NASA racer

So I get up at 4:00am to get the shuttle to the airport...fly to Sacramento and hit my team arriving within 2 minutes...we drive the remaining 1:30 to Buttonwillow, fill up with water and gatoraide and arrive at the track.

Get through registration...DAMN it's f**king hot. Unload all the stuff...start looking at the car and there are a couple of minor things wrong and I'm suited-up sitting in the car as the brief practice session starts. Tires are old and suck...the engine is as f**king shi**y as ever and the car is not competitive.

We spend the rest of the time before the race looking at the timing and setting up and sweating. I make my co-driver start the race because I really didn't want the humiliation of yet another race where we are as slow as the lower class cars. He gets an okay start and manages to fight off a challenge for 2nd and stays about 30 seconds behind the leader (who is simply pacing us to maintain that lead). Well...given how slow the car is, an honorable second would be okay and wouldn't completely kill our championship hopes.

The race started the usual NASA 1/2 hour late so it's a 2:30 enduro and we get better than 1:15-1:30 on fuel so we keep mike out there until about an hour to go. I get in the car after a FANTASTIC pitstop and we gain about 15 seconds on the leader in pitstops. I'm tired and hot as hell and the car is completely loose and it's slow but what is this? It doesnt want to shift...or is that just me? Another lap...no, it DEFINITELY doesn't want to shift. Radio from the Pits

"well, what do you think of it?".
"Its okay but I'm having trouble shifting".
"Use the clutch"
"hahahaha"

Now leaving turn 15 onto the main straight, I cant find ANY gear....finally get second which will work since I've lost so much speed (trying to go from 2nd to 3rd)...no shift for nearly 1/2 a lap then up to 4th before the flat-out kink...damn...okay, there it goes...down to third GRRRRRIIIINNNNDDDD...uh oh....okay stay in third...one shift to 2nd...that was okay. Back to 3rd...okay, down to 2nd...now to third...BAAAAM! Clunk...clunk...clunk.

I got 4 laps and we're out.

I'm hot and tired and just want to go home. Glad this is what i do for "fun" now...I remember what a horrible life racing was.

Bryce

I went to put the swaybar on the hard setting and noticed the uplink had broken off. DOH! That's why I couldn't control it around the track. The car seemed to have a mind of its own. Now the bar is grindng the half shaft on right turns.

You thought it was hot saturday..HA!..you didn't stay for sunday. Oh yeah.. a guy in group 3 hit head on the flag station at 9. Totalled.

Warren Wang

See my post below, re: my Type R(ice). I think the pressure plate or throwout took a dump on me.

Warren

NASA racer

and the theory is the springs failed...the clutch didn't actually start slipping it just suddenly failed but didn't "explode" in that way...just stopped working dramatically.

NOTHING but racing clutches from now on. Saturday cost me $162.50 per lap for NOTHING.

Warren Wang

Yeah, I give up on the stock clutch too. I found out that 97 Type R's have this whee little pressure plate problem every 35k miles or so. It's got 77k or so. About due =( Screw that. I'm going ACT heavy duty this time.

Warren