First Race Night for 2009 (May 30, 2009)
B&T Racing made a return to the race track after a one year hiatus. The results were mixed, but the potential of the new car is obvious. I haven't seen the final results, but we started 23rd and finished 8th or 9th. The night was full of the "new car blues" -- Read my race blog for the nights details.
New B&T Car Status (September 2008):
It has been a long time coming, but our new Canaday Chassis is done! I took it to the ScorpTec Chassis Dyno in early September to test our new engine package and took a few laps following the final night of racing at Sweet Springs Raceway. With everything coming together so late in 2008, I have decided NOT to race the car until the 2009 Sweet Springs season. We will compete in the Winged Open Class at Sweet Springs Raceway and plan to be in the fight for the 2009 Track Championship.
CLICK HERE for more Pictures of the new car!
CLICK HERE for my first impression of the car at speed.
The Chassis: The new car uses the basic layout of my previous car with a few changes. The cockpit is wider and longer with a really slick, simple adjustable pedal position. We have incorporated newly designed birdcages and an inboard rear brake. We retain the sidepanel mounted wing design I have used for the last seven years with numerous improvements to prevent wing mount failures that have cost me a few races over those years. We also remain sold on the right side mounted fuel tank. My previous car utilized the last available set of Canaday spindles (the absolute BEST spindle for a micro sprint, EVER) and we just cannot justify the cost to extrude 300 more sets; thus, we have incorporated the Stallard Chassis spindle into our front axle design. This change caused us to design new brake caliper and rotor mounts to adapt our front brake system to the Stallard Spindles. The result is the best front wheel brake system in micro sprints!
The Engine: The engine is a 2007/2008 Honda CBR600RR with a MoTec Engine Control Unit (ECU). We custom built our airbox incorporating top feed fuel injectors and eliminated the lower throttlebody injectors. The engine performed well on the dyno and has a beautiful, wide, flat power curve, but we are not where we want nor expect to be with top end power. Don't get me wrong, the top end power is good, but it seems we are choking the engine with our "store bought" headers. Honestly, you just cannot buy a real good set of headers that are properly tuned for these new high rpm engines. The manufacturers have to make far too many compromises to fit all the different chassis and keep the cost down; thus, we will be building our own headers this winter with correct tube diameter, proper primary length and a professionally built collector to match the powerband of this high revving engine. Obviously, additional time on the ScorpTec dyno will be required once the headers are built.
Fellow racer Jon Greenberger (#50 in the Winged Stock Class) put an incredible paint job on the skins and to say that I am proud of our new car is an understatement. I love the fact that we are one of the few that still build something different and don't just purchase a "store bought" chassis or fuel injection system. It is a huge risk to build our own car, but it is so cool to put my head together with the likes of the Canaday Brothers, Jerry Whitworth (Mirage Chassis), Gigot Manufacturing LLC / ScorpTec (Mike Gigot) and GP Engineering LLC (Kevin Gigot).
If this thing runs as good as it looks and I can still drive worth a dang - we will be in good shape next year!
I put up a blog on my first practice laps in the car -- Needless to say, I am now extremely excited to take my first RACING laps in our newest creation once the 2009 Sweet Springs season begins.
Tech Tip - How to Clean 600cc Carburetors:
I can't even begin to tell you how many positive comments and how many people I have seen out-right perform better on the track due to this tech article - Check it out!
I have seen far too many performance problems related to 'dirty' carburetors. It is not difficult and is key to consistent engine operation. Is it laziness or just a lack of know-how that keeps people from properly maintaining their carbs? read more...
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