Mk2 Ibiza 16V Hillclimb/Sprint car - 2014 Race Season begins!

Dear All

Time to start our thread for the 2012 race season.

Following on from a quiet year in 2011 due to a new arrival in the family, and a Championship winning year in 2010, we are back out again to contest the highly competitive Liverpool and Chester Speed Championship.

Previous threads can be seen below

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=248592

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=313768

Liverpool and Chester Speed Championships website:

http://www.speedchampionship.com/

Car as it currently stands.







We have entered as previous years Modified Production 1400-2000cc, usually Class 3b.

Well last year saw some more car developments: aero (front splitter and side skirts); tubular steering arms; front brake ducts with blanking caps; removal of headlights and fitment of blank front grill; new airbox; new exhaust manifold and remap.

So quite a bit really. Time to see if any of it has made an effect.

We also have a trailer now to take it to events which should make things a bit more relaxed.

First 'event' will be a shake down trackday at Oulton Park this coming Friday, OPL with OpenTrack

http://www.opentrack.co.uk/

Updates as an when they happen

Ave it

Rob

Weather looks good for tomorrow - looking forward to a bit of a thrash!

Couple of old SCN regulars also coming along so should be a good day. Pics later.

Ave it

Rob

MINT day. Stayed dry until 4pm so we packed up and went home. Beer and curry in order now. More tomorrow. Cheers to Glyn for help today.

Right, great day yesterday at oulton for open pit lane trackday with opentrack. Full day and actually cannot ever remember seeing so many people in drivers briefing. Lots of beginners also. So caution required. Cold and dry start.

Previously bought some used current clio cup slicks 200/61-17 and some Team Dynamics Pro Race wheels for them to go on. Fill the arches nicely diameter wise but a bit narrower than the 240s i normally use for sprints. New brake pads also so first session needed to be for bedding in.

105db tailpipe noise test passed and onto circuit. Car felt nice but a bit nervous and tail happy. Back to pits. Pressures adjusted and dampers backed off a bit.

Back on track, much better. Takes couple laps to get heat in tyres but then they grip well. Traction out of bumpy areas not as good as with 16s and wheelspin in 4th coming out of deer leap.....

Clio tyres are very unforgiving. Very stiff sidewalls and absolutely zero wall roll on front nearside which is normally seen. But quite poor traction grip. Maybe less of an issue for a 200hp clio cup car. Epic in the bends though.

Few more sessions getting quicker all the time, couple great runs with vx220 turbo and caterfield racer, nice day all round.

New exhaust has really freed up the engine and it absolutely flies round to redline now, so end up using more revs all the time. This has meant oil temps going up so now need to look at fitting an oil cooler so can do more than 8-10 laps at a time. Not a problem for sprints though so no major panic.

Some epic cars on the day, couple 911 gt3 rs, radical sr8, some really nice vauxhalls also. Got chatting to some lads that are preparing a time attack mk1 leon supercopa car, sound blokes, one of them having a 1000hp fwd civic drag car that will run in the 9's. Their prep shop is very close to where ilive so we swapped numbers and will no doubt be working with them some more.

There was a photographer there on the day and the organisers are sending out free pics next week so that was a nice suprise. Will post some when they arrive.

Prep now for event 1.......

Few pics from Oulton Park







It looks like the side skirts and front splitter extension survived their first outing so they can be finished off before next event.

Ave it

Rob

The rear wheel arches are vented into the rear bumper to try and cut drag from the rear wheel wells, but I dont think there is much else I can do with the rear end short of add a diffuser which is possible given where the silencer is. Diffusers are not much use without a flat floor. Instead of flat flooring, I am trying to cut the amount of air going underneath with the splitter and side skirts. Thinking is that its a lighter weight solution than a full flat floor. But the side skirts can now support a flat floor if I go this way next. Maybe in the winter.

Got some hoonin' to do first

Ta. Yes, been thinking of getting one of those hero pro gadgets, very neat setup for incar these days.

Right then - final instructions are out for Event 1 - Aintree Sat 28th April run by Liverpool and Chester MC.

Looks like its going to be really good day - 8 cars in Mod Prod 3A / 3B merged. Will be interesting to see what mods the competition have done over the winter and how everyone stacks up this year - like F1, your never quite sure whats going to happen!

Really looking forward to it now!

Ave it

Rob

OK, event report time.

Fantastic day had for Round 2 of the Liverpool and Chester Speed Championships at Aintree. This was my first round for this year and was expertly and efficiently organised and run by Liverpool Motor Club. There was about 150 cars entered including at least 50 Caterhams as this event forms part of the Caterham Academy series. The weather forecast was marginal - grey and overcast, windy and very cold. Art any time it looked like it could rain. But thankfully at no point did it rain. Damn cold though.

We were entered in the usual Class 3b, Modified Production 1400-2000cc. There was a good entry of 7 cars but we were made 8 with the single entry in 3a, a classic Mini.

32 - Mini
33 - me
34 - Rover 416, usually driven by the highly experienced Stuart Tranter but today by his mate Colin Price. Very lightweight car that has been racing for some years so well developed.
35 - XR2
36 - Mk2 golf of mate David Reade, valver on throttle bodies with newly fitted quaife diff and sticky dunlop tyres
37 - 206 GTI of Mark Teale - fantastic car, beautifully prepared with some lovely touches. Longman-touring car spec engine with 288hp, pukka Penske dampers, new-for-2012 super sticky Avons. Mark used to run in Road modified but has jumped up to Mod Prod for 2012 shedding 80kg of weight from the car in the process. Very quick car and driver.
38 - 205 GTI of the highly experienced John Moxham. John was on fine form after an 'off' at 3-sisters a couple weekends earlier. Done a great job along with LAD Motorsport to get the car back running again for Aintree. Looked to be on some new Yoko moulded rally tyres also.
39 - Visa GTI with Mi16 engine.

Due to all the heavy rain and the track being very green after the grand national and winter, the clerk of the course advised everyone to take it steady for the first run and dont go daft. Wise words. I had not been out in 2011 and was feeling quite anxious so needed to just get out there and get some runs in.

Times will be listed in the order of cars above. (brackets is mph over the finish line). Green is me, red is current leading time.

Practice 1 - real steady, just run round.
65.81 (96), 56.16 (120), 58.66 (103), 61.21 (94), 58.45 (113), 54.29 (121), 56.14 (121), 61.06 (104). Pug 206 fastest.

Upped the damper settings.

Practice 2.
64.41 (99), 53.41 (125), 56.48 (107), 60.47 (94), 55.64 (115), 52.57 (121), 54.27 (125), 59.10 (107).

Bit better but not really feeling like much grip out there. Fastest ever through the speed trap though so maybe aero mods over winter doing something. Still a good second behind the 206.

Timed 1 - did a burnout this time in the tyre warming area to try and get some heat in fronts. Strange sound from exhaust - got louder all of a sudden...go for it anyhow

63.04 (103), 52.71 (125), 54.55 (111), 60.30 (96), 55.08 (117), 52.01 (113), 53.34 (124), 58.45 (109).

Better but still 0.7 off the 206. And 2.7 seconds away from my personal best. Gotta pull my finger out and go for it some more. I know its cold but cummon....Pug was down on top speed as he had swapped tyres from R888s to the smaller diameter sticky Avons. 113mpg was the rev limiter in top gear...

Timed 2 - burnout again and car sounded like exhaust had a hole in it or was cracked.....whatever......must go faster!

62.01 (102), 52.31 (126), 54.21 (113), 60.45 (95), 55.58 (116), 53.59 (112), 53.27 (124), 130.10 (52)

Still 0.3 away from 206 and exhaust sounding like a Halfords hot rod. Back to pits and look underneath. Plug that usually sits in the lambda boss missing....wonder if one of the startline marshalls picked it up as suspect it fell out in that first burnout. RESULT! got it back from startline lads and refitted. Proper gee'd up now for a last big push!

Timed 3. Concentrating.

62.93 (101), 51.65 (126), 54.18 (111), 60.67 (95), 55.63 (116), 52.16 (122), 53.70 (125).

CUMMON YA BEAUTY! 3/4's of a second better on the last run. Really went for it - mahoosive tail slide into Beechers bend but kept foot in to drag it round. 206 put R888s back on and didn't go any quicker. Still 0.6 away from my PB but that'll do today, not much grip about (nobody else got near PBs) and was a bit rusty after a year off.

Well pleased.

Final order
Me - 51.65
206 - 52.01
205 - 53.27
Rover - 54.18
Golf - 55.08
Visa - 58.45
XR2 - 60.30
Mini - 62.01

A few pics:





Mark Teale's 206



John Moxham's 205



Dave's golf



3c-winning M3



Bonkers Sports Libra Mini



Scooby Doo



And astonishing Sunbeam of Paul Norris, cossie powered, 158mph over the line!!!!!



Awesome day out. Few minor changes to make this week now for double header meeting next weekend at Anglesey!

back in the mood for this again now

'Ave IT

Rob

Thats one quick Talbot. 500 and 700hp settings apparently! And 13" wheels. Leaves darkies everywhere.

Just been looking at results again and that scooby did 1.99 sec to 64ft. Thats 1g avceleration. Quite rare to see this on a sprint track.

Full results up now

http://www.liverpoolmotorclub.com/2012/04/29/results-for-the-april-aintree-sprint/

Forgot to say - rear plastic windows came adrift again - sick of them now so going back to original glass pop-outs - plastic obviously doesn't like 126mph

Going to put some vents in the rear hatch also to try and stop the tailgate window coming out now the side windows arn't coming loose instead.

ok - all ready to go again for Anglesey this coming weekend, Sat and Sun hosted by Lancashire and Cheshire Car Club and the MG Owners Club. Should be good fun as we are doing the 2 laps of the National Circuit on the Sat, and one lap of the International Circuit on Sunday. Both have the same start and finish lines, and both are 2.1 miles. VERY COOL. Have not done the International Circuit before so that will be a good experience. The run from The Banking to Rocket looks a bit fast Yeh.





Got to be one the the best locations for a circuit there is.

8 entries in 3b so should be a good day! As long as the weather holds up as this is one of the windiest places I have ever been to when it is blowing.

Ave it

Rob

Aintree now on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_WXJYAoVK8

Dont know the details but wouldn't be surprised - lots of nice bits on that 206. It is geared quite high - 120mph on big R888 tyres and 112 on small avons - so that might contribute to that impression. Mine is geared for 140mph in comparison.