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Race Trailer 5S

August 26, 2022 by stevebeeler

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.

As you might expect from its name, 5S is a five-step process with roots in lean thinking and the Toyota Production System.  5S is a pathway to a clean, uncluttered, organized workplace reducing waste and improving productivity:

1) Sort                             Get rid of what is not needed
2) Set In Order              Organize by neatly arranging and labeling
3) Shine                          Clean
4) Standardize               Schedule regular cleaning, organizing, and ordering
5) Sustain                       Make the first four steps a habit

My Lola T-540 Formula Ford filled up the floor of my old 12-1/2 x 6 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 for a new 16 x 7 aluminum V-nose from R&R Trailers …but not it’s race trailer 5S methods.

Race Trailer 5S

With a little more floor space, my new trailer is much more efficient to load and unload.  As before, the space above the car is fully utilized.  Spare parts tote capacity has been doubled.  Nothing is located on the floor around the car, a huge plus.  Loading and unloading sequence constraints are a thing of the past.

Race Trailer 5S

The shelter poles are now carried in a tray above the car, a welcome ergonomic improvement.  Spare tires are again carried in a rack across the back of the trailer.  The E-track also secures flat items like tables against the walls of the trailer.

trailer shelves

I built a small workbench and two shelves into the nose of trailer.  The workbench is drilled for a vise and a small arbor press, a significant functional upgrade.  A helmet shelf organizes my driving gear between sessions.

Race trailer door flap and extension

To eliminate the need for long, heavy ramp extensions, I ordered the trailer with a beavertail and designed a custom ramp door flap.  These short structural foam blocks from Race Ramps weigh only two pounds each!  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 and 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 still 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.  While 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.

Filed Under: Motorsports Tagged With: 5S, Formula Ford, Lean Thinking, motorsports

Ice Racing

January 29, 2021 by stevebeeler

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!

https://stevebeeler.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Sippi-Hole-Clip.mp4

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.

Filed Under: Motorsports Tagged With: Formula Ford, ice racing, IIRA, International Ice Racing Association, motorsports

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