Friday 21st March 2008

Team PH Set For Oulton Park

Plus feedback after the Croft test sessions.

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Team PH Transport

Team PH are putting down their chocolate eggs and picking up a spanner and some racing gloves for this Easter weekend as the team sets out for the first races of the season at Oulton Park.

The race car was picked up from the Ginetta factory in Leeds last Sunday and taken swiftly up to Croft for a couple of days of testing, media shots and general shakedown.

The first thing I notice approaching the car is the lack of doors, so using the roll cage as a climbing frame I squeeze into the car Dukes of Hazzard style and fire up the 1.8-litre Zetec engine.

The croft air is near on freezing and the brand new set of Michelin Pilot Sport tyres have not even turned a metre so conscious of all this I get to the first corner and push the throttle down and… hello spin time.

Whack ball, twist rod, camber changed

Feeling like a complete novice after not making it through the first corner I then gradually speed up, the engine noticeable very throaty and with a lot of torque low down. But I am still not feeling comfortable with the car and one more spin later I come into the pits to pull the classic racing driver trick and blame the tools for my amateur piloting.

After speaking to several drivers about the sloppiness of the tyres I am informed they take a good 6 laps to wear the sheen from them. With this knowledge I approach the rest of the sessions with a little more caution and build up the speed gently, clocking a 1:38.6 after playing with damper settings, 4 seconds off the lap record.

Still not feeling happy with the car we get hold of a camber gauge to see if my talks of the car sorted round left-handers and not right has something to do with the setup. We find the camber on the right side of the car 1 degree out at the front and half a degree out at the back, so change it to the correct settings.

Broken throttle cable

The other problem we are having is the lack of a smooth accelerator pedal, acting more as an on off switch than an analogue device. I solve the problem while changing from 3^rd to 4^th down the start straight as the grommet holding the throttle cable to the accelerator falls off. The fix requires a shorter cable and an alternative route for the cable which smoothes the cable rub, but really I would like a nylon sheaved cable to stop any rub at all.

At the end of the test sessions we get the time down to 1:36.4, within two seconds of the lap record. We feel the car could do with a proper setup, rather than TeamPH playing and drop it back to Ginetta to have the factory settings installed.

So roll on Oulton Park for the races supporting the British GT on Saturday and Easter Monday. If you are around then come down and support Team PH, if not wish me luck, as I am getting quite nervous about entering the first corner in possible rain with 31 other cars around me…

[bikemonster]

Your first race as a novice is much more scary for those around you. They have no idea how much or how little you know.

I speak as somebody who did his first race less than six months ago.

As long as you are cured of your spinnitus by then you'll be fine.

[red_zed]

you will be fine at the first corner at Oulton....cascades however...

best of luck! I'll be there to cheer you on!

[mattsayle]

Good luck! I will look out for your car in the paddock and take some piccies of you guys hard at work.

[patmahe]

Best of luck remember to enjoy it

[Droptheclutch]

Good luck , Pete. Have a load of fun! We'll see you when you're a tad further south:-)

[WEREWOLF]

Will pop over to wish you well.The engine noise rises,heart`s pumping,the lights go out,bang your off.Best buzz you`ll ever get.Enjoy.

[gib6933]

the first corner is fine you will have no problems :-)
Its the last one lodge that bites!
Best of luck! And remember your doing it for some fun so relax
Jez

[Frik]

bikemonster said:

Your first race as a novice is much more scary for those around you. They have no idea how much or how little you know.

I speak as somebody who did his first race less than six months ago.

As long as you are cured of your spinnitus by then you'll be fine.

Wonderful advice for Pete there, though a few years too late I fear

Good luck mate!

[sniff petrol]

WEREWOLF said:

Will pop over to wish you well.The engine noise rises,heart`s pumping,the lights go out,bang your off.Best buzz you`ll ever get.Enjoy.

I'm up there on Sat and Sun too

[flattotheboards]

Good luck!

[WEREWOLF]

May go tomoz as well Rich.You helping Pete out as part of his team or just there too watch?

[Scottie - NW]

I take my little one to watch a lot of races at Oulton Park, and he insists on standing to watch at the first corner for the start of every race, and that normally produces big action!! After that he stands at the left hander after The Avenue as you go into Lakeside, that produces a lot of big moments!!

Am looking forward to seeing the PH car there :-)

[sniff petrol]

WEREWOLF said:

May go tomoz as well Rich.You helping Pete out as part of his team or just there too watch?

"helping" or otherwise know as "getting in the way"

Trying to get my other half to volunteer as a grid girl.

[sclayto2]

Good luck on Monday, Pete. I'll be there.

FYI BBC weather have suggested that there might be snow on Monday. So wrap up warm.

Hopefully the hail today didn't catch you out?

[RacingPete]

I have just managed to drop off the car in the motorhome metropolis that a GT/F3 race meeting builds. For anyone popping down and wants to say hi then we are level with race control in the penultimate row of the paddock.

[RacingPete]

... and no hail spotted yet. Though very windy!

[sniff petrol]

Just about to leave - need us to bring anything for you Pete? Got the toolbox and socket sets in the back the car just in case

[hirsty27]

All the best!

I would like to do this sort of thing, sometime in the future, please keep us informed how the Pistonheads Team is getting along.

I'd be very interested to know how you get things rolling regarding this 'going racing' lark, and what costs are like regarding, getting a race prepared car to the track.

[sniff petrol]

Had a great day out, thanks to Pete and the team (Ben, Kelly, Ian, etc.) it made a real difference to a regular race meeting where I'd just spectate and browse around the paddock inaimlessly. Gave me a real sense of purpose to get stuck in and involved.

For today's race Pete qualified 11th, made up a place or two at the start then spun on the first lap at the chicane. Luckily there was no damage but at this point he was sitting 26th out of 28. After 8 laps of Stig like driving he managed to finish 7th. I'm not 100% sure on this but I believe that means he starts the race on Monday in 7th place so lets hope he can keep out of trouble and score another good result for team PistonHeads.

Didn't manage to get any decent action shots due to spending the races on the pit wall, but here's a few static shots:








If anyone else is there on Monday then pop over and say hi.

[mattsayle]

I will pop over and say hi. You dont mind that im only 16 do you?? I am over 6 foot so i look a tad older