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Bacca
Small Ford Guru
Australia
1240 Posts |
 Posted - 24/07/2012 : 20:48:40
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Another fantastic event for the club, everyone was enjoying themselves even behind the serious faces. Here is a small selection of some of my photos.
I would love to get copies of all the video footage that everyone was taking and try to edit it into a single DVD.
Gentleman, start your engines!!
And go
(Who's that coming up behind me!!)
(It's the pedal on the right Simon!!)
Photos with all the action from the pits and on the grid to follow.
But first my favourite photo from the day which I think is very atmospheric (well the high-res version is).
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Edited by - Bacca on 25/07/2012 10:05:45
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Bacca
Small Ford Guru
Australia
1240 Posts |
Posted - 24/07/2012 : 21:43:06
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And the final picture of the day, The Universe remains in balance as the Ford overtakes the Holden 
Thanks again to everyone who came out on the day and for competing in the right spirit.
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fehlbie
Small Ford Master
Australia
309 Posts |
Posted - 25/07/2012 : 18:46:08
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What a magic day..
Thank you for organizing another great track day at Wakefield Park and thanks for the photo's Theo.
Geez my orange helmet stands out.. |
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Neale
Small Ford Addict
Australia
889 Posts |
Posted - 25/07/2012 : 21:42:47
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Awsome pics Theo..
I didn't get much decent footage after downloading the incar footage only to reaise that the camera had focused on a stonechip on the window for most of it.
Heres the only decent footage. which I can give you a copy of the original at AFD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjrIqXAFpwg&feature=youtu.be |
2006 LS Focus Zetec
1969 Mk2 Cortina 440L
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Sean
Small Ford Master
Australia
272 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 01:06:50
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My track day story reads a little differently to most...
I set out on the Sunday afternoon, first picking up my Dad then heading south. The trip down was a wet one and very cold too. The weather did clear somewhat about 20kms before Goulburn so we decided to make a late lunch stop at a rest area. Whilst there we also checked out some old convict culverts which formed part of the Great Southern Road, prior to the Hume Highway being in place. Their condition was a testament to the workmanship of the era and they were really quite interesting.
Upon leaving the rest area and rejoining the highway, the XR5 did not quite feel its usual spritely self, but more about that later.
We soon arrived at Wakefield Park and headed up the hill to our accomodation for the night, with a great view of the circuit.
After settling in, it was time for a few drinks on the verandah whilst watching the tail end of Sunday racing at the track.
As the day drew to a close and the temperature began to drop we watched the sunset beyond the distant mountain ranges.
Monday morning; we rose and got organised for the long journey down to the pits but not before watching a keen (and possibly crazy) cyclist lapping the wet Wakefield circuit. The pit area was also quite damp and bitterly cold as people busily prepped their cars for a day of racing.
It was soon time to hit the circuit, so I warmed up the XR5 and headed to the staging area. Helmet donned and GoPro switched on and it was time to GO! The track was still quite wet in parts so some caution was taken, but despite this I soon realised that the XR5 was not quite right, sounding a little odd and still lacking power. I completed that session, but on my way to the second session the engine light came on. Back to the pits sheds I went for some diagnosis. Plugging in an OBDII code reader I discovered a P0016 fault code. Google tells me this is a discrepancy between the camshaft and crankshaft timing. That sounded serious but I had no idea how or why this could have happened. I decide to remove the upper timing belt cover to see if the timing marks on the camshaft pulleys look to be in alignment. It turnes out this isn't a simple task like on a Pinto motor and I really couldn't see anything resembling timing marks. What was found however was mysterious bits and pieces around the timing belt and cover. It was resident mechanic and wildlife expert Phil, who believed these bits to belong to a small rodent. Nathan backed up this diagnosis as he apparantly knows a mouse ear when he sees it clinging to the inside of a timing belt cover!
It all begins to make sense and a sequence of events falls into place... When stopping at the rest area the previous day it is likely a small, very cold, field mouse hiding in the long grass adjacent where I parked has decided to take refuge in my engine bay where it is all nice and warm. This would have been a fantastic idea until I returned to the car and turned the key. This was the point when the car was suddenly lacking in power. It now seems likely that a mouse cannot fit between a moving timing belt and crankshaft gear without the timing belt skipping a tooth.
Needless to say my day of racing was over as quickly as it began, so the car was parked and I watched others have fun instead.
Despite my disapointment, the day ran quite smoothly and it was great to watch such a large variety of cars tearing around the track. It looked like most were pushing their machines to the limits (and beyond) and there were some great times being set throughout the day. I think most that went to the last track day managed to beat their previous times, which is always a great feeling.
Thanks to all who helped make the day happen and ensure it ran smoothly and was fun for everyone. I think the general consensus from all was a big thumbs up!
The poor XR5 was babied back to Sydney and is currently in the hands of Ford. I always worry about their knowledge and ability with the XR5, but I hope they are able to get the car back to normal with minimal fuss and expense. |
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hak073
Small Ford Addict
Australia
659 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 09:41:10
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How unlucky is that Sean (for you and the mouse as well!). I can't believe a mouse managed to get up into that spot under the cam wheel cover. Hope the XR5 is back to full health soon.
Great work with all the photos too guys.
Definitely a two big thumbs up from me as well. Such a great day out. |
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Bacca
Small Ford Guru
Australia
1240 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 10:12:44
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A bit of bad luck there Sean, now if we can get Neale to tell us about his excursion with the native wildlife we will have a great story for the club magazine.
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Edited by - Bacca on 26/07/2012 10:20:05 |
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Neale
Small Ford Addict
Australia
889 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 19:23:20
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Fantastic pics sean, those convict culverts look to be in great condition. Do you know when they were made??
I hope they can get the focus sorted soon, keep us posted on how it goes.
Sadly it doesnt sound like it was the best day for the focus. The native wildlife had it in for them.
Like Sean, my story went a little differently.
Mine started with a 4.30am departure from Bathurst. About 2 hours into the journey I was going through the gorge at Curraweela (just outside Taralga) when I came around a blind corner & there was Mr Wombat going for an early morning stroll in the middle of the road. I tried my best to avoid him but I still hit him with the front left hand side of the car.
I apart from the cosmetic damage to the front bar, I didn't know if there was any further damage to the steering or suspension. So I decided to tack it back to Bathurst. Instead of sitting at home moping around, I grabbed the Cortina & headed back down to Goulburn.
At around lunchtime I was finally at the track, it only took me 7 hours to get there but it was worth it.
The old cortina is no race car but I sill had a ball rolling all over the track.
On a little side note, I took the focus down to the local Ford Dealers to get the front end checked out & a couple of other things. While it was there they told me that there was a recall on the focus that invloved the brake lines rubbing on a plastic part under the car. Most of the time it requires the dealer to trim back the plastic so that it no longer rubs. But mine had started to wear through the brake line & the dealer is replacing them.
I suppose that every cloud has a silver lining & that I didn't find out about the brake line issue on the track. |
2006 LS Focus Zetec
1969 Mk2 Cortina 440L
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Mark
Moderator
Australia
963 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 20:24:13
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Sean - what a great recall of events. Overall there were many good times had. Better luck for us all next time...
Loving the stories and photos. It is all part of being in the club. Awesome...
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1980 RS2000
2009 Mondeo XR5
2016 FGX XR6 |
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Sean
Small Ford Master
Australia
272 Posts |
Posted - 26/07/2012 : 22:06:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Neale
Fantastic pics sean, those convict culverts look to be in great condition. Do you know when they were made??
Neale, I believe the culverts were built in 1839.
It's sad to see your wounded Focus. I hope you are able to get it back to normal soon.
And... 7 hours to get to the track day! That is some serious dedication!  |
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