Spa 6 Hrs and RingTrip Blog
Discussion
Just been going through my pictures.....christ i've some real corkers in there !....i just need a better camera than my SIMPLE aim-amd-shoot jobbie. Will start to up load my 300+ piccies tomorrow for you all.
M3J.
Oh and Dink, that sounds like a good idea with a bulk buy on the photo's
M3J.
Oh and Dink, that sounds like a good idea with a bulk buy on the photo's
Nice pictures mattius. Just some info on the cars for you. 
The cars in the World Sportscar Masters are from the Group4 Prototype racing series of the late 60's and early 70's that raced at Le Mans etc. The cars in the Sports Racing Masters are mainly from the pre CanAm era where V8's started to find their way into british sportcar chassis. You can find more info on the masters website. http://www.themastersseries.com/typo/index.php?id=...
The Lola T70 Spyder and McLaren M1B from the Sports Racing Masters raced in the early CanAm of 65/66 then the technology took off with the McLaren M6 and M8 Alluminium tub based chassis cars, plus the CanAm Lola's etc. Morphing into the enormously quick Big Block cars.
Cars like the Ferrari 712 had more restrictive rules with smaller engine capacities, there was quite a split in ideas between the FIA series and CanAm at that time with the Big CanAm cars posting faster lap times than even the F1 cars.
If you would like to see the later spec Big Block CanAm cars running, they are visiting Spa on the 20/21 of this month with the Orwell Supersports Cup, Spa really demonstates how enormously quick they are.
The cars in the World Sportscar Masters are from the Group4 Prototype racing series of the late 60's and early 70's that raced at Le Mans etc. The cars in the Sports Racing Masters are mainly from the pre CanAm era where V8's started to find their way into british sportcar chassis. You can find more info on the masters website. http://www.themastersseries.com/typo/index.php?id=...The Lola T70 Spyder and McLaren M1B from the Sports Racing Masters raced in the early CanAm of 65/66 then the technology took off with the McLaren M6 and M8 Alluminium tub based chassis cars, plus the CanAm Lola's etc. Morphing into the enormously quick Big Block cars.
Cars like the Ferrari 712 had more restrictive rules with smaller engine capacities, there was quite a split in ideas between the FIA series and CanAm at that time with the Big CanAm cars posting faster lap times than even the F1 cars.
If you would like to see the later spec Big Block CanAm cars running, they are visiting Spa on the 20/21 of this month with the Orwell Supersports Cup, Spa really demonstates how enormously quick they are.
Gizmo535 said:
This
is a BRILLIANT photo. Be proud.
Cheers is a BRILLIANT photo. Be proud.
Was doing lots of experimenting with really slow shutter speeds whilst there, hence some of the super blurry "arty" examples - interesting that that one is a more normal pan where the car stays fairly sharp, maybe I should just stick with the more normal stuff
What a gerat bunch of posts guys! Loving it, keep 'em coming.
Hall/Hall Cobra did 2:53 and won class. Super! The thundering V8's shook the earth!
GP Masters:
Maydon's Amon F101 (2:31) came in 3rd. Backlit adds to the drama.
Lamplough's March 711 (2:30) won class. Fav Ronnie's ex-car and stunning! Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it in the paddocks.
Brabham BT42 passing a slower car down La Source. We were allowed to snap here although we didn't have a correct bracelet. Thank you marshalls!
Fittipaldi 5A storming! Love those DFV sounds. Accelerating from Busstop and almost touching topspeed, wham-wham-wham switching back 3 or more gears and braking hard - lots of lock-ups at this spot - an aiming for a spot-on line. Motorsports at it's best here. Bert and I were really enjoying it to bits.
March 761 came in 1st (2:23).
This Surtees TS9 (3:12) obviously had some problems . . .
Fav Brabham BT30 (2:30) at full chat. Ex-John Watson, another of my teenage heroes.
Up next: 7 more GP cars at the hairpin and then 'The Phil and Gracee show'.
To be continued.
Hall/Hall Cobra did 2:53 and won class. Super! The thundering V8's shook the earth!
GP Masters:
Maydon's Amon F101 (2:31) came in 3rd. Backlit adds to the drama.
Lamplough's March 711 (2:30) won class. Fav Ronnie's ex-car and stunning! Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it in the paddocks.
Brabham BT42 passing a slower car down La Source. We were allowed to snap here although we didn't have a correct bracelet. Thank you marshalls!
Fittipaldi 5A storming! Love those DFV sounds. Accelerating from Busstop and almost touching topspeed, wham-wham-wham switching back 3 or more gears and braking hard - lots of lock-ups at this spot - an aiming for a spot-on line. Motorsports at it's best here. Bert and I were really enjoying it to bits.
March 761 came in 1st (2:23).
This Surtees TS9 (3:12) obviously had some problems . . .
Fav Brabham BT30 (2:30) at full chat. Ex-John Watson, another of my teenage heroes.
Up next: 7 more GP cars at the hairpin and then 'The Phil and Gracee show'.
To be continued.
Just got back to my computer... What an awesome weekend!
The excitement started for me midweek as the Boss Cerbera neared completion. However all manner of gremlins crept into it and we were up until 5.30am on Friday preparing it. Test driving in the early hours of the morning was rather memorable, it's considerably louder than it used to be and is even more ferocious in the midrange. Unfortunately a couple of the fuel injectors are misbehaving so I had to switch cars at the last minute - which meant I had to pack less stuff for the Diablo's small trunk and set off very late, catching the Friday rush hour round the M25.
I was exhausted driving over on Friday, finally checking in to the Radisson Balmoral at about 1am. I was at the circuit at 7.30am to sign on for qualifying the Big Healey at 9.00am. I put in a handful of laps in heavy traffic just to explore the new Bus Stop and La Source then handed the car over to owner David Grace ( "Gracee" ) to get us a grid slot. He duly banged in a 3:03.975, putting us on Class pole, 17th overall (of 74 runners). To begin with I thought this was excellent ...and then he informed me it was the fastest he'd ever got his Healey around Spa ...and then I noticed it was considerably quicker than any other Healey too. All good, right?
Then all the PH crew arrived and as I was explaining our Class pole and Gracee's flying lap it dawned on me that it would be very likely that, with me starting the race, my friends would probably end up watching me back the car down the running order. Oops.
Just to emphasise the point, Gracee was fastest Healey in the 6 Hour race (in a different Healey, 3:07) and when I arrived on Sunday morning he was out in his own car running improbably near the front of the pack and, again, banging in some seriously quick times. By the start of the race I think I had more adrenaline going through me than any race before. OK, I was close to crapping myself - proper worried. Fear of embarrassment must be some sort of super motivator though...
At the start of the race, I very nearly came a cropper going into La Source (you'll see it on the video...) as I attacked the first corner intending to try and gain some places. On the first lap, only my mate Andrew Riley in his ex-Stoddart MGB V8 (who started next to me) and a GT40 got ahead of me. The GT40 should never have been behind in the first place so I was cool with that (and I consoled myself with remembering how I'd blown past him through Pouhon in qualifying). I soon settled into the Healey style though - it's my kind of car and Gracee sets his cars up the way I like them with a pointy front end and throttle-steerable rear. The only way to pedal a Healey fast is to drift it and I was having a whale of a time. I was on the pace too - confirmed by our "Meerkat" pitboard coming out for me showing 3:06 within a couple of laps. And that was with a heavy fuel load on board. I laughed out loud. Yeeeeeeeee...Haaaaaaaaar!
I then got into some great tussles. A couple of Jags (a black XJRS and a Leyland-liveried XJ12) were putting me under some pressure so I gave them some racing room and they sneaked past up the top of the circuit. But once they were past, I found myself all over them like a rash. "I'm having me them there places back..." Out of the new Bus Stop, the Big Healey accelerated faster than the Jag pair so I ducked up the inside and put some pressure on them, causing both of them to outbrake themselves (and almost myself too!!!). The XJRS ended up out in no-mans-land with his wheels locked up, the XJ12 had a massive tank slapper ending up in "Hamilton Land" on the other side of the green concrete ....and I came round the corner sideways. A red Morgan made a bid for the inside line and drew alongside me. "Not so fast sunshine...." In the meantime, the XJ12 was coming back on to the circuit on my left. And there ensued a three abreast drag race down the hill into Eau Rouge. The Big Healey did the business and with my right foot wedged against the floor I pulled ahead 3rd, 4th, Overdrive 4th. I dropped the Morgan then got the corner from the XJ12 by barely dabbing the brakes, flicking out of Overdrive and firing the Healey up Eau Rouge. Lesson administered, the Jags didn't trouble me again...
Well, not those two anyway... Next was a russet coloured E-Type that must have made its way from further back down the grid. We were amongst back markers and the blue flags were waving and the E-Type got ahead at Blanchimont. But, again, as I came out of the Bus Stop, the Healey reeled the E-Type back in and I re-took the place at La Source. I've got a quick line through Eau Rouge but on the Kemel Straight the E-Type was having another go. I took a snap shot in my head of looking across at the E-Type... The afternoon sun was on the side of the E-Type, the driver brilliantly lit in his period balaclava and open face helmet... He'd got the thousand yard stare. Watching this from inside the Healey was great, a real feeling of "period" racing - Big Healey vs E-Type. It was even more great as I had the right of the track (and therefore the corner) and he was heading straight into the oil-soaked braking area on the left. I sniggered like Muttley... He might be that bit quicker, but Les Combes certainly wasn't going to be the nicest place to pass!
After that the Safety Cars were released due to a Sunbeam Tiger piling into the wall at Blanchimont 2. The marshalls took the opportunity to clear a few breakdowns and dust the oil at Les Combes. The slow laps helped the tyres and brakes recover so at driver-change, Gracee had a lighter car (less fuel) with tyres and brakes in good shape. As usual, he took off like a man possessed and recorded our fastest race lap: 3:05.422.
The race results were not given out in absolute order. I had no idea where we came overall but I was damned sure we'd won the Class and got the Fastest Lap in it. To my surprise, we were 2nd in Class, a TR4 that had started 32nd and that was at least 4 seconds a lap slower listed as being the Class winner.
It has since transpired that several cars in our race, and in others, had been 'missed' by the timing equipment on a lap. We were listed as "lapped" by the leaders - which of course we weren't! So.... I am delighted to report that we did have a lights-to-flag Class victory and Fastest Lap. I think we finished 11th overall. Gracee and I were the fastest "Healey Men" at Spa.
Racing the Healey was only half the trip though.... next came the 'Ring and Spa in the Six Litre Diablo. Mr Cerbera rode shotgun for my sighting lap which was interesting... driving the Diablo round the Nordschleife felt like piloting the Millennium Falcon. It's maybe a bit big and heavy for the 'Ring, but all the more dramatic for it! M3John was next in the chair - and I'm glad that shot elsewhere in the thread shows the berk in the Boxster, I needed two wheels on the grass to pass that weaving clutz at over 100mph. The fastest lap was with FUBAR in the car - we had a pretty clear lap and although the bullet cam power lead fell out, I know from the car's clock that it was somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00, a reasonable lap!
Finally, was a return to Spa. The Diablo was very much at home there. 160mph on the speedo up the Kemel Straight - I've a few laps on video for YouTube. Perhaps the most exciting were the "filming laps" with Guillotine's Monster Griff race car carrying a rear facing camera for Godzilla's Lingenfelter Z06 and the Diablo to play to. I can't wait to see that footage! I chased the Griff up the Kemel Straight six inches from the TVR's rear. There must have been some oil on the track in places because I was getting some very nice oversteer in the Diablo, far preferable to the understeer tendency it has when overdriven. Getting that big mutha light and fidgety up Eau Rouge was just awesome!
It was really excellent to have so many friends over for the racing and I hope to see you all next year when the Thunder Road Cobra returns and Cheng and I will resume our pursuit of the elusive outright win. Of course, we're just a support race - those old F1 cars and the big Sportscar race (70+ car grid!!!!) are worth the trip alone. Gracee got another cup in the sportscar race too, partnering Nick Whale in the McLaren M1B. Nick steered that car on the throttle everywhere and was very dramatic to watch while Gracee was characteristically super-smooth.
Now just got to sort out my video and photos....
ETA: - Just watched the footage, I got the Jag stories in the wrong order
The excitement started for me midweek as the Boss Cerbera neared completion. However all manner of gremlins crept into it and we were up until 5.30am on Friday preparing it. Test driving in the early hours of the morning was rather memorable, it's considerably louder than it used to be and is even more ferocious in the midrange. Unfortunately a couple of the fuel injectors are misbehaving so I had to switch cars at the last minute - which meant I had to pack less stuff for the Diablo's small trunk and set off very late, catching the Friday rush hour round the M25.
I was exhausted driving over on Friday, finally checking in to the Radisson Balmoral at about 1am. I was at the circuit at 7.30am to sign on for qualifying the Big Healey at 9.00am. I put in a handful of laps in heavy traffic just to explore the new Bus Stop and La Source then handed the car over to owner David Grace ( "Gracee" ) to get us a grid slot. He duly banged in a 3:03.975, putting us on Class pole, 17th overall (of 74 runners). To begin with I thought this was excellent ...and then he informed me it was the fastest he'd ever got his Healey around Spa ...and then I noticed it was considerably quicker than any other Healey too. All good, right?
Then all the PH crew arrived and as I was explaining our Class pole and Gracee's flying lap it dawned on me that it would be very likely that, with me starting the race, my friends would probably end up watching me back the car down the running order. Oops.
Just to emphasise the point, Gracee was fastest Healey in the 6 Hour race (in a different Healey, 3:07) and when I arrived on Sunday morning he was out in his own car running improbably near the front of the pack and, again, banging in some seriously quick times. By the start of the race I think I had more adrenaline going through me than any race before. OK, I was close to crapping myself - proper worried. Fear of embarrassment must be some sort of super motivator though...
At the start of the race, I very nearly came a cropper going into La Source (you'll see it on the video...) as I attacked the first corner intending to try and gain some places. On the first lap, only my mate Andrew Riley in his ex-Stoddart MGB V8 (who started next to me) and a GT40 got ahead of me. The GT40 should never have been behind in the first place so I was cool with that (and I consoled myself with remembering how I'd blown past him through Pouhon in qualifying). I soon settled into the Healey style though - it's my kind of car and Gracee sets his cars up the way I like them with a pointy front end and throttle-steerable rear. The only way to pedal a Healey fast is to drift it and I was having a whale of a time. I was on the pace too - confirmed by our "Meerkat" pitboard coming out for me showing 3:06 within a couple of laps. And that was with a heavy fuel load on board. I laughed out loud. Yeeeeeeeee...Haaaaaaaaar!
I then got into some great tussles. A couple of Jags (a black XJRS and a Leyland-liveried XJ12) were putting me under some pressure so I gave them some racing room and they sneaked past up the top of the circuit. But once they were past, I found myself all over them like a rash. "I'm having me them there places back..." Out of the new Bus Stop, the Big Healey accelerated faster than the Jag pair so I ducked up the inside and put some pressure on them, causing both of them to outbrake themselves (and almost myself too!!!). The XJRS ended up out in no-mans-land with his wheels locked up, the XJ12 had a massive tank slapper ending up in "Hamilton Land" on the other side of the green concrete ....and I came round the corner sideways. A red Morgan made a bid for the inside line and drew alongside me. "Not so fast sunshine...." In the meantime, the XJ12 was coming back on to the circuit on my left. And there ensued a three abreast drag race down the hill into Eau Rouge. The Big Healey did the business and with my right foot wedged against the floor I pulled ahead 3rd, 4th, Overdrive 4th. I dropped the Morgan then got the corner from the XJ12 by barely dabbing the brakes, flicking out of Overdrive and firing the Healey up Eau Rouge. Lesson administered, the Jags didn't trouble me again...
Well, not those two anyway... Next was a russet coloured E-Type that must have made its way from further back down the grid. We were amongst back markers and the blue flags were waving and the E-Type got ahead at Blanchimont. But, again, as I came out of the Bus Stop, the Healey reeled the E-Type back in and I re-took the place at La Source. I've got a quick line through Eau Rouge but on the Kemel Straight the E-Type was having another go. I took a snap shot in my head of looking across at the E-Type... The afternoon sun was on the side of the E-Type, the driver brilliantly lit in his period balaclava and open face helmet... He'd got the thousand yard stare. Watching this from inside the Healey was great, a real feeling of "period" racing - Big Healey vs E-Type. It was even more great as I had the right of the track (and therefore the corner) and he was heading straight into the oil-soaked braking area on the left. I sniggered like Muttley... He might be that bit quicker, but Les Combes certainly wasn't going to be the nicest place to pass!
After that the Safety Cars were released due to a Sunbeam Tiger piling into the wall at Blanchimont 2. The marshalls took the opportunity to clear a few breakdowns and dust the oil at Les Combes. The slow laps helped the tyres and brakes recover so at driver-change, Gracee had a lighter car (less fuel) with tyres and brakes in good shape. As usual, he took off like a man possessed and recorded our fastest race lap: 3:05.422.
The race results were not given out in absolute order. I had no idea where we came overall but I was damned sure we'd won the Class and got the Fastest Lap in it. To my surprise, we were 2nd in Class, a TR4 that had started 32nd and that was at least 4 seconds a lap slower listed as being the Class winner.
It has since transpired that several cars in our race, and in others, had been 'missed' by the timing equipment on a lap. We were listed as "lapped" by the leaders - which of course we weren't! So.... I am delighted to report that we did have a lights-to-flag Class victory and Fastest Lap. I think we finished 11th overall. Gracee and I were the fastest "Healey Men" at Spa.
Racing the Healey was only half the trip though.... next came the 'Ring and Spa in the Six Litre Diablo. Mr Cerbera rode shotgun for my sighting lap which was interesting... driving the Diablo round the Nordschleife felt like piloting the Millennium Falcon. It's maybe a bit big and heavy for the 'Ring, but all the more dramatic for it! M3John was next in the chair - and I'm glad that shot elsewhere in the thread shows the berk in the Boxster, I needed two wheels on the grass to pass that weaving clutz at over 100mph. The fastest lap was with FUBAR in the car - we had a pretty clear lap and although the bullet cam power lead fell out, I know from the car's clock that it was somewhere between 8:30 and 9:00, a reasonable lap!
Finally, was a return to Spa. The Diablo was very much at home there. 160mph on the speedo up the Kemel Straight - I've a few laps on video for YouTube. Perhaps the most exciting were the "filming laps" with Guillotine's Monster Griff race car carrying a rear facing camera for Godzilla's Lingenfelter Z06 and the Diablo to play to. I can't wait to see that footage! I chased the Griff up the Kemel Straight six inches from the TVR's rear.
There must have been some oil on the track in places because I was getting some very nice oversteer in the Diablo, far preferable to the understeer tendency it has when overdriven. Getting that big mutha light and fidgety up Eau Rouge was just awesome!It was really excellent to have so many friends over for the racing and I hope to see you all next year when the Thunder Road Cobra returns and Cheng and I will resume our pursuit of the elusive outright win. Of course, we're just a support race - those old F1 cars and the big Sportscar race (70+ car grid!!!!) are worth the trip alone. Gracee got another cup in the sportscar race too, partnering Nick Whale in the McLaren M1B. Nick steered that car on the throttle everywhere and was very dramatic to watch while Gracee was characteristically super-smooth.
Now just got to sort out my video and photos....
ETA: - Just watched the footage, I got the Jag stories in the wrong order
Edited by bosscerbera on Wednesday 10th October 14:16
bosscerbera said:
.....A red Morgan made a bid for the inside line and drew alongside me. "Not so fast sunshine...." In the meantime, the XJ12 was coming back on to the circuit on my left. And there ensued a three abreast drag race down the hill into Eau Rouge. The Big Healey did the business and with my right foot wedged against the floor I pulled ahead 3rd, 4th, Overdrive 4th. I dropped the Morgan then got the corner from the XJ12 by barely dabbing the brakes, flicking out of Overdrive and firing the Healey up Eau Rouge. Lesson administered, the Jags didn't trouble me again...
Nice write up P.Some pics of the above
Side by side
Edging it
Squeeze through the gap
More of the Healey to follow
Top photos TC!!! Great write up Phil and Congrats on the class win. The XJRS behind you had a really good time, 'that pesky Healey'
. I drove it onto the Daytona boat yesterday as on Monday it came straight from Spa to the docks. It needed a bit of maintanence but it is now fresh and ready for the USA.
. I drove it onto the Daytona boat yesterday as on Monday it came straight from Spa to the docks. It needed a bit of maintanence but it is now fresh and ready for the USA. bosscerbera said:
johnnymaestro said:
'that pesky Healey'
johnnymaestro said:
I drove it onto the Daytona boat yesterday as on Monday it came straight from Spa to the docks.
You mean to tell me that - after all - the Six Hours meet and Daytona was possible??? 
It would've been possible but he did cut it fine. But a very big risk to take and then have no car after Spa. Plus the cobra was a replica too, so another car would've been needed.
One guy who was coming realised later on after signing up that the loading was on the monday after the 6 hrs, and he canned daytona to go to spa instead as he didn't think he could make it to loading, plus no time to work on/prepare car after Spa.
Phil snapped by our man DutchBert:
Working hard.
that's Gracee at the wheel.
Class shot!
Mine will be done with 1/100 sec, with a bit of blur then as in the F1's.
Well done Bert, top ones! Come over this thursday mate, and join me for beers and some photobucket lessons. PM if you can make it.
Working hard.
that's Gracee at the wheel.
Class shot!
Mine will be done with 1/100 sec, with a bit of blur then as in the F1's.
Well done Bert, top ones! Come over this thursday mate, and join me for beers and some photobucket lessons. PM if you can make it.
bosscerbera said:
Now that does look like fun!! Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff