Spire GT3 RGB Racer
Discussion
Update for the 2019 season ahead...
Great calendar this year, made up to see Oulton Park in the line up which is the only track remotely local to me and in my opinion one of the best tracks in the UK.
I'm also very pleased to be able to confirm that I will be racing a works Spire GT3S next year, Billy Albones 2017 championship winning car, which also won a number of races in 2018 before he was given a new car with some minor updates.. very much looking forward to doing some testing and getting to grips with it.
Great calendar this year, made up to see Oulton Park in the line up which is the only track remotely local to me and in my opinion one of the best tracks in the UK.
I'm also very pleased to be able to confirm that I will be racing a works Spire GT3S next year, Billy Albones 2017 championship winning car, which also won a number of races in 2018 before he was given a new car with some minor updates.. very much looking forward to doing some testing and getting to grips with it.
Edited by Yazza54 on Tuesday 8th January 13:00
Krikkit said:
Very nice, did you manage to sell your old car then? I see they're both up on racecarsdirect. 
Shame the Anglesy round is on the Le Mans weekend - I'm only in Chester, so would've come down to see a PHer racing. I'll have to try and make the season-finale Oulton instead.
Ha yes they are, my blue one I still have but the new year has sparked new interest and I'm confident it'll sell as it's well priced as competitive as I've demonstrated. Shame the Anglesy round is on the Le Mans weekend - I'm only in Chester, so would've come down to see a PHer racing. I'll have to try and make the season-finale Oulton instead.
The new one just hasn't been taken off RCD yet but is well and truely spoken for
Great stuff, I will be at every round so pop along!
BertBert said:
I didn't see the thread as it was written, but really enjoyed the write-up, great stuff.
So a race win on the cards in 2019? What are the grids likely to be in 2019?
Will car 6 from that pic might have some scrutineering issues with his roll hoop extension in 2019?
Bert
Hi Bert So a race win on the cards in 2019? What are the grids likely to be in 2019?
Will car 6 from that pic might have some scrutineering issues with his roll hoop extension in 2019?
Bert
Thanks for your kind words and I'm pleased you enjoyed the write up. I do wonder if anyone's bothering to read this sometimes but maybe initially posting it up in readers cars was the mistake!
I will be more confident once I've tested the car, all I know is that the lap times it's done speak for themselves but that was obviously with someone else at the wheel, but at least I know the car is capable... So no excuses, I don't think a bit of pressure is bad though and I wanted to be in a position where I had all the tools to win. I'm confident I'll be more competitive, how much more is yet to be seen!
Certainly buying this car is popping my head above the parapet and people will be watching and expecting results, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't expect that too, so it doesn't really add to the pressure so much. Can only do my best!
Grids are looking around 20 cars, some rounds may well be more, generally I'm hoping that to be about the minimum.
I've no idea to tell you the truth - have they written in something specific about extensions? (MSUK haven't bothered sending a new blue book so I've no idea!!) I actually thought they were non compliant already but the scrutes never seem to bat an eye.
Cheers
Worth following the facebook page which is where the formula is marketed the most regularly with general news, driver updates, newcomers etc.
https://www.facebook.com/rgbsports1000
https://www.facebook.com/rgbsports1000
BertBert said:
Saw the Spire on the 750mc stand on Friday and it looked very nice!
Bert
Yep, that's the sister car to mine that Richard will be driving. Bert
Some good news, my blue Spire has now sold to a newcomer to the formula - Tom Johnston. Very pleased that it's staying in the formula and some more new blood is coming in.
Tkjracing said:
Some new blood indeed! I’m chuffed to nuts to have picked up such a well taken care of and developed car. I hope I do it justice and continue it’s onward development.
It feels like I’ve got a mountain of admin to get through before the season opener at Brands and more importantly some much needed track time in the Spire. Not only am I new to the RGB formula but I will be wearing my novice cross with pride as I’ve never been involved in any form of racing until now. Certainly a learning curve to climb but I can’t wait to get stuck in.
It feels like I’ve got a mountain of admin to get through before the season opener at Brands and more importantly some much needed track time in the Spire. Not only am I new to the RGB formula but I will be wearing my novice cross with pride as I’ve never been involved in any form of racing until now. Certainly a learning curve to climb but I can’t wait to get stuck in.
First test of the year Thursday just gone at Silverstone on the national circuit.
Woke up at stupid o clock, didn't sleep very well due to the excitement and anticipation of driving my new car but I had to be up early anyway to make the 2 3/4 hour drive to the track.
Arrived around 7.15am, Paul had already got the cars in the garage the night before so they were sat there ready to go and glistening, beautifully prepared.
First sessions were mega wet, the car was inspiring a good amount of confidence and lovely to drive. These cars don't run full blown race wets, they are just an Avon road tyre and they don't really ever have a good amount of grip in the wet, as the cars are too light and the tyres are too hard to really generate any decent heat...but they clear the water well and are much safer than the A048s!
Thankfully it dried out later on and we got a bit of dry track time. It was quite useless for trying to put a hot lap in as there was a lot of traffic, I probably didn't get more than 2-3 clear laps, and that's not in a row!! Very mixed bag, a few very quick cars and a lot of slow ones.
As test days go though it was most useful as it was great familiarisation time with a new car in a few different conditions.
Pace was promising considering I felt rusty, greasy track, unable to settle into a rhythm for catching historic race cars every corner and on old testing tyres... More to come with more seat time etc.
Oh I managed to photo bomb mark blundell too
Tom was also out in my old car which was great to see, had a good run in the evening, the grin on his face after which was priceless! Have seen an onboard video of his and am impressed with his driving. So a good day all round.
Next test day is next Friday at Oulton Park which is a track that I've always loved so I can't wait, fingers crossed for some decent weather!!
Woke up at stupid o clock, didn't sleep very well due to the excitement and anticipation of driving my new car
but I had to be up early anyway to make the 2 3/4 hour drive to the track. Arrived around 7.15am, Paul had already got the cars in the garage the night before so they were sat there ready to go and glistening, beautifully prepared.
First sessions were mega wet, the car was inspiring a good amount of confidence and lovely to drive. These cars don't run full blown race wets, they are just an Avon road tyre and they don't really ever have a good amount of grip in the wet, as the cars are too light and the tyres are too hard to really generate any decent heat...but they clear the water well and are much safer than the A048s!
Thankfully it dried out later on and we got a bit of dry track time. It was quite useless for trying to put a hot lap in as there was a lot of traffic, I probably didn't get more than 2-3 clear laps, and that's not in a row!! Very mixed bag, a few very quick cars and a lot of slow ones.
As test days go though it was most useful as it was great familiarisation time with a new car in a few different conditions.
Pace was promising considering I felt rusty, greasy track, unable to settle into a rhythm for catching historic race cars every corner and on old testing tyres... More to come with more seat time etc.
Oh I managed to photo bomb mark blundell too
Tom was also out in my old car which was great to see, had a good run in the evening, the grin on his face after which was priceless! Have seen an onboard video of his and am impressed with his driving. So a good day all round.
Next test day is next Friday at Oulton Park which is a track that I've always loved so I can't wait, fingers crossed for some decent weather!!
Edited by Yazza54 on Saturday 16th March 08:04
Forgot to update this after oulton, test day was going well... Well under the old lap record but this was to be expected considering it was about 15 years old!! But ended up finding some Gremlins with the car that meant I only did half the third session and missed the fourth session. Was a shame as I just posted a fairly quick time on some very old knackered rubber, we fitted much fresher tyres for the third session and the car felt instantly better. But it is what it is, and that's why we test... Better to find any possible issues now than on race day!
Here's some pics my GFs father took
Roll on brands on 13th/14th April, if anyone pops along be sure to come and say hi.
Here's some pics my GFs father took
Roll on brands on 13th/14th April, if anyone pops along be sure to come and say hi.
BobToc said:
Can I be terribly rude and ask what your all-in cost of a season in? Its so hard to get a sense for how much racing at this level really costs but you make it look very accessible!
It's do able for around 1000 quid a round testing Friday and racing sat sun) ... As for how much testing you want to do and how much you want to spend on a car, I suppose it depends on how competitive you want to be or think you can be, if that makes sense? There's 2 top level spire gt3s like mine available at the moment for 21k and 23k and some older models like my old blue car for 15k and 17k... To me the car isn't a big deal, as long as you don't total it, it will hold a good residual value. The formula itself is quite affordable. No slicks, our AO48s last well, cost 400 a set and we have limited competitors to 3 sets a season, standard compliant engines don't cost a fortune, are in steady supply and last reasonably well... You won't go faster for less
Time table for next weekends season opener at Brands Hatch
Live timing can be found here for quali and both races
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/201...
Live timing can be found here for quali and both races
http://www.theresultslive.co.uk/750-motor-club/201...
alfie2244 said:
Yazza54 said:
Dunno if anyone's following this thread, but we are out this Sat at Silverstone on the national circuit.
Bikesports and F1000 are also racing, so a lot of fast action all jam packed into the one day.
If anyone's reading and thinking of popping along, come say hi..
Just to let you know there some on here with an interest in cars and motorsport......even if from afar.Bikesports and F1000 are also racing, so a lot of fast action all jam packed into the one day.
If anyone's reading and thinking of popping along, come say hi..
Good luck
Qualified 3rd and came 3rd in both races. As good as I could manage today, but more points in the bag. My first race after removing the novice cross and getting two podiums ain't so bad but I would have liked to have been able to run with the guys in front. Improving slowly and I can only aim to do my best and I think I did, so it's all good!
718rsk said:
I was Post Chief at Copse yesterday, couple of good results given the changeable track conditions, guess that was a brown trouser moment when your teammate in #11 spun in front of you at the start of the first race myself and the I/o both had our fingers on our radio buttons expecting a bit of an incident. What happened with the #1 car saw it smoking as it passed my post in practice then didn't come out for either race.
Wasn't too bad, I don't tend to panic too much in situations like that, just make a decision on which way to go! Thats the beauty of Silverstone with all the run off area!John Cutmore retired with a cracked block
Hi all
Apologies for the lack of updates, that is if anyone's reading lol
Next round is 10th / 11th August at Silverstone on the International layout. It is going to be live streamed so I'll post up the link when it's released, it'll be easy to find on the 750MC website or faceache page though if anyone wants to tune in.
As for my progress, back into second in the championship after Rounds 5 & 6 but need to pull my finger out if I want to stay at or near the sharp end of the table.
I have been playing a lot with the setup and learned a great deal, unfortunately a lot of the time I've been learning what not to do because things I've tried haven't gone to plan... Ultimately it's still learning though and I am understanding and interpreting what the car is doing better as time goes on. It's always easier to analyse and evaluate after a race meeting - that's obviously too late, but at least it can be applied next time!
Last time out at Snetterton I did some rather good times in testing but went the wrong way on the settings and ended up chasing my tail. It's difficult with limited funds and testing opportunities, and very easy to find yourself going in the wrong direction on a sessioned test day and finishing the day no better than you started or feeling unwilling to go back to something you didn't like earlier even if it was faster, particularly when making all these decisions on your own.
All that said, I do feel like I'm starting to get somewhere, even if the results haven't reflected that yet.
The most I've been able to do in a lot of the races is just do my best, bring it home in the best position I could on the day to bag the points and that does work to a degree, but when you drop 2 scores you really need some big ones in there to bolster the numbers, as it stands the best finish I've had is 3rd place, 5 of them to be precise.
So, a bit of a race report for last run out at Snett. Qualifying did not go well, not only did I go the wrong way on the setup in testing and continue down that route for qualifying, the front ARB broke on the second lap (I think) which made the car handle considerably differently (worse!), completely changing it's balance and the best I could do was 7th, rubbish.
Into Race 1, not really being sure whether the setup or the ARB snapping or both in equal measure were the main causes of my lack of pace, we just fitted a new ARB but left the setup alone. Long story short, struggled, had very little pace and just about managed to bag 3rd by the end of the race but it was hard work. Video below...
https://youtu.be/jc2LUi2ypDY
Race 2 - put the car back to my settings from very early in Friday testing as I came to the conclusion I needed to accept I'd cocked up the setup. It was supposed to be a dry race but it chucked it down minutes before the race as we were all sat in assembly area on dry setups/tyres.
Having never been in this situation before I had no idea how much grip there would be available. The answer is almost zero, and I even spun on the sighting lap trying to get a feel for the car. Again starting from a poor position I got an awful start and was almost last by the first corner. From there I just tentatively got a feel for it and built up to a pace that was safe but allowed me to make progress, ending up 2nd on the road through a combination of overtaking people and not making any foolish mistakes whilst others had excursions off track.
I did however pay for the earlier foolish mistake of spinning on the sighting lap. Apparently there is a rule that if you drop to last on the road on the sighting lap you should start from the back. Not knowing that I just started from my qualifying position, I was given a 10sec penalty putting me back to 3rd, as I was only 6 secs ahead on the road.
Video below, it may be like watching paint dry but it was bloody hard work...!
https://youtu.be/tH5AVUFCqNw
So there we have it, 2x 3rds. Felt like I made life hard for myself, and a little hard done by in the 2nd race given I was almost last by the first corner anyway, but rules are rules and points are points.
You may also note that my engine on the start line sounds like a transit van, unfortunately that is the dreaded Honda death rattle, the older engines had no heat treating on the crank primary drive gear and they are prone to chewing up and breaking off.
Luckily I managed to source a good replacement and Paul Nightingale got straight to swapping it over, and we managed to save the other engine before it went bang.. and that's us up to date.
Fingers crossed for some good weather and some good luck at Silverstone... Tune in to watch on the live stream or if you can make it by all means come and say hi. Cheers..!
Apologies for the lack of updates, that is if anyone's reading lol
Next round is 10th / 11th August at Silverstone on the International layout. It is going to be live streamed so I'll post up the link when it's released, it'll be easy to find on the 750MC website or faceache page though if anyone wants to tune in.
As for my progress, back into second in the championship after Rounds 5 & 6 but need to pull my finger out if I want to stay at or near the sharp end of the table.
I have been playing a lot with the setup and learned a great deal, unfortunately a lot of the time I've been learning what not to do because things I've tried haven't gone to plan... Ultimately it's still learning though and I am understanding and interpreting what the car is doing better as time goes on. It's always easier to analyse and evaluate after a race meeting - that's obviously too late, but at least it can be applied next time!
Last time out at Snetterton I did some rather good times in testing but went the wrong way on the settings and ended up chasing my tail. It's difficult with limited funds and testing opportunities, and very easy to find yourself going in the wrong direction on a sessioned test day and finishing the day no better than you started or feeling unwilling to go back to something you didn't like earlier even if it was faster, particularly when making all these decisions on your own.
All that said, I do feel like I'm starting to get somewhere, even if the results haven't reflected that yet.
The most I've been able to do in a lot of the races is just do my best, bring it home in the best position I could on the day to bag the points and that does work to a degree, but when you drop 2 scores you really need some big ones in there to bolster the numbers, as it stands the best finish I've had is 3rd place, 5 of them to be precise.
So, a bit of a race report for last run out at Snett. Qualifying did not go well, not only did I go the wrong way on the setup in testing and continue down that route for qualifying, the front ARB broke on the second lap (I think) which made the car handle considerably differently (worse!), completely changing it's balance and the best I could do was 7th, rubbish.
Into Race 1, not really being sure whether the setup or the ARB snapping or both in equal measure were the main causes of my lack of pace, we just fitted a new ARB but left the setup alone. Long story short, struggled, had very little pace and just about managed to bag 3rd by the end of the race but it was hard work. Video below...
https://youtu.be/jc2LUi2ypDY
Race 2 - put the car back to my settings from very early in Friday testing as I came to the conclusion I needed to accept I'd cocked up the setup. It was supposed to be a dry race but it chucked it down minutes before the race as we were all sat in assembly area on dry setups/tyres.
Having never been in this situation before I had no idea how much grip there would be available. The answer is almost zero, and I even spun on the sighting lap trying to get a feel for the car. Again starting from a poor position I got an awful start and was almost last by the first corner. From there I just tentatively got a feel for it and built up to a pace that was safe but allowed me to make progress, ending up 2nd on the road through a combination of overtaking people and not making any foolish mistakes whilst others had excursions off track.
I did however pay for the earlier foolish mistake of spinning on the sighting lap. Apparently there is a rule that if you drop to last on the road on the sighting lap you should start from the back. Not knowing that I just started from my qualifying position, I was given a 10sec penalty putting me back to 3rd, as I was only 6 secs ahead on the road.
Video below, it may be like watching paint dry but it was bloody hard work...!
https://youtu.be/tH5AVUFCqNw
So there we have it, 2x 3rds. Felt like I made life hard for myself, and a little hard done by in the 2nd race given I was almost last by the first corner anyway, but rules are rules and points are points.
You may also note that my engine on the start line sounds like a transit van, unfortunately that is the dreaded Honda death rattle, the older engines had no heat treating on the crank primary drive gear and they are prone to chewing up and breaking off.
Luckily I managed to source a good replacement and Paul Nightingale got straight to swapping it over, and we managed to save the other engine before it went bang.. and that's us up to date.
Fingers crossed for some good weather and some good luck at Silverstone... Tune in to watch on the live stream or if you can make it by all means come and say hi. Cheers..!
Edited by Yazza54 on Saturday 3rd August 18:11
We don't really have that issue, the motorcycle slipper clutches take care of the back - torque.
As for lines, I suppose it's that fear factor of the chronic understeer having me off if I enter too wide, as these cars do have a tendency to plough on severely in the wet.. but also trying to turn the car in tight means having loads of lock still applied while trying to get out of the corner and wind on the power which is also not remotely favourable.
As for lines, I suppose it's that fear factor of the chronic understeer having me off if I enter too wide, as these cars do have a tendency to plough on severely in the wet.. but also trying to turn the car in tight means having loads of lock still applied while trying to get out of the corner and wind on the power which is also not remotely favourable.
Edited by Yazza54 on Saturday 3rd August 20:38
alfie2244 said:
Yazza54 said:
We don't really have that issue, the motorcycle slipper clutches take care of the back - torque.
As for lines, I suppose it's that fear factor of the chronic understeer having me off if I enter too wide, as these cars do have a tendency to plough on severely in the wet.. but also trying to turn the car in tight means having loads of lock still applied while trying to get out of the corner and wind on the power which is also not remotely favourable.
IIRC it is called the "Karting Line" and it works on Karts and may be worth trying even if only in practicing.As for lines, I suppose it's that fear factor of the chronic understeer having me off if I enter too wide, as these cars do have a tendency to plough on severely in the wet.. but also trying to turn the car in tight means having loads of lock still applied while trying to get out of the corner and wind on the power which is also not remotely favourable.
Edited by Yazza54 on Saturday 3rd August 20:38
Live stream link for the weekend
https://youtu.be/CQorNQi0WMI
Our race 1 is at 1.20pm and race 2 on Sunday at 11.35am
Subject to any changes to the time table of course
https://youtu.be/CQorNQi0WMI
Our race 1 is at 1.20pm and race 2 on Sunday at 11.35am
Subject to any changes to the time table of course
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