Woohoo! SR3 lifted off from the construction pad today at 4:26PM, Tuesday, December 28, 2021. The launch was flawless and SR3 remained lifted for over an hour without issue.
I really wasn’t sure the system would lift this beast of a table but it seemed to be plenty powerful enough and didn’t seem to bog down with the new load at all. Of course, there’s a lot more to add to the table, including the track, wiring, electronics, and power supplies. Given there didn’t appear to be any stress
on the system the only modifications I’ll add are extra horizontal and vertical bracing to the garage joists and some sort of safety straps to prevent a pulley mount from failing. Yea, I didn’t do that with SR2 but this beast makes me nervous to get under for any length of time.
Next step after the safety system is to clean up the table and touch up the paint job. Then it’s time to lay down the precious Bowman track sections, oval layout first.
Hope to see you at the Formula “e” Series Opener January 1, 2022. Please register for the event today!
Okay, shut-up and drive!
The wet weather continues but progress is still being made. We’re almost ready to start laying down track after finishing the table over the weekend.
After that, it’s all about laying out the track and getting it placed perfectly on the table. The SR3 table is much larger than SR2 at 16×6 vs. 14×5, which suggested the table sides should be a bit higher due to the increased speeds and velocity in the corners.
Excavation and geology work has been difficult with all the much needed rain. But construction is progressing and we’re on schedule!
The base table is almost complete now as you can see. I just need to finish fastening the table top sheets to the frame, cut and route the side and end panels, then paint and assemble. After that, it’s all about laying out the track, oval first, and securing anchor points to keep it in position as the wiring and electronics are installed.
Lots of decisions to be made so I’m anxious to get some veteran racers over to comment on things. A couple key decision needed are what side of the garage the main start/finish straight will be on, what pit spacing to try first, and what layout to employ for the grand opening race day.
All construction materials arrived today, December 20, 2021. But not without drama, of course. I won’t bore you with the details but I did have some issues with the lumber supplier.
In any case, all the lumber products
I’m also considering flush-mount driver’s stations instead of the horizontal platforms that SR2 has. I really like the platform-style stations but SR3 is over a foot wider as it is. Adding the platforms would make it almost 8-feet wide! So, bring your Fray pit-box hanger and deal with it! Sides will be 3/4 MDF. More construction reports to come as construction proceeds. Oh, and I’ll have Bowman or Viper controller holsters, haven’t decided on that yet.