Regional Formuls Ford

[Tony_Simpson]

I agree that having another class for zetec cars is the way forward. The question is for which years, the southen series has gone the way of letting any age in, but that means buying a £10k car to be at the front(more modern cars is the quickest is not it?). I say have two zetec classes, one for earlier age chassis, say pre97/98, when ever the rule change happened. And then have a class for the cars after that, say post 98 upto pre 2001 (if the series started this year). I say use pre 2001 as the 2001 cars are still the most expensive and are still used more in the junior seriees. It will also stop the junior series runners going out and gettignmore miles under there belt, and putting off the rest of the field. Or for the midland series have just pre 98 or so cars running for a few years.

[dantley]

£200 K isnt far off for some lads, ive heard of tyre budgets at 55k for a season with the same driver in question (no names) spending £220k in Avon Juniors (total)
and he didnt win it, or any races for that matter

crazy but very true !!!

I dont understand Luke Hines at all, yeah fair enough not doing the Slick 50's again, but the amount of testing he's doing for the southern county and the amount of tyres ive seen him using could easily make him competitive in Juniors to do him some good, they say he's just doing it to keep his eye in while looking for other drives, touring cars etc, as luke mentioned in his interview at Snett, but he may as well just test, he wins the races so easily he's not doing any overtaking. I personally dont see the point at all, yeah he'll win a champioship but what good that will do i dont no, especially when he could have been in with a shout of the junior title.

Well thats just my opinion.

[Keefyboy]

Just to let everybody know, Southern Formula Ford had 18 entries for round 1, 17 entries for round 2 and 3 and last weekend saw 16 cars entered. A couple of regulars were out because of illness but overall a pretty good turn out.

JR Ewing,

Having two classes does cause head ache for the good Kent driver. I'd hate it if my victory wasn't noticed because the Zetec boys stole all the limelight at the front of the field. This won't help to get potential sponsors either...

My view is this:

I hate to say it but the Kent series should be classed as a classic series now and have three seperate classes to keep everybody happy.

The Zetec's are fine as they are, but it would benefit from having a seperate class for Pre-99 cars. The 1999-onwards cars are quite a bit quicker.

It wouldn't hurt to encourage us drivers too. We pay way too much money on entries to get nothing back other than a poxy ten minute qualifying session and a 12 lap race. Banger racers get start money for christs sake, why can't we?

Keith

[Keefyboy]

Dantley,

Just to stick up for Luke, I've tested before every round just like him. I can't comment on how many tyres his used but to be fair he can only use the same amount of tyres at every race as everybody else. So there's no problem there so far.

His very quick and that's because of one thing... experience. His had similar track time in a Formula Ford this year as me, but he has got two series of competitive Formula Ford racing behind him in 2000 and 2001.

This is where he had test after test and now he and the team have a vast amount of knowledge to look back on. So you're being a little unfair on him in, but I can see your point.

Like I said before it's not Luke wanting to do the series, it's more his dad wanting to make a point. At Snett he was more interested in beating the Avon Cup boys fastest lap rather than winning the Southern race. Besides his not racing every round anyway.

Last weekend at Brands he set the fastest lap at around a 49.3. It was a slow race but my fastest was a 49.6. His not unbeatble, it'll just take me and the rest of the field a while to catch up on his vast experience...

Keith

[dantley]

I respect their decision, I sure it is more his dads, I just feel that with the speed he has and the fact that without anymore additional testing on what he does for the southern champs he would do bloody well in juniors which would help him more.

I do less testing than him for junior because we cant afford it but I was still 3rd fastest at Donnington behind Smith an Clucus, our championship is also has less rounds so you could get away with even less testing.

Yeah Luke did beat our junior times at snett and everyone took note of that im sure, one thing i can see is that afetr Clucus blew his motor the track was slow but thats not taking it away from luke.

You went well on the weekend, !? nearly a good fight in the pit lane during qualifying as well, that guys in my car from last year, not that i help run him.



I was at Brans on the weekend, the track was covered in **** before the race never mind after, Graham hill must have been interesting.

[Keefyboy]

Dantley,

Whoops, you must of seen me chuck the toys out of my pram too! The guy hasn't got a clue about flag signals, so I expressed my frustrations... in his face. It livened up the dull pit lane anyway!

What really p****d me off was the fact I'm in a similar postition as you, I can't afford to bend the car. Mr Bank Manager has already got me by the short and curlies and the last thing I needed was a damaged car.

I had an alright race, just a bit gutted that I spent the majority of it defending (which I hate with a passion!). Nevermind, at least Graham Hill made things interesting on the last lap!

How's the championship campaign going?

Keith

[dantley]

You certainly did liven up the pit lane, ! ! ! !

It is a nightmare when in the back of your mind you know you have to take it that little bit easier as to not bend it, we had that trouble last year, and some how got away with a damage free year, that was until we tried the donnington Avon Cup race and got taken out head on into the barriers at regate, that put pay to any tesing racing etc over the winter, it was 6 months before we got back out for our first test for this years Avon juniors,

we got the money at the last minute to do the first race, which was wicked but we were way behind on testing and im in a Mygale rather than a Van Diemen this year, but we ran in the top 6 at snett untill Clucus blew up literally right in front of me, then at Donni last weekend again in the top 6 and looking good with our pace for 3rd or 4th when I had my race and car wrecked by a spinning Jay Howard and Goodwin and was collected by others avoiding them.

But its good to know we can mix it with alot more speed to come if we can do more testing, we've got Knockhill Croft and thruxton later in the year tracks ive never seen never mind driven so we're gona have to try and test a them some how to make it worth while going.

Wouldn't mind doing some Southern countys as well if we get the money together.

You dont wana worry about having to defend to Chris pennigton, he's not bad at all, although i think he was expecting to be winning from the off this year, I would imagine it made his day when he found out Luke was going to be out this year.

[Keefyboy]

Dantley

I had a great scrap with Chris and his one of the very few drivers in the championship that I don't mind (ie: trust!) fighting wheel to wheel with.

I agree with you mate, Chris was the favourite at the start of the year. It came as a big shock to everybody that Luke was racing in some of the championship.

Sounds like you're doing well for yourself. You'll have to get the Playstation out and play TOCA 2 or something to learn Croft, Thruxton and sunny Knockhill. It's the cheapest way!

Keith

[JR Ewing]

Most people seem to agree that the Kents need to change, ie. zetecs going forward.
Why aren't the BRSCC (not SE centre) doing anything?
Maybe L Hines is trying to do a Priaulx by winning every round?

[Keefyboy]

JR Ewing,

He won't win every round. His got commitments with the Zip Formula so his got to miss some. Even so, he seems to be enjoying it so I think he'll do as many as he can?

"Why aren't the BRSCC (not SE centre) doing anything?"

About what? Luke or the Championship?

Keith

[JR Ewing]

Making midlands and maybe oulton zetecs as well as kents

[Richard Dean]

£95k for 18 races in senior with 30 days testing
£65k for 12 races in Avon Junior with 20 days testing
This works out at exactly the same price per race and much cheaper per test and senior is a brand new car and in front of 20,000 spectators and a good support package.
Yes it includes insurance for senior, which is the same as accident damage.

I agree that as soon as regional goes Zetec the better. the cars will be worth more second hand and the Teams will be better off, hopefully passing on the reduced budget.

[Ian Sowman]

Just to go back to whether the Star of the Midlands is a weak series... Numerically it's a pretty low ebb, but also in terms of quality. Gone are the days of Sugden v Dean in the late 1980s, and even through most of the 1990s there were some good (mainly club) racers involved. Even worse this year is a relative lack of potential race winners.

Should the Midlands go Zetec? Maybe. There's a good spread of circuits on the calendar now so it would be a reasonably worthwhile championship. I can't see too many entries, at least in the early stages, however.

[mattray]

not really sure what the budget for national zetecs has got to do with the budgets for regional zetec, specially not sure what luke hines has got to do with it, when the only reason he is being forced to do the southern championship is because his dad is trying to sell his zip championship and cant be seen to be spending money on zetecs when he is trying to sell his championship as an alternative.(just look at the advert in Autosport saying do you want to save 100,000) its a tough position for luke but thats that.

it seems to me that everyone who has run zetecs is in agreement that the cost of repairing and the cost of tyres is more expensive but at the moment not a huge amount more expensive then kents. BUT as I have said it just takes a couple of people to spend more on testing and tyres and everyone will be forced to do the same to keep up. its the nature of racing thats just what happens.

and "Dantly" as far as my driving at combe goes I am glad it looks exciting but I know it wouldnt work in a zetec and I would adjust to the car.(I have worked with zetecs for the last 4 years and have had to explain this to every driver we have had, that being, adjust their driving for the car because we cant make it any less top heavy at the rear, and make it handle more like a kart or whatever they think is better)

[dantley]

Matt

SO do you think the Kent is a better starting block for complete beginners, I know you have to change the driving style for a zetec but having only driven zetecs i dont know much about what you can get away with in a kent,

My comment about your driving at coombe was about it being great to see as a spectator, please dont think I meant you couldnt drive a zetec, I know you can having raced you at silverstone when you stepped in for Yonny, I just think a strong field of kents is bloody good entertaiment, and that going Zetecs isnt a must.

Jon

[mattray]

It's ok I didnt see it as a critisism, and I really should add that that race at Silverstone was a mare for me because we had Mintex pads and they were totally glazed making it impossible for me to stop, we changed to Hawk after that and it was a different car!

With a kent you are obliged to keep the engine going by making it slide into and out of the corners, if you go into a corner keeping the rear stuck to the ground i will bog the engine and effect that lap times. This being so you can get it at all sorts of angles and not really effect the lap time the same as you would a zetec. Because from what I have felt with a zetec it takes a whole lot longer for it to come back into line once it starts sliding. (feels like there is a huge weight at the rear) I think a zetec for a beginer teaches a driver to be precise just look at the good people in national zetec they are doing exactly the same thing every lap because they know any mistake will lose a lot of time. Thats why it takes so much testing to be fast in one. In a kent you can get away with a lot more because it comes back faster from a slide.

Matt

[JR Ewing]

Matt
What Mintex pads did you have? 44s or 55s?
What Hawks did you run and what were they like?
Has anyone tried EBC green in their cars?
Thanks

[mattray]

they were 55's and they were the metalic hawks (the blue ones) which gave so much more bite and consistent power, but they do tend to wear discs faster than most.

Matt

[Lola]

I tried EBC green in my FF1600 and they last about two races at the most. They wear out too quickly. EBC said upgrade to yellow if I was to try again.

[JR Ewing]

Thanks
Van Diemen say to run 44s in the Zetecs.
I have previously tried EBC green and they shagged the discs

[mattray]

We found the 44's to be too soft and faded. We went to the 55's because of this and they were good to start with but after one use they glazed so badly they were useless. The deglazing of them involved putting them into a vice and scrubbing with emery cloth or even a file, and even this was no guarantee that they would work properly.
The hawks dont need any deglazing which saves a lot of effort and time and worrying about them working come the race. They are a lot cheaper then the Pagids as well.

[GM Man]

Works VDs run SBS I think...

[JR Ewing]

Keefyboy
Luke Hines did Combe but the Zips were at Mallory?
Maybe he is going to do them all....

[mattray]

So it seems that the zetec route is more expensive then the kent alternative that settles the argument from a competitor point of view in my eyes, how about from a spectator point of view? Did anyone see the races at Castle Combe on the 6th May? Which race proved to be the more entertaining the kents or the zetecs?

Matt

[JR Ewing]

a loaded question if ever I heard one.......
what about on home ground, ie. Brands?