248 replies to this topic

[G-Bob]

Not a requirement for the class, but something I'm considering.   One of the committee members has managed to speak to a motorsport fabricator and get him to make roll-bars based on a well-known MX5 design for £180, so I might do that later in the season.  There's a mixture of people using harnesses and normal seatbelts as well.

i've got a normal seatbelt with a CG lock which is something a few others are running.

[Jase_MK]

One of the committee members has managed to speak to a motorsport fabricator and get him to make roll-bars based on a well-known MX5 design for £180, so I might do that later in the season.  

Hey Bob. Don't suppose there are any pictures of this floating about on the web are there?

[G-Bob]

[color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;]So I was looking at something to cover up my back arches now that they are starting to go a little rusty. I mentioned this to Richie at Keeble Creative ~(richieK on here) and 5mins later I get a red bull inspired camo wrap design.   [/color][color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;]  [/color][color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;] [/color]
[color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;]I sooooo need to do this.[/color]
[color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;](Not my car but same colour and similar)[/color]

[color=rgb(20,24,35);font-family:Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;][/color]

[nicollow]

Do it, do it, do it!

[G-Bob]

Do it, do it, do it!

Its JDM yo! Going to find out how much it'll cost and then make a decision.

[G-Bob]

Round 1 Report (round 2 of championship)

Getting there

I left the house at stupid o’clock and took it very easy in the pouring rain to Kames on Sunday morning. On route I spotted a brand new range rover on the hard shoulder facing the wrong way on the motorway having just hit a concrete flyover.    That told me everything I needed to know about the weather today.

Arrived at Kames to find a fair few people already there and took my spot in the paddock.

Said a few hellos and went into the café section where I usually sign on to things at kames to find no desk setup or anyone sitting there taking entries.  Hmmm… maybe I’m a bit early.

Signing on

So went out in the pouring rain and fitted my timing strut and slapped my magnetic numbers on the doors.  What an excellent idea by me to make them up and were very convenient.

10mins go by and then I realise why there wasn’t a desk setup in the usual spot…. We had to sign up in the starters box/ commentary area.   (learning #1 : find out where you’re supposed to be).

Signed on , showed my licence and filled out some commentary notes.  Standard rules applied here with sarcastic comments about how my wooden steering wheel adds 5bhp etc.

Track Walk / Briefing

There’s an announcement asking if any newbies want to walk the track with an experienced driver so I put up my brolly and go and join the group.   I’ve driven Kames quite a few times, but the guy gave us a few tips on lines that I never knew before so it was worthwhile going.

The drivers briefing was jst starting as we returned so we joined that and it was the usual stuff about not going on the track without marshalls and making sure you exited the track quickly when you were finished.

Things were about to start when I realised I hadn’t had scrutineering done on my car so went off to find someone.

Scruitineering

I was expecting much more from this and was prepared for everything but turns out at some rounds they are fairly relaxed with their checking.

I popped the bonnet and they checked that everything looked fairly standard and nothing was falling off,  the guy looked inside and ticked another box after checking my seatbelt worked.

Noticed I had my numbers on so checked another box then asked to see the battery.  Spotted it had the negative terminal marked with yellow tape and that was it.   He mentioned that it’s a bit easier with the road going classes as he checked my MOT was valid.

 I had my scrutineering sticker.   No measuring of timing strut or making sure my tyres were correct, just a cursory check.

When you first enter an event, or if you have a new helmet, you have to get a sticker on it to say that it has been checked so that was all done and I was ready to race.

Practice runs

The weather has started to change from rain to wind hail and snow – great!    I’m not that quick with my car in the rain because I’m not a fan of it moving around never mind with the added slippyness of snow. [font="wingdings;"]L[/font]   I also know that the temperature on the track at kames makes huge differences to the grip levels involved.   I did a test day at Kames about a month ago when it was damp and judging by the video, I was clocking a 110sec time, so this did not bode well.

I get my car noise tested on the way to the start line and get clocked at an ear busting 87db. 

 

Ahh well, let’s do this…. 

Practice

I get into the “Warming up zone” before the start line and give my tyres a little bit of an ASDA car park warm up, but the thing I was most concerned about was my brakes so I do a couple of emergency stops to see if I can get some heat into them.

I roll up to the line and the starters push me up so that my timing strut is breaking the beam.  Then I wait.

The green light shows it’s good for me to go when I’m ready, I take a deep breath and off I go with the biggest wheel spin imaginable.  Not a great start, but I keep the foot in and go piling towards the hairpin.

Straight away I can tell that the car is moving around all over the place and the tail is coming out at every corner.   I keep the foot in and carry on with a cross between adrenalin and sheer fear.   I go round every corner, battling with the car to keep it on the black stuff, but it turns out that the car is setup really well and it’s very predictable in a slide.  I go for my second lap and do a bob-standard lock-up into the hairpin but mangae to wrestle it around and on I go.

The third and final lap comes along and I head for the checkered flag.  I come round the final corner with the flag out to tell me that I’m on my last lap and just keep it all in control to cross the line.

I glance across to the timing board to see a time of 101.37.   Delighted with that given the conditions and was aiming to get somewhere near the 100 sec mark so that’s a great start. 

I go in buzzing only to find out that a couple of cars after me the timing equipment stopped so I didn’t know where I was in relation to everyone else.  The guy before me who won it last year and is an annoyingly good driver put in a 99.7 sec run so I was happy to be so close (He was taking it easy though).

A bit of time passes and I go for my 2^nd run.  Same as before, but this time I concentrate on getting away on my start.

I granny start it away from the line with no wheelspin which looked to have gained me some time because I arrived at the first corner a bit quicker.   I do more wrestling of the car round the track and try to improve on my lines this time.   I “try” to be less digital on the throttle this time to stop the wheelspin out of every corner but I am so busy keeping the car in a straight line that it’s not always in the front of my mind.

I come round to the checkered flag and cross the line again, this time to see a 99.7sec time.  To say I was chuffed was an understatement.   

Going back to the clubhouse I have a look at all the other times and it turns out that apart from the really fast guys who have been doing it for years, I’m right up there mid table ahead of all the other newbies and some of the seasoned guys. 

Of course all of this counts for nothing as these are practice runs.

Timed runs.

I go out to the car to find that my super-dooper magnetic numbers are now on the floor. :/  I don’t know how, but it looks like cheap magnetic paper has a lifespan of about 3 hours.  I grab some tape and tape around the numbers, pikey style, but that’s something I need to look at properly for the next round.  (learning #2 – Don’t use sh*t numbers)

Run1.

Lunch is over and the afternoon runs start.   The weather has dried right up and because of the wind, the track has dried completely apart from a small damp patch at the first corner.  I get ready and wait to be called forward while watching the other guys in front of me.  

The times are falling dramatically and the guy in front drops 7.5seconds off his morning run.

Now is the time to get on it!   I need a good time, but I’d be happy with something around 96seconds if I can pull this off.

I put the roof down and put some fast music on.  I roll up to the line and have a little chat with the starter guys.

The light goes green and I get a great start with minimal wheelspin.  I red line it in the first couple of gears and leave my braking late…… too late…. SCRRRREEEEEEECCCCCCHHHHHHHH, bump bump bump bump.     I ride over the kerbs and onto the grass.   fcuk!

The red flag comes out and I proceed slowly and embarrassingly round to the paddock.

Time 1:  999

I look at the times coming in in the clubhouse and see the slower guys are putting in times between 97seconds and 104.    This makes me even more frustrated as my wet times were quicker than some of them in the dry.

I’m in a difficult situation now.  It’s my quickest time that counts, but I have no banker time and I have no idea of the grip levels out on track.  ( Learning #3 : Get a decent banker lap time in then go Bawzoot on the final one)

The wait until the 2^nd and final timed run seems to take for ages.

Run2.

I go through all the usual rigmarole am waiting at the line.  This is going to be difficult as I need to be careful enough to get a time on the board otherwise I’m last, but I also need to make it a quick one.

I blast away from the line.  Not as good a start this time but I make it around the first corner sedately.   I build up speed and start to find how much I can push it before the car starts misbehaving.  The first lap and a half is fairly tentative so I push the pace a little on the 2^nd half of the run with a nice 4 wheel drift out of paddock bend.   I hammer it round to the line and slowly look over to the timing board.

Time 2:  95.7secs.   

Phew…..  I’m quite happy with that.   I could have gone quicker, but am happy to get a respectable time on the board.   I watch the other guys start to come in and they are all still around the 97-99second time.

Summary

Looking at the times at the end, I finish up 8^th out of 15 and the fastest of the newcomers. 

I got under my 96second target (winner was an 89second time) and so I have to go away happy from the event.  I’m a little annoyed with myself from going a little gung-ho on the first lap especially since there were a couple of the seasoned guys only a second or so in front.

Lots to take on board for the next round and apart from a few knocking noises when I was hammering the car, it performed brilliantly.

Pictures to follow when I get home.

[Claws]

Well done! The weather sounded quite "interesting" to say the least! You can't do much better than beating all the newbies

[G-Bob]

Well done! The weather sounded quite "interesting" to say the least! You can't do much better than beating all the newbies

 

Thanks Paws  

 

There are no 28 in the class and 16 of them are newcomers so I'd be quite happy to be one of the top newcomers at the end of the season.

[CocoPops]

Good lunch read Bob Surely everyone know you need a good "banker" lap before you get ya Bawzoot!?