blueosprey90

When you were still in knickers, Disney put out a movie about the Jamacian Bobsled Team called "Cool Runnings". Maybe the name for now should be "Hardly Running".

A 2

been a while since I heard the word "knickers". Obviously its not a common term in this part of the world.

Maybe an equine name will do it some good, and pep it up enough to give you good service

By the way, why do they have you running on a Friday? Have you given any thought to a Drivers Ed program with the S2000. I'd love to go to another school, although I doubt I can afford to this year, considering all the $$$ that will be needed.

blueosprey90

"Hardly Running" could be an equine name. Just don't put 2 bucks on it "to win" when it's running at Saratoga.




Why Friday? Cheaper I assume. I think this Pocono event is $200 for the day.

blueosprey90

Yes Aashish, not since your dear mother had you wearing them!

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^

That was around the time I was a bookworm. Those were the days

Surely the MG A needs something better than Hardly Running. I think I'll stick with calling it Ol Betsy unless another name catches my attention. But I'll give you this the MG A is a beautiful sight and you look rather spiffy in your Stig outfit

blueosprey90

The Thrill of Victory, followed immediately by the Agony of Defeat!

Repeat every day for 12 days!

That describes my recent attempt to get the MGA race ready.

Won't go into the blow by blow, but as of Tuesday night around midnight, the car was running again.

Never figured out why it was shutting down at Montecello, but I think I have got the electrical system repaired and adjusted so that it actually charges the battery. The only downside is that my emergency battery kill switch won't work once the car is running. I will need a different switch that I can tie into the ignition system.

In any event, I am going to Pocono Raceway in a few hours. I'm running tomorrow with Connecticut Autocross and Ralley Team (C.A.R.T.). Maybe the car can earn a name.

I think there are only about 30 participants. The schedule seems to show 4 or more hours of available track time.

I might have the oldest car there! I'm glad for my prior experience as a rolling chicane!






As an aside, it looks like a losely defined group of maybe 6 or 8 MG enthusiasts from the MG Experience Forums heading to the Watkins Glen Vintage Weekend.

A 2

Good luck at Pocono Jeff. I wish you and ol Betsy the very best for a good running. Who knows, you may very well make some of those other cars a moving chicane

Please take lots of pictures and keep us updated on how things go once you are back home

Tadashi

Ah the joys of owning a Vintage Automobile!

Good luck Jeff and have fun!!!

blueosprey90

This was a great event for not too much money! I had a blast!

Of course, I was by far the slowest car present, but I won a plaque for first place in my class, GP. I also qualified for last place in class, but the sponsors were kind. More photos and credit to the photographer here.

http://www.cartct.com/08-27-10p.shtml

The event had about 33 cars and the track time was, for all intents and purposes, unlimited. I logged 85 miles on the odometer, but given my history, I wanted to pace the car so that it didn't break down. I stayed off the track for at least an hour to let my brakes cool. I could have easily done 250 miles with a regular car.

The group was very friendly, and the car generated much positive interest. I think some of the drivers were happy to see an older car running. I was as fast as an old lady in the center lane on the interstate and did a lot of point-bys with 3 or 4 cars passing me at a time.

The day started very cool with a heavy layer of dew. Right off the bat I wasn't able to start the car. Usually, my fuel pump clicks when I turn the ingition key, and I could hear no clicking. So I thought the damp had shorted out the fuel pump. I disconnected a fuel line at the carburetor, however, and did get a stream of fuel when I turned the key. So I shot some starter fluid into the carb and I was able to get her started up.

After that, the car ran quite well all day. None of my usual distracting mechanical problems. My oil leaks seemed to be well under control - not the Exxon Valdiz that I had in March. And my electrical problems seemed cured. The car was generating electricity and my battery stayed charged, so I was able to start the car with confidence.

I began the day at 33 lbs of tire pressure with the expectation that I would drop it to the high 20's. But my tires felt squirmy. Early on, I missed a turn and ran off the track. Besides bad driving, I attributed this to the tires. After discussing the issue with one of the CART people, I raised the pressures to 40 lbs and the car handled better for the rest of the day. I still had some screaming tires and felt that the rear end was kicking out on the curves, but I stayed in control.

There was a few interesting 180 degree spins and one situation where we were sure the guy was going to hit the wall. He couldn't make the turn coming out of the infield onto the main track and with tires screaching, was headed straight to the outside wall. Missed it by about a foot.

I have to make some notes to myself. I was turning in way to early on the transition curve into the infield. I still don't have the confidence in my brakes to be turning in at 85 mph so I'll try to upgrade the brakes as one of my next major tasks.

But I would say that I had a very enjoyable day and will try to run with these guys next year.

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Jeff. Congratulations !! Im glad to hear you performed well and enjoyed yourself at Pocono.

On track it is recommended to set tire pressures higher and I'm glad you got that figured out. The cornering and braking loads are higher on a tire and you also get better grip when the tire is inflated as the tire's contact patch is greater. Even my Si and Mark's S2000 had the tire pressure set to 40 PSI.