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"Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" - Hebrews 8:1 At the Track ... LATEST UPDATE from the OUTREACH 500 Team - 1st May, 2008 Well it’s been a while since there’s been any news added to the website. The fact is ~ it’s not because nothing’s going on, but, in fact, it’s been the opposite. We’ve raced every weekend since the middle of March. However, the results have been a little disappointing. Still, all in all, we’ve been blessed by God in our work in the speedway scene. What follows is a rundown of the last few meetings and the final result of our trip up to the Northern Territory representing Red Dust Role Models. Horsham…. Rd 7. This is a track which really seems to suit our car and we felt like it would be a good night. The team was keen and ready for the night of racing ahead. All seemed fine until the engine was fired and we were out on the track for hot laps. Under load the engine would not perform and, after removing the carbies and checking the electricals, we couldn’t find anything wrong. The car didn’t run very well at all in the first and second heats so we decided to withdraw from the meeting as we were far too slow and may have only been in the way of other competitors. Because we were having a bad night it would then be a shame to spoil someone else’s night. So into the trailer went the Outreach 500 car and we watched from the crowd. Interestingly enough, Kev later found that a small clip inside the side area of the carbies had dislodged and, when put back, the car was again fine. Now we were all keyed up for a good run at Hamilton the next weekend. Hamilton….Rd 8. We went to Hamilton feeling optimistic as the team really likes the venue and the track conditions. The car was in fine form and we were ready for a top night of racing. However, in our first heat we were in close racing and because of that, we were turned around to face the oncoming cars. A driver, with his view blinded by the other cars taking avoiding action, didn’t see the Outreach car and hit it very hard front on. That was the end of racing for us as the damage couldn’t be repaired at the track. Actually, after a couple of days Kev found he couldn’t walk and needed to hobble around on crutches for a few days! What’s new about that! Moama….Rd 9. All we can say about Moama is that the foot (driver’s foot) had not healed enough so we decided to withdraw from that event. It was a shame as we’ve never been to that track and we were all looking forward to running on the famous big speedway. Anyway making sure we were ready for the trip to Alice Springs was a priority. Alice Springs….. Northern Territory Title. Well as with a lot of things ‘the plans of mice and men’ failed. Due to work commitments, Ian couldn’t get time off so in the end it was Kev off to Alice on his ‘patmalone’. His car was loaded into the trailer with the minimum of spares. It was a trip of over 2300kms and the less weight carried the better. The cost of fuel was high and Kev took every advantage of saving any drag within the trailer. So at about 11am on Tuesday morning, after fitting two new tyres to the trailer at Bannockburn Tyre Service, it was time to hit the road. Good time was made on the trip up and Kev arrived at Alice at about 9am on Wednesday. This allowed him time to go out to the speedway and check the place out. It is a great big open oval-shaped track with a sandy type of surface. From there it was back to check into the accommodations that Red Dust Role Models had arranged. The Alice Springs Resort is a fantastic place and in no time our racer was sound asleep in a nice big bed. On Friday night there was a practice session organised by the speedway. This was a good thing as it allowed all the interstate people to get a drive before the big event the following night. Practice was a little disappointing as Kev found the trip up had shaken the car quite a bit and there was some damage to the gauges on the dash. Without a temp gauge and the heat of the engine at the earlier and hotter time in the day, Kev was worried about the possibility of doing some heat damage to the motor. With the support of Leigh Goodfellow from TDC in Alice Springs, a new temp gauge was supplied to ease our driver’s mind. From there we spent a few hours each day at the TDC workshops cleaning and preparing the car for the big event. As for the racing itself, Kev said he was a little disappointed with the first two heats as the car was not getting its power to the track as well as needed. Being a one-man-band and this being a Title event really puts pressure on you. However, by the third heat the changes being made were allowing the car to work and feel better. So for the final a few more changes were made with the hope of it bringing the car a little more in touch with the track. Kev qualified in 7th place and, as a few cars had gone out during practice and the heats, a small field greeted the starter. However, the racing was still fast and furious. After a couple of failed starts due to accidents (you get that at Titles as everyone is keen to go) Kev found that our Red Dust car was now near the front of the field. There were a couple of red light stopages as the race went on, due to accidents and by about half distance Kev found himself in second place. This was fine till he made a small mistake and another local driver jumped him. However, Kev found he could stay with the fast local driver and was looking for a way back past. This came soon and without too much invitation Kev was back past. Then it was all over and the Red Dust car had come home in second place. A little bit of prayer had gone a long way and with the run of the race going like it did we were more than happy to have been runner up. All in all Kev would just like to thank the following people and companies for their support and encouragement. Red Dust Role Models and John Van Gronigon. FGBMFI Geelong and Billy Sgro and Charles Rockerfellow. Traffic Engineering Services Victoria and Steve and Sharon Gundry. Morris Oil and Ian Worcertor. Racetec Engineering of Ballarat and Steve Carter. Jettco and Steve Bell of Warrnambool. TDC of Alice Springs and Leigh Goodfellow. Ray Blick Signs of Geelong. We would also like to thank Shortie MacLean and his team of loyal people at the Arunga Park Speedway in Alice Springs for their hospitality and friendship. _________________________ Past Updates 1st April, 2008 14th January, 2008 2nd January, 2008 18th Apri 2007 24th Feb 2007 17th Feb 2007 1st Feb 2007 18th December 2006 27th November 2006 20th November 2006