Why choose Lucas Oil? Simple answer, because it works! More advanced answers below.
synthetic oils
Pure synthetics use high-quality base oil, which is like having an incredibly strong foundation in order to build a high performance lubricant. One aspect of higher quality base oil is thermal conductivity. This means the fluid has a greater capacity to absorb heat which it can then transfer to a cooler area. This allows the lubricant to pull heat from high temperature areas like the lifter and camshaft interface or from the highly loaded connecting rod bearing and transfer this heat to an oil cooler or to the sump where it can be conducted to cooler outside air. This allows a synthetic to operate at a much lower overall temperature, which means the oil will last longer. Combined with a more refined additive package that also lasts longer, this means that while a pure synthetic is more expensive, it is possible to extend drain intervals so that over a greater number of competition laps or street miles, a synthetic can be less expensive to use than a mineral-based oil.
The word “synthetic” has many different meanings depending on the context. In the lubricants industry the word is usually referencing the base oil – the starting point for building a lubricant which constitutes the majority of the finished lubricant. Base oils are what you begin with before various additives and viscosity modifiers have been compounded into the base oil. There are different kinds of “synthetic” base oils. The American Petroleum Institute (API) categorizes lubricating base oils into 5 distinct “groups.” Group I and II are petroleum based. Group III is considered synthetic but is a refinery product, commonly obtained from wax through severe hydro-isomerization. This is a high-temperature reaction where hydrogen gas is used to rearrange the molecules over a catalyst. Group IV is polyalphaolefin (PAO for short). This is a kind of base oil obtained by polymerization of a monomer like decene into a larger molecule. PAOs were the first base oils that used the “synthetic” description. Then there are Group V base oils, also considered synthetic which really is everything else, including: esters, silicone oils and polyalkylene glycols (PAG). Lucas uses all of these categories of synthetic base oils depending on the application.
Synthetics have certain advantages over standard petroleum base oils. They can be thought of as molecules that are designed for ideal performance. Synthetics have higher resistance to heat and oxidation. They have lower pour points, which means they remain liquid at extremely low temperatures when petroleum base oils would become gels. They also have a higher viscosity index than petroleum base oils, which means that they thin less as they are heated. Due to their purity, they are generally perfectly clear, almost like water. All of these performance characteristics do come at a price of course, but racing oils and other severe applications call for this higher degree of performance.
Discussing engine oil is a slippery subject. For starters, should you use conventional or synthetic oil? It used to be that the most troublesome choice to make when deciding on oil for your engine was the brand name on the label. But today much has changed. There are multiple technical areas and a ton of material to cover so let’s jump right into this viscous topic.
Technology around engine oil is constantly changing because late-model engines are evolving at a much quicker pace than in past decades. The discussion of conventional versus synthetic has been extensively covered. So instead, we’ll focus on oil application issues and how viscosity plays a part in that decision. To get some solid information, we reached out to the folks at Lucas Oil.
Why Choose Racing Oil?
Racing oil offers distinct advantages over normal API oils that are now limited in their use of ZINC and phosphorous, commonly referred to as ZDDP (ZINC dialkyl dithiophosphate). This is essentially a high-pressure lubricant that coats high-load areas of the engine such as the interface between a flat tappet lifter and the camshaft lobe. In current API SN engine oils, ZDDP has been drastically reduced to prevent long-term damage to catalytic converters. But since race engines do not commonly utilize emission control devices, ZDDP and other additives can be blended to increase protection for critical components in high performance engines.
Additive packages for racing oils can also be adjusted to enhance oil performance. As an example, API oils increase detergent levels to reduce the chance of sludge deposits and other daily use considerations in order to increase drain intervals. But high detergent levels are also counterproductive since they also work to remove the high pressure lubricants that race engines demand for protection under extreme load and RPM conditions. Lucas Racing Oil carefully blends these additives to produce an optimal balance for competition and high performance engines like yours. Lucas offers a wide selection of different base oil selections ranging from mineral-based, through semi-synthetic blend, to full synthetic in various viscosities which offer the opportunity to customize the perfect lubricant for your specific needs.
You’ve invested thousands of dollars in building the perfect engine and it deserves oil that will not only protect it but also complement its performance characteristics.
“LUCAS OIL PROVIDES ECR ENGINES A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN THE NASCAR AND ROAD RACING SERIES WHERE WE COMPETE. INDEED, RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING AND OTHER TEAMS RUNNING ECR ENGINES HAVE WON MULTIPLE RACES PROTECTED BY LUCAS OIL. LUCAS UNDERSTANDS THE UNIQUE REQUIREMENTS TO ACHIEVE POWER AND DURABILITY IN HIGH-PERFORMANCE ENGINES. THROUGH OUR LUCAS/ECR TECHNICAL PARTNERSHIP WE ARE CONTINUING TO DEVELOP NEW BLENDS SUITED IDEALLY FOR DEMANDING APPLICATIONS.”
Any engine oil, intended either for street use or as a race lubricant, is a combination of both a base oil (either mineral-based or synthetically derived), and an additive package. You can think of the base oil as a foundation for a house, while the additive package is more like the framework and trim around which the rest of the house is constructed. Both are essential and work together to produce the final product. The base oil foundation interacts with the additive package to create the oil’s overall performance curve. For example, viscosity index is a base oil trait but its performance can be enhanced with viscosity improvers. Other additives such as anti-foam, anti-corrosion, anti-wear agents (ZDDP), and oxidation stabilizers all contribute to this additive package which improves the base oil’s ability to lubricate, reduce wear and help cool the engine.
New, highly-purified lubricants called polyalphaolefins (PAO) are used to create pure, Grade IV (4) synthetic base oil. This higher quality oil creates a stronger base package mainly because it offers a much higher thermal stability. Because of this, PAO base oil foundations require a less complex additive package which further extends the oil’s performance envelope. Due to these strengths, PAO base oils are able to extend the performance envelope of their additive package over a longer period of time, especially when subjected to high temperatures. Lucas synthetics’ superior base oil strategy reduces the necessity for more complex additive packages, creating a more stable oil package where the additive package will last longer. This is what contributes to maintaining superior performance over time, which equates to longer drain intervals.
WORN ROLLER LIFTER
Roller lifter failure can occur when oils lack in “Extreme Pressure” additive packages, such as ZDDP. As the needle bearing fails, the roller wheel with fail too. This is especially critical in flat tappet cams as well.
GOOD ROLLER LIFTER
Roller lifters work well with the correct additive package and oil. Proper valve lash is also critical.
ZDDP
ZINC dialkyldithiophosphate, (ZDDP for short or sometimes even just “ZINC”) are a family of multi-functional additives that provide anti-wear, oxidation inhibition and corrosion protection. In recent years the level of phosphorus in passenger car motor oils (PCMO) has been limited by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC). This is due to the tendency of phosphorus to interfere with the function of catalytic converters. One will hear of phosphorus referred to as a “catalyst poison.” A small amount of motor oil is inevitably burned by the engine and this is how phosphorus contaminates the catalyst in the converter. As the engine ages more oil tends to be burned, accelerating this process, shortening the useful life of the catalytic converter. Oil blenders, recognizing the unique value of ZDDP, have strenuously argued against lowering the limits further. Racers and car hobbyists have long recognized the value of motor oils that have high ZDDP concentrations, especially in protecting the camshafts of older cars that do not use roller bearing followers. In these engines there is a great deal of sliding friction as the lobes of the camshafts push down on the tappets/ followers of the valve train. Oils high in ZDDP are very useful in extending the life of the camshafts and associated valve linkages. ZDDP works by forming a sacrificial film between moving metal parts that is continually formed and continually stripped away through friction. This film formation also figures in the corrosion inhibiting function of ZDDP. Reducing ZDDP from oil often involves replacing ZDDP with three new additives for each of the three functions ZDDP serves.
DETERGENTS AND DISPERSANTS
Combustion in the engine results in the formation, not just of heat and power, along with carbon dioxide, water and other gases, but also carbonaceous, sooty compounds as well as weak organic acids. Detergents are alkaline additives that neutralize these weak acids and bind to them, helping to keep them suspended in the oil and not agglomerate to thicken the oil or form lacquers on metal parts. Detergents are often the calcium or magnesium salts of organic acids themselves and are frequently “over-based” meaning that they have additional basic content beyond the simple organometallic salts to neutralize additional acidic byproducts of combustion. They’re relatively small molecules. Detergents often have a dual function of cleaning and inhibiting corrosion. Dispersants serve a similar function to detergents, but they are generally far less alkaline and are larger, polymeric molecules whose function has more to do with dispersing and holding contaminants in solution and suspension than in neutralizing them. Engine oils of all types, whether for passenger cars or race cars, need a balance of components. High levels of ZDDP without sufficient detergents and dispersants can actually lead to gum and sludge formation. Racing oils will have a different balance than passenger car oils, but they too need detergents and dispersants as well as anti-wear agents, extreme pressure lubricants, oxidation inhibitors and corrosion inhibitors.
Each product offered in the Lucas Racing Engine Oil line employs a unique combination of chemical components. That’s why this catalog lists so many different styles of engine oil. Of the many important components of a motor oil’s additive package, one plays a pivotal role, a class of compounds often abbreviated as “ZINC” or “ZDDP.” This material actually bonds to the surface of the metal under pressure and by doing so enhances the base oil’s antiwear characteristics. All of this must be carefully blended when the additive package is created, which is why pour-in ZDDP additives are not as successful as additives blended at the source. Lucas scientifically controls the point at which ZINC Technology is applied, introducing just the right amount of additive to protect your engine because excessive ZINC and phosphate levels can do more harm than good. That’s why each custom-blended Lucas Racing product is specifically designed for its intended application – and to help you not only maintain your precious investment – but create an environment that allows your engine to do its job. You can’t ask for more than that.
BUSINESS & BEYOND WITH GERRY DICK: MORGAN LUCAS
Morgan Lucas’ connection with cars and racing runs deep within his DNA. Although he has retired from racing, he continues to pursue his passion for speed by spearheading the expansion of his family’s business. As the president of Lucas Oil Products, he candidly discusses his views on risk, family, and the company’s strong commitment to Indiana.
LISTEN TO PODCASTPreventative Vehicle Maintenance that Anyone Can Do – The Benefits of Using Additives Regularly
Vehicle maintenance is something most of us have to deal with. For many, it is a labor of love: bringing a classic back to its prime or keeping a family auto in tip-top shape for teenagers and their siblings to share. Confident DIYers are comfortable popping the hood and getting grease under their fingernails. For most, regular maintenance is left to the professionals.
Whether you consider it a joy or a chore, regular vehicle maintenance is crucial to ensuring the reliability, safety, and utility of a car, truck, van or SUV. We rely on these machines to transport us through daily life, and keeping them running smoothly takes the same care we give to our homes and ourselves.
But you don’t have to be a gearhead or spend hundreds of dollars at the auto shop tearing down and cleaning an engine, there’s a much easier way to care for a vehicle that everyone can do: use fuel additives.
Lucas Makes Vehicle Care Easy: Fill It Up, Pour It In and Drive
It sounds too simple, but fuel additives like Lucas Oil Fuel Treatment can do a lot to improve engine performance and efficiency in gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. Fuel Treatment is a powerful blend of lubricants and cleaning agents designed to de-gunk a fuel system and flush out nasty deposits that build up in an engine – it’s like a multivitamin for your vehicle – circulating through the system delivering benefits to critical components.
Just as multivitamin provides essential nutrients to our bodies, fuel additives can provide numerous advantages to our vehicles when added regularly. Think of additives as a daily dose of vitamins that can help keep your vehicle running at its best.
Why Use Fuel Additives Regularly – The Multivitamin Effect
Additives are the multivitamin for car health, with different blends benefiting different parts of a vehicle’s engine and performance. Fuel system cleaners can help keep the fuel lines, injectors and combustion chambers clean, while octane boosters improve power and acceleration, and fuel stabilizers keep fuel fresh and prevent gumming and buildup.
To kickstart your vehicle multivitamin regimen, start with Fuel Treatment. It’s an easy-to-use, comprehensive product that is great for novice car owners and enthusiasts and offers real benefits for your vehicle and wallet. Just pour in one 5-ounce bottle once a month or every other time you fill up your gas tank.
- Cleans fuel system. Adding a fuel additive every other time you fill up will help prevent deposit buildup and flush out existing deposits.
- Cleans engine. Fuel additives like Lucas Fuel Treatment do an excellent job of cleaning internal components without the need to break down an engine.
- Improves fuel efficiency. A good fuel additive will maximize every drop of gas in the tank, burning more completely and efficiently, leaving nothing behind to corrode or gunk up your fuel system. The more efficiently your vehicle is able to use fuel, the more miles you can go on a single tank.
- Avoid trips to the auto service shop. Maintaining a clean fuel system and engine can prevent a number of performance or reliability issues. Friction, heat, wear and tear can wreak havoc on new and old engines, a major cause of engine failure that requires a costly rebuild or replacement. Fuel and oil additives, especially those with added lubrication like Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant and Stabilizer, effectively reduce engine friction and prevent common engine wear issues. Lucas in the tank, money in the bank.
Curious about how often you should use fuel additives in your vehicle? Think of additives like multivitamins for your car. If you use them regularly you maximize their benefits – and for your vehicle that means better engine performance, lower emissions and fewer trips to the service station. Try adding Lucas Oil Fuel Treatment to your fuel with every other fill up and watch how your vehicle responds. We think you’ll be impressed.
When it comes to taking the best care of your vehicle, try Lucas first.
A SIMPLE GUIDE ON HOW TO GET THROUGH THE TEENAGE YEARS OF YOUR VEHICLE
By Ford McAlexander, Sales Programs Manager, Lucas Oil Products, INC.
It may be surprising to hear after the many new car commercials and advertisements we see everyday, but in truth, vehicles are growing older. With that being said, it is probably time for everyone to have a heart-to- heart with their vehicle to ensure it receives the best protections available to them. I may joke about talking to a vehicle regarding its well-being, but this is important not only for reliability and performance, but for the owner’s wallet as well.
According to multiple sources and the Bureau of Transportation studies, the average vehicle in operation on the road today is at least 11 years old! That’s almost a teenager! As one can expect from teenagers, they eat through a lot of the products as they grow. This will bring about growing pains, and I’m not talking about joint pain, I’m talking about seals becoming loose, poor combustion due to carbon buildup, and transmission slipping due to wear. That’s where responsible owners can see real benefits from using proper lubrication and performance additives.
In regards to seal issues, particularly in the crankcase, age, and repeated use do cause seals to weaken. Even with the best synthetic motor oils available today (and right now is truly the best motor oils have ever been), seals do leak and crankcases will lose oil. This is a great time for an owner to look into oil additives. All motor oil manufacturers need to meet API standards to ensure confidence, but oil additives can be that extra helping that teenage vehicles want, making them feel young again. There are many oil additives to choose from and they all provide benefits that plain motor oils can’t provide. As an added bonus, the oil additives do all the work for you as most of them simply involve adding the additive during your normal oil change or in situations where you are experiencing increased consumption in your crankcase.
“All motor oil manufacturers need to meet API standards to ensure confidence, but oil additives can be that extra helping that teenage vehicles want, making them feel young again.“
Ford McAlexander, Sales Programs Manager, Lucas Oil Products
Combustion chambers within your adolescent vehicles are even more important to take care of with proper fuel additives and fuel treatments. Over the years, gasoline and diesel fuels have changed in effort to help the environment, but this has also created issues for a vehicle’s long-term well-being. When you add fuel additives and treatments to a car’s fuel tank, you can provide the missing additives that will improve fuel economy, acceleration, and performance. Conveniently, most premium fuel treatments are designed to fit both capless and traditional style fuel tank receivers for easy application. In addition, with some of the mild detergents in fuel additives, you can remove some of the unwanted carbon buildup and turn back the hands of time for the vehicle’s performance.
Finally, let’s talk about a teenage vehicle not knowing what gear you want it to be in so it “slips” into its inconvenient bad behavior. This is another usage based problem that comes up when vehicles get older. Fortunately, there are a variety of transmission additives that can help fix these slipping issues and ensure your transmissions hit the gear you want it to when you need it. The various transmission additives on the market can be used as easy as adding it to the current transmission fluid without draining or replacing the reservoir. As an example, the additives can solve the common problem where you press the gas pedal trying to get in front of a big rig on the interstate and the car hesitates trying to find the right gear.
Now, I’m not saying all performance chemicals are created equal, or that they will solve every vehicle’s problems. I’m simply suggesting that there are many lower cost opportunities for you as an owner to maximize the functionality and life of vehicles well into the future. The benefits an owner of these “matured” vehicles will be realized through increased miles per gallon and minimization of maintenance costs or shop related down-time when true maintenance is required. The average price of a new vehicle has continued to increase, which is part of the reason why older vehicles are so appealing to keep and maintain today. With that sort of time investment, it only makes sense to provide the right lubrication products to older vehicles that will hopefully see it graduate with a diploma of amazing service to an owner.
Why Lucas Oil Products are the Ultimate Solution for Heavy Duty Trucking
Fuel efficiency and operational savings is paramount in trucking — it’s the largest expense drivers and owner-operators face and they pull out all the stops to optimize rig performance and maximize profitability. From coordinating the most direct routes, changing driving habits or adding aerodynamic packages, fleets are constantly working to improve fuel mileage and stay on the road for as long as possible.
At Lucas Oil, we understand the challenges that heavy duty truckers and freight operators face every day. That’s why we have developed a range of top-quality oil additives specifically designed to meet the demanding needs of the trucking industry. With our products, you can enhance the performance and reliability of your heavy duty vehicles, ensuring they go the extra mile.
With everything from anti-gel cold weather diesel treatment to heavy duty oil stabilizer, and essential fuel savers, cleaners, problem-solvers and cetane boosters in between, Lucas’s hard-working products shield against wear and tear, overheating and more to keep you moving.
Founded by a Trucker, For Truckers – We Know How to Maximize the ROI of Your Rig
Lucas Oil was founded by a trucker. Forrest Lucas knows the ins and outs of the trucking world because he drove a truck himself, then managed a fleet of trucks, experiencing firsthand the inefficiencies and frustrations of gunked up fuel systems, overheated engines and the losses incurred when trucks were in the garage instead of on the road.
Driven by his entrepreneurial spirit and the desire to find a better solution, he set out on a mission to develop a product that would outperform anything else available at the time – and he succeeded. His passion and dedication resulted in Lucas Oil Products, a brand that has become synonymous with excellence in heavy duty trucking. Today, we continue to deliver cutting-edge oil additives that exceed industry standards and help squeeze every drop of ROI and efficiency out of semi fleets, realizing tangible benefits for truckers and freight operators alike.
Backed by Real-World Performance and Solid Science
From improving fuel efficiency to extending motor oil endurance and stabilizing fuel, Lucas Oil Products aim to satisfy what heavy duty fleets need to stay competitive. Backed by a state-of-the-art, ISO certified product research lab and dedicated production facilities, Lucas is continuing to push the envelope around product quality, capability and innovation.
With freight in our blood, we are committed to providing heavy duty trucks with the best possible solutions. We understand the unique needs and challenges you face. That’s why we go above and beyond to deliver innovative, reliable, and high-performing oil additives that are tailored to the demands of the trucking industry.
- Enhanced Engine Performance: Our advanced formulas work wonders in optimizing engine performance, reducing friction, and minimizing wear and tear. With Lucas additives, you can experience improved horsepower, reliability, and overall better engine efficiency, ensuring your trucks are ready to tackle any challenge on the road.
- Extended Oil Life: Our additives contain special anti-oxidant properties that help extend the life of your oil, allowing you to go longer between oil changes – saving money and reducing downtown.
- Superior Engine Protection: Shield against extensive wear and extreme temperatures with additives that create a protective barrier on critical engine parts, guarding against corrosion, rust, and harmful deposits. A clean, well-protected engine minimizes the risk of costly breakdowns, extends machine life, and could boost the resale value of your rig.
- Improved Fuel Economy: Fuel costs eat into your bottom line. Trusted by truckers for 35 years, Lucas additives optimize fuel combustion, resulting in improved fuel economy, compensating for and even upgrading lower-quality fuel. By maximizing every drop of fuel, you can cut down on expenses and increase your profitability.
- Dependability: When you choose Lucas Products, you’re choosing a brand that has been trusted by professionals in the trucking industry for decades. Our additives are rigorously tested and proven to deliver outstanding results, ensuring that you can rely on our products to keep your heavy duty vehicles performing at their best.
Experience the Lucas Oil difference and unleash the full potential of your fleet. When it comes to maximizing the performance and cost-efficiency of a heavy duty fleet, try Lucas first.
MOTORSPORTS LEGACY ON FULL DISPLAY
RCR & LUCAS OIL STORIED PARTNERSHIP – 20 TRIPS TO VICTORY LANE AND COUNTING
What makes a championship-winning race car? Success in racing requires attention to every detail, looking for a competitive advantage wherever possible – and engine lubrication is absolutely a factor. Within high-performance engines, the use of oils and additives is all about managing friction which is manifested as heat and wear. If you can reduce friction through the use of the right oil and additive blend, you get more horsepower, performance and an edge over other cars on the track.
Since 2014, expert technicians at Lucas Oil have been in lockstep with RCR and ECR to discover the right engine oil blend to draw out every competitive advantage possible. The teams test engines in simulators and real-world racing scenarios capturing hundreds of data points to measure and find areas of improvement.
“Lucas Oil has been excellent for ECR and RCR’s success,” said Dr. Andrew L. Randolph, ECR Engine Technical Director. “They are racing enthusiasts and oil experts, able to optimize products based on how we want to run a race, blending different formulations based on specific scenarios and conditions that hugely impact car performance.
“Lucas Oil provides ECR Engines a competitive advantage in the NASCAR and Road Racing series where we compete. Indeed, Richard Childress Racing and other teams running ECR Engines have won multiple races protected by Lucas Oil,” continued Dr. Randolph.
A crucial benefit that Lucas brings to RCR is the ability to fully optimize an oil blend based on exact race requirements. By working closely with the team, Lucas is a real technical partner that is constantly researching and developing oils and additive blends to improve race cars and its line of dedicated racing oils and off-the-shelf general automotive car care.
Race Day Experiences
My team of mechanics works overtime to keep the car competitive
We’re at Lydden Hill Race Circuit, in Kent. It’s Saturday, Round One of a racing weekend double-header in the Retro Rallycross Championship. Round Two is on Sunday.
After a final round of mechanical checks, we get off to a splendid start in heat 1, but gearbox problems adversely affect the performance of my Toyota MR2. We struggle around and finish back in 5th place.
Before the season started, the MR2’s racing gearbox was custom-built and professionally remanufactured. It was all part of a plan to boost acceleration. The crown wheel and pinion was changed, the gear ratios were altered. We had certainly made the car faster.
But as with F1 racing, quick engineering solutions are essential to rallycross racing success. Unlike the mechanics in F1 pit lanes, once a rallycross heat is under way, paddock mechanics can’t influence the car in any way. There isn’t much time between heats to carry out major repairs. The pressure to find a fix on race-days is intense.
My paddock mechanics can only respond with temporary clutch adjustments between heats. We struggle through qualifying and against all the odds, collect enough points to take third place on the front row of the Round One run off. Dramatically, the final race of the day ends in anti-climax. Clutch failure just 10 yards of racing ends our race.
The race might be over, but the real work has yet to begin if we are going make the starting line-up for heat 1 of Round Two in the morning.
There’s no Standard Time for this kind of job.
What seemed like a good idea to improve performance in the pre-season failed after less than 30 miles of racing. When we open-up the gearbox, all the cogs are shot to pieces. Luckily for us, the Limited Slip Differential (LSD) inside – which makes both wheels spin at the same time and gives us much more traction – was still in good shape. It is going to be a bit of a risk, but we decide to clean up the LSD and rebuild it into a spare gearbox that we always take to every race meeting.
We filled it with 75w90 gear oil. We’ve used it in all the cars we’ve run with limited slip-diff gear boxes. That includes the Ford Ka and the BMW Mini. It’s a non-foaming, super slick, long lasting lubricant designed especially for heavy duty or high performance applications where other gear lubricants just aren’t good enough. Ideal for racing.
(75w90 gear oil = please add a link to the product page on the UK website)
After a long night, day two racing is a completely different story. We get away quickly and the car is competitive. With reliability restored and confidence flowing, we race well in all three qualifiers. From front row of the final run-off, we finish the round on the podium in second place.
Happy days, but let’s hear it for the mechanics in the paddock.
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
Sometimes rallycross drivers need extra support from the mechanics back home…
It’s the penultimate racing weekend of the season and the team is challenging strongly for the Championship. We are racing at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit. It’s Day One of two back-to-back rounds. The Landsail Team Geriatric Toyota MR2 has won heat one but everything changes when halfway through heat two, I’ve got an engine fire. A broken fuel pipe that caused it can be fixed, but the drive belts, pulleys and wiring loom are among the major component casualties.
I speak to our team of support mechanics back home. We calculate that good performances on Day Two could restore our Championship challenge. They decide to cancel all plans for a quiet weekend and immediately begin cannibalising the wiring loom on the spare car!
It’s 2pm. The spare car and the replacement parts are 240 miles away in Northwest England. We load the race car on the trailer and head south. The race team shares the driving throughout the five-hour haul.
Normally, the Toyota MR2 is a reliable car. When we acquired it, we had the A4EG engine completely rebuilt. Lucas Oil advised us to run the engine on a 20w50 specification. The additive package contains high levels of zinc, molybdenum and phosphorus, which provides a tougher, thicker additive film for maximum protection even under the most severe conditions. It lowers oil temperatures, extends oil life and minimizes metal fatigue. It improves the film strength between the cylinder wall and piston rings and slows oil burning. It also improves pressure in worn engines oil. It is a very different specification from 5w30 that we had been using in both the BMW Mini and the Ford Ka. The zinc content of the 20×50 oil plays a very important part in protecting the older engine, which comes under a terrific amount of stress during a race.
Over the years, we’ve had a lot of success racing cars sponsored by Lucas Oil. I firmly believe that around 50% of that success is down to engine reliability and the various mechanical parts we’ve been able to protect with the help of the oil and additive technology they’ve supplied.
We arrive back at base at 7pm to find that the home team has removed the wiring loom. We need to be back on the road by 3am to make the starting grid. We soon learn that several of the original switches are still good shape, which saves some time. We remove the damaged loom, fit the new one, replace the brake pipe, restore the drive system and test.
It’s 2am on Sunday. We head north, back to Scotland. We hope there will be time to take showers in the hotel rooms we haven’t used, yet. Shortly after 7am we get there. There will be time for showers, but breakfast will be on the hoof.
Day Two, heat one. The Toyota is showing no ill-effects. If anything. I’m lapping more quickly than I had had done prior to Saturday’s dramas. Both sets of mechanics have done wonderful jobs! We win the first heat, put more points on the board in the second and win the third. It’s looking good for the Final Run-off. I feel like I am on a roll. The car gets away quickly from the grid, but the Knockhill track is living up to its reputation for unpredictable surfaces. I get caught out by one of the notorious bumps on the loose surface section of the circuit. This unsettles the MR2 and sends it into a roll and we go out of the race. There’s extensive damage but – thanks to the safety gear – I am relatively unscathed apart from a deep feeling of culpability.
Despite two extra five-hour drives – as well as all the petrol costs that go with them – and two teams of mechanics working through the night, our Championship chances now look to be over. What an emotional rollercoaster of a weekend.
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
Rallycross mechanics sometimes fix problems with support vehicles
The Ford transit van that supports the race car, all our equipment and most of the team has just suffered a major engine failure. We are 10 miles short of the weekend’s venue and we begin to appreciate why the Duivelsberg circuit in Maasmechelen, Belgium, is also known as the Devil’s Circuit.
Before competing for points, we must get the rally car to the track. Once there, we will have to work out how we might all get home again if the van’s engine problem proves non-repairable.
As well as being serious rivals, some of our biggest competitors are also firm friends. They subsequently respond to our call for assistance and organise a tow vehicle. We have cleared the first hurdle. We have arrived at the circuit will be ready to race today and tomorrow.
After prepping the rallycross spec Suzuki Swift, we remove the cylinder head from the van. The circumstances are not ideal. Instead of clinically clean workbenches, we are making do with a sheet on the paddock floor. There’s more bad news. The engine has a bent valve. And the valve spring has broken. This could have been terminal for the engine, but the good news is that as our driver stopped so quickly, the damage was limited. The cylinder and everything else seem OK.
Our service vehicle has a long track record for reliability. It has over 160,000 miles on the clock and until now it’s never missed a beat. We believe that’s down to the Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer additive we use to protect the engine whenever we change the oil. It can be used to protect new and used heavy duty and high performance transmissions, gear boxes and engines. It also reduces friction for increased power and MPG.
From a racing perspective, things are better. We pick up points on Saturday, making the trip worthwhile. But as we approach the end of Day One, the van’s engine is still in pieces and a repair seems as unlikely as taking our place on the ferry back to the UK tomorrow night!
Necessity is a paddock mechanic’s mother of invention. By morning we have conjured up a plan.
If we can replace the valve, we might be able to limp back to the ferry. Once in the UK, our AA membership might get us back to base. We utilise years of race-day crisis management and mechanical know-how to improvise a solution.
After accumulating a few more points on Sunday, we start swapping valves donated by rival teams. One is supplied by a team with a Citroen C2 race car, and it is a satisfactory fit. With 7 Ford valves, plus a spring and a valve from the Citroen C2, the support van’s engine fires up.
We nurse it all the way to the ferry and once in the UK, it takes us all the way home to the Northwest of England. It’s a mechanical triumph for the team and for Lucas Oil. What’s more, our Championship hopes remain alive, with one round of the season still to go!
Not such a Devil’s Circuit after all.
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
A part exchange sets mechanics against the clock to determine the title
It is the first meeting of the Stock Hatch Peugeot 205 rallycross season at Lydden Hill circuit in Kent. Bitter rivals Julian Godfrey and I are racing production cars, with standard components, apart from modified suspensions. We are the pre-season title favourites.
In Heat One, I get away quickly, take an early lead and see Godfrey already dominating my rear-view mirror. Then disaster strikes. My car blows a head gasket midway through lap two.
With no spare gasket, my racing day looks over. Godfrey, who is an engine builder by trade, comes over to us. He wants to know why my race ended prematurely. He really wants to win today, but he also wants to do it racing against his strongest challenger. He offers me his spare head gasket.
I want to race him and prove that I am the best, so I gratefully accept his offer. With little time to spare, my team of four mechanics manage to install it in time for the race. Other than the gasket, the engine is in good shape. We don’t have half the maintenance issues other teams have and we believe this is thanks to the Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabiliser additive we use to protect the engine whenever we change the oil. It can be used to protect new and used heavy duty and high performance transmissions, gear boxes and engines. It also reduces friction for increased power and MPG.
It’s ‘nip and tuck’ in Heat Two and Heat Three. We both race well. We both qualify for the front row of the final run-off. I celebrate my Round 1 third place, his sportsmanship and his overall victory in equal measure.
Round by round
In the succeeding rounds, we exchange leads and qualifying positions. It’s me followed by Godfrey, then Godfrey followed by me. By the time the Championship reaches the final round at Ireland’s Mondello Park, in County Kildare, the title will either be Godfrey’s or mine.
In Heat One, Godfrey wins. In Heat Two, I take an early lead but as he challenges, a loss of concentration sends him into the barrier and out of the race. A win for me. No points for him. I wonder about the extent of the damage.
The bodywork is repairable, but unlike me, he has no spare starter motor. I want to win, but I also want to beat the best. I offer my spare and he accepts. It’s all square on points and on mechanical favours. The title is on the line. His mechanics beat the clock. The car is ready to race.
We go ‘nip and tuck’ once more in Heat Three. There’s nothing in it. We both qualify for the front row of the final run-off. It’s going to be Godfrey v Lynch for the title.
First across the line will be Champion. Godfrey’s is the better start. He holds me off into the first turn and continues to do so all the way around to take the title. It was thrilling run to the very last chequered flag, made possible by two teams of mechanics able to win the tightest of races against the clock. This is why we race!
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
The team of mechanics comes through to rescue the relationship with a sponsor
It’s 3pm on Saturday afternoon and there’s bad news. The car was clipped and went into a roll on the second stage of the single venue rally event at Wilbarston in Warwickshire. My navigator and I are with my team of mechanics inspecting the damage. For several reasons, our long term racing future is in jeopardy.
Tomorrow’s racing event takes place in our hometown of Wigan. When there’s a race like that involved, which also just happens to be a key marketing focus for one of your team’s main sponsors, you absolutely, positively, must be there to race. The list of damaged parts for replacement reads like a Christmas wish list. New windscreen; both front wheels; the steering rack; both steering arms; the track control arms and the crossmember. On top of all that, race registration is at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning.
It’s going to be a long night.
Our repair plan develops on our way back north, once we are on the M6. I call our local rally car parts supplier. He promises to a) find the parts and b) stay open long enough for us to collect them on our return. “It should be in just over two hours,” I say.
My mechanics consider the options. The crossmember on the MKII Ford Escort supports the engine, so rigging a tripod over the engine bay and removing the damaged parts from underneath – without dropping the engine – will save time. As it’s a cross flow engine, most of the electrics and the exhaust manifold can stay in place throughout the procedure.
We’re late. Traffic on the motorway means it takes closer to three hours. We reach our workshop at 6.30pm. The team prepares the scene. As well as removing parts, there’s cleaning to do. Lucas Oil Brake Cleaner plays a massive a part in our vehicle maintenance programmes. It’s great for cleaning brakes, but it’s brilliant for dispersing oils and greases from almost any vehicle component. It’s an essential workshop accessory on a job of this size.
I race over to collect the parts. My fingers are crossed. I’m hoping my supplier’s still there.
My navigator takes charge of making the tea. I return with good news. We have all the parts we need – plus others that our supplier expects could be required once we get started. First, we must replace the windscreen. The roll means the aperture is badly out of shape, but we have the equipment to push it back well enough for a new one to fit. While it is curing, all damaged components are removed and the crossmember is replaced. My navigator makes another cup of tea. The installation of all the other parts runs like clockwork. On the stroke of 3 am, we fire up the engine.
We add the finishing touches just before the race.
Vehicle presentation is an important part of race day routine. You want the car to look as good as it can when you race. Your sponsor appreciates it, the crowd appreciates it, the team appreciates it. It’s a key part of our team photo before the race. It’s a demonstration of our team’s pride in our public image. We always use Lucas Oil Slick Mist Spray Polish. It’s fast and can be used in wet and dry conditions. We use it inside and out, on metal, plastics and vinyl. It’s extremely effective. It’s helped us to win awards for presentation with both the Motorsports UK and British Trials and Rally Drivers Association. We also love the brownie points we score with our sponsors.
Sunday’s racing event goes well. It’s a very entertaining race, but we are disappointed with only second place. It’s always good to win at home. “Unlucky, but well done and thanks for coming,” says the representative from our team sponsor.
I smile at my team of mechanics. “Pleased we could be here,” I say. “It was really no trouble at all.”
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
Mechanics help win races and influence racing decision
We’ve just made the decision to race in the British Super Retro Rallycross Championship in 2024. It’s a logical step. It’s the next big challenge, but the decision to move up is not mine alone. I say we, because whenever and wherever and we race, it’s the mechanics who face the biggest challenges.
As well as preparing the car for the race, they get it back on the track when there’s a problem. And they know the difference between a good use of workshop time and a waste of workshop time. Our team view is that about 50% of winning comes from pre-race preparation.
Consequently, we don’t believe in spanner checks.
After every race, we strip the suspension system: the track control arms; the steering racks; the steering arms; all bearings are greased and the geometry is re-set. It’s the difference between winning and losing. It means that on race days, new damage is immediately recognised. That gives me, as the driver, the confidence to race into each corner with total commitment.
Before each race, we re-check everything we checked after the previous race. Our support vehicle carries spares to cover the common failure issues and more besides. We know what’s on board and where everything is. As the driver, I need to stay out of trouble and be able to describe clearly, what issues I’m having around the track. In the event of a problem, it’s essential that all our time is spent responding to the crisis, not searching for parts that we haven’t got.
If there’s an engine fire, a steering fault or a brakes problem, we have a procedure. And that includes borrowing parts from other teams!
If I get something wrong during the race – I take a hit or flip the car – things become more complicated. We have a plan for that. It’s called improvising. That’s where team and race experience really count.
There’s no doubt that our preventive maintenance policy has been the key to our team’s consistency over the seasons. We reinforce the engine oil in the Toyota MR2 by adding Lucas Oil Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer. Over the years, it’s preserved engine reliability and saved us a lot of money on parts in comparison with what many of other teams seemed to be spending. You could say it’s given us an extra edge.
We attribute about a lot of our racing success to preventive maintenance. Although the engine has been rebuilt, the extra stresses and strains it experiences over a racing season are significant. The 20w50 oil specification, which contains zinc, molybdenum and phosphorus . These help to creates a coating on metal surfaces inside the engine. This helps protect the camshaft and other components under racing conditions.
Super Coolant is a Lucas Oil additive that we consider to be one of the most important tools in our racing kit. We’ve used it with all of the cars that we’ve raced under the Lucas Oil banner – the Ford Ka, the BMW Mini, the Suzuki Swift and the Toyota MR2. When you race, you need to be able to coax every last bit of power from the engine. It keeps the running temperature that bit cooler, which increases the power that the engine can pump out.
Attention to vehicle maintenance detail has paid off. Since we have been racing under the Lucas Oil brand and using these products, we have won 5 of the 7 racing classes within our reach – some of them more than once.
To date, our track record includes:
- Two Minicross Driver’s Association National Championships
- British BMW Mini Rallycross Championship
- British Motor Sports Association Super National Championship
- Two British Trial & Rally Drivers Super Modified Championships
- British Retro Rallycross Championship
Super Retro will be a major challenge. As a driver, when you race, you want to test yourself against the best. At the same time, you temper your degree of racing risk with your responsibility to the team of mechanics. After all, they keep you in the race and in the Championship and make winning possible.
The Lucas Oil products used by Tony Lynch and his team of mechanics on the various vehicles in the team include:
75w90 Gear Oil
20w50 Motor Oil
Lucas Oil Synthetic Oil Stabilizer
Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer
