Steve Beeler

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

Motorsports

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. 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.

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.

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.

Spare Parts

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Race cars wear things out (if you are paying attention) and break them (if you are not) so spare parts are always needed. How many spare parts to carry? How to organize spare parts?

Money is obviously the primary consideration (and limiting factor) but there are others. Sourcing is at the top of the list of other considerations. In the digital age, there is so much that can arrive the next day at the click of a mouse. The next other consideration is storage. If there is no room for it on the trailer and it can be delivered tomorrow, why have it at the shop?

What is left are hundreds of small, relatively low cost parts to have at the shop and then take to the race track. It would make no sense, for example, to ruin a race weekend over a spark plug so a set of spark plugs goes to the track.

Spare Parts

Here’s an outline of the spare parts that I take to the race track and how I organize them into the three totes shown above:

Electrical and Fluid Handling. No spark and fuel starvation are the two primary causes of engine problems. This tote contains critical electrical parts (master switch, on/off switch, starter button, coil, starter, etc), a complete set of ignition parts (cap, rotor, condenser, plug wires), and wire in every color and connectors in every size. Also in this tote are critical fuel system components: pump, filter, hose, clamps, and check valve. A complete set of coolant hoses and clamps, oil filter cartridges and o-rings, and assorted light bulbs complete the spare parts in this tote.

Chassis and Power Train. Brakes are worked hard in Formula Ford racing. This tote contains spare parts required to refurbish the brake system: master cylinders, caliper seals, caliper pistons, and pads. Also in this tote are rod ends in all sizes, clutch parts (disc, slave cylinder, throw out bearing), spark plugs, lobro joints and boots, front wheel bearings and seals, a throttle cable, an assortment of small springs, an engine gasket kit, and alternate gear sets.

Vital Fluids and Chemicals. This tote contains the fluids and lubricants (oil, brake fluid, water wetter, bearing grease) and chemicals (cleaners, sealers, thread lockers) required to maintain the car. Also contained in this tote are shop rags, paper towels, micro fiber cloths, emery cloth, scotch brite, etc.

Not all spare parts fit into these three totes. Carried separately are a nose, a nose frame, splitter rub strips, a radiator, assorted suspension links, engine mounts, a rear upright, two hardware kits, and eight mounted tires.  I would take more to the track if I had the money and the room on the trailer. 🙂

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