WEEK TWENTY

Monday, 31st March

Delays and more delays.

The R8 dome air valve of the Kenworth leaks more now than it did before it was reconditioned so the test appointment was aborted for the 2nd time down to another supplier not doing their job properly. The leaking valve is removed from the vehicle and sent off again for a 2nd attempt taking at least a week to get it back again. I took the trailer back to the happy people at the local MOT station to pass after they carefully measured my new mudflaps (sad people) were ½ inch wider than the previous ones.

I think at least the trailer will be tested for April 12th , god knows if I'll ever get to test the Kenworth but we'll try again next week.

Meanwhile the ally welder hasn't turned up to alter the inlet manifold, the electrician is 3 days overdue, the new smoke box exhaust is somewhere between Germany and Enstone, with Roger the painter gone awol, and the fibreglass boys crying off at the last minute.

I think I'll go out then and have a massage by a page 3 model or anything else than be around here right now !!

Any of you that know me well, will understand that I have a very short fuse as it is, let alone with so many things going wrong with 2 weeks to go. Time for a relaxing few hours away from base before one, two or three innocent souls get put on their backsides in the yard if they try to calm me down !!

We find a new pair of fibreglass boys from Chertsey who came straight down to measure up and take away our half made moulds to make up the finished articles in record time !!

The electrician finally turns up and begins his mammoth task of a complete vehicle wiring in 2 weeks please. We decide the single leaf front springs will not be up to the job so order 2 x new front twin leaf units. When they are fitted, as they are new and unused they raise the front ride height by some 2 inches, 'no good' so they are despatched in the van to London for re profiling taking 2 days to rectify.

Jim is trying to make and fit the shock absorber brackets and safety suspension straps which limit the amount of travel upwards on the shocks to prevent destroying them when I leap the kerbs on the track.

Pav is flat out bolting on various chassis components with Ben making up my cab interior, dashboards, with gauges, switches galore, brake bias and water brake pressure valves. All the week the boys are burning the midnight oil 'till the early hours every night. The chassis loom is made up wire by wire then covered to make secure and fixed into position. The batteries are mounted on a frame behind the radiator in front of the engine directly over the front axle.
Axle and overall weight is still a big issue. The minimum front axle weight has to be 3,600 kgs with the minimum total weight 5,800 kgs on disc brakes so we are painstakingly trying to get to exactly these figures.

With this ERF - EC the only race truck in existence it's all suck it and see.

A couple of hours in the evening this week saw my little mate Adam Simms come along to help with the preparations. Adam is my biggest fan, being 12 years old and partially disabled I try to let him help out on the team when he can from time to time. We've also adopted another 15 year old helper called Ed Catling from the next village 'Gaginwell' who also is a keen enthusiast of the new project, part time after school, with a lot of local friends interest in visits to see how we're getting on and will it be ready in time !!

Good news comes of Friday with confirmation of full factory backing for this season from ERF Trucks (GB) so it's official we are now building "the one and only works ERF racer" This will be the first season I have ever had factory backing in my 17 year racing history. Some achievement at last !! It didn't come easy mind . After much research I waited 4 ½ hrs at the Commercial Vehicle Show at Birmingham last week to see one man I had targeted - the MD of ERF trucks - I would not see or tell anyone else what I was after. To think I nearly gave up and went home dissapointed, after being ignored for so long waiting !! This is a reminder of what Self Belief can do if you stick your neck out and don't give up 'till you succeed.

The value to my team of this backing cannot be exactly measured at this time, but will be worth thousands of pounds this season and next, with an altogether higher status round the paddock, plus with another manufacturer involved in truck racing it cannot but help to raise the profile of our sport !!

An over ruling decision by me is taken on Friday PM as to the cab colours. It will be ERF Corporate Red which will be applied this weekend.

Pav's moving onto the air brake system now. A valve here and another there, then just to pipe up next week. Meanwhile the Pirteck hose man has been for 5 visits this week making up hydraulic air and fuel pipes. The steering track is seen to by the Steertrack man, setting up our camber and caster angles so as this 6 ton 1200 hp go kart will corner at high speed.

The ramps are removed from the rear of the transporter trailer ready for the welder at the weekend to add a couple of feet to her overall length, so as this new race truck will fit onto the trailer.

A collection of the 1st batch of fibreglass panels from Chertsey, together with the re-profiled front springs, which me old mate Ernie Thomas nipped into London Friday, collected back to his yard, also at Chertsey to help me out is arranged for Saturday dinner time, ready for offering up 1st thing Monday. Pav instead of going home for the weekend to Nottingham, together with Ben, Jim, Stuart, Gary and Roger worked all through the weekend trying to catch up on lost time. Bloody good job they did as end of week 20

One week to go !! oh my god - we are never going to make it !! Look at this :- no cab and engine management wiring looms, or external lights of any sort, no glass in the cab, no front grille or body styling or wings, no smoke box exhaust or piping. Still no diesel tank. No front air tunnel ducting, air filter etc., water brake system, air brake system, stickers, front springs, mirrors. Engine water system not finished. Shock absorber mountings still not finished, no anti roll bars and much, much more. To say I'm starting to panic is an understatement, everyone I meet in the street, my office or on the phone I ask to come and help us out !!