I sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing driving her as much as I do… I bought an early 90’s Street Machine built 1969 that had been coddled and not used … body perfect, no rust, good hood, nice interior… mechanically stuffed because not driven. I then spent a year getting the mechanicals sorted… and put 8000 miles on it in three years, dropping the roof every moment I get for as long as I can stand the whingeing!
So now there are stone chips, the constant flexing is stuffing the convertible top, bushings are squeaking… I guess that the car is worth less than when I finished it, because I use it whereas maybe should I baby it?
I also have a fast Passat, a VR3600 motor / 4motion flappy paddle direct shift thingo. You would think I would take that to the bend, but no… I take the Cougar!
“The Bend” is the second longest permanent road course after the Nurburgring… but that started life as normal roads, so it is the world’s longest purpose built racetrack road course at 7.77 km or just under 5 miles…
It is even longer than Bathurst (6.2km) and contains 35 turns and a 1km (2/3 mile) straight.
This was a “Paced” event, the cars are assembled in a marshaling yard, and we do an assembly lap. Filtering on to the track set up some big gaps. The assembly lap was fantastic as I was behind a big block 64 Impala set up to do straight lines. He would trundle around a corner and punch it, and… well (when in Rome) so would I! We ended up roll racing a fair bit in the 5miles to the starting grid.
I am behind the yellow Monaro… t shirt , and no helmet! One of the Reps asked if he could join me in my car… sure if you can video the sighting lap with my phone…. Deal!
(The passenger is taking shots as he was filming My car is RHD remember)
From the formation grid we had three paced laps past the post… sighting lap at 50%, the pace car would speed up to 80% then 100% of “pace”
