Philip Island classic racing 2011

[rgh0]

Photo of the Elan at Philip Island last weekend. Had an eventful time

It started the weekend before when I was running at the Top Gear Festival at Melbourne. I finally identified that my hot running for the last couple of years was due to a leaking head gasket as I saw small bubbles coming into the catch tank after returning from a run around the 1.5 mile track. So a quick head gasket change was in order before Practice and Qualifying down at Philip Island which meant late nights Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday after work and an early start to get down to Philip Island for Friday.

Discovered that the head gasket had fatigue cracks in the fire ring in 2 cylinders that was letting combustion gases into the fibre gasket material and through it to coolant. I have had hot running for a couple of years when coming in from races and slowing down and never been able to track it down. The coolant was expanding into the catch tank but being sucked back into the radiator when the engine cooled so i did not suspect a head gasket. I guess at high revs the small amount of gases leaking into the coolant through the cracks were being purged out through the catch tank so that the coolant could be sucked back in when the engine cooled.

The new head gasket successfully solved my hot running and i was going well until I broke a right front stub axle just at the inboard edge of the outer bearing. I crack test these every few years but i guess i need to do it a little more frequently!!! Fortunately no damage despite doing it at about 8000 rpm in second through a hard left hand corner as the wheel was retained by the brake disk and continued to rotate so I could pull over onto the grass with no big dramas.

A quick 4 hour trip to Melbourne and back to get a spare stub axle, bearings and seals and rebuilt the assembly the next moring before the first race. Started from 34th on the grid as I only got in one full lap of qualifying and had fun working my was up through the grids over the 4 races to finish 15th.

cheers
Rohan

[Old English White]

What a nice way to service your Elan!
I suppose you went back home by road!
Anyway, congrat' to you!
Christian.

[florawills]

Nice pic rgh0!!!! really amazing...thanks

[Yum-yum]

Rohan,
Thanks for that account. I always enjoy an account of someone successfully sussing out a problem like that. And yes, that picture is pretty cool.
Alex

[SJ Lambert]

I see car no.36 is entered for the Sandown Historics coming up next weekend. I'll keep an eye out and say G'day!!

[rgh0]

Just finshed the car preparation checks, put it back on the trailer so all ready to go for Sandown this coming weekend
cheers
Rohan

[SJ Lambert]

Will aim to get there early Saturday!!!

[RedS4]

You need to come up to Eastern Creek - or at least Wakefield Park - and give the Elan a run in NSW. The HSRCA's Deputy C of C drives one too....(clue below...)

[rgh0]

Unfortunately I currently have to limit myself mainly to the Victorian events

I have run a couple of times at Wakefield Park over the years but never got to Eastern Creek. My job and family makes it hard to do the extra long weekends of travel required for interstate competition


Every couple of years I try to find time for an interstate meeting - I went up to Queenland this year at Easter so maybe NSW next year with some luck

Hopefully one day i will have more time and be able to engage in more than the odd trip for racing

cheers
Rohan

[SJ Lambert]

Taking care of the TVR down the back straight at Sandown today.

[RedS4]

I know that TVR - it usually starts first or second row on the grid - did you really pass it at PI??

[SJ Lambert]

OK - it may have been qualifying at Sandown, but the Elan was ahead of the TVR a lap or so later!!!!!

[RedS4]

Excellent!

[rgh0]

The photo was at Sandown yesterday. The TVR and I were close for a lot of the practice and qualifying but it is hard to outrun a V8 at Sandown with its long straights so he got away . He broke a front upright at the end of qualifying and ended up in the sand trap.

The TVR Tuscans use the same Triumph spitfire front upright as the Elan and with all that V8 weight in the nose they obviously are working hard especially in a track car!!!

The Elan has run run perfectly for the Friday and Saturday so I am pretty happy so far - 2 more races today on Sunday -3o degrees yesterday and 32 degrees today so nice and warm in a race suit

cheers
Rohan

[pharriso]

-3o degrees yesterday and 32 degrees today so nice and warm in a race suit

cheers
Rohan

You need a coolsuit (http://www.saferacer.com/auto-racing-underwear/cool-suit/?cat=56&tagarray=29, makes a world of difference. I span out a couple of years ago after racing for 2.5 hours in an enduro at 98 deg F. This last year I had the cool suit & "no sweart" literally.