Once again it has been a mixed season of results for both Philip and myself. We now really struggle to be competitive with many of the newer Under 2 litre cars that we race against. The race series we compete in, NSW State Series for Improved Production Cars Under 2 Litre, is NOT an historic category. There are some cars of similar age to the Sprint but most (Toyota, Datsun, Ford) are using later model motors, which we don’t have available to us under the rules.
The latest gun car in the category is a collection of Honda Civics, ranging from 1600cc to 2000cc in capacity. As an example of what we compete against, one of these Hondas is using a 1600cc motor revving to 10200 rpm!
Field sizes varied from round to round (6 in total), ranging from 14 to 32 for the final race meeting of the series which was held at Oran Park, about 55km west of Sydney. Oran Park closes at the end of this year for a housing estate to be built upon it, surely only this can happen in Australia, where we have millions of square kilometres of vacant land.
The following is a summary of our year, not so much the results, just the trials and tribulations of racing a Dolomite Sprint on a tight budget.
Round 1. Eastern Creek
The first meeting for the year saw both of our cars run into problems.
#42, Philip, qualified well on a wet track (new tyres) and finish 6th in the first race. Race 2 finished just after the start line with a clutch plate failure, centre torn from drive plate.
#43, Mark, had problems from the start of qualifying, with the car shutting down every time it turned right. The ignition relay was replaced (after qualifying) and problem fixed. The new wide track rear axle assembly was causing a few problems with the tyres dragging on the guards, but a hacksaw and bigger hammer eventually fixed the problem.
Round 2. Wakefield Park.
Philip struggled all weekend with clutch issues and DNF’d race 3 with an electrical problem (main ignition feed wire in harness connector failed).
Mark, broke engine down pipe, continued racing, but boy it was noisy inside the car.
Round 3. Oran Park.
Philip, no major problems.
Mark had an engine failure as the car crossed the finish line in the last race. For some reason, it had spun a bearing, destroying the conrod, and crankshaft.
Round 4. Eastern Creek.
No major problems for either car, although the #43 hastily rebuilt motor was breathing very heavily which will go on to be a bit of a problem for the rest of the race season.
All Triumph Race. Wakefield Park.
Philip had a trouble free meeting.
Mark had a rear suspension arm collapse (bend) during practice. Race 1, a front tyre broke a belt, try driving on an egg shape tyre.
At this meeting we are a lot more competitive, similar types or age cars etc. The 2 SPRINTPARTS Dolomite Sprints finished 1-2 for 4 cylinder cars.
Round 5. Wakefield Park.
Philip broke exhaust downpipe on second last lap. Starter motor solenoid failed during race.
Mark. Alternator failed (and no voltmeter in car) so tried to run the first race using the battery. Unfortunately the battery ran flat before the race ended and the ECU shut down, however prior to the motor stopping the car struggled with overheating due to the electric water pump running too slow for good cooling system circulation.
Round 6. Oran Park.
Philip, Starter motor solenoid failed during race 2 necessitating push start for race 3.
Mark. Towards the end of race 2, #7 valve spate a shim form the valve cap. A quick trip home between races and another shim fitted to he motor, but there was still a loud clatter from the top of the motor. Bent valve??
As this was the last ever race for us at Oran Park, it was decided to at least start he race and see how things go. Bit of a slow start, but the motor seemed OK, but a bit down on power. Was able to finish the race and at race end the noise and almost disappeared. Straightened the valve?
So that is a season of trials and tribulations of racing 2 Dolomite Sprints for a season.
Final Championship Results.
Under 2 litre State Championship. Philip,(#42) 14th, Mark (#43) 9th. 32 point scorers for the season
1600-2000c. Early Model (Pre 1984) Class Points. Philip (#42) 6th, Mark (#43) 4th. 18 point scorers for the season.
Mark Larmour
- Philip
- philip OP.jpg (154.77 KiB) Viewed 2304 times
- Mark
- mark OP.jpg (200.66 KiB) Viewed 2303 times
