Our 2007 racer featured a streamlined fiberglass
body shell lengthened by a foot on both sides to the maximum of 96". The floorboard was constructed of two layers of 3/4"
poplar wood laminated and glued together. Once the floorboard was constructed, it was routed out to accomodate 85 pounds of
steel plates set beneath our driver. The rear axle was mounted in two places and pinned both vertically and horizontally to
be solid, and the front end featured a horizontal kingpin which was run 'loosely'. All of the weight in this racer was located
between the axles with the intent of achieving equal weight distribution on all 4 wheels.
One steering cable attached to the front axle inside
the racer and was routed around a pulley inside the car that was attached to the front of each end of the axle. The cable
was then held fast to an anchor point with a turnbuckle on each side. This produced a situation where the steering wheel must
be moved farther than needed to move the axle a short distance, preventing over-steer.
We were fortunate to acquire a handbrake/steering
combination so that the brake pedal could be eliminated. Original plans called for a long clear plexiglas windshield to extend
from the headrest to just behind the cockpit cover's hinge, but after cracking 3 different pieces of plastic, I decided to
simply cover the gap in the top piece with a piece of sponge rubber into which a sight groove was placed so that our driver
could still see.
Our axles were constructed by Creative Tool and
Die of Groveport, Ohio. They were fabricated from steel and fashioned to reflect a gull wing like design that allows
us to use 110 mm wheels instead of the larger German wheels.
The wheels we chose were MPC Streetfighter inline
skate wheels. They were designed for super speed on asphalt surfaces and the tires featured ultra-high hysteresis. The outer
edge of the tire has a hard consistency but the inner tire is made of a material with a super-high rebounding characteristic
-- much like that found in a super ball. The tires are very narrow and have only the minimum contact area of 1/4" touching
the ground. These All-Weather tires were chosen to perform better than a luge wheel if rain were to fall on
the track.
The bearings we chose for our racer are Ninja
688 Ceramix Mini-Misers -- the very best skate bearings made. They have ultra low rolling resistance and very little bearing
friction and come pre-lubricated for high performance. They can be acquired through our sponsor, Absolute Speed, located in
Westerville, Ohio. Our hope was that this combination of components would provide us with the winning ingredients when added
to the exceptional driving experience of our driver, Stephanie Inglezakis.
Rutherford AutoBody did a fantastic job of giving
our racer a flawless paint job! The difference between what the racer looked like before and after it was painted was like
night and day. Words can't express my joy in seeing the end result but as you view the pictures, they speak for themselves.
My sincere "Thanks!" go out to Tom Rutherford and his fine staff at Rutherford AutoBody in Canal Winchester for a job well
done!
