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RE: Monterey Historics--Peyote Report

To: "'baxter Culver'" <102247.2323@compuserve.com>
Subject: RE: Monterey Historics--Peyote Report
From: Alexander Joseph H <AlexanderJosephH@Waterloo.deere.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1998 08:02:25 -0500
Great report Baxter!!!  Can we assume they bumped you to a higher class
because you were leading the pack for a while last year. 

Sorry about your coolant/mechanical problems...

OK now...what is a Peerless Ambro....Peerless with Ambro body?

Below...further commentary from Kurt Oblinger    (thanks again, Kurt):

Joe,

I did indeed neglect to mention Baxter Culver and the amazing Peyote Spl.,
probably because he is a regular at the races and the other cars were
something new and different. They pulled a dirty trick on him this time and
put him up a class and had him run with the Testa Rosas, D-Jags and Listers.
They were probably afraid he would stomp the RSKs and Spyders and that
wouldn't do since they were honoring Porsche. Brian Redman drove away from
everyone in the 2L sports class Baxter usually runs in but I am sure he
would have been in the top 5.

Cheers,
Kurt

        Subject:  Monterey Historics--Peyote Report

        1998  Monterey Historics

        Porsche's 50 Jahre Celebration brought out many wonderous
works--including
        some German stuff.    Really, the factory and museum brought out the
best
        and did a good job displaying and running the artifacts.   Porsche
folk
        abounded and the crowds were larger than normal.   Weather very
        cooperative.  I find it a hoot when a heavy German speaking person
is
        crouched under the Peyote bonnet and, when asked, in German, are you
        "German", he says,  No, Swiss!".   Truly an intenational event.

        peyote once again disappointed.   I should say it more accurately.
I must
        have screwed it up during assembly cause it sure didn't work well at
all.  
          A couple of hours in the garage at various engine speeds,   heat
cycles
        and adjustments showed no sign of coolant loss problems.   (That was
the
        reason for the major engine rebuild)  A delay in obtaining a new
exhaust
        system, press of legislative business (the California Legislature
didn't
        break for summer vacation as planned), and a crushing "honey-do"
list
        relating to selling estate property left me with no time to check
out all
        systems on the local chassis dyno.   The result was, at Monterey,
another
        episode of boiling under extreme pressure.    But I did have some
fun,
        anyway.

        This year Peyote was grouped with the big dogs of the 50's.    Ol'
Yeller 
        mk III,  three Devin SS's,  two D-Type Jag's,  a couple of Lotus
15's  
        (one an admitted 2.5 ltr Climax),  a 5.4 ltr.  Lister-Corvette,  a
Lister
        Jag, a passle of Ferrari Testa-Rosa 250's, and Bob Akin's Cooper
Monaco 
        2.5 ltr.    Oh, yeh, and the original Scarab Mk I, owned and driven
by Rob
        Walton--he of family Wal-Mart.
        In such company was the Peyote MkII supposed to run?    Heh, heh!
        On Friday, after setting up camp with all the observation deck,
flamingo
        flags, ice chests, and bar-b-q,  practice session began at a
moderate pace.
          I took two laps at a reasonable speed, holding the revs under 5.5k
and
        taking a bit of time between gear selection.   First, I had to
remember the
        track.   One year had passed since my last event.   Second, I had to
find
        out if the engine was going to work at all--remember no time on the
dyno.  
         

        So, after two laps of leisurly warm-up,  I found myself staring at
the
        rather near rear end of Oll' Yeller  III.   Right in front of him
was a
        D-Jag.   They appeared to be having a go, as it is known.   So, what
else,
        I joined in.    Yeller's brakes are  frightening.   When applied
        vigourously, the entire car jumps about laterally.  I later asked if
that
        was known--yes it is just a quirk that Balchovskie tried to
eliminate in
        Yeller IV.   TheD-Jag could stay ahead between the turns but both
Yeller
        and Peyote were able to close in the turns and had to back out to
keep from
        scraping paint.    So it went for several laps,  Peyote left in the
dust on
        the straight sections,   tucked directly under Yeller's trunk from
Turn 2
        thru 5   and again down thru the corkscrew through 11--where the
front
        straight begins again.    So it went for 5 laps.   

        I dove under Yeller  at the entrance to T2, a decreasing radius 180o
and
        was under the trunk of the D-Jag in the middle of T3 when he decided
to try
        duplicating the Triumph reputation for fine tractor work in the
        agricultural area immediately adjacent to our line of travel.    I
could
        not tighten my line without duplicating his move so I opted to swing
wide
        around him to his outside--a path directly into what has become
known as
        "kitty-litter".    Somewhere in that cloud of dust and grit I recall
        wondering where the wall really was. Thankfully, I didn't find it.  
        Instead, I gathered it up, gave the spectators a rooster tail or two
and
        re-entered the paved surface.   Whereupon I discovered the many
particles
        of sand and K-Litter imbedded in my Dunlop Racers through T4 and T5.
All
        in all, an exciting "opposite-lock" lap.  

        I then knew, however, that  both the Yeller and D-Jag were fair game
and I
        could run ahead of them if the opportunity arrived.   At just that
moment
        of knowledge, however,   the catch tank started spewing forth 220o
water
        and the flag was out for end of session.   

        The rest of the weekend was spent fiddling with settings, and
adjustments
        and inconsequential stuff--none of which improved the cooling
problem, 
        only made it worse.   Much worse!

        So,Peyote started the race and was pitted by the end of the first
lap.  
        The Mk I Scarab won--probably only because Bob Akin didn't show up
to the
        grid.       The Lotus 15 of Don Orasco   (the 2.5 liter model)
gave the
        Scarab a run for it but retired early--interesting because Orasco
restored
        the Scarab and has been very successful in it.    (Orasco also runs
the
        Scarab FI car--Offenhouser powered).

        So, back to the drawing boards,     I think, based on all of  stuff
I tried
        at the track, that i screwed up the cam-ignition timing.   Since the
        rear-main seal is seeping a bit, I have to take the engine back out
of the
        car anyway, so another set of gaskets and check and recheck
everything and
        it will then be ok!  OK?


        The Morgan,  listed as a 1964 Morgan +4SLR  is a very nice bit of
aluminum.
           The shape is much like the early 240 Z cars of Datsun origin.
Also,
        the TR-5 rebodied    "Kastner Triumph 250"   was a treat to see.
The
        Wilburn Bros. had their  Peerless Ambro there in the 2 ltr. class.
With
        Peyote,  which always causes some grins, Triumph was well
represented 
        (better than in past years)

        Monterey is always a great weekend--one in which overload easily
occurs
        even when the car works.   There is so much to see and so many  new
        vehicles, displays and people.    I would have preferred to have
played
        with the big dogs (and bitten a couple)  but the weekend was worth
it 
        anyway.     
        

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