Mk1 race car (Ex slick 50) and Mk2 daily.

Thank you very much Sam. I'm sure if you ditched your passenger, you'd go quicker too. Yea the rear's lock slightly when they go light, will address this some time.

Gurds

 

Hi Sam . Was good to meet you. Car looks great. Was a real shame I could not be racing too! We should maybe try to get together for a track day at Brands when all the Mk1's can get together ?.....When mine is fixed. Cheers Rob

 

Thanks Rob.
Yeah that would be good....
Maybe book something on the Indy circuit before the race on the GP?

 

hey pal, your car looked fantastic on track, had a little close up in the paddock too.

 

Hi Sam great to see you and the car out on track, had some great time and thanks for chatting.

 

Thanks Mike, great to see the car going round. And thanks DC75, much appreciated.

Here is a video from the second session....
I took out my friend Dave, who has never been on track before. He was quite enthusiastic, which was great!
The edit is still in progress to cut my swear at the beginning, so you may catch it, sorry.... The fuel pump had just decided to jump back into life and I struggled with the HANS device.... decided not to bother and boot it out of the pitlane.

[video=youtube;pQw1MljkKBs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQw1MljkKBs[/video]

I wish I had a picture of the BTCC car in my mirror. For a second I could dream.
The brake bias was a bit to far to the rear by the time the rear tyres started going 'off' so it was moving around at the top of paddock.
It was suffering from heat soak once pulling into the pitlane, staying at 100-105 deg for a while after. So I was keen to give it 2 laps to cool...
I still need to come off the brakes earlier for paddock Hill, but maybe I'll leave that for a test day...

 

9:35 you see us pulling into the pits, did your passenger say "what was that?" after, because we heard something make a noise which sounded like say a bolt rolling around in the car but little did we know that we had the same fault as the nothelle car where our long lower alternator bolt undone itself and shot across the last corner which we didn't realise Oops.

We checked over the car and didn't notice anything but as soon as we got back out for the last few minutes there was a different noise from the alternator which we found when we returned straight away to have the bolt gone..

 

Nah, that was me saying that because they where showing flashing blue signals quite alot when there was nothing behind.

I didn't see any stray bolts

 

Hi Sam, I got the block and crankshaft back today. Will start to bolt it all back together! The I am on holiday for 2 weeks. I will contact you when I get back and maybe we can meet up for a track day at brands , sometime before the GP event on the 15th/16th. ( Plan to do a rolling road before track day) Your video looked good- I will have to get an onboard in mine!

Cheers, Rob

 

Hey Sam. Thats a great video! The rears on mine really do lock up a lot don't they? Ouch!

Gurds

 

Hey Rob,
Great. I am away for the first week of September, so hope we can sort a test on the Friday before maybe? Have a good break

Thanks Gurds.
Yeah, a couple of locks for the camera. Ha.
Mine was over braking on the rear when the rear tyres got really hot, to the extent that the back was getting slightly mobile under braking. But they wheren't locking....
For them to be lock, it must be moving around a fair bit at the back?... unless it is just the light inside wheel.... ? But then, maybe my inside one should be locking?... hmm, don't know...
Yours doesn't look unstable under braking.

 

Hi Sam, may be possible the very last week of Aug? I have so much to do and not any time! Will know better when I get back from holiday and carry on the rebuild!
Cheers Rob

 

Look forward to it Rob. 1st Week of August could work.

Nice shot from Brands:

 

It feels like the car has come along way since I first tried it out:

 

Hi Sam . Am back from holiday. Have been getting engine back together after rebuild. I don't think the car will be ready in time to do a track day next week, before you go on holiday, so maybe we could meet and do one at Brands sometime in the Autumn? I have entered the Cannons Tin tops at Brands Gp on the Sunday 16th September- decided not to do the VAG trophy as well. Are you racing that weekend? Have a good holiday, regards Rob

 

Hey Rob. Thanks.
I dont think I'll be ready next week either. But I would love to do one in the Autumn.
I was planning on running in the VAG on the 15th that weekend. I should be there. Although there is no way I could pay for a Race technology box by then, so may run in the invitation class...... or Cannons?

If I do the Saturday, I'll pop back and watch your race on the Sunday.
Keep in touch via email: samfishy at gmail.com
Hope it comes together ok
Sam

 

Hi Sam I have sent you an email
cheers Rob

 

Got back after the VAG Trophy Brands GP races.
The car was going very very well, but the others seem to be going alot better this year. I did more racing in those two races than I did in all my (5) races last year, mainly defending on the straights and attacking in the corners. I got held up a bit in both races at times (not really an issue - part of racing), but one driver moved 3 times to block at one stage. I also accidentally gave 2 of the mk4 golfs a little nudge from behind, really sorry - not great. The seem to really struggle mid corner just as I am putting my foot on the floor - they have a cheap control tyre. Their grunt then gives them an edge in the exit, which makes a pass tricky. I ended up having to run round the outside of druids hairpin to get the inside for Graham hill.

If my car has 160bhp at the flywheel (could do??) I would be allowed to be 840kg with driver in class B.....So I need to shed 80kg... or fit a diff and shed 30kg (more reasonable).

Will add some pictures and a bit more soon. No video this time, which is gutting. My Dad has mislaid it somewhere after lending it to a customer!

Rob and Nick where at Brands in their Mk1's too, it was great to be at the same meeting. Are we the only 3 Mk1's circuit racing this year?
Nick is going faster and faster, and could loose nearly 100kg from the car for class B... somehow.
Rob was going well, until engine woes. Gutted for him, after all the hard work. Hope it bounces back.
Both cars look great.

 

Great to hear you had a good day...positive feedback from Nick giving JMR power our first official circuit race weekend...he just needs a gearlinkage like yours now!...lol

The car...and him...hethum...are going on a kilo saving exercise over the winter, and poss a proper engine...I best get that head of yours out from under the bench!

I'd go with the 30 kilo loss and the diff Sam...you'll feel the benefit of both.

Where did you finish in class?

Gunna do my best to make it to the final at Snetterton.

 

Nick had a good time, it sounded great too.
The diff and 30kg's could be worth 2 seconds around the GP circuit, which would put me at the front of class B again.
I also want to drop it a bit on some front top mounts Jason

Quali:
Many people hadn't driven the GP circuit, so I had a slight advantage after doing it last year. Although I haven't been out in my car this year!
I bought a really fresh tyre for the front-left from a customer (all my others are fairly used) which upset the balance a bit in qualifying. I had alot more grip on the front which meant the rear was moving a fair bit and slowing me down. I softened the rear dampers by 2 clicks (out of 20'odd) and reduced the rear pressures by 1psi and it made all the difference.
If only I had new tyres to try! One day!

Race one:
I qualified 5th in class. I made a good start but got boxed in behind somebody a row ahead who must have missed a gear. I had nowhere to go without risking a shunt, so lost 4/5 places there. Got past a few people and kept the black mk4's behind. Had a good scrap with Steve Rowland and swapped places a few times. Finished 5th in Class

Race two: Made a decent start and held position. I ended up in a bit of a queue around druids and Steve got around the outside, which gives you the inside for Graham Hill bend. So he slipped by which compromised my exit... which let another by. Then got out-dragged by a couple more down the long back straight. I was quicker than the others around me by this point (My quickest laptime was quicker than the 3-4 in front) but just couldn't get past. I could make ground out in the fast back section and dingle dell, and I could get alongside a few different cars, but then would slowly get left behind. I am still loosing a cars length at the top of paddock hill, from braking a bit early, but I can make that back up again while braking for druids.
I got past the mk4 in the end and went chasing Ian in his Mk3 who had got past it a few laps earlier. I caught up to his bumper but there where waved yellows at Paddock as Bomber unfortunately had a wheel off from a (prang) and in the middle of the track. Sorry to see that. So I had another gap to make up in the last lap, which I couldn't bridge. Not sure where I finished in class. Maybe 7-8th.

So it was fun to be racing properly, and have a few scraps. Although it is a shame to be scrapping whilst going backwards though. Unfortunately it comes down to spending money I don't have to get some pace back.

Although I think the class B cars are alot more equal than they where last year. I know a few others are over weight too, so with some tweaks to some cars we could all be on the bumper of the very quick Matyn Walsh by next year! Although I reckon a fair amount of his pace is from the driver, not a car advantage.

Results are here:

http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=MSVR&event=club&source=ed_MSVR&eventid=123751









And from early accelerating, not late braking. Ooops.