Triumph TR6: Dreams of Power and Speed

• By: Charles Key  
  Pictures by: Adam Key and Adrianne Key
  

• As seen in Triumph World, December 2008, pages 50-51and in TR Action, Issue 229, September 2008, pages 28-29.

• The heart of the engine, the oil pump, was up rated to a race design putting out more volume at low and high pressures. This combined with the opening up of the oil galleys to keep more oil moving at all times, provides cooler engine temperatures, and this is just what we want. Along with all this, we also used a high flow water pump and a new aluminum radiator, designed for a performanceV8. A Hayden electric fan will provide the air movement. An electronic distributor with a fast rev curve and a long advance, coupled with a high output coil would provide the spark thru Champion race plugs running at cooler temperatures. Now, that we have the engine build well on the way we must look at the supercharger kit from Moss Motors to see just what works and what doesn’t. I have never seen a truly bolt on horsepower unit that did not need tweaking to make it work correctly. In the case of this TR6, we are starting the supercharging stage of the build with a very well designed engine made for the supercharger with the extra boost pulley.
  While the engine was out of the car, it was time to detail the engine bay. It was red, the car color, and the engine was done in a bright yellow. Frank wanted it to stand out and it sure does, we named it “The Blown Banana”.
• Now, for the adaptations required for the proper fitting of the supercharger kit. First, the engine mounts were designed for extreme tork with heavy rubber and cross latch plates that would prevent the mounts from pulling apart. Second, we found the pulleys would not clear the suspension cross frame mount so this was cutaway for clearance and a plate welded back in to make this part stronger than the original. Third, the bracket assembly for the throttle linkage was installed. We found it did not fit the car and allowed for a great deal of flex in the linkage, this resulted in half of the accelerator travel being used to move the linkage, which is not acceptable. After a redesign of this rather complicated linkage and simplification of the assembly, this now worked very well. All of the accelerator travel was in use and full acceleration was available. Fourth, fitting the supercharger to the engine was typically a problem, the exhaust header flanges were a different thickness and needed to be sized for a perfect fit to the supercharger manifold. The exhaust headers were wrapped in high heat header wrap to keep the temperature low, and a heat shield would not be needed. Fifth, it was suggested that the copper head gasket be used with the supercharger, so that is what we used on the engine. This proved to be a bad choice, after running the engine for about 250 miles the gasket failed, like I though it might. This gave me the opportunity to remove the head and see how the inside of the chambers looked. As I suspected the copper head gasket was leaking compression in all cylinders. These gaskets have a long history of this problem, but it was reported this was a better gasket, it was not. A composite head gasket was installed and compression was restored at an even higher rate. This engine has that very special sound of smooth power and ready speed, passing will not be a problem anymore. Sixth, a re-tuning of the engine was now required with the higher compression rate and more aggressive throttle response. The carburetor was monitored for good fuel flow at the full RPM range, adjusting it to be slightly rich throughout the range. I think there are a couple things the TR6 could still use; those being a limited slip rear end and Halo meter to monitor the fuel mix at all times.With the engine installed and tuned the car was ready for a road test. It was amazingly fast and sounded so very mean, a bit like a Spitfire aero engine or perhaps an F1 with that smooth rippling sound of power. I enjoyed the test drive so much it made it difficult to return to the shop. This TR6 well exceeds expiations for the project; no longer will the little NOPI tuners buzz by this Triumph. A couple of other things were added to the 6, a set of Panasport wheels with low profile, high speed tires from Yokohama. The brakes were also up rated and carry Green Stuff from EBC. A small problem came up with the Panasport’s, the mounting lugs did not carry the wheels in the manner needed for very high speed, so I came up with a proper lug for full support to carry the wheels at the extremes called for in this application.
  The Triumph now has about 1700 miles on the engine and is performing very well. With all the proper planning and execution of the plan the results are predictable and very exciting. This is a “Dream of Power and Speed” that has come true……..
• It was summer, and Frank came by with his lovely wife in their TR6. The car had been well loved and had signs of aging. Frank asked if we could build his car to perform at a level so passing would be no problem; he wanted power. We talked about the many ways to build the six-cylinder. He chose a supercharger system, one would be available in the near future, we placed the order for one of the first produced.
  British Cars of America, LLC is my company and we build performance cars as well as performing total restorations. After inspection of Frank’s TR6 engine, we found it to be very worn, and not a good candidate for a bolt-on power package such as the supercharger, so out came the engine.
  When supercharging it is best to be sure the engine can handle all the horsepower. To build a proper engine it will be necessary to design the unit for the supercharger; the following is information to build it correctly.
  First, we will talk about the cylinder head; this was port matched and polished, the valves were all replaced with hardened valves and seats. The valves are a bit larger. Valve guides are race quality steel not bronze because bronze must run with more clearance and sometimes will bind; we do not want that to happen. The head was CC’ed to exact specs. This is needed to correctly build the pistons, and we are after an 8 to 1 ratio for the compression. The springs for the valves are double and matched to the camshaft.
  Now let’s move to the engine block; the pistons are ROSS Billet race pistons. These are machined from a solid piece of aluminum to the specs of the head, and the bore and stroke of the block. The ring groves are moved down the piston to keep them as far away from combustion as possible. This is done because the heat in the combustion chamber is much hotter with supercharging and the design is to keep everything as cool as we can. The piston dome is twice as thick as the stock piston to slow heat transfer with a larger heat sink effect. The pistons are also shorter and vented thru the ring groves to dissipate the heat much faster. The rings are a special design; they are vented thru the ring having multiple edges for a precise seal using two compression rings and a doubleseal oil control ring. The rings come from ROSS Racing with the designed piston. The piston rods need work, but can be built to race quality by shot peening. This makes them much stronger. The rods were also smoothed, lightened and balanced to zero tolerance. Now for the crankshaft, this was straitened and lightened then balanced to zero tolerance with the rods. We took the entire moving mass of the engine, lightened it and balanced it so it would turn without any vibration whatsoever. The flywheel and clutch were also included in this operation as well as the engine pulley. The flywheel was lightened and the clutch is a race designed and heavy duty.
  Next, we need a proper camshaft. After doing the math and compiling the information, we came up with the best camshaft design for all the engine specs. I contacted Isky Cam and had the cam made. The lifters were built for the Isky cam. The new cam will produce horsepower thru a much greater range than aTR6 engine has ever experienced. I might mention here that all the engine bearings were of race quality and special order. There was yet a weak link, the rocker arms needed to be profiled and hardened with all new bushings and mounting blocks. The pushrods were made of a lighter alloy and built to the cam and valve specs.
• For Pictures go to Restorations.

Supercharged MGB

• MGB Supercharged Intro, by Adrianne Key

  After building the Supercharge MGB Adam took the car out on a test drive to see how it was. He got less than a mile form the shop when he was pulled over for doing 94 MPH in a 40MPH zone. Still being in 3rd gear he had no clue he was moving that quickly. The officer asked what type of car it was. Adam replied “An MG.” The officer said “I don’t think this is a MG, they don’t go that fast. I think this is an Alfa Romeo Spider.” The officer proceeded back to his car and wrote out the ticket. When he came back to the car he gave Adam his license and registration back and commented that Adam was free to go. Adam headed back to the shop. Once back he enlighted everyone about his adventure down Lindbergh. At this point Charlie knew that the car was going to be entered into an endurance rally.

• One Thousand Miles – Supercharged MGB
  MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volume 17, Issue X, October 2004, MG T Register by Charlie Key

  Well this may mot be about T cars, but all Mg’s have something in common.
  A report on the trials and tribulations of high performance MG’s: It was nearing time for the 1000 mile rally around Lake Michigan, this event I have been running for many years now. My son, Adam, did the navigation and we never got lost and always found the shortest route. The only problem we had was with the new supercharger system on the MGB. This is a MOSS unit that we had been running for only three days before the rally. This supercharger is truly “bolt-on Horsepower”; no problem reaching will over the 120mph mark. This was a testing rally for my MGB and the findings are that running a high compression engine with the supercharger will destroy stock pistons.
  We had built the engine with new pistons, rings, and bearings before installing the supercharger, but using the Moss pistons was not a good idea; they just are not strong enough for the horsepower. These pistons did run good 600 miles before failure. All engine controls were right on the money and all ran so great; the ‘B just had weak link syndrome with the soft pistons. I have driven many high performance cars at high speed and found the MGB to be right up there on the brink of something wonderful…
  Now back to the engineering of the high compression supercharged MGB engine. We are having pistons cut from billet alloy made to take the stress; also heavy billet rods are being cut, and race-proven bearings have been ordered. The forged crank will be polished down a bit more to use the thicker bearings, and we will be adding a lightweight flywheel for faster rev up and more power at the low end. Plans include some pulley resizing to turn out more low end boost as well. What I am after is a car the will smolder the tires off the line and reach close to the 150 mph mark. This is all a balance of power, if you will, but I know I can do it.
  The driving in the rally was so much fun; what a car with the supercharger! Adam and I were last to leave the starting place on the rally and we were doing very well. We knew we had passed almost everyone and were well on the way to win. However, the best of plans can scream to a halt so quickly n a rally. We reached the top of Michigan and were on our way to Wisconsin when we noticed a bit of oil smoke out the tail pipe. This was growing more as we traveled, so we were loosing some in #1. I tried moving the oil breather pipe out of the system and saw we had some bad blow-by pressurizing the crankcase. This was now the time to make a decision about the rally. We had to turn around and start back with oil consumption growing more all the time; it would be a real challenge to make it the 500 miles back to the start, but we were up for it.
  As we were driving the wrong way now, after about 35 minutes we saw the first of the other competitors coming toward us and waved as they passed; with the supercharger we were a good hour ahead of the rest. We saw all, but some of the St. Louis club that were running together. So our journey was ahead and we drove as easy as possible, coasting down hills and stretching out our car as best we could.
  As the night wore on we were using about two quarts of oil every 60 miles, so at each stop we loaded up with the car’s life blood to get back to Grand Rapids. The weather was not helping as the rain beat down, and the wonderful power of the engine slipped away as we traveled. Gas mileage was improving, but oil cost was well exceeding the fuel costs. By 4:00 in the morning we had reached 26 miles from Grand Rapids and the car had all but given up for this trip – by this time coolant had started mixing with oil and the poor little MGB was done.
  This is when your cell phone MUST work. It did, and Paula responded with cheerful half asleep, “Where are you?” She knew we might need some help. Paula got in the Land Rover and started toward us with the trailer. By five or so she arrived, we loaded the MGB and drove back to town. Thanks to Paula for the help! We got some much-needed sleep; a drive like that is endurance above and beyond.
  But we will be back!

• Supercharge MGB Continued
  MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue I, January 2005, MG T Register by Charlie Key

  Now for a follow up of the mighty rally car, “need for speed”. I have made the decision to go all out with the supercharged MGB using the old method of doing ALL the work needed for proper supercharging – bolt on power is more myth than reality at most times. To be fair, I have talked with most people across the country about the MOSS kit and have had reports about the supercharger and the good increase in horsepower with this bolt on. The only thing missing in the reports is the fact these cars are not driven hard and spend no time at 7000 rpm’s; most have never been over 5000. To get the top performance of the forced induction system and max the power curve, many changes are required. The plan at this point is: fill power to the ground at the start and full power at 7500 rpm.
  It is thought this can’t be done, but it can. The first step is the lower end of the engine: the crank must be forged or machined from one piece of stock. I am already running the forged crank (it works well), that doesn’t mean it’s not getting a going over: it is being re-cut with stroke for better advance. Next come race bearings, an upgrade to Carrillo rods and a short skirt CP mod pistons with the ring groves cut low on the piston to stay back from the heat of super combustion. The oil pump is already upgraded to a race version and works well.
  Now for the head: this one had been opened up all the way to 1 ¾”, polished with the biggest valves, the seats are all satellite and the valves will be titanium from one of my friends at SEMA. All the internal moving parts will be coated by Calico coatings to reduce the heat transfer. I find this to be a very good step because the problem with the Moss parts was they melt at high compression.
  To sidestep a bit here: the pistons from Moss are very good if used in the stock format, however after sending new pistons back to Moss after the melt down they reported “Well we never had this problem before, you did not have pre-ignition at all, but the pistons melted.” Duh! In other words they didn’t have the answer and would not replace the pistons.
  While we were at SEMA we found the right fuel injection to feed the supercharger, the throttle body wit two injectors fully programmable for perfect fuel delivery from idle to full revs. This system’s cost is almost as much as the supercharger, but will work. I knew back when I raced AA/Fuel Funny cars that a carburetor could not feed a blower and that is still true.
  Now you might be asking how this will give me the “Power to the Ground” for the low end burn out to smolder the tires, well that part is really easy: a race aluminum flywheel is being fitted with a race clutch from a SEMA supplier. This will get the low-end revs way up, fast, and with the fast revs the supercharger will be giving boost from the start. With good ground hook-up, the tires will smolder as the car movers forward very quickly. Using the desk top dyno, it tells me this will make about 500 horses at 6000 rpm’s and should move the car thru the mile in 9.6 seconds, but that is a desk top figure and does not cover all the variables. Ultimately, I would like to see an 8.5 second MGB. You may wonder; why would you want an MGB that fast? It’s like the mountain climber says, “Because it’s there.”
  Some of the next things that will be done are traction bars to keep the rear end in place and under control. I may add rear disc brakes to top off the brake system and change to a five link rear end, but that is in the future. The wheels and tires on the car are rated for the speed so they will work for now. Well, back to the job at hand.

• Continuing Repairs, by Adrianne Key

  Well after several years the engine is back together and ready to go into the car. The engine has gotten a great deal of improvements to handle the extra power from the Supercharger. The engine has Ross Racing Pistons that have been forged from 2618 billet bar stock and have been heat treated and aged to a T61 condition. This material has less than 1% silicon particulate content because it will hold up to most extreme stress placed on the pistons. If a crack starts to form in the piston, which is rare in these pistons, the crack will continue to an area where the stress is not as great and will then stop. The Ross Racing pistons also have the ability to keep their shape under extreme pressure and high RPM’s and “Skirt Shrinking” is not a problem. They also handle the hi-heat better, high stress better, pressure better, are stronger, predestination less likely to blow a hole into the piston than a cast piston. With these pistons, we had special cut rings made. They are for high performance applications. The top rings are ductile plasma moly inlaid and barrel lapped for long life and quick seating and they are symmetrical and can be fitted in the groove either way and are coated with zinc phosphate to improve initial scuff resistance. The second rings are cast iron, coated with zinc phosphate, and are conformability to cylinder walls, good wear resistance, and a specific OD shape that will encourage downward oil scraping and minimize upward scarping. The oil rings are a three-piece circumferential type, comprised of a stainless steel expander and two chromium plated carbon steel rails. The rails are narrower and less in radial depth. They help prevent oil from escaping past the oil ring assembly via the upper side of the upper rail. The camshaft is a custom Isky racing cam that was ground for the supercharger (only available from British Cars of America). The Isky cam is manufactured from the finest, high quality Proferal Cast Iron Billets and made for high performance. It provides excellent horsepower and reviving ability while using relatively low valve spring pressure. This assures long cam life. The cam is ground down to specific profiles and is then flame hardened, super-finished, and Parko Lubrite coated.  A forged crankshaft was installed because it is stronger than a cast crankshaft. A forged crankshaft also has an alongation rating of 20-22 percent before failure.  All new Vandervell bearings were installed because they are for higher operating temperatures and pressures, higher speeds accompanied by emission reductions at the same time. This is good for the car, the supercharger, and the environment. A heavy duty clutch and a heavy duty pressure plate were used because the MGB has more power at one end and needed better grip. The clutch and pressure plate have better grip and that means the clutch can deliver without slipping. The lightened steel flywheel that was installed helps with weight by approximately 4 pounds and is ideal for racing and rallying by giving amazing acceleration without jeopardizing reliability. The cylinder head was also fully ported so that more fuel was burned in less time meaning increased performance. It also means that the smaller combustion chambers will have faster burning within the chamber with less ignition timing. Stellite valves and seats were used because they are harder than original.  The block was lightened, balanced, and blueprinted. With the engine together the suspension and steering is being examined. Once all of this is finished the engine will be installed and tested.
  Hopefully, this Supercharged MGB will be ready to go soon.

Secret Workings of the Petrol Engine

• MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2006, The “T” Register by Charlie Key, registrar

• The secret is out…
  I came across a very old article that explains all the secret working of the petrol engine. If you ever wondered how this invention works, here is the explanation.
  From Sir Edmund Roderick:
  “This is a brief explanation of the technical workings of the engine and electrical system of your car. Of course, this is extremely complex but I shall try to explain it to you in a much simplified form…
  As the pistons travel up and down in the cylinder(s) all the electricity is squeezed out of the petrol and forced out of the engine through the spark plugs (technical term). The used petrol is then vaporized and is disposed of via a complicated system which we in the trade refer to as an exhaust pipe.
  Using a system derived from the rotolactor, the electricity is collected for the plugs (technical term, see above) and fed by a network of wires to the distributor. The distributor collects all the little lumps of electricity and, as its name implies, distributes it in an even flow to the coil.
  The coil imparts a swirling action to the electricity which then flows in a creamy pink swirl to a device known as the generator. This collects the swirling electricity and using a system similar to a cream separator, separates the female electrics (Felicities) from the male electrics (Alecs).
  The Alecs are fed into the starter motor which turns the crankshaft (another technical term, the meaning not important right now), and thereby starts the process all over again. The Felicities are fed into storage battery where they settle to the bottom and form a hard mass.
  As the generator is not very efficient, a few Alecs get in with the Felicities. These are called smart Alecs and are used to run the petrol pump (you’ve probably seen a couple of smart Alecs operating the petrol pump at your local service station). The petrol pump supplies juice (technical term again), to the engine where the electricity is squeezed out of it (see above).
  The storage battery occasionally clogs up with Felicities and must be renewed. Your local service station will give you a trade-in on your old battery. This is not generosity on their part as they take out lumps of the Felicity and sell it to their customers for use in torches and transistor radios, (a good use of a bi-product).”
  I know these times today, you would NEVER see a Smart Alec running petrol pump!
  Have a Happy New Year!
  Get signed up for the GOF
  Thank you, Sir Edm… Opps!
  Charlie Key

   

Midget Front Suspension

• MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volume 19, Issue 1, January 2006, Midget Registry by Adam Key - Registrar

• It will be a cold day – where?
  It was a cold day, as I rounded the corner much too briskly, the car made a clunk and twang sound. So, what’s new now? I did notice I had to look out the windscreen a bit differently than before the turn, with the added noise. Upon reaching my house, I climbed out to notice the car seemed so much lower now, looking at the car from the rear was a sad sight, and the driver side was very close to the ground, the passenger side just close but not very. Crawling under the low-slung Midget it looked OK, but I knew all had gone wrong. After getting the car up on some stands it was easy to see I had work to do, the parts orders gave me a little time. It was Christmas, maybe Santa would help…
  Well the parts arrived in a couple days, I got both rear springs, ploy bushing set, shackles, U bolts, and off to work. Now the book tells just how to do this job but after reading and translating from English to Real English it looked simple. Removing the springs is a bit tricky work and care must be taken because of the heavy axle assembly. I supported the car at the rear of the floor and detached the rear axle u bolts, then raised the rear end up out of the way. Next removed the rear springs by taking the front perches and put them on the new springs with the poly bushings, and put the polys in the rear with the new shackles. Put the new springs on the car and lowered the rear end down on the springs. After putting the new U bolts on I then checked all bolts and nuts. Everything looks good to go. Back down on the ground and off I went. The car handles the fast corners now and rides much, much better. Now what could be wrong with the darn heater??? That’s life in a Mighty Midget.

A Guide to Rallies

• A Guide to Rallies, by Adrianne Key

• Rally General Instructions

  General Instructions – These pages are the basis on which the rally is written and scored. A club will use a set of general instructions for an entire season, and for each rally perhaps add a sheet of additional instructions for that event only.

  Conventions – those rules which are known and accepted everywhere, but they too must be mentioned in the generals (unless it is and SCCA-sanctioned rally).

  1. Roads marked Private – Keep Out – No Outlet – Dead End – Not a through street – Etc., do not exist.

  2. Illegal entries and illegal turns do not exist.

  3. Any road which clearly ends in a garage, plant entrance, or parking lot does not exist.

  4. U-turns are never required without instruction.

  5. Information given in parentheses in the route instruction shall be considered as helpful of informative but not essential for the completion of the route instruction.

  6. Signs painted on the road surface will not be used.

  7. When as instruction identifies a route by number, it will not necessarily specify State, County, U.S. or Interstate.

  8. Whenever route instruction identifies are referenced to mileage (or to equivalent elapsed time), correct execution of the instructions shall not require determination of the mileage [more precisely than to within .1 mile.]

  Route Following Priorities – the main-road rule; considered sufficient to list in the General instructions one or more of the approved route following priorities by their line only.

  • PUT ON A ROAD BY NAME OR NUMBER – When directed onto a named, numbered, or lettered road by use of the terms on, onto, or pickup, and the name, number or letter of the road in a route instruction, stay on that road until a subsequent course-following instruction can be executed. If an unmarked intersection is encountered or the route designation ends, continue on course as if instructed onto a road without indication of name, number, of letter. If the name, number, or letter road is reincountered prior to executing the next course-following instruction, stay on the road as described in this paragraph.
  • BLACK-ON-YELLOW CURVE ARROWS – Stay on the prescribed ralley route as determined by official highway black-on-yellow curve arrow signs and black-on-yellow directional arrows. These signs are to be used with the same intent as that of the erecting agency.
  • CENTER LINES ON PAVEMENT – Stay on the prescribed ralley route as determined by following center lines. Center lines are usually painted white or yellow and are continuous or dashed. These lines are to be used with the same intent as that of the establishing authority.
  • PROTECTION BY STOP OR YIELD SIGNS – Stay on the main road as determined by Stop and Yield aigns causing traffic on lesser roads to give right of way to the main road. The ralley route leaves the intersection by the road that does not have a Stop of Yield sign on the road if it is the only such road. The existence of a Stop or Yield sign on the road on which you enter the intersection in inmaterial.
  • STRAIGHT AS POSSIBLE – It is to be understood that this priority would take contestants on the road that appears to go straight or as nearly straight as possible through ‘slant’ tees, unequal wyes, and multiple intersections. The determination of which road is straight or nearly straight is made at the intersection in question and roads are judged on their merits as they enter the intersection, not how they look as you approach the intersection.

  Route Instructions

  • 1.   Arrive at the starting site
  • 2.   Find the registration table, car, or person. You will then usually be handed an entry application, a set of general instructions or rules of the game for the day, and a waiver.
  • 3.   Read the rules carefully and make sure everything is understood. If they are not understood then the rally master should be asked about the rules.
  • 4.   Fill out the application and waiver and be sure that all of the spaces are filled in correctly.
  • 5.   Hand in the entry application and waiver.
  • 6.   Pay any required fees (you will get a car number, maybe, depending on the rally master).
  • 7.   Listen to any instructions given by the rally master or starter at this time.
  • 8.   Obey the instructions and line up as called.
  • 9.   Once in line the cars will be started by the starter who has a correct timepiece, master watch, or a short wave radio. Set your watch with the starter’s timepiece now.
  • 10. Starter will tell you when to go. GO.
  • Follow the general instructions, rally instructions, and road rules. HAVE FUN!

  All material in the route instructions enclosed in quotation marks refers to lettering of numbers on signs. All material in the route instructions not enclosed in quotation marks refers to the actual object, likeness thereof, or places. The object may, however, be identified by a suitable sign.
  The route instructions are almost always numbered. It is a good practice to check off or draw a line though the instruction number, or complete instruction, as it is being executed or as you complete the instruction.

  Tips

  • 1. DON’T GET LOST – it does no good to be on the wrong road.
  • 2. Don’t assume that the contestants in the car in front of you are more intelligent than you are.
  • 3. Read route instructions carefully and fully and do exactly what they say.
  • 4. Check to see if you have all of the instructions – it is the contestants’ responsibility.
  • 5. Read the whole instruction.
  • 6. Don’t give up!
  • 7. Always finish!

• Rally Equipment

  A list of rally equipment that is needed:

  • Automobile
  • Working speedometer
  • Working odometer
  • Conventional wrist watch
  • Stop watch
  • Conventional slide rule
  • Circular calculator (Stevens Wheel)
  • Precalculated rally table
  • Maps
  • Opisometer – a gadget that measures the curved lines on a map
  • Pencils or Pens
  • Clipboard
  • Spring Clips
  • Masking tape
  • Hand spotlight
  • Goose-necked light

• Rally Code (definitions and abbreviations from general rally instructions and SCCA):

  • ACUTE (AR or AL) - A turn of substantially more than 90 degrees at an intersection where there exists more then one opportunity to turn in the direction indicated.
  • AFTER - Any directional instruction identified by the use of the word “after” may be found anywhere along the rally route following the point of execution of the preceding route instruction. The turn “after” may be immediately after the object of several miles distant, however, it will be the first opportunity to turn in the direction indicated.
  • AT - "Even with" for speed changes, mileages, etc.; "in the vicinity of" for turn instructions, etc.
  • BEAR (BR or BL) - A turn of substantially less the 90 degrees at an intersection were there exists more than one opportunity to turn in the direction indicated.
  • BEFORE (or) IMMEDIATELY BEFORE - Any navigational aid identified by the use of the work "before" shall be visible form the execution point of the instruction.
  • BLINKER - A warning signal, as at a highway or railway intersection, consisting of a light or lights, usually red or yellow, operating in an alternation sequence of off and on. A blinker (traffic light) may or may not be operating.
  • C - Continue.
  • CAS - Change average speed or commence average speed.
  • CAST - Change average speed to or continue average speed of.
  • CR - County Route.
  • CROSS - To go straight across. To cross a divided highway is to cross both halves of it.
  • CROSSROAD - An intersection at which two public roads cross each other at approximately right angles.
  • FLR - Follow the lined road. A lined road is a road with a single or double center line. A lined road is considered continuous even though the line may be broken for short distances, especially at intersections.
  • FOLLOW (or) AND FOLLOW - Usually means the same as continue. The street identified in the instruction by name or number should be followed even though it turns away from the most straight-forward direction. Normally an instruction to CONTINUE or FOLLOW - also means that you must find an identifying sign prior to executing the next numbered instruction.
  • FREE ZONE - A part of the timed rally route in which there are no timing controls.
  • GAIN (or) SUBTRACT - To make up a specified time during passage of a specified distance. The gain/subtract time is add/subtract from the time required at the given average speed to traverse the specified distance. The specified distance in which a gain/subtract is operative is a free zone.
  • GENERAL INSTRUCTION (or) GIs - General Instructions, also known as generals. These pages are the basis on which the rally is written and scored. A club will use a set of general instructions for an entire season, and for each rally perhaps add a sheet of additional instructions for that event only.
  • INTERSECTION - Any meeting or crossing o two or more public roads.
  • IR - Interstate Route
  • LANDMARK - An object along the course. Such object will be indicated in the route instructions capital letters without quotation marks.
  • LEFT (L) - A turn to the left of from 1 to 179 degrees.
  • LEG - The part of a rally route extending from one timing control to the next, or from an assigned starting time to the next timing control.
  • MILEAGE APPROXIMATE - Both are distance measured from the start of a section to a point along the rally route. Mileage approximate is measured to within 0.1 mile; mileage official is measured to within 0.01 mile. It can also  be known as MILEAGE OFFICIAL.
  • MILEAGE OFFICIAL - The distance from the start of a section to a point along the rally route given to within 0.00 miles.
  • MPG - Miles per Hour
  • NOTE - A supplemental unnumbered instruction among the numbered instructions. It may be executed any time after execution of the preceding numbered instruction. It may be executed only once unless the NOTE states otherwise. It is not necessarily executed before the next instruction. A NOTE is considered cancelled when you enter the first checkpoint after the introduction of the NOTE, or by any instruction that so states. If a NOTE and a numbered instruction appear to conflict, the numbered instruction takes precedence, but does not cancel the NOTE.
  • OPP - Opportunity: a paved, public, through road onto which you may legally turn in the direction indicated.
  • PAUSE (or) DELAY (or) ADD TIME - To delay a specified time at a named point or during passage of a specified distance. The pause time is added to the time required at the given average to traverse the specified distance. The specified distance in which a pause is operative is a free zone. (Pause is often referred to as add time - i.e.: add 0.50 minute to true time signal).
  • PAVED - A road having a hard surface such as concrete, brick, macadam, etc.
  • PICK UP - To go essentially straight onto a new road, route, or surface.  Is used as: PICK UP HWY 21. It often occurs when the street on which the rally is traveling undergoes a name change. Usually the direction of travel does not change.
  • RIGHT (R) - A turn to the right of from 1 to 179 degrees.
• • RIP - Reading in part. Refers to sign or landmark where only part of the reading matter is quoted in the instruction. For example "Ozark" could appear on a sign reading "Lake of the Ozarks" or "Ozark Mountains," and so on. Use of RIP is fading from popularity, and signs are explained in the generals these days as reading in part or whole.
  • RR - Railroad
  • SA - Sign(s) anywhere
  • SECTION - Any part of a rally route at the beginning of which the official mileage is zero and at the end of which the official mileage ends or reverts to zero.
  • SIGNAL - The joining of two or more eligible rally roads at which your travel is intended to be controlled by at least one standard red-amber-green traffic signal, working or not.
  • SOL - Sign(s) on left.
  • SR - State Route
  • STOP - An official octagonal stop sign used at which the rally car is obliged to stop.
  • STRAIGHT (S) - To go straight ahead. Used only for clarification to indicate the proper course through a complex intersection.
  • T - An intersection having the general shape of the letter T as approached from the base. It is not possible to go straight at a T.
  • TRAFFIC LIGHT (TL) - A signal light used on highways, especially at an intersection, to regulate movement of traffic. A traffic light may be set to operate as a blinker but is usually fixed, alternating red and green (a freuently including yellow as a transition between green and red) indicating stop and go (and caution).
  • TRANSIT ZONE - A part of rally route in which there are no tining controls and in which no specific speed need be maintained. either an exact time for passage, or a restart time from the end of the transit zone must be given. An approximate distance for the lenght of the transit zone is desirable.
  • TRIANGLE - An intersection on three roads in a general shape of a triangle or inverted delta, including within the intersection a generally untraveled grass, gravel, or other surface. It is not possible to go straight at a triangle. Only one instruction may be exeucated at a triangle. This definition applies whether or not the term "triangle" appears in the route instruction.
  • TURN - To make a change of course or direction at an intersection; which would not have been made in the absence of the turn instruction. A turn shall not be executed by going straight.
  • UNPAVED - A road having a non-hard surface such as broken stone, gravel, dirt, etc.
  • USR - U.S. Route
  • WOF - Whichever occurs first. Execute the part of an instruction that occurs first along the route, then cancel the other part(s).
  • Y - An intersection having the general shape of the letter Y as approached from the base. It is not possible to go straight at a Y.
  • CHECKPOINT(or) CONTROL - A point along the rally route, the location which is not generally known to the contestants in advance, where a crew from the organizing club will time the contestants as they pass that point. The rally master has pre-calculated the exact time each contestant is due so penalty points are assigned for each part of a minute you are early or late (usually one point for every second or hundredth of a minute).
  • CHECKPOINT, OPEN - Requires you to stop where the club will give you the exact time you passed the timing line, perfect time if you traveled at the right speed, and a new time out for the next section.
  • CHECKPOINT, CLOSED - This may be concealed so that you do not even realize that it has been passed of the control team may just be parked along the road. You do not stop but you do check your own time and can quickly calculate how well you think you have done.
  • ROUTE INSTRUCTIONS - The printed instructions which enable you to follow the rally route from start to finish.
  • ODOMETER CHECK (or) ODOMETER LEG - The first section or leg of the rally ending at a telephone pole, road sign, or some other identifiable object where an exact mileage is given. This is the point, usually about ten miles out, where you determine the difference between your odometer reading and the one with which the rally was measured.
  • CORRECTION FACTOR - The deviation of your odometer form the rally master’s official mileage.
  • RALLYMASTER - The individual in charge of the rally – responsible for laying out the course, measuring it and calculating the official time, selecting the location for finish, printing the publicity flyers and route instructions and hands out the trophies to the winners.
  • SPEED CHANGE - The point along the rally route where you stop driving at one exact speed and start driving at a different speed.
  • TIME OF DAY - The exact time of day as set by the rally master’s official watch used on all checkpoints.
  • ELAPSED TIME - The exact amount of time to traverse the distance of one leg of a rally, the time for each average speed in a leg or the total time for the timed section of the rally.
  • DEAD TIME - The amount of time used form the point where you cross the timing line at a checkpoint until you commence the next timed section. The time used for rest sections or lunch breaks.
  • DEAD MILEAGE - The distance form the point where you cross the timing line at a checkpoint until you commence the next timed section. The mileage used going off course for official rest sections of lunck breaks.
• • RELEASE FORME (or) WAIVERS - Usually incorporated as part of the entry application where both driver and navigator sign an agreement absolving the organizing club from liability in case of an accident during the event. There is a question as to the validity of this agreement but most clubs continue to use it as it at least indicates the contestants were willing to participate in the event and to bear the responsibilty thereof.

  Types of Rallies

  A rally is a precision driving event, contest, or game, where you start at point “A”, follow a set of printed instructions and end at point “B”, the distance between point “A” and point “B” is anywhere from 50 miles to 100, 200, 300, or more miles and point “A” and “B” can be the same location. A rally is NOT a race! The idea of a race is to get to the finish line in the shortest possible time. In a rally the idea is to travel at precise speeds at all times so that you will be on the right time at all points along the rally route and at the finish line. Cars normally start on the course in 1 minute intervals (local police frown on traffic jams caused by 25 or more rally cars trying to leave at the same time).
  The common type of rallies that requires the travel of a route at certain predetermined average speeds over a carefully measured course, and there are gimmick rallies which are not timed events with a trick or a great variety of tricks to spice up or give a change of pace to a club’s rally schedule. Luck is a great factor, rather than skill, in determining winners. There is no limit to how crazy a gimmick rally can be and every rally master seems to come up with a nuttier scheme to confuse the contestants. Rallies are designed for fun – they sometimes challenge your ingenuity and resourcefulness but it’s certainly more interesting then driving down the main highways with all the other “Sunday Drivers”.
  There are two jobs to be filled – that of the driver and navigator. The navigator reads the instructions to the driver and describes the route to be followed. S/he calculates the average speeds to be driven and by working from a book of tables, slide rule, Stevens Calculator or any navigational instrument, s/he can tell the driver where s/he stands in relation to the calculated time. The navigator is usually considered the boss and where conflict exists concerning a decision, the navigator had the last word. S/he should also try to keep from swearing at the driver. The driver must keep in mind the instructions from the next turn of speed change while trying to keep a light foot on the accelerator and maintaining the average speed. S/he must read mileage to the navigator at speed changes while also being careful to obey all motor vehicle laws. S/he should obey the instructions to the letter and not assume anything or make any turns unless he is sure is it the correct one. S/he should try to keep from swearing at the navigator.

  List of the Types of Rallies (this is not a complete list).

  • TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) - These rallies can involve a word games as well as mathematics and driving skills. The terms that have been defined above do not apply to any particular rally, but are examples of what will be encountered on any TSD event. None of it is as frightening as it looks on paper, but most of the terms become familiar to the novice team before the first event is over.
    Time – is used as a standard in determining the winners in a rally, therefore it is the essential ingredient.
    Speed – novices should not confuse time and speed. A rally is not a speed event. The idea is to travel at exactly the speed in the route instructions to the best of your ability while still trying to stay on course. Points are accumulated by contestants if they are tardy of by speeding and arriving early. Most timed events are scored on the basis of one point penalty for every one hundredth of a minute early of late.
    Distance – is, of course, the exact length of the rally route you are following, measured usually by a car with an odometer reading in hundredths of a mile.
    The car maintaining the closest time, compared to the established schedule calculated by the rally master, is the winner.
  • Poker Rally - A true low pressure event with luck being everything. Contestants follow a rally route but stop at five or more points along the route to draw a playing card. The highest poker hand wins.
  • Hare and Hound - Contestants are the Hounds and are required to follow the route laid out by the advance car, the Hare. The hare drops bags of flour or lime at intersections where he intends to change course – with another confirmation bag or marker a short distance down the correct road but not close enough to be seen from the corner where the turn is to be made. Since hare and hound events are scored on a basis of low mileage and time limit, contestants have to guess correctly at a good number of multiple choice intersections and, because time is also a factor, cannot wait very long to see if the car ahead of you who may have turned left comes back.
  • Scavenger Hunt - Contestants are asked to gather a list of things while traveling along a rally route within a certain time limit. The things can be objects or pieces of information to be found on buildings or signs along the route. Sometimes point values are assigned with larger point value going to the items the rally master feels might be difficult to find.
  • Scrambled Rally - There are many variations of this type includes: groups of three, four, or five route instructions being listed without instruction numbers and not necessarily in their correct numerical order; of if it’s a question and answer event the questions may not be listed in the same order as found along the rally route which means you could be looking for several route instructions and several answers to questions at the same time.
  • Shortest Distance - Contestants are given a map and a list of three of more intersections to be found on the map plus a list of questions that can be answered only by visiting said points. You can visit the points in any order but the car with the lowest mileage wins. The mileage on your odometer is recorded at the start and the finish.
  • Picture Rally - Contestants are supplied with a series of photographs depicting intersections and/or structures along the rally route (they may of may not be in numerical order) with directional instructions or a list of questions to be answered. Scoring is based on answering the questions with low mileage as a tie-breaker.
  • Stick Rally - Contestants are given a map that is one long stick with smaller sticks coming off of it. The small sticks determine which direction to go.

• Maintaining Speed and Odometer Checks

  Maintaining speed is important in many rallies. The contestants will be told to drive at a specific speed from point “A” to “B”. This sounds easy, but is difficult to a novice due to stop lights, signs, traffic, and other road signs and lights. The distance from form the start of the timed section to each checkpoint and to the finish line is recorded by the rally master who has an odometer that reads to the hundredths of a mile. This is now the official mileage and is used to calculate the official time after the average speeds are determined by the rally master. While traveling the same route as the rally master, the odometer will also be recording the distance traveled by your automobile. Since the rally master is measuring the course, for the purpose of calculating the official time, then it is essential that your odometer agree with the one used to obtain the official mileage. In a twenty of thirty car rally with probably eight or ten different makes of cars, there may be only one or no cars with exactly the same odometer reading at the finish line; therefore, the necessity for the odometer check. All average speed rallies have an odometer check. This is the exact spot, about ten miles out, where you find the difference between your odometer reading and the rally master’s and calculate that deviation of correction factor. The correction factor is used to correct or change the official average speeds to compensate for the difference between your odometer and the rally master’s.

  The formula for the correction factor is as follows:

  O / M = CF

  (Contestant's Odometer Reading) / (Offical miles) = Correction Factor

  10.2 / 10 = 1.02

  You multiply all of the average speeds as shown in the route instructions by the correction factor and by driving as the correct average speeds you will be compensating for the difference in odometer readings.
  If the contestant’s odometer reads higher than the official mileage your corrected average speeds will always be higher than the official average speeds. When you leave an odometer check you are told on the route instructions what your average speed should be.

  AS x CF = NAS

  Average Speed x Correction Factor = New Average Speed

  30 mph x 1.02 = 30.6 mph

  Now the distance has to be added into the equations.

  D x CF = ND

  Distance from point "A" to "B" x Correction Factor = New Distance

  18.5 miles x a.02 = 18.87 miles

  When traveling at the exact corrected average speed, the time is equated as shown below. The breakdown of the miles helps to make it easier when moving in a car and not having a calculator (calculators are not allowed in many rallies).

  ND at NAS = T

  New Distance at New Average Speed = Time

  18.87 miles at 30.6 mph = 37 minutes

Taxi, Tiger Cub, Rickshaw, and MGYB

• MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volume 18, Issue X, December 2005 , The “T” Register by Charlie Key

• It was a very rainy day. The Museum of Transportation was having its first auction… seems they had gathered too many transportation vehicles to ever display, and needed space. Kruse was in charge of the sale. The day before the sale Paula, Adam and I went to preview the sale; the list of things we would bid on just kept getting longer, as there are so many neat things there.
  So here it was, bidding time. It started with so many bicycles. There was a BSA bicycle – I bid twice – it sold for way too much money, made me feel like I didn’t have enough money to be there.
  Bob Horzmann was with Adam and me; he wanted to bid on an Austin Taxi so I planned on bidding on a little newer Taxi. The prices kept going up; Bob dropped out of the bidding and I jumper in. To my surprise, I won the bid after a great deal of bidding. It got expensive. When I took the bid, Kruse had everyone give me a round of applause, made me feel like I did the right things.
  So now I am the proud owner of a 1935 Austin Taxi. It had a history of being in London and was presses into service during the Blitz to pull fire equipment around and was responsible for saving lives. It is the neatest Taxi I have seen, with the rear roof that folds down, the roomy rear interior with jump seats, one seat in the front and divider windows. The quaint luggage rack and large spoke wheels, the crank that hangs out the front, it looks so great.
  After getting the Austin home, we just looked at it for hours. It now has refinished wheels, new tires and tubes, the brakes are working and the engine is free and should run. I will print more about this car later. I also took home a 1970 Tiger Cub, Triumph motorcycle and an Indian Rickshaw, (still haven’t figured out why I bought a rickshaw, but for sure I have only neighborhood).
  Now the Triumph is a different story. It didn’t look too good before the auction but as it was being sold the crowd informed the seat and gas tank were with the motorcycle; yep, price went up, but I won. Adam and I did a little work on the bike and had it running in short order, it is a great bikes, small and fast, very easy to drive.
  A couple of weeks go by and I get an E Mail from a man I met years before. I didn’t remember him until I saw him. We chatted on the phone a few times; he wanted to sell an old MG sedan so I made an appointment to look at the car. I wasn’t sure what it was, but he said Y type. It was a pretty day for a drive, but I didn’t go far – just down near Shaw’s Garden, my old neighborhood. I wondered how long this car had been in hiding. In short order I found out. I had seen this car driving down highway 40 a couple of times at 70 mph and always wondered who owned the car and what it was. Here it is now in front of me and it’s for sale, a very good 1953 YB sedan, bright yellow with a dark green interior; it had been in the garage for 22 years.
  I knew this was an opportunity I could not pass up. Made the deal and went back the next day with the trailer. The car was even better than I dreamed. It must have been something special, displaying a unique British license tag. At the shop we started looking it over closely and was happy to see the car had been race prepped back in the 50’s: it must have been used in rallies or some kind of racing. I got a hold of the register to get a history; they knew of the car and are getting the history together. The engine was bored and the head has big valves and race type springs, sports a cam with a power profile, big carbs and so on. We cleaned up the fuel system, did the valves, changed all the fluids, gave it a proper tune and took it out for a drive. Wow, what a great car – it has the power, easy to drive, don’t need to downshift for hills, just go.

Endurance Triple Crown Winners!

• As Seen in MC2, Issue 7, March/April 2007, pgs. 50-53 and M.A.D.M.E.N., Mid-America Diehard Mini Enthusiasts' Network, Issue #13, March/April 2007

• Great Lakes Tour, By Charlie Key

  I must talk about an all British Car event that I and Adam have had the pleasure of attending, or should I say working very hard to compete in. That is firstly, The 11th annual endurance rally on last April 1st and 2nd. This was no April fool joke by any means. Robert Rushing laid out this rally and did a darn good job in giving all of us a task that was fun to complete. This rally had the best of both worlds with the long distance rally and the “I would love to try this” shorter distance rally for those with a much shorter drive in mind. These 1000 mile endurance rallies are such great fun, you get to visit so many places most of us would never see, all of which are a learning experience, a camp ground comes to mind in the middle of the woods in the center of nowhere, but that’s the fun. We also see many interesting things never seen before or learn about historic sites we pass every day. The part I enjoy is to drive for as much as 24 hours strait and try to get thru some of the “what I call” non-roads.

  This all started fourteen years ago in Michigan with a shortest distance rally around the lake. Given many checkpoints at the start your team’s job was to make all checkpoints and do it in the shortest distance. Many things come into play here like what way do you travel first, what stop should be next and so on. Having experienced this many times, it is important what way you drive first because it can be shorter going north rather than south in your route. Many short cut roads might work in one direction and not the other.

  Adam Key, my son, has proven to be a very good navigator, and I, Charlie Key do most of the driving. The skill of the navigator is most important to find the best way around all checkpoints, yet at the same time the driving skill shares it’s importance getting thru the “non-roads”. It takes the experience of off road driving, that I have done for twenty –five years, some of the other things to do in the driving is to stay on the inside of all turns, this does shorten your distance. All this working together can make you a winner. These endurance rallies are won by just a few miles difference, it does depend how well your car is prepped and being committed to taking the hard way thru to save a couple tenths of a mile, this must all be balanced by the time you have to complete the rally.

  Well after our win in April, Adam and I thought we would make the commitment to do the next rally, “The Grand Lake Tour” Mk XIV, the Triple Crown was within our reach. Off we went to Janesville, Wisconsin for the start, Aug. 19th – 20th. Now these rallies cover several states, so many very detailed maps are needed; the “Gazetteer” seems to be the best to use. With maps for seven states aboard and mapping tools we were ready for that part. The car we prepped for three weeks before, adding suspension upgrades, the best rally tires, skid plates and tuning, also adding more driving lights. Getting there on Friday afternoon we allowed for a good nights sleep, in the morning at 6:30 was the driver’s meeting and the odometer adjustment run, this calibrates everyone’s odometer so all distances are measured the same. We started off on the calibration run and noticed some unexpected bad noises coming from the front end of the Mini Cooper. We stopped the entire group to check what was happening and found someone had loosened all the front wheel lugs during the night, this kind of thing had never happened to anyone before, we think someone had tried to steel the wheels during the night but couldn’t get a jack under the car, the Mini is so low. So after a retighten off we went. Now back at the hotel, we were given the check points, everyone scattered to their cars to lay out their route, and the rally was on. Adam and I must have spent 40 or 50 minutes figuring the best way in the shortest distance, we were ready and off we went. Choosing the southern route was not our first decision but after a phone call to the pay ferry across the river we found it closed at 9:00pm, we may not make it there in time and that would loose the rally. Adam found several shortcuts but some were not too clear if they were real roads, we would look these over when we were closer. While driving one of these rallies you wonder where all the other teams were, are they taking the same roads or have they found a better way, asking yourselves over and over are we going the best way?

  Arriving at our first pit stop, I turned around while standing in line in this store and there was Robb, one of the other competitors, well we knew we were traveling the same way. After making some of the checkpoints and getting in line for the ferry in the afternoon, we were gathered with three other cars in the competition and crossed the river together. Many of us were going the same direction but I found one of the others had stopped for a good breakfast and another a nice sit down lunch, Adam and I were eating energy food as we drove, it takes longer to drive the non-roads so you don’t stop to eat, we used this time taking the non-road that removed 13 miles off the regular route, we came to this shortcut and didn’t see a road, just a pull off spot that looked as if twenty years ago it may have been a road, there were large colorful inner tubes stacked by the trees, this was a tube floating area, then we saw two very little used tracks going into a field along a fence, we decided to go for it. It was on our map so it used to be a road.
  

• Traveling along carefully I stopped and took a picture of the good part of the road then we crested the top of the hill and before us lay a big mud hole. Adam said, “Dad you done worse mudding before, lets go”, so get up speed and don’t stop, we slid thru just fine, traveling a bit further and around a bend, there it was, the mother of all mud holes, spread two lanes wide and at least twelve inches deep, Mini is only four inches off the ground), After a pause, what we need is more speed and a plan of attack. I went into the hole at about forty five mph with the pedal to the metal, taking the left side of the hole and crossing to the right in the middle then back to the left sliding all the way, we made it thru. The only thing I wished as I watched the heavy mud dripping off the door mirror was that I rolled the window up; I was covered in mud too. We wondered what was in store next then we bounced over a bridge and listened to the new exhaust system bouncing independently of the Mini Cooper. We found a nice grass area by a barn and stopped to re-hang the system. If this didn’t help with cutting off distance that’s OK, it was fun. The road changed to blacktop to cross a nice bridge and back to rock road; soon we hit the blacktop highway. It was getting late in the afternoon in Minnesota, we wanted to get to the next checkpoint before it got to late in the day. After a bit more hard driving, here we were at the SPAM Museum, I’m not a Spam type person but the museum was worth the visit arriving 35 minutes before close we got to enjoy most of museum and sample the new Spam made for the play “Spam A Lot”, it was good.
  After a 30 minute dinner stop hunger for real food was no longer a problem. The sun was low in the sky, it would soon be dark, so we drove on into nightfall. Problem in the northern parts of our country around the rivers is an abundance of fog, nothing quite like driving in heavy fog on small two lane highways at sixty or seventy miles an hour, and the shortcuts thru the wood are a bit dicey, but that’s what it’s about, endurance of man and machine. We drove back thru Iowa and visited several more checkpoints. Pulling into the last one in Iowa, a very small town, we came up to an MGB GT parked almost in the middle of the street, about one in the morning, with no one inside. We Looked around and found the guys looking for the answers to the questions, this is one of the cool things about these rallies, meeting other ralliest’s in the middle of nowhere.
  Finally arriving at the river at the free ferry, we pulled the Mini aboard, it looked so small all alone on such a large ferry. Now back in Wisconsin, we had more checkpoints to make, it was getting very late, we had until 9am to get back so we were ahead of the deadline. The fog was getting very thick and driving was difficult, fuel was getting low, not very many gas stations open this late in the country. Looking for a glow of light in the dark sky was all we had to go on for finding a gas stop, but in the fog a yard light looks like a town, now seeing a glow in the distance that looked promising, the fog cleared and there it was BP. A fuel top up and off again. After making the last checkpoint we had just the drive to the finish and sleep. We came in at about 4:30 am, well in time. Too sleep.
  Rally meeting at 9:30, all the cars back, the awards were made. Too our surprise, WE WON!  Hooray Mini!  We did it, the second of the “triple crown” rallies. That 13 mile shortcut made it happen, we were 11 miles shorter than second place, Adam and I were the only ones that took the Non-Road.
  Thanks to Two Ricks Racing for a great rally as we look forward to the next.
  And our thanks to “Mini Mania” for getting the parts to us for the preparation and improvements to make our “British Cars of America LLC” rally Mini Cooper a success.
  

• The Triple Crown
  By: Charlie Key

  “The Triple Crown” consists of three rallies, the first one is in the spring “The Missouri Endurance Rally”, the second happens in midsummer, “The Great Lakes Rally”, and the last is in the fall, “Abington Trails”. The three rallies are endurance based and can last up to twenty four hours. A driver and navigator work to find the shortest distance between the many checkpoints. This is not as easy as it may sound. Many of the roads that are taken are gravel or woodland logging roads, because they are roads that are the shortest distance. My son, Adam Key, and myself, Charlie Key, built a 1970 classic Mini Cooper for this challenge. This car has a fuel injected engine, power disc brakes with many upgrades. The sub frames are reinforced containing upgrades in suspension and mounts, the cone suspension has been replaced with High Lows, and these make the ride height adjustable, a good thing for those off road adventures.
  In the spring Adam and I competed in the Missouri Endurance Rally. We took our time planning our route before taking off; this is the best way to have a chance at completing the test of man and machine. To our surprise we won. All that hard driving and navigating paid off.  A short version of this rally was run and Bob Horzmann and his daughter won the mini rally, Bob works at British Cars of America with Adam and me, good place to prep a rally car. Feeling very good about this we decided to compete in the Great Lakes Rally.
  Time finally came to drive the lake rally, Adam and I got the Mini ready and registered for the rally. Off we went to Wisconsin; the lake rally had been moved to cover states west of the lake. What a nice driving experience, we got to see many places we would never have traveled to see on a vacation. They have lots of non roads up there just like Missouri, taking one of these short cuts gave us the thirteen miles we needed to win the second of the three rallies. What fun and what a great feeling to win two of the Triple Crown Rallies. Now we were committed, we must go for the third rally; you just don’t get this close to the crown and back away.
  We were registered as soon as the third of the rallies was announced, the “Abingdon Trails”, to our surprise it was to be held out of Jefferson City, Missouri and promised to take us places no one has ever seen. The rally did just that, and I thought I had been everywhere in Missouri.
  It was early morning, we all lined up in front of the hotel, the mileage run proceeded taking us about twenty miles out and back; this calibrates all the cars. Getting back to the hotel we all received our packets, Adam and I used the top of the Mini for our charting, having our plans laid out we took off. We drove to our first stop, answered the questions and went on to the next. That stop was easy to find, next was a bit more difficult and traveled over gravel roads. We didn’t realize it at the time but we would drive gravel and dirt roads almost all day. This is very exciting driving and I was so glad we were in a Mini; I kept a fairly constant speed of way too fast for gravel, 50 to 60 mph. The holes and bumps smooth out at higher speeds but the stopping is a bit dicey, Adam said turn left in about 100 yards, the road went sharp right, a very small road went straight, and the road we wanted took a very sharp left and dropped down quickly about ten feet. I hit the brakes but the gravel was too loose so off we went straight up the little road, after the dust cleared I turned around and went down the targeted road off into the valley floor, this was not more than a lane of dirt and grass with a couple tracks well worn down to rock. What a beautiful spot back here in the woods, we crossed a running creek going over a very old bridge. After turning the corner an old mill towered a couple stories into the air reminiscent of bygone days, I had to stop and get some photos.
  Farther down the valley we were again surprised by some donkeys running out in front of us, I beeped the tiny Mini horn and the donkeys turned and look at us, I know they were trying to figure out what the heck kind of car that was making a tiny beep, beep noise. More photos were taken and off we went.
  We drove these back roads until after dark; now it was time to run on the paved roads. We were ahead of schedule and running well. We had thoughts of taking a break for dinner and resting for an hour but experience had taught us that when you drive for the shortest distance, you just don’t have time for breaks, so we picked up better junk food when stopping for fuel. We did come out to have fun and drive though the country side, not sit around in some restaurant.
  Worry started to enter the picture when I noticed the fuel was about gone and we were thirty miles from any blacktop road where we might find gas. I carry a half gallon of reserve fuel, so I put that in the tank and continued onward.  We had gone thirty five miles and the fuel was showing below empty. No blacktop road was nearby; looking at the maps it showed a small town another twenty miles. I didn’t think we could make it but we had to keep going. To reserve what little fuel we still had I would coast down all the hills then restart the engine to get up the next hill as fast as we could and use the momentum down the next. Coasting on winding blacktop roads is fun but with the engine off it can be a bit too exciting giving the feeling of riding a roller coaster; but after all I did run Soap Box Derby as a kid. Some hills we attained as much as eighty mph slowing to five as we crested the next hill. We traveled about twelve miles this way and made it to the small town only to find a gas station that closed down three years ago. Next town was six miles, we talked with some bikers, they said the station there was open so off we went back to coasting. I did have a small amount of fuel in the bottom of the tank so we had a chance. Getting to a very steep hill I shut down the engine and coasted down reaching just over eighty mph we started up the other side, just as we neared the top of the hill someone pulled out in front of us and stopped to turn, we stopped. This was not a good thing because the Mini was completely empty and would not start. I rolled backwards down the hill and into a resident’s driveway. A knock on the door, hooray there home and had some gas, we bought a gallon and off we went up the hill and two miles down the road to the station. Fuel for the Mini, food for us and back on the road with the hope that would be the worst thing to happen we did figure out we had traveled achieving almost eighty two mpg.
  Darkness was falling and a lot of driving was in front of us with more checkpoints to make, we were equipped with very good lighting so we could move along the road with better safety at night, I was not concerned with the road as much as with the wandering wildlife at night, we even put deer whistles on the car being careful not to install them backwards, Ha Ha. They must have worked, we stopped to get something out of the boot, as we were in the back a large deer came out from the woods and jumped over the front of the Mini, that was close but at least we weren’t moving.
  Night driving can become hypnotizing watching the lines on the road but I did find it more difficult when we traveled a long stretch of road with no markings at all. That will keep you awake!
  It amazes me all the time that no matter where you drive or what time it is, people gather to see your British car, stopping in a gas station in a small town in southwestern Missouri at 1:30 in the morning, the people inside came out with cameras to take pictures of the Mini and called friends to come over to see the car. The checkpoint in the town was locally called “The Castle,” it was in fact the town hall built a hundred plus years before on a

• grand scale, well lit up on a hill. Just the other evening I saw a movie made in this little town Blaine, MO. that explained much about why such a big town hall was built. The movie titled “Waiting for Guffman” told the story of how the town was settled by travelers going to California by wagon train, thought they were there and settled a very long way from the beach. The town later became noted for making footstools. These stools made them famous and very successful putting them on the map. The big town hall was built in their heyday. Some of the things you see and learn about on these rallies can amaze you. Proceeding onward we made the next checkpoint in good time and off to the last of the checkpoints. This little town had held an apple fest that day so the town was in disarray having a temporary stage erected right in front of the town hall where the answers to the questions were to be found. It was very late and the only others awake in town were two police cars with four officers, next to each other in a parking lot. We very slowly crawled thru town going up a street that earlier had been closed off for foot traffic only, fifty gallon trash barrels lined the street just off to the right of the center line. We proceeded up to the right side of the barrels turned the corner and angled parked next to a pickup. Getting out of the Mini suddenly bright flashing lights came on and a loud speaker said “Get back in your car” so we did. An officer came to the side of the car, I asked what was wrong? He told me I came up the street on the wrong side of the barrels. I asked how I was to tell what side of the barrels I should have passed on. The officer said by the signs that were there earlier, he then realized what he had just said and laughed. They wanted to see the car, had no idea what it was and why it came to their town so late at night. We had a good chat with the cops, they were hired for extra duty for the festival and had to spend the night guarding the town.
  After finding the answers we were headed back to the start. It was a long drive but mostly highway and a Mini is a great car on the open highway, we came into Jefferson city and checked in, it didn’t take as long as it could have to finish this rally and I did have great navigation by Adam, he saved us so much mileage by coming into checkpoints the shortest way, one of these was a checkpoint on at Lake Stockton Dam, if you came in one way it was the shortest distance but if you followed the listing on the maps it took you to the other side of the lake and cost you many miles. I congratulate Adam Key for a great job on all three rallies, all I had to do is everything he said to do while I drove. It feels good to win the “Triple Crown” and gave us the pride of hanging six trophies on the wall and the great memories of the rallies. Thanks to all the organizers, we look forward to next time.  Charlie Key / Adam Key; BCA Rally Team.

Driving the Old Roads

• The MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volumn 19, Issue 8, July 2006, The “T” Register, By Charlie Key
• The Easter show (Horseless Carriage Club of MO, Inc, Easter in the Park) is over, it’s about time you get that T out on the road. We have a GOF Central coming up soon, it will be here before you know it. July 22, 23, and 24, will find us at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, what a great place! We are taking the TD and TC to the show and driving them all the way with a couple day stay in downtown Chicago to see the sites.
  If you have never taken your T car on a road trip, you should give it a try, it is so enjoyable driving a T on a long trip. The way you travel long distances in a T is to find all the old roads everyone had to use before super highways were built. You will be surprised to find most old two-lane roads are still around and the old towns are there, most of the old shops have new uses now, since the super centers have pulled the customers out of town. Many shops have become antique shops and quaint restaurants. Others have become specialty shops, there are many interesting things to see back in the slow lanes of the old highways. One thing you are never short of, off the beaten path, are the welcomes and even cheers of the folks enjoying the site of your old T car as it rumbles thru towns that are still alive out there. Should your car befall a glitch in it’s travels and you find yourself along the road-side, many people will gladly stop to lend a hand just for the opportunity to help an old MG along the way. I have even found in some out of the way places, folks have parts for our cars tucked away for safe keeping, why? We all know the answer to that, it’s for an MG, probably the most loved sports car that ever lived, you just don’t throw away anything for an MG.
  I am getting the T’s ready for the summer right now and putting together a small kit of spares and repair stuff to tuck it the toolbox of each T. The things you may think about carrying along are an extra water pump, various hoses, some clamps, (on one trip a fellow traveler lost his exhaust head pipe hardware, so a couple vise grips were clamped on and a little bailing wire wrapped around so he didn’t loose the tools. Worked great! He drove the car all summer with those installed and fixed it the next winter.) a little gasket maker, set of tools, set of points, condenser, cap and rotor, maybe some wires, (I carry a cap with the wires installed so it’s quick to change.) Carry a quart or two of oil, some electrical wire and tape, a little tube of grease, and if you really think you may get stuck, take your cell phone. Another tip for the road, if you are in the national T register or even any of the registers, take along the membership book, there are MG’ers everywhere so help is never too far away. I have met some enjoyable folks out on the road and you will too. And hey don’t forget there is a trophy available for the Most Troubled T owner, so you might win something to ease the pain and have some laughs. As Red Green says “Were all in this together”.
  If you would like to join up with a group to drive to the GOF send me an E Mail and I will try to get you together with a fellow owner for the trip, it’s a lot of fun in a group.

Gas Saver

• The MG Club of St. Louis Newsletter, Volumn 19, Issue 8, July 2006, Midgets, By Adam Key, Registrar
• So many Midgets, I am surrounded by them. In the time I have been working on MG's, I have taken apart and put together so many of the cute little cars, well perhaps not just cute, these MGs are true sports cars. They go fast and drive fast, I took a corner very fast trying to make the car slide but it wouldn't do it, just hung on the road and went right around the turn. This can present a problem while driving, you get thru a turn very quickly but then must recover from the turn and set up for the next, this is not hard because the car is a very neutral handling car, so, forgiving an overreaction to a turn is easy. There ia a hidden benefit in a Midget not too many people think about but should, that's gas mileage. You get a lot of bang for your $3.00 a gallon gas in a Midget. It is great open car sports driving at its best.
  A couple of weeks ago I had my name in the Sunday Post Dispatch (St. Louis Post Dispatch) as the person to contact about the MG Midget. It wasn't a big article but the old newspaper still has readers, I have been getting phone calls with all kinds of questions. It's fun to talk to Midget owners, seem they know how easy on gas they are, so they are getting them out to do daily driving. It is surprising just how many MG Midgets are out there. On one of my Midgets I have been doing some custom work to make it a bit of a special, I plan on powering it with a Z Tec and making it a daily driver, but other projects are in front of that one. My dad and I have been very busy building another project car that will be going to the SEMA show in Las Vegas in 2007, I can't say much about it right now but look forward to it in '07.