Steve Beeler

You have a goal…I have a way to get you there.

Motorsports

Race Trailer 5S

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5S is not just for manufacturing.  Here’s an example from motorsports…race trailer 5S.  With a little organization, everything needed for a weekend of club racing can be squeezed into a small trailer.

My Lola T-540 Formula Ford filled up the floor of my old 6 by 12 trailer.  Packed in around the car were an auxiliary battery, an air bottle, a fire extinguisher, a folding table, fuel jugs, tool boxes, chassis stands, and ramp extensions.

The trick to making such a small trailer work was to fully utilize the space above and below the car.  Above you would find mounted tires, spare parts totes, noses, a nose frame, a quick jack, a battery charger, drain pans, funnels, lawn chairs, and a big duffel bag with shelter panels.  Below were the poles for the shelter.

New race trailer at Indy

While a beautiful example of 5S, the many loading and unloading sequence constraints were getting old.  So after 20+ years of faithful service, I retired my minimalist trailer…but not it’s race trailer 5S methods.

Race Trailer 5S

With a little more floor space, my new aluminum 7 x 16 V-nose trailer from R&R Trailers is much more efficient to load and unload.  As before, the space above the car is fully utilized.  Wall mounted E-track allows for flexible shelf locations.  Spare parts tote capacity has been doubled.  Nothing is located around the car, a huge plus.

Race Trailer 5S

The shelter poles are now carried in a tray above the car, a welcome ergonomic improvement.

Race Trailer 5S

I was also able to build a small workbench into the nose of trailer.  It is drilled for a vise and a small arbor press, a significant functional upgrade.

I designed a ramp door flap to eliminate the need for ramp extensions.  What a joy to just roll the car on and off the trailer.

Just as before, everything still has a place.  Without the sequence constraints, I can load / unload in just over an hour.  When something is needed at the track, I know exactly where it is.

The so what of race trailer 5S?  Less is more but sometimes a little more goes a long way.  My old trailer, while loved and admired, was just a little too small.

There are many parallels between motorsports and manufacturing.  There is much good to be said about a small factory footprint.  Just don’t get too carried away.  People and materials need a little room to move around.

For more on race trailers, click HERE for my blog on trailer and tow vehicles.

Ice Racing

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Ice racing track

My annual Minnesota ice racing adventure is trip into a parallel universe. A front-wheel drive modified street car with studded tires on ice drives nothing like a Formula Ford with slicks on pavement. Inside out, upside down.  For one weekend, I must relearn how to drive a race car.

Tire characteristics explain most of the difference (see chart below).  On pavement, a racing slick’s cornering force increases linearly with slip angle before a soft peak at about 6 degrees. A studded ice racing tire generates far less cornering force and, because of stud geometry, builds up slowly to a relatively sharp peak…at 30 degrees!

racing slick vs ice racing tire

On ice, straight line stability is frighteningly absent. Since ice racing tires don’t generate much cornering force at low slip angles, the back of the car wanders around at yaw angles that scream “crash” in my pavement racer head. This feedback loop must be turned off. It usually takes a couple of sessions to turn the scream down to a whisper.

A “Scandinavian flick” initiates the corner sequence. On approach, the car is briefly steered away from the turn before simultaneously braking and turning into the corner. In combination, the weight transfer and pendulum effect quickly rotate the car to that magic 30 degree slip angle.

On a short corner, the Scandinavian flick is an easy technique to master. Slide in and squirt off with snow flying.  Beautiful.

ice racing local aces vs visiting tourise
Aces…and a tourist

Long corners separate the local ice racing aces from visiting tourists like me. The drag from the sliding rear tires can overslow the car. What follows is a futile series of understeering wobbles. Not fast and not pretty.

The studs carve up the ice and snow collects on the outside of the turns. This “cushion” of snow can be used to turn the car…a very clever solution to the long turn problem.  But if you jump the cushion the snow will pull you right into the larger snow banks that line the course.  Ouch!

ice racing hard ice
Perfect conditions…hard ice and a soft cushion

In ice racing, the track is changing constantly. Ideal conditions for ice racing are cloudy and 20 degrees F. The studs grip the ice and the cushion is snowy, soft, and friendly.  Below zero F, the ice becomes too hard for the studs. If it is a sunny day around freezing, the cushion will be slushy, heavy, and eager to punish the smallest misstep.

ice racing soft ice
Soft ice with a heavy cushion and standing water

Late in the season, the cushion can melt forming huge puddles around the course. These “sippi holes” are treacherous. The best way drive through them is as straight as possible. Otherwise, the standing water will almost bring a car to a complete stop. Here’s a 30 second sippi hole sampler…try not to flinch!

The great Danny Ongais has a simple driving philosophy: you are only going fast when going forward.  The “Flyin’ Hawaiian” would do just fine out on the ice.

For a more complete ice racing experience, here are links to two of my YouTube videos:

Rush Lake 2018

Pokegama Lake 2019

Visit the International Ice Racing Association (IIRA) website for schedules, rules, and more on this wacky form of motorsport.

Checklists

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My motorsports hobby runs on checklists. Checklists provide three essential functions before and during a race weekend: communicate work instructions, provide visual confirmation, and increase my available bandwidth. That’s quite a bit from a few sheets of paper on clipboards!

Here are three of my most valuable checklists:

Race Weekend Packing List. It takes a lot of parts and tools to operate a race car, even a relatively simple one like a Formula Ford. The Race Weekend Packing List, of course, lists everything that is to be loaded into the trailer. Every race weekend is a little different, so an “Added Starters” section allows for flexibility: extra sun screen and Gatorade in July, sweat shirts and hot chocolate mix in October. The primary purpose of the Race Weekend Packing List is to ensure that nothing is forgotten. It is so much easier to check these boxes in the shop than to be at the race track without something!

Checklists

Lola T-540 Checklist. This comprehensive, three-page checklist organizes the preparation of the car. Unlike the Packing List, the Lola T-540 Checklist has multiple columns. In the shop, everything is checked off to ensure that the car is race ready. At the track, not every nut and bolt must be checked before each session. Line items that must be checked off (lug nuts, tire pressures, fuel, body fasteners, etc) are left blank, those not needing attention that session are hashed out. The work content in each column is different, reflecting required maintenance frequencies. Across the columns and down the rows, the Lola T-540 Checklist outlines the maintenance plan for the weekend and visually confirms the readiness of the car. This example from the FF50th took on quite a bit of rain…

Hewland Mk9 gear change with checklist

Hewland Mk9 Gear Change Checklist. Every so often, the decision is made to change gears at the race track. No need to panic. The long column of the left lists all the parts and supplies that will be needed. The other four columns outline the steps required to disassemble the gearbox, sub-assemble with the new gears, and then put the whole thing back together again. Included in the assembly instructions are torque specs and error-proofing steps. This checklist facilitates teamwork and provides detailed, sequenced work instructions, both very welcome when time is short. With an exploded drawing for reference, everything is under control.
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Can you use checklists in your plant, office, or clinic? Almost certainly. I use them in my day job, too. One that comes immediately to mind is the 30-question checklist I use to perform operations assessments. Here’s a quick checklist for checklists:

Do you need to ensure that essential items are not forgotten?
Do you need to ensure that critical tasks are not missed?
Do you need to provide detailed, sequenced work instructions?
Do you need to coordinate multiple people?
Do you need to know the status of work in process?

And how do checklists increase my available bandwidth? Thinking is done back at the shop. At the track, my team knows what to do, when to do it, and has the parts, tools, and supplies needed. A quick glance through the checklists and I know all is well. I can focus on driving the car. You will enjoy the peace of mind, too.

Want to learn more about checklists? Here’s a great book: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.

Trailer and Tow Vehicle

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There is no avoiding them. If you go racing, then a trailer and tow vehicle are coming to the party with you. Once there, they must provide shade and shelter while serving as the headquarters for everything off-track: set up and maintenance, problem solving, strategizing, bench racing, hospitality, etc. Here are some considerations for sizing and selecting a trailer and tow vehicle.

Trailer and Tow Vehicle

Less is more. The big rigs pulled by pro teams are seriously cool. However, at most club circuits they are awkward to spot at best and nearly impossible to back into place once the paddock begins to fill up. Big price tags (initial investment and fuel costs) come with that size and weight. I made a conscious decision to race out of the smallest enclosed trailer possible. My narrow track Lola T-540 fills the floor of a 12-1/2 foot x 6 foot single axle trailer (see image below). There are racks above the car for totes, noses, tires, etc. Fuel jugs, tool boxes, and shelter poles have homes on the trailer floor around the car. I have made such a small trailer work for many years and it is delightfully easy to tow even with an SUV. But it is at its weight limit. For most Formula Ford racers, a 16 x 7 enclosed double axle trailer would seem to be the best compromise.

Steve Beeler's world's smallest enclosed Formula Ford race trailer

Portable workshop. After selecting your trailer, the next step is to set it up as a portable workshop. At a minimum, that means fast access to its contents. If something is needed at the race track, it is generally needed in a hurry. If not constrained by space and weight, a small workbench with a vise is a great thing to have at the race track. And a workbench needs a light…

RV vs SUV vs pickup. I successfully towed with an SUV for many, many years until I recently found a 25 foot RV that is a perfect match for my minimalist trailer. I like the RV because it is great for hospitality and there is no shuttling back and forth to a hotel. The larger the trailer and the heavier the race car, the more likely a longer, more powerful pickup or RV will be required.

Shade and shelter. These are must haves at the race track. If your trailer and tow vehicle are not equipped with awnings, standalone shelters work just fine.

There is no one correct answer for the trailer and tow vehicle question but getting it right will make a huge difference in the effort required to travel to the track and the experience once there.

This is the fifth in a series of blogs on how to get started in racing. If you missed the first four, here are the links: How to Get Started in Racing, Tools and Equipment, Spare Parts, and Shop Space.

Update December 2021

After 22 years of faithful service, my minimalist race trailer is retiring.  I have ordered a new 16×7 aluminum V-nose cargo trailer from R&R Trailers in Three Rivers, Michigan.  It will have room for more stuff including a small workbench and a vise…and a 48-inch LED light over the workbench!

 

 

Shop Space

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Now that we have the tools and equipment and spare parts needed to maintain our race car, we need shop space to do the work. Nobody ever has enough shop space. How much shop space is needed?

The first consideration is obvious: enough room to move around the car. The task with the largest footprint is alignment. Regardless of alignment method, count on the car “growing” in all directions. Engine changes require extra space, too, but only at the back of a rear engine Formula Ford.

Shop Space

The second consideration is where to put all the stuff. Stuff in this context includes more than just tools, equipment, and spare parts. When a race car comes into a shop, it just kind of explodes. Tires and body parts come off at a minimum. Depending on what maintenance is being performed, there must be places for suspension links, uprights, axles, brake rotors and calipers, the seat, etc. And if the engine is coming out there are oil lines, an oil cooler, an oil tank, water hoses, a header tank, engine mounts, and so on to keep track of.

The third consideration are workbenches. A sturdy 6-foot workbench with a vise is a minimum requirement. If homes are needed for a drill press and bench grinder, one workbench will not be enough.

All things considered, a Formula Ford requires about 240 square feet of shop space, about three times it’s footprint. Here are some tricks to squeeze into a minimalist shop space:

Hang as much stuff up on the walls as possible. Peg board is great for that. Wall mounted shelves and cabinets are good, too.

Store spare parts in stackable totes. Put them on stock racks and/or slide them under workbenches.

Utilize a big plastic tub to store parts (cleaned and labeled) during major maintenance projects like engine changes.

When all else fails, put it in the race trailer.   🙂

One last thought on shop space: there is never enough lighting. Hang more lights than you think you will need…tired eyes late at night will thank you.

This is the fourth  in a series of blogs on how to get started in racing. If you missed the first three, here are the links: How to Get Started in Racing, Tools and Equipment, and Spare Parts.