Jason and I took three cars out to Camden on Saturday for a little driving. UC brought out their '07 car with about 8 members of the current team. The weather cooperated with us, too bad the cars did not.
For some reason Blue and Money ran perfectly fine just prior loading them on the trailer, but at the track they got stage fright and would not start. It was at that time that we tried bump starting Blue and proceeded to break a half-shaft. So all the work I did the previous Thursday night to replace the engine (2nd Replacement within a week) was for not. Money eventually fired up after repeated attempts and plug changes. We completed approximately 30 laps with Money before it too decided to break a half-shaft. That makes 3 half-shaft repairs on these two cars this year, I guess my welding skills back in the day were not that great.
UC also had a breakdown, albeit much less severe than ours. They had a small radiator hose break and that ended the day for the '07.
Stumpy was the star of the day with no malfunctions. Jason made some progress adjusting the shifter and it was functional, although certainly not optimal. With the shifter working the next weakness could then be discovered, the ten year old tires! The car definitely suffers from lack of grip, but I really think this car has a great upside. I look forward to improving this car for next year. By the way, Stumpy did not break a half-shaft that day, but it should be noted that it had two broken half-shafts when we bought the car so it fits right in on our team!
Matt Johnson ('96, '97, '98) was able to stop out as he was in the area visiting family. Matt took a few laps in Stumpy. It was great seeing him in an FSAE car again after so many years.
