26 June 2010...2 DAYS OF THUNDER at QR

26th - 27th June 2010
Our annual date with the dark, winter months are not so great at 5am!

With waves of fog slowly rolling in we weave in & out of the concrete jungle aka the new to be motorway near Ipswich with the race car towed behind

At last there is light at the end of the tunnel & visibility is restored & views of the country side appear, we are off on our way to 2 DAYS OF THUNDER at Queensland Raceway
We arrive in good time just as the gates open, set up camp & get the car scrutineered

Note to self: I must stop going to the driver briefings!!!
Friday Practice!!! someone hits the wall at 150k’s, I believe he is ok, just what I wanted to hear, NOT & I had syked myself up to be calm this weekend. Luckily I had the support from Daddy's little Fan club, our darling daughter & family to keep me sane

To add to the fun/stress....

Bri manages to spin off coming out of the last corner onto the straight!!

Note photo of Bri at the wrong angle
All I could think was “lucky Jim wasn’t pushing you! Or he would have collected you”

A great weekend of racing even with showers on & off which was a bummer as always just before Bri’s sprint

Times were not as good as he would have liked, he was being responsible as he was being observed to get his open licence to enable him to race at Lakeside & QR rather than just a sprint Licence
Best time 6 1:10

The Highlight of this weekend for me, as well as Bri keeping the car upright after his OFF!!!
Was John English bringing a framed photo of himself racing our car at Surfers International Raceway in 1986 to show us
John drove our car as Wayne Anderson had come down with a bad case of food poisoning, John English retired with an overheating problem unfortunately

Well done sweetheart “You are the Man” object achieved, open licence now in wallet

Blood, Sweat & Gears

Pinepac's ex mechanic Ken Hopper aka Hops, now racecar builder, has done us proud & the new spool, crown wheel & pinion were hand delivered last weekend from across the pond ie no freight charges from NZ, doesn’t get any better than this

To recap...
“previous phone calls, internet searches, head scratching, because the diff in the Mustang is an Atlas, out of a 3 ltr GT Capri made in the late 70’s, was not an easy task to find

Finally Ken Hooper in NZ, the Group A Mustang expert & ex Pine Pac Racing Mechanic, who built the car in 1985 & rebuilt in 2006, tell’s Bri why he can’t find one. Ken made them & Ken offers to make a new one for the car, out of his CNC Machine

Bri also broches the subject of another crown wheel & pinion also a 3.9 or a 4.11 ratio & Hops says “I can get one of these mate, but they are expensive, as everybody wants one”

Hops tracks one down in the South Is in NZ, so the deal was done with some fast talking Interpersonal Skills on Hops part on our behalf

The new spool will replace the one broken at Noosa last November, in its place has been the spare spool Bri took out of the spare diff,

concentrate,

stay with me....

the new beautiful spool is heat treated I might add!!!

which in theary means it won’t break like the previous one

In regards to this, according to Hops was probably one of the original spools used in the Pinepac cars which makes it at least 25yrs old.... so not a bad innings hey

These cars had several spare diffs with different gear ratios depending on now long or short the circut was

The new crown wheel & pinion is 411 which will be put in the spare diff along with the new spool, which will make the Mustang, hopefully, a lot quicker off the start line & improve the lap times on the shorter circuts, as currently Bri doesn’t use 5th gear

Cost involved for these shiney bits, $1,845 NZ, yet to be installed in diff housing!!!

On closer examination that will mean more expence!

Just as well I am a long suffering wife that dotes on her man’s hobbie!

One Tree Hill

Top image by http://www.allannielsenphotography.com/

Bottom image by http://www.digitalrealism.com.au/cootha2010/index.html

29 & 30 May 2010

Here we go again just where has the year gone, we again made the annual trek to the hill climb at Mt. Coot-tha for the the Cootha Classic

Friday the eldest darling Son & heir goes to help Bri pitch our spot in the paddock & after unloading they got the car scrutineered, which makes for a lot less hurried Saturday morning

Or does it!! We are up bright & early!! At 5.30am!! Which is a bit cruel for a Saturday morning, he drives me around .... The track!!
This instils confidence in me for a stress free weekend of fun & frivolity NOT !! Those chicanes are very close together & that hairpin!! Tight as!!

Saturday we were expecting a great days Hill climbing, but the weather had other plans, overnight a typical Queensland storm rolled in & dumped lots of rain on the track, making the conditions very wet
Which I might add continued for much of the day, briefly allowing the track to dry mid morning & again in the late arvo!!

After the drivers briefing, practice laps started from around 9am, the number of cars was slightly down on the previous year but they had a good spread of cars, perhaps due to the economic climate?

Rain did little to dampen our enthusiasm
Bri again looked like he was having a ball in the Mustang, getting plenty of smoke off the line for his sighting run
Wow baby! Remember, darling you can often pick up half a second over some of your competitors just off that start line, so don’t waste it in smoke!! Thankfully this one wasn’t timed
Did I mention the treacherous, hazardous, slippery conditions, with the drizzling rain & running with slicks!
Bri did you not bring to mind only a few minutes ago Jimmy Richards walked past us, looked at you, smiled & pointed to the tyres & said “great tyres” !!!
You say she’ll be right, you haven’t got time to put on the Wet weather tyres. Unfortunately, at this venue your trailer isn’t in your paddock area, trailers & tender vehicles were kept down the road, miles away with quagmire access, due to the rain
Just bring to mind darling your saying ”Whilst I can afford the car, I can’t afford to break the car...

Sunday dawned a tad clearer, the track had dried over night making it better for the competitors with slick tires to run

Oh God!!! Breathe, exhale, breath, exhale, I tell myself, as I’m running towards track side as the crash happened. Through the trees & leaves all I could see was a bits of yellow, in my minds eye it was Bri’s hood I was viewing between those trees. I have never moved so fast in all my life up that hill, over the little creek, through rocks, greenery & past a snake! I kid you not! Adrenaline pumping & all to get to my MAN. I breathe a sigh of relief as I see the red Torana on its roof, the proceedings come to a halt for 30mins whilst this poor guy’s car is turned back onto its wheels & is towed away

Three cars later & 1st run for the day, I hear him take off, engine revving, he slows for the 1st & 2nd chicane, powers off up to the hair pin, back firin all the way, then down towards the finish line where he caught up to a!!
Sunday Driver WTF!!!
He, Bri, was given the go slow signs by the officials just prior to the last chicane, BUT given NO yellow flag for a re run!!
Oh well them’s the breaks, Grrrrr

2nd run… SHIT!!

Bri makes a daring move & decides to miss a gear off the start line! & all with little Bro watching from Perth!! Wouldn’t that make you rip your ration book!!

Yahhh missed gear recovered, momentum not hurt in anyway, he is away racing up the hill once more.

He comes back with a big smile on his dial, adrenalin pumping “Shit that was good”

Ohhh I wish I could have a smoke now, so proud of you sweetheart, week one of givin them nasty cancer sticks away

Despite the rainy weather on Saturday all the competitors enjoyed 6 runs over the 2 days of competition

Bri won his class “Group A touring cars” coming away with not one, but two trophy engraved crystal glasses to show for it....

Cheers my darling, I drink to many more fun weekends like this

"The older I get, the faster I was"

Saturday 27 February

I must admit to feeling a tad nervous, but then I rethink

I have Number 2 Son in Kapooka, one day heading off to War!!
So why in the world do I need to worry abt Number 1 Son & Husband out on the Race Track!!

I soon find out it doesn’t work that way with me
I tell myself to breath, exhale, breath, exhale

Black as Pitch at 5am & we are rolling on down the road heading to the Triple "T" Day - Try, Train or Test at Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick & the Super sprints tomorrow
5.20am & light descends finally on my world & I relax as I can now keep an eye on the kangaroos & the wild life in abundance grazing on the road side
We meander up the Cunningham’s Gap at 40ks an hour! Soon speeding along at 60ks, ohhh we really do need to upgrade the tow car! The fuel gauge is moving quicker than the Speedo

Now into the main Range National Park
“Listen to that squeak”! he repeats all the way up the climb

“Beware of Rocks” says the sign
Piss Off!!!
he couldn’t care less abt rocks!!!
He can hear a squeak! which is driving him nuts!!
Relax, we can now move on, it’s definitely bell birds in the bush, ...ahhhh...bless his soul...

Head Mechanic, aka, Bri did a fabulous job with the diff, as the car ran like a dream all weekend, as preformed as she should
The day was well & fast with 3 untimed runs each

Bri says, the most nerve racking part of the whole weekend, was sitting in the passenger seat, with Jaime driving the Mustang for the first time. We are going home to see if there are any dents in the passenger fire wall, where Bri was breaking hard on the brake pedals, where there wasn’t one!

Jaime you did a brilliant job, we are so very proud of you, first time out in the car & the first time driving a left hand drive

Yahhh baby, thats my boy

The nemesis is found early on
Bri attempted a bit of turf removal, the big off down the back 4 corner, & he turns the Mustang round in a circle! there's all sorts of chaos going on, cars are going off into the grass left right & centre, as not too T bone him
OMG!!! HOLD ON.... for the rest of the weekend he’s not as quick around THAT corner

So Jaime thinks, I will not be out done by My Daddy

If Dad can spin his baby around then so can I, BUT even better

I’ll do it coming onto the home straight, after carving through the field, passing 3 cars on my way through, to be leading the pack at Number 8 corner & with the checkered flag in sight.

He does a 360 spin!! almost, if he had mounted the bank! colliding with a group of marshalls, now it’s his turn to relinquish the lead

Sunday 28 February

Bri ran with number 35
Jaime with Number 62

There’s was no time for fond reminiscing, with family & friends, the pace was fast, with 2 drivers in the one car, there really wasn’t a moment to stop
They had cars racing on the Track, cars in the staging lanes & cars waiting on the dummy grid, so they were able to get 5 timed runs each

I was able to relinquish some of my pit duty’s as Zoe took on the load, like a duck to wáter, changing the boys transponders (lap timer) covering numbers, coffee maker & general dogs body

She even became team manager at times!! with tips on braking etc etc!
I, on the other hand found it quite daunting, when she tells Daddy to brake later at the end of the SHORT main straight!!
Hey love I think, they are already barreling down there at abt 190ks & deep breaking into the turn, trying to leave their feet off the brake for as long as they dare!!!

Don't encourage them to be fulhardy!

But I will give her that, it worked well, I admit

The slicks did their job & had great cornering grip

Bris 4th time out, he was on a mission & was trying to find his Groove ....
Oh decisions decisions, The Apex, The center of the apron, Staying close to the wall, or as Far away from the wall as possible, or On the ripple strip or Not??????

Fuel used 60 litres, with 15 runs

Brian Jaime
46.630 50.526
47.160 46.515
46.199 47.194
47.418 45.986
46.370 45.866

Great day, but pissed off my son was quicker than me!! LOL, he shares on the way home
But I will put it down to to youth, he says
The older I get, the faster I was

Give it away!!! & become team owner & sponser!!!! NO WAY!!! darling
You still are the winner in my world

All in all an excellent days racing with a very big effort put in, & great to be able to share it with members of the Family

What did you say?
Oils aint oil,
Ahh now she has a nasty oil leak in the brake master cylander & with the fluid being $112 per litre this will be fixed pronto as this is, liquid gold a dripping!

Quick Fix!!

November 2009

Off for a ride goes the Pinepac Mustang, taking a wee ride up in the air on the hoist

It was the diff & not the axel!

Bri pulled out the axel & it was in perfect condition, pleased now we didn’t ring to get one of the boys to bring up the spare axel off the bench! & bring it to Noosa

The Mechanic, aka Bri found a pile of metal shavings at the bottom of the axel housing!

A broken Spool was the culprit!

& for people like me with a bit less knowledge on how this works, It effectively locks the diff, so both wheels turn at the same speed all the time
So it seems my Bri tore the spline that turns the axel & if the terminology isn’t quite right for you Rev heads reading this out there, get over it, this is my blog!
Will I ever get my head around all this car stuff?

It seems he tore that sucker right out the middle of the spool!
How on earth? Yes you may very well ask, as I did
“I could have been running to much negative camber on the back axel or just too many hill climbs with sharp corners which in turn put to much strain on the spool”
ARG! I see!!!

“Just pop down the street & buy a new spool now”! says I
Not that easy to find I can tell you
Now the phone calls, internet searches, the head scratching begins, because the diff is an Atlas, out of a 3 ltr GT Capri made in the late 70’s, not an easy task to find

Finally he rings Ken Hooper in NZ, the Group A Mustang expert & ex Pine Pac Racing Mechanic, who built the car in 1985 & rebuilt in 2006 & upon asking where he got the spools from Ken replied, he had made them
I can see the next thing will be the old spool & spare axel will be taking a wee holiday across the pond to NZ, so Ken can make us a new one!!
& yes I was right
that is just where it is heading, all wrapped in bubble wrap

In the interim, as a quick fix, Bri took the spool out of the spare diff & took it to Ozzie diffs to set up. Four hours later & another $50 of diff oil, Bri has the new spool in place
Hopefully this baby holds together, as yet to try!

"You Play, you Pay"

Friday the 13th Nov 2009, 6am & we are on road heading for “The Hill” to the 12th annual running of Historic Noosa Hill Climb
Off to the National Park, up the picturesque, Gyndier Drive at, Tewantin, regarded is one of Australia’s premier hill climb courses & after walking the 1.5 ks up this baby, I agree wholeheartedly, 14 right, left, right, left, turns, I can see the weekend is going to be loaded with lots of thrills and spills!

Even though we were doing the speed limit towards town
I could hear the longgggg line of cars say behind us, “Joy of joys” as we come to the 2 lane part of the highway
Engines racing, tyres screeching & so the hordes rushed past us!

All too early we hit the Gateway congestion of traffic & we come to a halt!
So much so for leaving early enough to escape this, not early enough it seems!
Luckily within 15mins, we are again rolling happily along with no more hold ups

The day looks very overcast!
Radio forecaster says, a mainly fine weekend, wonderful
But wait they have now changed their minds!
Showers expected, with storms!!!
ahh discussion ensures

But fear not we are prepared; we have the wet weather tyres at the ready on the tyre rack, if needed
The sky looks very like the dust storm of last month!
The radio reports “A smoke haze over the city from small fires around Noosa!!”
Yeah right! just where we are heading!
“Visibility is down from 8ks from 20ks”
Yea Gods & little fishes!!
We arrive, set up camp & familiarise ourselves with our surroundings, then head for the air-conditioned comfort of our Unit

Saturday dawned bright & sunny & warm, ohhh soooo warm
More than 165 cars were entered & nearly 10,000 spectators lined the road over the two days to see some of the world’s oldest & most valuable cars do battle
Thrills & Spills were right with more than a few crashes, but after all it’s a professional motorsport event,” so what more do you expect
It wasn’t all smooth sailing though with a couple of the vintage cars coming off second best after accidents, thankfully no one badly hurt
A Ferrari & a jag, & a RX7 to just name a few, either took a detour off the side of the mountain!!! or into the wall

Bri was running with number 18 so was one of the first starters, he managed to get in 4 runs, the sighting run was 75 & the last run of the day was 72

Ohh this is looking pretty good!

“Darling you need to be not quite so much the crowd pleaser at take off, with all that smok’in, sreetch’n tyre shit, you lost valuable seconds with that ” I tell him

The Mustang, being a race car & not road registered, had to wait up the top of the mountain until there were 20 or so cars ready to come back down the track together

During the last run down of the day he thought he heard 2 loud bangs!!

He backs into our pit area with some difficulty, on his return down the mountain, wheel spinning with one tyre!!
He's head down bum up under the rear end of the car for some time, BUT!! all seemed well!

Oh & did I mention the Group A Pinepac Mustang Touring car! in that total of, Thrills & Spills, previously?

No??

Well add it to that total! now!!
The big bang was something after all

The weekend came to a depressing conclusión!

She wheel spun on the way to fuel up, for the first run of Sunday morning!
I had to climb out & help push her up an incline, 2 Gallant Gentleman rushed to my assistance

Bri just said a few choice words! & drove straight back to our pit!!

Either a broken Axel or a broken diff!!!
Thus cancelling out another good days racing!

A Different Kind of Oil Leak

Good grief...I swear, I know now ....“Oils aint oils”

There are bloody black oils, red transmission fluid, pink or red power steering oily shit

Purple differential fluid, coolant fluid which could be! green, yellowish or reddish with a faint, sweet smell

There is heavy light tan or black gear oil, brake fluid or as we have here shock absorber oil

& then there is ... Is it a drip, a seep or a leak or even a slow seepage,

I have heard it all, the whole debate

Yeah I know this conversation has come up before!

dripping oil wrapped in strips of torn cloth!!!

All I know is yes I have noticed it, darling !

I have noticed the smoke, smelt the burning odour caused by the oil seeping onto the hot engine or from coming into contact with hot exhaust parts, yes indeed & yes I have mentioned this before I know,

but this is my blog & I will rave as much as I see fit!

Why is it gaskets continue to leak oil?
All very frustrating if you don't find & correct the source of the problem

To date! We have had

Diff spewing oil @ 2 different times, one pinion seal, 2 diff axel seals
2 engine oil coolers
a leaking oil catch tank
a brake fluid reservoir leak

Now it’s the Koni Shocks turn @ $I000 each to replace, thankfully only 2 seals were needed $200 dollars!

Hmmm....what next??? me thinks!

ahhhhhhhhhh & now we have it dear readers, looks like we have a wee Engine sump oil leak????? Enough said

Historic Leyburn Sprints around the Houses, 15 & 16 August

Ahhhhhh....the beauty of a gorgeous Friday morning when one has a long weekend off to go historic racing.
Friday 14 August, 7.15am, promises to be bright & clear with the mist wafting in waves across the dams as we pass.

We are heading off to the 14th annual Leyburn Sprints to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the running of the Australian Grand Prix, which was run at the nearby Clifton airfield circuit.
We will help to swell Leyburn’s population of around 300 to become 2 of the 15,000 fans and competitors expected.
We never did make the trek down to the coast to the airport to stock up on the avgas, so we now have to make the detour to Ipswich to pick it up, $67.00 for 20 litres

We head out the Warrigal Hwy, turn off at Gatton & wend our way up & over a landscape dominated by rolling hills! covered by pastures of many different veg’s & grain crops, towards Ma Ma creek

Lord give me strength!

We dilly & dally our way to the top of the summit of the Great Dividing Range with its spectacular views

We brave the 3 metre bitchamin road, i.e. wide enough for one car in one direction, the one lane bridges, the side track ahead signs, to name but a few of thee delights that we encounted
Past herds of cattle, rusty old woolsheds & abandoned houses & other scattered remnants from a bygone era of early settlement

Tom tom, sat nav, really did do us proud this time, NOT!

But on a positive note, it was places we had never been to before, & this is what this is all abt, the “Feeding of Our Souls” before they float sky high & our worn out bodies are 6 foot under

OMG!!! HOLD ON....

Yes indeedy the brakes on the trailer do indeed work, as Bri makes a sudden stop!

They locked up as smoke belches from the tyres leaving behind beading!

F off all you meandering cattle!!!

...I am brave and strong and courageous....... breath in, exhale out!

Across to the New England Highway through Clifton we travel, at 11.10am we hit Leyburn, winch the Mustang off & unhitch the trailer & set up our spot for the weekend

1pm Bri takes the car off to scrutineering, where they find a missing weld in the roll cage! Between the top of the bar & the roof!
“Must get that welded mate”!
Yeah right!
Ahhhh how?

Still, I am sure my hero will find a way to rectify this matter in time; still it didn’t stop getting the baby out on the track, which was the main thing

We walked the track, darling a bit dubious when he saw the size of the stones in the road, “I’mmmm, I can see the paint tin will be getting a work out when we return home” he says Luckily darling had foreseen what these stones do & had previously adhered a thin layer of foam to the underside of the front mud guards to stop dents

Not so lucky were a lot of the other once pristine cars that on the Sunday arvo were peppered with dents & dings! to the top of their guards!

We then enjoyed a beer & a few rum & cokes in the sun at Leyburn's only pub owned by former Bronco Shane Webcke
Then off we drove to find the Cunningham highway to Warrick to our hotel

Saturday morning at 6.30am we leave Warrick & travelled the 45mins to Leyburn past frost laden fields which sparkled & glittered like crystals as the sun dawned, the Granite Belt indeed living up to its name of being one of the coolest parts of Queensland, breathe taking to see

As he drives, Darlings mind is always on the job & works out the plan for the day, “I’ll take it easy for the first 2 runs, until the road & tyres warm up“ should be ok after lunch to let loose”

Oh yeah that has so put me at ease!!

The car is still tucked up where we left it, luckily not a layer of ice on that baby, as so many others had that had been left in the open air

The 7.30am drivers briefing saw breathes of vapour & frozen lip gloss gasp as the Marshall said “stay away from the hay, each one weighs 600ks a piece, it’s like hitting a kangaroo,
Yea Gods & little fishes!

At 8.30am Leyburn sprints is off & running, 1100m closed street circuit winding its way around the houses

I’m off to rub noses with the Motor Racing greats, Dick & Steven Johnson, & yes indeed the aging autograph hunter, aka me, will again be armed with her paint pen, as these 2 men are yet to be hunted down & capture by my camera

Three!!! attempts later & the assurance I am not a stalker & I have a photo of Dick & I

Bri gets in 4 runs today
1.16.21 - 1.07.71 - 1.06.76 - 1.05.12
Big Boy, you are Smokin!

Sunday dawns & it's freakin' cold here, the scene was set for another nail-biting lap around “the houses” on this cold, zero Sunday morn!

We again attend the drivers briefing, again misty breaths are coming out of nostrils & mouths like smoke!

But like yesterday, again the day soon heats up & jackets, scarves & gloves are stripped off

Bri gets 3 runs today, each run knocking off seconds
1.05.73 - 1.04.77 - 1.03.96

Bloody hell!
Bri! 1.03.96 - Tricky Dicky!! 1.03. 87 & Steven! 1.05.26

But in their defence, Dick & Steven did do a bit of drifting at times, & left so much rubber on the road tyres had to be replaced!

Shhhhhhhh...don't tell him, but I did witness the Squeal of Bri’s tyres a few times in his search of the right grove! This just may have slowed him down!

The most sort after Leyburn rock trophy (second in his category) sits amongst the others in the shed, to be gazed upon lovingly at times

Well done sweetheart, you are indeed my Hero xx

Go Fast or be Passed!

First 2 Photos taken by: Troy King, Professional Production Photography

First they started with a warm up lap

Then lined up on the grid for a photo shoot for Shannon’s PR, then it was out for 20mins demonstration on the track from a rolling start

He & his comrade-in-arms, Peter Woods, in his Black VK Commodore Croup A Touring Car, both agreed that this was the high light of the weekend, being asked to run in the Lunch time track demonstration session with the big guns

Along, with Bri’s hero car, the ex-Dick Johnson’s No.17, Bryan Burt Falcon Hard Top, was

The late Ian 'Pete' Geoghegan, 1965 Mustang, which Pete drove to win 68 races from 74 starts, which was driven by, Shannon,s Queensland Business Development Manager, Phil Ross

The ex-John French Falcon XC Hard Top

The orange 1970, 302 Boss Mustang pace car & the ex-Bob Morris XD Falcon sedan driven by ex-V8 super car Driver Craig Harris, plus other racing muscle cars

Last but not by any means least, ex-V8 super car driver & with 7 Bathurst victories under his belt to name but a few, Jimmy Richards

A fellow Kiwi who Bri followed to Race meetings back in NZ in the late 60’s & early 70’s, who drove the Red & White Winfield racing Holden

This weekend was value for money, $185 early bird special, lots of track time & experience, with the beasty guzzling through 75 litres of fuel

“Another day of sprints for you & your car versus the timekeeper”

Sunday 28th June 2009
The start of day 2 of the Shannon’s shootout!

A beautiful sunny day dawns, we leave a bit later as we woke without the alarm, which is always a good feeling

The first 6 laps goes ahead without mishap... 2 hours later he’s off for the 2nd outing of the morning

The car feels great.... Power on down to turn 1.... up to turn 2 .....breaking hard then back on the gas... along the 600m back straight.... the car runs strong... ready to corner down through the dipper..... OH SHIT....

A mowing we will go!!!!

We really are so in sync; it is soooo true that many years together you grow oh so very alike!

I like to keep a tidy property, 1 1/4 acres mowed weekly & depending on how fast the grass grows, sometimes twice weekly!

He likes to keep track side well manicured also it seems

Along the 600m back straight a car is up his arse!

From where I was I could barely see daylight between them, I kid you not

I knew exactly what was going to happen from the onslaught of Bri not allowing him to pass him on Dick Johnson straight.

Just prior to the corner, I knew then the race was well & truly on!
There was no way in hell he was going to let him get passed him & while I’m at it!! Who in the hell had moved that witches hat which had become Bris breaking point after turn 2!

So my man decides, even when racing to take a wee detour,

He reckons some attention is needed at the dipper area so he makes a sideway manoeuvre to give it a quick slash on flight

I of course witnessed all this; all I can see is abt 2 inches of the roof of the car down in the dip.

I rejoiced at that as it could have been the wheels I was viewing

By this time I swear I could hardly breathe, but I was calm as I had an audience beside me

I was brought up old school; "never make a spectacle of yourself Pamela"

Breath, exhale, Breath, exhale,

FUCK that was my husband!! Mother would have been turning in her Grave at that point!

Thankfully after what seemed like an age the red flag comes out & Bri is pushed out of the mud & hostilities resume, he is off & racing once again

Now, after the mud slide incident, other wives might have been excited at this point, but no not me, I am the panicker or so my kids tell me, & in my mind what I see isn't my man gallantly riding into battle once again, I see a possibility of bumps & scrapes, crashes & risk, I am terrified once again

The Queensland Raceway site says "If your pride and joy, your passion, has wheels and horsepower its time you brought it out to play.

Cotton balls are all well and good but if you want to get the real deal you have to use it the way it was built to be & how right they are, you do not have to put your car at risk.

If half the roads were as safe as Queensland Raceway it would halve the road toll.

Your car was meant to be driven and you owe it to the people who designed it, and built it, to show what it can do – safely"

How right they are, day 2 & we only have a bit of mud & bits of grass hanging foul!

Qld raceway Shannon’s Sports & Muscle Car Showdown

Photo by
Professional Production Photography
Saturday 27th June 2009

As a hint of early morning light peeks through the wooden blinds, she slowly climbs out of her warm comfortable bed.
She can hear him outside on the patio, patting the dog, lighting his fag & slurping his coffee, over the idling engine of the mustang.
With a heavy heart & hesitant footsteps, she forces herself to make way to the shower, then dresses, wanders out into the still dark morning, & forces herself to face her fate for this weekend –
Two days of adrenalin at The Shannon’s Sports & Muscle Car Showdown.

He was thoughtful enough to say, do you want to stay home.
Thankyou darling, but no, there is no way in which I am going to take the chance of missing any moment of significance as I wait patiently, camera in hand … What were our Vows.. To death do us part

We are off, 5.55am & black as pitch, & a brisk 6 degrees, blinded by the glare from the headlights off the rain puddles on the road!
Then to top it off, further on down the track the fog rolls on in!

Saving Grace, NO wipers needed.
What was that I just said, 15mins away from the venue rain! Wipers on!

The weather discussion starts, slicks? yes, no, maybe, & then a glimmer of hope, as my Granny always said if you can see a handkerchief sized patch of blue in the sky, then the weather will be fine, & there it was, & yes indeed she was right

We unload the Mustang, the wet weather tyres in case needed, the fuel etc etc & took the car & trailer to the car park, in minutes we were all sorted & erected the cover amid the quagmire the ground had become overnight.

Bri then attended the drivers meeting, they stressed how slippery the track will be with all the water lying through the dipper area,
“keep off the green & stay on the black stuff! if you get on the green, grab your passport, as you will end up in some foreign country & in this weather you are likely to hit the wall”, yeah right, just what I wanted to hear!

Back to our paddock area where darling jacks the car up, he's now decided to run with the rear sway bar off, thankfully this was completed with no mishap & the sprint began

The new tyres are duly noted by Mr John English

Clubman Circuit 2.11 km
Practice - 1:13
Best time – 1:08

SPEED COSTS MONEY, HOW FAST DO YOU WANT TO GO?

Thank you MR Glen Seton & MR John English, NOT!!
As one really must buy new tyres particularly when the fact is mentioned that new ones are paramount by 2 Racing Drivers at 2 different times!

It’s a tuff call as to who’s advice to take when buying new slicks, & when this advice has been personally given, & even worse, when you will see them both again

One recommended,
Hoosiers “Tyres designed for champions”
& the other Pirelli Tyres “Mates rates”

Worn tyres or the wrong choice of tyre, means the difference between losing & winning
Or the staying on the track or the running out of control & off it,
ahh that would be into the mud! but that is another story!!
so this thought process is no mean feat

In dry weather, 'slicks' are used
Slick tyres have no tread, thus giving the tyres maximum surface area in contact with the road to grip most effectively on a dry road surface, so the man says

So you can imagine my deleimer when the courier arrived with the tyres & they had grooves!!!! in my mind grooves mean tread!!

In my defence the Dunlop’s we were running were a non grooved slick

My man just grins that indulgent grin, at me, which seems to appear when I have a blond moment

Lots of humming & haring & tooing & froing & the new bags are....

Hoosiers, size 275 45 16. A6
Got to be good as also run by the Pinepac 1 car & by the Biante drivers

Cost $1860
We have yet to see how well these babies’s perform

The climb-Up & Down the Mountain

I wake on Sunday & rushed to peek out of the window, the day was cloudless halleluiah was the catch cry!

Today’s adrenaline rush comes from day 3 up Mt Coot-tha
A bit of a bonus as we arrive, since we are soooo very early again 6.3Oam Bri was allowed to drive us into the Pit area via around the track.
I’mmm I was thinking, I wish he hadn’t done that, I am really much better being oblivious to a lot of this business!
Looked very daunting all these concrete barriers, & chicanes
& “shouldn’t there be lots more towers of tyres there at that corner Bri? “ How in the hell they get around this skinny road doing the speeds they do & not hit anything! Is beyond me

The first run of the day sees a car come back on the back of a truck, with its bonnet all smashed in!
I’mmm this reassures me a lot, not!!
Reality check too for man with avgas in his veins & he says “I might rethink my strategies & back this baby off abit” “I don’t really want to come back that way” Praise the Lord, thinks I

Jaime, Zoe & Josh arrive in time for his second run, & because there was another hold up on the track, they were able to make the trek up the hill to the start, with time to spare
Bri & I then walked up to meet them & enjoyed the racing, narrowly beating death I might add, by a red fly away bonnet, which thankfully flew city side, I kid you not!

The hunt was on & I found Jim Richards & got my photo & shirt signed, Bri then did the same & had a chat with him, as Jimmy remembered the Pinepac Mustang from early race meeting in NZ

Two runs today, the first 72.20 then 68.10
Shame I can’t get a 3rd in he says, still a bit slow on the uphill take off. Shame I can’t put a V8 in the Mustang
“why” I stupidly ask
“It takes horsepower to accelerate weight & to push a hole in the air” says he
"You're joking, surely!"
Then I remember he can’t, due to the fact it’s a historic race car & it has to be original.

Winning is overrated, the only time it is really important is in surgery & war. ~Al McGuire

Oh ball’s! Mr Al McGuire, only you would say that
The first prize Trophy in the Group A Touring car category stands happily next to the other in our shed

Saturday up the Mountain

I slowly scan the gray horizon, carefully sizing up the clouds & within minutes we are off to what promises to be an action packed Mt Coot-tha Hill Climb

To arrive with the camp all set up was an added bonus I must say
Before long I was relaxing awaiting the drivers briefing, whilst braving attacking funnel web spiders! & looming rain clouds, but we all know I am a woman of Faith & I knew the main man wouldn’t allow the torrential rain of the night before! & yes I was right

Speed Racer arrives back from the sighting run with smoke bellowing forth from under the hood. The cause! dripping brake fluid from the brake reservoir onto the exhaust. Daddy is not a happy man , loosing $I2O a litre liquid! no don’t reread, you did read right $I2O.OO.

Trusty son in law Stevie aka now newly elected head pit crew man, comes again to the rescue.

Quick tip - Reservoir wrapped in strips of rag works well.

I’m watching open mouthed, sadly, no amount of you’re joking, surely! they might burst into flames" was even acknowledged!

I’m not getting any better at this nerve-racking racing business, I waited with baited breath until he returned safely, it was a 15min walk uphill to watch the start. Luckily I was able to see part of the downhill track from our camp. First timed run was 72.27

The aging autograph hunter aka Me, did what she does best & hunted down John English, who had raced our car in 1986 at Surfers International raceway, due to the fact Wayne Anderson had the shits!!

No not really he had came down with food poisoning after a meal out prior to the race on the Sunday.

John said he was passing everything on the track UNTIL the car began overheating, he was told to press on & did so, until he decided the temp was too high & he would blow the engine if he didn’t pit.

This was a real thrill for us, he happily came over & signed the Mustangs bonnet for us, see photo above

The Coot-tha Classic Hill Climb

Friday 30-31 May- I.5 km

What a great weekend this turned out to be. Race cars, motorcycles, rally cars & speedway vehicles all present at the Cootha Classic. Some competed, some provided demonstrations & some were static displays, great to be part of something that was last held in 19I8

7am! Coffee darling? where is darling?
Don’t have to go far to find him, he’s in the shed
Car up on hoist boys are busy taking the sway bar off, only to be put straight back on, as the smaller one would not fit! Shit!
Lesson to be learnt from this!
When tweeking, please do at least 2 days prior to an event instead of hrs before we have take off or ideally at a test & tune day

Me thinks & says out loud! Should you really be tinkering with that anti-roll bar. Ahh haven’t you got the feel of the car already with the longer one on? Doesn’t shorter bar mean, a lot of extra body roll Bri?
Do you really want a loose tail" type of effect with the rear end being more prone to slide around corners tomorrow! with that hairpin looming in the very near future
NO sway bar adjustments today please Number I son & he spent half the day there & found a great spot just off the exit road, unloaded all the gear, erected the cover, had the Mustang scruteneered, walked the track & wrapped the baby soundly & left her there in the hands of the security guys & gals

Racing action begins at 8.3O am tomorrow

Show n Shine

4rd Annual Classic Speedway Association Queensland Car & Bike Show & Swap, Sunday 17th May 2009

All types of Speedway, Vintage, Classic & Modern vehicles, including bikes & all types of motoring clubs welcome says the flyer

Ohhh we know this show n shine only too well, the Cobra won a trophy at the inaugural, so now the Mustang will try her luck

Polished within an inch of its life

Up on the hoist, wheels off

Ahhhh Bri, why does it have to be soooo clean underneath, no one gets down to look under it

Ohh sorry I am forgetting myself, yes indeedy! You are right sweetheart, Mr Glen Seton does

I think we will have to get a couple of mirrors to slip under that sucker, so all that work & time doesn’t go unnoticed & unappreciated!

Touch up all the stone chips

Dam!! there’s another one, Weld paint brush in hand, gone!!

Well it seems this was a job well done

Home again with lucky spot prize of Armor All gift pack & hot little Trophy in his hand

Historic Mt Cotton Hill climb Sunday 3 May

5.30am we head for the hills, me with a sense of foreboding after yesterdays turn of events or should I say we head for the mountain & 946 metres of bitumen sealed up hill & down dale

The Mustang is off on its first Hill climbing jaunt & will try her luck at a standing start to a flying finish, along an uphill course against the clock!!

Ohhh I will love this NOT!

Hmmm... If you fancy some 4 wheeled action you might consider hill climbing, heart in mouth sort of stuff! Timed sprints

As he said to me, this is safe, it means you won't be bashing body work with some maniac

But darling, says I, remember there are trees, corners, & sheer drops to consider instead

Only one thing left behind this time, my thongs, as it’s so cold this time of the morning I have to put on my boots

Lots of laughs enroute as we reviewed the winch incident from yesterday

Boys & their toys, we are amazed at all the speed racers out there, they pass the pinepac car on the trailer & plant their foot on the throttle & roar off into the distance

We get the site he was after, the sole reason for arriving so early, set up camp & get the paper work over & receive the commemorative mug, take the car in & pass scruteneering & attend the drivers briefing, phew I’m exhausted already

Pit crew persons arrived a little late, I might add, I believe we rang & told them they must also attend the Drivers meeting at 7.30am, but this was meet with peals of laughter & a! "I don’t think so"!! but no Jody obviously kept her husband in bed!! & didn’t heed her parents

Oh the young generation of today, what happened to honor your Father & your Mother, I ask

All is forgiven when they arrive in time for the first run

Race suit, socks, shoes, gloves & Helmet are adorned & the car fired into life, then pep talk from wifey

"Take it relatively slow & easy & build up a good knowledge of the course, please remember you want to participate in Mt Cootha hill climb later in the month, in a car with good working condition

”

Young Son number 2 shows up with his mates, Jesse tells dad at the end of the day he was awesome he really made his Daddies day

He warms the tyres with a bit of a burnout trying to "put some heat" into them to improve their grip as he approached the start line, the light goes green & with the right amount of wheel spin to get a good "launch" he was off & racing, around the first corner, accelerating up to the first loop, which seemed to me to loom rapidly, aka “lovers loop” then he’s taking the downhill plunge to the hairpin at the bottom of the hill, then on & up to a very steep, sharp left hander, where I must add 2 cars had mishaps during the course of the day & had to be trucked off!!! Down the hill to the hairpin nut corner, back up the straight to lovers leap corner again & through to the finish line

His nemesis:

”The hairpin”!!!

he slides sideways across the track, which slowed his times down considerably on this run, his explanation of this sideways maneuver, when asked “I stood on gas pedal too hard, have to learn to ease the power, LOCK INTO BRAIN, one of many things one has to exsicute in under 60 seconds!”
4th run “Where did 1st gear go” on the run back up to lovers leap??

back at the pits ajusted the clutch & everything was hunky dory

By this time he was full of self doubt, as he had gone from a 62.66 to a 67.01, “I’m shit at this, he says, I should just be the team owner & get one of the boys to drive”

But his sheer bloody-minded determination kicks right in there again & he is once again the driver & loving it, his best time for the day was 57.11 as he says it can only get better from here

Praise the Lord we are back safe & sound from the hill climb

Really proud of you, sweetheart for living your dream & for taking me along for the ride xx

Winch? what winch

Saturday arvo, Bri needs me to help with the winching on of the car, he has spent several hours cleaning & polishing, I had to Shield my eyes from the brilliant sunlight reflecting off this highly polished car as I walked down the slope towards it

Disaster has already hit, the silage water had been running down onto the grass & part of the lawn is a quagmire, hence the cars spinning wheels & the slicks getting no traction!!

Finally he has the car in position, I operate the winch as he turns the wheel & guides it up & onto the trailer, horrid grinding noises are coming from the winch.

I beacon Bri to look, he says carry on.

I may as well pop in here he hasn’t got his reading glasses on! as he gazes at the winch

The wire I notice is winding beyond from the drum & into the area beyond

I call Bri again & as he come near, ping the knob flies off the winch drum & through the air

The look on Bri’s face, classic, I can just imagine mine looked equally horrified

I suggest we reverse the winch & let the car back down

It starts to roll slowly as I push the winch button, then snap the wire breaks while under the extreme tension, the wire is now flaying around with such force & the car rolls back off the trailer FAST

The car is heading backwards towards the dam!

Bri runs, I run, he thrusts his arm through the open window, wrenches the wheel around & turns the wheels!

Disaster is foiled & we stop the runaway car

Moral of the story, never dethrone car without windows down

Winch well & truly FUCKED

By this stage I am not feeling to confident abt this motor racing one little bit

Bri starts the beast & I guide Bri up onto the trailer

All very traumatic, we are both in need of a very stiff drink!

My Claim to Fame

All the FORD big boys were there, happy to stand & pose with this ageing autograph hunter, I can see them duck & weave trying to get away as I come close rattling my paint pen at them. No just kidding, they are always happy to oblige

Me Thinks ... Should you be facing this way?

Sunday 26th April, the day dawns bright & clear in this wide brown land, thankfully, the day of David Besnards fundraiser at Queensland Raceway

Please sit back, relax, put your feet up & enjoy the first installment of fundraiser at Queensland raceway

Car on Trailer “check”

Race gear bag “check”

Briefcase with licenses “check”

Ready to lock the house …. Che ..”

Dog, dog? ………… DOG?

Darling I call? Have you seen Judge?

F%&#!!!! Where’s the F$%^&N DOG

30 mins later my car returns with Dog trotting on beside!

By this stage, man with avgas in his veins is feeling & sounding a wee bit tetchy!
I throw him a fag & within minutes calm is restored

There is no doubt about it, the acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree, this girl of ours has avgas in her veins, just like her Daddy, she & her gorgeous husband Stevie & little girlies come to egg Daddy on & don their Pit crew gear. You make us so very proud, sweetheart xx thankyou

What can I say? He drove well for two laps then started to get a bit lary & lost the tail end. Whoops, he does a 360 spin out!!

Note to self: First of all: Don't Panic. Second of all: Don't Panic.
Panicking pushing the heart rate up & causes stress!

Phew!!!! was close!!!

“Stevie can you smell that?” I ask, as Bri races past us

Vroom past he goes again “Stevie, it smells like gas”

By this time I am all but hanging out over the barrier beaconing him to come in

Vroom, he’s gone again & yet again, no amount of arm waving or beaconing is bringing this boy in

Speed Demon, Road hog, there was no way once he was out there, he was going bring this car into the pits

In our MINDS we hear over the loud speaker “Pinepac, pinepac, would you please vacate the track”

45 mins later he returns to the pits, smoke spewing out from under the hood

“Didn’t you see or smell that smoke” I ask in amazement, as I peer into the smoke hazed cockpit!!!!

“Yeah, but I checked & the gauges, they were all ok”

Ok, I’ll give you all a few moments to recover. Alright, time’s up!

Are you for real!! I think. This baby & you could have blown sky high!!! He just laughs & rolls his eyes

I have a pit stop, return to see lots of bods with heads down arses up under the bonnet. I hear “can I have a rag” Bri rushes off.

I see, nice tight arse encased in blue racing pants, stripe shirt,

Light bulb goes on in my brain, man looks up, I gasp “Oh my God”, he smiles

I rush over to Bri who is a rag hunting,

I lean close & pass him a rag & say “give Glen the rag darling”

“darling give Mr. Seton the rag”

“What” he says, too right, I have his attention now

“Give Glen Seton the rag love“

Yes you do read right, we had Glen Seton working on the car & chatting

Please note evidence photos

Darling if I died tonight, I die happy, I am so lucky, my Children, you & today, he tells me