Nationals

[Vernon Maxey]

Hey,
A positive thing happened at Nationals this year, we had 3 Vees competing against 23 F5 and F4 drivers. One more than last year. We did a little better
than last year, we moved up to 18th, 19th and 20th. It was not fun driving in the half dry, half wet conditions on the second day, but it was a good experience. Hope some of you try to make it next year. Bob Q, Robert M, and I would like to see our group grow and not die out. You can still have a lot of fun on that Concrete. Please make plans now to come out and have some fun. Lincoln is a great town, they are very appreciative having all of us there.

Lynn, send me an E-mail, vmaxey@kc.rr.com

Hope you all have a good winter, get those Vees ready!

Darth Vee

[77fmod]

Vern,
Did you guys experience the same kind of build-up of rubber on race rubber as some of the guys did in full size cars? How was the course design? More open than at the asphault Nats? Similar to Forbes field?
My car is ready for next year. I am hoping the economy will turn aound before then...
Johnny B.

[Vernon Maxey]

Hi Johnny,
There was a little build up, but not bad. I don't think that it affected our driving.
The courses were, I thought, good flowing courses. Some tight places, some open ye ha places. They were better than the asp. courses at Topeka.
The concrete there was good, smooth and grippy, with some seam bumps in places. Lincoln Air Park will be the best place for Nationals, I hope, for a long time.
Hope to see you next year.
V.

[77fmod]

Same here Vernon... Thanks for the update!

[MBillings]

Vern,

I'd like to hear your impression of the F500's. I appreciate your representing the Vee crowd and plan to attend next year. But, I'd like to know, with the "more open courses", why the F500's are still so fast relative to the Vees. Do you think it's their narrow track, acceleration, light weight (braking and cornering), or something else? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

thanks,
Mike

[Vernon Maxey]

Hi Mike,
First of all, there are some good drivers in those 500's. The 5's and 4's are lower, lighter and narrower. I think all we can try to do do is make our Vees lighter, lower and narrower. Make them look like the other car. Thats what I am going to do this next year. I don't know if it will work, but I'm going to try it.
V.

[Lynn]

I don't think we can get my car narrower, but with Vern's help it is sure going to be lighter. I am going to try something Jim Murphy has suggested to me several times. Narrower tires.

And the 500's still have a power to weight advantage.

[remmers]

chassis lowering is also plenty doable. but it requires alot of bodywork to do so. if you're lightening anyways, i'd go for lowering the chassis (raising the beam and engine/trans) and a CF single layer body... depending on how much you want to spend, you could actually go hog-wild with exotic materials. cf suspension components, magnesium wheels (probably would have to get special ordered)... One thing we did on our vee is shave the lug bolts about half way down and balanced them. took a pound of rotating mass out of the car vs the non-hollowed lugs. 1/2lb from the hollowed lugs. if you're up for going crazy with lightening it's certainly doable. just takes money and creativity.

[Lynn]

We actually raised the front of the car since it was slamming the pavement under braking. Unloading the front tires while the chassis is sliding on the ground is not a good thing. It is also stiffer now. The car weighed 885 pounds the last time it ran. We think it will be 830 to 835 when it runs next year. Now we need to get 40 pounds off the driver.