Mohave Valley Raceway May 15th 2010

What great weather for racing at the Mohave Valley Raceway on Saturday night, unfortunately a rather same turnout of modifieds showed up to enjoy it.

We made more adjustments to the racecar trying to get more forward bite on the slick racing surface. Some of the adjustments caused the car to be much too tight turning into the corner, so we undid those and tried a couple of new settings. Looking at the track before the modified heat races I decided I should back off a little on the adjustments because the track looked pretty grippy. When we hit the track for our heat, I new I had misjudged, the track was black and slick as we did our parade lap. As I started on the pole I took off at the drop of the green, but was careful getting into the corner racing with a car on the outside. The outside pole car and the second row outside car shot past me through the turn and I settled into third place. While racing along in third, I was trying different things with the racing line and brakes to see if I could improve my forward traction out of the corners. Meanwhile the leader had jumped out to a huge lead. I noticed after a lap or two the second place car and I started catching up to the leader, so I started pressuring the second place car for position.
As the white flag flew we really gained ground on the leader going down the back straightaway, and the second place car moved up to try and pass the leader. Meanwhile I dove to the inside and was able to drive past both cars for the win at the line!

I made a few more adjustments to the car for the main event, and lined up outside pole. At the green flag the leader and I raced into the first turn side by side and I managed to hold on and race side by side for a lap or two. The car still didn’t have the grip I needed to get out of the turns, but I was able to hold on to second place. A few laps later I jumped the cushion in the third turn and that allowed the third place car to catch up and start pressuring me for position. I was running the high groove, where there was a little rubber laid down but the third place car was able to get a better run off the fourth turn and drop me a position into third. Now there was still pressure from behind and the fourth place car and I raced through the corners and down the straits battling for the third spot. I was able to hold on to third until the checkered flag despite his strong challenge. After the race the right rear tire was blistered all the way around from the set-up in we ran. So we are still scratching our heads and will be making some more changes for the race on May 29th.

The car has been really strong in heat races, this was my 5th heat race win of the season, and we just need to make the right adjustments to get faster during the main events

Until next time you can find more pictures, information and advice from my mom at our website www.duricaracing.com

May 1st 2010

Another night at the Mohave Valley Raceway .After a week of high winds and cold weather (for Las Vegas) Saturday was great, unfortunately very few IMCA modifieds took advantage leaving us a short field of 9 cars.
I lined up 3rd in the first heat and on the first start the second place car drove down on me on the front straight so I slowed down a little, not wanting to be the numbskull that wrecked out for the night in a heat with only 5 cars.
Slowing down turned out to be a good thing because that same car gave the leader a wicked shot in the rear bumper getting into the 1st turn, spinning him around directly into my path. I took evasive action, and was able to drive between the two cars into the lead. However the yellow flag came out so we had a complete restart.
With the pole sitter going to the pits, I assumed the lead. When the green flag dropped I took off into the lead. The track was pretty tacky and the car was HOOKED UP! I had made a lot of changes on the car in the last couple weeks trying to get more traction on the slick tracks and I had a push going into the corners, that allowed the second place car to catch up and we put on a pretty good side by side battle for a few laps, but I held on for the win.

Somehow that found me lined up on the pole for the main event, the crew and I went to work on the car trying to get some of the push out for the main, while maintaining the forward bite.

On the start the car was good, but still pushing going into the corners. I was out in the lead, but the 18 car of Bill Meyers had closed up and we raced side by side a few laps until the yellow came out. Scoring put me back to second, and on the start I dropped back to third, while racing with the fourth place car I missed the cushion getting into the first turn and spun off the track bringing out the yellow. On the restart I started passing cars again and made it back to fourth place. The car had pretty good drive off the corner, but I had to slow down too much to get the car to turn into the corner so I wasn’t really a factor in the battle for the lead. However, I did finish fourth, without any real damage to the car, so it is hard to complain.

Also, due to an early season rainout the track added another race on May 29th, 2010.
Hope to see you at the track

www.duricaracing.com

Mohave Valley Raceway April 17th 2010

It's hard to believe, but we are almost halfway done in the Mohave Valley Raceway season with the running of the 5th race of 12 IMCA points races this Saturday night.

We made a lot of changes to the car since the last race, hoping to be able to find more traction on the dry slick track that has become MVR. I Lined up outside of the front row for the heat and got pushed out of the groove coming out of the second corner. The car was pretty fast, but pushed terribly if I missed the corner entry even a bit. It seemed I was fighting a losing battle so I figured I would pull in and make more changes to get the car better for the main before I wrecked. Just as I slowed the engine started making horrible sounds, but after a quick check of the gauges everything still looked good but I pulled into the pits to get ready for the feature.
We found the header had busted at the mounting flange, I checked and adjusted the valves just to be safe, borrowed a welder from Bill McIntosh and welded up the header and changed the R/F spring to something a little stiffer in hopes of fixing the handling.

I started inside the second row for the main and on the start the leader pushed up in the second turn and I was able to move under him for second. A lap or two later I was able to make a move on the leader while the third place car was racing under me and I moved into the lead. We raced pretty much side by side for a lap or so when the yellow came out. Scoring had me in second so I lined up on the outside for the restart. When the green came out I drove hard into the turn, but lost the battle and settled into third. I followed the race for the lead, the car was handling pretty good now and I was able to maintain third with some pressure coming on from fourth. with just a couple laps to go, the second place car jumped the cushion and I drove under him into second place, where I ended up finishing.
On the front strait the car was spewing water from the vent tube, so I hope it is just a bad radiator cap, but I need to pull the one head off the car and give it back to Tim so he can get his engine put back together. Also it looks like I need to rebuild the transmission again because the clutch was slipping badly when I drove into the pits.

Until the next time thanks for reading and check out our website http://www.duricaracing.com for more information and pictures

Mohave Valley Marh 6th 2010

Saturday. March 6th 2010 Mohave Valley Raceway

After many 2 blown engines in the last two weeks, we scraped up enough parts to put one more together for Saturday nights racing at Mohave Valley raceway.

One good head of my engine, one good head from Tim’s, Cam, lifters and oil pan out of the 383 that spun a rod bearing crank and rods from the engine that kept eating cams, a freshly machined block and a little luck we were ready to race ( we hoped).
Threatening skies greeted us at the track and they promised to get the program run off as quickly as possible. The track looked fast and when I went out for hot laps the new engine ran great, we did however have an oil leak from the valve cover. We pulled off the valve cover and re-glued it in place and went out for the heat race.

I jumped into the lead from the pole position and never looked back, the track was super hooked up and the car was handling great, allowing me to go around the track nearly full throttle. I did however have one small slip in the second turn and I thought someone would be trying to pass, but afterward I found I had a huge lead the entire race.
But, the oil leak persisted; we took the valve cover off again and applied some silicone to the gasket surface. I checked the valves quickly and every thing was good to go.

I started on the pole for the main and jumped into the lead with the drop of the green flag. Once again I was nearly flat out around the top of the track, just needing to use the brakes just a little bit to get the car into the turns.
I was tearing off the laps, not hearing anyone behind me when the race was slowed by a caution. Again I took off at the green flag but now I could hear cars behind me.
The cushion started getting a little beat up and I was using more brakes getting into the turn but the pedal was getting softer. I changed my assault of the corners trying to use less brake but soon, I had hardly any brakes, Of course, when everything is going good the yellow flag came out again.
This start I had traffic on my back bumper, with little brakes I was rim riding the top, but the second place car could run the middle groove a little better and soon he slid underneath, he also brought the third place car with him and it was a three way battle for the lead. Just as things were heating up, the oil pressure light started flicking on when I threw the car hard into the turns, I adjusted my line a to drive straighter into the turn, but that allowed the first two cars to get ahead. I was now hoping the white flag would wave before I ran out of oil, when the yellow flag came out again for a spin. When I slowed down the oil pressure dropped to zero and then finally came back up, but it was much lower then normal, so I pulled into the pits. Just as I hit the pits it started raining, the track threw the checkered flag and reverted to the last green flag lap so I finished third.

So far this year we have won three heat races and finished third in the two races I finished, and we were able to drive the car into the trailer (always a good thing as my Mom points out)
And at least this week I will have something to work with and I will put a new set of bearing in the engine just to be safe.

Lest we forget, we are always open to offers of help, donations of time or equipment and cash...
www.duricaracing.com

Las Vegas Motor Speedway feb 26th 2010

Las Vegas Motor speedway Friday Night February 36 2010,

We got in a rare treat Friday night with a race at the Dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
With the Nextel, nationwide series in town, the speedway opened up the dirt track Thursday and Friday nights for Sprints and midget racing.
With a low turn out expected Friday night the track added the IMCA modifieds to the show and Tim and I worked hard all week getting an engine put together for my car.
The guys at Jacks Machine Shop did a super quick turn around on a pair of cylinder heads , getting them back to me on Thursday afternoon so we could get them on the car and loaded up for Friday night.
We got to the racetrack and changed the gear for the Vegas track, the track used plenty of water and wheel packing had the cars pretty sloppy. I didn’t go out for the first set of hot laps, but did use the second set of hot laps. After about three laps the engine seemed to lose a little power so I pulled in for a once over. We found one loose rocker arm and after a quick valve adjustment we were ready for the heat.
The draw had me lined up 7th and I knew there were a couple of fast cars behind me so I had to gain a few positions to make it into the A main. On the start I figured I would try the high groove but there were a couple of cars battling for position. The second lap around the high groove was open and I hit the turn flying, I was getting ready to get a great run off the corner when BANG! Rattle rattle … I knocked the car to neutral and heated for the infield. Of course I found a massive mud puddle getting into the infield and soaked myself. Back in the pits, it looks like another engine gone south, something broken internally. Two engines in two weeks, however, both engines were about 5 years old and I guess I just pushed the old parts too far.

Now we have another long week ahead, putting together another engine, this one was supposed to be a good motor, but I always have valve train issues and we sat it in the corner for 5 years. I am hoping a new block will cure old problems and we get another engine together that will last the season.


Till Next week

Mohave Valley Febuary 20th

Opening night at Mohave valley Raceway!
The luck of the Pill draw had me starting third in the 2nd heat race. However, the pole position car dropped out so I started in the first position.
On the start the outside car was able to get to the first turn and into the lead before me and I settled in to second. The car was working great, I am really happy with the new shocks I put on the front a few weeks ago. I was able to run high or low and after a lap or two I was catching the leader. Just as I was setting up to make an inside run on him his car died and I cruised past into the lead. I heard pressure from behind me, but I was able to hang on for the win.
The redraw for the main found me lined up fourth for the start. At the drop of the green we roared into the first turn, but the leader pushed way high and I had to left off the gas, that allowed the three cars on the inside to slip past and dropped me to 5th. A corner or two later I passed the pole sitter and moved to fourth. The car was working great, I had made a few adjustments after the heat and the car responded well, I could go low, high or in the middle, however the fastest way around seemed to be the high groove, right on the cushion. The top four raced pretty close, but soon the leader slipped over the cushion and I raced by moving to third. The car was still fast and every restart I was able to challenge for the next spot. One car was able to drive into my Left side knocking me out of the way and dropping me back to fourth and another car spun in front of me and I was able to move back to 3rd. I was racing along when suddenly going into the 3rd turn BANG! the engine locked up and I slid into the turn, right in the groove. I was a sitting duck I grabbed the wheel waiting to get drilled by another car, but everyone took evasive action and made it by me without further damage. However I was done, blown up, exploded , after getting the car pushed into the pits we found multiple hole in the oil pan.
After tearing the engine down Monday we found pretty much everything junk or needing repair.

We are now getting our backup engine ready for racing and we will be at the Las vegas Motor Speedway on Friday Night feb 26th .