Hillclimbing a 996Turbo

[gemini]

Was the local boy Priaulx out to play?

[Mark A S]

Andy and his misses were there, but not competing. His cousin Paul was out in a single seater though.

[Xps911]

Mark A S said:

Was yours the white 997 GT 2 ? if so LOVERLY car

nope, a 996

[GreatGranny]

Spectated at the Guernsey Hill climb a few times and always an excellent event.
Remember getting a Rover 416 hire car sideways (not intentional) descending the hill in the late 90s while on hockey tour :-)

[rubystone]

Mark A S said:

Yes, we must have walked past each other! Its a Small world in the land of PH. The scrape on my N/S Rear wheel was caused by a little over enthusiasm at Bouley Bay

I'm visiting family ... Usually to be seen helming a Mercedes GE500 in silver on the island when I'm over here...

If you see an old bloke at the wheel that's my old man...if you see a Brad Pitt lookalike, that's me :-)

I've done Val De Terres in the G Wagon...best time is a 1 minute 25 seconds...road was open then though...

[benjj]

Ah Mark, I just linked to this from another thread. Fantastic work

I've just started hillclimbing in my rally car. I'm not really sure why, perhaps because the other stuff I do (historic rallying and endurance racing) is quite spread out through the year.

Harewood is my local hill. I did my very first event last month and my second is coming up this Saturday.

I'm down on power (compared to you and many in my class!) but am really enjoying the discipline. I also quite like the short, sharp shock of abject terror

For the last few days I've been in a bobsleigher's trace visualising the course and seeing where I can steal a tenth here and there. I have a target time in my mind that I'm confident the car can do and, for now, that's my aim. Autumn weather approaching won't help much though but that just sounds a bit like an excuse to me!





This is a video of my first run. I should have taken the car out onto the road for a bit of tyre work as the damp track and A048s with release compound on were ridiculously slippery. Was ace fun though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LUTrzblThM

I had a quick run out at Curborough last week to give the tyres some hammer and get them in the right zone for Harewood. I'm still struggling with pressures, hillclimbing just doesn't give enough time to get proper heat into them, but I guess everyone is facing the same problems.





I've got some fantactic competition this weekend in my class - a GpB Renault 5 Turbo and a TVR 1600M. I'm not sure about the TVR but me and the R5 seem to have quite similar times so should be a fun battle.

Will try and get down to one of yours one time (and enter too just for the hell of it )

[Mark A S]

Well done, and good to see you out.

My next event is Shelsley August 15th /16th with a VERY strong entry in my class so Really looking forward to it. Hillclimbing takes some time to get the best out of your car due to trying to find those last 10ths, the times come with enough practise.

I was at a wet and windy Wiscombe park last weekend, a beautiful place and an awesome climb. On my last run my 996t popped out of second gear all on its own much to my surprise ! After I figured out what happened I then put it back in 4th! Eventually back into second, but the damage had been done time wise, I lost out to 1st by just over a second to Roy Bray in his superb Escort Cosworth.
Car is now with Matt at Fearnsport to re do the 2nd gear bulk ring and fit an uprated detent that will prevent this happening again. Fortunately Matt found one of the Alley water tubes just starting to weep near the engine, so there being changed as well.

Hope to see you out soon.

cheers

[Digga]

benjj said:

I'm still struggling with pressures, hillclimbing just doesn't give enough time to get proper heat into them, but I guess everyone is facing the same problems.

You can do a quick burnout, which helps, but won't actually get that much real heat into the tyres, so basically you have to think lower pressures than for normal track work. On road tyres I was usually around the normal, recommended settings, although I did tweak this on occasion.

Can't really help with Harewood as I've only been once (got a 3rd in class in TVRs) and, having done the whole 'speed learning' thing you're at right now, have long since forgotten all of it. Remember it was fun though, if a little narrow! Good luck.

[benjj]

I did Shelsley just once many years ago as part of a rally. Fantastic place.

My favourite is the Rest & Be Thankful though. So fast, so dangerous, so much fun! On LeJog last year I was 2nd out of 73 cars (including some big power 911s and Escorts) and somehow managed to get the 2nd fastest time ever up it for a historic. I was beaten into 2nd by a Finn in a Mk1 Golf GTI (Monte Rally car) by 1 measly second!



If you can get to Europe too. The hillclimbing there is just out of this world. I used to regularly beast my DS up and down Alps.

[benjj]

Digga said:

ou can do a quick burnout, which helps, but won't actually get that much real heat into the tyres, so basically you have to think lower pressures than for normal track work. On road tyres I was usually around the normal, recommended settings, although I did tweak this on occasion.

Can't really help with Harewood as I've only been once (got a 3rd in class in TVRs) and, having done the whole 'speed learning' thing you're at right now, have long since forgotten all of it. Remember it was fun though, if a little narrow! Good luck.

Given that you're on the start line for about a minute at Harewood (after doing your burnout!) I kind of take it as an opportunity to clean the back tyres after the 500 yard roll down to the start rather than an opportunity to get heat in. I know what you mean though.

Last month I set them all at 27.5psi which seemed about right. Got them to about 29.5 when finished I think. Frankly I think it's my driving that needs to improve rather than meddling with the rubber though

[Digga]

benjj said:

My favourite is the Rest & Be Thankful though. So fast, so dangerous, so much fun!

Never competed there but stopped at the top en route to a holiday once - complete fluke as I didn't know it was there, we'd just stopped to take in the views - and it does look epic.

[Mark A S]

Pushing on in the esses Saturday sunny practise day

P.S. Love the big Citroen

[benjj]

Merci. It was my masterwork

[Mark A S]

Just like to say a HUGE thank you to Matt at Fearnsports for all his stirling work in fixing my 2nd gear and replacing several water pipes and a few other little jobs, many thanks Matt

All Ready for Shelsley next weekend now, a cracking entry in my class so really looking forward to returning there after 18 years!

[benjj]

Excellent. Go well, I had a fab time at Harewood on the 1st. Times slowly coming down.

[Mark A S]

Had a Very good day at Shelsley just gone, great to be back, the place just oozes atmosphere. A full entry with some stunning cars and 16 in my class ranging from Audi TT's, loti, TVR, GTR, Evos, Scoobies etc, and myself and Robert in our Turbo's
Biggest surprise was Al and David who do the PH articles on different cars at each round in there ENORMOUS Audi S8, my god that thing was fast for what it is, well driven as well, almost 2 ton and 0-64' in 1.98 secs
The weather was almost prefect and I have never seen sooooo many spectators up a hill, car park was full with many lovely cars as well, a true PH's nirvana!
Your all be pleased to know that Porsche came out on top, with myself 1st with a new class record of 31.50, with Robert 3rd who had to miss his second run due to having to attend a wedding! [ not his own I might add ]




Photo borrowed [ thank you ] from the club motorsport section.

P.S Some YT footage of most of the class https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URCRZZoX2p8

Edited by Mark A S on Tuesday 18th August 12:29

[Digga]

Mark A S said:

Had a Very good day at Shelsley just gone, great to be back, the place just oozes atmosphere

Doesn't it just! Never competed there (not actually certain I'd want to!) but spectated a good few times and it is always superb. For me, the Edwardian 'cycle' cars - the Gnats - doing over 80mph up the hill is always the highlight. Nutters!

Mark A S said:

Your all be pleased to know that Porsche came out on top, with myself 1st with a new class record of 31.50

Top job. Records are not easily come by at somewhere as fiercely competed as Shelsley.

[Mark A S]

Yes, some of the un-silenced "old" cars were great weren't they.
I especially liked the twin wheeled one whatever it was, even with twin back push bike wheels, the front track was still wider

[Digga]

Mark A S said:

Yes, some of the un-silenced "old" cars were great weren't they.
I especially liked the twin wheeled one whatever it was, even with twin back push bike wheels, the front track was still wider

Yes, bravery really doesn't quite cover it for those pilots. It takes a special (and I dare say pretty skilled) type of nutter to pedal one of those up the hill at pace.

I took my nephew to watch there a few years back. At the time he was a fairly typical teenage lad - a bit streetwise - and I thought it would be the new Astons that wowed him (it was an AM sponsored event and there was a lot of their bling about) but he was absolutely captivated by the really old stuff; the skinny tyres, the old external push-rod engines, the smell of Castrol R and their lunatic speed.

[Harris_I]

Congrats on the class record!

Nice blog - keep the updates coming...