GIVING NEW LIFE TO CARS AND MOTORCYCLES

Motorsport Racing 4 Fun works on improving cars and motorcycles with the goal of either preserving or enhancing them. A true passion for classic racing cars and motorcycles.

Test day with the Corvette

The day that finally came had felt distant for a few years, and now it has happened. Project Corvette C3 was tested on the track at Mantorp during the Corvette Club’s track day with the 2024 club championship. It was a fairly calm start with a few easy laps to get a feel for the steering and brakes, among other things. Staying focused both on what is ahead and on monitoring gauges and warning lights requires concentration. There were no incidents and the speed increased step by step, but very cautiously. Back into the pits to catch a breath and then out again to look for any loose parts. Everything was secure, so it was just a matter of getting ready for stage 2. Once back out, the pace picked up a bit and it was time to start pushing a little harder on the straight. It quickly became clear that the gearbox, which is not modified, had too big a gap between 3rd and 4th gear. A five-speed gearbox with ratios that hit the right rev range would have been optimal. The next stage continued with a slightly higher pace and it worked, but now the tyres started to feel like they were letting go a bit. To counter that, newer, more modern racing tyres are probably needed, but then some of the charm is lost, so it remains to be seen what happens for 2025. Unfortunately, the final run ended with the charging warning light coming on and the oil pressure gauge showing zero. In that moment it was awful and it felt like 2025 was going to get expensive. Once back home, the hood was lifted and it turned out the alternator belt had jumped off. The plan is to check whether the correct belt is fitted and make sure the pulleys are 100% aligned. A compression test has also been carried out and the results look good, so there really shouldn’t be any cause for concern.