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

Good effort there Fish! Always great to see a mk1 still being used and abused.

Gurds

 

Thanks.
Wish I could share it all with some footage. I'll have to wait until next year...

 

It is always nice to get a couple of pictures from the weekend.

 

Great pics

 

Great photos Sam!

 

Trying to not get distracted by the Golf in the workshop, as I need to knuckle down and work hard for next year.

I was Karting recently and saw a serious accident, so safety has been on my mind. Now I am just about to buy a tube notcher and make some better door bars!

All door bar gussets seem to be only braced from the sides, but we don't think this is the best solution to stop the bars opening like a gate if hit in the side - I popped my head inside this mini after the crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZakcQkTXVo

I got a friend to sort this file for me - they will be laser cut. I thought it would be worth keeping a few in stock for the future, and it saves messing around for the perfect fit.


It is designed at 140 degrees (all custom cages I think), with a 38 or 45mm bar drawing for different cages. I'll be welding them in the Frazero Mk4 too.
The flat top could hopefully add some side impact strength.

I may get some 90 degree ones done too, then I can gusset from the door bars to the ones that run width-ways in front and behind the driver.

 

got to love a well constructed cage in a car.

 

Sam, are you going to be doing VAG trophy again next year?

 

Hey james. Yeah, if all goes well, i really like the championship. It manages to mix a friendly club atmosphere with competitors that are taking it seriously.

What is your local circuit james? Hope to see you there!

 

I might try & get to Brands race depending on dates, I will be at Brands & Combe for PGTI races as I have a few mate doing that championship if your dad's doing them.

 

Ah, nice.
Fingers crossed he can do some more. That is also a very nice championship.
Hope to catch you then, or if anyone is going to the Autosport show.....

 

I enjoy the videos, thanks for sharing

 

Thanks F2 ed.
I have been chopping some weight off my doors. I plan to loose 30kg from the car for this season - no mean feat - meaning the car will weigh 800kg without driver. That is with the big wheels/tyre/brakes and a few extra roll cage bars.

A standard Mk1 door (unmodified) weighs 23kg.
A stripped bare Mk1 door is 13kg.
I have cut a few holes and pieces off mine and it currently sits at 11kg - with the latch and door exterior door handle.

This calculator (http://www.micas.co.uk/calculator.htm) tells me that the lower door skin weighs 4kg! So with this removed and a fibreglass skin instead (going to make this), it will only be 1-1.5kg heavier than a fully fibreglass door - 8.5kg approx.
I reckon, totally built with the plastic windows, I should have a total weight saving of 10-11kg per door over OE.

Then I have plastic for the tailgate window, and a bit of hacking of the steel..... And a fibreglass bonnet at some stage.

I doubt I'll be able to afford a LSD, although some chassis changes and 'driver-upgrades' in me should make some improvement. I need to take the head off the engine and have a poke around and fit a couple of new gaskets here and there.
I'll look to test at Brands indy to check for laptime improvements, as I know it quite well now. I think my best time round there was 58.4... or close.... I would be happy to break into the 57's.

Also have a supply of a few fresh(er) Dunlop Direzza's which should give me a few tenths....

I'll get some pictures soon

 

Interesting Sam.

I'll try and weigh my doors, they have quite a bit removed and lots of holes with perspex windows but do have std rubbers for holding the perspex in. I've seen them far more modified at the hinge end and still reasonably stiff where as if you do the same to Pug doors they flap about all over the place, so reckon you can be fairly aggressive with the cutter!

My std wings are also lightened quite a lot, fitted with GP2 arches. I've got some fibreglass ones with integrated arches on the way. I'll be surprised if they are much more than a KG lighter to be honest. I've also got an integrated aero front end to go on. Will weigh the lot when it arrives but the front end is totally bespoke from a berg cup car so not of any real interest, but we'll see what it weights anyway.

I'll do the same for the bonnet as that is skinned (but still steel) and probably about the same weight as a full fiberglass one but not a GRP skin.

I've got a rear hatch skin here to sort as well (GRP), that will be on 4 nr pins though. Will weigh virtually nothing.

 

Nice Tony. What does yours weigh, if you dont mind me asking?
I never thought I would take a hole-saw to my car to save weight - I thought it was pointless. But combined with a cutting disc, it soon shifts the weight.
I cant believe I will get my door pretty much to the weight of a fully fibreglass one.

Tempted to run without the rubbers, but it looks so much neater with them in. I haven't been running door seals though, and 80% of the tailgate seal is coming off...
I may end up selling a few door skins to help me break-even. I'll get one made first though.
I made a simple sheet of Carbon Kevlar the other day, just as a test, and to use as trim. Although I dont think I'll bother trying to make the bonnet myself!

 

Hi Sam, Mine was 856kg at Lydden Hill with me in it ( I only weigh about 66.6 kg!) with heavy old exhaust manifold and old wet battery, so she must weigh less now with new stainless manifold and dry battery? Mine, I reckon, is now about 785kg without me ? Trouble is, if you get too light- they will just stuff you with a load of ballast! ( BARC Tin Tops). Hope to still do that track day at Brands, middle/end Feb? Just email me, looking to book up in the next couple of weeks. Hope you had a good Christmas, Rob

 

Sam, I am at the Autosport show on Saturday- will be on the Quaife Sillouettes/Intermarques stand. Hope to see you, if you are there? Rob

 

The tailgate glass is 6 kilo's Sam...a fibre glass tailgate is only 1.5 kilo's less than a steel one...a hole saw will balance that out!

There's 8 kilo's to be saved going to a fibreglass bonnet too.

Mid 57's on the cards for Brands?....what's the fastest class times there?

 

Do you have a link to the rules for your series?
The series I race in has rules that are slowly evolving, its always good to check out other series rules for some ideas to help make the racing more affordable, safer, and to stop cheating. (Its a part of motorsport anywhere you go isnt it).

Car looks good
I have had 4 mk1 race cars now and enjoyed them all.

 

Hey Rob,
Yours is impressively light! I imagine it is also pretty close to the perfect power-to-weight for class B in the VAG Trophy
I'll keep in touch regarding the trackday, although I don't think i'll be ready until a bit later unfortunately. Speak soon.
I'll be at Autosport on Friday, bugger.

Thanks Jason. I just had a look through some old results and my first ever race in 2011 I put it on pole for my class with a 58.5 (Which surprised me a bit!). On the same day, James Bark, Mike Thurston and Jamie Martin all got 58.0 in the Mk2 16v's - Split by 7 hundredths!!!!!
Since then, we have only done the GP circuit..... but I reckon dipping into the 57's would be me close to the front of class B. My car should be able to lap quicker than the Mk2 16v's (in theory), although those cars and drivers are pretty sorted - Martyn Walsch is always at the front of Class B with his 'golf Gti championship' spec Mk2. If I get mine working around 7000rpm, I can gently pull past those 16v cars - so I should be faster!!!!

Thanks Gozzi
The championship website is here: http://vagtrophyracing.co.uk/ Yeah, it is always interesting to see other regulations for those reasons.
There are 2 classes based on the power to weight ratio, then other modifications add extra weight to your minimum - A LSD differential adds 50kg for example....
The power of your car is measured and then checked over the season with a data-logger that records acceleration etc......
I only did one invitation race this year, so did not use the data logger. But the racing is pretty close for such a variety of vehicles. I have always had a good race and nobody is miles faster than the others - so I think they are working quite well.