Urba Centurion Update - (Kubota diesel, 100+ MPG in mixed driving - Fall 2012 on)

[MetroMPG]

CrazyJerry: Have you done a car show tour to this extent before? Is this routine summer fun?

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

CrazyJerry: Have you done a car show tour to this extent before? Is this routine summer fun?

No, but it's been one heckuva ride so far. Every show this year has had the interesting "there and back on two gallons", and although that is great ice breaker, the background story is all about getting ready for the 2016 Green Grand Prix.
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Centurion has another tall order really soon.. Like tomorrow!
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Details coming right up!
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

Grand Prix Festival - Watkins Glen, NY
(September 11th, 2015)
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Centurion is registered for this event but the real fun will begin with the trip to the event (approx 250 miles)
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During the event itself, Centurion will participate in 2 laps on the "Old Course" where cars raced around the streets of Watkins Glen decades ago.
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If everything goes right, Centurion should be able to make it to the event, complete the two 6.2 mile laps (incredible elevation) with the group she's assigned to, then start the journey back to Colton before the two gallon tank needs a refill. The trip down and back was made in both 2014 and 2015 and will serve as a great indicator to see if this summer's improvements have made a difference.
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The Grand Prix Festival is estimated to draw 25,000 people to Watkins Glen so the exposure for Centurion, the Green Grand Prix, and Ecomodder should be excellent...
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Will update this weekend. It's going to be a very long 36 hours,
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starting from about now....
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~CrazyJerry

[MetroMPG]

Have fun! Watkins Glen is a great place to visit.

[changzuki]

2015 Grand Prix Festival - Watkins Glen, NY
(September 11th, 2015)
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PART 1
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Centurion left Colton, NY at about 4:50am enroute to Watkins Glen, NY.
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Total miles traveled to the event was 244
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Total fuel used was just short of 1.5 gallons and this if this is a primary indicator for 2016, then Centurion will be in contention to seriously challenge her 2015 / 250.64 mpg record..
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During the approval process, Centurion generated quite a bit of interest. Once accepted and formally announced, this became a focus within the group. This is common for those who simply take the car at face value - 17 horsepower - homebuilt - driven by CrazyJerry... Personally, I find it very humorous since at one time, I too was just a tad skeptical.
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Below is a series of exchanges prior to Centurion's arrival...
(BTW - these are all nice people so only the comments are shown)
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MESSAGE #1
Hello fellow Stone Bridge Drivers,
I am happy to announce a new addition to the Concorso Speciale.
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A guy by the name of Crazy Jerry will be piloting his Centurion 235 miles, from Colton, NY to the Grand Prix Festival with only a two-gallon tank of diesel fuel.
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I have attached a picture of the really very Speciale car.
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Here are some links that will tell you some of the story of this car.
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http://northcountrynow.com/…/suny-ca...-200-m…-
grand-prix-0113005
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http://www.the-leader.com/…/PH/0/6/P...9.jpg&Maxw=583
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Urba Centurion 128 mpg Diesel Powered Car
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Welcome aboard Crazy Jerry.
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Now let’s see how good he is at keeping up with the gas guzzler in front of him,
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MESSAGE #2
So he makes the right turn off main steet and starts up the hill....all 17hp of diesel power trying to keep up with the whatever in front of him. Good luck with that scene. Quite an accomplishment tho, and his green
lifestyle is admirable.
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MESSAGE #3
Actually they don’t call him Crazy Jerry for nothing.
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He knows that stretch of road and he assures me that he can do 35 MPH on the steepest part of that and maintain normal highways speeds on the rest of the course. That is more than I can say for many of the big bore cars that I have seen.
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It’s not the deisplavement that matters, but rather the attitude and willingness to keep up with the car ahead of you.
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MESSAGE #4
If he has to follow me in my 67 Mini Moke then he will have no problem keeping up even though I double his horsepower.
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My engine will be screaming on the way up the hill to stay with the car in front of me and it will be me screaming on the way back down into town as I squeeze as hard as I can on the 4 drum brakes!
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Can’t wait to meet Mr. Crazy as well as the rest of the Stone Bridge Drivers family.
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END OF MESSAGES
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Below is photo sketch of the "Old Course" (on the public roads) used for racing from 1948-1952 (before the Watkins Glen International Speedway was built). This street course is very challenging with abrupt elevation changes, twists and turns, mixed surfaces, etc...
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To some, this doesn't seem inline with the mpg theme that is attached to Centurion.
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But there is another side to Centurion, one that is rarely seen, and that is exactly why she needed to do this.
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More in PART II - coming soon!
~CrazyJerry~

[lortech]

IS this a old 1970s design? I had a idea long time ago, of putting a very small engine that can create stored energy during cruise and then use the engine and stored energy for acceleration. What affect would having the small diesel be if it was hooked to a powerful generator and power electric motors for the wheels?

[changzuki]

Originally Posted by lortech

IS this a old 1970s design?

The earliest I saw this was on the cover of Mechanix Illustrated Feb 1982. More info from the original designer/builder is located at the following weblink:
128-mpg Diesel-Powered Sports Car
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~CrazyJerry

[changzuki]

2015 Grand Prix Festival - Watkins Glen, NY
(September 11th, 2015)
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PART 2
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Meet some of the cars in the Community Bank "Concorso Speciale" group - see how many you can identify!
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Two cars of interest are these:
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An Austin-Healy Sprite! This car will be in front of Centurion in the laps lineup.
(Picture from Google Image search - I didn't get a good photo as you'll see from the in-car cameras below).
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A 1951 Ford English Anglia. This car will be behind Centurion in the lineup.
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Add in one early orange VW camper and that's the group.
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The rules are simple:
STAY WITH THE CAR AHEAD OF YOU!
If you cannot do this, you'll likely be black flagged and pulled of the course. There are several opportunities to catch up to the car ahead of you if the initial uphill doesn't work in your favor.
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Preceding this event, Centurion was specifically "tuned" to climb a hill since this is the most demanding part of the course. The landmark that I believe most closely resembles the hill at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival - Old Course, is the North Country's own "Waterman Hill" just outside of Canton, NY. The steepest incline of Waterman Hill is pretty close, however, the distance of Waterman Hill is a baby compared to that thing in Watkins Glen - but it would do as a test bed.
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So, we've covered the Course, the Cars, and the Rules...
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Guess what's next?!
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~CrazyJerry~

[changzuki]

2015 Grand Prix Festival - Watkins Glen, NY
(September 11th, 2015)
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Part 3

The Concorso Speciale group is ready to roll!
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On the course map as this story progresses, look for the red and gray oblongs which represent the Red Sprite and the Gray Centurion as they race around the "Old Course at Watkins Glen". Below is the first map where we are at the start line and then beginning to proceed:
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The toughest part of the course comes just after the green flag start point where you make a sharp right turn, go around a sweeping left and start up "Old Corning Hill". If the car or driver isn't up to the task, then it may not be possible to "Stay with the car ahead of you".
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Camera 1 shows the Red Bugeye Sprite ahead of me - and it needs to stay that way.
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Camera 2 shows the English Anglia - he needs to stay with Centurion.
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Old Corning Hill does eventually taper but it doesn't mean the rest of the course is a leisurely romp through the countryside.. There are railroad tracks but the first pass is actually under them!
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Look back up...
How are we doing with Camera 1 and Camera 2 at about 1/3rd into the race?
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One can gain some decent speed around this area but will need to keep an eye out for "School House Corner". The right turn there could be downright exhilarating!
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The elevation drops smartly and is accompanied by some sharp turns. This challenging section is leading you to the historical "Stone Bridge". (Aka: Stone Bridge Driver Events):
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A few sharp turns up a short hill and you are on a flat again.
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Next up, the other end of the railroad tracks! The Bugeye hit these hard on lap one - Dukes of Hazzard style - yeeehaaww!
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Looking in the rear view (Camera 2) all the way back to Archy Smith's Corner, there's no evidence of the Anglia.. It may be the end of the day for that one..
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Enroute back to town via a huge sweeping curve appropriately named "Big Bend" you realize how long and steep the decline is as your brakes begin to smell like burnt hair! If you have any brake pedal left, you'll have no problem negotiating Millikens corner!
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Immediately following this corner is another that brings the cars back onto the main drag "Franklin Street". AND - the pavement is painted like a checkered flag - how cool is this!!!
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Apply everything above to another full lap and your time on the old course is finished.
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And when you're pulling into the parking lot, hopefully you have a huge grin on your face because you:
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"Stayed with the car ahead of you"...
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And that my friends, is exactly what this little 17 horsepower Kubota diesel powered Centurion did!
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~CrazyJerry~
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Video of Centurion on the "Old Course" at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival 2015:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV1qABp4mZw

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCGcbq8T6nE

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[Joggernot]

What happened to the English Anglia? Being a dark car, its difficult to see.