Kinetic Sculpture Racing - Millicent's purpose in life

[Elliot Naess]

Kinetic Sculpture Racing - Millicent's purpose in life

"The mouth runneth over with what the heart is full of."
This is certainly true for me, and you have seen my incessant references to Kinetic Sculpture Racing.

To my immense pleasure, some of you have volunteered positive responses, and even made inquiries.

My converted school bus Millicent exists for KSR. She is our "Racing Team Transporter" and Camper.

So in the spirit of the "Everything Else" section of the forum, here is a Kinetic Sculpture Racing thread.

I'll start by posting a couple of links, and then I'll add to it when I have time.

The Kinetic Grand Championship is Memorial Weekend, and I have a lot of machinery still to build!

http://kinetickingdom.com/

http://kinetickingdom.com/KK-how2/index.html

 

[nyrockingchairs]

Wow, and I spent 4 years living in Baltimore and never heard of this thing. We need a New York chapter now.

 

[Elliot Naess]

The Baltimore race is always first weekend of May. I hope to go next year -- in Millicent, yes.

And you just volunteered to organize a race in your town!

 

[nyrockingchairs]

I think I will stick to pumpkin chunkin myself, grew up in Delaware, capitol of pumpkin chunkin...

 

[Elliot Naess]

Photos and more from the Memorial Weekend Kinetic Grand Championship:
http://khumksr.blogspot.com/

Alas, Millicent did not make it -- still not enough hours in a day. Now we are shooting for the next race: Klamath Falls, Oregon, June 23.

 

[Elliot Naess]

"Henry Ford Goes Surfing, version 4.0", hangs a left in front of the Carson Mansion in Eureka, CA, during the 39th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship, May 26, 2007.

One week before the race, I set out to build a whole new chassis for "Henry", with four riders and four wheel drive instead of just two/two. I didn't get that machine finished either, but we had a blast for three straight days with the unfinished kontraption. I hope to find a photo of us bombing down Dead Man's Drop.

 

[the_experience03]

Have you ever tried Flugtag, Elliot? It is, in essence, the same thing you're doing now only the goal is the be the last person to get to the finish line (the water). I can't help but think that Flugtag off the ore docks out in the harbor on Lake Superior here in Duluth would be a glorious event.

 

[nyrockingchairs]

So which clown are you Elliot?

 

[Elliot Naess]

You know it -- this is very much about clowning around! I took that first picture, so I'm not in it, but here we are crossing the finish line:

This photo is from the front page of the Eureka Times-Standard.
I'm the one standing up, waving my black top hat. I'm wearing top hat, suit jacket, white shirt and bow tie... and beach shorts and sandals -- Henry Ford at the beach. The "car" is supposed to have surf boards for running boards, but... ran out of time. Worked on it to 10:30 PM the night before the race and arrived in Eureka at 3 AM the morning of the race. Need more hours in each day! So we had to skip the water crossings. But we had a grand time anyway!

 

[Elliot Naess]

Ah, Red Bull Flugtag. I have not done it, but I watched it in San Francisco a few years ago.

One of my team -- the guy in the white shirt and suspenders in the photos -- has flown in two Flugtags.

Looks like great fun. Too bad they hold so few events. But then, we actually have enough to fill our time with!

 

[Elliot Naess]

There is just no resisting these two shots by Tina Kerrigan -- from the Corvallis, Oregon, race this summer. Yes, we have fun!

 

[the_experience03]

Does that one perhaps suffer from a bit of a frame torsion problem or is that just suspension? Axle articulation with chaindrives is beyond the scope of what I'm comfortable designing.

Where do you keep finding these dirt track tires at?

 

[Elliot Naess]

Actually, chains are remarkably tolerant of twisting. Some guys twist a chain 90 degrees instead of using bevel gears!

But in that photo, what you are seeing is the suspension at work, and there is NO twisting of the chains. This vehicle is hinged in the middle. Actually, not just hinged, but articulated with three ball joints and a link, so the two halves can twist in relation to each other, keeping all four tires on the ground on any terrain. Nothing moves in the drive mechanisms - relative to suspension and steering. This system is often used on heavy equipment, like earth movers and front end loaders.

A "bonus" is that I'm steering it from a rear seat -- which was simply where it was easiest to mount the steering rack.

The tires are from Sprint Cars -- those 800 HP thingies with a giant square wing on top. I just pick up discarded tires after the races -- most of mine are from my local World Of Outlaws race a couple of years ago. (I work as a motor sports journalist on the side, so I have better access than the average guy, but the tires get thrown away, so anybody can get some.)

 

[the_experience03]

Coolness on the link engineering. More pics perhaps? It's the mechanicals of these things that gets me interested.

Those World of Outlaws guys have a bigger checking account than most of hte racers I've seen I think. The WISSOTA guys don't get rid of a tire until it flat out won't hold air anymore (and sometimes longer). Even after that much of their life is gone they end up (shhhh) using them as fire starters because their nylon bias ply construction and soft rubber compound burn exceptionally well without leaving a wiring mess. Heck, I think even the IRA Outlaw Sprint guys pack that stuff home.

I'm a huge dirt track fan. My ultimate racing preference has always been for down and dirty drag racing...but those circle track guys come darn close to doing just that and I can't help but have respect for a guy that is a team owner, crew chief, public relations liaison, and driver all while still putting in 40 hours per week at the office.

 

[Elliot Naess]

It's the mechanicals of these things that gets me interested.

You know it!

I'll take pics of the articulated chassis tomorrow. Meanwhile, here is a Sprint Car I shot some years ago -- for those who would like to know what we are talking about.

 

[the_experience03]

Ever gotten a good look inside one, Elliot? I don't know how those guys do it. Even guys that are my Shrek-ish size seem to fit yet they don't even have room for pedals. The gas and brake are just kind of sliders on the floor. 120 mph in the straights, a single glowing orange brake rotor, no clutch or transmission even to speak of...it's like death on 4 wheels and pretty darn cool if you ask me.

 

[Elliot Naess]

Ah, here we are:

There is the answer to “where do those tires come from?” I use those Right Rear tires. Sprint Cars have no differential, so they have a LOT of “stagger”.


Oh, and as for the cramped cockpit of a Sprint Car... well, it ain’t a living room, but I managed to fit:

In fact, I found myself steering with my fingertips -- walking the steering wheel thru my hands with my fingertips -- after just a few laps. Of course, it might be different at racing speed! (This was about ten years ago, when I wrote a story on Jimmy Sills and his racing school. Yeah, tough work, but it needs to be done.) I do see top drivers at speed with their hands in their lap, apparently cruising comfortably.

 

[Elliot Naess]

Here is the steering pivot on "Henry Ford Goes Surfing":

The single ball joint is at the top, and the link with two ball joints is at the bottom (the only part that looks somewhat clean). The parts are agricultural tractor/plow hardware from Tractor Supply Co. The steering link is in the background -- it's simply one end of a rack-n-pinion from a small car.
I don't know if this is understandable?

 

[the_experience03]

It makes sense to me. Thanks for the pictures.

What's with Millicient's white forehead? She's starting to look WAY too Prevost.

 

[Elliot Naess]

Prevost Marathon -- $700.000 to $1.5 million. Prevost good.

Millicent soon all white, then we start decorating....
I just watched a documentary film where they visited Ken Kesey on his farm in Oregon, circa year 2000 -- with Further parked indoors in mint condition! Presumably, that's the second or third Further -- I think the original is in tatters.

One more Kinetic race this year: Ventura, Southern California, October 27.
Millicent needs heaters reconnected for night travel in late October!