2015 F5000 Drivers Association Race Schedule (unofficial)

Not official yet, but the race schedule is looking like this:

Road America in July.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August.

COTA in October.

New driver harnesses for 2015

My driver harnesses will expire at the end of this year.  So next year I will take a look at a different manufacture.

All driver harnesses have a expiration date.  Maybe usable for 5 years?

Back on the stands

In a previous post I said the work on the car would start in September.  Sure enough I placed the car on the stands yesterday.  How about that, on schedule.

F5000 Association update

Received a email this morning from the F5000 association.

F5000 at 2015 Monterey Reunion – Planning for the F5000 group to participate at this August 2015 event is continuing. Look for more information in the coming week on how you can prepare to enter your car for this event and other helpful information to get your car to the Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca.

Bad dog!

 I haven't done anything with the car yet, but I'm starting to think about the gear set replacements.  Looking through the spare sets, they all really need to be replaced.  I would need 3rd, 4th and 5th.  I only use 1st to leave the pits and 2nd would be on slow tight turns.

The dog on this gear has very little wear.

The dog on the corner is well rounded.  This was a new gear a couple of years ago, but I use for all the tracks I race on(4th gear).  This was the one that was giving me trouble at Canada back in June.

A new dog ring on a gear.  They all should look like that.

Back to antique trucking

Just finished converting the race hauler back to a antique hauler.

I've removed the winch and all the wiring.
I'm going to use the truck just for the antique business.  No more race car hauling.  

Interesting

I follow a couple of forums on other web sites and found this bit of information some-what interesting.
Every once in-awhile they check engine size(know as engine pump).  I think the last time for the F5000 group was back at Watkins Glen in 2009. All was ok.  This was done again at the last event at Road America, below the findings.  The maximum size is 305cid for the F5000 engines.

"I pumped a number of group 6 motors this year at the Hawk as well as six F/5000 motors. Only one F/5000 was over at 320cid. I won't say who it was but he is one of your B/Sedan guys!" 

Long Beach, CA 1975

This is from the Los Angeles Times newspaper dated September 29, 1975.  Reporting on the F5000 Long  Beach Grand Prix race.  The whitish car in the center of the photo is the JB Lola T192.  

Another Long Beach race report this time from the Independent

Oshkosh...looks like New Jersey to me

Oshkosh starts today but it's a trip that I'm not going to be able to make this year.  Other issues having taken priority. But on a positive note, I did clean and wax the plane.  It takes a couple of days and one of those things that you put off doing for years.
Don't have any work plans for the race car in August.  September is when I'll start on it again.

A clean race car

I took a quick look at the car and think this is the cleanest it's every come back from a race.  Really no reason to clean any of the body work  Now I need to setup a schedule for the car overhaul.

Finally back in the shop

Yesterday I removed the car from the back of the truck.  After I winched the car out, I went to winch up the cable and nothing happened.  The switch was clicking but no winch movement.  Glad this didn't happen at the last event. It would have taken a whole lot of people to push the car back into the truck.

Other uses for the shop

There's no rush on the race car so I'll take advantage of the shop. Both cars needed work and this sure beats working on the dirt. Lights and a cement floor, I'm getting spoiled. The Lola is still in the back of the truck.  It will be removed before I leave for Oskosh.

VARAC Presents the Canadian Historic Grand Prix 2014

Looking at 2015

 Mike, Nancy, Rick, Rudy and Ed. (L-R)

I was 99% sure that Mosport was the only race for us this year.  After the gearbox problems, I can say it's now 100%.  The car really needs to be disassembled and inspected.  That's going to be the project for this winter.  In 2015 I would like to return to Canada for the Canadian Historic Grand Prix.  Had a great time and got to see a few friends I would have missed if my option was to stay home.

Next on the to-do list is to fly to Oshkosh.   My last trip was in 2009.  It's toward the end of July and as always, the weather will dictate my travel plans.  Looking forward to the fly-in and I'll blog from Oshkosh.

Steve and that guy on the right.
Steve took the photographs for the F5000 group at Watkins Glen

Ken, Steve's brother. 

Loose roll bar

This is what a normal roll bar support mount in the rear of the car looks like.  The rod attaches the roll bar with the lower A-arm.  

This is what happens when the bolt (top arrow) falls out.  The rod drops and gets tangled with the drive shaft. 

The rubber doughnut on the drive shaft continued to pound the roll bar rod. I had just tighten that bolt the day before.  This happened during the last race on Sunday.