Escort Sigma 1600 Race Car

[Graham]

Re: I'm ready

nope

[Tristan]

Re: I'm ready

Delighted that the shakedown has gone well for you . And thanks for all the re-assuring PMs!

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Thanks Tristan.
Any improvements on the situation yet? Have you assembled the bottom end yet?

[Tristan]

Re: I'm ready

oh yeah , months ago , with a Puma 1.7 sump , had it into the car and the new engine mount made etc.. I think I'll have to get a 2nd , standard head so as to fit the bottom end to the car , and start work on the manifolds , wiring and plumbing.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Ah the tension.... Washed the car for the big weekend today. Also put together all the tools,jacks, stands, spare parts, fluids and lubricants etc needed for the weekend.
I have butterflys in my stomach...nice to feel the anticipation again.
This is by far the biggest circuit racing event in Finland. Its held in a legedary very demanding old track with minimal safety areas and very big height differences. Nothing but steel railing along side the track for most of the lap. 192 cars have entered. ....Can't wait for the games to beging.


Only can't find my stopwatch

[SidewaysMk1]

Re: I'm ready

so the the sigma is making less hp and obviously less torque than the pinto??? But with a wider rev range as a 16v should.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

so the the sigma is making less hp and obviously less torque than the pinto??? But with a wider rev range as a 16v should.

Yes and the Sigma beeing only 1600cc the car is also 80kg's lighter now than it was with the 2050cc Pinto.
The goal was to match the power to weight ratio of the pinto with a lighter car but we did not quite get there on the first go.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

So it turned out the small block made it trough its virgin voyage. It held together trough the three day event with no issues what so ever. The Tran-X however developed an oil leak

The weekend started nicely on Friday. On the second outing I managed to record a new personal best That was the first real sign that there may be some idea to this Sigma conversion.

Saturday was the qualifying day. Again I broke my own record but this time I got to compare the times with the other competitors. The truth was that even braking my own record, and beeing only one second from the track record in my class, only earned me the seventh place in the 31position grid. A bit of an dissapointment but its not supposed to be easy is it?

Sunday was the race day. Including two separate starts. The best lap time in the first race would act as a qualifying lap for the second start.

I pretty much stalled the car at the grid and lost two positions right away. I was able to gain one position it he first corner though. I soon was able to catch up the two Escorts battling each other in front of me. We drove around in a tight bunch for a while trying to find a gap to get trough. The result was that the MK2 in front of me span out and gave me a chance to try and overtake the MK1 running sixth. Soon after , thanks to a very late braking, I got the inside track and past the second car. I managed to pull away . This all had left me in a position where I could pretty much drive in solitude. I gained on the fifth car(escort again) but could not get to a distance to try anything. I ran out of laps.
Again I re-wrote my personal best. Now a second faster than I have ever been. This Gave me a place in the third row. 5th grid for the second start.

The second launch went a bit better. I really need to work on the strats with this new 7,25" clutch though. I took off the line at one go but unfotunatelly got some bad traffic in the first corner and was forced to take the outer track. Still in a heavy traffic I decided to risk it and hang in the outer line and try to pull away for the fourth corner. Bad call. I lost the rear end, ran wide and hit the rear tyre to the end of the curb. No danage done and I recoverd almost emmidiately but the battle was lost and the chase was on again.
I joined a quarrel between a very fast C class Datsun 100A and a Opel Kadett trying to overtake it.
I soon got a chance to overtake the Kadett and continued on to the Datsun. The C class is slower than the B I race in. But this one is very fast. Running third in its class at the moment. The datsun ran wide and left a door open for me. From there on I could not catch any more cars and that was the standing result. 7th in class.

All and all I was pleased for the Escorts driveability but I really need more power and few other tricks for the future. But I have a plan forming

Some pics my missus took.

Me and my mate at the paddock


That first Starlet was unbelievably fast. He improved the class B track record by more than two seconds.


The three Escorts


Here I have overtaken the two escorts and starting to chase the third.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Heres a link to the official gallery of the event.

http://jaridebner.kuvat.fi/kuvat/Historic%2BGrand%2BRace%2B22.8.2010/

[exboyracer]

Re: I'm ready

Nice write up and congratulations on a good weekend

The car looks fantastic, hopefully a few tweeks will see your grid positions improve

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Nice write up and congratulations on a good weekend

The car looks fantastic, hopefully a few tweeks will see your grid positions improve

Thanks Ex.

I have one race on semptember 25th. Afterwards I'll wisit the rollers again to try some tweeks on the induction side and after that its off with the head.

There was again a worrying ammount of wrecks in the race. I do not know whats wrong with the Historic class drivers. Year after year they seem to be in charge of the mayhem.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Thanks Ex.

I have one race on semptember 25th. Afterwards I'll wisit the rollers again to try some tweeks on the induction side and after that its off with the head.

There was again a worrying ammount of wrecks in the race. I do not know whats wrong with the Historic class drivers. Year after year they seem to be in charge of the mayhem.

[Tristan]

Re: I'm ready

delighted to hear it all went good for you , you deserve it after all the effort .

[trip998]

Re: I'm ready

ouch!!
a few bumps there.

[Roadsport]

Re: I'm ready

Thanks tristan that's a nice thing to say.

The wrecked Ford Falcon Sprint in the gallery was particulary unlucky. He lost three of the four gears in the first race and one of the four wheels in the second ending up in the tyre wall.

Heres another clip from the weekend. Inside the Triumph TR4 Also starring an Swedish Lotus Elan and my mates Plymouth Barracuda