<VV> Valve cover races at CORSA convention

[Clark Hartzel]

We at DACC use the rules as published by Harry Jensen.  Our track that will
be used for the 2007 CORSA convention is very well made by Paul Piche, a
carpenter.  The track is sturdy wood framing with 1/4" thick plywood lanes.
We level the track with bubble levels before use.  The transition between
angle down and horizontal is a large radius so you won't break your wheels
hitting the "flats".  We generally use some foam filled pads (not attached
to the track) to stop the cars after the finish line.  We do not have an
electronic timer or lane winner system so we have a judge looking for who
wins.  If the race is so close the judge can't tell who won, we re-run the
race.  We've used this track for several years now and it works well.
Our starting system is a plastic pipe, perpendicular to the track, that
retracts down thru a hole in the plywood with a lever attached underneath to
retract both lanes simultaneously.  The only minor issue with this starting
system is a racer that touches the very top of the pipe will start slightly
sooner than one who touches the bottom of the pipe.  This is only an issue
if the starter retracts the pipes very slow.  We will use the same starter
for all the races so the starts will be quick.  We believe the owner of the
racer should align his/her own car on the track so they will be able to do
that at the convention.  We are also thinking of leaving the track up in the
hotel during the convention so the kids can play on it later.  The official
race is Tuesday night at the welcome party just like Buffalo.  Sorry, we
don't have a ship to put it on!
Clark Hartzel