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Post by afx on Feb 8, 2018 8:14:15 GMT -8
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Post by dustymojave on Feb 8, 2018 16:16:20 GMT -8
Similar to Dan Gurney's double a year before winning the Belgian GP in his Eagle, then Le Mans in the Ford GT Mk4 a week apart, IIRC.
When I see Elford's name, it reminds me of Riverside Times GP Can Am, 1970 (IIRC),and Vic Elford driving the Chaparral 2J. He came into the garage from practice and got out. Then he and Jim Hall were having some disagreement about the car. I really can't recall what the specific issue was, but I DO remember thinking at the time "Elford's right".
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Post by Chris K. Hale on Feb 9, 2018 11:15:17 GMT -8
I was at RIR that day in Gurneys Pit, and I remember the Furor cause by the Vacum Exhaust sucking up and blowing dirt, rocks and debris at anyone who was behind it!! LOL... those were truly the days when it was "Run What Ya Brung!" We has a great customer at SAR that had worked for N.A.S.A. He been paralyzed from the waist down when he was sprayed with liquid Nitrogen while inspecting a Saturn V rocket, and was confined to a wheel chair, He had just introduced Lexan to all the Slot car Body Makers. One afternoon he got a call from Jim Hall and Jim wanted to know if there was anything that would work, to create a vacum on the 2J , he had been searching for a material other than the "Brushes" that many were trying to seal the cars to the track, Ground Effects were still called the "Black Art", Chuck Halum being an Advanced Composites Engineer for N.A.S.A. told Jim about the G.E. Lexan they had used on the Rockets for windows and other assorted areas. He told him it was basically Bullet proof, held up under heat depending on the thickness and could be mounted as sliding skirts around the car.. Jim contacted G.E. and got some Lexan promising to put them as a sponsor on the 2J and thus the story behind Lexan!!! Chris
Ps. I spoke to my Mom a few weeks back and she told me Chuck had been fitted with a pair of Robotic fully functional legs by the Robotics Dept. of N.A.S.A......modern science!
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Post by dustymojave on Feb 15, 2018 20:22:00 GMT -8
I got sprayed with that grit a couple of times at that Times GP as the car passed by in the paddock. It stung. And that was at low speed. I'm sure the drivers who got behind the Chaparral were hit by grit at a much higher velocity.
Lexan is said to be strong enough that a 1/4" thick sheet will stop a .45 ACP (Colt M-1911 .45 automatic pistol) round at point blank range. I've watched high speed film of it and handled samples that had been shot. Tough stuff!!!
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