EXCERPTS FROM DISCUSSIONS WITH DAVID COES
Previous Driver's Corner comments have been archived - 2001, 2002. JANUARY 4, 2003 Many different things have happened since I last posted to this section. I have been waiting to see how things would "shake out" so to speak, so I could accurately update where the Demon Chaser Racing program currently stood, as well as where it would be going. Several months ago, I was offered a "ride" (driver) in a purpose built Camaro in the Super Comp class of drag racing. The discussions with the team owner ended up going full circle; at first I was just going to drive. This eventually evolved into a situation where I started looking into purchasing a dragster as we were looking at the possibility of running a two car team. Regretfully I have decided to withdraw from the entire scenario; I simply do not have the time to be involved in another activity at the present time, as a part team owner or as a driver. My work (day job) is currently intensifying; over the next few months I already have two commitments scheduled which will require my leaving my home area and I am prepared for more . In addition, my children are involved in a number of activities which I need to be a part of. I have focused on my racing program over the last couple of years and the "time" commitment has been at the expense of other activities that I enjoy. My children will never be this age again, and I want to share every moment of it. I initially considered the drag racing alternative because from a "time" perspective, it is very "do-able ." There are probably 4-7 drag racing venues within a 5 hour drive and over 15 tracks within about 7 hours. By contrast, I average about 10 hours, one way for every hydroplane race, with some of the major races (Decatur, Valleyfield) being between 19 and 15 hours (one way). This requires time off from work (usually a Friday and a Monday) and, in addition, because my children's activities primarily take place on weekends, they cannot travel with me. The first thing I really needed to do was to take a hard look at my racing program and where I want to go. I have done that. I have had to make some hard decisions concerning which direction my time and money (both of which are finite) are going to go. Now comes the hard part; implementation of the plan. A few months back I did an analysis of my racing program (which I articulated in my last submission to this section) and I am going to try to find some middle ground. Rather than take an entire season off, I am going to have to curtail my racing efforts for the coming season. I expect to participate in 3-4 races in 2003 if all goes as planned however, that is a desire, not a promise. The fact that I am running a restricted schedule should in no way be construed as my leaving hydroplane racing; I am having another engine built as we speak. The major reason I will be getting a late start is that I am currently in the middle of a MAJOR renovation to my race shop. As I have stated before, in order to be effective, preparation is the key. To be able to prepare properly, efficiency is a necessity, not a nicety. I have designed a race shop designed to extremely efficient and to allow me to prepare for races quickly with a minimum of wasted effort and time. In my particular case, my new shop is tiny (one side is only about 1000 square feet and the other side being about 800) so it is especially important that there is no wasted space and that everything is ergonomically set up. (This is certainly a far cry from my previous location-- a 12,000 square foot warehouse!!) The shop is being designed to handle race cars as well as my hydroplane, should I later opt for that alternative. I had hoped to be farther a long with the renovation by now, but things always seem to take a bit longer than expected. I will admit that the renovation is VERY extensive and as we go along, I find that I am changing a few things to make the shop just a little better so that is contributing slightly to the delay. I am pretty much finished with the improvements to the outside of the shop (which involved a new concrete pad and security/privacy fencing and am currently working on the interior. When I purchased the building we had to immediately put in a large enough door to be able to put the boat in the building. Currently we are relocating the heating system which involves re-routing gas lines and vents as one example of the magnitude of the changes. The gantry I designed and built is going to go outside and I have a new static system in mind which will be created inside the shop. This system will be designed so that an engine can be removed from either the Demon Chaser or a vehicle and maneuvered (by way of a trolley) to my engine disassembly table. Depending on how long the other renovations take, this project may be placed on hold, but I hope to have it in place eventually. A number of ergonomically designed tables and cabinets are also in the planning phase. I had planned to attend the APBA National meeting at the end of this month but unfortunately will be unable to due to work constraints. I had been looking forward to this for several months and am pretty disappointed as this would have been my first National meeting. I have several work trips already scheduled and there is the distinct possibility of several more in the coming months. I am not particularly happy with the way things are shaking out this season; I'm rarin' to race!! But the time has come for a little discipline which, in my experience, will pay off in the long run. Nothing kills enthusiasm more, than when the enjoyment is overwhelmed by the amount of work involved. Hopefully, by preparing the way I am, I will insure my longevity in the sport. Either way, I guess I'm going to have one hellava shop!!!
APRIL 2, 2003 The more things change, the more they remain the same. I'm starting to feel like a willow in the wind; bending whichever way my emotional climate takes me. A lot has transpired over the last few months but one thing which hasn't changed is my lack of free time. Time seems to be accelerating and the days, then weeks seem to be flying by. Sometimes I feel that I am so far behind schedule that I will never catch up. I suppose the intelligent alternative would be to re-adjust the schedule, but somehow that seems like giving in. First, the "master plan." Okay, so I'm "wishy-washy"; I WILL be driving a drag car; only the agreement is that we won't start working on it "full-bore" until the hydroplane racing season is fully under control. (My new partner is a VERY convincing salesman!!) My first commitment however, is to my GNH/UL program. Robert (my partner) and I have already acquired a great base car (Camaro) to work with, and have commitments for an engine program as well as chassis and bodywork help. We are working through a list of necessities and have already acquired a great number of parts, as well as spares. We have agreed not to have a self imposed deadline for when we expect the car to be ready, but rather have general time frames which we can adjust according to both our work schedules (which are very, very busy!) and our personal lives. We are looking toward starting sometime in the fall, if all goes smoothly with the hydroplane program. The shop is starting to really come together; the "garage" side still need several lights installed, the cabinets/work benches need to be finished, and the "Racedeck" flooring installed, but we're almost "there." It has gone from a dark, concrete bunker to a pristine, light and airy professional workplace. The other side (which I call my "showroom") still needs the dropped ceiling with the recessed lighting and the tiled floor installed, as well as the walls painted, but it too, has come a long way. An office (unfinished) has been created, all the old (dangerous) electrical wiring has been removed and replaced with new (up to code) wiring, and the old, pitted plaster walls have been replaced. The outside of the building has been pressure washed and painted. The new "Demon Chaser Racing" sign has been ordered today, and should be ready within about two weeks. Since race season is upon us, my main goal is to get my boat back inside so I can work on it. I have to wait until the showroom is done because right now, all the stuff which is normally stored there, is on the garage side, in the place where the boat needs to go. So-- while we're making headway, we still have a bit of work to do in order to get the boat inside to start work on it. One positive thing we accomplished was getting the gantry outside. I was never able to get it upright, so it was lying tipped over on it's side. (I think I detailed my adventures with properly (or, more accurately, "improperly") sizing the gantry. I was in the process of having to re-adjust the height of the gantry in order to rotate it into the upright position. My problem was that it was hitting the ceiling during the attempted rotation to get it upright). Having a 2000 lb hunk of metal in your way when you're trying to move things around, starts to really become irritating.... Anyway, that's now outside and functional. Boy I love it when a plan comes together.... I have a number of items which need to be accomplished on the boat and hoped to have these done in relatively short order. We plan to turn the boat upside down again as I want to inspect every part of the boat once again, before the new season starts. I need to replace the engine rails and some electronics, but these are not major tasks. I had hoped to re-engineer some engine brackets, but that is a "nice to do" not an "absolutely necessary" item to accomplish. Of course we need to replace the seat belts and go through the air system and such, but again, these are neither hard to do, nor particularly time consuming. On the subject of air systems, I am seriously considering changing my system to the full face helmet system. This is the relatively new system in which the air circulates throughout the entire face area and does away with the necessity of an air mask. I understand that the new system has a provision for removing the faceplate unlike the old one in which it was fixed, so I am leaning toward getting it. I didn't particularly like the setup of the old system as I want the ability to temporarily remove the faceplate. I generate a lot of body heat, which ultimately results in fogging up. Having the possibility of a full face helmet fog up and no way to wipe, or clear (the inside of ) the faceplate could be quite disconcerting at 160 mph. (I think that Region 4 rescue might have something to say about my eyesight anyway. Ken, Ken.... oh well, I digress...) Regarding my escape hatch, I do need to remove the old gasket and create a new one, and that is a pain in the proverbial you-know-what. That will be my "therapy" some loonnngggg night. I have quite a bit of experience with this particular task and while I never look forward to it, it's not real hard; just time-consuming. So.... we're moving forward. Hopefully we will be ready soon, but the schedule is dependant on a variety of factors; my amount of free time and the shop renovation being the two paramount ones. Stay tuned.....
July 1, 2003 It's the week of the Nationals at Valleyfield and I'm disappointed that I will not be ready. While I hadn't expected to have everything in order by this time, I was still hoping things might turn out differently. The work schedule as been very busy so I had to just accept that I would only be racing for about half the season. While I haven't had a whole lot of exciting news to report, I do want to relate a minor setback which had nothing to do with racing this past Sunday. After working on the boat for a few hours, I decided to meet the family at the Fort Monroe swimming pool. It was a perfect day for the pool and progress had been made on the boat so all was well with the world. My youngest daughter, Maria, particularly likes it when I throw her into the air, in the pool. So, dutiful father that I am, I placed her feet in my hands and then threw her up. Actually I threw her up in the air quite high. I didn't have a whole lot of time to congratulate myself on how manly I still was at my advancing age because gravity was working quite well on this day. With infinitely more grace than an Olympic gymnast, Maria curved up, turned and headed down. Straight down. Like a missile. Then my 8 year old daughter accomplished that which many have tried over the years to do, yet have failed. She knocked four of my top front teeth loose; one of them almost completely out. This was quite painful. (Fortunately, yet unbelievably, Maria was unhurt). The following day, my friend, the good Doctor Quinn, pulled the tooth out the rest of the way, installed a titanium pin, epoxied the tooth on it, and voila, life is good again. If only working on the boat were so simple!! Tonight, the good news is that I just left the shop after having installed my new MSD ignition systems in the Demon Chaser. I have 6 wires left to solder together and another task will be history. The boat has been on the rotisserie for several weeks now and the bottom is almost ready to paint. Although we didn't have any major work to do, I wanted to take another close look at it before running this year. In addition, we had made several repairs, one of which was two seasons ago in Valleyfield on my front spar and it needed to be looked at again. Inside the spar is the aluminum bar which runs from sponson to sponson, and is the support for the front bar of the rotisserie. The aluminum is starting to need attention and, if I want to continue to use the rotisserie to support the boat, will eventually need replacing. I think I can safely go another couple of seasons without dealing with it but I will probably take care of it in the near future. Other than being a support for the rotisserie, it really doesn't have any other function but I've come to rely on the rotisserie as it is a great way to work on all parts of the boat. So... eventually we'll deal with that issue. Other than that, the bottom looks great. I have removed the escape hatch to replace the hardware (saltwater is extremely tough on metal!!) and plan to make a new gasket for it. Hopefully we'll be able to make it watertight. Steve is also doing a little touch up on the canopy hinge to make sure everything is just right up top. I have to check my hoses and fittings (especially the water hoses which run to the engine and back out of the boat) because last season, I had written on my check list that I had a water leak somewhere. I have a couple of other minor things to do on the boat itself and then on to the engine. Fortunately I haven't had any engine problems and I intend to keep up the preventative maintenance to keep it that way. Art is sending me some replacement valve springs and I will also be replacing the distributor, wires, plugs and coil. I'll have a "dry" (land) test of all the systems and hopefully everything will be a "go." I'll have to remember to have Charlie take a look at my carburetors to make sure all is in order and I still have to order another prop. Henry has already finished my new shaft and I need to get over there to pick it up and to have lunch and "catch up" with the latest "boat shop" news. Anyway, everything is on schedule to compete in the North American Championships at Cambridge, Maryland on July 18-20th. It will still be a little hectic for me as I have a steady list of tasks which have to be done prior to going. Cambridge is a close race for me geographically, which is a good thing, as I have to leave the following Monday for Texas on a work assignment. I will be back in time to bring the family up to Kent Narrows to watch the races (and participate in the crab fest) in the beginning of August and then to get ready for the World Championships at Hampton on August 15-17th. Now that the shop is pretty well set up (with the exception of a couple of "nice-to-have" items), it's actually therapeutic to work on the boat. It would be nice to get the top of the boat the way we want it, but that is going to have to wait until the end of the season. We will be working on the cosmetics as soon as the last race (Wildwood, NJ) is over. I am looking forward to re-working the area behind the engine compartment as it needs to be made more functional and then repainted. It's looking a little rough right now. So, that's the progress-- steady and certain. Barring some unforeseen calamity, the Demon Chaser will run at Cambridge.
Well, Cambridge and, as of last night, Hampton has come and gone. I'll try to make this relatively short. I went to Cambridge after working nonstop on the boat, with only the expectation of "shaking down" the boat for Hampton. I never started, but actually managed to get in under my own power on the second day. I had to leave for a business conference early the following Monday, so I made it back to Hampton in time to maintenance the boat on Sunday. Upon my return from my business trip, the work started in earnest. For my assault on the World Championships, held in my home town of Hampton, Virginia, the following is a sample of what was new in the boat. (Please note that some of these parts were listed as already having been replaced-- no, I am not repeating what I have already written; these are replacements (again!!)). These are new parts: 2 new MSD boxes, rev limiter, disconnect switch, battery, battery cable, new connections (ends to everything terminating in the engine compartment), billet distributor, distributor cap, coil, spark plug wires, spark plugs (indexed), all fuel lines, fuel filter, fuel regulator, fuel regulator gauge, fuel pump, water lines to oil cooler, oil cooler cap and a few other things I can't even remember right now. Then, to rule out a mechanical issue, we took the heads off and made sure that none of the valves were bent or broken. We did find a broken keeper which would have meant certain destruction had I run without replacing it, so I feel very fortunate. Anyway, after replacing all this stuff, cleaning up the heads, testing the springs etc, and putting the engine back together at 1:30 Friday morning (the race starts at noon), we started the engine. Same old problem; back firing out of the right bank at low rpm. Okay, it's gotta be the wiring screwing up the ignition as were pretty certain nothing was wrong mechanically with the engine after going through the top end. So, Friday morning, I got excused from the driver's meeting to drag the boat over to Henry's (Lauterbach) to put in a mag. The GNH's ran at the beginning of the schedule because of the tides, so it became quickly apparent that I just wasn't going to be able to make it back from Suffolk in time to run. Under Henry's tutelage, Steve (Lewis) got the mag in. (I was about as much help as a wart on a tree stump). After a slow start due to re-gapping the sparkplugs and checking each wire several times to insure the firing order was correct (the wires had been previously used and they were banded together incorrectly), the engine fired up with not one single back fire. Henry dialed in the timing (right on the numbers!!) with only about 3 adjustments simply by touch, and we confirmed with the timing light. Unbelievable. I felt that I was more than ready on Saturday for the qualifications. The GNH's were near the top of the order, running in the 4th heat. We fired up the engine and everything was perfect. When the GNH's were called, everything was fine until I couldn't find the keys to the truck. My stress level was starting to top out (I could hear the pit boss over the loudspeaker "GNH's, last call to the crane, GNH's last call to the crane") when the keys were finally located between the seats and the console. (Actually this was the same black hole in which I finally located my sunglasses, which I mislaid during the beginning of this endurance event). I was craned into the water and I settled into the cockpit and finally started to relax. When the starting gun fired, I started both my digital and back up clocks, both of which worked flawlessly during the race. The only problem I was having was with my radios; the volume was so low (the connection was bad) that during the race, I effectively had no communication with my spotters. At any rate, the boat started immediately and I pulled out on the course. I was running a fairly large prop and had decided to run the outside. My timing was pretty good and I got a good run at the clock. As it was a qualifier and not the final, all of us were probably running at about 80-85%. At least I was. This is not by any prearranged design or anything like that; we all want to win every heat, but you have to remember that the only part of any race that matters is the last couple of inches in the final!! The whole idea is to put it all out on the table during the finals, not to waste it in the prelims. I pulled into the lead but stayed on the outside and started playing with the wing. Last year we put about 2 degrees of positive lift in it, and I was experimenting by activating it at different times to see the difference in response coming out of the turns. I was having the time of my life. Almost at the start/finish line, starting the 4th lap, I felt a slight shudder, or "pop" in the engine. I immediately looked at my gauges; my oil pressure was lower than usual (about 50 lbs) which certainly signals a problem but what immediately got my attention was my oil temperature (which was close to 280-290 degrees). I shut her down and hopped out of the cockpit to look in the engine compartment. I saw a bit of oil in the engine compartment but also saw something which I didn't like at all. The heater cord for my oil which is normally under a bunch of wires and under the oil sump, was lying on the other side of the partition which separates my engine from the oil sump. It was lying right next to my belt driven oil pump. My first conclusion was that the cord had some how tangled up in the belt, although the belt had not been thrown off the pump or engine gears. When we got the boat back into the pits and pulled the engine cowling off, the really bad news surfaced. There was a hole in the side of the oil pan around the number one cylinder. So, at the very least, we have a rod gone. A call to Art Davidson elicited the response of a possible spun bearing as the initiation of the problem, based on the symptoms. We'll get to the engine some time this week if possible. While this season is effectively over for me, I am hoping to do a number of races next year, and hope to have a spare engine built as a backup by then. Mechanical things do break! I would like to thank a number of people who made running at Hampton this year a reality. Steve Lewis and Henry Lauterbach for all their ongoing support and help without which I would not be racing at all, Bill Gwyn for putting everything aside and handling the issue with the heads at the last minute, Art Davidson for always taking my calls at all hours, his continued ongoing support and advice on my engine program, Charlie Morgan for constantly reworking my carburetors after I've screwed them up yet once again, my son Christopher for his help in my shop before the race, my daughters', Ingrid, Esmeralda and Maria, for bringing me tools and drinks while I was working in my shop, my son Jaime's help in the shop and at the race site, my friends' John Hanlon and Don Greaser for their calm and focused help during the entire race weekend. A special note of thanks goes out to my wife Mo, who always comes through for me; taking care of all the things that I can't remember to do and just being the "glue" that keeps everything right, and caring enough about me to be "stressed" because she doesn't want to see me at the end of that tow rope (you know, the special one that has my name on it) because she knows of the number of hours I've spent alone in the shop trying to get everything right. I know I've probably forgotten to mention someone else who has helped me and I apologize in advance; I have received enormous help from a great number of people. Also, a word of appreciation to the GNH's who made the trip to Hampton. We put on a good show; the boats ran "wire to wire" and watching from the bridge on Sunday, I know exactly how much the crowd appreciated the roar of the big blocks. Hopefully the problems of the past few years have disappeared and we will continue to have excellent competition as we did at this Championship. I would also like to thank the people of Hampton who believe in me and what I can do in this boat. Your support on the bridge on Saturday was tremendous. I truly appreciate the expressions of empathy and the kind words from everyone on Saturday afternoon and Sunday. While I may love flying this boat, it is this core of volunteers and fans who keep the sport of hydroplane racing alive. Without this support, I would not have the opportunity to climb into the cockpit of this spectacular machine. We are a niche sport; without support, we will disappear. From my point of view, this was the best ever Hampton Cup. The Phoebus Committee, Tim Smith, Chairman, and our local Virginia Boat Racing Association, Jerry Glass, Race Director, (with the support of the city of Hampton), did a tremendous job. It goes without saying that without the exceptional support of Fort Monroe, there just wouldn't be a race. The Army once again did an exceptional job dealing with all the security issues, yet still making the race very spectator-friendly. (Being former 'Army,' I have to admit I'm a little biased!! On top of that, the current Commander at Ft. Monroe is a Special Forces alumnus so I KNOW everything is taken care of!!) My hat is off to Lockwood Cranes for their fast, efficient and precise crane work. As a spectator on Sunday, I saw first hand how the heats went off with very little down time. As racers, we were fortunate to have the ever vigilant Region IV Rescue Crew (the best in the nation) under Ken Smith's direction, respond with lightening speed to several accidents. This team is so experienced that if you watch closely, you will see the boats start to move in the direction of an incident, sometimes before the race boat actually goes over. These very capable men and women can read the signs of a potential situation. It is an incredible job putting together any race, and a World or National Championship is even harder. There are many, many people involved in this race and I cannot come close to mentioning them all so I won't try. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mr. and Mrs. Glass. Year after year, they have provided the racers and volunteers with extra "goodies" (coffee, ham biscuits etc), funded from their own pockets. They have steadfastly manned the "volunteer RV" down by the crane and are fixture in the pits. A big "thank you" to them. I will not be racing again this year; I am not a "deep pockets" racer. My program currently is totally funded out of my own pocket. Truth be told, without Henry and Steve, and Dexter, Art, Charlie and the other "core" racing friends, I would have been out of this game a long time ago. While this year is over for me, tonight, I started to plan for next year. While every plan has to be flexible, my intention is to start rebuilding now for a run at the major races next year. I also need to find the right sponsor; a marriage with a corporate entity who has both ethics and heart. I have had many people over the last year tell me that I have the worst luck of any racer they know. After initially rebuilding the boat over a 2-3 year period (with a lot of help!), I spent almost an entire season shaking it down completely, chasing away all the gremlins that plagued it. Parts which are new and should not have failed, have done so. Crucially wired-tied cables (like the throttle) have mysteriously come apart during races. And of course, you have to factor in all the stupid stuff I either didn't think about or ignored because I figured "it can't happen." A successful finish to the 2001 season led to high hopes for the 2002 season. These hopes were shattered when a propeller failure in my first race of the year caused the prop shaft to bend instantly; wreaking havoc. The shaft continued to rotate at 7800 rpms, ultimately resulting in catastrophic destruction, tearing the bottom of my boat out in a matter of seconds. The obvious result of this event was that I sank. So, once again, I have painstaking been going through the entire painful process of rebuilding a major portion of the boat as well as fighting the issue of corrosion from the water damage. After these last few years, "Murphy's Law" is going to be called "Coes's Luck." I have been told that faced with the same situation, others would have quit. Perhaps. It has been a long, hard, arduous process in which I truly have become "The King of Pain." However, I subscribe to the old adage that "Luck is where Preparation meets Opportunity." I need to prepare; my opportunity will present itself. I have faith. I believe. The Demon Chaser will fly again... See ya next season at the races-
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