Back on the road & at the track

Hi all,

the last weeks haven't been the best weeks of our season. Back in Finland after delivering the hack at the AYR workshop our Ford Transit did run in new technical problems. Arriving at my work all the coolant was spread out on the parking lot. Nothing else left than call a tow car and have the van transported to a garage.

This time I decided to do the repair by myself because without a sidecar nothing better to do or..? The van was shipped to Teokon and in the evening we had a look at it. A water hoose was punctured but to replace it I had to dismantle half of the engine. A second hose was also bad and I found spare parts from a Ford dealer not far from Helsinki!

Everything back in it's place and the engine getting warmer again coolant started to drip, a new leak, the water pump this time. To replace a water pump in a Transit you'll have to dismantle about 75% of the engine. The new hydraulic pump had to be removed also, strange that the first workshop didn't notice all the three bad parts when doing the original repair. But last Sunday the van was ready and back on the road.

A friend picked up our sidecar at the AYR workshop when travelling from Estonia, that saved me a return trip to Tallinn. Monday and Tuesday evening we spend in our own workshop fixing the last issues with the hack. The engine is mounted a littler lower in the frame now and after re-installing all the necessary accessories we kicked it for the first time alive. The engine started easily and did run very smoothly. The same evening we packed the van with all the stuff you would need for a GP tour of 12 races.

Wednesday evening we went to the Siuntio Motorclub track for the first laps with the new engine. Of course we had to take it easy but it's very clear that this engine is so much easier to ride. We did our laps and had breaks to let the engine cool down before the next session. After all the troubles and work this was almost too easy!

Thursday evening we did go to Riihimäki for a second session. All the tracks near Helsinki were occupied or closed. Also this evening the engine did run smoothly and very strong. We did give the engine a few good runs and decided to participate at the Karksi-Nuia event. The van was fine and the hack felt good, what more do you need?

I ordered  tickets for myself and the van but had to take the 14:00 ferry at Friday. Mikael and Panu will follow with the 17:30 ferry as footman. I'm writing this post while on the ferry, good moment to update our journey to glory. In the evening we will drive to Viljandi to our hotel and tomorrow morning the first race since one month. Let's hope all the bad luck you can have in a season is behind now.

Best regards,
Stephan