Rockingham - May 25/26 2008

Well the bank holiday passed and what a busy weekend for RMN Motorsport!
With the anticipation of our new engine being delivered it was fair to say
that there was a great deal of excitement within the team.

The excitement almost turned to despair thought as the engine was delayed
for a few weeks and concerns over which engine to use for Rockingham
mounting.
On the Saturday before however the phone calll came and Richard set off to
pick up our new power plnt which would be hot off the dyno when he arrived!

All that can be said is that the wait was well worth it and the RMN Pick Up
boasts some of the most impressive power and torque figures in the field!

With the engine cooling in the car Richard set off to the workshop where he
would meed the rest of the team to begin the task of making the new engine
feel at home in the Pick Up. This proved to be more of a demanding
challenge than first realized with a whole host of modifications being
required. This delayed our departure to the circuit and after two full days
in the workshop and one rather “robinson” looing alternator bracket later
the truck was loaded and off we set.

Despite the trouble getting the engine into the truck it seems to have
benefited us as the rest of the Pick Up circus spent two days being rained
upon! Content with the knowledge that we were dry and fresh upon entering
the circuit the Truck was unloaded and prepared for the morning practise.

Disaster struck as Richard left to join the others with the clutch decided
it wouldn’t dis-engage and thus rendering the Truck with no drive! Back
into the garage and once again the team had to remove the gearbox (3rd or
4th time this weekend) and investigate why. With the rest of the field
returning from practise (20 mins) the RMN team wre already preparing to
refit the gearbox having deciphered the fault, one to many spacers on the
thruxt bearing. With fault proportioned onto Chris’s shoulders the Truck
was rebult and happily drive returned in readiness for the first race.

Race 1

The weather have been so dismal all weekend it apperared that mother nature
was trying her best to give us a wet race. despite her efforts how ever the
rain stayed away long enough for the race to be declared dry if not a
little damp and 17 trucks thundered round the Rock looking as impressive as
ever. the RMN Pick was running well and due to a faulty water temperature
gauge and our own concerns over the engine it was decided that Richard
should pull in after 5 laps so we could ensure the engine was not over
heating. This unfortunately hindered our race considerably but the overall
result was that the engine was good, Richard being able to stay with the
faster trucks and the Truck only suffered with push.

The first race being out the way we took shelter in the Lorry as mother
nature finally delivered her threat and the heavens opened! With the Truck
checked over and a minor adjustment made to try and cure the push Richard
was bolted into the driving seat as the field made ready for race 2.

Race 2

Our confidence now running a little higher despite the damp conditions it
was decided to try and make the most of our pole position grid place. The
general plan being to allow the faster trucks past, on the inside line, and
then to latch onto the back and be pulled round hoping to pick up a
respectfull placing.

The weather being a major factor in this race and grip levels impossible to
guess from lap to lap, Richard did an outstanding job of running the Truck
at a comfortable pace in 13th and always looking like 11th was possible.
due to the lateness of the day however the full 35 laps were not to be
reached and un-known to us the race was cut to just 15 laps which meant
that the final push for 11th was never acheived.

All in all and despite the problems the team came away happy knowing that
there was more pace to be found in the Truck and we now have an engine that
can keep us on the back bumper of the other Trucks.

Lets just say this is proving to be a great year for RMN Motorsport and the
whole team energized and excited about the remainder of the season!

Chris 
Crew Chief