Getting ready for the pavement stretch.

We have removed the engine from the dirt car and are getting ready to put it back into the pavement car. After having a rather dismal night at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, we've been able to troubleshoot our firing issue and think that we have it pinned down.

It seemed as though there was an issue with the electrical system between the mag and the spark plugs. Anyone who was at the Hoosier 100, no doubt, heard the engine off a little bit as Jimmy was coming down the front stretch on several occasions. This was the root of that issue.

We're happy to have discovered that for a couple of reasons. The first being that it is a simple fix and the second being that it is saving us a trip to the dyno that we were anticipating during this break. Now, we don't have the stress of time-constraints before getting to Iowa nor do we have to shell out the money to get the dyno scheduled.

Beyond that, we're also looking at rigging up an oil cooler in an effort to keep the overheating issue under control. We're happy to know that everyone is dealing with the overheating issues this season as the new ethanol fuel seems to be burning hotter. Reports were that the podium finishers were running temps in the 240-260 bracket and we were pegged at 240 during both races. With any kind of luck, the oil cooler will keep temps somewhere between 220 and 240 throughout the race and allow us to finish the event. Right now, that is our single goal for the next few races.

Tomorrow, we drop the engine in the pavement car and then we start to do the small things to get ready for our next race which is only 16 days away.


- Gar