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Welcome to the web site of Ray
Stewart and the Heavy Traxx Hire 34T Nissan 240SX.
Over the coming season we hope to develop this site
into an informative and entertaining site. Flying the
flag for the Cromwell Club, Ray has had great success
both in local and national competition. Please, sit
back and enjoy visiting the site of one of NZ's most
unique race cars.
  
30/6/09 Busy busy
people, is the best way describe the team from Ray
Stewart Racing. Its the old story though, the updates
might not happen over night, but they will happen.
Here goes the latest chitty chat from the pilot of the
34t car, with all the racing from the North Island, NZ
Title and Grand Prix. Sit back and enjoy...
Almost July and another plead from
Jason to give an update for the site. Sorry all for
not keeping you up to date. Just too much happening
during the last 6 months to sit down and give a full
report of where we got to with the season.
The last report had us racing in the North Island
series after no series eventuated in the South Island
and the opportunity to race in the north. Well it was
to be our poorest season ever with a car that just
didn't want to hook up on any track. Some of our best
tracks, Waikaraka, Gisbourne, Huntly, Baypark, Te
Marua, Napier, were to be nothing much better than
mid-field placing and overall an 8th place for the
series. Of course in hind sight its very easy to say
where our mistakes were. We had a very fast car for
the NZ champs at Cromwell but the mistake was we had
altered the rear suspension exclusively for Cromwell
and when we ventured north the car turned out to be a
very loose pig. Cromwell's track surface was excellent
most of the time and it suited the Nissan but we
failed to make the set-up work at any other track. The
short right side panhard bar we changed to for the
champs, altered the roll centre too much and we
struggled with this arrangement right up to Napier
where Prozac (Elliott) had to cut out the tubes and
bits to alter to a longer panhard hanging off the diff
to right side mounting on the chassis. This was very
similar to the Jacobs ladder we ran for all these
years. At Wellington for the last round of the series
we managed to hang in there but my driving was erratic
not knowing what the car would do in the corners.
Playing with set-ups during an important race meeting
does not work as you don't have confidence in the car
barrelling into a corner passing on the outside and
hoping the car sticks. I can tell you it was most
frustrating being passed by cars that normally we
would leave behind. I hated it. The top dog during the
SSCAR series was without doubt 1NZ Shane McIntyre,
very fast and consistent at all tracks and deservedly
the series winner. Interesting point to me was second
place Grant Flynn in a 350 cube car who mixed it with
the bigger hp cars. Goes to show that the guy with the
most hp is not always the fastest. Prozac and I drove
back home from Wellington disappointed with our north
island jaunt and discussed the mistakes we made with
the suspension. All along 34T was fast but slick
tracks continued to be our Achilles heal and over the
years we have tried 3 or 4 different arrangements in
the rear end in the search for side bite. The last
change to short panhard was a backward step but the
longer bar was back in the right direction and only
required
some track time to sort out the roll centre heights,
torsion bars, shocks, ride heights and so on?? Back in
Dunedin and Prozac readied the car for the final
meeting of the season, Easter at Cromwell. No changes
made, just reset the chassis, plenty of fuel for 2
nights of racing and a plan of the different set-ups
we would try. Three races on the first night, drop the
roll centre 50mm, some stagger and tyre pressure, and
beauty we are in the right direction again. For the
second nights racing we started with the previous
nights settings and are in the ball park. I had 2
races then Shane Maaka had the remaining 2 races which
was good to get another drivers perspective as we
continued to fine tune the chassis. For the final
race, we went to the softest shocks we had available
and Shane found his feet in the turbo car passing cars
with ease. The set-up was close to correct but still
required some bar changes for different tracks.
Arriving back in the pits, Shane could not believe the
horsepower of the Nissan, 100 hp then 700hp which made
for an exciting ride but different driving style. Well
34T has sat in the garage for 3 months waiting for me
to make up my mind if I retire or continue racing. The
last season was to be my last and I was resigned to
pulling the pin. However the best laid plans left me
with unfinished business of a lousy season, and new
remits passed at the recent SNZ conference allowing
some changes to the rules in Super Saloons. Another
reason was the enjoyment of racing in the North Island
SSCAR series and Paddy North and I agreeing to see if
we can resurrect the south island series. Several
drivers commented that without the series last season,
racing was limited to their home track with the same
drivers and lacked the competition required to
maintain speed. There was concern that if a series
failed again this year, several cars might drop out of
the Supers or become Saloons resulting in a spiraling
down of numbers and perhaps merging of the 2
classes.The Super Saloon drivers are meeting on the
11th July for the prime purpose of gaining commitment
from the drivers to run a series over 4 south island
tracks and put in place management to secure the
series for the future. To date we have an excellent
response from over 20 of the drivers and should have a
good turnout at the meeting to agree on race formats
and other details to make for a successful series.
Already the numbers are improving with Wayne Andrews
and Shane Maaka buying cars for the coming season. So
now what for the Nissan. The engine has proved to be
reliable and still fast enough to be a front runner.
The suspension only requires fine tuning
so will not alter this. Although I have a V8 motor
sitting in the shed, the FJ20 is made for the chassis
and will remain where it has been for 11 years. Today
I lifted out the motor for its annual fresh-up and fit
a new bell housing to replace the repaired unit that
was destroyed at the champs when the flywheel dis-integrated
at 8500 rpm chopping through chassis tubes just
missing my toes. The rule changes in the Supers allows
for the wedge shape American style Late Model Dirt
bodies that will hopefully lift the appeal of this
class.
Will the 200SX Nissan retain the original body? What
do you reckon?
For the next update I will have results from the
Supers meeting with more details of where and when.
Maybe some photos of a Late Model body?
Ray
Great stuff Ray.. thanks for the
update. Check back for the next update...
21/3/09
Wow, its been a
few months since the site has been updated, and a load
has happened in that time. As per usual, when Ray gets
the time, he will sit down and give us his version of
the last few months, but it has to be said that with
such a busy and hectic schedule, we might just have to
wait.
The Nissan seems to have
been set up well for the NZ Super Saloon Title. The
car qualified very well and was by far one of the
quickest cars on the track. Where else would Ray have
the chance to have a genuine crack at the NZ Title
than at his own home track, in front of his very own
home crowd? The first night ,
the track was spot on. A little rutty, but the drive
was enough to impress the good field that attended
from other parts of NZ. Many were amazed that usually
when they race, the track starts to go off before they
get to race in the next round. Not Cromwell. The track
continued to get better as the night went on, and lap
times reflected that. It was business as usual for the
Nissan on qualifying night. The car hooked up very
well around the newly laid track and there wasn't to
much to moan about. The highlight of the night was the
shoot out between him and the very rampant Dean
Waddell. Waddell was flying in 81m car, and Ray was
always going to find it tough to beat what appeared to
be the fastest car on the track. The race went down to
the wire. If you wish to see this race, visit the
video section of the web site.
The second night was to
be the undoing of yet another challenge for the
elusive NZ Title. It seems that no matter what Ray
does, in the big meetings, lady luck just doesn't want
to follow him around. The ultimate let down was when a
fellow competitor run into Ray coming out of the tight
turn 1 and 2, that put Ray into the wall. This was
purely just a racing incident that should of had Ray
back into the origial position he was. The official
did not agree with this, and put Ray to the back. Ok,
we could go on about this for hours, but quite simply,
this cost Ray any chance of a the top 3 placing. Going
into the final heat, Ray was in 2 or 3NZ position. All
that had to happen was for Ray to stay where he was,
and he would of been assured one of the 2. But not our
Ray! He decided that he wanted that top spot and
pushed himself and the car to the limit. The old
saying goes that its not how you race, but how others
race around you. His race was soon to turn to custard.
Ray did manage to carry on into a good 4th placing,
always the bridesmaid, just never the bride. Many felt
that Ray had been robbed, more so the man himself, but
Ray took it on his chin and packed the car up and
headed off for a big North Island excursion. Before we
head off to the north, We at Ray Stewart Racing
congratulate Shayne McIntyre for wining the NZ title
along with Dean Waddell with the 2NZ and Dennis Bolt
for his much deserved 3NZ.
Ray was to enter the
North Island Series for the remainder of the season so
he would get a chance to race with the best in the
business. The Grand Prix at Bay Park was first on the
list. Once again, the set up that worked in Cromwell,
would not work At the Bay, which is one of the cars
favorite tracks. A few changes to the car before
heading to the North Island were simply just not going
to work. Ray rolled at the Grand Prix which was
eventually won by the newly crowned 1NZ of Shayne
McIntyre, who proved that winning the NZ Title was no
fluke. Ian Brson from Nelson in the 21N car did well
to place 2nd and Mark Orchard placed 3rd. Once again,
not a great result for the 34t team, but congrats to
all the winners.
The North Island Title
was the next big meeting for the 34t (34g for this
meeting)car, and was something not taken lightly. As
per the SNZ rules, if you race the North Islands, then
you can't race in the South island Title. A little
outdated that rule, but however, one that everyone has
to live with. Ray got off to a flyer placing 2nd
in the first race behind Darren McKinley, who was
racing a borrowed car after writing his one off at the
NZ Title. The remainder of the meeting was yet another
to forget as the results just got worse for the night.
Ray is currently racing
in the North Island for the
SSCAR Super Saloon Series where he is sitting on 14th
overall. Not a good result for a car that usually is
one of the quickest cars on some of the tracks.
Gisbourne has seen some outstanding results for the
Nissan over the last couple of seasons, but not this
time. Neither has Meeane, Stratford, Huntly or Palmy
been any good to the car this time round, and the
final round of the series comes to an end on the 28/3
with a run at Wellington. Ray has changed a lot of the
cars set up going back to the older type set up that
has seen positive results in the North Island before.
After Wellington, Ray will be packing
the car back up and heading to Cromwell for the Easter
Racing, and then a much deserved break for both car
and driver.
As per earlier, Ray will be putting
together an update as soon as possible, so check back
soon. Personally, I will have an update after the
racing in Wellington on the 28th. Until then... take
care.. Jase....
24/12/08
Its Xmas already so about time I put
pen to paper and wrote something for the website. A
big thanks to Jase for setting up and looking after
the website plus keeping some results and information
flowing. Thanks Jase you have made a neat website for
the Nissan. (You are most welcome Ray.. Jase) Where to
start, where did I finish the last write up? Oh yeah.
Last seasons result were pretty ordinary with the only
good result winning the South Island Super champs at
Greenstone Park in Greymouth, traveling from Dunedin 3
times after 2 rounds were cancelled due to rain. The
Greymouth track always suits the Nissan as the track
staff normally provide a drivey track that has some
banking. For this reason I persisted with the long
haul 3 times over the Southern Alps and it paid off
with a convincing win, lapping several cars that had
lapped us at Woodford Glen. That was especially
pleasing. At the end of the 2008 season the car was
parked in the shed until I
decided what the next move was in regards to keeping
the Nissan or making the change to a new chassis plus
a dinosaur V8. One issue I had with the Nissan was the
poor handling on a slicked out track over the last 3
seasons as most of the track surfaces tended to be
hard and dry very early in the race program. The turbo
power rush didn't help either. Our results had been
dismal although numerous changes were made to the rear
suspension in an effort to find some side bite. The
most beneficial change was from coil shocks to torsion
bar suspension. Now some will say a spring is a
spring, but every car is different and especially so
the Nissan chassis that has a lower center of gravity
and narrower wheel track compared to all the other
supers. The lower mounting location of the torsions
compared to the top mounting point of a coil over
shock, allowed better weight transfer that improved
side bite and a wider handling envelope. Weighing up
the pros and cons of selling the Nissan for a new car
I came to the decision to hang onto the 4 cylinder for
one more season for several reasons.
1: I didn't want to sell a car that
didn't handle as good as it should.
2: Starting over with a new car with only a season or
two left in me.
3: The cost of a completely new car as I would
transfer nothing from the Nissan.
4: Disillusioned with the lack of any forward thinking
and progress in the Super Saloon class especially with
the dwindling numbers and the Saloon class which is
almost the same car.
I love the Super Saloon class as it is not hampered
with too many rules and one can play with engine and
chassis without too many restrictions while at the
same time no one car or driver is dominant. Any one of
the top 15-20 super drivers are capable of winning at
any time at any track and it comes down to the package
on the day. However the car numbers are dwindling with
several drivers moving to saloons, stockys or sprint
cars that have been imported from the States at low
prices in comparison to building a new super. Saloons
are almost the same as a super with 250-300 hp the
difference. Interesting that the Saloon Champs at
Huntly this year only attracted 43 cars. I would have
thought 60 plus cars so not sure for the reason there.
I believe to boost the supers and move away from
saloons, some not so big rule changes would lift the
profile of the supers and draw more cars into the
class. More on that later. So what to do with a car
that refuses to hook up on cruddy, dry, slick black
tracks that are served up to us as excuses for good
clay tracks? Lateral location of the rear axle, roll
center position and center of gravity height all must
work in conjunction with each other. Change one and
dynamically they all change. For years a Jacobs ladder
was used on the Nissan to hold the axle in its
sideways location. This was altered to a left side
chassis mount, right side birdcage panhard with
in-cockpit adjustment, and then for a short period a
Watts Linkage. All had plusses and minuses but the
side bite was still elusive, until torsions were
installed near the end of the 2008 season. For the
start of the 2008-2009 season a right side panhard
mounted behind the rear axle was installed with mixed
results but not satisfied with this a left side J bar
was built into the chassis. A J bar can take time to
find the ultimate setting but still remains
inconsistent on a changing track. Bunter Pierce and
Paddy North have both injured their spines when their
cars rocked up sideways onto two wheels, then crashed
back down onto the track compressing their backbone.
We persevered with the J bar for a few meetings but
the roll center was too far to the left on our chassis
which made the handling very unstable constantly
hooking the front left wheel in the air at any moment.
What now? Look at the top cars that are consistently
fast and what locater they use. Righto, another big
change. A right side Panhard but this time forward of
the axle and not behind. Actually a few tubes welded
in the right position and simple mounting on the
birdcage was relatively easy to install with a few
holes for vertical adjustment and we are ready to go.
Our first meeting with this set-up was at the Nov 29th
Cromwell Gold Cup. A very competitive field of South
Island Supers on a very drivey track was a good
opportunity to check our speed against several of the
top cars. The car performed just great thank you very
much sitting out on the high line making outside
passes without too much hassle. Shane Maaka kept the
track consistent and drivey all night, limiting
handling changes to a few inches of stagger and tyre
pressure. Car 34T won the inaugural Gold Cup event
that hopefully Cromwell can turn into one of the main
events on the Speedway calendar. Whilst the car was
fast on the night there is still more to be had, and
we will need to find some more speed for the champs at
Cromwell especially with the likes of Dean Waddell,
Brent Emmerson, Shane McIntyre and Pete Hemi who all
excel on the outside racing line. However we still had
to test the car on a dry slick track so off to Island
Park the next week where the track surface dried out
and went dusty early on in the program and the
opportunity to play with set-ups. Keeping changes to
one thing at a time, we had a reasonable slick track
set-up by the third race and happy we had made the
effort. Small alterations to stagger, tyre pressure,
panhard height and angle, were all that were required
but we still have a way to go to match Ritchie and
Greg at the Glen. It's the 22nd Dec and I cant believe
the car is packed in the trailer with a ton of spares,
ready for the 4 meetings at Cromwell over Xmas. Elliot
a.k.a. Prozac, finished all the million of things that
I wouldn't have done in time, then time for a few
beers and spit roast pig on the last day of work for
the year. Cromwell has 4 meetings over the Xmas
period, 30th Dec and 1st Jan, the NZ Super Saloon
Nationals on 9th & 10th plus practice on Thurs 8th.The
30th and 1st give us an other chance to play with
different shocks, stagger and pressure, plus fine
tuning of the panhard position. Hopefully we find that
little bit of extra speed required to be a serious
contender for the NZ title.
Most of the organization for the NZ champs is in place
and a good field of 35-38 cars have entered. The
Cromwell Champs committee want this to be a great NZ
champs for spectator and competitor in sunny Central
Otago. Something that has not been done before is a
huge 50' screen visible from most of the track with
playbacks of racing incidents etc. Cromwell Speedway
is in a nice laid back holiday town ideal for the
family so get yourself along for 4 huge nights of
racing. Come and say high at our rig before or after
racing but not during please. After the champs it's a
quick drive to Woodford Glen for the Hoopla where I
trust they give us a decent track surface? for the
majority
of those who raced at Cromwell. Until the next scribe
please take care of your young ones and family, drink
in moderation and be happy.
Cheers all for now.
Ray
There we go all .. Cheers Ray for that
and we will see you I Cromwell for the meeting on the
30th.. Cheers Jase
5/12/08 Its been a
few weeks since the last update, and already there has
been some good results for the 34t car after some
redevelopment. The car headed off to the Canterbury
Champs at the start of the season, and with the car
not
doing 100%, Ray was still able to push it hard and
place second over all for the Champs. Back to Woodford
Glen and this time for the Champions of Champions
Super Saloon event. Having won a heat or 2, it was
obvious that the feature would not be the best for Ray
who had little control over what was going to happen
to the track. It got that bad, that Ray decided that
he would not risk car or equipment, and decided to
pull the car into the infield while racing in around
the middle of the pack. Ray had made comment that he
would not of been able to go any further ahead in the
race, and didn't want to become a hindrance to the
faster cars that were coming up from behind, so
decided that it was time to pull in. Ray then decided
that no more racing would happen at Woodford Glen
until at least after the NZ Super Saloon Champs in
Cromwell early in January. It was then off to
Riverside Speedway for a run that hasn't seen Ray
there since the South Island Title a few seasons back.
Riverside had a very suspect track back then which did
not suit the Nissan, and has given very little
incentive to head back. A Saloon event organised by
Barry Redpath soon had Ray thinking that it was time
to head back for a looky. With a freshly laid track,
it was certainly a huge improvement on the track of
years gone by, and the Nissan seemed to go well on the
new surface. Some good Saloon racing was had with a so
so result for the 34t team.
Then off to Cromwell for
the Super Saloon Shakedown which attracted some of the
top cars in the South Island. The 34t was finally on
its home track with some outstanding drivers to battle
with, and the 34t car finally had some success winning
the event. It was a touch and go situation for awhile
as the 2NZ car of Josh Boulton showed that he will
once again be a force at the Title in January. The
racing was based off a marble draw for the first race,
then reverse grid in the second which would secure the
grid for the 3rd and then onto the 4th race being the
main feature. The car went smoothly all night, not
missing a beat. The odd little puff of smoke would
signal that the turbo is due to be replaced, but other
than that, there was no mechanical issues with the
car. The car was handling beautifully, with some
development being done over the course of the first
part of the season. Changes included a new J Bar which
seems to have made a huge difference to the overall
handling. Going betweens turn 3 and 4, the car showed
superior speed and handling, passing some of the
fastest cars in the country with relative ease. Elliot
has been working hard to ready the car for the main
event in January, and has spent a load of time getting
the car just right. All going to plan, last years
dismal performance at the Title in Dunedin should turn
completely around for this one.
Ray will be sitting down
when he gets 5 mins to do an update of his own, but
until then.. see you at the next update:
   
   
3/11/08 Ok ok, so
its a slow start to get this web page up to date ready
for the pending season. But that's be Frank here
(instead of Ray), time flies when your having so much
fun. The season has kicked off, and already the Nissan
has been up to Woodford Glen racing, along with a
couple of outings at Cromwell. This weekend, the
rumour is that Ray will take the Nissan down to
Riverside for a run. I have spoken to Ray and he has
said that there is an update coming from him, but Ray
is a business man, that needs to make sure business is
booming. I can assure you that one is on the way.
In the brief conversation
that I did have with Ray, he was telling me that he is
having set up issues with the car already this season.
Some changes have been made to the car and now has to
have a wee bit more testing done on different tracks
with different surfaces. As people are aware now, the
NZ Super Saloon Title is not to far away, and this
will be held in Cromwell this season. Effectively,
right in the 34T's back yard. There will be no excuses
for the performances that were seen last year,
especially after a disastrous meeting for the NZ Title
in Dunedin.
As this is just an update
to get the ball rolling, we will be back later in the
week with more of an update.
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