Getting There! (race car imagery warning)

[MarkK]

Awsome,sounds like you had a hoot!,car looks really lovely,I remember my first shakedown with Alex,was a lovely day getting used to a newly built car,know exactly how you felt..great pictures aswell!

 

[Neil Haughey]

Thanks Mark. I was shaking like a leaf prior to the first session then once Kev had told me I had got under a minute I relaxed a little. Oddly enough I felt very relaxed in the last session after my spin, perhaps to relaxed and I did brake much earlier for Gerrards until right at the end then the car ran out of petrol and it was all over.

I am looking forward to next weekend but TBH Mark the first race is something I just want to get out of the way and then enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

 

[333pg333]

Good for you Neil. Car looks nice and settled and sits just right under brakes. Nice to have some fun now!! []

 

[Hilux]

only later I realised just how much I was pushing it braking very late for Gerrards but as I got away with a bit of steering correction for 6 laps I thought why not keep pushing it []. After having time to analyse the track it was obvious I was loosing an enormous amount of time in Gerrards.

Just keep feeding it in (gently)

If you havent driven Mallory people try to tighten Gerrards to much (until they learn) - and the hairpin.

 

[944Turbo]

looking good

 

[Neil Haughey]

ORIGINAL: Hilux

only later I realised just how much I was pushing it braking very late for Gerrards but as I got away with a bit of steering correction for 6 laps I thought why not keep pushing it []. After having time to analyse the track it was obvious I was loosing an enormous amount of time in Gerrards.

Just keep feeding it in (gently)

If you havent driven Mallory people try to tighten Gerrards to much (until they learn) - and the hairpin.

Paul, it was pretty clear from talking to Kev and looking at other cars that I was loosing a lot of time by not getting on the throttle more early on. Gerrards is such a long corner its hard to remember you need to push it on the limit all the way round or you loose an enormous amount of time. By braking mega late the car was tending to weave around a lot and I was getting away with turning in when the car was still a tad unstable. The problem is that then by the time you settle it down in the corner your traveling 5 mph slower then you need to be in that part. The daft thing is that earlier on I was on the limit going round but it was because the tyres pressures where too high so I know I can drive the car around its limit through that corner I just not to tell myself to be more aggresive with the throttle, and brake a little more gently so as not to unsettle the car so much. Same again up at the hairpin with respect to throttle usage, I had the right line but was just far to gentle on the throttle.

TBH getting to grips with just how much grip and traction the car has now was perhaps to much of a shock, however now I know I will pretty disappointed if I don't get the car down into the low 56's high 55's at the weekend, assuming it stays dry of course.

TBH2 its also something else to get your head round the fact that to go properly quick in these cars you need to be aggressive with the throttle before the apex, none of this pussy classic gentle feeding it in stuff [].

 

[MarkK]

Thats the spirit!!Really looking forward to Sunday myself,my family are coming to watch this one so am just hoping for a nice drama free race all the way to the end...Dropping into Mallory tomorrow morning myself for a final checkover and bed in some tyres in the last session.Hope it drys up[8|]!

 

[Neil Haughey]

Sounds like your getting seriously stuck in there Mark. I heard you put in some pretty decent times the other week, talking to a few ppl it seems its easy to underestimate just how difficult Mallory is. It looks easy as its only 4 corners but apart from the Esses the other 3 are IMH&limited experience, pretty darned difficult to nail properly fast.

Those that aren't familiar with race cars and timed laps may find it difficult to understand that to do a 57 I was flat on the gas through every apex and corner exit, along every straight and braking so late the car was always weaving around. An S2 can potentially get round Mallory in 54 seconds flat with mid 55's considered a properly quick lap. Its a whole different ball game as they say this racing lark.

I have had to keep telling myself though Mark just to enjoy it and not get sucked into chasing performance. I can't afford to do a championship or a whole season anyway now that I have gone back to permanent employment, and more than anything I want the car back to enjoy it. I keep looking at those pictures and for me this is the car I always wanted, 4 CSCC races a year mixed in with some track days and test days will do me nicely thanks [].

 

[Lowtimer]

I'm coming late to this and I know very little about racing but it's been an interesting thread to read, and the car looks great.
But in the second pic on page 2, why does it look as if it's got its tongue sticking out? What is that at the front, sticking out of the slot just above where the number plate would go?

 

[Neil Haughey]

Adhoc tow hook basically.

 

[Neil Haughey]

ORIGINAL: 333pg333

Good for you Neil. Car looks nice and settled and sits just right under brakes. Nice to have some fun now!! []

Cheers Patrick. I was very happy with the balance of the car, it had just a hint of push on corner exit which could be driven around by altering the corner entry slightly, very very nice. Its a little soft at the moment, about 25% softer than EMC tend to spec on S2 racers and somewhere between 1/2" and 1" to high for an out and out racer as one can see from the pictures. My ride height is more like the old cup cars for example. On both counts though this is my fault as I spec'd the springs front and rear and we (as in me and my bro) used flat wound helpers on the back to stop the main spring falling out. Down side being that this has meant the car can't be lowered enough. However I have a dilemma now as driving around the paddock or out on track the car was surprisingly smooth and comfortable, no worse than when I used to run on koni yellows. I think it just shows how good these GAZ remote reservoir shocks are. It did leave me very much with the feeling I could drive this car just about anywhere.

At the end of the mornings testing the car had damper setting almost identical to the ones Kev put on the car in the workshop which just shows their experience with these cars IMHO.

Really the only handling issue I had was weaving around on the brakes but I didn't realise at the time until told latter just how late I was braking so I can live with that issue for now.

Oh one other thing. Something I got Barry to do for me was to manualise the PAS rack, basically pack with grease and cross over each side of the piston. Easily the best thing one can do to these cars IMHO, the improvement in steering feel is incredible. OK at parking speed you need bodybuilders arms but above 5 mph the steering is no heavier than normal.