MG Drag Racing Club

[Debs]

Next meet at the Pod is Saturday 14 Oct. It's a 'Saturday Night Special' so we will be racing into the dark.

[Debs]

I will be there at about 08:30-09:00. The MGDRC would love to see you there. ;D

When you get to the Pod, come through the entrance payment cubicle thingies, then follow the road ahead. It bears left (ahead and to your right you will see a large grassy bank that shields the strip). The road takes you past the base of the start line then bears right parallel; to the strip. Continue on for about 1/8 of a mile and you will see the paddock area to your right. The MG Drag Racing Club will be quite obvious (we are just before a disused gantry) so please park with us (the area is cordoned off for MGs so you can't miss us).

Jon or Sean, if you have some regalia stuff like flags, banners, etc, PLEASE bring them along so we can advertise our part of the pits!

Make sure you bring suncream - it's EASY[/i] to get WELL[/i] burnt at the Pod.

I suggest you bring packed lunches and drinks. There is a cafe there but it's expensive.

I always take a tent and the others usually take Gazebos for shelter in case the weather is inclement.

[Debs]

My Heroine, Shirley Muldowney, American Lady Dragster Champion.

www.muldowney.com/

(Lyrics by L7):



“Welcome to the first lady to try and qualify in an ‘A’ dragster for an NHRA competition - Shirley Muldowney!”

“Those drivers, they have to wear fireproof underwear. It can withstand high temperatures of burning gas. Those extreme high temperatures could burn them down.”

“I’m talking about some trophy girl draped all over a car!”

Feels so real , crushing the steering wheel!

"Oh s*** look who's in the driving seat!

How many times must we toe this line?

“This is going to knock Drag Racing right on its’ ass!”

Halting me, is a fantasy!

”Cha-cha!”, call her “Cha-cha!”.

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

”What's drag racing coming to?”

How many times must you be told?
There's nowhere that we don't go!

"She's got good traction!”

"I suggest you find a seat in the grandstands, because you don't want to miss this!”

She's just here, wants what she wants to do.

”I wonder if Shirley's got in her to hold that throttle down?”

Kills your jokes,
as she's burning out.

“Cha cha Muldowney is pulling ahead... and she takes the win light .”

Yeah feels so fine crossing the Finish Line!

”Shirley Muldowney has set a new track record!”

Satisfaction!
How much times must you be told?
There's nowhere that we don't go!

”She's got good traction!”

”What's a beautiful girl like you doing racing in a place like this?”

“Winning!”

“Winning.”
“Winning.”

("The lady got through it.”)

“Winning.”
“Winning.”

(”What's drag racing coming to?”)

How many times must you be told?
There's nowhere that we don't go!

“She's got good traction!”

“What's a beautiful girl like you doing racing in a place like this?”

“Winning!”

“Winning.”
“Winning.”
“Winning.”
“Winning.”

[Debs]

50 shot jets are now fitted, along with spark plugs 2 grades colder than standard - NGK: BKR 8EIX as opposed to NGK: PFR 6N-11.

NGK don't make a range of plug grades in the PFR series, so after consultation with their Technical and Racing Department (who suggested the BKR series), I'm using Iridium electrode plugs originally developed for the Ford Sierra Cosworth Turbo engine. Amazingly the plugs only cost me £23 from 'Partco' and were delivered the next day (Halfrauds were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard in ordering plugs).

Sourced a set of MGF wheels for the back (many thanks bigfootmgf! ;D ).

Off to Hauser Racing this week to get the slicks.

In the meantime I shall do some testing. I've gone for a 30% start power ramping over 4 seconds unlatched (ie the progressive controller resets to the 30% start point each time the throttle is released) and see how that goes. If it's all good then I shall try the same ramping profile but with a latched controller (ie the controller 'remembers' where it has got to when the throttle is released and starts again from there).

[Debs]

Latest update:

I popped in to 'Hauser Race Cars' in Higham Ferrers (near the Pod) on my way to a car meet at Hinckley this afternoon.

www.hauserracing.com/

What a nice guy Geoff Hauser is! He spent about half an hour discussing my requirements, measuring up the car, selecting tyre sizes, compounds, etc. He is a drag racer himself and has an awsome level of knowledge.

The largest rolling radius as can be fitted to a TF is of the order of 22.5 - 23" - larger rolling radius is better than smaller owing to having a larger contact patch = more traction. Furthermore a larger radius tyre on a smaller radius wheel is beneficial since it aids 'Getting up on the tyre' (see below). Hence I am running 15" MGF wheels as opposed to the standard TF 160 16" wheels.

Drag slicks don't work like slicks designed for circuit work. The latter have stiff sidewalls because they are designed to cope with cornering loads. Drag slicks, on the other hand have very soft sidewalls which allow the tyre to distort at the launch. This means that the shock loading on the drive train is far less, while traction off the line is maintained to as high a level as possible. It also means that the tyre acts rather like a spring and helps catapult the car off the line (it's called 'Getting up on the tyre').

Anyway the upshot is that I have ordered a pair of Mickey Thompson 3019, 22.0 x 8.0 x 15 drag tyres.

www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip.php?item=ETDrag

The problem is that there are none of the correct size in the UK, nor did Geoff's main supplier in the USA have any in stock. Geoff then 'phoned a different supplier in the USA and they said they could deliver to his shipper in time. I am having them specially flown over from the States on Friday. I should get them Tuesday.



I also did a couple of tests with the new 50 shot jets.

With the 25 shot, while the needle fairly whipped round the dial on the rev counter, with the 50 shot the increased acceleration is markedly noticeable - it certainly doesn't feel like a stock TF!

Hopefully I should get some good passes next time out at the Pod. ;D

[Debs]

Mickey Thompson Drag slicks arrived and were fitted yesterday.

Talk about MOFO big sticky tyres

[bandit]

Hi Debs,

Since your engine mounts are going to be working rather harder than MGR expected, I'd strongly recommend regular checks on the bolts, particularly on the driver side mount - despite there being two bolts, a mere 118bhp is enough to shear them one at a time.

Glad to hear you're budgeting for a more robust clutch too ;D

Still some places left on the MGoT North Weald day in November

[Debs]

Thanks Bandit - aye good point

When is N Weald in Nov?

And what happens there?

I guess (if funds have no run out) I could bring the 'Happy Gas' car down and do some runs?

[bandit]

Full details of the North Weald day on the www.mgs-on-track.com site, but 3rd November is the date, and a mere £35 is the cost. There are 5 activities, starting with the high-speed 90 degree turn and then moving on into two handling courses, a slalom and the one you'd be particularly interested in, the drag strip

Andy Walsh, the 1st Lotus handling guru, maintains that an MGF could do the 90 degree bend at around 100mph. Sadly, the start point of the run-up means most people are struggling to hit much more than 80 at the turn point, but I suspect you'd be able to prove or disprove him ;D

Concrete surface, very grippy even with road tyres

BTW, there's a guy called Duncan Dorrell who has/had a kit fitted to an MGF and having tried to keep up with him around Silverstone once I'd estimate he was running a fairly beefy shot. Not heard anything from him recently, but he might have some useful data for the medium-to-long term issues. If I spot him anywhere I'll point him in your direction.

[mgadavidson]

How is your clutch holding up? My TF 160 is ordinary as standard with only 3500km on the clock! No mods and I never really launch it.

[andrew]

Adam, Your car might have only done 3500km but 3000 of them have been on the track!!!!!.

[Debs]

So far the clutch has stood up no problem. That said I have had huge traction problems with major wheelspin off the line so I'd guess I haven't really been working the clutch that hard.

With the MT slicks we will have to see...

TBH my "big plan" over the winter is to have the engine out and rebuild it to a far higher state of tune with major head porting, cam changes and an all steel bottom end so I can run bigger shots of Nos.

At the same time I'll be fitting an AP Racing clutch and alloy flywheel as well as an LSD.


That is, of course, dependent on time since I am in the process of building up an MG Midget race car for use in both the 750MC 'Roadsports' series and the MGCC Class B Midget Challenge.

[andrew]

Our club champion with approx 200hp has broken two drive shaft couplings ( has a Quaife LSD ) over the past eighteen months. My car with approx 150bhp has broken an engine mount ( the pin that is embeded in the big lump of rubber came adrift ) some time in the past twenty months as that was the last time the engine was removed from the chassis.

[m4rtys]

Me and Dan should be there............... not sure if we'll run or not?

We're making a day of it as we going over to the MGF centre for 13.30 as Dan's having his TF lowered. Then we thought we would stop off at the POD to see what's occuring and head off home late.

Debs,
What time can we arrive by and still get a run in?

Thanks

Martin

[Debs]

Normal opening times at the Pod are 9:00 am - 5:00pm.

On a normal day the 'Fire Up' lane closes at 5:00 pm and those competitors left in the lane get one final run.

However Saturday 14 Oct is a 'Saturday Night Special' with cars racing until 9:00 pm, so I'd guess the ticket booths will be open till late.

You could give them a 'phone on: 01234 782828 to check.