Thruxton Classic - 27th April

[Stacy]

Originally posted by spnixon
Another utterly appalling weekend.

Worked out after qualifying that the gearbox has been rebuilt with the wrong CWP ratio so the whole lot has to come out again - at my expense no doubt. Never managed 5th gear so I'm racing a 4 sp Golf, useless.

The only thing I acheieved by doing that was getting in the way of the leaders, I should have stayed put.

Never mind. The annoying thing I suppose is that Will told you where to have your box done properly, and I gather it never arrived..

Incidentally my old Golf threw a cable once - there's a little grommet which falls out of the pedal. Easily fixed, but if you haven't already checked it I'd sort that.

As for the getting in the way, don't worry about it - You've got to go somewhere and once you were in the chicane there's not much room to move.

Yesterday I had pretty poor luck catching back markers on the places on the circuit where I was making up time over the others, and nearly lost the lead when I caught someone at Church and had to dab the brakes which cost me time all the way to the chicane - Whereas I was normally just having a little lift. But then at Rockingham I had very good luck with them. Swings and roundabouts.

Stacy

[Stacy]

Originally posted by Dan Friel
RX7 didn't seem to be running quite right in the race, as demonstrated by lap times. How big are the rear seats in that then? Presumably about the same size as those in a mini?

I was disappointed not to be in the 29's, especially after qualifying, but it was more circumstances than the car. It took me a few laps to get past the Rover, then when I wanted to drop the hammer and disappear I lost out to backmarkers on 2 laps. After that the left front was cooked so times weren't on, and I just made sure I was going quick enough to do the job.

As for the rear seats - Well, you wouldn't want to spend too much time there. It was homologated as a saloon fortunately, for the BTCC of the era.

Stacy

[spnixon]

Originally posted by stacy
Never mind. The annoying thing I suppose is that Will told you where to have your box done properly, and I gather it never arrived..

Incidentally my old Golf threw a cable once - there's a little grommet which falls out of the pedal. Easily fixed, but if you haven't already checked it I'd sort that.

I used a local guy (he actually built the box in the first place) because I didn't know what was wrong with it and I had a pile of spare bits in the garage as well as a gearbox casing (that was clearly required). If I'd couriered the box off I would either had to courier all the spares too or pay for new/secondhand bits that I would have had lying on the garage floor.

I made the assumption that the guy would put the right ratio in, it was a simple enough job...

I asked Ken about the throttle cable after the race, I was trying to work out if this was an avoidable DNF. He said the same happened to Jos's car once so now they put lock wire around the hook. I'll do that for next time out (and fit a new cable as well for good measure) but its too late to avoid yet another DNF at my favourit circuit. Yes, the little grommet fell out and disappeared.

My times were annoyingly ****. Even with the 4sp box I should have been quicker - I spend most of the lap in 5th anyway so on Sunday I just spent most of it in 4th. No big deal. But I did a 1.36.8 in 2001. 2 years more experience, more car development etc and I manage a 1.39. I must be getting old or something.

[Stacy]

Originally posted by spnixon
I made the assumption that the guy would put the right ratio in, it was a simple enough job...

But I did a 1.36.8 in 2001. 2 years more experience, more car development etc and I manage a 1.39. I must be getting old or something.

Maybe you haven't got to the bottom of that yet - he may not have done anything too wrong. I take it you're removing it asap to see what's up ?

Tonight, my car will be up on stands in the workshop with my checklist front to rear - might be a good time to take a step back and do the same to yours.

Know what you mean about the times, but they are different days and I'm not sure you've done a lot of / any worthwhile development and you haven't seen the circuit much either. With the gearing not squared away I don't think a 1m39 is a bad time - it's what I did round there in my old Golf. Chris Bray is always going to have the legs on you somewhere like that, but the balance redresses at Mallory or Lydden.

[spnixon]

I don't have written checklists (I think I'll write some) but we know what needs doing/checking on the car before Brands - and its a big list. Got another tip at Thruxton about why my pads are glazing over after 1 lap so will be looking after that too.

If the gearbox gets sorted and I get all the other updates done/checked I will indeed be looking forward to the next three rounds - Brands, Lydden and Mallory. After that I have to decide what I'm doing - that very much depends on whether I actually enjoy the race days. 2003 hasn't been much fun so far.

[Gerryc]

I was flagging at the chicane (Post 20) and I have to ask stacy, did you actually intend to hit those kerbs as hard as you did :confused: The car really bounced well, yourae must be black and blue! I am suprised the undersides (your's and the car's) put up with the punishment, they must both be particularly reinforced.

Anyway congratulations for the win and thanks to all the competitors in the meeting, it was good fun to marshal this one.

[Dan Friel]

Agree with Gerry, from post 20 it looked like the Mazda might break up.. presumably your check list includes plenty of floor welding!

Bet the RX7 homologation story's a good one... but spent plenty of time looking over a partclaurly diverse bunch of cars in the paddock, including some absolutely mint Sprites.

Spnixon - hope you keep with it, the drivers in the club seem excellent compared with other series.. guarantee you'd see much more tyre wall racing caterhams!

[Stacy]

Originally posted by Gerryc
I was flagging at the chicane (Post 20) and I have to ask stacy, did you actually intend to hit those kerbs as hard as you did

The honest answer of course is a little from column A, and a little from column B..

I used them in qualifying a little more to carry as much speed as I could through. There were two reasons for doing so:

1. I did an afternoon test there at the start of the year as it's my local circuit to bed some bits in, and found a chunk of time was to be had through there by doing that showed on the datalogger.

2. I went down quietly before the race and had some personal 1-1. The upshot of the BTCC technique was to - and I quote - "Muller" the first two, and leave the 3rd alone. This confirmed the datalogger story.

In the final qualifying lap I was nearly two seconds under the LR, so I was comfortable.

In the race however I had to take to them to avoid contact on one occasion, and simply ballsed one or two up I seem to recall. It's a fine line between carrying the speed, and upsetting the car - and hey, it's not my job.

As for the car, all the critical underside areas are shielded - There's little chance of anything coming off. The suspension is also designed to absorb that sort of abuse, in fact in the car it doesn't feel to bad - and it lands again quite comfortably.

Oh yes, and that's where the photographers stand..

[Peter Mallett]

Thanks for that.