|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
13 Aug 2000, 10:08 (Ref:30124) | #1 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 9,208
|
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.. |
||
|
19 Aug 2000, 12:13 (Ref:31422) | #2 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Jun 1999
Posts: 5,549
|
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. |
||
|
22 Aug 2000, 06:53 (Ref:32051) | #3 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 9,208
|
|||
|
23 Aug 2000, 11:06 (Ref:32316) | #4 | ||
Veteran
Join Date: Aug 1999
Posts: 9,208
|
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! |
||
|
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
David Clarke | paulSenna | Motorsport History | 5 | 19 Sep 2003 08:25 |
David Schumacher? | BBKing | Formula One | 30 | 25 Oct 2001 22:46 |
The David and David Show | Hyacinth | Formula One | 15 | 14 Jun 2000 22:23 |
Welcome David | Peter Mallett | Racers Forum | 6 | 26 Feb 2000 02:35 |