Der Sportwagen

September / October 2015 52 like Saturday we are running well, and near the front. At last things are coming to- gether. Then I get the dread- ed call over the radio "tran- ny's broke". "Oh no" "what happened". "No drive". The car is limped back to the pit. It's running, the gearbox is shifting just as it should. The clutch feels normal. No noises. What the heck! I drive around the parking lot at very low speed. As soon as I try and take power the motor just spins. I assume the clutch has failed. With no spares and even if I had, no time to repair and finish to make a difference, it's game over. I could say we drove the car back on the trailer which is one of my team goals along with checkering. However that would be a stretch as it took more than a few of us to push her on. But the mo- tor was running and provid- ing some drive. We head home despon- dent. To add insult to injury, I find that we had won an award for Hunsacker fuel jugs, which are the fastest flowing jugs currently avail- able. They have been on my want list for some time. As you have to be present to win, I won then lost. What a great finish to the worst weekend ever. Once I get home, I tear the transmission out. The clutch looks perfect, it's like brand new. Very odd I think. The flywheel also looks perfect. It's a dual mass style which means two parts with rubber cushioning. This one truly is two parts, two separate and unconnected parts. The clutch side assembly simply spins on the flywheel side. It's amazing that it gave any drive at all. So what did I learn? Some aftermarket parts such as Control arms may look just like the factory parts, but they aren't. I have since bought some high dollar German made parts. I was never a big fan of dual mass flywheels. Now I have real cause for concern. Next race is High Plains, a great track just outside of Denver. More new parts, and looking forward to a solid weekend, and hopeful- ly a return to Fun Fun Fun, take the checker each day, and drive her on the trailer. - RICHARD

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