Power is good (short version)

I don't have the energy at the moment for a full write up of my
weekend. The weekend started out with my getting the car "ready" and
my gear packed at about 11 on Friday night rather than Thursday (as
planned). An hour later, after a shower and a change of clothes, I was
on my way, only to have a trailer tire blow out ten miles from home.

As this is the abridged version, at about 7am I arrived at
Thunderhill, after driving the car the 200 miles, and getting 1 1/2
hours of something resembling sleep in the non reclining passenger
seat of my MGBGT, using a towel for a blanket.

Heretofore, my best laptime recorded at Thunderhill, on the long
course, in the MGB was right about 2:30 even. Running the cyclone, or
the bypass (two configurations of the track) didn't make much
difference. 

My first "fast" session (one where I wasn't leading students) I was
driving like, well like I hadn't been on a racetrack for a year and
half, because to all intents and purposes, I hadn't. Even so I managed
to turn a lap in the 2:27s.  There were some difficulties with
operator error involving my lap timer, so I didn't get most of my lap
times logged.  Later in the day, I saw a 2:25.86 lap, though most laps
were in the 2:29-2:30 range.  My last session, I didn't get any lap
times, but I did hook up with someone driving a race prepared
(Improved Touring) 1700cc Rabbit. He and I turned basically identical
lap times, neither could outrun the other. This being an "open track"
and not a race, there were quite a few passing opportunities that
neither of us risked, lest damage result, but the driving was probably
equivalent to a spirited vintage race, and undoubtably my fastest laps
of the day. There were several places on the track where I discovered
I could go faster than I had been, because, well if Alex could do it
in a VW, then I damn well could in an MG.

Since the event was way undersubscribed, we were told that if
Saturday's instructors wanted to stay, we could play for free on
Sunday (there being no beginner's session today).

My best laptimes for my four sessions today were:
2:28.51, 2:25.04, 2:23.96, and 2:22.66

So, despite being a year and a half out of practice, and not having it
quite properly dialed in, the supercharger was good for about 7
seconds a lap on a 3 mile ( 5 km) course.

Other notes:

The car now has more power than handling. Not surprising since except
for the swaybars, the suspension is basically stock. I'm curious as to
what the stock spring rates are for a 1969 MGBGT, and what spring
rates were used on racing BGTs back in the early or mid sixties when
the slicks had about as much grip as today's DOT race tires.

I had been considering doing a testing day with skinny cheap (hard)
tires, to get practice drifting and such. With my newfound horsepower
also came some newfound drifting opportunities.

A limited slip diff is new very high on my list of priorities. I lost
a LOT of time because I couldn't get power to the ground, occasionally
resulting in my taillights trying to come up and ask me what I thought
I was doing. It was suggested that I talk to Butch Gilbert about
solving this problem, does anyone have his contact info?

I need to write up my new course notes for Thunderhill. If you'd like
me to send you a copy when I do, let me know.