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Old 13 Aug 2000, 10:08 (Ref:30124)   #1
Crash Test
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Crash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridCrash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
A big thank you is in order for David Paterson, the old boy took me for a few flying laps in his Datto around Lakeside!

The thing is an absolute jet, with a top speed of 117mph (187kmh) it was rather flying!

Full report to follow during the week..
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Old 19 Aug 2000, 12:13 (Ref:31422)   #2
DAVID PATERSON
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DAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridDAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridDAVID PATERSON should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
You're quite welcome Mark. I'm glad you enjoyed the day, that's one of the main reasons for it.
Call me old boy again though, and we'll go under Dunlop backwards.
One of the main reasons why I like to take people for rides on these days is also to demonstrate that "slow race cars", aren't slow at all.
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Old 22 Aug 2000, 06:53 (Ref:32051)   #3
Crash Test
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Crash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridCrash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid

That's in the passengers seat, and young David behind the wheel


THE BEAST
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Old 23 Aug 2000, 11:06 (Ref:32316)   #4
Crash Test
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Crash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridCrash Test should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
Here is a draft report of the day (ie i havent proof read it yet!!)

I've never really understood Datsun drivers. I'm not too sure as to why
anybody would race one; in Sport Sedans, Club Cars and Historics, there are
literally hundreds of makes and models to choose from, but for some reason
people are compelled to race Datsuns.

Anyway, this story starts with an invitation from David Paterson, an
Historic Group N Datsun 1600 campaigner, to have a ride in his pride and joy
at the Club Car training day held at Lakeside. Without thinking, breathing
or waiting until he had finished his sentence, I came back a massive
"Yessssssssss, in my mind I'm already there!"

Now I have been in race cars before, and have been around Lakeside before,
but never have the two combined. Certainly Lakeside is a very different
place from inside the fence.

Touring around the track at a snails pace, there are a few things that I
found surprising. Firstly, unlike other racetrack, you really do notice the
bumps in a few places where there has been some patch work done. Secondly,
the kink, there is a rather massive dip right where the kerbing is, I think
that would upset a car at high speed. Another thing is the section of road
from the Dunlop Bridge through to Hungry Corner. I never would have thought
that it was that steep, and I expected the straight run up to the corner to
be a little longer.

Of the car performance, I really didn't know what to expect. I did a profile
of the car several months beforehand, and found that it only had 75
horsepower, put with a top speed of 185 km/h. The car's fastest time around
Lakeside was in the 67-second bracket, which is about the speed of the
fastest ever Gemini Series cars. I guess it would be pretty quick, as I've
been at anything above 150 km/h before.

Finally the day arrived, and I turned up to Lakeside a while before the
balance of the competitors surfaced. David arrived not long after with the
car in tow. But wait a second, where's the passenger seat? I thought he was
going to give me a ride today!

On closer inspection through the passenger's window, there is a seat, but it
is an original, low back variety. Phew, we're still in business! David's
first run was simply to scrub in some tyres after a flat spot destroyed one
at a previous meeting at Morgan Park. He then came in, strapped the first
helpless victim in and set off on some flying laps. Ok, it's my turn next.
Nervous? No way, but I did admit to being a little excited.

Hang on, this can't be good, David and Ben (another of David's test dummies)
decide to bleed the brakes. Oh well, at least they should be working when I
get out there.

Ok, in I get, helmet strapped on, ready to go. After some final adjustments
to the $10 seat belts ("Don't worry, I'll drive like I'm wearing $10 seat
belts too...") we're off. Not very worried about the low back seat, the roll
cage makes for a good headrest.

The acceleration off the line in all honesty wasn't that earth shattering,
but the car gets going all the same. Through the kink and into the breaking
area for the Karusseell, still not too scary. Then THUMP! Yep the brakes
work, I nearly went through the windscreen! Even with the hard jump on the
brakes, the car doesn't appear to slow much, it merely pins the nose to the
ground for the entrance of the corner. Then the Karusseell.... in an attempt
to warm up the tyres, David gives it his all. I think it was about at this
time I grabbed the seat belts for dear life; I really don't think my head
was ready for the cornering force, and felt a little light and wobbly.

Ok, I've got my head back in time for Hungry Corner.... whoah, here we go
again! After about 1 and a half laps I was thinking to myself "I could not
do this, I much prefer photography anyway...". However that probably changed
after about 3 laps, I knew what to expect, and I started to enjoy the ride a
lot more. Every now and again David would say something, but I must admit to
not hearing a word he said. I'm a little hard of hearing at the best of
times, let alone with a helmet on and the new exhaust doing its thing.

Now for a lap of the track from the passengers seat. Coming down the
straight, It didn't seem to worry if the car was in the middle or the right
hand side of the track. Even if the car was in the middle, David could
sharply twitch it to the right before flinging the car through the kink.
Probably the biggest bump on the track is where a patch was resurfaced,
right before turn in.

The kink, taken dead flat really wasn't as bad as I expected. The dip at the
apex, when taken at speed wasn't all that noticeable. Even if David missed
the apex, the car was extremely forgiving, although for a split second the
Shell signage on the concrete wall looks like it might receive a new coat of
red paint... The speed of the car then steadily climbs to a top speed of a
little over 115 miles per hour (this is an Historic Touring Car after all)
or about 185km/h.

It's then hard on the brakes for the Karussell at about the 150 marker and
down into 3rd gear. The entrance is uphill, but you hardly notice it, more
attention is paid to the first apex. From the apex it is a nearly constant
radius turn, the car drifts to about half track, before sweeping in to the
second apex. Sometimes David just tipped the curb, sometimes he didn't.
Through the Karussell nothing was quicker than the Datsun, including the
fastest club cars.

It was then hard on the power and out to the ripple strip on the exit. Only
twice all day did David hit it; first time around it did nothing much to
unsettle the car, but on the second occasion there was a fair bit of shake
rattle and roll! Change up to 4th at the crest of the hill, before the car
sweeps down to the right side of the track. I found this a bit unusual, as
every other time I have been taken around the track, the driver goes as far
to the left as possible before turning under the bridge.

As it turns out, that is the fastest way to go for the Datsun; why take the
long trip if it isn't any quicker? It is then for the plunge under the
bridge. The angle of attack points the car well to the inside of the apex,
which is quite a drop off from the black stuff. However this never really
seemed to unsettle the car at all.

The car then drifts right over to the right hand side of the track, as it
should. Running up against the white line, but not onto the kerb. At slow
speed this seems steep, but going at a decent pace, you can't tell. The car
then eases over to the inside, and it is back down to 3rd and hard on the
anchors once more, just before the 2 marker . However this time, their
application is not as savage as for that of the Karussell.

Now for Hungry, and what a corner it is! From the breaking marker, the road
is flat, then uphill, and then just after apex quite steep. While the tyres
are still have some life in them, David could really drive the car through
the corner and right up to the verge of the track on exit. However it was
probably more fun when the tyres got hot, 4 wheel drift with the tail
hanging out is....I could get used to this!

From Hungry it is the climb to the top of the hill through the Eastern Loop.
This I must say is a very deceptive piece of road; in the car it is quite a
short, and wide piece of road. Positioning didn't seem to be all that
important for the top of the loop, as the car was able to huge to the inside
of the track.

It is then hard on the gas for the run down the hill. The car goes right out
and brushes the weeds, changing into 4th about half way down. This part of
the track is quite a bit shorter than I expected. In the road car, the one
thing you notice is the fence coming straight at you, but in the Datsun,
your attention is firmly planted on getting around the corner.

Taken absolutely flat, David on most laps just tipped the kerb on the inside
of the turn, and this usually upset the car a little, with a bit of steering
correction the order of the day. The car then goes right out towards the
ripple strip before straightening. At about this stage of the game I keep
thinking of when Ron Lange had his wheel failure there in 1998. With my
heavy backside over on the left hand side of the car, you can feel the
loading on the front wheel. The down the straight for another lap.

Definitely the worst part was the last lap board. The laps were going so
quickly, I lost count in a hurry. 11:45, and the fuel can is dry, it's the
end of the day. It was certainly a great experience that I will never
forget, thanks David for giving me a ride for the day. But I'm off to the
doctors now, I've been bitten by the bug. Give me a Datsun any day!
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