The Pink Hat Challenge 2009

[BlueGriff]

By means of this forum I hereby request and demand resumption of the

TVR-Datsun Pink Hat Challenge

I BlueGriff challenge the honourable Ben240z to resume battle
on
Saturday April 18th and thereafter throughout the season.

May the best man wear the hat

[JakTheRuby]

Yay! There was sod all in it last year and it was a gripping finale going down to the last day. Please Mr Stapley. It's time...

[Arkwright]

finish him off quick this year Ben . We need you at Zed-Fest (Might even let a TV R in if he's a good loser!

[ben240z]

Didnt realise that we were running in the same class this year.
Sorry i have not replied to your email but life is hectic and has posed some challanges that I could have done without.

The challenge is accepted with pleasure and I even accept your putting the TVR first.

Are you running in the class this year contrary to rumours?

Are we keeping it to club championship rounds only?

Happy new year to you

[BlueGriff]

I decided to concentrate on the Challenge this year rather than going for the championship. Plainly the “Hat” being the more prestigious and important of the two. Rumours of me deserting to the road going class were much exaggerated.

I feel the “Hat” should be contested at any meeting where we both run in the same class. In the event that one of is unable to run for some reason the hat stays where it was before the event. Plainly if we are running in different classes at the same meting the Hat challenge can not apply.

Your kind agreement agree to allow the name TVR to come first is acknowledged, however I will remind you that the challenge stickers issued for the 240 last year did show Dasun first. Perhaps the formal ruling on this should be that it becomes the TVR / Datsun or Datsun / TVR challenge based on who overwinters the “Hat”

May it be a good and fair scrap and I wish you luck in your vehicle that has the unfortunate disadvantage of being two cylinders short of a proper engine.

[ben240z]

The Pink hat has come home.

After a stunning opening weekend at Gurston and some stirling driving from the TVR pilot the class went on both days to the Z.
Saturday was by .03 sec and sunday was a bit more .40ish.

A full report of our exploits will be up soon but we have to come back down to earth first.
Dee posted a personal best time 2 yes 2 seconds quicker than previous leaving her just over 6 tenths of a second shy of a 39 second run.
The hat is just the icing on the cake after that.
Those that did the drive school or have been to gurston 81mph in hollow and 82mph over the finish line from the lady in the Z.
woohooowooohooowooohooowooohooowooohoo

[BlueGriff]

Yes there is indeed a Hat shaped space in the trophy cabinet. Please select some or all of the following as appropriate from the list below :-

The TVR driver came over all cowardly and displayed a distinct lack of talent all weekend completely failing to get on the pace.
Or
The tyres on the TVR are now well past their best.
Or
The Datsun driver seems to have returned to his previous form carrying far more speed than seems feasible round hollow bend.
Or
The Brakes on the Z now actually stop the car rather than cause it to spin.

A good weekend Ben, thanks for the Sport. look after the hat carefully and have no doubt that I will be seeking to reclaim it a little later in the year.

Well done Dee, taking 2 seconds of your PB is sensational.

[JakTheRuby]

Just to indicate how big a 2 second time slashing is peeps, let me give you some figures. Lets say that the average speed over the course is around 60mph(ish). At 60mph you will cover a whopping 1760 yards (1 mile) in 60 seconds. So in just 2 seconds the distance is 58.67 yards or 176 feet! In a race, that is an unprecedented whuppin'! Well done Dee, you're a SuperstarTM!

[zman240uk]

Well done Dee!!!! Storming performance...

[ben240z]

URGENT URGENT URGENT
For the pink hat to return to it's rightfull owner, ME, the Z needs to be running at the rest of the meetings this season.
I gave the TVR a good thrashing on sunday but not without cost.
I desperately need a gear grinder/machinist to modify a gear i have or make a new 5th gear.
There must be some one in the club that knows some one that does this sort of work
I have just 2 weeks to repair the gearbox or face the humiliation of losing the pink hat again

07766547871
ben240z@aol.com

[BlueGriff]

On your current form Ben I would think you will still win regardless of how many gears you have. You were absolutely flying and I couldn’t get on the pace all weekend. Well done on the new PB. Don’t think I have an answer if you keep going that quick but rest assured that I will try to find one.
Come on Z club find Ben the bits he needs. Don’t want to beat him just because the car is broken want to win because the TVR is quicker ( the TVR is quicker by the way it is just the driver that isn’t)
Have you tried Gearboxman - home also known as competition transmission services.

[BlueGriff]

After a push starting, lead falling out of ECU, will it rain won’t it rain, grass bank reforming excursion sort of day. The Pink Hat is back in the TVR camp, for now at least. Huraaa.

[ben240z]

As steve rightly says the pink hat returned to the TVR camp for the time being.

An ambitious second run saw me being far to agricultrural at the top of Karousel resulting in some lost time but still just 6 hundreths behind the TVR.

Note to self, Must keep head in control in september.

Much thanks go to Ken Dollen for helping throughout the day, and Martin Jones for everything (more to follow on that soon)

[Nidge74]

Ben, did you get your gearbox sorted, or did you just make the most of the 4-spd?

6 hundredths is a tiny amount, you'll have nailed the TVR to the wall if you hadn't taken the 4x4 route.

Top work

[ben240z]

long story on the gearbox but got it part sorted with much help from martin jones(but again more on that in the hear future)
I nailed him to the floor in practice with a 36.01 but then that did not count.

The hat will come home for the winter