It was early on Friday at Lime Rock - and I was going out for my first session in the Skip Barber Race Series. The car was a new Crossle 35F Formula Ford - and besides testing, I think I was the first one to drive it in anger. It was all ready to go, topped off with water, oil and gas.
As I left the pits I snugged the belts down tight and carefully warmed up the tires and engine, keeping the revs below 4500 for the first lap.
Okay - Third lap, time to see what she will do - through Big Bend, clip the apex on the exit, hustle it through the left-hander (who says this is a throwaway turn), up No-Name Straight and attack the Uphill and then……..It was like I was 8 again any my aunt gave me the biggest bear hug ever. Or maybe it was a Medieval torture device. The belts tightened around me so I could not breathe. I was one with the car, but it was like the car wanted to expel me, but the only thing that kept me in was the belts. Up over the hill I got off the gas and it was like the car exhaled. Now the belts were too loose. Giving a tug on the shoulder belts I went through West Bend and the Downhill and started another lap. Was it my imagination? Did I slide in the car? I started another lap. Everything was fine until that *&%^ Uphill and this time the belts were even tighter!
I cut to the pits. Of course when I got there the belts were loose again. Bruce MacInnes was the pit lane instructor and ran over. When I told him what had happened, he gave me the “I know you don’t drink Chris, but could someone have spiked your breakfast juice?” The mechanics ran over and looked at the car - nothing. I got back in and belted up, and went out for the rest of the session. Nothing. Came back in to see Bruce and the mechanics telling the tale of the expanding driver. But I know what I felt. The next driver went out, and the car performed perfectly. The session after that I had to corner work so jumped in the van with the other drivers giving me that look.
After the next session I came into the pits to find Bruce looking for me. “I owe you an apology Chris”. It seems the last driver had gone out and came in after one lap. I think it might have been Dan Bull. They said they released the belts and he almost shot out of the car. And there was a crack in the fiberglass seat.
Now there was evidence. What they found was that the car being new, when they put the hoses in the catch tank, Fuel, Oil and Transmission, they were perfect seals - of course you did not want any fluid on the track - but they did not put in a vent line! The cars were full of fuel for my session, in fact when you bucked in some fuel went into the catch tank (remember the fiberglass seat was right on the bladder). This closed off the tranny tube and when the car reved up, the blow-by went from the engine, into the tank and into the fuel cell. It blew up like a balloon. As the gas level dropped or maybe they emptied the catch tank for the next session. No problem. Poor Dan had the misfortune of being the next driver with a full tank.
So the mystery of the expanding tank was solved. One little vent slit did the trick and Bruce and I had a great story to tell. If you see him, ask him about it - he will be glad to tell you.
ChrisZ
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