Parking for Brands Hatch Rounds

[lake]

Hi all,

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=168544&f=13&h=0

Please see the details in the main thread. In you have any queries please post there.

Many thanks

Lake

I said:

Hi all, On the 16th April there will be the next round of the TVR CC Challenge Cup and on the 17th April will be running the first round of the TVR Challenge. Like last year I have been in contact with the organisers at Brands Hatch about parking for TVRs. We have been allocated the “gravel area” which is the hard standing area next to the grandstand (opposite the pits). Which is good as we don’t need to make that frightening journey over to South Bank. Entrance to the event will be normal ticket prices plus a £2 fee for parking within the circuit complex. I hope a lot of you can make it over the weekend to support racers. If any of you have any questions please let me know and I will try and help. See you all there Lake

[mospethm]

On behalf of the TVRCC Challenge Cup, I would like to thank all those who came along to watch on Saturday.

The weather was an unexpected pleasure, and I hope that watching the racing was considerably more fun than my pathetic efforts to even complete two circuits at a time, without having to pit.

It was a shame there were so few TVRs on the grid.

For this event we were combined with the Track & Race Saloons, and It is fair to say we were all caught a little off guard by the popularity of the race. Becasue the entry filled up so quickly, we were limited to only eight TVRs in the end, with Marc Hockin cruelly having to watch and wait all day as a reserve in his Griffith. Of the originall eight we lost another two to illness (one was the driver, and the other a clutch on Steve Halls RTRacing Monster Taz).

However, Graham Walden did keep some memories alive with his first outing in his ex Tuscan Challenge car, setting two fastest TVR laps, and Geoff Parkinson used his 3000M to good effect to hold Gary Coulsons Tasmin at bay. Kevan Gore and Tim Broughton were overall TVR class winners and I was absolutely nowhere.....all weekend.

There were plenty of visitors to the paddock nosing around the cars and the Toolsnstuff.co.uk stand. The winner of the £40 spectator draw was Mr. A. Hockin.

The next round is at Pembrey on 21st/22nd May. Our two races will be TVR-only races so we should have a lot more cars on the grid. As always everyone is welcome.

Here are some pictures of Steve Halls RTRacing Taz for those who need some encouragement.

Simon.

[TVR-NUT]

Well I for one had a great day at my first ever motor racing meet. The weather was good and there was lots of action in the TVR race. Shame that Graham decided to go off in the second race, as he was doing Rather well at the time...

The only real criticism that I would have is that the TVR races were to short! The cars, drivers and tyres just got warmed up and within a couple of laps or so, the race had finished...

Anyway, thanks to everyone for putting on a great show. I will try my best to get to another round soon.

By the way Simon, can you tell me were the tracks are based for the rest of the season? I have got a list of the dates and tracks, I just need to know where in the country the tracks are based (apart from Brands Hatch).

Thanks

Mark

[Graham]

TVR-NUT said:

Shame that Graham decided to go off in the second race, as he was doing Rather well at the time...

MUPPET..... still car ok, wrist sore.....


3 21 May Pembrey - South Wales
4 22 May Pembrey
5 4 Jun Knockhill - Scotlans
6 5 Jun Knockhill
7 17 Jun Cadwell Park - Lincolonshire (brill track)
8 31 Jul Donington Park - leicester ( the day after BBWF)
9 13 Aug Croft - North East
10 14 Aug Croft
11 25 Sep Mallory Park - Leicester
12 26 Nov Brands Hatch - you know that one

[lake]

Guys,

Here are a few photos from the race on saturday.























Hope you like them.

There may be more to follow.

Lake

[lake]

I should add, if any of the racers would like a copy of a photo without the copyright plastered all over it just drop me a line.

Lake

[Graham]

Nice.....I'll take any you've got of Numbers 2's first outing...


G

[TVR-NUT]

Great photo's Ian Wish that I'd taken my camera now

Mark

[V8 Archie]

Graham said:

TVR-NUT said: Shame that Graham decided to go off in the second race, as he was doing Rather well at the time... MUPPET..... still car ok, wrist sore.....

Don't beat yourself up too much mate, there was an awful lot of good to take out of that performance. It also provided a good chunk of the enjoyment in that race.

If I were you I'd try to get the car out for some testing before the next round to see whether there's something wrong with the brake balance. It was obvious that you were struggling to keep it pointing in the right direction for a few laps before your luck ran out.

I'm sure it will take a little while to train the previous owner's driving style out of the car i.e. to head for the walls on a regular basis.

[lake]

Graham said:

Nice.....I'll take any you've got of Numbers 2's first outing... G

You have mail

Lake

[griff2be]

V8 Archie said:

If I were you I'd try to get the car out for some testing before the next round to see whether there's something wrong with the brake balance. It was obvious that you were struggling to keep it pointing in the right direction for a few laps before your luck ran out. I'm sure it will take a little while to train the previous owner's driving style out of the car i.e. to head for the walls on a regular basis.

Ahem.... I do read this forum you know

[Graham]

griff2be said:

V8 Archie said: If I were you I'd try to get the car out for some testing before the next round to see whether there's something wrong with the brake balance. It was obvious that you were struggling to keep it pointing in the right direction for a few laps before your luck ran out. I'm sure it will take a little while to train the previous owner's driving style out of the car i.e. to head for the walls on a regular basis. Ahem.... I do read this forum you know

Yeah but you could have told me how to turn off the gravel magnet and i'd only just finished getting all of the gravel from last season out of the car

G

[griff2be]

There was no gravel in that car.

I know 'cos I knocked the back end off it time out before last and all the gravel came out then

Sorry to hear about the 'off' - although it sounds like a relatively soft landing. Brake bias?

[V8 Archie]

griff2be said:

it sounds like a relatively soft landing. Brake bias?

Yep, no walls involved.

The car was looking a real handful under braking for Paddock Hill bend a couple of laps before the off. All sorts of squirming and corrective action going on. The same was clearly happening on the final occasion. It was so noticable that I began to wonder whether one side was being slowed more than the other, let alone the front/rear balance being out. The only other thing I could think of that might produce that sort of reaction would be stomping on the brakes with the wheels no all pointing in the same direction, but I couldn't see any evidence for that being the cause.

Whatever the reason, it was a fine drive up the field by Graham that would probably have ended in him being the first TVR home.

[Racing Rod]

Check the balance and condition of the rear wheels, look for any cracks,and check front wishbones for hairline or more apparant cracks.

From what was described, the same thing happened to me at Brands,started with very eratic handling under braking which then progressed within 1 lap to very eratic handling all the time, turned out to be a fractured left front wishbone, expanded under heat, and a left rear wheel cracked in two places which again under heat and load distorted, and totally unbalanced the wheel, like a mad wobble effect, scary stuff at 140+

[griff2be]

Racing Rod said:

Check the balance and condition of the rear wheels, look for any cracks,and check front wishbones for hairline or more apparant cracks. From what was described, the same thing happened to me at Brands,started with very eratic handling under braking which then progressed within 1 lap to very eratic handling all the time, turned out to be a fractured left front wishbone, expanded under heat, and a left rear wheel cracked in two places which again under heat and load distorted, and totally unbalanced the wheel, like a mad wobble effect, scary stuff at 140+

The front wishbones on Graham's car are all pretty new, as are the OSR. Front hubs v new too. Wheels are the heavy but strong TSWs - they don't crack like the Dymags.

I think Graham put new brake pads in - perhaps they wore unevenly?

Edited to say I've spoken to Graham and he puts it down to operator error, going in too hot and getting out on the dirty stuff on the outside of the track. SOunds like he was well down on power too, so a bloody good showing first time out

>> Edited by griff2be on Monday 18th April 19:16

[V8 Archie]

griff2be said:

I've spoken to Graham and he puts it down to operator error, going in too hot and getting out on the dirty stuff on the outside of the track. SOunds like he was well down on power too, so a bloody good showing first time out

Obviously Graham knows best (although I understand that there's an unfortunate lack of data from the race - the marshalls managed to wipe it off ) and it's probably a good description of the event itself, but he wasn't off-line in the preceeding laps and it was still twitching like mad. I knew of the lack of power (which makes the performance even better), but unless Graham was driving on the most ragged of edges all did not seem to be quite as it should be.

If he was that close to the edge it was an even better performance to keep it on the island as long as he did. . Watching Graham was only rivalled in entertainment value by Kelvin Burt in the Britcar race who was, like Graham, storming through the field and showing that he was a class above others on the track. Knowing that it was Graham's first time out and that he was suffering from a lack of power only made his drive more exciting to watch.

Graham, I apologise if you feel that I'm discusing this in too much detail. Do tell me to shut up if I am. I'm only trying to help.

[Racing Rod]

griff2be said:

Edited to say I've spoken to Graham and he puts it down to operator error, going in too hot and getting out on the dirty stuff on the outside of the track.

So it was you driving after all

[Graham]

V8 Archie said:

Graham, I apologise if you feel that I'm discusing this in too much detail. Do tell me to shut up if I am. I'm only trying to help.

No worries the more feedback the better, and its often easier to spot things out of the car than in it... so keep the analysis going.. Any Pictures of the car going through paddock would be helpfull to... I didnt manage to get the video setup in the car..

I was struggling for balance through paddock, compaired to the rest of the circuit, although i wasnt always in the right gear 3rd no 5th no neutral....

The setup on the car consisted of making sure everything was tight, we didnt even have time for an alignment check. so with a bit of time before pembrey ( and no house move to do !!!) we need to find the engine problem ( another 1500rpm would be nice) check the setup on the car, have a look at the brake balance and get some testing in. ( Oh yes and get the gravel out of the car...)

G

[V8 Archie]

I have no pictures, sorry.