[Cglrcng]

Ok, first National Event Ever Class Racing ...At least for me, first time towing this car too. And I made a big mistake as I often washed the car at a hand spray wash near the track (incl. carefully in the engine bay), but then would drive it immediately always. We did the same except on the trailer, and that mistake will show up later (at just the wrong time!).

Feb 2nd., 1995 Pomona, CA (air is crisp, cool out, but dry, snow on the San Gabriel Mnts., air is good, but no mine shaft conditions, too many water grains in the air. And 11:34 A.M., track is not yet right for Q-1, and I have a fresh converter installed and no tests but a dry hop or 4 in front of the house at home on a poor chip sealed road.

I will take it easy and feel out the staging, stall, flash and leave and adjust for Q-2...Light ok, needs adjusting down earlier though or a higher stall on the leave or both...leave shift 1-2 at 5700 and the car is in Drive. And it goes through and It shifted itself 2-3 at too early. (my log book shows an X). Q-1 17.074 -376 under on 17.45 GF/SA index.

Feb 3 Q-2 8:00 AM Adjustment time. (Both Tree and Stall Speed get after that light and manually shift the car and find out what it will really run).
Ok, that is a lot better, but red by a bunch -.069 Red (have not eaten yet today, and I need some food & less coffee...because Q-3 is a hot lap in like 17 mins), but the car is right it just ran a personal best 16.736 -.714 Under, and the best MPH so far. (It is not a Rocket by any means yet, but it was worth the money for the converter), and Q-3 is coming right up. And in middle of the pack, best Q position at that point in time for me so far, I am happy.

I have nothing to do but eat, car is maint. free budget car I can hot lap all day, and in less than an hr. our race day is over, until tomorrow at 8:00 AM.

I eat and ready at 8:17 AM Q-3 (light is nothing to write home about...I'll adjust that tomorrow, as I mainly wanted to repeat the pass or see if I can)...I stalled 100 RPM higher though 16.730 -.720 Under....Now we are getting somewhere at least with the car, if it will repeat like that I can work on me. Still not a rocket, but a reliable mid packer, but still know I am on the bottom half and will get a tough draw tomorrow.

We prepare the car up on jackstands, so I can warm up the car in the morning and at least warm up the transaxle, because there is flat no driving around the pits Sunday AM before first round and rain and fog are both in the forecast overnight and AM hrs. (our 1st Rnd call is for 8:00 AM), ladders are not ready yet when we leave to get lunch hit the motel, swim a bit and rest up).

Feb. 4, 1995- Get to the track, wipe car down as it rained earlier, still foggy out, quite cool and humid. Start warming up the car after checking the R-1 Ladder...Yup tough company I have Gary Emmons 1st round.

Car is up on stands front tires spinning in low gear we have about a half hour before the call, and just as the car reaches decent temperature, it just out of the blue shuts off.....and my grandfather is pointing under the car (and I am dumbfounded), why did the car lose fire?

I look up and he is standing there shaking his head and holding a 1 pc timing belt and it is in a line not a circle! Awwwww, crap. I am dejected, and he asked do you have another 1? I am worried about bent valves, he is asking if I have another Timing belt...I do, but....He says get it and I am thrashing already, looking for it and tools to do the work.

I changed to a new belt about a yr. ago, when I purchased the adjustable Cam Sprocket and offset keys, but did not do that in a hurry (I did save the old belt just in case though...that is the 1 I found in my spares box.

I do not have a lot of time, and am going to be really rushed to unbolt the right mount jack up the engine, slide belt over the mount, realign the Cam sprocket, Crank sprocket, the Intermediate sprocket all in the right points get that belt on (not off a single 12 degree tooth), no time to break out the books, just the tools, and pray....as he tells me no worries, it is a non-interference engine, the valves cannot touch those flat top pistons, so let's get this belt on now. (It hit me, while I had never had the head off the engine at this point, I had read everything I could about a 2.2L that I could get my hands on)...Books in mid 90's, no real internet yet folks, no youtube. And he was right, it can happen at full throttle and you only lose fire in the holes.

I relax and we thrash, we get the belt on, I think it is right, no time to warm it up again ,it fires up and sounds ok I am late but get there just in time, dialed a 16.72...and I am late on the tree, and Jerry flat drills me (I never had a chance), I can probably find the time slip somewhere, but my log book in the whole column just says the time, the dial in, and in bold letters -BROKE TIMING BELT AFTER PAIRING 1ST ROUND- and in small print at the bottom. G. Emmons 1st. rnd. loss I am (LATE). -First Rnd. Duck-

Crap happens, it was a long 6 hr tow home, looking at that belt later, it looked like it sat in a pool of water overnight right at the break point, and then I remembered that car wash, and the timing belt cover snout pools water there evidentially unless you fire it up and kick the water out and heat the block properly to dry everything out, so soap, water, and the degreasing chemicals weakened the belt.

Hey PHX Nats is in 2 weeks, then I am headed out for months of the best road trip of Nats, Div's., and Bracket racing ever, so head home nd get the car packed and prepped to head South and East, racing along the way!