CAT squad rattled by gun problems at Bathurst
24/11/2000 19:00 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Ineffective rattle guns were the culprits behind CAT Racing’s Bathurst wheel dramas last weekend, an investigation found.
The wheels fell off the CAT Racing campaign, literally, after a rear wheel detached from the black and gold Falcon on two separate occasions in the dying stages of Sunday’s 1000km race. John Bowe and Jim Richards were running in third before suffering the setback.
After an investigation into the incident, the team found the four-nut rattle guns weren’t doing their job.
"The guns are brand new this year and are state-of-the-art, Italian-made equipment used in Formula One and many other categories around the world,” Team Manager Alan Heaphy explained. “However, the guns basically haven't torqued the wheels up tight enough for the Bathurst circuit.”
"They have served us well all year on the same settings and we certainly had no previous indication throughout the season of any trouble. Bathurst, however, is a unique place which places a level of stress on the car which you do not see at any other circuit,” he said.
Questions remain as to the effectiveness of the wheel locking mechanisms, which, in theory, should have prevented the dangerous situation of the wheels leaving the Falcon.
"The locking mechanism on the wheels is an off-the-shelf part and we will be looking into how this system could also be improved," Heaphy said.
"We are certainly very disappointed because when something like this happens, it is the guys on those wheels who are in the firing line, but it wasn't their fault,” he said.
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