse gears, and which are referred to as ‘not very stucks’ . Then there are those which require extensive digging, driving, digging, swearing, digging, dehydrating, swearing, digging and praying. Those are referred to as ‘nasty stucks’ and it was one of those which reached out and caught Newtrix by the paws. A long time later, today’s superheros, John ‘Commander’ Mitchell Ross and Steve “Self Loading Freight" Dessurne of the forward Sweep Team stumbled across our tired and emotional couple and towed them free of the sand, for which Ian and Sheila were ‘two cold cans each tonight’ grateful.
Forced to make up for lost time, our intrepid racers sped off into the rolling dunescapes, but after battling against the forces of nature, friction and gravity for a while, the ongoing problem of an overheating engine raised its ugly and thermally challenged head. Now on the Chevrolet LS engine, as fitted to Ian’s Patrol, when its ECU (Engine Crippling Unit) detects the strange odour of over-ripened exhaust headers, there is unfortunately a ‘safety feature’ which switches off four of the engine’s eight cylinders, which is all very well when you are driving on tarmac in your Corvette, but a right royal pain in the rectum when you are climbing the near vertical side of a sand dune in a Nissan Patrol. Consequently Ian was forced repeatedly to stop the car, switch off the engine and wait for it to cool down, before restarting it and driving on again. Having repeated this exercise a half a dozen times, unfortunately the battery became terminally ill. Battery. Terminal. Get it! (Thanks, I’m here every Sunday, the bar closes at midnight.) Bereft of volts, it sparked no more. In fact, this battery wouldn’t woosh if you put 40,000 volts through it. Mind you, they would have come in handy.
So parked at the side of the road and with apparently no way of starting the engine, Ian and Sheila called for help. Quick as a flash, Rick and Cesar sped into action, leapt into their support 4x4, raced off into the desert. And got stuck. You know, one of those nasty stucks you’ve heard about. So whilst Cannon and Ball attempted to dig themselves free, Batman and Robin, in the shape of JMR and Steve, once again came to the rescue of his and her Dogness. One illicit exchange of battery juices later and Newtrix were on their way. Again. So that’s half a dozen cold cans each owed now.
Rick and Cesar eventually freed themselves (with a spot of assistance from some friendly passers by) and drove back to the finish to await the Patrol. But of course, there’s more.
Once again it overheated, once again Ian had to stop, once again it wouldn’t restart and once again, our caped crusaders, Sweep Team One, Messrs Mitchell Ross and Dessurne, swooped in from upon high, gave the Patrol a kick up the jacking points, and off it jolly well dashed. With Ian and Sheila chasing it furiously. Having regained control, they then shot off to the finish where they made it with just five minutes to spare before they’d have been penalised by several hours for not finishing within limit time. So that’s a case of beer each now owed to the soon to be inebriated super heroes.
Tonight the guys are trying to get more air to flow through the radiators by removing the pretty but restrictive grille and replacing it with chicken wire. Yes chicken wire. Air will go through it, but hopefully twigs, stones, camel droppings and small goats will not. Suitable for kids of all ages. Small goats. Kids. (Thanks, I’m here every Sunday, the bar closes at midnight.)
Then they are raising the bonnet by a few millimetres (bits of inches) which will hopefully allow more heat to dissipate. Now there’s a word I don’t use very often. Bonnet.
In other news, Mark Powell and Paul Richards of Team Saluki are in 4th place, Dave Mabbs and Xavier Caminada (Desert FJ) are about 18th I think (no updates currently on the race website) and Malcolm Anderson and Mark Schofield, in a race car built on the chassis of a Range Rover I wrote off 4 years ago(!!), are roughly 15th.
For live updates each day you can follow Newtrix Racing here.
Tomorrow, "Things can only get better".
Starting in fourth place on Day 1 brought with it the responsibility of working with many of the world’s media, all desperate for an update on Ian’s relationship with Kate Winslet (he doesn’t know her) and Sheila’s with Tiger Woods (she's never met him) before the dandy duo blatted off into the wild yellow yonder in a trail of dust. Fortunately, the organisers had given Sheila some coordinates for yonder, cutting out much of the guess work. Unfortunately, yonder proved to be quite a long way away through nasty sand dunes (in the ‘Desert Challenge’ – who’d have thunk it?) and after just a few kilometres (that’s the equivalent of a few miles for those of you who drive imperially) the first disaster of the day struck when a tyre was ripped from its rim. This tends to happen when the tyres have been deflated in order to maximise grip in the sand dunes, but on a firmer ‘gatch’ track, the load on the tyre’s sidewall means that occasionally it’s pulled sideways off the rim, usually when cornering. A few minutes of slick teamwork had the car jacked up and the tyre reseated, so Ian and Sheila were hot under the flea collar but on their way.
However, their short lived rapid progress was then halted when they got caught in a ‘nasty stuck’. The more experienced off roading readers will know that there are two kinds of stuck. Those from which you are able to remove yourself within 4 minutes through judicious use of forward and reverse gears, and which are referred to as ‘not very stucks’ . Then there are those which require extensive digging, driving, digging, swearing, digging, dehydrating, swearing, digging and praying. Those are referred to as ‘nasty stucks’ and it was one of those which reached out and caught Newtrix by the paws. A long time later, today’s superheros, John ‘Commander’ Mitchell Ross and Steve “Self Loading Freight" Dessurne of the forward Sweep Team stumbled across our tired and emotional couple and towed them free of the sand, for which Ian and Sheila were ‘two cold cans each tonight’ grateful.
Forced to make up for lost time, our intrepid racers sped off into the rolling dunescapes, but after battling against the forces of nature, friction and gravity for a while, the ongoing problem of an overheating engine raised its ugly and thermally challenged head. Now on the Chevrolet LS engine, as fitted to Ian’s Patrol, when its ECU (Engine Crippling Unit) detects the strange odour of over-ripened exhaust headers, there is unfortunately a ‘safety feature’ which switches off four of the engine’s eight cylinders, which is all very well when you are driving on tarmac in your Corvette, but a right royal pain in the rectum when you are climbing the near vertical side of a sand dune in a Nissan Patrol. Consequently Ian was forced repeatedly to stop the car, switch off the engine and wait for it to cool down, before restarting it and driving on again. Having repeated this exercise a half a dozen times, unfortunately the battery became terminally ill. Battery. Terminal. Get it! (Thanks, I’m here every Sunday, the bar closes at midnight.) Bereft of volts, it sparked no more. In fact, this battery wouldn’t woosh if you put 40,000 volts through it. Mind you, they would have come in handy.
So parked at the side of the road and with apparently no way of starting the engine, Ian and Sheila called for help. Quick as a flash, Rick and Cesar sped into action, leapt into their support 4x4, raced off into the desert. And got stuck. You know, one of those nasty stucks you’ve heard about. So whilst Cannon and Ball attempted to dig themselves free, Batman and Robin, in the shape of JMR and Steve, once again came to the rescue of his and her Dogness. One illicit exchange of battery juices later and Newtrix were on their way. Again. So that’s half a dozen cold cans each owed now.
Rick and Cesar eventually freed themselves (with a spot of assistance from some friendly passers by) and drove back to the finish to await the Patrol. But of course, there’s more.
Once again it overheated, once again Ian had to stop, once again it wouldn’t restart and once again, our caped crusaders, Sweep Team One, Messrs Mitchell Ross and Dessurne, swooped in from upon high, gave the Patrol a kick up the jacking points, and off it jolly well dashed. With Ian and Sheila chasing it furiously. Having regained control, they then shot off to the finish where they made it with just five minutes to spare before they’d have been penalised by several hours for not finishing within limit time. So that’s a case of beer each now owed to the soon to be inebriated super heroes.
Tonight the guys are trying to get more air to flow through the radiators by removing the pretty but restrictive grille and replacing it with chicken wire. Yes chicken wire. Air will go through it, but hopefully twigs, stones, camel droppings and small goats will not. Suitable for kids of all ages. Small goats. Kids. (Thanks, I’m here every Sunday, the bar closes at midnight.)
Then they are raising the bonnet by a few millimetres (bits of inches) which will hopefully allow more heat to dissipate. Now there’s a word I don’t use very often. Bonnet.
In other news, Mark Powell and Paul Richards of Team Saluki are in 4th place, Dave Mabbs and Xavier Caminada (Desert FJ) are about 18th I think (no updates currently on the race website) and Malcolm Anderson and Mark Schofield, in a race car built on the chassis of a Range Rover I wrote off 4 years ago(!!), are roughly 15th.
For live updates each day you can follow Newtrix Racing here.
Tomorrow, "Things can only get better".
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Go fourth and qualify...
Just so you know, the Newtrix page has been blog-napped. A certain Mr. Tim Ansell, whose decline into notoriety began when he first accepted Ian Barker’s job offer over a pizza in Tehran High Street, has taken over the page for the duration of the Desert Challenge. This is simply because internet connections can be hard to come by in the desert, and since Newtrix does not as yet take its own team of PR luvvies with access to the media centre’s Broadband LAN WAP Bluetooth dongles darling, he (I) will be putting pen to pixel for the benefit of Newtrix Racing, from the comfort of a single malt whisky soaked desk in air conditioned Dubai. Slainté
And it gives me great pleasure on this, my first Faux Dog Blog, to tell you that the Barkers ‘kicked bottom’ this afternoon at the prologue. Having eventually found my way to the derelict, well hidden and un-advertised building site the organisers deemed a fit location to hold the “Super Special” (what’s so special about a heavily camoflauged sand pit?) I and all the competitors were at least suitably impressed with the layout of the stage, which allowed two cars / bikes / quads to run simultaneously on the same ‘circuit’, in a similar manner to many of the WRC’s Super Specials. Since it was over 40 degrees out there and I was stood in the middle of said sand pit with two heavy cameras slung round my neck, I for one was very happy that it meant the duration of the running of the prologue could be considerably reduced.
Where the routes crossed, a large bridge / jump had been built and I’m happy to say that like most competitors, Ian decided that discretion was more important than a sports page lead photo (I rather suspect Sheila may have had some say in this :-) and he took the jump cautiously, with the Patrol’s wheels leaving Mother Earth only briefly. Even so, I’ll bet he still got a flea in his ear for that. (It’s great being able to write Ian’s blog knowing he gets to read it and say “ooh that bugger Ansell….!”) Hee hee.
Anyway, as an (almost) independent witness I can honestly say that Ian did not APPEAR to be driving the stage particularly manically, in his own words, he was simply concentrating on “keeping it tidy” which was not easy given the amount of dust in the air and litter on the ground. But I digress.
He did indeed “keep it tidy” and by doing so, was able to keep his pedal to the proverbial metal, with the result that he finished the stage with the fourth fastest time of all the auto competitors. Oh yes, FOURTH fastest overall. Which means he beat Dave “To hell with the suspension, gearbox, engine and environment, I’m going to cane this thing into oblivion to get a fast finish” Mabbs in his FJ Cruiser, Mark “I’ll take it easy in the prologue thanks, it’s a five day race you know” Powell in the always sexy looking Saluki buggy, Raed “It doesn’t matter if I break it, quite frankly, I can afford to” Baker and a host of other local and international competitors. The Boy’s done well. And so did the Girl. As everyone knows, in rallying it’s co-drivers who do all the work and make the decisions, drivers just claim all the glory. So well done Shelia. Now take your hands off the roll cage please…
There’s a link here to the Special Stage results in case you don’t believe me (having seen some of the stuff I’ve published in the past, I can understand if you don’t believe me) and above, a selection of incredibly good photos taken by a photographer whom Ian will I’m sure go on to describe as “possibly the most important photographer to emerge from Arabian Ranches in the new Millenium”. At least he will if he wants any more free photos from me of the Patrol.
Finally we welcome back to Dubai / Liwa a man who needs no introduction, so he’s not getting one. Rick Carless, Team Newtrix Racing’s Technical Support Manager. Chief Bottle Washer and G.D.B. I mean, would you trust your rally vehicle to a bloke called “Carless”. For heavens sake. Joining Rick is Cesar “Ian I really should be at work in Al Thika you know” Marquez, whom Ian has once again purloined temporarily from the staff at our office. We’ll cope, we always do. THANKS GUYS. And remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Until tomorrow………………………..Woof, I’m outa here!
And keep the damn Patrol running all day tomorrow, no ‘issues’ please folks.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
One week to go…
…so it’s manic as usual. Had The Beast out last weekend with the reinforced wings and the new fans, and the Camaro water pump – the original one was leaking. It was running too hot – however, I hadn’t used Water Wetter in the radiator. This is pretty amazing stuff which reduces the water temperature significantly (10c or so) because it improves the transfer of heat from the water to the radiator. And unlike most of the snake-oil remedies – it actually does what it says on the tin (OK- bottle). So why didn’t I use it? Well, because I was pretty sure the rad would have to come out again, and I didn’t want to waste a bottle of the stuff. Then I found that the connection to one of the fans was loose as well, so the jury is still out on whether I have enough cooling. Weather forecast shows a maximum of 38c in Liwa next week, which is damn hot, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Gareth at A2B has got The Beast back to sort out a few minor problems, and discovered that the annoying whine from under the hood is the alternator bearings on their way out. So we’ll put a new one in and (when we have time) re-con the old one as a spare – no point in trying to ignore it and hoping for the best.
Arabian Automobiles, the Nissan distributor, has very kindly come to the party with a consignment of expensive spares on sale-or-return. So we’ll have spare front and rear diffs, full set of spare half-shafts, spare front hub – basically everything we broke last year and then some.
Al Thika’s trusty VW Transporter is once again being pressed into service as the support truck, and I’ve replaced a dodgy section of the deck with a shiny new section of ¾” ply. I’ve decided that, for once, it would be nice if we could actually find the tools and parts we need, so I’ve splashed out on a proper tool chest with drawers. Trouble is, I can’t lift it once it’s filled with tools, so we’ll have to load it on the truck and then put the gear in. Once it’s there, it stays there.
Today, we’re in the Gulf News – fame at last! Shame they can’t write for toffee, but that’s PR agencies for you.
According the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge website, there are 40 cars, 4 trucks and 75 bikes/quads on the entry list this year – but no works teams, which is good for us privateers. We’re number 224 (24th), which reflects our poor showing in the 2009 event, Dave Mabbs is at 204 and Team Saluki are 209. Novitsky in the BMW X3 is top seed, and the only other female competitor in the autos is our old friend Andrea Meyer, co-driving a T4 truck.
Now I need to go and finish refurbishing the support truck...
Gareth at A2B has got The Beast back to sort out a few minor problems, and discovered that the annoying whine from under the hood is the alternator bearings on their way out. So we’ll put a new one in and (when we have time) re-con the old one as a spare – no point in trying to ignore it and hoping for the best.
Arabian Automobiles, the Nissan distributor, has very kindly come to the party with a consignment of expensive spares on sale-or-return. So we’ll have spare front and rear diffs, full set of spare half-shafts, spare front hub – basically everything we broke last year and then some.
Al Thika’s trusty VW Transporter is once again being pressed into service as the support truck, and I’ve replaced a dodgy section of the deck with a shiny new section of ¾” ply. I’ve decided that, for once, it would be nice if we could actually find the tools and parts we need, so I’ve splashed out on a proper tool chest with drawers. Trouble is, I can’t lift it once it’s filled with tools, so we’ll have to load it on the truck and then put the gear in. Once it’s there, it stays there.
Today, we’re in the Gulf News – fame at last! Shame they can’t write for toffee, but that’s PR agencies for you.
According the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge website, there are 40 cars, 4 trucks and 75 bikes/quads on the entry list this year – but no works teams, which is good for us privateers. We’re number 224 (24th), which reflects our poor showing in the 2009 event, Dave Mabbs is at 204 and Team Saluki are 209. Novitsky in the BMW X3 is top seed, and the only other female competitor in the autos is our old friend Andrea Meyer, co-driving a T4 truck.
Now I need to go and finish refurbishing the support truck...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
3 weeks to the Desert Challenge
Since the demise of Carwise, I’ve been doing more of the work on the race car myself. This weekend I pulled out the radiator and fan-box assembly, replaced the fans with the 16” units, re-sealed the fan-box to the radiator and refitted it. The top hose was also replaced with one that gives a better routing as well. It would have been nice to do some real ‘hot-weather’ testing of the new system, but the weather didn’t co-operate. At 23c it was hardly a test, but I took it out for a blat anyway.
Anyway I did some other jobs that needed doing – replaced the temporary exhaust hanger with something more robust, fitted new mudflaps, and repaired the plastic rear bumper. I then decided to remove the front wheel arch liners which had come loose, with a view to replacing them.
Unfortunately this revealed some extensive damage to the inner wings. The inner wing includes a welded section running across the top of the arch, diagonally braced to a vertical member behind the arch. Where the vertical and horizontal members meet is ‘the weakest link’, and repeated hard landings cause the horizontal member to bend, ripping the inner wing and breaking the weld to the diagonal brace. This is a common problem in rally Patrols, and one theory is that the front body mounts may be too soft (and/or too short), allowing the front end of the bodyshell to flex downwards relative to the passenger compartment. We had the same problem on the old T2 Patrol, exacerbated there by the weight of the battery which hangs off the inner wing. (Since the new Patrol has the battery relocated to the back, at least this is not contributing to the problem.)
So it’s booked into A2B Garage later this week for some reconstructive surgery and reinforcement. Let’s see what solution they can come up with.
With only 3 weeks left to the ADDC I could have done without this...
Anyway I did some other jobs that needed doing – replaced the temporary exhaust hanger with something more robust, fitted new mudflaps, and repaired the plastic rear bumper. I then decided to remove the front wheel arch liners which had come loose, with a view to replacing them.
Unfortunately this revealed some extensive damage to the inner wings. The inner wing includes a welded section running across the top of the arch, diagonally braced to a vertical member behind the arch. Where the vertical and horizontal members meet is ‘the weakest link’, and repeated hard landings cause the horizontal member to bend, ripping the inner wing and breaking the weld to the diagonal brace. This is a common problem in rally Patrols, and one theory is that the front body mounts may be too soft (and/or too short), allowing the front end of the bodyshell to flex downwards relative to the passenger compartment. We had the same problem on the old T2 Patrol, exacerbated there by the weight of the battery which hangs off the inner wing. (Since the new Patrol has the battery relocated to the back, at least this is not contributing to the problem.)
So it’s booked into A2B Garage later this week for some reconstructive surgery and reinforcement. Let’s see what solution they can come up with.
With only 3 weeks left to the ADDC I could have done without this...
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Hail Baja - Epilogue
So – now that the dust has settled, where does that leave us? 27 vehicles passed scrutineering, and we came 15th overall out of 16 finishers, which isn’t that great. But had we avoided the problems of day one, and kept up the same pace as we achieved on day 2, we’d have been around 5th overall. If only…
Overheating was still a problem on day 2, and although I could keep up with Dave Mabbs for a while, eventually I’d be forced to slow down when the temperature hit 115c. So after some discussions with Peter at Pacet (the fan manufacturer) we’re going for their 16” Profans in place of the 13” units, which were sized to suit the old Patrol-shaped radiator. If there’s space, we’ll also use one of their PowerVent bonnet fans to help extract the hot air from the engine compartment.
New bonnet pins have been fitted and I’m looking for a couple of high-mounted brake lights – it would be nice to get another pair like the existing ones and mount them in the rear doors.
The bad news is that Carwise – the garage that’s looked after my cars – is closing down at the end of February. Fortunately, Rick is staying in Dubai, and will have no problem finding another garage to work for. Since he knows the car better than anyone, it probably makes sense to use whichever garage he ends up at to provide service for the Desert Challenge. The DC is now only 4 weeks away and the clock is ticking.
An interesting conversation took place at Hail with an FIA representative. I was asked why Sheila was not competing, to which I replied that we'd applied and been turned down (again). This came as a surprise to him as (a) SAMF had signed a letter to the FIA confirming that women competitors would be allowed, and (b) SAMF had subsequently told the FIA that no women had applied! I suspect that the FIA may not be too happy to learn that the the Saudis have been economical with the truth.
Here are a few pics of us at the Hail Baja taken by Mohd Al Sultan. Click on the thumbnails to get the larger version.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Hail Baja Day 2
Todays route featured a lot of quick sand tracks and plains, punctuated by some tricky dune sections. Overall, it's a lot fater than yesterday which is to our advantage in view of our cooling issues.
We're 19th to start and we're flying. We overtake the car ahead in the first couple of km, he's clearly over estimated his tyre pressures and gets caught out on the first soft bit. I'm running 18psi, having decided to err on the side of caution, and just hope the tyres will put up with the fast sections at that pressure. We overtake another car, and another - no sign of anyone coming at us from behind.
Temp problems still dog us, but they are manageable. Mabbsy catches us but doesn't really ever get away from us. We both pass the ailing Patrol of Bil Hili (car #1!) on a fast plain where we reach 150kph.
Suddenly the finish is in sight - 188km in 2hrs 48mins! A bonnet pin shears off within sight of the finish leaving the bonnet flapping - thank God it didn't happen before!
We're 8th on the day - another 8 mins faster asnd we'd have been 3rd. Sounds academic, but it would have been possible if we hadn't needed to slow down so often to cool the engine. Overall we're 15th, not bad considering what a crap first day we'd had, and Dave Mabbs is one place behind us.
We're happy with that!
We're 19th to start and we're flying. We overtake the car ahead in the first couple of km, he's clearly over estimated his tyre pressures and gets caught out on the first soft bit. I'm running 18psi, having decided to err on the side of caution, and just hope the tyres will put up with the fast sections at that pressure. We overtake another car, and another - no sign of anyone coming at us from behind.
Temp problems still dog us, but they are manageable. Mabbsy catches us but doesn't really ever get away from us. We both pass the ailing Patrol of Bil Hili (car #1!) on a fast plain where we reach 150kph.
Suddenly the finish is in sight - 188km in 2hrs 48mins! A bonnet pin shears off within sight of the finish leaving the bonnet flapping - thank God it didn't happen before!
We're 8th on the day - another 8 mins faster asnd we'd have been 3rd. Sounds academic, but it would have been possible if we hadn't needed to slow down so often to cool the engine. Overall we're 15th, not bad considering what a crap first day we'd had, and Dave Mabbs is one place behind us.
We're happy with that!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Hail Baja Day 1
I'll make this quick as I have to get to bed.
The engine started overheating early on. The fans were OK but the top hose had chafed and was leaking, so I cut-and-shut it using a couple of spare jubilee clips and a double-ended joiner - but it didn't hold. After the third failed bodge, the service crew from another team gave us a hose which worked, the sweep team doinated extra water and we were again on our way - but much delayed.
Came aross Mabbsy with a leaking rad, stopped but couldn't help and anyway Streaky was almost there. We passed him a couple of km later. We had the option to bail out at the next 'rescue' point, but we were now going well so decided to try and make the 200km to the service point, knowing that if we got that far we would be time-barred, but permitted restart tomorrow.
We made it - but the engine temp was close to the 115c limit and went into cripple-mode a couple of times, necessitating us to take a brief 'time-out' to cool it. We also threw a tyre and got stuck once, and suffered the indignity of being towed out by a police Cruiser! Oh, and the exhaust hanger broke, which I jury-rigged with some binding wire.
Having reached the service point, we exited on a gatch track and aired up. Just 200m from the road, the power steering packed up, a sure sign that the belt had gone. It had - but so had the idler pulley, and while we had a new belt it wasn't much use without the pulley. So we ended up being towed 250km back to Hail by the sweep team's V8 Land Cruiser.
Streaky and I set to work, the main job being to fit the new idler, which fortunately was in the service vehicle. The rest of the bodged repairs will have to suffice for tomorrow.
After this stage, Yazeed Al Rajhi leads in the Mitsubishi Racing Lancer, by a narrow margin from Bakhashab in the V8 engnied FJ Cruiser, with Raed Baker third in the Mitsubishi L200 pickup.
Now - bed.
The engine started overheating early on. The fans were OK but the top hose had chafed and was leaking, so I cut-and-shut it using a couple of spare jubilee clips and a double-ended joiner - but it didn't hold. After the third failed bodge, the service crew from another team gave us a hose which worked, the sweep team doinated extra water and we were again on our way - but much delayed.
Came aross Mabbsy with a leaking rad, stopped but couldn't help and anyway Streaky was almost there. We passed him a couple of km later. We had the option to bail out at the next 'rescue' point, but we were now going well so decided to try and make the 200km to the service point, knowing that if we got that far we would be time-barred, but permitted restart tomorrow.
We made it - but the engine temp was close to the 115c limit and went into cripple-mode a couple of times, necessitating us to take a brief 'time-out' to cool it. We also threw a tyre and got stuck once, and suffered the indignity of being towed out by a police Cruiser! Oh, and the exhaust hanger broke, which I jury-rigged with some binding wire.
Having reached the service point, we exited on a gatch track and aired up. Just 200m from the road, the power steering packed up, a sure sign that the belt had gone. It had - but so had the idler pulley, and while we had a new belt it wasn't much use without the pulley. So we ended up being towed 250km back to Hail by the sweep team's V8 Land Cruiser.
Streaky and I set to work, the main job being to fit the new idler, which fortunately was in the service vehicle. The rest of the bodged repairs will have to suffice for tomorrow.
After this stage, Yazeed Al Rajhi leads in the Mitsubishi Racing Lancer, by a narrow margin from Bakhashab in the V8 engnied FJ Cruiser, with Raed Baker third in the Mitsubishi L200 pickup.
Now - bed.
The Prologue
(Can't help thinking of Frankie Howerd when I use those two words.)
The Jabalain continues to plumb new depths of inefficiency. Breakfast, promised from 0600hrs, is still conspicuous by its absence at 0700hrs, but fortunately our Team Manager has Plan B in hand. Our wardrobe clearly has more food in it than the hotel kitchen, and we breakfast much better than yesterday. (The Jabalain has some impressive brass signs reading 'Arson Emergency Exit'. If there is an alternative egress in the event of accidental fires, we haven't found it.)
But I digress. By 0800 we are back at Maghwat, because that’s when the prologue road book is supposed to be issued. It finally makes an appearance at 0945, and we set off to walk the 6.2km route.
We’re not the quickest on the prologue – 5min 39secs gives us 15th place, 10 seconds slower than 7th-placed Mabbs. But the engine is getting very hot. We divert to fuel up before returning to service, where we find one of the fans is not getting a supply. Streaky and I rig up an alternative feed and the problem is solved, and the car goes into Parc Ferme for the night.
The Jabalain continues to plumb new depths of inefficiency. Breakfast, promised from 0600hrs, is still conspicuous by its absence at 0700hrs, but fortunately our Team Manager has Plan B in hand. Our wardrobe clearly has more food in it than the hotel kitchen, and we breakfast much better than yesterday. (The Jabalain has some impressive brass signs reading 'Arson Emergency Exit'. If there is an alternative egress in the event of accidental fires, we haven't found it.)
But I digress. By 0800 we are back at Maghwat, because that’s when the prologue road book is supposed to be issued. It finally makes an appearance at 0945, and we set off to walk the 6.2km route.
We’re not the quickest on the prologue – 5min 39secs gives us 15th place, 10 seconds slower than 7th-placed Mabbs. But the engine is getting very hot. We divert to fuel up before returning to service, where we find one of the fans is not getting a supply. Streaky and I rig up an alternative feed and the problem is solved, and the car goes into Parc Ferme for the night.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday
I'm up bright and early to I get on with some car-cleaning and rally-stickering. Breakfast at the Jabelain is not a culinary tour-de-force, with its cold scambled egg and congealing Arabic slop competing for top honours in the World's Worst Breakfast category. The fact that this establishment boasts exactly no stars is clearly no oversight.
After this uninspiring interlude, I carry on with the car while Sheila and Ian set out on a hunt for suitably-rated 12" tyres, and pick up the GPS, Sentinel and Iritrack from Rally Control. Once fitted, we proceed to Scrutineering for our 1450hrs appointment.
Oh joy. The Toyota Service Centre is heaving with locals and their (alleged) rally cars, and chaos is in full swing. They can't fill in their scrutineering forms properly, and half of their mandatory equipment is either missing or out of date. The schedule has clearly gone out of the window some hours ago, and we finally get through about 1800hrs. We escape with only a minor admonition for the absence of high-mounted stop-lights, to be corrrected before the DC.
We decide to celebrate at a nearby Indian Restaurant, a strange place spotted by Ian. Inside are many colourful murals, fake timber beams, and in interesting menu. It features many previously unheard-of culinary delights, including 'Chicken Jal Freddie', 'American Jobsi', and my personal favourite, 'Chicken Masala Amputation'. (Quite why images of 'Nightmare on Elm Street' run through my mind I am unsure.) However the meal is excellent, and almost as enjoyable as reading the menu.
After this uninspiring interlude, I carry on with the car while Sheila and Ian set out on a hunt for suitably-rated 12" tyres, and pick up the GPS, Sentinel and Iritrack from Rally Control. Once fitted, we proceed to Scrutineering for our 1450hrs appointment.
Oh joy. The Toyota Service Centre is heaving with locals and their (alleged) rally cars, and chaos is in full swing. They can't fill in their scrutineering forms properly, and half of their mandatory equipment is either missing or out of date. The schedule has clearly gone out of the window some hours ago, and we finally get through about 1800hrs. We escape with only a minor admonition for the absence of high-mounted stop-lights, to be corrrected before the DC.
We decide to celebrate at a nearby Indian Restaurant, a strange place spotted by Ian. Inside are many colourful murals, fake timber beams, and in interesting menu. It features many previously unheard-of culinary delights, including 'Chicken Jal Freddie', 'American Jobsi', and my personal favourite, 'Chicken Masala Amputation'. (Quite why images of 'Nightmare on Elm Street' run through my mind I am unsure.) However the meal is excellent, and almost as enjoyable as reading the menu.
Sunday
We only lose one more tyre en route to Hail, and I decide to drive the race car the remaining 120km. By 1600hrs we reach Hail's answer to Fawlty Towers - the apalling Jebelain Hotel. They aren't expecting us till Tuesday, and they aren't expecting the four of us to need more than one room. We blag the available room and head out to Maghwat Conference Centre, a.k.a. Rally HQ. After completing our documentation and picking up the rally stickers, and Dr Saleh of SAMF sorts out our hotel problems. By the time we get back to the hotel, we're ready to hit the sack.
On the road again
Saturday
Our convoy of five vehicles - two of them on trailers - sets off from Seih Sheib ADNOC at 0715. By midday we're at the Saudi border and our problems begin. Of the six of us, it transpires that only one has a 'road' visa, and that's me. All the rest are 'air' visas. After a two and a half hour wait and various phone calls, they eventually allow us to enter the magic kingdom.
The short-cut to Riyadh via Haradh and Kharj takes its toll on our trailer. First a tyre delaminates, and we fit the (only) spare. Then I hit something in the dark in Kharj and knacker another tyre and bend the rim. The only available 12" tyre is Kharj is unsuitable, but we buy it anyway, and after attacking the damaged rim with a sledgehammer it is persuaded to fit. But we have little faith in it, and decide to keep it as a spare. That means re-fitting the wheel with the delaminated tyre and praying a lot. Somehow it gets us to Riyadh, where Team FJ have already located a couple of halfway decent 12" tyres for us. The next morning, we fit them and set off again.
Our convoy of five vehicles - two of them on trailers - sets off from Seih Sheib ADNOC at 0715. By midday we're at the Saudi border and our problems begin. Of the six of us, it transpires that only one has a 'road' visa, and that's me. All the rest are 'air' visas. After a two and a half hour wait and various phone calls, they eventually allow us to enter the magic kingdom.
The short-cut to Riyadh via Haradh and Kharj takes its toll on our trailer. First a tyre delaminates, and we fit the (only) spare. Then I hit something in the dark in Kharj and knacker another tyre and bend the rim. The only available 12" tyre is Kharj is unsuitable, but we buy it anyway, and after attacking the damaged rim with a sledgehammer it is persuaded to fit. But we have little faith in it, and decide to keep it as a spare. That means re-fitting the wheel with the delaminated tyre and praying a lot. Somehow it gets us to Riyadh, where Team FJ have already located a couple of halfway decent 12" tyres for us. The next morning, we fit them and set off again.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Final (Final) Shakedown
So we're back into dunes this morning, just me and Sheila, to test the revised set-up in the same area that did the damage last time. The on-road temperature never gets above 80c and even on the sand tracks we're not above 90c - so far so good. But the real test is in the big dunes.
There, I manage to get the temperature up to 100c - but not the disasterous 115c of last week. Now 100c is a bit warm, but as soon as I'm on the track beyond, it's down to 90c again.
So what does this mean? Well, the ambient is similar to what we an expect in Hail - mid 20s - and the terrain in Hail is not as extreme as my test area (based on my recollections of last year's route). So I feel reasonably confident that this set-up is good enough to cope with conditions there. However, adding another 15c onto the ambient will probably cause a similar increase in the water temperature, so we will need to upgrade the fans before we attempt the Desert Challenge.
So Mr Pacet can expect to earn some more from me very soon - and if you know anyone who needs a pair of very slightly used 13" fans, let me know!
There, I manage to get the temperature up to 100c - but not the disasterous 115c of last week. Now 100c is a bit warm, but as soon as I'm on the track beyond, it's down to 90c again.
So what does this mean? Well, the ambient is similar to what we an expect in Hail - mid 20s - and the terrain in Hail is not as extreme as my test area (based on my recollections of last year's route). So I feel reasonably confident that this set-up is good enough to cope with conditions there. However, adding another 15c onto the ambient will probably cause a similar increase in the water temperature, so we will need to upgrade the fans before we attempt the Desert Challenge.
So Mr Pacet can expect to earn some more from me very soon - and if you know anyone who needs a pair of very slightly used 13" fans, let me know!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Final Shakedown (not)
The fans have arrived, been fitted, been tested in the workshop and on the road and the results look good - they are holding the water temperature at 80-85c. So Friday morning we're back out in the sand to see how the new set-up works in the dunes.
Well, it doesn't. As soon as we hit an HP (off-piste) section , where we're typically in first/second gear and pulling some 4000rpm without a lot of forward speed, the engine overheats. At one stage it reaches the absolute limit of 115c, at which the ECU calls 'time out' and shuts down 4 cylinders. We finish the stage but, considering it's a grey and cool February morning, and we're not actually doing race speed, we're clearly onto a loser. When the DC starts at the end of March, ambient temperature will be around 15c higher than it is now.
So this morning the car's back with Rick at Carwise, and we decide to vent the bonnet and install a bigger radiator. The one we choose is a triple-row after-market unit designed for a Land Cruiser V8. It sits above the chassis rails, unlike the narrower Patrol unit which drops down between them. The change in dimensions will enable us to fit twin 16" Pacet fans, so a new fan-box is being fabricated to accommodate these. But for a first test we'll retain the 13" units we have already. Monday I'll be on the phone to my friend at Pacet, to see how quickly they can ship out a pair of 16" fans.
Saturday morning, ready or not, we leave for Hail.
So no pressure, then....
Well, it doesn't. As soon as we hit an HP (off-piste) section , where we're typically in first/second gear and pulling some 4000rpm without a lot of forward speed, the engine overheats. At one stage it reaches the absolute limit of 115c, at which the ECU calls 'time out' and shuts down 4 cylinders. We finish the stage but, considering it's a grey and cool February morning, and we're not actually doing race speed, we're clearly onto a loser. When the DC starts at the end of March, ambient temperature will be around 15c higher than it is now.
So this morning the car's back with Rick at Carwise, and we decide to vent the bonnet and install a bigger radiator. The one we choose is a triple-row after-market unit designed for a Land Cruiser V8. It sits above the chassis rails, unlike the narrower Patrol unit which drops down between them. The change in dimensions will enable us to fit twin 16" Pacet fans, so a new fan-box is being fabricated to accommodate these. But for a first test we'll retain the 13" units we have already. Monday I'll be on the phone to my friend at Pacet, to see how quickly they can ship out a pair of 16" fans.
Saturday morning, ready or not, we leave for Hail.
So no pressure, then....
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Water Pump Update
Rick pulled the water pump, and the bearing - although not seized - is shot. We looked at the one off the old engine, and that's the same, plus it's leaking through the seal. Between them they've only done about 9000km - which is singularly unimpressive.
I've looked into electric pumps. A so-called 'high performance' electric water pump is available as a bolt-on replacement for the standard mechanical one, but it only shifts 55 galls/min. This compares with 85g/min on a stock mechanical unit, and 100g/min on the high-flow one. Of course the electric will pump 55g/min at any revs, whereas mechanical ones are rated at around 3000rpm, so the electric probably has the edge at idle. However, at (say) 4500rpm a mechanical one is pumping three times what the electric can manage, so it's pretty clear to me that electric is not a viable option for our sort of usage.
Word from the Autodrome is that they had the same problems with mechanical water pumps on the V8 Luminas - one actually exploded (the pump, not the Lumina)! So now they've gone over to the pump used on the Corvette which has double bearings, and this appears to be reliable. So that's what we're getting.
Rick has fabricated a fan box to fit to the radiator, and the fans (ordered yesterday) are being collected from the Pacet factory today. How's that for customer service? Now I just have to hope TNT don't lose them....
I've looked into electric pumps. A so-called 'high performance' electric water pump is available as a bolt-on replacement for the standard mechanical one, but it only shifts 55 galls/min. This compares with 85g/min on a stock mechanical unit, and 100g/min on the high-flow one. Of course the electric will pump 55g/min at any revs, whereas mechanical ones are rated at around 3000rpm, so the electric probably has the edge at idle. However, at (say) 4500rpm a mechanical one is pumping three times what the electric can manage, so it's pretty clear to me that electric is not a viable option for our sort of usage.
Word from the Autodrome is that they had the same problems with mechanical water pumps on the V8 Luminas - one actually exploded (the pump, not the Lumina)! So now they've gone over to the pump used on the Corvette which has double bearings, and this appears to be reliable. So that's what we're getting.
Rick has fabricated a fan box to fit to the radiator, and the fans (ordered yesterday) are being collected from the Pacet factory today. How's that for customer service? Now I just have to hope TNT don't lose them....
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Shakedown Blues
So, the washers are in, the front axle is once more complete, so it’s time for a blat! Except that us rally types don’t just go for a blat – we go for a ‘shakedown’. Now in other circles, a ‘shakedown’ has a different connotation, involving extracting money from people by dubious means. We do that in rallying, too, but we call it ‘sponsorship’.
The purpose of a shakedown is to test the car in a semi-race scenario, and iron out those annoying gremlins which might just stop us from finishing a rally. And if something falls off or breaks, we can grit our teeth and sound happy about it, because it’s ‘better to happen now than in the rally’. However, equally important in this case was to give Ian Rodgers an opportunity to get to grips with the vehicle, and to show me that he could navigate.
So I spent Friday fabricating a mounting in the rear door for my new toy from the States, a 24v rattle-gun, and another for the hydraulic jack. Oh, and trying to find someone to run as chase car with me, because if something does go horribly wrong it’s good to have someone in the vicinity to bail you out. Failing to find anyone else both (a) free and (b) willing, I persuaded Sheila to be our support crew.
Saturday dawned. Well, I suppose it did, but it’s hard to be sure when the country is covered in a thick grey duvet of fog. By 8.30 we were on our way, peering through the gloom and dodging the heavies down the truck road leading to the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road. Here starts the old SS6 of the Desert Challenge –a 166km route ending just outside Dubai, and therefore not used since the DC became an exclusively Abu Dhabi affair. Soon after 9.30 the fog had thinned enough for us to get moving, and Ian managed the tricky navigation around the farms and tracks pretty well, considering he’d never done the stage before. The car was pulling strongly, the engine temperature was fine, and as the sun gained strength the new roof-vents brought a cooling breeze into the cockpit.
50km into the stage, on a rather flat section with no real challenges, the steering became suddenly heavy and it was obvious that we’d lost power steering. Knowing that the belt that drives the power steering also does some other more mission-critical jobs, like powering the water pump, fan and alternator, it seemed a good idea to stop before anything bad happened. But a quick glance under the hood showed that something bad had, in fact, already occurred. The serpentine belt was off, but the fan and its pulley were also lying in the bottom of the fan shroud. The massive shaft – ¾” I guess – which should connect it to the water pump had snapped like a twig. ‘Oh, bugger’, I said. I may have said it more than once.
Sheila was waiting for us to come through Nahel Town, some 50km from an underpass which was our nearest road access. She negotiated the 10km of tracks and low dunes between that point and our location, and we soon had the race car hooked up to our faithful road-going Patrol. So now I had to tow the race car out, while Ian drove it without much in the way of brakes or steering. After a couple of minor dramas we reached the underpass and – having enough problems already – we decided not to risk the attention of the law by towing it back to Dubai.
That meant 150km back to Dubai, pick up the trailer, back to the underpass, load up the race car and back again to Dubai. By which time it was dark, we’d covered well over 600km and we were knackered.
So, with only three weeks before the ‘Highway to Hail’, we have a broken car. Again. Now the questions are, what caused the problem, and how can we avoid a repeat? Should we change to an electric fan and/or even an electric water pump? The recommendation from Kolby at Turnkey Engines in the States was always to go for twin electric fans of 1600-1800cfm each, whereas the gurus at Marks 4x4 in Oz said to stick with the mechanical fan. However, it looks as though the heavy load on the shaft from the fan may be at least a contributory factor – although until we dismantle the water pump we won’t know if the pump bearing has seized.
After further discussions with Rick at Carwise, we’ve decided to go for the electric fan option. We can fit twin 13” high-performance Pacet Pro-Fans into the available radiator area, which each shift close to 2000cfm, and we need Kolby to ship us another high-output water pump. Hopefully within this week these two items will be winging their way towards Dubai – TNT permitting.
But let’s look on the bright side – it’s ‘better to happen now than in the rally’. There, I said it – through gritted teeth.
The purpose of a shakedown is to test the car in a semi-race scenario, and iron out those annoying gremlins which might just stop us from finishing a rally. And if something falls off or breaks, we can grit our teeth and sound happy about it, because it’s ‘better to happen now than in the rally’. However, equally important in this case was to give Ian Rodgers an opportunity to get to grips with the vehicle, and to show me that he could navigate.
So I spent Friday fabricating a mounting in the rear door for my new toy from the States, a 24v rattle-gun, and another for the hydraulic jack. Oh, and trying to find someone to run as chase car with me, because if something does go horribly wrong it’s good to have someone in the vicinity to bail you out. Failing to find anyone else both (a) free and (b) willing, I persuaded Sheila to be our support crew.
Saturday dawned. Well, I suppose it did, but it’s hard to be sure when the country is covered in a thick grey duvet of fog. By 8.30 we were on our way, peering through the gloom and dodging the heavies down the truck road leading to the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road. Here starts the old SS6 of the Desert Challenge –a 166km route ending just outside Dubai, and therefore not used since the DC became an exclusively Abu Dhabi affair. Soon after 9.30 the fog had thinned enough for us to get moving, and Ian managed the tricky navigation around the farms and tracks pretty well, considering he’d never done the stage before. The car was pulling strongly, the engine temperature was fine, and as the sun gained strength the new roof-vents brought a cooling breeze into the cockpit.
50km into the stage, on a rather flat section with no real challenges, the steering became suddenly heavy and it was obvious that we’d lost power steering. Knowing that the belt that drives the power steering also does some other more mission-critical jobs, like powering the water pump, fan and alternator, it seemed a good idea to stop before anything bad happened. But a quick glance under the hood showed that something bad had, in fact, already occurred. The serpentine belt was off, but the fan and its pulley were also lying in the bottom of the fan shroud. The massive shaft – ¾” I guess – which should connect it to the water pump had snapped like a twig. ‘Oh, bugger’, I said. I may have said it more than once.
Sheila was waiting for us to come through Nahel Town, some 50km from an underpass which was our nearest road access. She negotiated the 10km of tracks and low dunes between that point and our location, and we soon had the race car hooked up to our faithful road-going Patrol. So now I had to tow the race car out, while Ian drove it without much in the way of brakes or steering. After a couple of minor dramas we reached the underpass and – having enough problems already – we decided not to risk the attention of the law by towing it back to Dubai.
That meant 150km back to Dubai, pick up the trailer, back to the underpass, load up the race car and back again to Dubai. By which time it was dark, we’d covered well over 600km and we were knackered.
So, with only three weeks before the ‘Highway to Hail’, we have a broken car. Again. Now the questions are, what caused the problem, and how can we avoid a repeat? Should we change to an electric fan and/or even an electric water pump? The recommendation from Kolby at Turnkey Engines in the States was always to go for twin electric fans of 1600-1800cfm each, whereas the gurus at Marks 4x4 in Oz said to stick with the mechanical fan. However, it looks as though the heavy load on the shaft from the fan may be at least a contributory factor – although until we dismantle the water pump we won’t know if the pump bearing has seized.
After further discussions with Rick at Carwise, we’ve decided to go for the electric fan option. We can fit twin 13” high-performance Pacet Pro-Fans into the available radiator area, which each shift close to 2000cfm, and we need Kolby to ship us another high-output water pump. Hopefully within this week these two items will be winging their way towards Dubai – TNT permitting.
But let’s look on the bright side – it’s ‘better to happen now than in the rally’. There, I said it – through gritted teeth.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A New Year's Resolution
I've resolved to get the damn race car back on four wheels. However, six washers have stood between me and accomplishment of this dream since early November.
The washers are for the ARB front diff lock, which is made in Australia. Four of them are hardened conical washers, unique to ARB. Their agents here neither had the parts in stock nor showed any inclination to obtain them, so I contacted a mate in Sydney, Jon Harbour. He duly ordered them from his local ARB dealer (who had to order them from the factory) and two weeks later they were collected by TNT for shipment to Dubai. TNT then promptly lost them.
So I mailed Jon and asked him to repeat the order, and sure enough, two weeks later another set were with him. By that time, his planned visit to Dubai was only a few days away, and rather than give TNT another opportunity to lose them, we decided he should hand-carry them.
Well, you know how it is when you’re going on holiday, you always remember something that you should have packed, just after the plane takes off. In this case, it was the bag of washers, which were left sitting on his hall table in Sydney. They sat there undisturbed as Christmas came and went and the New Year was celebrated, until finally Jon bade his farewells to Dubai. By 7th January, the washers were once again on the move and, miracle of miracles, TNT delivered them in record time.
So now the front axle is being re-assembled by Rick at Carwise, and I should be able to get the car back at any moment. Friday is taken up with the Gulf New Fun Drive, for which we are Rear Sweep, but maybe Saturday we can take the Beast out for a blat.
The Saudi Hail Baja 2010 looms ever closer. Once again the Saudis have refused to allow Sheila to compete, so Ian Rodgers will fill the co-pilot’s seat for this event. Ian navigated for Ramesh Pereira in his ill-fated Patrol, which burnt to a crisp during the 2009 DC. Our two-day road-trip (a.k.a. ‘The Highway to Hail’) starts on 13th February.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to sell my old T2 Patrol which came 2nd in class at the 2009 Hail Baja. I have a customer who plans to compete in it at Hail, but as yet no actual money – and the clock is ticking. Watch this space.
The washers are for the ARB front diff lock, which is made in Australia. Four of them are hardened conical washers, unique to ARB. Their agents here neither had the parts in stock nor showed any inclination to obtain them, so I contacted a mate in Sydney, Jon Harbour. He duly ordered them from his local ARB dealer (who had to order them from the factory) and two weeks later they were collected by TNT for shipment to Dubai. TNT then promptly lost them.
So I mailed Jon and asked him to repeat the order, and sure enough, two weeks later another set were with him. By that time, his planned visit to Dubai was only a few days away, and rather than give TNT another opportunity to lose them, we decided he should hand-carry them.
Well, you know how it is when you’re going on holiday, you always remember something that you should have packed, just after the plane takes off. In this case, it was the bag of washers, which were left sitting on his hall table in Sydney. They sat there undisturbed as Christmas came and went and the New Year was celebrated, until finally Jon bade his farewells to Dubai. By 7th January, the washers were once again on the move and, miracle of miracles, TNT delivered them in record time.
So now the front axle is being re-assembled by Rick at Carwise, and I should be able to get the car back at any moment. Friday is taken up with the Gulf New Fun Drive, for which we are Rear Sweep, but maybe Saturday we can take the Beast out for a blat.
The Saudi Hail Baja 2010 looms ever closer. Once again the Saudis have refused to allow Sheila to compete, so Ian Rodgers will fill the co-pilot’s seat for this event. Ian navigated for Ramesh Pereira in his ill-fated Patrol, which burnt to a crisp during the 2009 DC. Our two-day road-trip (a.k.a. ‘The Highway to Hail’) starts on 13th February.
Meanwhile, I’m still trying to sell my old T2 Patrol which came 2nd in class at the 2009 Hail Baja. I have a customer who plans to compete in it at Hail, but as yet no actual money – and the clock is ticking. Watch this space.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)