Just a little on the hot side at MidOhio this past weekend-like close to 100
with plenty of corn-fed humidity. But most seemed to revel in the spirit of
the final race event of this amazing excursion from down under. See
www.auhc.net
GREAT bunch of Healeys, little, big, biggest to enjoy beating each other up
around the track. Nice infield display as well, including what may have
been the largest North American gathering of Sunbeam Tigers to date.
Mal Fay's yellow Spridget ran like stink and, other than going four wheels
in the air over some yellow curbing at the pit out when he was bumped by a
tin cup of a Sprite, it pretty much proved itself the be the little engine
that could.
Group races were as much fun as the all-Healey event, although those pesky
Minis-one with a Thicko sticker even-kept lapping me and then skimming
around the tight turns like a flat rock on a pond.
As for the #49 "Works Midget" dressed as a Sprite with it's new aluminum
house-gutter screen for a grille, it deported itself acceptably with the
transplant of Tommy Samuel's street motor. Definitely 62 HP though! I
consistently beat a yellow Alpine in the group race, thus managing to not be
last. And I performed a reprise in the all-Healey race, behind Ron Olsen's
Big 6, which was running with a broken crankshaft.
There. I said it. From now on, we don't have to bring it up again. What
the heck, after Friday and Saturday of tweaking carbs and timing, I had a
grand time anyway, the motor pulling to 6500 RPM with good oil pressure,
okay water temps, and no blue smoke. Did not roll the car and did not burn
a hole in any pistons.
Chuck Christ had very bad luck with the orange 3-cylinder Saab sporting
Spridget@autox decals. Broken harmonic balancer and something mysteriously
serious with a crank bearing, he thinks, set him on the sidelines right at
the beginning of Friday morning's fun.
Thanks to the listers who came by to help or shoot the breeze. In that
heat, every rest was welcome!
JohnD
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