A premature and slightly disappointing end, but having been blessed with nearly 2 years total reliability I suppose it had to end sometime . . . . we did get nearly 3 hours out of the old girl so it wasn't that bad. A shame the races where so close together as an engine and diff change could have been done in 3 hours I think, but certainly I was already very tired by then anyway. It had been a hectic week or two.
up at 4am Thu, we got to Spa in good time to sign on and set up camp, only to find our race had been amalgamated with the 70's stuff, then hang around waiting for scrutineering. I was a little apprehensive at first, but it was fine in reality, although slick shod 70's cars are pretty quick. It did mean we would be struggling to get close to the top 30 in one of, if not the oldest car on the grid.
1st practice was little more than a reccie and a shake down, qualifying was a little more spirited and night practice a hoot, I love the dark and hopped out of the car beaming like the Cibies ( Belgian yellow ones got the thumbs up from scrutes and Marshalls!)
we ended up stripping the gearbox on Saturday morning and changing the synchro hub and baulk rings, as well as sorting through the rails and forks from 3 boxes to find the best location and engagement for 2nd gear. I couldn't find anything wrong with any one part, but something wasn't quite right, I think just a build up of tolerances meant the hub wasn't staying fully engaged . . . . It was ok for the race, if a little crunchy going in, if the revs weren't right. I now think its the quaife gear that's the problem . . . I've had one box in the car for 8 years up until this weekend and its always been bang on.
oh, I did a 3:21 in practice, matching a 5 year old dry PB, and a 3:17in qually, quite pleased with that.
Come the race we lined up 31st . . .staring at a trio of GTA's . . . . one did ones best and got the lot! personal highlight was up the inside into La Source, down the outside into EuRouge and won the drag race up the Kemmel straight. no idea where I was overall, didn't matter, I got a race of my own won.
NO idea what happened to the engine and can't be arsed to look at the moment, but its catastrophic and largely scrapped the bottom end I think. hey ho.
we stopped at a friends in Landelies on Sunday, a stunning spot, and house, a Victorian restoration project on a grand scale, fine dining Sunday night, and a leisurely cruise home yesterday . . . oh, I did a 3:16.6 in the race, I said before the event, if I could get into the mid teems I'd be very pleased, and I am.
The difs tired, gearbox dodgy and engine grenaded, but no ones hurt, the shell is straight, everything else is just bolt on goodies . . . would definitely do it again. Even when it goes tits up Spa is good. If I'd been stuck in some miserable northern **** hole with the thought of wasting 8 hours of life on the M6 I'd be on the anti depressants already
