2012 Britcar British Endurance Championship
Discussion
So, once again the die has been cast, and we have had our entry confirmed for the 2012 Britcar British Endurance Championship, dates of which are as follows:
24th March - Silverstone GP
21st April - Donington Park
12th May - Snetterton 300
2nd June - Brands Hatch Indy
23rd June - Oulton Park
14th July - Brands Hatch GP
18th August - Snetterton 300
2nd November - Donington Park (Night Race)
We will be at all of the above rounds with two exceptions - Brands Hatch Indy and the August Snetterton Round, which are TBA.
In addition, we will once again be competing in the Silverstone 24hr race on 22nd - 23rd September, and we are looking at the feasibility of competing in a round of the British GT at some point though the year, as well as the 2013 Dubai 24hr.
We are over halfway through our pre-season development, and we have made some dramatic changes to the Ultima, with modifications being made to pretty much every aspect of the car to improve speed, driveability, and above all, reliability.
More details to follow soon...we will post updates and news items on our website (http://www.macgracing.co.uk) periodically.
Jonny
24th March - Silverstone GP
21st April - Donington Park
12th May - Snetterton 300
2nd June - Brands Hatch Indy
23rd June - Oulton Park
14th July - Brands Hatch GP
18th August - Snetterton 300
2nd November - Donington Park (Night Race)
We will be at all of the above rounds with two exceptions - Brands Hatch Indy and the August Snetterton Round, which are TBA.
In addition, we will once again be competing in the Silverstone 24hr race on 22nd - 23rd September, and we are looking at the feasibility of competing in a round of the British GT at some point though the year, as well as the 2013 Dubai 24hr.
We are over halfway through our pre-season development, and we have made some dramatic changes to the Ultima, with modifications being made to pretty much every aspect of the car to improve speed, driveability, and above all, reliability.
More details to follow soon...we will post updates and news items on our website (http://www.macgracing.co.uk) periodically.
Jonny
UltimaCH said:
Wow Dubai... now that's going places. Great job and keeping fingers crossed.
Thanks very much. We had a LOT of interest for the Dubai race this year but we simply did not have the resources in place to take part. With our first season of endurance racing behind us, we are really excited about the forthcoming season, especially with all the great work that has been done to the car over the winter.Graham-P said:
I know this is a bit cheeky, but if any of us get to a meet (I'm looking at BH/Silverstone)in a Ultima, is there any chance of parking with you to show support? 
Graham
We only get two parking passes, both of which are used as support vehicles, however if you decide which round you will come to we can speak to the organisers to see what they can do.Graham
Gulf LS3 said:
How much of what is left is an Ultima?
Plenty - whilst the car has been modified for endurance racing, it is certainly not indistinguishable from the standard road car. The chassis is currently 100% standard (although we are adding in a brace before the start of the season) and the engine is 'pretty much' a standard LS7 - with some minor mods to improve reliability. The fundamentals of the Ultima are excellent - we have merely adjusted details to suit our application and the higher loads that are placed on the car.Clearly we have carried out a significant amount of work to improve speed, but most of the work has been carried out has been done for ease of maintenance and enhancing cooling (of the brakes, engine bay etc) and to comply with the regulations.
Jonny
Edited by macgtech on Friday 20th January 12:28
356Speedster said:
That's genuinely a great thing to hear, Johnny. There's often challenges / chatter about the Ultima's construction on here, but to hear first hand feedback from a race team using a relatively lightly touched factory car is brilliant and testamony to the quality of the product.
Good luck Johnny and if you can post any pics of the race car (without giving away any competative advantage of course!), I'm sure it's something many of us would like to see
Well we are more than happy with the fundamentals of the car, along with the support the Ultima Factory have given us thus far.Good luck Johnny and if you can post any pics of the race car (without giving away any competative advantage of course!), I'm sure it's something many of us would like to see
We will get some information up in due course showing some of the work we have carried out over the winter - but the car is in around 1000 parts at the moment!
We got a few pictures if various bits of the car this weekend which you can see on our Facebook page at the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MacG-Racing/16075831...
Modifications currently underway include a full flat floor, new splitter design, improved fuel system, enhanced telemetry, brake and damper upgrades and airjacks installed. Enjoy!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MacG-Racing/16075831...
Modifications currently underway include a full flat floor, new splitter design, improved fuel system, enhanced telemetry, brake and damper upgrades and airjacks installed. Enjoy!
Storer said:
Jonny
What is your new front splitter made of. It looks quite thick. Are you expecting it to wear away during the race?
Still a lot to do I see. Good luck
Paul
Hi Paul,What is your new front splitter made of. It looks quite thick. Are you expecting it to wear away during the race?
Still a lot to do I see. Good luck
Paul
It's only thick at the back - its 9mm thick at the front. The bodywork is being lowered by 40mm all round and the thick part of the splitter is part of this. It's a 9mm marine ply sheet with a foam and GRP sandwich panel bonded to it - its reasonabley light, incredibly stiff and cheap, should it need replacing. It's also attached directly to the chassis rather than the clam.
356Speedster said:
Thanks for the pics, Johnny, it looks fantastic I've liked the page and I look forwards to further updates, as the build progresses.
Mark
Thanks very much - the number of 'likes' or 'fans' the page gets is actually something that potential sponsors look at (we have been asked about it before), so every little helps! I've liked the page and I look forwards to further updates, as the build progresses.Mark
TangoGTR said:
Another likey like from my build page, plus shared photo of this beast :- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2912003409... . What's the background on this car ?
Oh & good reminder, need to brush my teeth
That is an Aquila CR1 - nothing at all to do with an Ultima. It is a purpose built, (very) high specification racing car from Denmark. http://aquilaracingcars.com/ Its significantly bigger than the Ultima, and lighter (with a price tag to match the specification!). I will try to dig out a photo of the two cars side by side for comparison.Oh & good reminder, need to brush my teeth
Edited by TangoGTR on Monday 23 January 12:29
It has caused quite a lot of controversy - some deemed that its not quite in the spirit of GT racing - its far closer to an LMP prototype than a production model.
Hi guys,
Just wanted to provide a further update with progress on the pre-season development. Over the last couple of weeks there has been a huge amount of work done on the car, which is as follows:
- The wiring loom has been rebuilt with some redundant parts removed, and it has been re laid out in the engine bay to protect it from debris. The telemetry loom has also been started which will incorporate the old telemetry system as well as some new sensors including LP and HP fuel pressures, fuel temperatures from engine return and swirl pot, ambient (under clam) temperature, brake and clutch pressures and four wheel speed sensors.
- The fuel system now has two HP and LP pumps in parallel to give redundancy should a pump fail. A larger swirl pot has been fitted which is positioned in the RH side pod by the cooling air.
- All wiring and hoses were removed from the engine bay, the chassis was resprayed and some extra heat shielding was added.
- Full flat floor has been complete. The splitter is now attached to the chassis and is supported by a frame attached to the front structure of the car. Brake ducting is all attached to the chassis, so the front clam can be removed quickly with only the lights to be unplugged - this plug has been relocated on the front bulkhead. This all lowers the car by 40mm which will improve our suspension geometry and gives us a huge aero improvement.
- Engine reinstalled.
Further work still to be done, and we are working hard over the coming weeks to get the car ready for the start of the season. Further upgrades include:
- Front brake upgrade
- Damper upgrade
- Installation of air jacks
- Slight suspension and chassis tweaks
- Further modifications to the cockpit for driver comfort and individual control of fuel pumps etc.
- New exhaust system to cope with tighter noise regulations due to Silverstone being thoroughly unreasonable!
- Further aero/cooling modifications
We are also looking at a gearbox upgrade to a full race specification sequential dog box, however this is pending the sale of our old (freshly rebuilt) G96/50.
There is also a lot of work going on 'behind the scenes' with sponsors and suppliers, and we plan to go live with our online shop in the next few weeks, along with some website updates. We have also welcomed two new personnel to the Team this year, which will be a huge benefit to us. We were hoping to get some decent shots of the various parts of the development this weekend however time got the better of us - we will include some in our next update!
Jonny
Just wanted to provide a further update with progress on the pre-season development. Over the last couple of weeks there has been a huge amount of work done on the car, which is as follows:
- The wiring loom has been rebuilt with some redundant parts removed, and it has been re laid out in the engine bay to protect it from debris. The telemetry loom has also been started which will incorporate the old telemetry system as well as some new sensors including LP and HP fuel pressures, fuel temperatures from engine return and swirl pot, ambient (under clam) temperature, brake and clutch pressures and four wheel speed sensors.
- The fuel system now has two HP and LP pumps in parallel to give redundancy should a pump fail. A larger swirl pot has been fitted which is positioned in the RH side pod by the cooling air.
- All wiring and hoses were removed from the engine bay, the chassis was resprayed and some extra heat shielding was added.
- Full flat floor has been complete. The splitter is now attached to the chassis and is supported by a frame attached to the front structure of the car. Brake ducting is all attached to the chassis, so the front clam can be removed quickly with only the lights to be unplugged - this plug has been relocated on the front bulkhead. This all lowers the car by 40mm which will improve our suspension geometry and gives us a huge aero improvement.
- Engine reinstalled.
Further work still to be done, and we are working hard over the coming weeks to get the car ready for the start of the season. Further upgrades include:
- Front brake upgrade
- Damper upgrade
- Installation of air jacks
- Slight suspension and chassis tweaks
- Further modifications to the cockpit for driver comfort and individual control of fuel pumps etc.
- New exhaust system to cope with tighter noise regulations due to Silverstone being thoroughly unreasonable!
- Further aero/cooling modifications
We are also looking at a gearbox upgrade to a full race specification sequential dog box, however this is pending the sale of our old (freshly rebuilt) G96/50.
There is also a lot of work going on 'behind the scenes' with sponsors and suppliers, and we plan to go live with our online shop in the next few weeks, along with some website updates. We have also welcomed two new personnel to the Team this year, which will be a huge benefit to us. We were hoping to get some decent shots of the various parts of the development this weekend however time got the better of us - we will include some in our next update!
Jonny
A few more updates for you...
This last weekend was spent finishing off the loom, which is now complete barring a few sensors and the connections for the new gearbox which should be ready for round 2, but that is a story that will wait for another day!
The new brakes arrived, which are rather tasty - 378mm x 36mm discs fitted with 6 pot endurance specification callipers fitted with 25mm thick pads, all with super light custom bells and mountings designed specifically for the Ultima GTR hubs (available from your local MacG Racing branch soon!). These should provide some serious stopping power and should (hopefully) get through a 24hr race without a pad change.
They are rather big, this may do the size more justice!
The engine was cleaned up and plumbed into the nice tidy, cleaned and reconditioned engine bay which has extra heat shielding fitted round the tank and a replumbed fuel system. The sidepods were refitted, along with coarser, more robust side mesh (to let more air through) and the beautiful carbon side scoops fitted. You can just see the fuel system peeking through the grill mesh if you look carefully.
The front chassis bracing was all made up, which is currently being welded to the chassis as I type, and the airjack fitting brackets were also cut out and welded to the chassis. (you can see one of these clamped up in the picture with the brake disc on the car).
The flat floor and splitters which are attached to the chassis were completed, and are awaiting fitting, which will be done once the welding is all completed. We are currently awaiting dampers which have been custom designed and made specifically for the Ultima GTR (again available from your local branch of MacG Racing!) then we only have a few more jobs left to do (including the redesign and manufacture of the new exhaust system) then we can complete a shakedown run then hit the testing seriously before the start of the season. It will then be tidied up ready for a photo shoot and the first round at Silverstone on March 24th. The car should be a different animal and hopefully we have addressed all the little gremlins that got the better of us last year. Speaking of which, here is why we lost drive in the 24hr back on October - £900 pounds worth of 3rd gear on the right and in the middle, with the remains of 4th on the left hand side...
Enjoy!
Jonny
This last weekend was spent finishing off the loom, which is now complete barring a few sensors and the connections for the new gearbox which should be ready for round 2, but that is a story that will wait for another day!
The new brakes arrived, which are rather tasty - 378mm x 36mm discs fitted with 6 pot endurance specification callipers fitted with 25mm thick pads, all with super light custom bells and mountings designed specifically for the Ultima GTR hubs (available from your local MacG Racing branch soon!). These should provide some serious stopping power and should (hopefully) get through a 24hr race without a pad change.
They are rather big, this may do the size more justice!
The engine was cleaned up and plumbed into the nice tidy, cleaned and reconditioned engine bay which has extra heat shielding fitted round the tank and a replumbed fuel system. The sidepods were refitted, along with coarser, more robust side mesh (to let more air through) and the beautiful carbon side scoops fitted. You can just see the fuel system peeking through the grill mesh if you look carefully.
The front chassis bracing was all made up, which is currently being welded to the chassis as I type, and the airjack fitting brackets were also cut out and welded to the chassis. (you can see one of these clamped up in the picture with the brake disc on the car).
The flat floor and splitters which are attached to the chassis were completed, and are awaiting fitting, which will be done once the welding is all completed. We are currently awaiting dampers which have been custom designed and made specifically for the Ultima GTR (again available from your local branch of MacG Racing!) then we only have a few more jobs left to do (including the redesign and manufacture of the new exhaust system) then we can complete a shakedown run then hit the testing seriously before the start of the season. It will then be tidied up ready for a photo shoot and the first round at Silverstone on March 24th. The car should be a different animal and hopefully we have addressed all the little gremlins that got the better of us last year. Speaking of which, here is why we lost drive in the 24hr back on October - £900 pounds worth of 3rd gear on the right and in the middle, with the remains of 4th on the left hand side...
Enjoy!
Jonny
A very generous forum member donated them to us - and yes they are indeed full carbon. We don't do carbon wrap! I think they would probably hamper airflow at lower speeds but the under clam temperatures have reduced considerably at high speed.
The rear wing does give a lot of downforce, this year we have fitted the splitter to the chassis and enlarged it another 10mm. We have also got a flat floor from the front of the car all the way through to the engine bay and it has certainly made a difference to the front end grip at speed. You can see the splitter here prior to the brake ducting being fitted:
This was tested yesterday at our first shakedown test, which was completed at Blyton Park in the afternoon. The test went well, with the modifications all coping with the stresses we placed on them. The instrumentation showed that the redesigned and replumbed fuel system peaked at just over 30 deg C (after 30 minutes of continuous running)and the swirl pot was at ambient.
The larger brakes were superb, as were the new dampers. We have stiffened the chassis considerably at the front, and this combined with the dampers, has helped directional changes considerably. Unfortunately progress was halted by a broken gear shift cable, however this is an easy fix. We must apologise for the lack of pictures recently, things have been a bit busy of late. The 'launch' day is on Saturday at Oulton Park, so there will be more pictures coming along shortly!
The rear wing does give a lot of downforce, this year we have fitted the splitter to the chassis and enlarged it another 10mm. We have also got a flat floor from the front of the car all the way through to the engine bay and it has certainly made a difference to the front end grip at speed. You can see the splitter here prior to the brake ducting being fitted:
This was tested yesterday at our first shakedown test, which was completed at Blyton Park in the afternoon. The test went well, with the modifications all coping with the stresses we placed on them. The instrumentation showed that the redesigned and replumbed fuel system peaked at just over 30 deg C (after 30 minutes of continuous running)and the swirl pot was at ambient.
The larger brakes were superb, as were the new dampers. We have stiffened the chassis considerably at the front, and this combined with the dampers, has helped directional changes considerably. Unfortunately progress was halted by a broken gear shift cable, however this is an easy fix. We must apologise for the lack of pictures recently, things have been a bit busy of late. The 'launch' day is on Saturday at Oulton Park, so there will be more pictures coming along shortly!
spatz said:
why are you heating your intake air with the exhaust ?
The exhaust silencers have been designed to minimise heat radiation - they will not run very hot. This has been done with a combination of exhaust packings - and the sheer size of the silencers means that the majority of the heat will not reach the exterior surface.The airbox will be changed shortly to an FIA specification airbox too. We are on the power:weight limit so a slightly elevated inlet temperature is not too much of an issue. We are also logging the inlet temperature so will be able to say what difference this has made after our testing tomorrow.
deadscoob said:
How did the shakedown go Jonny?
We had a clutch issue to start with, but once that was resolved the car was going pretty well. We found a small oil leak which needs to be resolved and the seal on the coolant expansion tank needs changing but neither are major jobs.The modifications we have done over the winter are a big success - which is great news.
Unfortunately late in the day, the part of the gearbox casing which holds the clutch release fork pin shattered, so we had total clutch failure, and this will result in us doing a fairly major repair or replacing the housing. We have a sequential unit coming for Rd 2 of the Championship so we decided to miss the first round (which is in two weeks time) and wait for the sequential box to arrive. Frustrating but we feel it is the correct decision!
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