Rallyrep in action

[20vcqdriver]

Some great pics So not thought of trying to improve the aerodynamics like the guy in the sierra then

[Tim C]

Originally Posted by 20vcqdriver

Some great pics So not thought of trying to improve the aerodynamics like the guy in the sierra then

Yes Dave, but it would obviously detract from the look of the car, which we gone to lengths to get right!
There will always be a compromise between the recreation and competition sides of the car.
Mr Sierra has gone balls out competition car, even though had a head start on the aerodynamics anyway .

Having said that, I think the sump guard smooths the airflow underneath. But then the mudflaps don't help much . I have thought of trying to smooth out where the rear bumper hangs down underneath at the back, forming a bit of a scoop. Something between the boot floor and bottom of the bumper, and try to form the middle in to a bit of a diffuser. The exhaust is right in the bloody way though!

The oil cooler under the boot spoiler must be a bit of an air brake. However I think it creates some down force , as high speed braking is really stable, whereas at low speeds, the back end gets light with most of the weight having come out of the rear of the car.

Where do you stop .....?

[Isimmo]

Originally Posted by Tim C

Where do you stop .....?

Pointing the wrong way in a bush if you get the back end going light!

[Tim C]

It's been a while since we have entered a hillclimb or sprint, with the build up, participation and repercussions of the Eifel Rallye and then Oulton Park.

But we are back to Gurston Down tomorrow near Salisbury. The weather looks promising and hopefully we can have a bit of fun.
Last time we were there, back in April, I left a trail of gearbox oil up the middle of the track when the centre diff let go, so we'll see what reception we get .

[Tim C]

It was a full entry and quite a long day, but the weather was good and we came home unscathed .

It initially seemed a bit quick and scary not having driven at Gurston since April, and that was only one run before the gearbox let go! But the times came down as the day went on and it gradually came back to us.

We were getting 5+ mph more than previously through the speed trap at the bottom of the first section, showing the engine is definately pulling stronger from the start line.
However, we are temporarliy back on the old front struts whilst the struts with the coil overs on are being repaired after the off in Germany.
The springs are a bit softer, allowing the rear wheel to lift a bit more and we couldn't get such good drive out of the last corner for the long final drag up the hill.
So what we gained on the first section, we lost on the second. Our times were getting close to previous but not quite there.

There was a lovely BMW CSL in the paddock. The chap seemed very nervous in the morning when I spoke to him but he went well and kept on the track.











There was also an interesting tow car in the field.







He happened to park next to us, making for an interesting photo op .

[Tim C]

This Saturday's sprint at Castle Combe is the last event of the season for us. It doesn't seem that long a go we started there back in March!! .

Our class only comprises of us and another double driven car. Only trouble is that the other car an ex-circuit racing 911 GT3 Cup .
The 2 guys have been at Gurston for a little while in a road going 911 turbo but appeared with the GT3 at the August event when we were at Oulton Park.
We saw them at the September meeting and it looks a serious piece of kit, but the rear diff broke on the second run so we didn't get to see it runnung much.
Looking back at their times from August, they are very close to our quickest, but they are likely to have the legs on us down the long straights and hard braking zones of Castle Combe.

We do know our way around Combe now, so perhaps that will give us an advantage .
Anyway it looks like it's going to be dry, so hopefully we can have a decent last meeting of the year.

[Tim C]

Season opener this Saturday (not including Race Retro) with a sprint at Castle Combe.

One of the forecasts gives snow showers, that'll be interesting .

[Nigel Conniford]

SIDEWAYS

[Tim C]

It's been a couple of weeks since we did Castle Combe, it's taken us that long to thaw out!!!
It was 2 degrees when we turned up with a good windchill which was forecast at about 5 degrees .
Just after arriving it started to sleet and then snow.



So we set up camp to see what was going to happen.



Fortunately it stopped just before going out on track, but it was still wet and very cold.
We swopped our usual R888 tyres for the standby Proxes T1-Rs as there was a lot of water on the track. I don't think anything was giving much grip though with track temperatures, winter tyres would've probably been the best option.
There was very little grip, spinning the wheels up through 2nd and 3rd gears and making smooth progression out of the corners very difficult, with all four wheels lighting up when the boost came on. Exciting but scary with short wet run offs.

Anyway, we survived, which was the main objective.

Kieth Murry was there in his 2 door 80. Didn't get much of a chance to chat as everyone was held up in there vans but it was good to see (and hear) the car in action. I think he was finding a bit more grip on what looked like cut slicks.





Off to Gurston next weekend, hopefully with better weather.

[Nicky C]

Some photos from a mostly sunny Gurston .