[DeTomaso] Big Bend ORR Parking Lot Tech Session

Mad Dog Antenucci teampantera at yahoo.com
Mon Apr 27 12:00:43 EDT 2009


Tommy Gun,

Great reports both JT and you.  Looking forward to MF'r getting out of taking to bed ;-]> and giving us a report on his engine.  

Congrats to all of you.  Okay, Its Bob running the GUMBALL RALLY next!!!

Just added 11 quarts of Penzoil Race Oil that AJ and Paul recommended.. ;-]>

 
Mad Dawg Antenucci 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com




________________________________
From: Tom Di Iulio <tomdiiulio at gmail.com>
To: pantera list <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Monday, April 27, 2009 6:30:48 AM
Subject: [DeTomaso] Big Bend ORR Parking Lot Tech Session

hello all,
as usual, it sounded like at least mike and i were working on our cars right
up til we left for the event. while checking air pressure on the tires, i
noted the day prior to leaving denver that my rubber valve stems (2 of the
4) had cracks in them. that could be a bad situation if one lets go at high
speeds! a trip to the tire store had new metal stems on and i was ready to
go.
the 750 mile drive down (trailering the car) was pretty uneventful. weather
got warmer, land got flatter. got to the hotel and unloaded the car. got
thru tech just fine and did some high-speed test runs on the course just to
get the feel again. all was good.
friday, i'm heading into the parking lot for the driver's meeting. i notice
a big cloud of steam in my rear view mirror and look for a place to stop.
everyone comes running over and we commence looking for the source. we had
to stop work to attend the driver's meeting (mandatory) and began working on
the car again when the meeting ended.
we finally saw that the overflow tank (original) had finally rusted thru and
had a pencil eraser-sized hole in it's bottom. now what's the chances of a
37 yr old overflow tank rusting thru the day before a race? it was actually
very lucky that it happened as mike was able to patch the hole with an epoxy
putty. a few other minor adjustments and i was back in business.
as usual on race day, mike had supplied john taphorn and i with wonderful
course notes to let us know where we should be along the course at any given
time. he had also "seeded" the course with special markers so we could
easily identify our location.
well, i don't run with a navigator (never have) and it gets a bit busy on
the course trying to watch your gauges, keep an eye out for the markers,
look for other cars, read the notes, check the stopwatch, drink beer (no
cupholders!), and oh yeah, drive the car.
needless to say i was way ahead of my time as we finished the first leg and
decided to just drive the car and forget trying to place for a trophy. i was
the only car in my speed class that didn't have a navigator and i figured my
chances of winning were slim to none.
i had an absolute blast on the way back, passed 3 cars (1 in a higher speed
class) and finished several minutes ahead of my scheduled time.
after shutting down in the parking lot, the overflow tank starts burping up
fluid again, leaving a nice puddle. people are pointing but i'm grinning
from ear to ear. she got me home and that's all that mattered.
the car ran great on the course, engine was turning at around 5400 rpms,
speedo was hovering around 140 but i think it was closer to 133 actual. i
kept waiting for a piston to launch thru the rear deck lid but it never
happened. i learned i had my tires over-inflated (44psi)  and will run at a
much lower pressure (32-35) in the future for a smoother ride and more road
contact.
they say racing will expose any weaknesses in your car's equipment and that
is certainly true but it also reminds you of the great community of friends
you have when you're in a tough spot. special thanks to mike frazier and
john taphorn for helping me out that hot afternoon in the parking lot prior
to race day.
the big bend open road race is the best course of them all and i hope some
of you will consider making the trip next year. i promise you'll love it!
tom di iulio
denver
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