Snetterton Track eve place available

[John Sims]

Ditto all of the above mate. Glad you came out of it OK - it just goes to show how good tyre walls are. And I thought there was a nice big cabbage patch at that corner. []

As one known to boil brakes I'm with Tony. They go nasty and spongy but you wouldn't get sudden and complete loss of the brake pedal. If it were a calliper seal you'd have fluid all over the wheel - I'm thinking master cylinder failure.

You know you want want a full caged shell really [] A twin master cylinder set up might be nice to - at least the brakes at one end of the car might have done something. [8|] I wonder if there is enough room as you would then have much better control of brake bias? I'm sure it is one of the many items Jon already has under development for a 944 []

 

[Robbiemeister]

Comiserations Paul.

Robbie

 

[nick_968]

Paul

Really sorry to hear about your brake failure, I think we will all be very interested to hear what caused it. It doesnt sound to me like it was because you didnt have big enough brakes as no braking at all isnt a symptom of brake fade as they just wouldnt work well, not complete failure. Lucky you were on a cool down lap as you would have been doing more like 100mph there and things would have been a lot worse. Hope the damage is not too severe on Lil and the engine is ok....it should be fine.

I have a spare set of unused caliper adapters made from billet alloy if you do go the big black route.

Big blacks or reds are more than adequate for the power you are running, they are the same as the big reds used on 993tt which are heavier and more powerful than either your car or mine. With a good set of track pads they will be excellent on the track.

 

[Neil Haughey]

Paul,
Sorry to hear about this off, a bit of a shocker. After Peter's off a couple of months back I am starting to ponder if my approach of having a lightly modified road car for track day use is a wise idea. Sounds increasingly to me that a stripped and fully caged pork is the safest option.

Me mum tells me you had a spread in the local rag again, just as well since at this rate the business will need to be doing very well indeed!

I will keep an eye out for Lil again on the streets of Northampton.

 

[Diver944]

Thanks guys, your kind words are very heartening as were the cheery phonecalls I've also had, though Johns opening line of 'you silly pillock' means he is not likely to be manning any counselling phone lines anytime soon [].
One way or the other, that glorious engine will be back on the road soon, also equipped with mahoosive brakes and a 10 ton anchor to throw out the back if necessary []

 

[Hilux]

Hi Paul

Sorry to hear your woes Paul. Its a big learning curve out there and you learned without being hurt too much, thank goodness. Its an old adage that cars can be rebuilt etc.................

I personally think that we dont realise enough the dangers we all are relatively dismissive of on track.

If you rebuild Paul (or reshell) then please please fit a SAFETY cage (you dont always roll []) I`d be interested to know if you were in your race seat? Did you have a harness? You hit sideways and without good restraint an ordinary lap belt is not ideal at right angles.

I`ve been there and I`m only here due to roll hoops (yes I rolled [&:]) and a harness where I took out a steel lamp post at 90 degrees and got busted ribs down one side in my G27.

Please, please let the engine be ok [&:][&:] and I hope to see you safe and well soon.

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

......., though Johns opening line of 'you silly pillock' means he is not likely to be manning any counselling phone lines anytime soon [].

I come from the "stiff upper lip" school of consolation. []

 

[steve 944t]

very sorry to read this but glad you are ok. Sounds like the car stood up remarkably well. Best of luck in getting it all back together.

 

[Indi9xx]

Obviously very sorry to see LIL back this time.

First impressions are that the engine is fine, but its always a conscern that there may have been some oil starvation in the moments during impact and following impact as a sump full of oil clings to the side of the block for a moment.

Brakes seem to be without leaks and fully opperational with the fluid (ATE Blue) still looking good... I suspect a bad master cylinder.

Body is not in a good way.... fixable... But I am leaning towards a re-shell at the moment until the bodywork boys say their bit.

My recommendations would be for LIL or LIL V2.0 to have at least a half cage to act as a brace as well as roll protection and with a harness bar, a seat with a harnesses, bigger brakes and some new suspension.

One way or another, we will do anything we can down here to bring her back to life with minimum costs.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Ouch!

I've only just picked up on this one - that'll teach me to read every thread in future in case they suddenly change subject without me noticing...

Having had the pleasure of some fast laps at Donnington with you, Paul, it's gutting that all the hard work has to be repeated. For those who haven't been on a track with Paul, it's a credit to his driving that he managed to actively minimise the accident - I hate to think what the consequences would have been had I been driving something with Lil's power...[]

Has to be an opportunity for a stripped-down lightweight project, doesn't it? If the shell is repairable then it's got to be worth ditching that heavy and rustprone steel...[]

 

[sawood12]

You should take a look at the Promax project. When I was there last they had their 924 shell that will get 944 front wings and already has the 924GTS rear flared wheel arches. Looked very nice.

 

[944Turbo]

I was thinking today (long drive) if lil came back with shiny new metal then the commitment may not be there on track (understandably) then I remembered the GT racing slightly wider fibreglass arches could work nicely and may be a cheaper option than new metal.
Tony

 

[chrisdenton]

Paul, only just read your post as I've been away on holiday. Really bad luck mate. I'll need to get down to Jon's over the next few weeks, so if you need a lift at all let me know.

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: 944Turbo

I was thinking today (long drive) if lil came back with shiny new metal then the commitment may not be there on track (understandably) then I remembered the GT racing slightly wider fibreglass arches could work nicely and may be a cheaper option than new metal.
Tony

Cool move - and while you are doing the front suspension you could do a space frame front end......or.... Ditch the car, drag out the engine, sell the interior and go fo a super light weight hybrid on a new shell (welded sun roof, cage, GRP wings/bonnet/nose, polycarbonate (no more glass cuts). It could end up the fastest 944 on the planet.

 

[wizard]

Paul - sad news, good news you are ok. It was a good job you were in safe place with support people around when it happened. If this had happened on a public road the consequences , as we know, could have been much much worse.

What sort of protection do you get from a track day insurance in a case like this?

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: wizard

......What sort of protection do you get from a track day insurance in a case like this?

That's what it's for..........if you've got it.

I bought specific insurance for our Donongton [] day which was £100 (but I think they considered me a low risk as they ask for previous experience). This may seem a lot on top of the cost of the track day, but not if you have to claim. I wouldn't do a track day without cover myself.

Some normal insurances cover track days but I wonder if that is the most economical solution - you have to balance what the extra is on the premium compared to how many track days you do a year.

 

[wizard]

So does trackday insurance work in the same way as normal road insurance. If you crash your car you can get it repaired under a claim? If someone crashes into you - do you claim off them?

 

[Peter Empson]

Track days are each for their own, if someone hits you it's your problem, even if they were insured they would not pay out for damage to the other persons car. I don't use insurance but am starting to rethink this after recent events.

 

[edh]

My insurance with HIC includes trackday cover - approx. £100 pa extra, unlimited events. It has a higher excess though. IIRC it's £500. Even then I didn't claim when I bumped it at Rockingham last year (cost around 1k to fix at Porsche approved repairer).

There aren't many insurance firms covering trackdays, some provide cover for PCGB days.

 

[Diver944]

ORIGINAL: John Sims

Cool move - and while you are doing the front suspension you could do a space frame front end......or....

Oi stop spending the money I haven't got Whatever happens it will be the super duper cheapest option I can find as I have zero budget left for the car and now have plenty of work to be done on the house that we put off whilst the car was being built. I may even consider selling the engine [] and just buy a 924/944 track car to keep up my track fix in the meantime.

Unfortunatley I could not find a policy that would give me a much raised guaranteed value to cover the engine + extras plus unlimited mileage as well as track cover, so I made a judgement call to forego the track insurance as I know I always drive well within my own limits [8|] (famous last words). In the meantime here is the dreaded footage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUw0NCZqCGc I've watched it lots now and it looks slower every time I see it [] Thank goodness I was not on a public road.