After testing the Irena racecar prototype on the flat handling course, Yenna Bielicki, Rodyn Gumprov and Marek Krowalkowski now moved on to testing the handling in banked corners. Coincidentally, two banked corner sections had been added to the proving grounds only a few years ago - a quick 90 degree dirt corner and a long 180 degrees one on asphalt/concrete.
Especially the latter was said to be their boss Fedor’s pride, although noone else really understood the need for testing their production cars in more high-speed cornering and braking situations.
Mara race car testing, part 2: banked corner handling (with video)
While everyone rearranged a couple of cones and barriers on the track for the layout switch. Rodyn reflected that both Yenna and himself have both risen through the ranks over the last couple of years more or less by serendipity through difficult projects.
They both had in common that they worked on the first Letaran racecar project - the conversion of three of their Tovarysh / Companion prototypes into cannonball cars in the late 1940s. Yenna was tasked (and succeeded) with turning the undersquare and recalcitrant Visim 2.5l flat-4 into a durable racecar engine. For himself, preparing the three prototypes for Henri, Fedor and himself was essentially a side-task of overseeing the general Tov prototype testing. Both Yenna and Rodyn had also in common that their advances had mostly been due to the (rare) favour of their boss Fedor Piechov, Comrade Director of Engineering.
After they were done preparing the new layout, their chief test driver Marek took the prototype out for a spin through the perimeter layout which included the 180 degree banked corner. On his first attempt the car did not look too stable and the Tyrelli Cinquerato tyres were protesting loudly over the loads they had to endure. The second attempt was hardly any better. Marek immediately came back to the pits and got out of the car, his hands slightly shaking.
“This is insane, if you ask me!” he shouted agitatedly. “The car wants to go everywhere but straight on the exit! I didn’t have much time to look at the speedo, but I must have done beyond 120 kph on the exit. This is nuts!”
Rodyn tried to calm him down. “You are right… and that’s exactly why we are here. Instability and oversteer on the exit you say? Let me make some adjustments.”
They raised the car somewhat on a makeshift contraption and Rodyn slipped under the Irena racecar prototype, getting to work. After a short while, he re-emerged.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll have another go”, said Rodyn. “I think it’s easier for me to know what to change when I experienced it myself.” Marek had no objections and happily stepped aside.
“Much better”, Rodyn mumbled to himself after his first attempt of the banked corner at speed with a softened rear suspension.
The Irena R2 being driven right on the edge
After a couple of laps, Rodyn got back to the pits, his hands equally shaking, but he was much less agitated than Marek a couple minutes earlier. “Much more stable, yet still one of the more dangerous things I have ever done”, he announces.
“And fun?” Yenna asked with a wink.
“Probably”, Rodyn muttered. “I think there is still some more to be had…” He vanished again underneath the prototype.
Meanwhile, their two spectators had approached the pit area: the Andriy and Anya Mayster twins, son and daughter of the founder of one of the few, if not the only, Archanan boutique sports car manufacturers. Andriy has a model airplane in his hand, apparently an Aljoscha Al-62.
“What do you like better - cars or airplanes?” asked Marek while Rodyn was still working underneath the car.
“Or engines?” Yenna joined the conversation.
“Engines, no question!” That was Anya’s quick and determined reply.
Andriy took a few seconds to consider the answer. “I like both, but I think I rather design airplanes when I grow up.”
“Why is that?” did Yenna want to know.
“There is a comrade in my father’s company, she is originally from the aircraft industry. She always says that the biggest difference between car and airplane designers is that car engineers focus on the visible five sides of a car, but airplane engineers think about the sixth side, the underside, as well. I always want to think about all sides.”
Rodyn stopped working, got hastily out from underneath the car, and looked at Andriy. “What did you just say?” He immediately went back underneath the prototype and seemed to just look around instead of working. Yenna, Marek and the twins stared at Rodyn, until he re-emerged again.
“Maybe…”, Rodyn started, as he got up and came back to the four others. “Maybe there is also room for car engineers to consider all sides of the car in the future. Just something for you to think about…”
He beckoned to Yenna to join him at the car and they walked around it, gesturing to each other, and leaving the Mayster twins (and Marek) wondering what Rodyn and Yenna were now on about.
All they could clearly make out from their conversation was Yenna’s final suggestion to Rodyn after they had made a complete lap around the red prototype. “Maybe you should then indeed talk to the professionals in the aero industry? They for sure know how to streamline a shape… on all sides.”
My father was driving his Taunus in the 80s on russian tyres originally intended for Ladas. Bought lots of them on the black market since they weren’t approved in Sweden and got replaced when the cars arrived here, reminds me a lot of your story… 
