Fontana Nissan Transporter Tour Part II

Once we get to the track with our fine truck and trailer, the circus begins. Raise the big top!

First step is to unload all of the equipment and cars. We need access to the cart that carries the Kiwi Tile. Kiwi Tile is a fantastic invention consisting of .33 meter squares of a very hard mesh plastic that connect together endlessly. We carry our tile pre-assembled in 3 tile by 5 tile sections on a cart that was fabricated specifically for this application. When the tile is off loaded, the cart becomes our fuel cart. Multi-functionality at its best! The tile is carried section by section into the proper spot and snapped together to form one very large working surface. This surface makes jacking up the car, rolling around on a creeper, and just about every other task much simpler and cleaner. Sometimes we can be paddocked on grass, gravel, or just plain old dirt and the Kiwi Tile makes life wonderful.

Next up is setting up the framework for the transporter awning. The rafter poles hook to the side of the trailer and are connected at the outer ends by poles.

Next comes the actual awning fabric. Ours (and most other race teams) was sewn by Larsen Sails in Santa Cruz California. They used to be a top sail maker for boats but have switched to sewing transporter awnings for teams in every major racing series. The awning consists of a top main awning cover, side curtains for all three sides, and a hospitality area awning. Once the main awning is pulled through the track on the roof of the trailer it is secured to the rafter poles and raised into place. The smaller hospitality awning is then set up in similar fashion. It connects to the main awning. Once the awning is up it is very vulnerable to damage from winds. We carry 1200 pounds of weight to tie to the awning poles, 100 pounds on each pole, plus we tie the whole apparatus to any conveniently located truck, building, car, etc. if available.

This is what the finished set up looks like. The hospitality area is to the right with the half wall privacy panels in place. We can fit and work on up to five cars at the same time. In this instance we displayed three cars for Fontana Nissan and ran the race car out of the fourth and fifth spots. Outside of the awning we use crowd control poles to keep all of the bikes, scooters, and quads neatly organized in one place.

Working on the cars out of the weather and sun makes all the difference. Spectators can easily view the cars and talk to the crew.

The hospitality area is used to entertain guests and sponsors as well as feed the crew. It is a great place to take a break and sit down with a cold drink. We can seat sixteen. We serve three meals a day here instead of going to the snack bar or having to wait in line at Denny's at six in the morning.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Fontana Nissan Racing truck and trailer. See you at the races!

A Tour of the Fontana Nissan Race Trailer Part I

So often at the races people will stop by the trailer and ask all sorts of questions like "How do you get the car up there?" or "What's in there?" or "Is that a soft-serve ice cream machine in there?". Just kidding about the last one. Follow me on a brief tour of a very nice race trailer.

The Fontana Nissan Racing trailer was built by the fine folks at High Tech Performance Trailers in Ohio. It is set up to carry one or two cars on the upper deck, with the lower deck set up as a workshop/kitchen/lounge.

A lift gate is used to lift the cars from the ground to the upper deck where they are rolled into the trailer and secured. All sorts of other equipment such as the awning rafter poles, pit equipment, bodywork, etc. are stored here as well. At the track the lift gate is stored out and up high to get it out of the way and allow access to the rear door of the trailer. While traveling the lift gate folds up flat and forms the rear of the trailer.

As you enter the trailer from the awning side you will be in the work area. Stainless steel counter tops, under counter Lista cabinets, large cabinets for spare engine and transmission storage, and upper cabinets for small item storage are here.

This area is designed to carry the shock dyno. We do not currently carry a shock dyno but have seriously considered putting in a soft serve ice cream / margarita machine. We have measured and it will fit. I will keep you updated on that one.

Moving toward the rear of the trailer we come to the most important area, the kitchen! We have a large refrigerator and freezer, microwave, and Lista storage for utensils, pots and pans, BBQ tools, and a nice big pantry for food storage. We serve 3 meals a day out of this kitchen. A well fed team is a happy team!

Opposite the kitchen is the radio cabinet. Depending on the series we are running we may need as many as a dozen radio set-ups. Multiple electrical outlets make it easy to set up chargers for that many radios. Headsets are stored in the upper cabinet.

Next to the radio cabinet are the crew lockers. Everyone needs a place to stash their backpack, cell phone, jackets, hats etc while working at the track and these lockers get a lot of use! The large closets next to the crew area are for the race uniforms and storage for anything tall.

Going back to the front of the trailer, the drivers lounge is located up the stairs on the 5th wheel deck of the trailer. It is set up for drivers to change their clothes, store their drivers gear, and chill out. This area is also used by the engineers to look at data and in-car video of the sessions. Geek-speak can be a requirement up here sometimes.

When traveling the pit equipment such as tire carts, fuel rigs, the BBQ, etc are tied down to the floor tracks down the center isle. Fragile items such as the flat screen TV, vinyl plotter, etc. are stored on the floor of the drivers lounge.

Needless to say the entire trailer is fully air conditioned, has a rocking stereo system, and is a true shop-away-from-home for the team and drivers. Having a trailer like this enables the team to work at peak efficiency and to carry just about everything they will need to cover most situations.

Hope you enjoyed the tour. Next post will cover the outside awning and tile set up.

Melinda

Fontana Nissan Racing Engine Dept. Visits Cosworth

On April 9th Chris Schroeder, my engine builder, and I visited Cosworth in Torrance CA. A few weeks before that my wife and I were spending some time on the coast in central California. During that time we toured Hearst Castle. The tour guide mentioned several times that "it is nice to be a Hearst! ". Well, touring Cosworth I said several times "it is nice to be Cosworth!"

When we arrived we waited at the reception area for about 15 minutes. Apparently Eric Hsu is a very busy guy as he is as hard to see in person as he is to get on the phone. When Eric finally appeared he escorted us to the conference room and then went off to find Ken Anderson. Both Chris and I have considerable experience with Cosworth produced engines so the 10 minutes we waited for Eric and Ken was well spent perusing the display engines that ring the conference room. I love history and museums so looking at those 20 or so engines would have been worth an admission price.

When Ken and Eric returned they were carrying the sample internal components of their new 3.8 liter VQ kit. These pieces were pure automotive art. It is clear that when Cosworth decides to do a project they produce parts that are simply the best in existance.

Chris and I studied the parts, asked a few questions, and both knew right away that using Cosworth components was in our immediate future. We spent a few more minutes discussing the business side of things. It is interesting to note how much Cosworth has embraced the Time Attack model as a place to showcase and sell their performance line of parts.

Ken had a meeting so Eric gave us a tour of the facility. As I said before, it is nice to be Cosworth. The 23,500 sq ft. facility contains everything a proper engine shop should contain. In fact, it contains several of everything a proper engine shop should contain. During the tour it became obvious that the resources that Cosworth has and the experience that Cosworth has enable them to simply be the "best".

It will be strange to be using a "kit" from a supplier. I have not built an engine in years that did not contain parts, especially pistons, of our own design.

We finished our tour, asked a few more questions that would be answered by the "UK", and left the facility a little starstruck by our experience. We then set off to meet with Jason from Mine's to start on the GTR project. More on that later.

Jackson

The 2009 Nissan Cube is Here and it's Cool!!

Check out the new Nissan Cube!

For the Buttonwillow Redline Time Attack Event, Fontana Nissan sent up a new, not yet available, Cube. The dealership will be receiving their inventory in late April. Many fans were able to see, touch, and sit in the Cube. If you are tired of driving a car with zero styling, this car is for you. Nissan calls this the "bulldog in sunglasses" look. What a cool car.

The Cube will start at $13, 990 msrp. It features a "water theme" throughout, with concentric circles radiating out from the headliner, flowing curves and oblong vents and a beautiful dashboard. The Rockford-Fosgate sound system rocks, and Bluetooth, XM Radio, iPod Interface, and Intelligent Key/Pushbutton Start complete the tech savvy features. The car has a roomy cargo area and seats 5.

The Cube is powered by a 1.8 liter inline 4 producing 122 horsepower and 127 pound-feet of torque. Order it with either a manual transmission or the CVT. Mileage estimates are 27 city and 33 highway.

I think the racing team needs a Cube crew transporter!

Melinda