andyowl
Sr. Member
Posts: 456
New exhaust "straight through" - good sound!
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« on: June 02, 2011, 11:45:58 pm » |
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Baggy crashed – May 30th 2011 at Crystal Palace
Oh Dear!
I crashed Baggy Joe into the Armco safety fence just after the Finish line at the Crystal Palace Sprint on Monday this week. I was unhurt but the front of Baggy Joe is quite damaged but very repairable.
This was my first visit to Crystal Palace and the two practice runs on the track went very well. It seems to suit the Bagheera's road holding and power system very well.
On P1 we were faster than my Gordini friend Tony Gomis in his Marcardier CAN-AM racer! I don't think he was really trying but I enjoyed the moment of glory!
P2 was not as quick as P1 but I was trying other gear change points and alternative racing lines though the corners. The first Timed run "T1" felt really quick and the time over the finish line was the fastest yet. But 20m after the finish line, with the track turning gradually to the right, and with my brain in neutral, I found that the two left hand wheels were on the earth and not on the tarmac. In a moment the car was spinning and the front contacted the Armco safety fence. We were going sideways at the time and all the impact was along the front of the car. The car was flung backwards into the bushes on the other side of the track and everything stopped! Red flags came out to say there had been an accident and the safety teams went into action.
The pictures attached show some of the damage. There are many more pictures to come and my hope is to tell the story and record the progress of the reconstruction. Baggy Joe will run again!
But just for the moment I must praise the marshals who were very quickly by my side telling me very loudly "NOT TO MOVE ANYTHING - especially my head"! I obeyed and after about 30 seconds he said "now move your head VERY SLOWLY to make sure it is still attached". It was still attached and it was then OK to take my helmet off. But this time the Ambulance and rescue truck had arrived and they were trying and find the front tow hook. It had been mangled in the impact and the wheels were on full left steering. The bumper had been pushed back onto the tyres and we needed to remove the broken GRP wreckage.
The Ambulance staff wanted me to come into their vehicle and be "checked over" while I was more interested in helping the rescue team remove the nose cone to give access to the crushed bumper. As I was heaving vigorously at the broken ends of the bumper I heard one Ambulance man say “I don’t think he needs checking over!” He sounded disappointed!
On the marshal’s instructions I started the engine and drove slowly out of the hedge but there was water leaking from the area of the radiator and I stopped again. They hooked Baggy onto the tow rope and we set off, very slowly, back along the race track to the trailer park.
As we emerged from the wooded finish line area into the main arena, where a large number of spectators were watching, they started to cheer and clap their hands. I waved out of the driver’s window and they cheered louder! All the way back to the trailer park there were cheers and somebody said loudly “Well done Mate, at least you were trying”. It was as though I had won my class, although possibly better! Brilliant!
The rescue team loaded Baggy Joe onto the trailer and my new friend “Liz” arrived on foot to inspect the wreckage (and me)! We set off back to the Paddock to reassure our other friends that there was no cause for alarm. Roy Gillard and Chris House came over to see what happens when a Bagheera crashes and were satisfied that I had survived and in “relatively” good spirits. “Spirits” are what I needed but the large “Gin and Tonic” had to wait until I had driven home! Graham Pryme and many others friends made a fuss of me and I felt very much part of the Matra Team, not to mention my adoption into French Car Society (I have also joined “Club Alpine Renault” to get invitations to their events as well as belonging already to the Renault Classic Car Club due to Charlie’s Renault R4L vehicle).
So a day that could have resulted in serious damage to both Baggy Joe and myself ended so much better than it might have done. I continue to “Count my Blessings”. There will never be another “Charlie” for me but Liz (a couple of years younger than me and a widow for the last 13 years) has given me a new perspective on life and I can now contemplate a life without Charlie, something I would not have believed possible a few months ago. Baggy Joe will be restored and further modified with a larger blower and, hopefully, a Limited Slip Differential. More of these plans later. The driver needs modifying to improve his skills too!
Andy Owler Baggy Joe, 1592cc with a Shorrock Supercharger Also restoring a 1973 Fiat 126 for AutoSolo competitions
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« Last Edit: June 03, 2011, 08:58:41 am by andyowl »
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GP
Guest
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« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2011, 06:44:23 am » |
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The main thing is that you are O.K. Andy and will live to fight another day. A speedy recovery to Baggy Joe and see you back out again shortly.
Cheers,
GP
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andyowl
Sr. Member
Posts: 456
New exhaust "straight through" - good sound!
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« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2011, 09:40:40 am » |
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Crystal Palace results examined...
Of my particular friends at Crystal Palace the following may be of interest..
Graham Pryme, Talbot-Matra Murena 2.2, 41.10sec (30th overall) Tony Gomis, Marcardier CAN-AM, 1598cc Renault-Gordini, 41.50sec (35th) Patrick Bridger, Renault 8 Gordini, 1296cc Gordini, 42.53 (49th) Simon Gamblen, Renault Alpine GTA GT V6, 2849cc, 43.17 (56th) Andy Owler, Matra-Simca Bagheera 1592cc Supercharged, 45.12 (68th) Michel Deldon*, Alfa Romeo Guilia Ti Super 1570cc, 47.28 (77th)
* Michel is the organiser of the Etretat Hill Climb near Le Havre, France There were 93 competitors.
Well done Graham!!!!!
Andy
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Spyros
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Posts: 325
I'm a real donkey!
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« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2011, 12:11:00 pm » |
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Andy, I just want to remmember the good news. You are starting to recover from the loss of Charlie and has found a new partner in life You escaped without damage Baggy Joe can and will be repaired. Most of these parts still exist The only really difficult part to get by, will be the metal part directing the air to the radiator. I still have 2 spares, not perfect but sanded, galvanised and primed. You can have one of them (the only difficulty will be to ship it)
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