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Down in Teretonga the weekend started well, as Iain prepared to fit his spare carbs to the Gemini in a last ditch attempt to cure the Timaru problems (there was nothing else left). I decided to get in his way as best I could and grasping at straws removed the only panel left on the car, the cockpit coaming. This allowed access to the back of the dash and b*gg*er me! There's a loose connection on the master switch. This has never been a tight fit and every time it's turned on or off the switch moves slightly. I guess over time the constant side to side unscrewed the terminal. 2 second fix and we were back in business! I set off with high hopes as, with the exception of the last tight turn onto the start straight, I love the circuit. I can't remember how many laps I managed (2 or 3 I think) but the car felt good until the fast right hander at turn 2 where the assembled throng of mechanics and wives were gathered. I suddenly found myself spinning on the grass towards the tyrewall and thought I'd just got a bit too enthusiastic until I saw a wheel in the sky (where it's not supposed to be) dropping straight towards me. The car luckily stopped when told to and the wheel flopped in front rather than bounced which was just as well because both Mrs M & Delta and sundry friends were standing only about 20 feet away.
The LH rear hub had sheared but the car was otherwise undamaged. Locals pointed us towards a guy with a welding shop nearby "if anyone can weld it he can" but he wouldn't touch it saying it was too risky. The original was machined from solid, not fabricated, so he just tacked it together and we could at least move it around. And that, as they say, was that!
1. "At last! The car's flying!"
2&3. The autopsy
4. Blocked up, heading home
5. By a fortunate turn of fate a group of the drivers was standing by Alex's Lightning discussing my incident when Iain spotted a crack on the LH front wishbone. A dob of weld soon sorted it but what a stroke of luck!
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