|
|
LR Racing- The Big Bad Rover
This page is about my Dad's old race car
The Big Bad Rover was a very successful race car winning two championships, numerous events and setting many records. It had an Eagle Racing Engines 706 ci (11500 cc) engine developing 2000 horse power and could reach 0-60 in under 1 second and even more impressively reach 0-170 mph in around 4 seconds. It's top speed was 212 mph in the quarter mile. The car had a chassis built and designed by Andy Robinson made out of chrome-molybdenum tubing and was constructed with safety in mind. The first full nitrous pass with the car was a 7.02 in 1996 (with a 632 ci engine) which was incredible at the time. The car came fifth in the championship that year even though it did not complete a full season due to a cracked engine block which led Andy to buy a new 706 ci engine for the next year. The car did however get one win at Hockenheim, Germany. In 1997 the car won the championship recording a best time of 6.73. Over the winter of that year the car was rebuilt with a new aerofoil rear wing and full fibreglass bodyshell. The car was an instant success recording a 6.82 on it's first run! Again, the car one the championship although it couldn't race in the last race meet of the year due to an engine failure. In 1999 the car set a record 6.60 run at Santa Pod and won 3 out of 4 wins and runnered up in the other one. On the fourth race after the car had crossed the finish line, disaster struck.
|
Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog) |
|
The Crash The run before the crash the wing had fallen off the car at the top end but this caused no problems. On the next run it did cause problems. The spill plate of the wing came off causing the air to rip off the wing. This made the car have no downforce at 210 mph which made the car slide. It slid to the right (which my Dad corrected) then to the left when it flipped over onto it's roof. It slid on it's roof for a while until it clipped a clump of grass making the car barrel roll 10 times. Luckily Nick Davies (who my Dad was racing at the time) got there within seconds followed shortly after by the Avon Park safety crew although my Dad did walk away with only two black eyes. He was airlifted to hospital for safetys sake and released the next day. The safety crews at drag racing tracks deserve a lot of praise because when an accident happens they know excactly what to do and get to the scene of the accident within seconds. They are a great help (even when the racing has stopped!) and have undoubtedly saved racer's lives. The car was a loss but the engine and transmission were okay, ready to go into the new race car. The car still won the race, came third in the national championship and won a total of 9 event wins. It set numerous records and ran strong at almost every race.
|
|
The new race car is to be a 1953 Studebaker Commander with a fibreglass body from Richard Earle. It will have the same engine and transmission as the old car but the car will be quite a lot different with new innovations designed with information from the old race car. The new car will also be a lot lighter and more aerodynamic. For more information click on the link to the left.
|
The Rover launching at Avon Park
Photo by Tony B.
|
The Rover during the burnout on it's last run
Photo by Andy Rogers (Tog)
|
|
