Iowa, 8 hours in

The eight hour mark has passed, only 16 left to go. We did have some issues to deal with.

The gearbox has lost 3rd completely. We can get by with just 4th and 5th, though it bogs a little in some of the slower corners. The tranny case has also developed a leak. It looks like it was patch with some kind of epoxy in the past and that is now leaky. We slapped some J-B Weld on it and hope that it holds.

The starter is toast after the ignition switch stuck on. We have to push the car to start it leaving the pits, but it starts well. It is also running well, with good oil pressure and coolant temp.

Tire wear is acceptable, though we did have one tire with a slice in the sidewall.

This photo was taken just after the re-start. We were ahead of the other Saab on the track, but about 30 laps behind. At the 8-hour safety break, we were in 9th position, 40 laps behind the leader.

We started with 1 hour 20 minute shifts so all six drivers would get track time in the first 8 hours. We are now going to 2 hour shifts, though Tim says one hour will be fine with him (the wuss!)

The Race is On!

A little over four hours into the Iowa race and our car is running well. No serious problems, but some minor ones. The transmission keeps popping out of 3rd gear, so we're driving mostly in 4th and 5th. Top speed is over 100 mph on the back straight just before turning into the infield.

So far the driver lineup has been Darrell, John, Tim and Greg, with Mitch and Jesse yet to drive. When John was driving, the ignition switch got stuck in the START position and the starter was burned out. He lost several laps when he spun and stalled the car. We now have to push the car to get it to start when leaving the pits. The team has decided to steal the starter out of Tim's street 900 and replace it during the one hour Safety Break at 7pm.

We are currently in 7th place. Greg set the fast time for the team, within the top five overall.

Iowa = Corn

If you're surrounded by corn, you're probably in Iowa. Either that or Darrell Peterson is in the vicinity.

Driving lights have been mounted on the hood, dash lights are supposed to be working (hard to tell in the light of day), the car is about as ready as it will get.

In addition to Darrell, John Hogdal, Tim Winker and Greg Wold, there are a couple more drivers this weekend. Darrell's son, Mitch, who has extensive kart racing experience and a championship or two to back it up, will get some seat time. Also invited to drive is our crew guy, Jesse Lang, who has done a lot of work on the car. That means about four hours driving time per driver; about eight SCCA Regional races apiece!

There were some nasty thunderstorms early this morning, but skies have cleared and temps are moderate. Unfortunately the weather forecasters predict "near record high temperatures" for this afternoon. The Heat Index is supposed to get to 110F. Thunderstorms are expected to return overnight.

It's running and on the trailer!

The engine was finished about 1:00 pm on Thursday. It was loaded into Tim's street Saab and delivered to the race shop just before 5pm.

All team members showed up to help with the installation. There were a few setbacks and corrections to be made, but eventually everything was ready to go. It fired up about 11:30 and the car was in the trailer before Midnight.