3 secs per lap - how to find?
3 secs per lap - how to find?
Author
Discussion

stockhatcher

Original Poster:

5,172 posts

252 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
hello,

i am contemplating a change of championship, from stock hatch to castle combe saloons - mainly for convenience reasons ( not as much travelling/ less time committment ). In my stock hatch I can do a 1m27 at coombe, I need to do a 1m19 to be on class pole pace.

So, I have had new dampers fitted since then and they found around 1.5 sec per lap ( thanks lanan), I can take the 50 kg of ballast out, and that'll find me about 1 sec, I can run yoko 48's which should find about 2sec maybe more (was orignally using yoko a539). Is there any time advantage in running lower profile tyres/bigger wheels? So by my reckoning I could get down to a 1m22.5 maybe a 1m22.

I will use a driver coach - maybe 0.5 secs in there?

where does the rest come from - I have £2k to spend? The rules states that engines are free, gearboxes are free so long as same no of gears and not sequential.

all advice appreciated?


LaSarthe+Back

2,084 posts

242 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
lighter wheels would certainly help. I don't know what you are currently running, or even if you want to spend the last of your money on some expensive wheels.

I was once told that 1kg of unsprung mass was worth 4kg inside the car. really made me think about my replica 18" wheels! Cant blimmin afford to replace em though!! frown

EFA

Edited by LaSarthe+Back on Wednesday 7th January 21:34


have you thought about better brakes? are they allowed? confused

Edited by LaSarthe+Back on Wednesday 7th January 21:35

FourWheelDrift

92,290 posts

313 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
stockhatcher said:
I will use a driver coach - maybe 0.5 secs in there?

where does the rest come from - I have £2k to spend? The rules states that engines are free, gearboxes are free so long as same no of gears and not sequential.

all advice appreciated?
Have you had a look at this - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSiK_VarK8

It really does work and can make improvements (the gears, braking and throttle advice and keeping iti as smooth as possible) that's if you don't do it already. And it doesn't cost a penny smile

trackcar

6,453 posts

255 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
only 0.5 secs from some driver coaching .. giggle.

Mad 20v

100 posts

267 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
Don't think you will be able to run 48's in the Combe saloon's just certain road tyres.

stockhatcher

Original Poster:

5,172 posts

252 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
Mad 20v said:
Don't think you will be able to run 48's in the Combe saloon's just certain road tyres.
in which case i have lost interest.... frown

Simon Mason

579 posts

298 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
Ask yourself what sort of circuit is Castle Combe, what sort of corners does it have speed and duration wise then using the power of deduction I bet you come up with....

Engine engine engine.

Everything else is only going to be adding to the fact your car will need more grunt eventually anyway!!!

That advise is free wink


stockhatcher

Original Poster:

5,172 posts

252 months

Wednesday 7th January 2009
quotequote all
stockhatcher said:
Mad 20v said:
Don't think you will be able to run 48's in the Combe saloon's just certain road tyres.
in which case i have lost interest.... frown
i have checked the coombe regs, and you are right, list 1 a only, no 48's

better to know now than turn up on the day. Looks like it'll be a bit more stock hatch for me then...

phatgixer

4,988 posts

278 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
Best rubber you can run will be Bridgestone RE070. List 1A only. 048s are 1B.



Dan Friel

4,222 posts

307 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
Simon is right. It's all about horsepower. The class leaders are spending thousands at Combe, and that's where the time is.

They do also run 1A tyres, so you'll need plenty of scrubbed sets.

ph123

1,841 posts

247 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
No question, you need to optomise your power available to the legal maximum, but also your grip. Make tyres (and suspension, brake performance to follow) a priority.
And then coaching with help you maintain momentumm. In not so powerful cars, the big deal is to slow down as little as possible.
Coaching will also help with that and the all important mind set.
In qualifying it's all about putting all the ingrediants together for one good lap. Just touring round and round won't do it. So get everything optomised, visualise the perfect lap and go out, find some space and get it done.
Good luck! Great fun!

stew-S160

8,020 posts

267 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
trackcar said:
only 0.5 secs from some driver coaching .. giggle.
i was thinking the same. only rofl instead.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
i wouldnt right it off yet, i know the 750mc are rarely at combe so soe time learning the circuit with the car in its current configuration might identify where you think time can be found.

is it a series 2 rallye and thus the 1600cc? if so i think the higher end of class C will be averaging 1.20s second laps rather than 1.18s

as others have alluded to, your 0.5 seconds saving from a driver coach does seem somewhat, well, just a tiny bit arrogant. I am sure you have a high opinion of your ability but i think you would be surprised by how much you will benefit. if it is anything less than a second i will eat my keyboard.... to only be able to find an extra 0.5 seconds from a 1.8 mile circuit that you (correct me if i am wrong) rarely race at does imply you are al lready some kind of driving god that is a loss to F1 wink

the combe forum is very friendly and the regulars should be able to offer some help. they just want more people to race against so wont have any qualms about offering go faster advice...

cptsideways

13,884 posts

281 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
stew-S160 said:
trackcar said:
only 0.5 secs from some driver coaching .. giggle.
i was thinking the same. only rofl instead.
I'd suggest a second or more would be realistic! A friend has been coaching several drivers from his championship (all the same cars) since the end of the season. He's a top runner in a slightly lesser powered car. He's been getting 1-2 seconds out of most drivers on circuits from Brands/Snet/Oulton/Coombe. So don't discount driver coaching, he'll also assist with car set up.

I see this every day at Palmersport, sat alongside LOTS of people in one car, only 5% of drivers can get the best out of the cars. To give you some idea a 49 sec lap is about as good as most people get, most do 55's, good drivers get 50's very occasionally someone will knock it down to a 47 in not ideal conditions.

Are your lap times consistent? can you repeat those times throughout a race? how often do you make mistakes and add 1/2 secs to those times?

Have you any in car footage you can post up?



Edited by cptsideways on Thursday 8th January 10:00

rude-boy

22,227 posts

262 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
As others better placed than i have said driver coaching and power.

Combe is all about power.

anonymous-user

83 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
rude-boy said:
As others better placed than i have said driver coaching and power.

Combe is all about power.
whilst i agree to an extent, having spent the best part of twenty years spectating at combe it is surprising to see so many people take what i now from experience to be the wrong line thorough a corner. when you watch someone who knows there way around the circuit from a combe championship in comparison to someone from a visiting championship, there are some interesting differences, particularly when its wet.

power is nothing if you dont know where and when to use it.

cptsideways

13,884 posts

281 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
pablo said:
rude-boy said:
As others better placed than i have said driver coaching and power.

Combe is all about power.
whilst i agree to an extent, having spent the best part of twenty years spectating at combe it is surprising to see so many people take what i now from experience to be the wrong line thorough a corner. when you watch someone who knows there way around the circuit from a combe championship in comparison to someone from a visiting championship, there are some interesting differences, particularly when its wet.

power is nothing if you dont know where and when to use it.
Exactly :nod:

Have you had any recent coaching? if so what was the outcome? Always a good guide is if another driver can do a better time in your car, then that driver shows you how to go about achieving it. Have you driven other cars that are "faster" & got a better time?

Agreed about Coombe in the wet, this is where the difference in a better line & technique will win hands down.

mat205125

17,790 posts

242 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
Mad 20v said:
Don't think you will be able to run 48's in the Combe saloon's just certain road tyres.
yes

A048 are list B tyres, you need to be looking at list A.

No matter what you do to the car, or training, you won't get to the front of your class (Class C - 1800cc) without POOOOWWWWWEEEEEEERRRRR!!! The front running cars in that class have sorted cars, experience, and no less than 200bhp.

WRT your investment in your 205, this is supposed to be the last year that they will be allowed IIRC

mat205125

17,790 posts

242 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
mat205125 said:
Mad 20v said:
Don't think you will be able to run 48's in the Combe saloon's just certain road tyres.
yes

A048 are list B tyres, you need to be looking at list A.

No matter what you do to the car, or training, you won't get to the front of your class (Class C - 1800cc) without POOOOWWWWWEEEEEEERRRRR!!! The front running cars in that class have sorted cars, experience, and no less than 200bhp.

WRT your investment in your 205, this is supposed to be the last year that they will be allowed IIRC
ETA ... Is it a 205? I see stockhatch, and see 205 as being the same thing by instinct.

stockhatcher

Original Poster:

5,172 posts

252 months

Thursday 8th January 2009
quotequote all
its a 106,

wrt to driver coaching, i have had some in the past, i was actually trying to be realistic in that, a driver coach might be able to get a second out of someone , but may only get a half second out of me, coz that's all i'm capable of giving.

there again he might find me three seconds, wouldn't want to bank on it though. Anyway its a moot point now, going from 1m27 to 1m20 might have been doable on 48's but not on road tyres.