Things that happen !

[GORDON STREETER]

What sort of things have happened to you during a race .
The things I mean for instance, I braked for the first corner of a race once and a hammer and screwdriver appeared under my feet from under the seat !
I was following Rod Birley down the back straight at Snett in his Anglebox and a hare ran between between us, and it lived !

[terence]

One of the most bizarr things happened at Donnington,First time there,qualifying was OK,Come the race form up,there was a hold up so I switched off,one minuit board ,I tried to restart and,NOTHING! Arm out of the window,Yellows being waved,last car went past and the Marshalls started to walk over to me ,I had both hands on the steering wheel,then it started all on its own!!Needless to say the solunoid got changed before the next outting.

[StephenRae]

After strapping myself into my FF I was one glove short. Half a lap later the glove appeared, floating up in front of me like the hand of God.... even with God in the car I was no bloody quicker!

[Eddy V]

You forgot another good one Gordon.
Many years ago at Spa in Friday practice your wiper fell off. After practice you pulled off at the right-left flick (Pif-Paf? I think they call it) and asked a lone marshal if he had seen your wiper, or if he could look around for it as you were 100% sure you'd lost it there.
The poor marshal obliged and searched and searched and got wetter every minute. Did he find the wiper? No!

Did the marshals 4 corners further find the wiper?
YES!



After all those years I'm still not completely dry from looking for your ...... wiper.

[GORDON STREETER]

Christ Eddy you have got a long memory , if I get there this year come over and see me I'll give you an (English )beer . We had serious rain at the last Heritage race at Brands last year, and what happened yes you guessed it 2 laps into a 40min race . Good job the car knows its own way round as I couldn't see *****all. But I did get awarded spin of the day with a 360 at paddock without loosing my place ! The wipers only ruin the plastic screen anyway.

[Tim Falce]

At Lydden a few years ago I tried some arm restraints out for the first time. Half way round Chessons on the first lap I went to change gear and one of the restraints wrapped around the gear lever and I ended up doing half a lap one handed while I undid it from my arm. I managed to get to second place by the second or third lap where I held this position until the last corner on the last lap when I accidentally knocked the cut out switch, which was located by my left arm, the engine died and I lost the place. The switch was moved the next day.

[rcarr]

Originally Posted by falcemob

The switch was moved the next day.

Did it magically move by itself? Wow, thats cool! I wish my car could be finished like that!

[JohnD]

Car blew the diff at the 'Ring.
Pulled off, or rather pushed car off, looked for mobile that had been in pocket, to tell the paddock where I was. Gone.

On way back home, driving through Kent, the Chief Engineer's phone rings, "Haff you ein freund called Jorn?" A marshall had found my mashed phone, retrieved the SIM card and called the first name in the Contacts list! They posted my phone and card back to me, so I didn't have to build up my contact list again!

Danke sehr, Marrianne!

John

[dtype38]

Racing at Snetterton coming onto the Revitt Straight my fuel pressure warning light came on and my engine started to misfire. I could just reach the fuse box so I opened it to check the fuses. I couldn't see if any were gone so I pulled my glove off and yanked the fuel scavenge pump fuse. It had blown so I replaced it with the spare in the box cover. All this while coasting down the straight in neutral. Hey presto, fuel pressure, engine picked up and back to racing. But two laps later it did it again. No more spares so I pulled the high-beam fuse and put that in instead. Worked for a couple more laps then went again, so in when the low beam fuse. Two laps later in went the side lights fuse. I only had three laps to go to finish the race and only the rad fan fuse left that I could run without, so I pulled it out to have it ready just in case. Then on the penultimate lap I hit the kerbs at Russel and the fuse jumped out of my hand and into my lap. I then spent the whole of the last lap fishing around my crotch and under my bum trying to find the damn fuse.... but thankfully I got to the end of the race.

Next race I went out with 20 spare fuses stuck to the dash with gaffer tape!

[GORDON STREETER]

Not bad d type On the first lap of qualifiying at Combe the car went on to 3 cylinders, straight into the pit lane and bonnet off to check to find a broken rocker ! I ran back to the van to get a spare rocker shaft whist the boys took the other one off. I decided it would be quicker to change the one broken rocker finger so we wouldn't have to adjust all eight . Back together and got two laps in, with the out lap I was credited with 3 . I had to do this with my gloves on as the thing was ****** hot !

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by rcarr

Did it magically move by itself? Wow, thats cool! I wish my car could be finished like that!

Yes and I've named the car Christine.

[COLIN STUBBS]

I had two that spring to mind,both at Mallory. First was a blinding start off the third row,bit of argy bargy and three abreast at the hairpin and I was leading the class. Out of the elbow and the throttle pedal was jammed behind its stop!Managed to slow the old Crapi down with the master switch,unhooked the pedal with me foot and lost all the places Id gained!
Second one I was doing all the weaving and braking routine like you do on the warm up lap and got the brakes hot/didnt have enough pedal travel and the car locked solid on the grid. The race started before anyone noticed me waving and I sat there for the longest 2 seconds of my life,as the cars behind all missed me.

[dtype38]

Ok, how 'bout this one.... Came out of the last corner at Cadwell Park and the start marshall was holding out a black/orange flag. I couldn't see the number properly but as I was the only car on that bit of track I thought that it must be for me. I went round the track slowly until I got to the mountain and pulled off the track into the main scrutineering bay. The officials were in the office so I jumped out, grabbed one and asked why I'd been black/orange flagged. "Dunno" was the reply, "you're in the wrong scrutineering bay, you need to see the pit scrutineer". When I asked where that was I was told it was at the start line. When I asked how I could get there, I was told I couldn't cos I'd left the track now! So I jumped back in the car and went down to the assembly area, and asked to see whoever was in charge. The CoC came out to see what the agro was about, then told me that the flag wasn't for me at all, but another car with a similar number. She then very kindly let me back on track to complete my lap and finish the race. I believe I now hold the record for the longest valid racing lap of Cadwell Park at something just under nine minutes!!

[Podd37]

Running at mondello with a newly built car, I was 3/4's way down the main straight when I noticed out of the corner of my eye a metal bar,that looked remarkably like the brake master cylinder push rod, rolling around the floor. The flapping brake pedal confirmed this!! Big panic, 4th to 2nd then 1st (didn't sound pretty) then after heart in mouth around 1st corner, I had to go through the paddock, pushing the car past the scrutineers and telling them it was an engine problem. Got the handbrake sorted after that!
Then there are the silly(!) things like the time I forgot that 1st gear is better than neutral when the lights go out....lots of rev's, drop the clutch....lots of revs!!! Second row to last by the time I'd worked it out. Duh....!

[GORDON STREETER]

A while back I did a meeting at Combe and was first on the track for qualifying. I hadn't been there for a few years but as I had held the class record I went tearing up the straight from quarry looking in the mirror to see who was following, to be confronted by a new chicane ! no way was I going to stop so carry on up the (old) track with my tail between my legs and looked in the mirror. Lo and behold 6 cars following ! Next time round the marshals gave me the w******s sign. Glad they could see the funny side.

[Robin_D]

I think it was Gordons Anglebox that didnt get going from the assembly area at Silverstone a few years ago, Myself and another marshal gave it a shove and I stopped pushing when I heard it start, the other guy didn't and lost his balance........ heh heh.

Another weird one was at the Silverstone classic last year, on the second lap of Formula Junior practice a car lost a wheel at maggots. The driver was worried about the wheel nut which could not be found anywhere. It actually turned up at Club. That is actually quite worrying!

[medius]

A mate of mine spent the best part of a season trying to find the misfire in his Caterham. He changed everything, leads, plugs, even a whole new loom.

Found out it was a faulty transponder !

[GORDON STREETER]

When I was Hot Rodding I took a mate to Aldershot to help me. We were late turning up and I said "put some petrol it while I get signed on". When I came back he said "it only took a little drop" I knew that it would take at least 3 gallons. Good job I didn't try to start it, he had put it in the dry sump tank !
He wasn't a mechanic but is still a mate 35 years down the line .

[dtype38]

Originally Posted by Robin_D

I think it was Gordons Anglebox that didnt get going from the assembly area at Silverstone a few years ago, Myself and another marshal gave it a shove and I stopped pushing when I heard it start, the other guy didn't and lost his balance........ heh heh.

I stalled on the line just before the start at Lydden Hill. They held the start and gave me a bump start. Same thing happend - one pusher ended up flat out on the track. By this time I was well past the start line, so I reversed back up to my grid slot (about 4th I think). They went for the start procedure and just as the lights went red I remembered to take it out of reverse and put it in first (phew). I got away fine but was amused to see in my mirrors that the whole of my side of the grid had waited until I pulled away before they moved! Sensible lot

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by dtype38

They went for the start procedure and just as the lights went red I remembered to take it out of reverse and put it in first (phew).

At least you remembered to take it out of reverse. A few years ago at Lydden John Haffey still had his Escort rallycross supercar in reverse when the lights changed and he dumped the clutch - that certainly surprised a few people 600+bhp heading in the wrong direction certainly catches the attention!

[GORDON STREETER]

Same thing at Brands , a full grid in the ICS series Stuart Mcrudden in a Camero from the second row , and no one hit him !!

[terence]

Talking of botched starts,Gerry Marshall put a "B" on pole at Snett and decided 2nd would be a good idea,green light,dumped clutch,2 bust halfshafts!! Or how about Warwick Banks,on the grid ,again at Snett,holding the car on the footbrake waiting for the start,only to find the front pads had stuck to the disc,s when the green came up.It took the Marshalls two laps to move the thing off of the cicuit.

[GORDON STREETER]

I used to drive like a nutter in my youth even towing the Hot Rod . We never had enough time to get to the tracks midweek and we all had our little shortcuts . Mine was through a pub carpark between 2 roads that cut off about 2 miles, obviously I wasn't the only one and unbeknown to me someone put a panel fence up on the other side to stop us . Friday evening 6 up in my twin cam anglia van with trailer and rod on the back in the dark oooo s***t
I didn't bother to hit the brakes but the panel flew out and I carried on as if nothing had happened ! Later on at the meeting at Walthamstow one of the other drivers said to me "I saw some silly b****d didn't know about that fence in the short cut"

[Chris Y]

Originally Posted by medius

A mate of mine spent the best part of a season trying to find the misfire in his Caterham. He changed everything, leads, plugs, even a whole new loom.

Found out it was a faulty transponder !

Yep! I can relate to that... It was an orange Chronit transponder, and it caused me great pain, as I could not find the source of the source of the misfire. Then one day, my girlfriend said "what's that burning smell?" and we traced it to the smoking transponder, which had melted internally! Took it off and the misfire was instantly cured..

[terence]

I know of someone who was being chased by a police car,back roads of Hornchurch/Romford/Chadwell Heath etc,trouble was the route through a certain factory site had a gate which was never ever been closed,apart from when it REALLY needed to be open,Three months ban,6guineas cost,s & £30 fine.