The Silverstone Classic 17/18 Aug

[TimD]

I do declare this weekend's race could prove interesting.....!

[spnixon]

Originally posted by stacy

Best of luck, sounds to me as though Will will be sleeping soundly in his bed tonight!

Maybe.

But Saturday night might be different - after qualifying. Thats when the cold sweats will start....

We'll see!

[Stacy]

Originally posted by spnixon
But Saturday night might be different - after qualifying. Thats when the cold sweats will start....

We'll see!

Mmmmmmm...

Well, it was an entertaining if not effective attempt to keep him awake!

Better luck next time.

What happened to Stephen Keating in the Rover ? I saw a stoved in rear quarter and heard a call to the CoC.

Stacy

P.S Good job you've got a full face helmet..

[Slowcoach]

So Tony, Stacy et al how did you get on , I was only there Saturday, I seem to remember Mr H. getting some coverage in practice from the commentator, sorry I didnt get longer to talk Tony but, as usual, had a fairly fraught day as I was on my own for most of it and had my usual share of minor disasters which also continued into the race !

[Stacy]

Originally posted by Slowcoach
So Tony, Stacy et al how did you get on

Sorry to hear about the disasters.

Mine was uneventful. I posted some low 1m09s on Friday, but on Saturday things had slowed down in the heat I thought, and posted a 1m10 instead for qualifying.

Qualified 4th overall behind the Mustang, Camaro and XJS and finished 3rd after the XJS lost it's brakes into Becketts.

Race day was a bit cooler, but I didn't have the speed of the heavy metal to keep up, and was comfortably on my own in 3rd so just kept a clean sheet with no mistakes to keep it. Another class win and another tin tray - That tables nearly level now.

Stacy

[TimD]

Can I say a huge thank you to all the racers here for some great entertainment this weekend. Stacy, the Mazda may not have had the legs of the american tin, but it looked smoother and faster through Copse and Becketts.

Slowcoach, saw that you disappeared very early on, and came back to the race. We assumed an off at first, but were reassured to see no damage. Sorry to hear the car was misbehaving.

Peter, that was an entertaining blast through half the field you did there. Very exciting. (Oh, and Happy Birthday!)

Stacy, the Keating Rover's stoved in back matches a shallow smack in the front corner of the white Diners Club BMW 635... I didn't see it, but the commentary seemed to be apportioning responsibility to the Beemer. Certainly there were words being exchanged afterwards in the paddock, as all the other SD1 crews were in a pow-wow round a phone, waiting on news!

[josvandeperre]

Drove well - overtook some people who later claimed their cars weren't quite right (hah !)- bookended with hassle - missed half of first practise as scrutineers had disappeared and then car totally failed to start leaving parc ferme after my second race - possible fuel injection failure - good timing ! - roll on Pembrey - ps let peter Nixon past to ensure if he didn't finish a race for the first time in a year it would not be my fault ! he did - hoorah

[Slowcoach]

Actually TimD it was me misbehavin' more than the car, started 6th on the grid - had a great start - got one place then, then slipped inside another at Becketts, outdragged the Escort on the straight, although he forced to drive round him partly on the rough stuff, which meant I didnt get the anchors on quite early enough and so didn't make it round Booklands and went into the gravel trap, luckily managed to get through it, but the car conked out and wouldnt start again- after brief heated debate with Marshalls they pushed me somewhere safe, where it then started first time and I rejoined, but I had lost a whole lap and a bit, the rest of the race was very lonely. My fault but I finished and got my points and no damage, just a dose of frustration......
Anyway well done on your third Stacy and good to catch up with you Jos so we could at least have our moan about the scrutineering!!!

[Stacy]

Originally posted by TimD
Stacy, the Mazda may not have had the legs of the american tin, but it looked smoother and faster through Copse and Becketts.

Very kind. The car and driver is suited to fast corners which is where I can take time out of them, but out of the 2nd/3rd gear Becketts and on down the straight it was depressing.

Still, always new Silverstone wasn't the circuit for it really, hopefully Pembrey will be a bit better.

Stacy

[Stacy]

Originally posted by Slowcoach
Anyway well done on your third Stacy and good to catch up with you Jos so we could at least have our moan about the scrutineering!!!

I have to say I thought Jos was somewhat hard done by in scrutineering. As one who always likes to be at the holding area with a clear track in front, if it had happened to me I would be furious. He was also picked up on a rear roll bar which to me seemed well within the regs.

By the way, thanks for revising your line at Woodcote Jos, appreciate it. I understand the principle of usually taking your line when being lapped, but I do think it has to be applied with a modicum of intelligence if you don't genuinely need the room and there are the leaders coming past with all four wheels sliding and a big closing speed.. Which you did.

Cheers

Stacy

[denlyon1]

Fantastic weekend.....

First in Class
Third overall
fastest lap in class

Buzzing, I am.


we are having 1 or 2 teething troubles with the freshly painted #95 Rover...
We had a small problem with pad knockback, and a sticking throttlepedal (as witnessed by all behind me in the Classic Thunder Race... sorry for the scare at Becketts) with a little fuel starvation for good measure... all minor issues, with fixes planned in time for Pembrey.

During Qualifying on Saturday Morning, we lunched the gearbox..fortunately after I had put in 1 hot lap.

I thought all was lost for the day, but the Raven boys really pulled out all the stops... Mrs Raven, collected a gearbox from base in Crawley, whizzed it upto Silverstone in time for the Raven crew to fit it... literally finished with minutes to spare, with me being last to collection.

With the removal of the second tank that we ran at Snetterton for the 1 hour event, we saved approx 100Kg, which would explain why the car was running on pace with Tim Busby's Batmobile... back to heavy format for Pembrey...


Unfortunately I couldn't be around for the racing on Sunday, so I look forward to hearing tales from the later events...

Cheers

Den

[denlyon1]

If anyone has any photos or video of Number #95 Classic Thunder, that they wouldn't mind me putting on my website, please can you mail me...

School Bus Yellow (more Orange) Rover SD1 Vitesse

Cheers

Den

[Stacy]

Originally posted by denlyon1
School Bus Yellow (more Orange) Rover SD1 Vitesse
Den

Den,

Car looked good, infinitely better - well done.

Do you know any more about the other Rover ? I heard him called to the CoC - was the other guy reprimanded ?

Stacy

[denlyon1]

Thanks,
it is our intention to get all the Raven cars in the same livery
Raven have set up their own sprayshop in house now, so we shouldn't see the delays we have had previously.

Not sure about Steve's car yet, I haven't had an update on the Pre 90 race, but I did hear it was something to do with brake failure on one of the cars involved..


Now if we could only figure a way of stopping the engine lunching gearboxes.....

Den

[Slowcoach]

Well done Den, I wondered what caused you to leave us all that little extra space at Becketts...so what is it with the gearbox then? I got through three of various sorts last season but since I put a T5 in at the start of this season, touch wood-haven't had any problems so far - amazing she made it the traffic was dreadful!
Talking of weight, what does your car come in at on the scales ? 100kg is alot extra for a fuel tank - was it full at the time !
Pembrey should be fun - and the lap record in our class will be destroyed as it was mine from last year, must be a record in itself that it is probably the slowest lap record relative to normal times - it was the first lap of a restarted race, which I started from the pit lane after the rest of the field had gone, made it round, over the line and then conked out! But it counted.......

[spnixon]

Apparently Steve Keating lost his brakes approaching Becketts, he put the car into a slide across the grass hoping no-one would hit him but unfortunately the BMW was already committed and caught his rear offside.

By most peoples standards I had an awful weekend.

The scrutineer noticed my windscreen wasn't laminated on Saturday morning, so I had to qualify with both front and back windows out - which made the car drive like a brick down the straights. Autoglass sorted that out Sunday morning, but then another cock up. I lined up on the grid expecting the usual long wait with the temp gauge creeping up, just thought I'd check I was in 1st gear so moved the stick - then noticed a row of green lights in front of me. Aaaaargh - threw the stick towards first gear, dumped the clutch - and went flying backwards. I'd found reverse. Panicked, couldn't get first at all so started in second and eventually got through Copse in last place. Doh.

Made for an interesting race, I think I passed 8 cars which ain't so easy in a 1600cc Golf. David Scriven gave me an especially hard time, but eventually I came up behind Dave Thomas 3.0 Capri. Despite being about 3 secs slower round Luffield alone I just couldn't get past and he stuck to the inside line like glue - down the straights he just cruised away so I finished in 15th nowehere near the car I wanted to be racing.

But I FINISHED! Yippee! First time since Pembrey 2001.

Pembrey 2002 is next, did a 1.11.3 there last year in testing so it will be interesting to compare the new shell's times. By then I should also have had the car on a RR to set the timing properly and check out an awful vibration.

Thanks to Jos for actually waving me through on lap 1, why couldn't everyone else do that? :-)

[Stacy]

I came up behind Dave Thomas 3.0 Capri. Despite being about 3 secs slower round Luffield alone I just couldn't get past and he stuck to the inside line like glue - down the straights he just cruised away so I finished in 15th nowehere near the car I wanted to be racing.
[/B]

Hmm. Dave Thomas is one of the guys at the front who has been racing for years, pretty well too - I was hoping for a racecraft lesson from him and / or Scarborough - According to my timesheet Dave Thomas was 38s away from lapping you..

I think you mean Jeremy Knight, who races an Austin A35 and rented one of Dave's Capris which is in a similar colour scheme..

Best of luck for Pembrey...

Stacy

[TimD]

Thanks for explaining the circumstances of the SD1 and the Beemer, Peter. The details make sense when recalling the shape and nature of the dents.

Hope the guys in question won't have too much of a job tapping out the panels again.

[spnixon]

Originally posted by stacy

I think you mean Jeremy Knight, who races an Austin A35 and rented one of Dave's Capris which is in a similar colour scheme..
Stacy

Ah - I stand corrected. So strictly I WAS behind Dave's Capri - he just wasn't driving it.

Actually it looked like jolly good fun. Every time I follow a RWD car around I get depressed about owning a Golf.

[denlyon1]

Yep, Tony,

The 100Kg is the weight of tank 2 with fuel, in the configuration it had been set up we had to brim both tanks to prevent fuel starvation.. so even in the sprint race, we were carrying all that extra. Hopefully we can set it up this time with a valve / tap that will allow us to use the small tank only during the sprint race.

Will also need some residual pressure valves of some description or a swirl pot configuration on the fuel lines, as the starvation was happening after about 8 laps at Silverstone (coasted the Luffield complex every lap after that)

Regarding the gearbox... this engine has lunched 4 T5 gearboxes now.... 2 in this chassis, and 2 in another last year.
It's always 5th gear and it's selector that go (bolted on to the outside of the old 4 speed box) we need to look at options for a stronger 5th.

Looking forward to Pembrey, I haven't raced there... did a sprint there about 5 years ago... enjoyed the circuit.

Cheers

Den

[spnixon]

Originally posted by stacy

I think you mean Jeremy Knight, who races an Austin A35 and rented one of Dave's Capris which is in a similar colour scheme..
Stacy

Ah - I stand corrected. So strictly I WAS behind Dave's Capri - he just wasn't driving it.

Actually it looked like jolly good fun. Every time I follow a RWD car around I get depressed about owning a Golf.

[spnixon]

Note sure why my post appears twice.

Anyway - just a quick point about Den's fuel tank. 1 litre of petrol = approximately 730g. So an average 5 gallon tank when full has about 16.5KG of fuel in it. That would mean the tank itself would weigh 83.5KG, rather a lot for an aluminium box?

Unless the tank takes 20 gallons or something silly?

[Tony Harman]

Thought I'd better reply to Slowcoach's enquiry.
Well had better weekends... I have never had such bad understeer, especially around Luffield, couldn't even hit the apex it was so bad and understeered out of Woodcote kink down the straight and had trouble stayung off the grass - bit scary !
Made some changes Sun morning hoping for improvements but made it worse and was a second slower when everyone else seemed to go a second faster.
So two rounds gone where I should have picked up useful points to catch the class leader and failed to do so. Got some serious set up work to do before Pembrey.
Sorry didn't get to see anyone except SC on your way home. That's the trouble with no paddock plan and everyone all over the place.

[Slowcoach]

Well Mr spnixon call me silly but my tank holds over 25 gallons !!! Anyway in Dens case I don't know the size of his tank but it must be pretty big as he runs that one for the one hour races and he must need at least a 50 or 60 litre tank....anyway sorry Den I don't mean to answer your questions.
Hard luck Tony, but you finished and got points and live to fight another day - anyway thats the way I am looking at my rather disappointing weekend !
Anyway see you all at Pembrey I hope.......isn't it time someone started that thread....?

[Tony Harman]

Originally posted by Slowcoach
Anyway see you all at Pembrey I hope.......isn't it time someone started that thread....?

Go on then ... (I need to start finding out who's likely to offer me a chance in the one hour )