シルバーウィーク苦楽のイベント三昧その��
- AMAZONとクラシックイベント
- by suna
- 2009/09/23 水 13:03
シルバーウィークも今日が最終日。「シルバー」と言うと、敬老の日もあったことで、まるで我々初老のためのような気もしますが、ゴールデンウィークの「ゴールデン」に続く大型連休のことのようです。ということで、私は、クラシックカーラリーのシーズンを前に、エアコンの無い「・１２２」ＡＭＡＺＯＮとともに万全を期するために、理髪店でバッサリ髪の毛を切ってスポーツカット（ま、大工の棟梁のようになってしまいましたが、、）に変身。９月２０日（日）の「伊香保クラシックカー ミーティング」に参加しました。５月の「Giro di Karuizawa」に続いてクラシックカーラリー２戦目ですが、今回は、PV544のＫさん（NaviはAMAZON博士のＮさんで、このコンビで昨年のこのラリーに優勝）、P1800のMさん、奥様のFiat800スパイダーで参加のAMAZONオーナーのＫさん、さらに、私が20年来WRC、ﾙ･ﾏﾝ、F1と、モータースポーツの世界でお世話になってきた御殿場のＭさんも66年式ＭＧＢで参加なさるなど、TACCの多くの仲間ともども、秋晴れの一日を楽しく過ごすことが出来ました。とは言いつつも、実は、午前7時の集合時間直前に、スタート会場の渋川スカイランドパークまで、もう少しというワインディングの上り坂で、クラッチがまったく切れなくなって立ち往生。何とか騙しすかして、スタート会場までは行き着けたものの、スタート前から悪戦苦闘。AMAZON博士のＮさんのｱｲﾃﾞｨｱで、まずは、その昔の二輪車でよくやったクラッチペダルのポンピングによる「マスターシリンダーからのエア抜き」。ラリーには参加されなかったもののAMAZONで我々を応援に駆けつけて下さった桐生のＡさん（かつてのAMAZON OWNERS CLUB時代から乗り続けている67年式123GTとやはりかつてのAMAZON OWNERS CLUBメンバーから譲り受けた63年式122Sの2台所有）も「よく、同じ状況になる、、」とのことで、心配気に見守って下さる中で、必死にポンピング。Ｎさんが「どうだ？」と聞くのですが、「もう左足が棒のようにパンパン、、」と答えるがやっと。でも何とかクタクタになったころに、マスターシリンダーからプクプクと気泡が出て来て、頼りないながらも、「時々は」クラッチが切れ始めて、何とかスタートラインへ。２２０台の旧い外車、旧い国産車が参加しましたが、旧い年式から順次ゼッケンが与えられ、「・１２２」ＡＭＡＺＯＮはゼッケン45番。渋川スカイランドパークをスタートとゴールにする、榛名山と榛名湖を周回する約９０Ｋｍのワンデイ・ラリーです。チェックポイントもスタート直後に連続して３箇所が設定され、そこでの指示速度に対しての誤差減点のみ（スピードガンで測定）で勝敗が決まる、、、という、実に「ゆるい」イベントで、あとは、爽やかな秋晴れの中を、ノンビリドライブ、、、という願ってもない設定なのですが、「・１２２」ＡＭＡＺＯＮは、悪戦苦闘を強いられることになりました。何とかスタートはしたものの、走り始めた途端に、再びクラッチがまったく切れなくなり、エンジン回転数を合わせて、何とかギアを繋いで走行、、、。一度止まると、エンジンを切って、うまく１速ギアに入れて、徐々に回転を合わせてシフトアップせねばならないので、信号待ちや一時停止が鬼門です。車の流れを見て、出来るだけ止まらないように走行を続けました。しかし、一時停止の先には、このイベントを見張るパトカーが待機していたりして、止まらねばならず苦戦。たった半日のラリーなのですが、疲労困憊でした。というわけで、東京への帰路も渋滞にはまったらGO STOPの連続はたまらないので、ゴール早々に皆さんより一足早く退散させて頂きました。あとで伺ったところでは、昨年の覇者PV544のＫさんＮさん組は３位入賞とのことで、「さすが、、」の一言。私と「・１２２」ＡＭＡＺＯＮは、早々退散で結果は分かりませんが、とにかく完走出来たことと、クラッチの不具合が発見出来たことは、良かった「かな」と思っています。連休明けには、再び「・１２２」ＡＭＡＺＯＮをドック入りし、１０月１７日から２０日に行われる「Ｒａｌｌｙ Ｎｉｐｐｏｎ」へ向けて整備を行います。
Today is the last day of the Japanese holiday - Silver Week. Silver perhaps coming from the fact that one of the public holiday was for the day of the aged. As I now am the proud owner of an Amazon .122 which has no airconditioning, I started off the holidays by getting a crew cut - ending up making me look suspiciously like a construction worker. With this new look, I participated in the Ikaho Classic Car Meeting on Sep 20th. This was my 2nd classic car rally following the Giro di Karuizawa. Mr. K with his PV544 and codriver Mr. N (they had won the event last year) were there as were Mr.M with his P1800, Mr & Mrs K with their Fiat 800 Spider. In addition, Mr & Mrs M whom I had worked with for 20 years thru the WRC activities and other European motorsports events were there from Gotenba with their 166 MGB. All seemed well under the bright autumn skies, but in fact, driving up the hill from Shibukawa IC towards Skyland Park where the event was to start, my .122 gave me a bad surprise by deciding not to let me shift gears. I somehow made it to the starting point where Dr Amazon - Mr. N advised me to start pumping the clutch pedeal in order to take out the air from the master cylinder. Mr. A who is one of the original members of the Amazon Owners Club and who has been driving a 1967 123GT in addition to a 1963 122 commented that his Amazons often did the same thing to him. I kept pumping on resulting in my leg being sore even before the rally started, but after some time, air bubbles floated up and out and I was able to make it to the start line in time. 220 old foreign and Japanese makes had entered into the event and car numbers were given based on the year make of the car. My .122 Amazon was car # 45. The event started and ended at the SKyline Park and wound its 90km way around Mt Haruna and Lake Haruna. There were only 3 check points and the average speed was measures using a speed gun. The 3 check points were right after the start and after that, all you had to do was follow the map and drive around the wonderful scenary. Or so it should have been, but right after the start, the clutch started to act up again and all I could do was pray that I did not have to stop and keep adjusting the axel to meet the gear. Unfortunately, the event was closely monitored by the police so I could see the police cars watching for cars that did not stop at the stop signs and even though the event was a half day event, I was completely exhausted by the time I crossed the finish line. With my gear in this condition, I knew that if I waited too long to get back to Tokyo, I would get stuck in an endless traffic jam which would force me to have to keep shifting gears. So I rushed away right after the goal. The news I received after reaching Tokyo was the Mr. K with his PV544 had a podium finish again this year, finishing at 3rd place. In any case, I guess I must count myself lucky that I had actually reached the goal, found out that I still had problems to fix before the big Rally Nippon. My .122 will go back into the hospital in preparation for the big rally.
Today is the last day of the Japanese holiday - Silver Week. Silver perhaps coming from the fact that one of the public holiday was for the day of the aged. As I now am the proud owner of an Amazon .122 which has no airconditioning, I started off the holidays by getting a crew cut - ending up making me look suspiciously like a construction worker. With this new look, I participated in the Ikaho Classic Car Meeting on Sep 20th. This was my 2nd classic car rally following the Giro di Karuizawa. Mr. K with his PV544 and codriver Mr. N (they had won the event last year) were there as were Mr.M with his P1800, Mr & Mrs K with their Fiat 800 Spider. In addition, Mr & Mrs M whom I had worked with for 20 years thru the WRC activities and other European motorsports events were there from Gotenba with their 166 MGB. All seemed well under the bright autumn skies, but in fact, driving up the hill from Shibukawa IC towards Skyland Park where the event was to start, my .122 gave me a bad surprise by deciding not to let me shift gears. I somehow made it to the starting point where Dr Amazon - Mr. N advised me to start pumping the clutch pedeal in order to take out the air from the master cylinder. Mr. A who is one of the original members of the Amazon Owners Club and who has been driving a 1967 123GT in addition to a 1963 122 commented that his Amazons often did the same thing to him. I kept pumping on resulting in my leg being sore even before the rally started, but after some time, air bubbles floated up and out and I was able to make it to the start line in time. 220 old foreign and Japanese makes had entered into the event and car numbers were given based on the year make of the car. My .122 Amazon was car # 45. The event started and ended at the SKyline Park and wound its 90km way around Mt Haruna and Lake Haruna. There were only 3 check points and the average speed was measures using a speed gun. The 3 check points were right after the start and after that, all you had to do was follow the map and drive around the wonderful scenary. Or so it should have been, but right after the start, the clutch started to act up again and all I could do was pray that I did not have to stop and keep adjusting the axel to meet the gear. Unfortunately, the event was closely monitored by the police so I could see the police cars watching for cars that did not stop at the stop signs and even though the event was a half day event, I was completely exhausted by the time I crossed the finish line. With my gear in this condition, I knew that if I waited too long to get back to Tokyo, I would get stuck in an endless traffic jam which would force me to have to keep shifting gears. So I rushed away right after the goal. The news I received after reaching Tokyo was the Mr. K with his PV544 had a podium finish again this year, finishing at 3rd place. In any case, I guess I must count myself lucky that I had actually reached the goal, found out that I still had problems to fix before the big Rally Nippon. My .122 will go back into the hospital in preparation for the big rally.
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