Island Magic

[Crash Test]

How was the event?

Any results on the net?

[CooperS79]

On www.racetime.com.au now Crash :-)

[Crash Test]

I take it that it rained, because WW was on pole by a couple of secs, then Ambrose beat him by 25sec, then he reversed that in the finale... After this weekend, you can send some rain to QLD

[Vandas]

Crash,

Yeah the 50K Race was very wet and slippery.

How do I know, because after regaining positions after a big spin on the first lap, I got back to 9th then went over Lukey Heights and down into MG. The car decided it wanted to continue dead ahead, and Head First I went into the wall.

Several hours later they let me out of hospital and advised me to see my physio in the morning.

Big Weekend!

I finally got to race Mr Wayne Wakefield!!!

I never knew that thing was so fast!!!!!

Oh well, looks like I gotta find plenty of dollars to start catching Rohan, Wayne, and Ken.

Cam

[Buckshot]

Everything o.k Vandas ?

How bad was the damage to yourself and your ride ?


Cheers, Buck.

[Crash Test]

Sounds nasty Vandas, hope you get back out there shortly.

It seems as though it took them all of the Nationals to sort out the shagger... it's amazing that the thing is so fast, but it does it all in the corners...

[Vandas]

It is a pity however that the rain decided to fall on Sunday. Although provided me an opportunity to keep up with the top 5, also an opportunity to headbutt a wall.

We were having dramas all weekend with the rear end of the car. My times were significantly slower than I wanted, and we were trying everything. Then we made one drastic change on Sunday morning, and found a second!

I had been fighting hard, and was lucky enough to qualify 11th. Very suprising considering the dramas we were having with the car.

Yes the arse was sliding around through Honda (Turn 4), and that happened whenever I tried to carry slightly more speed through the corner (less speed than I used to be able to).

Anyway in the preliminary got myself up into 8th position. Then in the main race got an awesome start and was running somewhere between 5th and 7th. I turned into Southern Loop and had a very fast spin, but managed to grab a gear and drove out of it. It looks awesome on the in-car footage.

Anyway I lost a few spots and started to gain them back again. I was chasing Tom Allen, who was having some major difficulties and finally got him around the outside through MG (Turn 10).

The next lap I was chasing down Tom Prentice (apparently I was going quicker than many of the other cars on the circuit, which probably led to my downfall) and was catching him. The in-car footage shows that I carried a fair bit of speed over the top of Lukey Heights and then as I tried to pull it up, the car wouldn't turn, wouldn't brake and just took me on a roller-coaster ride directly ahead to the tyre wall.

I tried everything, but it continued to carry me forward.

I sat in the car catching my breath for a second then got out. I climbed over the fence, and immediately had a sore neck.

The Victor Vehicle from RACESAFE was onsite immediately, and they put a collar on me because of my neck pain.

I went to the Medical Centre and was treated very well by Doctor John and his team at the centre.

They checked me out and kept talking to me, which is a big thing when all you can do is look at the ceiling.

I was going to be transferred to Dandenong Hospital for x-rays on my neck, but luckily Mal the Circuit Ambulance driver (also emergency co-ordinator at the Cowes Hospital) teed up the x-rays to be done at Cowes.

Anyway after a couple of hours I was released from the Cowes Hospital, and advised a couple of trips to the Physio would be worthwhile.

I checked the car out yesterday and the boys had already stripped the front end, and advised me we can have it ready by a sprint on the 7th and 8th of December. Which made me realise how lucky I am to have the team I do.

I would really like to thank the team at RACESAFE, for their professional and caring manner. It wasn't the nicest time for me, yet they were superb and kept everything nice and calm.

Although Jimmy up in Race Control really shouldn't have suggested a Cavity Search. Thank goodness they didn't take his advice.

Cam

[Vandas]

http://210.15.254.254/~laurent/vandas.net/VandasMG.wmv

If you want to see the crash here is a little thing my videographer put together.

I think he was trying to be funny.

Cam

[PEPSI]

Originally posted by Vandas
http://210.15.254.254/~laurent/vandas.net/VandasMG.wmv

If you want to see the crash here is a little thing my videographer put together.

I think he was trying to be funny.

Cam

Cam, I reckon he succeeded brilliantly

[Vandas]

Well if you want to see more, he is putting together a DVD of footage.

Cam

[PEPSI]

Originally posted by Vandas
Well if you want to see more, he is putting together a DVD of footage.

Cam

Forgive my ignorance but what sort of a car is/was it?

[Alan Jones]

Classic stuff!! Thanks for sharing that with us!

[Crash Test]

Pepsi- Improved Production RX7

I love the clip Vandas!

[Vandas]

Pepsi,

It is the Forty Winks RX7. I currently run it in the Victorian Improved Production Championships, but once I get my new engine, gearbox, and off-the-body watts linkage I shall be taking on the Tri-State Series and the Nationals.

I'll post a couple of pics for you, if you would like.

_______________

Alan Jones,

That's alright. I don't mind sharing my mistakes, along with my triumphs.

I have some really cool footage from different angles, which is being put together into a DVD.

It is part of sponsorship proposal, and also part of my package I send to the various teams.

Looking for dollars to run in F3 next year.

Catchya

Cam

[Vandas]

Thanks Crash,

I have some footage of racing with WW.

Not sure how it came up though. Hopefully you can see the dust storm he and Chris Bailey provided for those of us following closely!!!

Every person I have spoken to about the event, thinks that WW is a nut bag!!!

Great event, except for my crash. I was absolutely caning, but that was the problem at MG.

Cam