By Freddie Heaney.
Courtesy of Speedway Illustrated,
Photos by Moore Good Ink:
Racers frequently face the inconvenient fact that some clutch-flywheel assemblies are so light they fail prematurely, often during the taxing process of getting the car into the trailer.
Curiously, most professional clutch makers agree that you quickly reach a point where the ultra light clutch unit has no advantage at all and instead its arch attribute, lightness, undermines the process bringing decreased durability. A stroke of marketing brilliance some might say! Racer purchases ultra light clutch, racer quickly destroys ultra light clutch, racer purchases successive ultra light clutch. You may think racers would resent these dubious practices, but there is no evidence to suggest they do. In all likelihood if you added a little strength to the unit you would probably gain 50 percent greater clutch longevity without any perceptible loss in power.
In either case, to reduce these often unnecessary costs here are a few tips intended to prolong the life of the racing clutch. Read Speedway Illustrated’s story here.
I use that unit pictured, but you have to follow two rules: Always load and unload using a winch is rule one. Rule two is always take off in a lower gear than you race in to eliminate premature wear. I have seen tempers flare when a driver is revving like crazy to get moving after a spinout and how many clutches I have smelled when they miss the loading ramps. This is also good for some laughs.
Thanks, Harry