RAF Marham Track Day - It's Back - 26/27 Sep 15
Discussion
Some pics from Saturday
Mini mafia/conga line members
Nick who used to own the FTO has moved to bigger things.....
This damper stopped him shearing turbo bolts randomly
The office, Nick made the roll cage himself, fine work.
'Full history, 1 careful owner....'
Ok, enough of the Evo, it was one of my favourite cars there though....
QBee or not QBee, that is the question....
X marks the spot!
There are no words needed
There's at least one at every track day everywhere!
Smile for the camera!
These can stop the Holden on a sixpence! Or stop the world form rotating under it, can't decide which...
Mirror mirror on the wall...
More to follow
Mini mafia/conga line members
Nick who used to own the FTO has moved to bigger things.....
This damper stopped him shearing turbo bolts randomly
The office, Nick made the roll cage himself, fine work.
'Full history, 1 careful owner....'
Ok, enough of the Evo, it was one of my favourite cars there though....
QBee or not QBee, that is the question....
X marks the spot!
There are no words needed
There's at least one at every track day everywhere!
Smile for the camera!
These can stop the Holden on a sixpence! Or stop the world form rotating under it, can't decide which...
Mirror mirror on the wall...
More to follow
Edited by rtv on Monday 28th September 20:45
More pics, and Ian has inspired me to think up poor gags too....
Nearly had a wheeley bad time.....
Dear Santa...
Good economy, cheap to run, said no F360 owner ever.....
Jokes aside, these two were fantastic, had great banter with the drivers.
Erol waz ere
At least 50 bhp extra with this fertility advertisement....
Spokey Dokeys on an R32
Frog Eyes ad Bug eyes , sounds like a witches potion....
Blowin in the wind
More to follow
Nearly had a wheeley bad time.....
Dear Santa...
Good economy, cheap to run, said no F360 owner ever.....
Jokes aside, these two were fantastic, had great banter with the drivers.
Erol waz ere
At least 50 bhp extra with this fertility advertisement....
Spokey Dokeys on an R32
Frog Eyes ad Bug eyes , sounds like a witches potion....
Blowin in the wind
More to follow
R one of you going to try keep up..?
A day in the life of a pistonhead....
Ok, that's it for the pits for now, I have more and will sort them at some point... Took a few action shots, I've never shot motorsport before so was fiddling to get good settings, basically shooting in Tv and winding the shutter speed down as low as I dare to try and convey motion! And those cones are a PITA! These are as they left the camera, I am no photoshop king!
Can't think up too many gags for these you'll be pleased to hear...
Ian, not just you tracking your wife's car, I work with Pete driving here and must resist telling his wife....
The £100 214 with the fertility sticker!
Agent Orange, may attempt to remove the cone in photoshop.....
The Nova trying to be a motorbike! Actually has more wheels on the ground than normal here....
This has a 1.6 N/A engine putting about 180 bhp! It was the drivers first track day too.
Evo Scrap....
I'll keep, Holden on....... (who is singing Simply Red now...)
More when I get a chance over the next few days hopefully, depending on how well they have (or haven't!) come out!
A day in the life of a pistonhead....
Ok, that's it for the pits for now, I have more and will sort them at some point... Took a few action shots, I've never shot motorsport before so was fiddling to get good settings, basically shooting in Tv and winding the shutter speed down as low as I dare to try and convey motion! And those cones are a PITA! These are as they left the camera, I am no photoshop king!
Can't think up too many gags for these you'll be pleased to hear...
Ian, not just you tracking your wife's car, I work with Pete driving here and must resist telling his wife....
The £100 214 with the fertility sticker!
Agent Orange, may attempt to remove the cone in photoshop.....
The Nova trying to be a motorbike! Actually has more wheels on the ground than normal here....
This has a 1.6 N/A engine putting about 180 bhp! It was the drivers first track day too.
Evo Scrap....
I'll keep, Holden on....... (who is singing Simply Red now...)
More when I get a chance over the next few days hopefully, depending on how well they have (or haven't!) come out!
Edited by rtv on Monday 28th September 20:46
Good pics Rob - well done on having a crack (wheelie poor joke) at adding some comments - the Simply Red one made me chuckle.
At the next one I'll still only be able to do one day (One day drains me enough) but I'll happily turn up on the other day and take snaps if you needed. I thought you'd be inundated with volunteers to do that from the Camera club at Marham who have covered previous events so well...
I actually know a couple of very good snappers who I'm sure would be interested in attending and covering the event - they both do a lot of motorsport photography - they'd be way better at it anyway
At the next one I'll still only be able to do one day (One day drains me enough) but I'll happily turn up on the other day and take snaps if you needed. I thought you'd be inundated with volunteers to do that from the Camera club at Marham who have covered previous events so well...
I actually know a couple of very good snappers who I'm sure would be interested in attending and covering the event - they both do a lot of motorsport photography - they'd be way better at it anyway
B'stard Child said:
Good pics Rob - well done on having a crack (wheelie poor joke) at adding some comments - the Simply Red one made me chuckle.
Thanks mate, I was referring to the fact that Stu was definitely NOT drifting....B'stard Child said:
At the next one I'll still only be able to do one day (One day drains me enough) but I'll happily turn up on the other day and take snaps if you needed. I thought you'd be inundated with volunteers to do that from the Camera club at Marham who have covered previous events so well...
There's not the interest at the moment, probably because it was short notice and we haven't run one for a while, we used to have a really good photog here, who was also a petrolhead, that took some magnificent shots, but sadly he got posted out. I like the sound of your plan though, I'd be happy to take you out and about. I quite enjoy taking pics, so would like to learn a bit about motorsport photography, so this would work. Besides, you really get to appreciate the skill of folk when you are watching them through a complex from the side, rather than behind!B'stard Child said:
I actually know a couple of very good snappers who I'm sure would be interested in attending and covering the event - they both do a lot of motorsport photography - they'd be way better at it anyway
That could work too, providing they were happy to give tips and let people have copies maybe?QBee said:
One of these days i will get myself a front wheel drive track slag, something similar to Chris Brown's Golf or a Clio 172, for around £1500 ready prepared, and do wet track days and Marham in it and not worry about risk and damage.
Shame you've just missed a frickin steal QBLinky to fleabay
rtv said:
B'stard Child said:
Good pics Rob - well done on having a crack (wheelie poor joke) at adding some comments - the Simply Red one made me chuckle.
Thanks mate, I was referring to the fact that Stu was definitely NOT drifting....
rtv said:
B'stard Child said:
At the next one I'll still only be able to do one day (One day drains me enough) but I'll happily turn up on the other day and take snaps if you needed. I thought you'd be inundated with volunteers to do that from the Camera club at Marham who have covered previous events so well...
There's not the interest at the moment, probably because it was short notice and we haven't run one for a while, we used to have a really good photog here, who was also a petrolhead, that took some magnificent shots, but sadly he got posted out. I like the sound of your plan though, I'd be happy to take you out and about. I quite enjoy taking pics, so would like to learn a bit about motorsport photography, so this would work. Besides, you really get to appreciate the skill of folk when you are watching them through a complex from the side, rather than behind!Also most of the time there is fencing in the way
rtv said:
B'stard Child said:
I actually know a couple of very good snappers who I'm sure would be interested in attending and covering the event - they both do a lot of motorsport photography - they'd be way better at it anyway
That could work too, providing they were happy to give tips and let people have copies maybe?If you get the green light for another - just give me a heads up and I'll open discussions with them
Well, what can I say?
Lots of thanks has already been expressed to those involved in organising the weekend, and I can't add anything better. But much respect for the courage that must have gone into persuading the senior management...
The Nova hadn't turned a wheel for a year so it was always going to be a bumpy ride getting to Marham. For a start it only passed an MOT 12 hours before I needed to set off on Saturday morning, and I didn't really know how the engine would run having changed all sorts of stuff to fix a misfire. And the tyre situation wasn't brilliant.
In my first 10 laps on Saturday I'd stopped twice, first the gear linkage fell apart then a plug lead fell off.
A further 10 laps later came the rather unexpected wheel failure. Turning into the long left hander after the anti-clockwise circuit entrance, suddenly everything went a bit wobbly. It was too early for tyre failure so something was clearly wrong! I'd not hit anything, the wheel just failed.
Looking at it rationally, it's not surprising. These are standard Mk2 Astra steelies but they are 30 years old - and they've probably done 1000 miles at Marham... on slicks... at race speed. The whole car's had a hard life having done 50 odd road rallies / trackdays / sprints; I can't expect stuff to last indefinitely! Note to self: get some new wheels.
After this drama I spent the rest of the day playing with tyres:
Normal strategy is slicks on the front and good road tyres on the back. This works well enough if the rear tyres are ok, but on Saturday they were Falken ZE912s - which I've always been a bit dubious about. The result of this setup is very good turn-in and very late braking but at the cost of oversteer. It's hilarious from the inside and surprisingly easy to control (brake-induced oversteer is much more linear than power oversteer, trust me), but I think some of the marshals found it a bit unnerving - sorry!!!
Swapping to road tyres all round instead brought a new challenge. The Falkens braked well and turned-in well, but wouldn't do both at the same time. So I had to learn to brake into bends and then stop braking when it started understeering - counter intuitive. Cost: one row of cones and nearly a row of 70mph bollards with Mr Burger Van as passenger. Yikes!
Sunday brought a new tyre strategy: slicks all round. That means very high corner speeds and very late braking - really no vices at all (especially at £15 a shot). Not quite sure I really found the limits before I'd worn them out, I think I could probably brake later.
A few of my highlights:
QBee's speed.
Spottedlaurel for persuading an apprehensive MrsRobg2 out on track (thank you) - later capitalised on when we took her silver Hyundai Coupe out for the last hour on Saturday, to good effect.
Spacekadett for making a rather slow Mini look actually rather fast.
B'stard Child for the stickers (and more).
The blue Suzuki thing. Straight line speed was impressive (about the same as the Nova, meaning I must have about 100bhp too) but watching you thread your way into corners at high speed with clearly not too much grip was delightful.
The green MG ZR. Despite having more grip than you, I tagged on your tail for maybe 8 laps and just couldn't find a way past. That many laps under pressure without making a single mistake must have taken some serious concentration. Respect!!
The Puma. Being on slicks I thought I'd be quicker than you, but the cleanliness and consistency of your lines beat me hands down. I just couldn't keep up...
Thanks again all. Roll on next time!
Lots of thanks has already been expressed to those involved in organising the weekend, and I can't add anything better. But much respect for the courage that must have gone into persuading the senior management...
The Nova hadn't turned a wheel for a year so it was always going to be a bumpy ride getting to Marham. For a start it only passed an MOT 12 hours before I needed to set off on Saturday morning, and I didn't really know how the engine would run having changed all sorts of stuff to fix a misfire. And the tyre situation wasn't brilliant.
In my first 10 laps on Saturday I'd stopped twice, first the gear linkage fell apart then a plug lead fell off.
A further 10 laps later came the rather unexpected wheel failure. Turning into the long left hander after the anti-clockwise circuit entrance, suddenly everything went a bit wobbly. It was too early for tyre failure so something was clearly wrong! I'd not hit anything, the wheel just failed.
Looking at it rationally, it's not surprising. These are standard Mk2 Astra steelies but they are 30 years old - and they've probably done 1000 miles at Marham... on slicks... at race speed. The whole car's had a hard life having done 50 odd road rallies / trackdays / sprints; I can't expect stuff to last indefinitely! Note to self: get some new wheels.
After this drama I spent the rest of the day playing with tyres:
Normal strategy is slicks on the front and good road tyres on the back. This works well enough if the rear tyres are ok, but on Saturday they were Falken ZE912s - which I've always been a bit dubious about. The result of this setup is very good turn-in and very late braking but at the cost of oversteer. It's hilarious from the inside and surprisingly easy to control (brake-induced oversteer is much more linear than power oversteer, trust me), but I think some of the marshals found it a bit unnerving - sorry!!!
Swapping to road tyres all round instead brought a new challenge. The Falkens braked well and turned-in well, but wouldn't do both at the same time. So I had to learn to brake into bends and then stop braking when it started understeering - counter intuitive. Cost: one row of cones and nearly a row of 70mph bollards with Mr Burger Van as passenger. Yikes!
Sunday brought a new tyre strategy: slicks all round. That means very high corner speeds and very late braking - really no vices at all (especially at £15 a shot). Not quite sure I really found the limits before I'd worn them out, I think I could probably brake later.
A few of my highlights:
QBee's speed.
Spottedlaurel for persuading an apprehensive MrsRobg2 out on track (thank you) - later capitalised on when we took her silver Hyundai Coupe out for the last hour on Saturday, to good effect.
Spacekadett for making a rather slow Mini look actually rather fast.
B'stard Child for the stickers (and more).
The blue Suzuki thing. Straight line speed was impressive (about the same as the Nova, meaning I must have about 100bhp too) but watching you thread your way into corners at high speed with clearly not too much grip was delightful.
The green MG ZR. Despite having more grip than you, I tagged on your tail for maybe 8 laps and just couldn't find a way past. That many laps under pressure without making a single mistake must have taken some serious concentration. Respect!!
The Puma. Being on slicks I thought I'd be quicker than you, but the cleanliness and consistency of your lines beat me hands down. I just couldn't keep up...
Thanks again all. Roll on next time!
Thanks for all the comments folks.
Yes, it took a little persuasion to get the senior management to let us run the event again - but it was worth it in so many ways, many of which have been mentioned already. The fact that we flew the first aircraft out at the planned time this morning, without having to rebuild chunks of the airfield first, means that we should be able to do it again. Thank you for your understanding, particularly about the main runway crossing, and the behaviour on track which all contributed to that.
Glad that the new track layout and reverse of direction each day went down well, particularly as it was the first time that we haven't been able to use the main runway. Anticlockwise had its own challenges and, yes, the afternoon going clockwise flowed better and was generally quicker. General feedback has all been good, with a few ideas to do more tweak it a bit here and there. Tyre wear was probably less than usual because less of the track was run on concrete - that's the real rubber killer. And I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the frontal gravel rash, it seems to just be a characteristic of the surface.....and how closely cars follow.....
Late March or early April will most likely work best for the next one and we'll keep you posted
All the best,
Mark
Yes, it took a little persuasion to get the senior management to let us run the event again - but it was worth it in so many ways, many of which have been mentioned already. The fact that we flew the first aircraft out at the planned time this morning, without having to rebuild chunks of the airfield first, means that we should be able to do it again. Thank you for your understanding, particularly about the main runway crossing, and the behaviour on track which all contributed to that.
Glad that the new track layout and reverse of direction each day went down well, particularly as it was the first time that we haven't been able to use the main runway. Anticlockwise had its own challenges and, yes, the afternoon going clockwise flowed better and was generally quicker. General feedback has all been good, with a few ideas to do more tweak it a bit here and there. Tyre wear was probably less than usual because less of the track was run on concrete - that's the real rubber killer. And I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the frontal gravel rash, it seems to just be a characteristic of the surface.....and how closely cars follow.....
Late March or early April will most likely work best for the next one and we'll keep you posted
All the best,
Mark
Ah bugger that
I'll come again next week if you like
*
I was a bit dubious about losing the main runway before I drove the new track but in all honesty Mark the new track is awesome
I prefer it even to the version we were driving on my first Marham Track day
I'm a clockwise kind of chap but this track had it all, both ways
Thanks to you and all the team for an amazing experience
I'll come again next week if you like
*I was a bit dubious about losing the main runway before I drove the new track but in all honesty Mark the new track is awesome
I prefer it even to the version we were driving on my first Marham Track day
I'm a clockwise kind of chap but this track had it all, both ways
Thanks to you and all the team for an amazing experience
- OK [probably not next week unless I can convince She Who.... that we don't REALLY need to got to Wales for the weekend
great pictures, always amazed how good the 'action' shots are considering how far away you are from the action.
Anyhow typical, on the Saturday there were 3 caterhams in attendance, 2 blacks and one blue, and there are pics of the other 2 but not mine (however some of the pictures just show a small blue square on my screen), oh well its not all about the pictures I suppose.
Roll on April/May (hoping for May, weather should be OK then) on the new track layout, already suffering for Marham withdrawal symptoms.
Anyhow typical, on the Saturday there were 3 caterhams in attendance, 2 blacks and one blue, and there are pics of the other 2 but not mine (however some of the pictures just show a small blue square on my screen), oh well its not all about the pictures I suppose.
Roll on April/May (hoping for May, weather should be OK then) on the new track layout, already suffering for Marham withdrawal symptoms.
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