September 2000

September 2000

2000 Executive
President Rob Microys 4287 Owl Valley Drive Gloucester, Ontario K1V 1L8 H: (613) 822-7204 W: (613) 765-5744 C: (613) 761-0306 r.microys@home.com rmicroys@nortelnetworks.com Vice-President Ronald Woltman H: (613) 592-0141 W: (819) 997-6988 ronald.woltman@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca Past President John Blouin H: (613) 443-3507 blouin@magma.ca Directors David Butler H: (613) 596-5518 C: (613) 762-8268 debutler@magma.ca
Jaak Laan H: (613) 835-3966 W: (613) 943-2520 jaaklaan1@yahoo.com Sam Mandia H: (613) 745-4227 W: (613) 228-0250 fv1200@yahoo.com Sherissa Microys H: (613) 822-7204 s.microys@home.com

Hotline (613) 788-0525

www.mco.org
maintained by Rob Microys Hosted by Anjura Technology Corporation

Website

Editorial Exhaust
The First Crank
Welcome to the September edition of the LINK! As you may know, Richard Muise and myself have taken over editorial duties from Chris Krepski as of this month. Under Chris' editorship, the LINK has evolved into an award-winning newsletter, and he'll definitely be a tough act for us to follow. And as we begin our journey I end up out of commission for two weeks due to knee surgery, leaving Richard to do all the dirty work for this month! As you can see, this hasn't stopped him from doing an excellent job putting together our first LINK. Please keep an eye out for changes to the LINK over the coming months, as Richard and I put our own stamp on it - there are several new monthly columns in the works that I'm sure you'll enjoy. And as always, we continue to rely on you, the Motorsport Club of Ottawa membership, to provide the interesting articles, photos, and submissions that make everyone look forward to getting "LINKed"! Ayan Gangopadhyay

General Meetings Louis's Steakhouse 1682 Cyrville Rd., Ottawa, ON First Tuesday of every month All are welcome M.C.O. P.O. Box 65006, Merivale Postal Outlet Nepean, ON K2G 5Y3 The LINK is the official publication of the Motorsport Club of Ottawa. The opinions expressed in the LINK do not necessarily reflect those of the LINK Editorial Staff or the Club's Executive. Though all efforts are made to ensure that facts stated in the articles herein are accurate, the individual contributors should check the accuracy of their articles prior to submission. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 18th day of every month.

ADVERTISING RATES
Members are welcome to submit classified advertisements for non-commercial purposes free of charge. Members may also submit business card-sized advertisements for their businesses free of charge. These will be published space permitting.

Karting Director Jeff Watson (613) 726-2943 jeff.watson@sympatico.ca Membership Gordon Acorn and Helen Zhou H: (613) 271-1161 W: (613) 763-1155 gacorn@nortelnetworks.com Treasurer Robert Benson H: (613) 837-2051 Secretary Chris Capowski H: (613) 228-1180 W: (613) 526-5202 c.capowski@home.com LINK Editors link@mco.org Ayan Gangopadhyay H: (613) 798-1266 speed@magma.ca Richard Muise H: (613) 277-7269 rmuise@nortelnetworks.com

Special Thanks
Bev Millar and Ken Baird Collation and Distribution

At first it seemed like a good way to meet new people. In the end, it has become a struggle just to remember everyone's name! I joined MCO about 13 months ago, after reading a copy of the Link at my Honda dealer. I was looking to learn more about my car, and cars in general, but I wasn't sure what it was exactly I wanted to learn. I just had this feeling that joining the local car club would be one of those experiences that would add a wonderful new hobby to my life. Plus,, it would be a great place to meet new people for this displaced Maritimer. continued on page 9

September 2000

2000 Calendar of Events

MCO GENERAL MEETINGS First Tuesday of every month, 8:00 pm Louis's Steakhouse, 1682 Cyrville Road MCO EXECUTIVE MEETINGS Third Tuesday of every month, 7:30 pm Louis's Steakhouse, 1682 Cyrville Road 2000 MCO SOLO II SERIES April 16 Test Day Alcatel May 7 School Alcatel May 28 Event #1 Alcatel June 4 Event #2 Alcatel June 11 Event #3 Alcatel June 25 Event #4 Alcatel (rained out) July 16 Event #5 Alcatel July 30 School Alcatel Aug 13 Event #6 Alcatel Aug. 27 Event #7 Alcatel Sept. 10 Event #8 Alcatel Sept. 17 Event #9 Alcatel Oct. 1 Event #4 Alcatel (rain date) Oct.15 Event #10 Alcatel **NEW** MCO HIGHLAND RALLY AND RALLY SEMINAR Saturday, October 21. See article on page 13. 2000 CASC-OR REGIONAL ROAD RACING April 14,15 SMP HRC Driver Schools April 21,23 SMP Spring Fling April 28 Mosport Test Day April 29,30 Mosport ALL Classes BARC May 12 Mosport Test Day May 13,14 Mosport ALL Classes BEMC May 19-21 Mosport Trans-Am (CGTCC only) June 2 SMP Test Day June 3,4 SMP ALL Classes CRDA June 23 SMP Test Day DAC June 24,25 SMP ALL Classes DAC June 30, July 1,2 Mosport Vintage only VARAC July 7 SMP Test Day July 8,9 SMP ALL Classes TLMC/MCO August 11 Mosport Test Day August 12,13 Mosport ALL Classes BARC August 26-27 Mosport CASCAR (CGTCC only) Sept 1 Mosport Test Day Sept 2,3 Mosport (SCCA Nationals) CRDA Sept 15 Mosport Test Day Sept 16,17 Mosport ALL Classes BEMC Sept 29 Mosport Test Day Sept 30,Oct 1 Mosport ALL Classes PMS/CASC

2000 CASC-OR SOLO I EVENTS April 2nd Open House CSC Racing Products April 29th,30th School Mosport April 30th Lapping Day Mosport May 13th Event #1 SMP May 14th Event #2 SMP June 16th Lapping Evening SMP June 17th Event #3 SMP June 18th Event #4 SMP July 15th Event #5 Mosport July 16th Event #6 Mosport August 5th Event #7 St. Eustache. Que. August 6th Event #8 St. Eustache. Que. August 18th Lapping Day Mosport August 19th Event #9 Mosport August 20th Event #10 Mosport September 9th Event #11 SMP September 10th Event #12 SMP National and Regional Performance Rally Schedules http://www3.sympatico.ca/rally.cars/english.html The Link editorial staff provides this calendar for your convenience. Although we attempt to ensure its accuracy, you should always verify events with the event's organizers.

September 2000

Going Solo
or How to Run a Solo-II Event by Richard Muise I recently had the opportunity to be the event organizer for the August 27th Solo-II event, held, as with every other event this year, at the Alcatel parking lot. It was a stressful, exhausting, and wonderful experience. For those of you that were wondering what it takes to run a Solo-II event, I thought I'd talk about my day as event organizer. I hope that I can encourage more people to step forward for next year to help run an event, as Solo-II is run entirely by the volunteers. Preparation About a week before the event (or perhaps at the end of the previous event while everyone is still around cleaning up the circuit and talking about where they could have taken off a few more tenths if only they had had one more run), you will need to recruit volunteers to help with the various positions that are needed to run the event. The list of positions is later in this article. You will also need to contact Alcatel and remind them that of the event, so that they can program the gates at the entrances to allow us access to the lot. You will also need to design the course map. This may, at first, seem either easy or difficult depending on your mindset. In fact, it's both. The blank map is available as a computer PDF file. Print the PDF file, and then photocopy the map, so you can experiment. Look at older courses or think

of elements that you enjoyed driving from previous events. Try to keep the track balanced, so that both the big and little horsepower cars can find advantages and disadvantages in the course. In my course, I tried to have both a slow bus stop, and slalom sections as well as two long sweeping corners for higher speeds. Safety is also very important. Avoid having the cars drive at high speed towards the crowd, the flagging or timing stations, and especially the lampposts and other hard obstacles. Be wary of which way cars may spin, should they loose control. Once the course seems final, transpose it to a clean map using a dark pen, and indicate the positions of all pylons. Photocopy about 60 copies of the map.

THE SLAP OF LUXURY

An MG pulled alongside a Rolls-Royce at the traffic lights. "Do you have a car phone?" its driver asked the man in the Rolls. "Of course I do," was the haughty reply. "Do you have a fax machine?" The Rolls driver sighed. "I have that too." "Do you have a double bed in the back?" the MG driver wantedto know. Ashen-faced, the Rolls driver sped off. That afternoon, he had a mechanic install a double bed in his car. A week later, the Rolls driver passed the same MG, parked on theside of the road with its back windows fogged up and steam pouringout. The arrogant driver pulled over, got out of the Rolls and banged on the Mg's rear window. "I want you to know that I've had a double bed installed," bragged the Rolls driver. The MG driver rolled his window down and frowned at the Rollsdriver. "You got me out of the shower to tell me that?"

Positions to be Filled Timing The timing position requires two people, although one person can handle it for short periods of time, such as when one of the timers is also racing. Usually one person handles the timing computer, and writing down the result on paper, while the other person assigns the returning drivers their flagging duties. The results are transcribed to paper as a backup in case of computer failure (we've already lost one laptop this year), and for the convenience of the competitors to be able to see their results, and compare them with the results of their follow drivers. continued on page 4

September 2000

before the first official run. The second test is to make sure that no one has tripped over the timing wires since they were set up. Additionally, the timing tent, MCO banner and spectator areas will need to be set up. The timing tent is now color coded for easy assembly. The Event The organizer and workers should start arriving at the event around 8 a.m., which is when the first drivers may start to arrive. The pylon schlepers should start loading their cars at the trailer around this time, or possibly they may check in at the lot before going to the MCO trailer. Go over details with registration, such as where cars are being tech inspected, and by whom. Give the maps to the course workers and registration. Decide were to put the timing tent and flagging stations. As event organizer, you will be bombarded with questions during this time, so you should not plan on being part of the setup activities. Common questions would include what time will lunch start, and how long will it last, how many runs will the competitors have, will there be fun runs, when is the next event (asked by spectators usually), and will there be a course change during lunch?

Technical Inspection Usually one person is needed for this position. They should be knowledgeable about how to assign cars to their classes. The actual inspection is simple, and anyone can pick up how to do the inspection quickly, but the classification of cars is something that will only come with experience. If you are expecting a number of cars that will need to be inspected, for example for a club challenge, you may need two people to help with the inspection. At the August 27th event, we had about 20 cars that needed to be inspected, as we had drivers from StLAC and Montreal at the event. Registration The registration person will often be the first person that new drivers will meet. They will hand out the registration sheets for new drivers, get everyone to sign the waiver, and help sign in drivers that have already registered. All the registration sheets will eventually be filed in a binder, and as each driver returns, they can just sign their registration sheet again for the current event. The registration position will also collect the money from the drivers. The registration person usually will also answer a number of questions from the competitors and sometimes the spectators too. The registration person will also work with the timers who will enter the driver data onto the computer, and help get the run list ready for the drivers meeting.

Pylon Workers You will need to get two people to transport pylons from the MCO trailer (which is a few minutes drive from the Corel Center). They should arrive at the trailer around 8 a.m. It helps to have some extra hands to move the pylons from the trailer to the cars. At the track, the pylons will need to be set up for the course, as well as to block the entrances to the track. Every pylon will need to have a chalk outline drawn around its base. The Equipment There are two timing computers, two sets of timing lights, a printer, the battery and AC/DC converters. One computer should be unpacked, connected to the battery through the AC/DC converter, as well as connected to the two sets of timing lights (one for the start box, one for the stop box). Test the system both during setup, and immediately

continued on page 11

September 2000

The Silly Season

by Cindy Armstrong Silly Season is a lot like Indian Summer everyone knows about it but nobody can tell you exactly why it happens or when it will start. Like Indian Summer you won't find it on any calendar and it doesn't have a set schedule, but in regional racing it generally occurs around the middle of August. Though I don't have any idea what precipitates it, I can always tell it has arrived when I find myself at the track with an incredulous look on my face, shaking my head and muttering "What the *@%# do they think they're doing?". Trust me - it's here!! Racing is a highly regulated sport which demands a high degree of self-discipline amongst its competitors because, by definition, there is the potential for serious injury or damage during the running of any competition. Silly Season is that time of year when the discipline amongst the competitors seems to break down and all hell breaks loose. The last two race weekends at Mosport provided me with ample reasons for head shaking and muttering, even though I didn't watch all of the sessions. Is it possible that the competitors really don't know: - that a wet setup and wet racing line are different than a dry setup and dry racing line? - that racing begins when the green flag is first displayed? - that they are responsible for knowing where they are in relation to the other vehicles around them at all times? - that the blue flag means that you are being overtaken? - that when you are being overtaken you have to indicate to the overtaking vehicle which side they are to pass you on? - that in order for any passing maneuver to succeed both cars have to remain on the track without making contact? - that you can't make a pit-stop during a full course yellow? - that you can't pass the pace car until signaled to do so?

- that once you have been motioned past the pace car you must attempt to catch up to the pack before a restart can happen? - that you can't work on your car during a red flag? - that racing to the start line during a red flag is futile because the scoring goes back to the previous complete lap? - that when the oil pressure gauge drops to zero it is very likely because you have deposited all of it on the racing surface? - that the end of the session is signaled by a chequered flag? - that you can't ignore the direct instructions of a race official? These are all actual examples of the types of situations which have been observed at the last couple of events. Since all of the competitors have the appropriate licence the logical conclusion would be that they DO, in fact, know all of these things but have simply chosen to ignore them. Any one of these types of behaviour can create havoc for the race organizers; combining two or more of them is guaranteed to create an experience which is unsatisfactory and potentially dangerous for everyone involved. When you are spending a pot of money and expending considerable personal resources to have an enjoyable time, you have to admit that these sort of lapses seem - dare I say it - SILLY!

Useful Web Sites

Motorsport Club of Ottawa www.mco.org ASN Canada FIA www.asncanada.com CASC-OR www.casc.on.ca F dration Auto Qubec auto-quebec.infinit.net Sports Car Club of America www.scca.org Solo I in Ontario www.soloontario.com Another Ontario Solo I/II Site www.swbs.com/solo1.html St. Lawrence Auto Club (St. LAC) home.ican.net/~blur British Automobile Racing Club, Ontario Centre www.barc-oc.com Deutscher Automobil Club www.deutscher.on.ca RallySport Ontario www3.sympatico.ca/pwatt/ rsodocs/rso.htm National Capital Kart Club www.bizgateway.com/NCKC Motorsport Marshalling Services www.motorsportmarshalling.on.ca Isseco Kumho F1200 Championship www.f1200.bizland.com ChampCar Lights www.champcarlights.com If there are any other websites that you feel should be added in this column, please e-mail the link to link@mco.org

September 2000 January 1999

AUTO CENTRE

- Interior and Exterior cleaning and detailing - Mid to highend maintenance - Custom engineered upgrades - Design and consulting services - Custom mandrel-bent stainless steel exhaust systems up to 3" diameter - Precision MIG and TIG welding of: - Aluminum - Stainless Steel - Inconel - Titanium - Various other metals
UPCOMING EVENTS 1) April 29 - Annual Garage Sale at Robson Racing 2) May 27 - Annual Robson Drag/Cruise Night at Luskville Dragway by appointment only

(613) 798-8163
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September 2000

September 2000

The Inside Line

A monthly feature outlining upcoming initiatives in Ontario Region
by Cindy Armstrong With two-thirds of the current season behind us, the competitors are looking forward to the finish. The organizing clubs and race committee are already looking forward to and working toward next year. Take a few minutes to review the work that is being done on your behalf by a dedicated group of individuals. The regional race committee had the following issues on the agenda this month. 1. Due to the ongoing problems with car numbers the region will be mandating that all competitors must have an approved, registered number next season. 2. An initial examination of the decibel levels being produced shows that ALL classes are producing levels which can cause hearing damage after 2 hours of exposure per day.

Some vehicles are producing noise levels that are injurious after only 15 minutes of exposure per day. More information will be gathered and a report prepared for consideration of what, if anything, will be done. 3. To discourage the use of noxious fuel additives an attempt will be made to produce a listing of substances which must be avoided. These additives present serious health risks, not only to the competitor who is using them, but to anyone in the vicinity. This is a situation which will be closely monitored and immediate action will be taken if they are found. 4. The new medical examination form has been approved. The interval between examinations will be: 5 years for ages 16-35, 2 years for ages 36-59 and annually for anyone 60 or older, as long as you have maintained your membership and licence for the specified period. 5. The following workshops on race car preparation and setup have been finalized:

Oct 19, 7 pm @ CASC - Race Car Preparation Oct 21, 10 am @ 35 Silton Rd, Woodbridge - Production Based Setup (Barry Gingrich) Oct 22, 10 am @ 35 Silton Rd, Woodbridge - Purpose Built Race Car Setup (Ian Willis) If you are interested in attending please let people know ASAP. 6. The CASC Annual Membership Meeting will take place on November 18, in Toronto. 7. If you have any suggestions about the rules and regulations please bring them to my attention now as we are working on updates to the rule book for next year. If there are any issues that you are looking for an answer on please let me know. If I can answer I will, if not I will find someone who can.

Mr Fixit
This is a new monthly column where the LINK editors will do their best to get your technical questions answered, whether from our own MCO gurus or outside sources. Feel free to submit any questions (or discoveries that you have made) that you feel other readers can benefit from to the LINK editors. Although we welcome all of your questions, we can only address those which we feel would be of interest to a large number of readers. We recognize that usually when you have the problem or question, you need an answer ASAP, and it's not always possible to wait for the next edition of the LINK. For this reason, we will make an effort to let you know that your question has been chosen, and will try to get an answer to you by email ASAP, and then print the question/response in the next LINK for the general readership. Please remember that this column will only be as interesting as MCO members choose to make it, so please contribute.

Are You on the MCO E-Mail List?

- Get updates on upcoming MCO Events and other events in the area. - Communicate with other MCO members, the Club's Executive, and other enthusiasts. - Ask questions and get answers on topics that are of interest to MCO members and other car enthusiasts on the list. - Share info and ideas.

Instructions on how to join the list are on: http://www.mco.org/mlist.htm

all MCO members, friends and motorsports enthusiasts are welcome to join.

September 2000

Exhaust Notes cont.

At my first meeting, I discovered that this club was focused on racing, and for me, that was the hook. Two weeks later I was at my first Solo-II, over-driving my unprepared Civic and loving it! Now, 13 months later, I can't imagine a time in the future that I wouldn't part of the MCO family. In the last 13 months, I've become gained so much from going to more events (Solo-II, Canaska Cup weekend), and by going to the various meetings. And now, perhaps biting off a larger challenge that I had first thought, I've become part of the chain of Link editors. Again, a chance to meet more people, learn more about the sport from a local perspective, and realize how much more I can receive from the club, and now, how I can give back. And I'll keep working at learning everyone's name. -r. (Richard Muise) Articles can be submitted to the editors at the email address editor@mco.org or link@mco.org. Further contact information is available on page 1.

Learnix Rally Help Needed

The Learnix (Corporate) Car (or Vehicle) Rally and Treasure Hunt needs your help on September 23, 2000. Whether or not you have earned any worker points this year, here is an easy way to earn some. Help out at a checkpoint for this event and partake of the barbecue party held at the finish of the rally. This is an MCO organised event being provided by the management of Learnix, corporation for their employees and/or associates. They expect to have around 25 entrants (2 persons per vehicle). Learnix will be supplying their own awards and trophies for the event. There will be a barbecue party, held at the Day Lodge in Mont Ste. Marie, which is also the finish of the rally. All event workers have been invited to party along with the Learnix corporate group. If the weather is suitable, the Intrawest Group, who now own the area, have invited all participants and event workers to go swimming in one of their three private lakes which are within a 5 minute walk from the finish.

September 2000

Beat the Snow and the Cold Race Indoors

The MCO INDOOR Racing League at Capital Karting FALL 2000 Format The league shall be comprised of MCO members and is open to invitations with the possibility of non-members entering into the league events. Each event shall have points awarded to all participants with the results posted on the Capital Karting Web site which shall include a link to the MCO web site. Schedule 5 weeknight sessions rotating on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Starting Thurs. Sept. 14, Tues. October 3, Wed. October 25, Thurs. November 16, and finishing Tues. Dec. 5. ALL EVENTS BEGIN AT 8:00 P.M. AND YOU ARE ASKED TO BE THERE AT LEAST 15 MIN. PRIOR TO RACING Pricing - The cost of each event will be $33 per participant for 3 races each. - For non-members of Capital Karting it is $45 Annual Membership at Capital Karting is $10 hence the cost of membership is recuperated at the first session. - Each evening will consist of a 5-minute practice, a 7 minute qualifying session and a 12 minute race. NOTE: A one time fee of $5.00 will apply to cover the costs of trophies and food for the last event, or whatever the group decision might be. Points System - The lowest average race time of all members will be determined. - Points will be awarded to the top 9 racers, from 10 -2 points. - All other drivers will receive 1 point for the event. - Point standings will be posted on the Capital Karting web site www.capitalkarting.com Registration Call Capital Karting at 742-4404, Anyone who answers the call can register you in the master file. Marc Gaudet is the League Convener Capital Karting is located in the Beacon Hill Shopping Centre on Ogilvie Road in Gloucester. Please park at the back of the building. NOTE: This is an Official MCO event.

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September 2000
continued from poage 4 Drivers meeting will be at 9:45 a.m. and there is a checklist provided. Discuss (and show if possible) the flagging duties, what is considered a pylon penalty, and most importantly go over the safety issues. Runs can begin around 10 a.m., but sometimes the event will start later, as was the case with August 27th. Once the runs start, the event falls into a rhythm, and the organizer can relax a little from the bustle of the morning. You will still have questions throughout the day, but you will have more time to discuss any issues that arise. You may be called upon discuss safety issues with over-enthusiastic drivers, or deal with accidents or speeding in the paddock. Another common question that will come up is whether to let a driver re-run in the event of a timing or flagging irregularity. The End Run The event will usually allow 5 runs for each driver, but sometimes a late start or a large number of competitors will mean only 4 runs during the event. After the official runs, the timing computer is turned over for scoring, which means the results will be printed, and any discrepancies hand corrected. Meanwhile, fun runs will be hand timed. There should be two people helping with fun runs, one to do the timing (so all drivers will be timed by the same person) and one to write down the result times and collect the money.

After fun runs, the course is taken down, the pylons packed back into cars, and all equipment is put away. If there is garbage around the course, it should be picked up as well. It is your responsibility as event organizer to ensure that the lot is clean when we leave. After the event, everyone will meet at a local restaurant and award pins will be given out for each class. My Event The event I organized on August 27th went well, but as with anyone that competes, I see room for improvement the next time I get a chance to run an event. The best part of getting ready for the event was the course map. At first, the layout was extravagant, with lots of interesting elements filling the lot with pylons, but it was toned down for the final map. I tried to balance the course for both high speed and low speed. In the end, it wasn't quite what I wanted, but it was ok.

It was an early morning, up at 5 a.m., which is as early as some of our long distance entrants. I stopped to photocopy the course map on my way to the lot, getting there around 7:45 am.. Immediately there were problems. There was a truck directly on the driving line, a car in a run off area, and two dead seagulls at the end of the slalom. Jaak and I moved the birds, but the track would have to be changed for the other immobile, wheeled pylons. Gordon and I left to get the pylons around 8 a.m., while Jaak handled registration. This event was a club challenge with StLAC. We also had a contingent of drivers from CADL in Montreal drive up for the event. All together, there were about 20 cars that needed technical inspection (thanks to Pat, Lawrence, and Burl for helping out). continued on page 13

MCO General Meetings - 1st Tuesday of every month MCO Executive Meetings - Third Tuesday of every month

LOUIS'S STEAKHOUSE
1682 Cyrville Road (613) 741-2130
Take 417, get off at Innes Road (by 417 Nissan and Costco (Price Club))

all are welcome!

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September 2000

Behind the Red Door

10 Quick Ways to Stop Going Slow 10) AERODYNAMICS Simply put, any car can be made more aerodynamically efficient. They go faster if they are ever so slightly nose down and the belly pan is clean and straight. Close in the underneath of the engine and trans. if it poses no heat related problems.Topside, try wax, matching body seams, aero mirrors, and other common sense items. 9) SETUP They call them "moving parts" because they are supposed to move. The front end should move freely, all camber in and not sloppy on the sway bar. We should not have bent spindles or torsion bars, etc. that effect camber and other parts of the suspension system. 8) TIRES Outa date, outa balance, outa air. Tires will tell you more than anything else, if you're listening. Don't change things on old tires unless you are committed to running them. 7) CHASSIS Stiff, not broken. Straight, or at least able to get all wheels pointed straight. You can change all sorts of things and have no effect on damaged or broken chassis. 6) RELIABILITY Let's chant the mantra together. "To finish first, first you must finish". Particular F-1200 bogies are are wiring ( a roll of #12 chafed please), broken spark plug wires, blocked fuel filters, broken starters attached to dead

batteries, woosy steering boxes, beat or oval wheel bearings, seizing gearboxes, outa oil motors, etc. etc. etc. 5) ENGINE As wide a torque band as possible, with a solid top end. 4) DRIVER Terms I'd use to describe virtually every consistent winner I've known; intelligent (wily), analytical, adaptable, committed. Does this describe you? Does it matter to you if it doesn't? There will always be RACERS and DRIVERS. If you are a driver enjoy yourself, and quit whining about the lack of equalization. No change in motors will ever even up the difference between drivers and racers, never has, never will. The next 3 items I would like group together in your mind as the most overlooked critical items to the performance of your car. These are virtually free to change. 3) WEIGHT 10 lbs. - Represents approximately of a seconds at Mosport. You have to move it and stop it. It also represents a shrinkage of both amplitude and length of the torque curve. Consider 10lbs. to be about 1 horsepower and a 2% reduction of the area under the curve. Then it follows, 50lbs. ( a not uncommon F1200 overage) is 5HP and 10% reduction in the torque area. You will find it difficult to succeed with type of handicap. Your top speed will suffer noticeably.

2) WHEEL BEARING/ TRANSMISSION DRAG Without a doubt the surest way to kill speed is loosing power to parasitic DRAG. Transmissions should turn over smoothly, and front wheels should spin endlessly. A transmission rebuild is cheap and you are almost certain to go quicker. Check all brake and axle parts for damage or being out of round. 1) BUMP OR ROLL STEER This is obviously the least understood handling aspect of F1200. Suffice it to say, you can destroy the overall balance of your car with improper front or (more importantly) rear bumpsteer. The newer cars are designed around rear roll steer. A)- Changing the rear bump/rollsteer on the rear of any F1200 makes a large difference in the overall handling particularly in the early phase of the corner. B)Toe is critical in relation to the bumpsteer the ride height utilizes. C)- Front bumpsteer is easier to get right than the rear. D)- There will quite possibly be track to track changes required in rear bumpsteer. E)- If you are not driving the car at the limit any of the above will not be apparent to you and this whole exercise will be meaningless. Reprinted from the F1200 Newsletter Jan, 1993 with permission from Jay Mason

MCO: The First Fifty Years On Sale Now!

Before OCT 3 After OCT 3 $25 $35
Plannning for a November delivery of 300 numbered copies. It is a hard-covered coffee table style book recounting the long history of motorsopts inOttawa and the regions. With 150 pages, everything and everyone is included. Don't miss out on your copies! There is still space available for sponsorship as well. For $20 you can ensure your name is in the book by sponsoring a page of your choosing. Full or partial page ads are open.

Contact Sherissa Microys at (613) 822-7204 or e-mail s.microys@home.com

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September 2000
continued from page 11 We had our first run at 11 a.m. and due to the large field of drivers, we had a rolling lunch, where each driver would race their second run, do their flagging duty, and then leave for a 45 minute lunch, returning back for their third run. Four official runs took us to 4:30 p.m. We allowed about 30 minutes of fun runs while the timing system was packed away before closing the track for the day. The racing at the event was fantastic! Fastest Time of the Day (FTD) was traded between a number of drivers, and all classes were very competitive. The FTD was 51.725 seconds by Marc Guimont 1976 Datsun 280Z, with five other drivers (Steve Pepin 1989 Honda CRX, Burl Vibert 1983 Porsche 911SC, Mike Guimont 1976 Datsun 280Z, Lawrence King 1971 Lotus Elan, and Brant Hanna 1994 Chevy Camaro) within a second of that time. Overall winner was Brant Hanna. After the course was taken down, some of the MCO and CADL drivers had supper at The Barley Mow pub nearby, where I had the pleasure of handing out the award pins. As mentioned earlier, the StLAC club took home the trophy for the event. The event had some of the best racing I've seen at a Solo-II, with the top 5 or 6 drivers running back to the timing stand after each others run to see how much the FTD had been assaulted by the last run. I'm already looking forward to next years club challenge! To wrap up, organizing a Solo-II event is a great learning experience, and a wonderful way of seeing all the inside, behind the curtain work that goes into an event. But it's not as difficult as you might otherwise imagine. I hope that others can take advantage of this opportunity and organize events for next year (I believe we already have the rest of this year assigned). If you want to learn more, you can contact the organizers for the upcoming events, and challenge yourself by taking one of the positions I listed earlier in the article. To all of those that helped me during the event, a great big thanks!! See you at the track!

Lanark Highlands Rally

This is just a reminder for the inaugural Lanark Highlands Rally, which will be held Saturday October 21. Entry information will be in the next Link (October). The Rally will start with a seminar at JR's Restaurant in Almonte (in the downstairs conference room). Registration will start at 12:30 p.m., with the seminar starting at 1:00 p.m. The first car will depart the parking lot at 2:15 p.m. The route will be about 160km, and will last about 3 hours, so it should wrap up around supper time. For further information, please contact Jaak Laan (email: jaaklaan1@yahoo.com) or Jim Morrow.

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September 2000

For Sale/Wanted
THREE HAASE PRO SERIES BLIZZARDS 1. Ready to Race 125 cc Shifter Kart TM 125 cc engine. Only 8 hours testing. Mint condition. Raced 3 times. Engine rebuilt June 2000 Purchased from PTK Racing October 1998. Ready to race price new: $ 11,000 Will sell for: $ 7,900 Will sell chassis ready for your own motor for $ 2,999 2. Ready to Race 80 cc Shifter Kart Honda CR 80 engine. Only 6 hours testing. As new. Raced 4 times. Purchased from PTK Racing April 2000 Ready to race price new: $ 8,900 Will sell for: $ 6,995 3. Chassis for 80 cc Shifter, F-100 or InterContinental engines 8 races only. Will sell for $ 1,799. Can add engine to suit Call: Jeff at (613) 726-2943; Email: jeff.watson@sympatico.ca EMPLOYMENT Race team looking for 2 individuals to aid with Year 2000 CASCAR team running CARQUEST Series and Formula 1200 team. The main focus for these individuals will be on helping team with marketing responsibilities for the team's various sponsors. This is a PAID position. You will also be shown the ropes on how to attain and retain sponsors in the racing world. Excellent opportunity for someone who is trying to get involved in the racing industry. Contact Dave Connelly (613) 623-8379 or e-mail connellyracing@hotmail.com See the team's website at www.connellyracing.com

VW RACING PARTS FOR SALE Bilstein racing shocks and springs, Neuspeed sway bars, ARP hardware, Heads (2.0L 16 Valve), Schrick Cams, Techtonics Lifters, Lightened Flywheel, Kevlar Clutch (for 8 valve shaft). Other racing and stock parts available. Call Sean 836-3766 for details and prices. TIRES WANTED Eight (yep, thats right, 8) used FF dry racing tires. Please call Robert Chartrand @ 725-9229.

TIRES FOR SALE 4 BFG Comp T/A R1's on VW steel wheels. P185/60 ZR13. Will fit VW, Honda and other cars with 4X100mm bolt pattern. Best offer. Call Jim McMahon, (613) 829-6639. FOR SALE Yamaha Seca 650. Mint condition. Always stored indoors. $1,200. 19,000 km. 550 lbs+73 hp = 12.83 1/4 mile. Shaft drive, four into two chrome exhaust and new tires. Includes luggage rack, removable windscreen, $250 one piece rain suit, three helmets including a $550 Arai. Not licenced for two years. Contact Jaak Laan at (613) 943-2520 or Email: jaaklaan1@yahoo.com WHEELS FOR SALE 4 6X14" alloy wheels from Datsun 280ZX. Also 4 5.5X14" wheels from Toyota Corolla GTS. Will fit other cars with 4X11? bolt pattern. Must sell. Call Frank at 613-722-1580 evgs.

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