Racing - something a little different

[McSwede]

18 mowers are going so we have a communal transport arrangement setup by a fellow committee member. One of our patrons (also runs a race team) has a motorcycle training business so he has a van and a couple of trailers, add that to another members van and they had enough room for 20 mowers.
They are road tripping it and leaving from the UK on Sunday driving up the coast of Europe to Estonia and then catching a Ferry across to Finland.
Cost per team for a mower, 3 persons kit and spares package plus communal tools (every team supplying something) is £325. It would obviously be a fair bit more if we were hiring vans and trailers but obviously the beauty is as it is a necessity for racing most people have vans already so that's already covered.

Carl.

That's tremendous!!!

[drcarlos]

So I'm sat in the hire car in the paddock and it's 07:30, we've been up since 05:30 local time and eaten plus driven to the track. 2 nights of almost zero sleep have taken it's toll as have the flu I had last week and with the temperature at 0 (quite high for here) we are looking at a cold and wet race as the top layer of ice melts. It's also gently snowing, the lake has an issue with the rumours that the Finns have worked on it all night to try and make it raceable after a large hole appears about 10m from the race line and due to the weight of snow it started to flood.
We drove on the ice with the machine for the first time yesterday on a practice track which was just a big oval it was fun though and the tyres and studs basically turned it into a flat out 1 mile drift.
Racing briefing has just been glad and practice/qualy is soon. Not really looking forward to this one now.

Carl

[nuttinnew]

Well that's a package of unpleasantness

[JLv3.0]

Quite dangerous unpleasantness!

[Nefarious]

So I'm sat in the hire car in the paddock and it's 07:30, we've been up since 05:30 local time and eaten plus driven to the track. 2 nights of almost zero sleep have taken it's toll as have the flu I had last week and with the temperature at 0 (quite high for here) we are looking at a cold and wet race as the top layer of ice melts. It's also gently snowing, the lake has an issue with the rumours that the Finns have worked on it all night to try and make it raceable after a large hole appears about 10m from the race line and due to the weight of snow it started to flood.

Sounds like a normal weekend at Knockhill

[drcarlos]

So we're 2 stints in and running a comfortable 8th, picking up places as people succumb to mechanicals and the fact we went out and did 1 hours 30 mins in the first 2 stints. Its very wet though and cold, waterproofs over ski clothes the order of the day.

Carl

[drcarlos]

Well the wet got us in the end. The track had deteriorated to what amounts to a large shallow and very cold swimming pool. It took longer to get us mechanically but it got us. We were running a v belt and water is a wonderful lubricant no matter how tight the belt is you hit a puddle and lose all drive. About 10 of the teams that travelled from the UK all had the same problem only a couple were running toothed belts and they are running really well. So unseasonably warm weekend has killed our race. It was a good experience and good fun but I'm not sure I'll repeat it.

Carl

[Foz]

As people who know, know, motorsport is 99% disappointment!
Once it all passes am sure you will look back as a great life experience!

[drcarlos]

They cancelled what was left of the race at about 4:30 local time. The ice started to break up and it became a safety issue. So we made 3/4 of the actual distance. One of our guys 'won' but it will be a hollow victory as not many teams were left at that stage.

Carl

[drcarlos]

Race organiser confirmed the ice break up with the final straw being a single machine that got a dip in the water beneath on the rocking slab of ice, it came back out the other side but they called it at that point.
He mentioned the unprecedented amount of snow this year stopped the freezing too with the track having 60cm of ice depth but the rest of the lake around 10cm due to the insulation of the snow. They have been clearing the track area of snow for weeks to make sure the depth was there.

Carl

[nuttinnew]

Poop luck with the weather, but don't let it put you off going back again (if the weather's suitable).

[JonMad]

Unlucky with the weather then. Glad no one got hurt
Sounds like it was awesome whilst it was all going, err, swimmingly.

[unzippy]

Bloody climate change

[drcarlos]

A little bit of coverage from auntie on the race.



We got a mention (Pain in the Grass) and I even got filmed drifting (number 47 yellow) at the beginning of the segment.

I was pretty pleased with my first drive on the whole, making zero mistakes for the whole first session I was out for and setting a top 10 pace.

Talk moves on to next year now as as our tyres and studs (an investment of over £500, which is a lot for lawnmower racing) are hardly worn it means that next year could be a possibility. It does appear that toothed belts are the way forwards so we'll probably take my mower next time as it's lighter, faster, electric start with lighting and crucially toothed belt drive.

Carl.

[Rich B]

Haha! A couple of days to reflect and you’re right back in there with a plan for next year!

[Foz]

Haha! A couple of days to reflect and you’re right back in there with a plan for next year!

Because motorsport

[drcarlos]

Haha! A couple of days to reflect and you’re right back in there with a plan for next year!

Because motorsport

Yeah I know, planning before we left! I have to keep remembering the positives as the cold, wet, the horrible pits, lack of tools, lack of anywhere to work and no where to rest comfortably between stints are hard to get past. If the racing conditions were better it would have been easier to look past the shortcomings.

Carl.