VIR Gold Cup

[John Cody Forbes]

My father was invited to the Brian Redman VIR Gold Gup (invite only) the weekend before last, and after he cracked a set of front rotors on the 914-6 (real -6) I was nominated to borrow some rotors off a 911 thats sitting (now on blocks) in my yard to save the weekend. I drove up Sunday morning, and boy am I glad I did! Since it was a decently long trip (1 and a half hours each way) I decided to use it as some break in time on the fast car. Saw some very very rare machinery there (MAC: 1 urQ, 1 S8 on the way up) including a Porsche 907, and 3(!!) 908's, two of which were 908/3 flat 8cyl cars. I took 150+ pictures while I was there, including tons of one of the 908/3's with the rear bodywork off.

So mid-day as a gift for bringing the brakes up I was given a ticket for track touring, and of course having been arround racing since I was still in the oven I knew well to be as close to the last car on track as possible. Since the car was running ok and already smoking almost imperceptively I decided to bend the rules and give it some stick as Tiff would say. Rev limit went to 8k, boost to 1.5bar, and my smile to each ear on the first straight. The car is much faster with the light flywheel and new engine, much much faster. The VIR officials are lax enough that the whole field made a pretty decent clip arround the track, and those of us that lagged back in the beginning could take half a lap at a time at full tilt without getting the "no no" finger. My speedo is broken (can't figure out why, replaced broken speed sensor to no avail, havent diag'ed yet), but I was shifting out of 4th @ 8000rpm 3 separate times per lap and on the long straight after the famous Oak Tree corner I was running well into 5th gear. Does anybody know of an rpm vs. speed 016 gear ratio chart? I have the ratio's so if I find the circumference of my tires then I could find my speed, but charts are easier then calculations ;-). Ran like clockwork, and dusted some late model P-cars in the process. A friend took a video on thier digital camera, I haven't seen it yet, but supposedly it shows a 2nd gear through 5th gear pull down the front straight, and a second vid shows me doddling through some corners then blasting to the next corner.

The 907 that was there deserves a blurb too. Besides 917-023 and Porsche #1 that I saw at Rennsport Reunion, this has to be the most historic Porsche I've seen. In 1968 it won the 24 of Daytona, becomming the first Porsche to win a major endurance race, then a month later it placed 2nd at Sebring (best finsh by Porsche), then 3rd at Le Mans (again, at the time this was thier best overall finish) a few months later. After Le Mans it was retired, and never raced professionally again.

Ok, now that I've bored you all with my novel of a post, here are some pictures to keep your interest:
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup - The gallery page. First few are on the trip up, then its in line for track touring and 2 pic's of me and the little guy, then a few of VIR from on track, then a bunch arround the paddock, then the little guy again this time sitting in Grandpa's race car.

Highlights:
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup/P1010020 - A real 427 side-oiler Cobra. Been a race car nearly since new, the owner is from Norway hence the graphics.
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup/P1010027 - The 907.
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup/P1010040 - 908/3, 907, 908/3 on the grid and 908/1 in the background.
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup/P1010074 - 908/3 and 908/1 after the race, if you start here and browse the next 43 images you get outstanding detail shots of 908 details, including underneath a 908/3. Very interesting headers! They remind me of GT40 bundle of snakes, just out of plain sight.
http://jcforbes.com/jcfpics/virGoldCup/P1010138 - Baby boy in Grandpa's race car.


In other news, the clutch still doesn't quite disengage, and I'm confident that the TO bearing is indeed pushing the PP enough after adjusting my slave cyl rod a few times until I over-adjusted at one point. It grips for sure even in 5th on boost, so I doubt I made the amazingly embarasing mistake of installing the disc backwards, but I suppose it's possible. I guess I am indeed going to need to pull the tranny off.

-Cody Forbes
http://www.5000tq.com
'86 5k noT noQ
'86 5k noT noQ - Parting Out
'87 5ktq
'87 5ktq - Fast. Really Fast.