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Just been out testing the new gearbox
Now I can hardly change gear fast enough - you're on the throttle more as each change is quicker even using the clutch
Everything working perfectly, should be a laugh at Shelsley Walsh on Sat, heavy rain forecast like last time though popcorn:
Excellent day out at Shelsley yesterday, despite the heavy showers and spending 30mins pushing the van out of a soggy field
Having competed there in May in similar conditions I knew what to expect and I could remember the hill very well, I was looking forward to seeing if I was getting quicker through the year
The day started well with 1st Practice only .14s slower than my quickest time in May, I never thought about the gearbox, it was just like being back in DVY
Had a bit of trouble getting off the line, excessive wheelspin despite a serious bit of tyre warming got a time of 3.49s for the first 64ft, went sensibly up to the Esses (a square left --> square right complex) nicely sideways round both and flat to the finish for a time of 40.63s and 79mph (the same speed as I'd done all 4 times in May)
2nd Practice was wetter so tried just driving off the line this time, giving 3.19s for 64ft which was a bit more like it, kept in on the first corner as a 'stream' runs down the outside when it rains, braked a bit later for the Esses and finished on 39.53s and 79mph, very happy
Had a little walk half way up the hill at lunch to see how much water was on it and then got ready for the proper Timed Runs
1st Timed Run, looked slightly drier on the start so drove off the line and planted it a bit earlier, only to find excessive wheelspin again resulting in 3.22s, part way up to the Esses there's a slight left which is flat in 3rd, the back end stepped out a bit too much but I kept on the power, changed up to 4th and was a second quicker into the Esses, drifted round those and finished on 38.29s (but still on 79mph across the finish it seems the quicker I try to take the Esses, the more sideways I am, so I get on the power later ending up with the same terminal speed )
2nd Timed Run, slightly drier by now, managed 2.96s off the line, fraction quicker into the Esses again after being tidier up the first few corners, nicely through the Esses, finishing on 37.89s (and 79mph for the 8th time!)
Thanks to Barney, Sarah and Matt for the accommodation, helping out on the day, and pushing the van out of the field
Summary of times:
Run......64ft.........Ess Approach.....Finish
P1.......3.49s........27.13s..............40.63s/79mph
P2.......3.19s........25.89s/74mph....39.53s/79mph
T1.......3.22s........24.87s/77mph....38.29s/79mph
T2.......2.96s........24.56s/78mph....37.89s/79mph
Got a weekend off next weekend, then a 2 lap Sprint at Curborough, can't wait!
Getting a bit behind on my thread so I thought it was time for an update
15th July - I went back to Curborough again, this time for a 2 lap Sprint, helped by Barney and friends as usual
Once again, the day started off rather wet and this continued through lunch and into the 1st Timed Runs, after which I was 8 seconds off the pace, behind 2 Peugeot 205's
Then the rain stopped and slowly the track began to dry, so I gambled on fitting the slicks for the final run, as I didn't have anything to lose pray:
I had a bit of a go and knocked 10 seconds off my time which was very pleasing. While I drove back to the paddock, Barney watched the 2 Peugeot's do their final run, and then ran over to tell me that I'd won the class
Both Peugeot's had been trying too hard in the still damp conditions, and had overshot the hairpin right to go back round for a second lap, one of them stalling in the process, so had set slower times than me
So my first pot of the year
And a couple of videos on youtube, taken by Barney
The week after I went down to Llandow (21st July) for another sprint, 1.75 laps of the circuit
1st Practice was damp but it dried nicely for 2nd Practice although I was still 3rd in class behind the usual 205 that I can't get anywhere near (he's got the class records at most venues) and another 205 driven by a local welshman
Typically it rained during the lunchbreak so it was a quick change to wets for the first timed run and then a game of spot the big puddles before you start aquaplaning
2nd timed run it had dried quite well so I tried the slicks again, setting my fastest time of the day, but still finished 3rd in class, about 1s behind the welsh 205 but a good score for the OFSC
Still I've now done 8 events in the championship (you count 8 scores) and have 3 left in September to look forward to.
I'm currently 2nd in the Mod Prod Class but just ahead of Windy in the OFSC handicap class
After Llandow I had a week off work to do some jobs round the house and a bit of work on Fly
I'd entered for the Fat Albert at Keevil in early August and decided an oil cooler would be a sensible addition
I'd bought one before Millbrook but didn't bother fitting it as the weather was so cold and wet, but Fat Albert has some long straights and 8 mile stages so everything has to work a bit harder
Anyway, I moved the electric fan so it's now offset to the other side of the rad, and mounted the oil cooler vertically between the grill and the rad, cutting one of the return pipes to route the oil through it, and also moved the washer bottle to under the front wing before it melted on a hot oil pipe
As it turned out, the weather was scorching at Fat Albert with Fly finishing the stages with the oil at 110 deg C and the water at 105 deg C, this with the electric fan on permanently
Seeded a bit high at Car 8, we weren't expecting to finish that high up having been at least 5 years since I did an airfield event, but Fly was going very well, despite some of the straights being a bit long for my gearing...
We could get flat out (about 110mph) on the start finish straight about 100yds before the chicane, and then they removed the chicane as too many cars were mowing it down making it too dangerous for the marshals to rebuild it, so we were then doing about 600yds flat out. Then in the afternoon, going in the reverse direction, there was another long straight past the control tower, and one round a very wide left hander that we were taking flat at 110
After the first stage we were 11th overall and it got better as the day went on, we finished 6th overall and 3rd in class
Only one minor indiscretion all day, when trying to outbrake car 21 (who gas14 was servicing for) into a chicane, I outbraked myself, slid through a plastic barrier and put a tiny dent in the front wing
The Matador slicks were working very well, letting us brake very late for everything and hanging on nicely round the corners, still plenty of life left in them
The gearbox was pissing oil out all day, even worse than normal, probably because it was so hot, and then the 3rd to 2nd gearchange was getting a bit unreliable by the end causing some more interesting moments under braking
Oh and the starter packed up after 2 stages - The solenoid had come loose just before the final run at Llandow so I'd tightened it up and it seemed ok during the week but on the event wouldn't engage properly and even when it did it wouldn't turn the engine well enough to fire up so Steve's currently making me a new one
Many thanks to Guy, Misha, Matt and Olly for bump starting us before each stage and looking after Fly, and Carrie for keeping me pointing in the right direction, and Fly for standing up to the punishment
Couple of pics - slight drift out of a chicane
Same chicane going backwards - don't know why people say Fly is set up too low
Just finished getting Fly ready for Wiscombe Park Hillclimb this weekend
It's a round of the OFSC on the Sunday, but I've entered the Saturday as well to get in some extra practice as I've never been there before
I think I've sorted Fly's starter problems by fitting a new solenoid, started up fine just now and I'm trying some different oil in the gearbox in the hope it will stay inside this time
Well I've cleaned all the old oil from the outside of the box and from inside the car, and removed the rag from the gearstick hole which was soaking it up so I'll have a look after the first run
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