Old Photo for Don [DNK]

Well, it took some looking, but my brother found this old photo of the BMW 2002 that we crewed on in the late '70s - early '80s. My brother has been a professional photographer sinc the '60s, so that means <span style="font-style: italic">lots</span> of boxes to look through. This was the only photo of that BMW that he found.

This is in the paddock at Summit Point in about '81. It's still in B Sedan, not GT2, so that should help date the photo.

That Saturday morning Fred, the driver, came in from practice and yelled, "It's handling funny! Something's wrong!" The front wheels had <span style="font-style: italic">way</span> too much negative camber. My brother opened the hood and the engine was sitting too low.

The subframe had broken in two!

A 2002 is monocoque construction, but a subframe holds the front suspension, engine, and the whole front of the car together. You could see where a PO had cut part of the subframe away to provide clearance for an oversize oil pan, weakening it. The broken subframe can be seen in the photo.

Fred's shop, Mt. Airy Motors, just happened to have a new subframe in stock. A crew member was dispatched to get the subframe whilst the rest of us removed the broken one. We got everything back together but missed qualifying and Fred had to start at the back of the grid in the Regional on Sunday.

Fred passed about half the pack by turn 1 and finished at or near the front, I forget exactly where.

It's amazing the work that is done in the paddock, lying in gravel, under the worst of conditions. Fred said that, had a customer come into the shop for a new subframe, it would have taken a week to replace it, with the car on a lift, under the best of conditions.

Maybe Don was there that weekend. Those were the days, weren't they?

That's great, John! And the things that went on AFTER tech and qualifying to get some THING or other back out on the course. Duct... OH!! I mean RACER'S tape, coat hangers (racing WIRE), tie wraps...

I got so's I could change out the gear set in a ZedF box in ten minutes or less with not much more'n a "speed wrench" and a shot to a rear tire with me boot. Likened it to birthin' a baby... Without need to boil any water. :smirk:

Two guys, a chain, a jack handle and a few tools can change out the clutch assembly on a Spridget in an hour at the track. Don't ask how I know.

We do the utmost to have perfectly clean conditions to build our engines in the off season, but will thrash in the worst of conditions at the track (successfully) to make races. The above engine/clutch thrash worked perfectly for 6 more race weekends.

Yup, replacing head gasket on a Martini Formula Three at the Spanish border crossing, waiting for our insurance papers to clear customes. In the rain, at night, with the wind blowing...

"Motivation" is an amazing thing! :laugh:

John,I think it might have been earlier, I left MD in 81 and I think I remember that and I think it changed to the GT class before that.
It is fuzzy memory though.
Thanks for the photo

Any of us who worked in the "pits", knew that the sterile and ideal shop environments were gone the minute you left the parking lot. I only did Formula V for two seasons, but did many Olds/Pontiac/Ford engines at the drag strips and still have scars and burn marks on my hands to show for a tear down on a hot engine.

We'd never tear anything down hot in the shop, but when you have 40 minutes between races, you have no choice. As the guys used to say, "we didn't come all this way to sit watching everyone else race and if it's gonna get towed home, let it be from a good effort to win."