A Baptism of Fire
Discussion
So it was my first weekend of racing on Saturday and boy was I in for a rollercoaster of a ride.
The sum total of my experience with motorsport before the weekend was the odd 4 hour endurance karting event for work, Palmer Sports Corporate Days, a handful of track days and the odd fast lap with a pro at other business events. I have never raced anything seriously before, but thought from the experience I had got to date that I knew what was coming up.
I asked on a previous thread what the best car was for me and received some helpful advice. I agonised for quite some time over this but opted for a Renault Clio 182 which had been run for the 750mc Clio 182 Cub and duly entered the Silverstone International round on the 22nd of August. The main reason for the Clio is the wide number of championships I can enter it in for, it is reasonably slow, reasonably cheap to buy, spares are abundant, front wheel drive (I thought it would be easier) and it came with a another Clio 182 to boot!
I arranged to meet Stuart (the previous owner) with the car on Saturday morning for a handover at the track and for him to help me through the day with all of the organisation and details. So I hire a trailer, pack up the motorhome with stuff and head out to Silverstone on the Friday night with great excitement.
I arrive at the circuit at about 9pm and it was already rammed to the gunnels with massive marques, Lorries and such like with no room to spare anywhere near the garages. Being dark at this point and having never been there before I found some space on an access road not too far from the paddock, park and set up for the weekend. Could I get to sleep? Not a chance.
So 6am comes around eventually after probably only 2 hours sleep, I shove some food down (expecting it to be a busy morning) and go to pick up my car. Stuart is knowhere to be seen, but fortunately he has left the car with some friends of his and they are expecting me so I pick up the car and drive it around to our “base”, it is about 7:30 at this point. As part of the deal Stuart had put a new set (I find out a ‘set’ means a axle set, not all 4) but on rims which were not on the car. So I change the tyres (putting them on the wrong way around I subsequently find out) check the time. I then realise I haven’t signed on! So I quickly head to the signing on office and the people in there are very friendly. Couple of signatures later plus some numbers and a piece of paper I have no idea about I head back to the car. As I walk past I can see most of the Clios are in or have scrutineered by now so shove my kit in the car and take it down.
I meet Stuart in the queue for scrutineering and thankfully he joined me through the process. I can only describe scrutineering as the most manic MOT you have ever had done. The guys are really busy getting through everything in double quick time and as a result you are commanded to do various things they want to check, whilst being hassled to move your car forward as it is in the way. Fortunately I had no issues other than some tie wraps here and there and swapped my mysterious bit of paper for a card. I also payed £2 to get a sticker for the helmet which luckily someone leant me as I didn’t have any money on me.
So with that out of the way practice was fast approaching so I headed back, got suited and booted and then headed out to the assembly area. Seeing everyone out of the car chatting, I opted to do the same, exchanging nervous conversations with my fellow competitors. Then before you know it, engines are fired up and people are leaving! Queue much faffing with hans, helmet, glasses, seat belts and out I go on the circuit, a little flustered. This sense of flusterment only got worse when I realised I hadn’t put on my gloves as I emerged from the pit lane… what a noob.
The next few laps I will not forget for some time to come. When I exited the pit lane, the first cars were already coming around for their second lap and at full racing speed. I can only describe the next few laps as utterly terrifying. Cars come from everywhere, all going at full chat, I was swamped from all sides and directions and having never driven the car or track had no idea what was what. After a couple of turns I tried the tactic of just trying to follow someone at vaguely the same speed as them, but they soon disappeared given their much higher apex speed than I achieved. I get my gloves on and then try to settle in to a rhythm and vaguely stick with the last person who has overtaken me. I complete the out lap, then the next lap and by mid-way through the third, going faster than I ever thought possible I entered Stowe (a really difficult entry) pretty fast with a competitor right behind me….
If I may cut off for a moment here… I was always quite dismissive of FWD cars as they are full of understeer and pretty ‘safe’. Let me assure you with sticky fronts, competition suspension and a car set up for racing this is not the case. The lift off oversteer is just incredible on these things. Getting them balanced through bends is really hard and I was very quickly learning that to be anything but 10 seconds off the pace, each corner is completely on the limit. So this Clio had epic front grip, no rear grip, super sticky tyres and an inexperienced driver at the wheel.
This is when I lost the back end… another noob mistake I made is when I felt the rear go, I steered in to it (correct) but took my foot off the accelerator (wrong). This just made the slide worse, so many more turns of oppo I caught the slide, yey! ***BANG*** I get t-boned from the guy right behind me, get spun around to face the right direction but then had no steering. Whilst uttering many many swear words, I pull over to the side of the road next to a marshals post and then climb out with the pissed off racing driver look you see on the telly so many times. I then turn around to see a sea of cars spinning off the track in front of me and another car joined me having stuck it in the wall. It turns out that ‘Mr T-bone’ had carried on from our little love kiss and trailed his whole radiator over the track to the pits, causing at least 6 cars to spin off. I then spent the next 10 minutes, still really cross with myself and the state of the car, swapping accident stories with my fellow compatriot wondering if my weekend was only going to be 2.5 laps long.
The recovering people arrive and tell me to jump in and drive it back to the pits. It did steer vaguely but the wheels were completely out of alignment and scrubbing all the way down the road. Back in to the garage now I see the state of the car which hit me. The whole front of the car was completely caved in, radiators smashed, cross members bent and it was a right state. I then saw the driver getting out the trailer straps and positioning the car to start bending it back in to shape! We shook hands and there was no hard feelings, just one of those things.
What followed next was truly amazing. The whole paddock seemed to help me find a solution to the rather bent car I now had. A quick assessment of the damage it looked like a new steering arm and the use of a hammer was in order. I then ask the guys from http://goracingmotorsport.uk/index.html to give me a hand and they set about one of the most frantic hour of bodging I have ever seen. Luckily they have a spare steering arm but on further inspection the shock was also bent and I needed a new one of these. Asking the whole paddock know one had any spares so I opted to try my luck with effectively no suspension on one side…
When they were just about to finish I went over to race control to see if I could get in to the race and if I had done enough laps. I thought to qualify you needed to do 3 laps, but assumed the 3 were at racing speed. The timekeeper told me I had done 3, 1 timed and that I was in for race #1!! What utter joy after the pits of despair.
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
Then I had to run back, drive the car back to the Motorhome, stick some fuel in it (didn’t fancy running out) and made it to the assembly area again, just in time. As I park up, it is time for the green flag lap, so yet more panicked flapping with helmet and this time I remember gloves!
For the race, I had zero expectations other than to make the finish. It is something else to find yourself on the grid to start a race. Epic just doesn’t seem to do it justice, especially since I had been working so hard to achieve this dream for so long. After the off I kept a healthy distance from the pack knowing I wouldn’t be overtaking anyone and wanting to stay out of trouble. So for my 4th ever racing lap I was soon left behind and spent the rest of the race learning the track, leaving my break points and turn in points later and getting used to the Clio. It will come as no surprise I ended up last and lapped by the leader.
Still some way to go then…
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
Now I had 4 hours until race 2 and was able to relax, get some food and try and make sense of what has happened over the last 3 hours. I stick some fuel in to me and the car, have a lay down and prepare for race 2, being more confident about the car and the circuit.
For the second race I am much more prepared for. I am the first in to the assembly area and don’t get out of the car, but strapped myself in and sat there with all of my gear on. This made me very hot, but I got comfortable with the car, the belts, position and more prepared for the onslaught to come.
Race two started and I made another great start, (narrowly avoiding someone who had blown their engine up on the grid) and this time stayed with the pack. Then something weird happened, I started to catch the person in front! I almost couldn’t believe it, corner after corner I got closer and closer… I might even have to do an overtake!!! (it is racing after all). Being incredibly daunted by this prospect I was somewhat relieved but also worried when they did the same through Stowe as I had done during qualifying. Fortunately I managed to avoid the car and not t-bone them and had completed my very first competitive overtake. Then it was as per the first race, I was 6 seconds back now and got my head down and continued to learn the circuit. It is really hard to judge if you are gaining or losing with someone so far in front but overall I felt a slight gain overall, but only marginal. The times also back this up.
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
What a day. I am completely humbled by the whole experience. I had always thought that amateur racing was a small step up from track days and that I was a reasonably fast driver. Forget it… racing is a different league. I was flat out every corner and 3 seconds off the pace. I need to think about every single aspect of my driving and improve in every possible area in order to even think about becoming more competitive. I have also a deep and profound respect for anyone in any high level motorsport arena. It looks easy on the tele. It is not.
Things I wish I knew before hand:
- Everyone in the 750mc Clio 182 is very friendly and welcoming.
- Drive the car on a track day before you race it (this one is perhaps obvious and I knew I was not preparing in the best way).
- Drive the track before you race it (ironically I can’t make any track days for my next two races before hand)
- Don’t slow too much for yellows, I was way too cautious.
- Be organised and be early for everything.
- Expect it to be flat out from the first corner of every session. No gradual build up, just **wham** flat out.
- A ‘set’ of tyres is for an axle, not the whole car.
- £2 for a helmet sticker is required.
Can’t wait for the next race at Donington Park in the TinTops run by CSCC, hopefully a more competitive, accident free weekend!
The sum total of my experience with motorsport before the weekend was the odd 4 hour endurance karting event for work, Palmer Sports Corporate Days, a handful of track days and the odd fast lap with a pro at other business events. I have never raced anything seriously before, but thought from the experience I had got to date that I knew what was coming up.
I asked on a previous thread what the best car was for me and received some helpful advice. I agonised for quite some time over this but opted for a Renault Clio 182 which had been run for the 750mc Clio 182 Cub and duly entered the Silverstone International round on the 22nd of August. The main reason for the Clio is the wide number of championships I can enter it in for, it is reasonably slow, reasonably cheap to buy, spares are abundant, front wheel drive (I thought it would be easier) and it came with a another Clio 182 to boot!
I arranged to meet Stuart (the previous owner) with the car on Saturday morning for a handover at the track and for him to help me through the day with all of the organisation and details. So I hire a trailer, pack up the motorhome with stuff and head out to Silverstone on the Friday night with great excitement.
I arrive at the circuit at about 9pm and it was already rammed to the gunnels with massive marques, Lorries and such like with no room to spare anywhere near the garages. Being dark at this point and having never been there before I found some space on an access road not too far from the paddock, park and set up for the weekend. Could I get to sleep? Not a chance.
So 6am comes around eventually after probably only 2 hours sleep, I shove some food down (expecting it to be a busy morning) and go to pick up my car. Stuart is knowhere to be seen, but fortunately he has left the car with some friends of his and they are expecting me so I pick up the car and drive it around to our “base”, it is about 7:30 at this point. As part of the deal Stuart had put a new set (I find out a ‘set’ means a axle set, not all 4) but on rims which were not on the car. So I change the tyres (putting them on the wrong way around I subsequently find out) check the time. I then realise I haven’t signed on! So I quickly head to the signing on office and the people in there are very friendly. Couple of signatures later plus some numbers and a piece of paper I have no idea about I head back to the car. As I walk past I can see most of the Clios are in or have scrutineered by now so shove my kit in the car and take it down.
I meet Stuart in the queue for scrutineering and thankfully he joined me through the process. I can only describe scrutineering as the most manic MOT you have ever had done. The guys are really busy getting through everything in double quick time and as a result you are commanded to do various things they want to check, whilst being hassled to move your car forward as it is in the way. Fortunately I had no issues other than some tie wraps here and there and swapped my mysterious bit of paper for a card. I also payed £2 to get a sticker for the helmet which luckily someone leant me as I didn’t have any money on me.
So with that out of the way practice was fast approaching so I headed back, got suited and booted and then headed out to the assembly area. Seeing everyone out of the car chatting, I opted to do the same, exchanging nervous conversations with my fellow competitors. Then before you know it, engines are fired up and people are leaving! Queue much faffing with hans, helmet, glasses, seat belts and out I go on the circuit, a little flustered. This sense of flusterment only got worse when I realised I hadn’t put on my gloves as I emerged from the pit lane… what a noob.
The next few laps I will not forget for some time to come. When I exited the pit lane, the first cars were already coming around for their second lap and at full racing speed. I can only describe the next few laps as utterly terrifying. Cars come from everywhere, all going at full chat, I was swamped from all sides and directions and having never driven the car or track had no idea what was what. After a couple of turns I tried the tactic of just trying to follow someone at vaguely the same speed as them, but they soon disappeared given their much higher apex speed than I achieved. I get my gloves on and then try to settle in to a rhythm and vaguely stick with the last person who has overtaken me. I complete the out lap, then the next lap and by mid-way through the third, going faster than I ever thought possible I entered Stowe (a really difficult entry) pretty fast with a competitor right behind me….
If I may cut off for a moment here… I was always quite dismissive of FWD cars as they are full of understeer and pretty ‘safe’. Let me assure you with sticky fronts, competition suspension and a car set up for racing this is not the case. The lift off oversteer is just incredible on these things. Getting them balanced through bends is really hard and I was very quickly learning that to be anything but 10 seconds off the pace, each corner is completely on the limit. So this Clio had epic front grip, no rear grip, super sticky tyres and an inexperienced driver at the wheel.
This is when I lost the back end… another noob mistake I made is when I felt the rear go, I steered in to it (correct) but took my foot off the accelerator (wrong). This just made the slide worse, so many more turns of oppo I caught the slide, yey! ***BANG*** I get t-boned from the guy right behind me, get spun around to face the right direction but then had no steering. Whilst uttering many many swear words, I pull over to the side of the road next to a marshals post and then climb out with the pissed off racing driver look you see on the telly so many times. I then turn around to see a sea of cars spinning off the track in front of me and another car joined me having stuck it in the wall. It turns out that ‘Mr T-bone’ had carried on from our little love kiss and trailed his whole radiator over the track to the pits, causing at least 6 cars to spin off. I then spent the next 10 minutes, still really cross with myself and the state of the car, swapping accident stories with my fellow compatriot wondering if my weekend was only going to be 2.5 laps long.
The recovering people arrive and tell me to jump in and drive it back to the pits. It did steer vaguely but the wheels were completely out of alignment and scrubbing all the way down the road. Back in to the garage now I see the state of the car which hit me. The whole front of the car was completely caved in, radiators smashed, cross members bent and it was a right state. I then saw the driver getting out the trailer straps and positioning the car to start bending it back in to shape! We shook hands and there was no hard feelings, just one of those things.
What followed next was truly amazing. The whole paddock seemed to help me find a solution to the rather bent car I now had. A quick assessment of the damage it looked like a new steering arm and the use of a hammer was in order. I then ask the guys from http://goracingmotorsport.uk/index.html to give me a hand and they set about one of the most frantic hour of bodging I have ever seen. Luckily they have a spare steering arm but on further inspection the shock was also bent and I needed a new one of these. Asking the whole paddock know one had any spares so I opted to try my luck with effectively no suspension on one side…
When they were just about to finish I went over to race control to see if I could get in to the race and if I had done enough laps. I thought to qualify you needed to do 3 laps, but assumed the 3 were at racing speed. The timekeeper told me I had done 3, 1 timed and that I was in for race #1!! What utter joy after the pits of despair.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Pole lap | 1:20.38 |
| 2nd from Last | 1:27.80 |
| My lap (last place) | 1:33.13 |
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
Then I had to run back, drive the car back to the Motorhome, stick some fuel in it (didn’t fancy running out) and made it to the assembly area again, just in time. As I park up, it is time for the green flag lap, so yet more panicked flapping with helmet and this time I remember gloves!
For the race, I had zero expectations other than to make the finish. It is something else to find yourself on the grid to start a race. Epic just doesn’t seem to do it justice, especially since I had been working so hard to achieve this dream for so long. After the off I kept a healthy distance from the pack knowing I wouldn’t be overtaking anyone and wanting to stay out of trouble. So for my 4th ever racing lap I was soon left behind and spent the rest of the race learning the track, leaving my break points and turn in points later and getting used to the Clio. It will come as no surprise I ended up last and lapped by the leader.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Position | Last |
| Fastest lap | 1:21.28 |
| My fastest lap | 1:25.53 |
Still some way to go then…
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
| Lap | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:43.24 | 1:37.12 | 1:32.18 | 1:31.29 | 1:30.63 | 1:29.46 | 1:26.29 | 1:25.63 | 1:26.37 | 1:25.53 |
Now I had 4 hours until race 2 and was able to relax, get some food and try and make sense of what has happened over the last 3 hours. I stick some fuel in to me and the car, have a lay down and prepare for race 2, being more confident about the car and the circuit.
For the second race I am much more prepared for. I am the first in to the assembly area and don’t get out of the car, but strapped myself in and sat there with all of my gear on. This made me very hot, but I got comfortable with the car, the belts, position and more prepared for the onslaught to come.
Race two started and I made another great start, (narrowly avoiding someone who had blown their engine up on the grid) and this time stayed with the pack. Then something weird happened, I started to catch the person in front! I almost couldn’t believe it, corner after corner I got closer and closer… I might even have to do an overtake!!! (it is racing after all). Being incredibly daunted by this prospect I was somewhat relieved but also worried when they did the same through Stowe as I had done during qualifying. Fortunately I managed to avoid the car and not t-bone them and had completed my very first competitive overtake. Then it was as per the first race, I was 6 seconds back now and got my head down and continued to learn the circuit. It is really hard to judge if you are gaining or losing with someone so far in front but overall I felt a slight gain overall, but only marginal. The times also back this up.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Position | 2nd from llast |
| Fastest lap | 1:21.26 |
| My fastest lap | 1:24.50 |
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/sil...
| Lap | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:39.43 | 1:28.85 | 1:29.25 | 1:25.34 | 1:25.69 | 1:24.81 | 1:25.64 | 1:24.52 | 1:24.57 | 1:24.50 | 1:24.67 |
What a day. I am completely humbled by the whole experience. I had always thought that amateur racing was a small step up from track days and that I was a reasonably fast driver. Forget it… racing is a different league. I was flat out every corner and 3 seconds off the pace. I need to think about every single aspect of my driving and improve in every possible area in order to even think about becoming more competitive. I have also a deep and profound respect for anyone in any high level motorsport arena. It looks easy on the tele. It is not.
Things I wish I knew before hand:
- Everyone in the 750mc Clio 182 is very friendly and welcoming.
- Drive the car on a track day before you race it (this one is perhaps obvious and I knew I was not preparing in the best way).
- Drive the track before you race it (ironically I can’t make any track days for my next two races before hand)
- Don’t slow too much for yellows, I was way too cautious.
- Be organised and be early for everything.
- Expect it to be flat out from the first corner of every session. No gradual build up, just **wham** flat out.
- A ‘set’ of tyres is for an axle, not the whole car.
- £2 for a helmet sticker is required.
Can’t wait for the next race at Donington Park in the TinTops run by CSCC, hopefully a more competitive, accident free weekend!
Here is the shunt from "Mr T Bone's" perspective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-Bd73W_lY
As I thought really, knowhere to go...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-Bd73W_lY
As I thought really, knowhere to go...
So just finished my second weekend... and it was not quite "out of the frying pan in to the fire" I was expecting. The meeting was a CSCC mega grid with a combined entry of TinTops, New Millennium and Modern Classics at the Silverstone GP circuit. The good news is I had learnt half of it already, with just the north loop to get my head around.
I arrived in plenty of time on the Friday night having been liberated of many £££ by the menders for the previous events incident, they also set the car up and helped me out with tyre pressures and such like. I also picked up a new set of tyres in expectation of a wet days racing, although that turned out not to be the case.
The list of jobs to do before the race was:
- Install the new GoPro.
- Install the new RaceLogic Lap Timer.
- Put the new tyres on the back.
- Put the CSCC numbers on, take the 750MC numbers off.
- Take off the previous owner’s adverts etc off.
- Torque up nuts and set pressures.
- Fuel up.
So after meeting the neighbours we set about the work and got most of it done before it started pissing it down with rain.
Up early again at 5:30 (really need to sleep more the night before a race) we got sorted and finished off the list ready for sign on at about 9. I was feeling more comfortable as qualifying wasn’t until middayish so plenty of time to get sorted. Scrutineering was fine with only a couple of minor points to do. The driver briefing was a bit pointless and a waste of prep time… it could have been summed up by a warning “not to crash” and “we are all here” and because this took 30 minutes it meant a rush back to the paddock and in to the assembly area.
So out on the circuit I set about getting a good lap time over the 30 minutes. It was quite hard to get a clean lap in given the amount of qualifiers on the circuit (59) but there were a few which were pretty good. Unfortunately I forgot to start the GoPro so don’t have any footage.
Amazingly I ended up qualifying in 40th out of 58 and 6th out of 11 in class. 1s quicker and I would have been 35th so a pretty tight grid.
Lunch, checking levels, swapping tyres and such like took up the 3 hours between qualifying & the race and with much trepidation I set about psyching myself up to the onslaught being in the tick of a 58 car grid. Unfortunately the GoPro isn’t positioned well to get the correct exposure, but here it is anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNisJlPwss
Any armchair or real experts who want to give me some pointers are most welcome.
I finished a pretty reasonable 41st out of 51 finishers, but 7th out of 7 in class. My fastest lap was 2/10ths quicker than the Fiesta’s I was racing before the pitstop and they finished in a group at around 30th. I think with a much faster pit stop I would have been in the mix. You live and learn.
I am completely hooked on this merry-go-round and have already booked 750mc Roadsports at Donnington in 3 weeks time. They have a 45m race with a pit stop, but you don’t have to get out… result!
Some pictures:
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
I arrived in plenty of time on the Friday night having been liberated of many £££ by the menders for the previous events incident, they also set the car up and helped me out with tyre pressures and such like. I also picked up a new set of tyres in expectation of a wet days racing, although that turned out not to be the case.
The list of jobs to do before the race was:
- Install the new GoPro.
- Install the new RaceLogic Lap Timer.
- Put the new tyres on the back.
- Put the CSCC numbers on, take the 750MC numbers off.
- Take off the previous owner’s adverts etc off.
- Torque up nuts and set pressures.
- Fuel up.
So after meeting the neighbours we set about the work and got most of it done before it started pissing it down with rain.
Up early again at 5:30 (really need to sleep more the night before a race) we got sorted and finished off the list ready for sign on at about 9. I was feeling more comfortable as qualifying wasn’t until middayish so plenty of time to get sorted. Scrutineering was fine with only a couple of minor points to do. The driver briefing was a bit pointless and a waste of prep time… it could have been summed up by a warning “not to crash” and “we are all here” and because this took 30 minutes it meant a rush back to the paddock and in to the assembly area.
So out on the circuit I set about getting a good lap time over the 30 minutes. It was quite hard to get a clean lap in given the amount of qualifiers on the circuit (59) but there were a few which were pretty good. Unfortunately I forgot to start the GoPro so don’t have any footage.
| P40 | 721 | Richard THURBIN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAP | LAP TIME | DIFF | MPH | TIME OF DAY |
| 1 - | 2:54.427 | 11.803 | 75.54 | 11:31:07.271 |
| 2 - | 2:46.819 | 4.195 | 78.99 | 11:33:54.090 |
| 3 - | 2:45.782 | 3.158 | 79.48 | 11:36:39.872 |
| 4 - | 2:44.979 | 2.355 | 79.87 | 11:39:24.851 |
| 5 - | 2:43.676 (3) | 1.052 | 80.51 | 11:42:08.527 |
| 6 - | 2:53.332 | 10.708 | 76.02 | 11:45:01.859 |
| 7 - | 2:44.322 | 1.698 | 80.19 | 11:47:46.181 |
| 8 - | 2:46.097 | 3.473 | 79.33 | 11:50:32.278 |
| 9 - | 2:43.465 (2) | 0.841 | 80.61 | 11:53:15.743 |
| 10 - | 2:42.624 (1) | 81.03 | 11:55:58.367 | |
| 11 - | 2:44.772 | 2.148 | 79.97 | 11:58:43.139 |
Amazingly I ended up qualifying in 40th out of 58 and 6th out of 11 in class. 1s quicker and I would have been 35th so a pretty tight grid.
Lunch, checking levels, swapping tyres and such like took up the 3 hours between qualifying & the race and with much trepidation I set about psyching myself up to the onslaught being in the tick of a 58 car grid. Unfortunately the GoPro isn’t positioned well to get the correct exposure, but here it is anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNisJlPwss
Any armchair or real experts who want to give me some pointers are most welcome.
I finished a pretty reasonable 41st out of 51 finishers, but 7th out of 7 in class. My fastest lap was 2/10ths quicker than the Fiesta’s I was racing before the pitstop and they finished in a group at around 30th. I think with a much faster pit stop I would have been in the mix. You live and learn.
| P41 | 721 | Richard THURBIN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAP | LAP TIME | DIFF | MPH | TIME OF DAY |
| 1 - | 3:00.531 | 18.778 | 72.99 | 16:32:59.473 |
| 2 - | 2:49.171 | 7.418 | 77.89 | 16:35:48.644 |
| 3 - | 2:45.508 | 3.755 | 79.62 | 16:38:34.152 |
| 4 - | 2:45.926 | 4.173 | 79.41 | 16:41:20.078 |
| 5 - | 2:44.225 | 2.472 | 80.24 | 16:44:04.303 |
| 6 - | 2:41.753 (1) | 81.46 | 16:46:46.056 | |
| 7 - | 2:43.185 (2) | 1.432 | 80.75 | 16:49:29.241 |
| 8 - | 2:46.356 | 4.603 | 79.21 | 16:52:15.597 |
| 9 - | 2:49.159 P | 7.406 | 77.90 | 16:55:04.756 |
| 10 - | 4:57.096 | 2:15.343 | 44.35 | 17:00:01.852 |
| 11 - | 2:46.370 | 4.617 | 79.20 | 17:02:48.222 |
| 12 - | 2:43.970 (3) | 2.217 | 80.36 | 17:05:32.192 |
| 13 - | 2:45.004 | 3.251 | 79.86 | 17:08:17.196 |
| 14 - | 2:46.744 | 4.991 | 79.03 | 17:11:03.940 |
I am completely hooked on this merry-go-round and have already booked 750mc Roadsports at Donnington in 3 weeks time. They have a 45m race with a pit stop, but you don’t have to get out… result!
Some pictures:
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
http://www.davidstallardphotography.com/ClassicSpo...
Great, I think we are in the same class?
I was at Donnington on Friday learning the circuit in preperation for the race and managed a 1:57.24 before it rained.
I got quicker each session with:
S1 - 2:10.08
s2 - 2:00.04
s3 - 1:57.70 & 1:57.93
s4 - 1:57.24 & 1:57.38
The VBox tells me my "ideal lap" ie the best of all sectors is a 1:57.17.
No idea if this is fast or not to be honest, but it felt on the limit and I have no idea where the next second is comming from.
Then it pissed it down and that was loads of fun. It meant learning the whole circuit again and pushing things to the limit once more... I managed to do a 2:15.80, before finding a 'more interesting line' through crainer curves.
So do you think will I be at the back again?
I was at Donnington on Friday learning the circuit in preperation for the race and managed a 1:57.24 before it rained.
I got quicker each session with:
S1 - 2:10.08
s2 - 2:00.04
s3 - 1:57.70 & 1:57.93
s4 - 1:57.24 & 1:57.38
The VBox tells me my "ideal lap" ie the best of all sectors is a 1:57.17.
No idea if this is fast or not to be honest, but it felt on the limit and I have no idea where the next second is comming from.
Then it pissed it down and that was loads of fun. It meant learning the whole circuit again and pushing things to the limit once more... I managed to do a 2:15.80, before finding a 'more interesting line' through crainer curves.
So do you think will I be at the back again?
andy97 said:
The quickest Clio this last weekend in the msvr all comers race was 1:53 but I have no idea whether that was on slicks or not.
8 cars had fastest race laps slower than your 1:57, and it's a similar mix of cars to that that I would expect in Roadsports.
Thanks for that. Just looking at the times now and I can see they were all much faster. Seems like I have much more speed to find 8 cars had fastest race laps slower than your 1:57, and it's a similar mix of cars to that that I would expect in Roadsports.
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 22 September 12:45
. Hi all, I had another full weekend of racing with 3 races over the two days so thought I would update you all on how I got on. This weekend was the first weekend I actually felt ready for, but there seems to be a recurring theme with my race weekends… you can never be “ready”, only a little better prepared!
I picked up my new trailer (a Brian James Cargo Connect) packed up the motor home and set off pretty late on the Friday night. What a dream having your own trailer rather than the hassle of picking and dropping off a hire. At 23:30 I arrived to a full paddock (again) with nowhere to park and being worried about waking everyone else up. I don’t know why as the A420s which skim overhead seem to do quite a good job of keeping everyone up. It had been a full on week at work with 12 hour days so I was pretty knackered when I arrived, so apart seemingly sleeping on a runway, I got my head down at a normal’ish’ time.
7am arrives and the usual round of sign on, briefing (I am here, don’t crash, track limits, live snatch etc) is got out of the way. My lazy good for nothing son hadn’t yet bothered to get up so I had to push the Clio to scrutineering on my own. Luckily I got some help from fellow competitors who saw me struggling and then joined an epic queue of cars. After about 3 weeks (probably 40 minutes) I exchanged my piece of paper for a piece of card and for the first time ever didn’t have any jobs to do… how nice!
I then cooked a fry-up, fuelled the car, did pressures, torqued up the nuts, checked levels / pins, stuck in the GoPros and got ready for the off. Having done the Donnington tack day a few weeks back I was confident of doing a 1:57.2 again hoping this was a respectable time and I wouldn’t be dead last.
Qualified 25th out of 42, 12th out of 16 in class B. Pretty happy with this, especially given I had beaten my best time by a second.
Got back, drank some tea, watched the qualifying video and cursed myself for forgetting to put a memory card in the RaceLogic LapTimer. Luckily I had set my alarm on my phone for the series briefing in the morning as I had completely forgotten. Walking to race control it was obvious most others had also forgotten so I marshalled the troops to the briefing room but clearly had missed some. Queue the same tedious and slightly pointless (I am here, don’t crash, track limits, safety car etc.) briefing by a pretty dead pan Clerk of the Course it was time to hit the track.
The race comes around pretty quick but more torqueing, pressures, levels, gopros etc I am in the assembly area, then before I know it the lights are off and we are racing! Taking the first lap around Donington I become very aware of how slow and timid I am on the opening lap. I am mugged left, right and centre by not being aggressive, leaving too much of a gap and not driving defensively enough. It is hard to describe the difference between road driving and race driving. Personal space seems to be the thickness of paint you have on your doors, and this is regularly invaded as required. I was cursing my timidness entering the chicane before the loop when the nutcase in the VX220 decided to stick it in to the side of a Mini, spin and then retire. As others had said, this stopped the race. As an aside, I was one of those who followed the leader around the lap rather than stopping on the start finish straight. I will check the blue book when I get home and see what I should have done!
Anyway, the good news was my poor first lap was wiped out and I started 25th again for the re-start. Second time around I was better and limited the losses made on the opening lap but I still needed to be on it from the go rather than wondering what the rear would do around Crainer Curves for example.
I settled down in to the race putting in some ok times, I arrived quite early after the blow up which caused the oil on the track but kept the rear in check and saw the white Mini lose it behind me. This brought out a really slow safety car before the pit stop window. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to notice the pit stop window when it first opened, so carried on and ended up briefly running in about 5th place! I came in after the second lap and had a trouble free stop. So much nicer not having to get out and in again compared to CSCC. This is a big bonus for me and much prefer it.
Post pit stop it was more of the same, but with the brake pedal getting ever longer and longer. With braking zones getting 10’s of meters longer I was beginning to think I had cooked the fluid or overheated the pads but tried to carry on anyway. Exploring the track limits somewhat because I was arriving in to corners way to fast I did consider pulling in to the pits to see what is what… and then on the last corner I tried to catch up with a Clio which had over taken me, tried breaking late and had no retardation. I bounced over the curb, over the grass, on to the link road, over the gravel and then stuffed it in to the wall!
What amazed me was that there wasn’t plooms of steam coming from the front and as I was a stone’s throw from the pits, I reversed out of the gravel (luckily) and skulked in to the pits. After a quick check it turns out that all was well and I got back out on track to try and finish the race. Not wanting to put it in the wall again, I was nice and cautious this time and didn’t push any braking zone at all, but did get a driver warning flag for the lap after my unscheduled pit stop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbVxwyDI4DA
So back in the pits and I check the brakes only to find I had run out of material. Essentially I was on the backing plate of the pads for the last 5 laps or so and had completely destroyed the disks. What a noob. I had checked the material prior to the weekend and there was loads of material left, but it seems that 30 minutes qualifying and 45 minute race uses more… Just as well I have another 15 minutes qualifying and 2 x 15 minute races on Sunday!!
A quick call to Matt at Go Racing Motorsport and (http://goracingmotorsport.uk/) they agreed to bring me down some new pads and disks that evening so I am ready for the Clios on Sunday. I can’t thank them enough for the support they have given me so far and I am really and profoundly grateful.
So a few hours later the callipers are off, pads out and piston is clamped back ready for some new shiny bits. John and the team arrive around 9pm so I spend the next few hours putting on the disks, pads, wheels and torque up ready for the morning.
More to follow…
I picked up my new trailer (a Brian James Cargo Connect) packed up the motor home and set off pretty late on the Friday night. What a dream having your own trailer rather than the hassle of picking and dropping off a hire. At 23:30 I arrived to a full paddock (again) with nowhere to park and being worried about waking everyone else up. I don’t know why as the A420s which skim overhead seem to do quite a good job of keeping everyone up. It had been a full on week at work with 12 hour days so I was pretty knackered when I arrived, so apart seemingly sleeping on a runway, I got my head down at a normal’ish’ time.
7am arrives and the usual round of sign on, briefing (I am here, don’t crash, track limits, live snatch etc) is got out of the way. My lazy good for nothing son hadn’t yet bothered to get up so I had to push the Clio to scrutineering on my own. Luckily I got some help from fellow competitors who saw me struggling and then joined an epic queue of cars. After about 3 weeks (probably 40 minutes) I exchanged my piece of paper for a piece of card and for the first time ever didn’t have any jobs to do… how nice!
I then cooked a fry-up, fuelled the car, did pressures, torqued up the nuts, checked levels / pins, stuck in the GoPros and got ready for the off. Having done the Donnington tack day a few weeks back I was confident of doing a 1:57.2 again hoping this was a respectable time and I wouldn’t be dead last.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Pole lap | 1:47.29 |
| Class fastest lap | 1:48.49 |
| My lap | 1:56.64 |
Qualified 25th out of 42, 12th out of 16 in class B. Pretty happy with this, especially given I had beaten my best time by a second.
Got back, drank some tea, watched the qualifying video and cursed myself for forgetting to put a memory card in the RaceLogic LapTimer. Luckily I had set my alarm on my phone for the series briefing in the morning as I had completely forgotten. Walking to race control it was obvious most others had also forgotten so I marshalled the troops to the briefing room but clearly had missed some. Queue the same tedious and slightly pointless (I am here, don’t crash, track limits, safety car etc.) briefing by a pretty dead pan Clerk of the Course it was time to hit the track.
The race comes around pretty quick but more torqueing, pressures, levels, gopros etc I am in the assembly area, then before I know it the lights are off and we are racing! Taking the first lap around Donington I become very aware of how slow and timid I am on the opening lap. I am mugged left, right and centre by not being aggressive, leaving too much of a gap and not driving defensively enough. It is hard to describe the difference between road driving and race driving. Personal space seems to be the thickness of paint you have on your doors, and this is regularly invaded as required. I was cursing my timidness entering the chicane before the loop when the nutcase in the VX220 decided to stick it in to the side of a Mini, spin and then retire. As others had said, this stopped the race. As an aside, I was one of those who followed the leader around the lap rather than stopping on the start finish straight. I will check the blue book when I get home and see what I should have done!
Anyway, the good news was my poor first lap was wiped out and I started 25th again for the re-start. Second time around I was better and limited the losses made on the opening lap but I still needed to be on it from the go rather than wondering what the rear would do around Crainer Curves for example.
I settled down in to the race putting in some ok times, I arrived quite early after the blow up which caused the oil on the track but kept the rear in check and saw the white Mini lose it behind me. This brought out a really slow safety car before the pit stop window. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to notice the pit stop window when it first opened, so carried on and ended up briefly running in about 5th place! I came in after the second lap and had a trouble free stop. So much nicer not having to get out and in again compared to CSCC. This is a big bonus for me and much prefer it.
Post pit stop it was more of the same, but with the brake pedal getting ever longer and longer. With braking zones getting 10’s of meters longer I was beginning to think I had cooked the fluid or overheated the pads but tried to carry on anyway. Exploring the track limits somewhat because I was arriving in to corners way to fast I did consider pulling in to the pits to see what is what… and then on the last corner I tried to catch up with a Clio which had over taken me, tried breaking late and had no retardation. I bounced over the curb, over the grass, on to the link road, over the gravel and then stuffed it in to the wall!
What amazed me was that there wasn’t plooms of steam coming from the front and as I was a stone’s throw from the pits, I reversed out of the gravel (luckily) and skulked in to the pits. After a quick check it turns out that all was well and I got back out on track to try and finish the race. Not wanting to put it in the wall again, I was nice and cautious this time and didn’t push any braking zone at all, but did get a driver warning flag for the lap after my unscheduled pit stop.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Position | 30th out of 35 |
| Class Position | 10th out of 12 in class B |
| Fastest lap | 1:48.28 |
| My fastest lap | 1:59.50 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbVxwyDI4DA
So back in the pits and I check the brakes only to find I had run out of material. Essentially I was on the backing plate of the pads for the last 5 laps or so and had completely destroyed the disks. What a noob. I had checked the material prior to the weekend and there was loads of material left, but it seems that 30 minutes qualifying and 45 minute race uses more… Just as well I have another 15 minutes qualifying and 2 x 15 minute races on Sunday!!
A quick call to Matt at Go Racing Motorsport and (http://goracingmotorsport.uk/) they agreed to bring me down some new pads and disks that evening so I am ready for the Clios on Sunday. I can’t thank them enough for the support they have given me so far and I am really and profoundly grateful.
So a few hours later the callipers are off, pads out and piston is clamped back ready for some new shiny bits. John and the team arrive around 9pm so I spend the next few hours putting on the disks, pads, wheels and torque up ready for the morning.
More to follow…
Thanks for the responses regarding brakes. I had checked the pad material before the weekend and it looked ok to me. I think the pads that were in it must have been made of cheese and with an hour on the track I basically ran out. I didn’t put them in as I have only had the car a few months in total. I now have some CARBONE LORRAINE RC6 Endurance which are simply epic in comparison.
Here was the damage:
So after fitting the new disks and pads I managed to find an access road to bed them in (30, 60 and 100mph stops) which was ‘interesting’ but as it was 11pm at this time there was no one about and no harm done.
As an aside, I had a problem with my transponder on the Saturday and a lovely lady from the timings team came and found me to try and help work out what the problem was. As we were chatting I came to realise that if you are racing all weekend, you can sign on and scrutineer for both races in one go! So I nipped to the office, signed on again and then got another piece of paper from the lovely scrutineers for the following day. I found out they rate all cars condition from 1 to 10. I got an 8 which is quite good by all accounts and 10 is almost never given out.
Anyway, roll on to the morning and looking forward to a lay in now I have no need for admin and the “pushing your car queue” I set the alarm for 8am. Unfortunately I forgot to tell the East Midlands Airport and was up after the first flight of the morning….
Qualifying quickly comes around and I put in a reasonable time, much better than the Saturday as I have amazing levels of retardation now thanks to having some compound on the pads.
I am still pretty slow with being 4 seconds off the pace. I have a buddy with me today as well and we watch the video with him giving me some advice on where to brake later and change my entry in to a few corners.
So in to race 1 I start, trying to keep a lid on the adrenalin and also finding the right level of aggression from the moment the lights go out. The race was pretty uneventful and I put in a reasonable performance to end up finishing higher than I started. I can see now how I am with the tail pack and matching them for pace, but having looked back on the video I can see which corners I am losing time (mostly slow speed).
I was pretty chuffed with my fastest lap and now have got the gap to the leaders down to a mere 2 seconds. I mainly did this by the obvious things of braking harder and later plus carrying more speed through the apex. I know it sounds simple but it is much harder than I thought. Confidence springs to mind and I am tipping a car in trusting it is going to make it out the other side is taking time for me to build up and learn.
The second race was more eventful and being the last race of the season I was expecting some do or die moves with the drivers knowing they have a winter to fix it. Starting further up the grid I am more aggressive on the start and keep with the pack much more. I chickened out of a “3 abreast in to Redgate” on the first lap but didn’t lose many positions and was well in the pack ready for a great race. This came to an abrupt end unfortunately going through McLean’s when I saw a spin 3 cars in front right on the exit. I naturally lifted off, got in to a slid and ended up on the grass, thankfully with the car in the same shape it started the corner with. The two cars in front of me ended up collecting the spinner and had various levels of damage, one of them retiring so it wasn’t the end of the world.
Having lost loads of positions and time I set about some “hammer time” and caught up the pack again. Interestingly another car just ahead went around Coppice and then lost their right rear wheel and other suspension bits which fortunately all seemed to miss the car. A tussle with a green Clio ensued which I eventually lost when going in to the gravel at Redgate and losing loads of time again.
Out of the gravel I had loads of vibration, but haven’t hit anything and it seems ok now. Is this just stones sitting in the wheel rim trapped by central fugal force? Or should I be looking for something else being broken?
I am pretty chuffed with the fastest lap and when I compare it on the video it is now obvious where I made up all of the time. I look back at the Roadsports tape and wonder how I could have gone so slowly! Still, there is still a 1.8s gap to the leader which needs finding and I think I know where some of it is having compared my laps to one of the leaders videos they helpfully posted online.
So here was the progress:
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GOSsc0CdPA
But I am really just kidding myself. 1.8 seconds is a very long way off being fast when you are in almost identicle cars. Still much learning to do.
Next race is the Halloween event hosted by CSCC at Brands Hatch where I am in the New Millennium on Saturday and the Tin Tops on Sunday. Expecting a bit of a pasting to be honest as the car is standard and most have had much money spent on it, but I hope to have a good race with some other slower cars and drivers like me.
Some pictures:
New sticker ready for Brands!
Here was the damage:
So after fitting the new disks and pads I managed to find an access road to bed them in (30, 60 and 100mph stops) which was ‘interesting’ but as it was 11pm at this time there was no one about and no harm done.
As an aside, I had a problem with my transponder on the Saturday and a lovely lady from the timings team came and found me to try and help work out what the problem was. As we were chatting I came to realise that if you are racing all weekend, you can sign on and scrutineer for both races in one go! So I nipped to the office, signed on again and then got another piece of paper from the lovely scrutineers for the following day. I found out they rate all cars condition from 1 to 10. I got an 8 which is quite good by all accounts and 10 is almost never given out.
Anyway, roll on to the morning and looking forward to a lay in now I have no need for admin and the “pushing your car queue” I set the alarm for 8am. Unfortunately I forgot to tell the East Midlands Airport and was up after the first flight of the morning….
Qualifying quickly comes around and I put in a reasonable time, much better than the Saturday as I have amazing levels of retardation now thanks to having some compound on the pads.
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Pole lap race 1 | 1:52.42 |
| Best lap race 1 | 1:56.60 |
| Position race 1 | 26th out of 29 |
| Pole lap race 2 | 1:52.73 |
| Second best lap race 2 | 1:56.67 |
| Position race 2 | 22nd out of 29 |
I am still pretty slow with being 4 seconds off the pace. I have a buddy with me today as well and we watch the video with him giving me some advice on where to brake later and change my entry in to a few corners.
So in to race 1 I start, trying to keep a lid on the adrenalin and also finding the right level of aggression from the moment the lights go out. The race was pretty uneventful and I put in a reasonable performance to end up finishing higher than I started. I can see now how I am with the tail pack and matching them for pace, but having looked back on the video I can see which corners I am losing time (mostly slow speed).
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Position | 22nd out of 25 |
| Fastest lap | 1:52.94 |
| My fastest lap | 1:55.09 |
I was pretty chuffed with my fastest lap and now have got the gap to the leaders down to a mere 2 seconds. I mainly did this by the obvious things of braking harder and later plus carrying more speed through the apex. I know it sounds simple but it is much harder than I thought. Confidence springs to mind and I am tipping a car in trusting it is going to make it out the other side is taking time for me to build up and learn.
The second race was more eventful and being the last race of the season I was expecting some do or die moves with the drivers knowing they have a winter to fix it. Starting further up the grid I am more aggressive on the start and keep with the pack much more. I chickened out of a “3 abreast in to Redgate” on the first lap but didn’t lose many positions and was well in the pack ready for a great race. This came to an abrupt end unfortunately going through McLean’s when I saw a spin 3 cars in front right on the exit. I naturally lifted off, got in to a slid and ended up on the grass, thankfully with the car in the same shape it started the corner with. The two cars in front of me ended up collecting the spinner and had various levels of damage, one of them retiring so it wasn’t the end of the world.
Having lost loads of positions and time I set about some “hammer time” and caught up the pack again. Interestingly another car just ahead went around Coppice and then lost their right rear wheel and other suspension bits which fortunately all seemed to miss the car. A tussle with a green Clio ensued which I eventually lost when going in to the gravel at Redgate and losing loads of time again.
Out of the gravel I had loads of vibration, but haven’t hit anything and it seems ok now. Is this just stones sitting in the wheel rim trapped by central fugal force? Or should I be looking for something else being broken?
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Position | 20th out of 25 |
| Fastest lap | 1:52.71 |
| My fastest lap | 1:54.57 |
I am pretty chuffed with the fastest lap and when I compare it on the video it is now obvious where I made up all of the time. I look back at the Roadsports tape and wonder how I could have gone so slowly! Still, there is still a 1.8s gap to the leader which needs finding and I think I know where some of it is having compared my laps to one of the leaders videos they helpfully posted online.
So here was the progress:
| What | Time |
|---|---|
| Track day best | 1:57.24 |
| Roadsports best | 1:56.64 |
| Clio 182 best | 1:54.57 |
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GOSsc0CdPA
But I am really just kidding myself. 1.8 seconds is a very long way off being fast when you are in almost identicle cars. Still much learning to do.
Next race is the Halloween event hosted by CSCC at Brands Hatch where I am in the New Millennium on Saturday and the Tin Tops on Sunday. Expecting a bit of a pasting to be honest as the car is standard and most have had much money spent on it, but I hope to have a good race with some other slower cars and drivers like me.
Some pictures:
New sticker ready for Brands!
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