[ROVERNET - UK] OT: NZ man 'used hedgehog as weapon'

[Glen Wilson]

David Walker wrote:
> Maybe this attitude towards finding new uses for objects-thinking 
> laterally about how to achieve a goal - while under pressure is why 
> there are so many kiwis in motor racing ( and why so many P6sare still 
> on the road over here) A great example of Kiwi ingenuity! :-) 

I remember reading an article in Road & Track magazine back in 1970 when 
McLaren were still doing well in the CanAm Challenge Cup series. Jim 
Hall had just come out with the Chaparral 2J vacuum cleaner car, and it 
was blowing (sucking?) them away in qualifying. Denny Hulme came up with 
the idea of a "hedgehog" ejector system. The idea was to lay a carpet of 
the little buggers down behind the big orange McLaren at some critical 
moment on the race and possibly cause some slow punctures among the 
nearest competition. The Bear used the system one time but felt so awful 
afterwards that it was removed from both cars. It was only marginally 
effective, anyway, because the little buggers just weren't tough enough 
to cause slow punctures. They did, however, have an immediate effect on 
the Chaparral 2J since they were immediately drawn up into rotating 
blades of the sucker mechanism and stalled out the snowmobile motor that 
drove them. The 2J immediately lost 90% of its downforce and slid off 
course into the gravel. At least, I think I remember reading that story.

;-)

Glen