£1000 RX8 sprint/track-car project
Discussion
Well then, on to Kendrew!
They have a bit of a bad reputation, but I love airfield circuits. There’s so much variation in surface, lines, speed…. And there’s loads of space to have a bit of fun. We had a great weekend all planned out – I was to head down to Pete’s after work on Friday to help with loading up, last minute checks etc, then we’d pootle off to Mazda UK on Saturday morning for their Rotary Day meet. There’d be all sorts of interesting, historic rotary cars there and I was very much looking forward to seeing the reaction our multicoloured, battered heap would get
We set off nice and early and made it all of ten miles. Unfortunately Pete’s beloved Shogun decided that hauling the car and trailer up the hill out of Romney Marsh was the last straw, whereupon it overheated spectacularly. So, bonnet up, cool down and we gently coaxed it back to the house and immediately started phoning round the local hire companies. We found a van easily enough (hooray!) but it was only available at 4pm that day (boo), so alas the Mazda meet wasn’t to be. Later investigation unearthed a blocked overflow pipe to the expansion tank, and an almost-certain diagnosis of a cracked head. New tow-car shopping is ongoing…
Still, after a pleasant afternoon feeling like a pair of loose ends (and doing our best to avoid the football) we collected the van, headed up to Lincolnshire and had a pleasant walk down to a local pub for dinner, before wandering over to the track the following morning.
Kendrew has a pretty abrasive surface so we’d held onto our R888Rs from last season especially – this was to be their last hurrah, particularly if we got a bit of play time at the end. There was a good crowd of around 60 runners, and (shock!) an interloper in our class – a very well-prepped (and, as it turned out, well-driven) breadvan Civic Type R.
[/url]
I’m not good at learning tracks, and it was a sweltering day (especially in a dark RX8 with no interior and no AC!) but we both had a lot of fun chasing each other throughout the morning. As ever, Pete was comfortably ahead as we came into the lunchbreak after a blinding 1:50.00 run put him almost a second quicker than me. Grip levels were pretty inconsistent – usually being the second driver on a run gives you an advantage, but everything was so sun-baked the tyres were overheating! The first run after lunch is usually slower, however the tyres had a chance to cool down and we both came out of the blocks with what turned out to be our fastest time of the day. Pete started off by knocking a further second-and-a-bit off his time (now 1:48.87) which did not help my nerves heading into my run! It started off a bit shakey, with more wheelspin than I was expecting heading off the line (the tyres were pretty knackered by this point) but I managed to pull everything together and knocked over 2 secs off for a fastest time of 1:48.34. I was pretty pleased with this, as I imagine you’ll tell when Pete uploads the video
The final run was terrible for us both in the end – I managed to miss 3rd gear a total of three times during the first half of the lap, then overcooked it on the final chicane and ended up scattering cones and plastic barriers everywhere. Pete’s was tidier, but no faster – the tyres really were toast by that point.
End results were really pleasing – we were first and second in the Mazda series (and a full 7 seconds clear of the MX5 in third place!), but couldn’t quite catch that pesky Civic in our Japanese Series class. Still, we gave it a good shot! Fortunately we’d also finished early, which gave us a free track for fun runs and passenger rides….
…and a set of tyres to kill…
…you can see where this is going, right?
There’s a vid to follow… suffice to say we both had a lot of fun on an empty airfield with dead tyres
And a few pics from the day:
Oh, one last thing. Everybody spent last weekend bleating about something-or-other that was 'coming home.’ I’m not entirely sure what all that fuss was about, but they were right in one sense at least. After almost 9 months residing in deepest darkest Kent, the wankel Cup is, finally, coming home
They have a bit of a bad reputation, but I love airfield circuits. There’s so much variation in surface, lines, speed…. And there’s loads of space to have a bit of fun. We had a great weekend all planned out – I was to head down to Pete’s after work on Friday to help with loading up, last minute checks etc, then we’d pootle off to Mazda UK on Saturday morning for their Rotary Day meet. There’d be all sorts of interesting, historic rotary cars there and I was very much looking forward to seeing the reaction our multicoloured, battered heap would get
We set off nice and early and made it all of ten miles. Unfortunately Pete’s beloved Shogun decided that hauling the car and trailer up the hill out of Romney Marsh was the last straw, whereupon it overheated spectacularly. So, bonnet up, cool down and we gently coaxed it back to the house and immediately started phoning round the local hire companies. We found a van easily enough (hooray!) but it was only available at 4pm that day (boo), so alas the Mazda meet wasn’t to be. Later investigation unearthed a blocked overflow pipe to the expansion tank, and an almost-certain diagnosis of a cracked head. New tow-car shopping is ongoing…
Still, after a pleasant afternoon feeling like a pair of loose ends (and doing our best to avoid the football) we collected the van, headed up to Lincolnshire and had a pleasant walk down to a local pub for dinner, before wandering over to the track the following morning.
Kendrew has a pretty abrasive surface so we’d held onto our R888Rs from last season especially – this was to be their last hurrah, particularly if we got a bit of play time at the end. There was a good crowd of around 60 runners, and (shock!) an interloper in our class – a very well-prepped (and, as it turned out, well-driven) breadvan Civic Type R.
[/url]I’m not good at learning tracks, and it was a sweltering day (especially in a dark RX8 with no interior and no AC!) but we both had a lot of fun chasing each other throughout the morning. As ever, Pete was comfortably ahead as we came into the lunchbreak after a blinding 1:50.00 run put him almost a second quicker than me. Grip levels were pretty inconsistent – usually being the second driver on a run gives you an advantage, but everything was so sun-baked the tyres were overheating! The first run after lunch is usually slower, however the tyres had a chance to cool down and we both came out of the blocks with what turned out to be our fastest time of the day. Pete started off by knocking a further second-and-a-bit off his time (now 1:48.87) which did not help my nerves heading into my run! It started off a bit shakey, with more wheelspin than I was expecting heading off the line (the tyres were pretty knackered by this point) but I managed to pull everything together and knocked over 2 secs off for a fastest time of 1:48.34. I was pretty pleased with this, as I imagine you’ll tell when Pete uploads the video
The final run was terrible for us both in the end – I managed to miss 3rd gear a total of three times during the first half of the lap, then overcooked it on the final chicane and ended up scattering cones and plastic barriers everywhere. Pete’s was tidier, but no faster – the tyres really were toast by that point.
End results were really pleasing – we were first and second in the Mazda series (and a full 7 seconds clear of the MX5 in third place!), but couldn’t quite catch that pesky Civic in our Japanese Series class. Still, we gave it a good shot! Fortunately we’d also finished early, which gave us a free track for fun runs and passenger rides….
…and a set of tyres to kill…
…you can see where this is going, right?
There’s a vid to follow… suffice to say we both had a lot of fun on an empty airfield with dead tyres
And a few pics from the day:
Oh, one last thing. Everybody spent last weekend bleating about something-or-other that was 'coming home.’ I’m not entirely sure what all that fuss was about, but they were right in one sense at least. After almost 9 months residing in deepest darkest Kent, the wankel Cup is, finally, coming home
And the aforementioned vid: 5 minutes of actual trying to be fast, followed by many tyre deaths
https://youtu.be/0nn9WXkPCHU
This car is bloody awesome
https://youtu.be/0nn9WXkPCHU
This car is bloody awesome
The summer break is well and truly over – after a six week break we’re treated to two of the best (not to mention furthest away!) tracks of the calendar: Anglesey and Croft.
There wasn’t much in the way of prep to do after Kendrew, but getting the new set of tyres on was a must. Here’s what we pulled off
Likewise, a quick bit of cabletie engineering to re-secure the undertray after a quick trip into the grass…
Anglesey was first up, and god is it a trek! Pete had to split the journey in two – after taking 5 hours to get from Kent to Oxfordshire after a very broken M25 I think he was very glad to have a break! First up, given that we’ve SORNed the RX8 now, was to find something suitable to replace the rear numberplate…
That’ll do the trick
We were both very grateful for Pete’s shiny new tow car (a 2007 Shogun, which is an absolute beast of a thing), particularly as it took a further 5.5 hours to meander our way up to Anglesey the following day. A combination of TomTom and Waze managed to get us round various bits of traffic around the M6, while managing to avoid taking the trailer down too many single track lanes.
You never quite know what you’re going to get at Anglesey, and when we arrived the previous day’s sprint (the all-marques Javelin series) was in full swing. It wasn’t raining per se, but the wind was up and there was a fine mist of sea spray being blown sideways across the track which seemed to be making things a tad tricky for the competitors! Still, we had a wander round the track, caught up with a few friends and managed to get the car through scrutineering before abandoning it in a garage for the night. The ground in the paddock was salty and slippery, and rain was forecast for the next day.
Come the next morning, fuelled by a hearty breakfast at our nearby B&B, we headed out into the inevitable rain. The track was greasy, but luckily the rain stopped pretty early on and the wind stayed strong which dried things off nicely – by the time the practice runs were over it was largely a dry track and had the decency to stay that way all day. Our main target was to beat our time set last year, which we both managed to do after the second lap, which meant we could just concentrate on having a good day. I somehow managed to set a quick time on my second run, which I spent most of the day chasing, and Pete was feeling a little out of sorts which put him about a second off the pace. I, meanwhile, had a couple of frustrating runs including a trip across the (still wet!) grass at 90-odd mph and an overcooked hairpin after an otherwise good lap (both of which are captured on YouTube forever).
Somewhat unusually we both managed our quickest times on the final run of the day – Pete’s put together an overlay which is pretty interesting to watch . These two runs finished about half a second apart, but it’s tricky to spot exactly where the time was made up (although Pete had a bit of a fuel starvation issue). Watch to the end to see my trip across the grass and a couple of other outtakes. It’s worth having the sound on for the reaction at the end of the times run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5lkhkrBwDI&t=
And a quick drive-by of Pete, taken from the pit wall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVOT3apk8Po
An excellent weekend all in all. The towcar was comfortable and didn’t put a foot wrong, the RX8 performed beautifully all day, and I finally managed to collect my first piece of hardware from this season
I was pleased to see we were also the fastest naturally-aspirated car of the day by a solid second-and-a-half, which given our relative weight and lack of power I was very pleased with indeed!
Not much of a break before Croft – on Sunday! The last time either of us were there we were sharing an increasingly sick Fiesta Zetec S, so it’ll be interesting to see how we fare in the RX8
There wasn’t much in the way of prep to do after Kendrew, but getting the new set of tyres on was a must. Here’s what we pulled off
Likewise, a quick bit of cabletie engineering to re-secure the undertray after a quick trip into the grass…
Anglesey was first up, and god is it a trek! Pete had to split the journey in two – after taking 5 hours to get from Kent to Oxfordshire after a very broken M25 I think he was very glad to have a break! First up, given that we’ve SORNed the RX8 now, was to find something suitable to replace the rear numberplate…
That’ll do the trick
We were both very grateful for Pete’s shiny new tow car (a 2007 Shogun, which is an absolute beast of a thing), particularly as it took a further 5.5 hours to meander our way up to Anglesey the following day. A combination of TomTom and Waze managed to get us round various bits of traffic around the M6, while managing to avoid taking the trailer down too many single track lanes.
You never quite know what you’re going to get at Anglesey, and when we arrived the previous day’s sprint (the all-marques Javelin series) was in full swing. It wasn’t raining per se, but the wind was up and there was a fine mist of sea spray being blown sideways across the track which seemed to be making things a tad tricky for the competitors! Still, we had a wander round the track, caught up with a few friends and managed to get the car through scrutineering before abandoning it in a garage for the night. The ground in the paddock was salty and slippery, and rain was forecast for the next day.
Come the next morning, fuelled by a hearty breakfast at our nearby B&B, we headed out into the inevitable rain. The track was greasy, but luckily the rain stopped pretty early on and the wind stayed strong which dried things off nicely – by the time the practice runs were over it was largely a dry track and had the decency to stay that way all day. Our main target was to beat our time set last year, which we both managed to do after the second lap, which meant we could just concentrate on having a good day. I somehow managed to set a quick time on my second run, which I spent most of the day chasing, and Pete was feeling a little out of sorts which put him about a second off the pace. I, meanwhile, had a couple of frustrating runs including a trip across the (still wet!) grass at 90-odd mph and an overcooked hairpin after an otherwise good lap (both of which are captured on YouTube forever).
Somewhat unusually we both managed our quickest times on the final run of the day – Pete’s put together an overlay which is pretty interesting to watch . These two runs finished about half a second apart, but it’s tricky to spot exactly where the time was made up (although Pete had a bit of a fuel starvation issue). Watch to the end to see my trip across the grass and a couple of other outtakes. It’s worth having the sound on for the reaction at the end of the times run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5lkhkrBwDI&t=
And a quick drive-by of Pete, taken from the pit wall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVOT3apk8Po
An excellent weekend all in all. The towcar was comfortable and didn’t put a foot wrong, the RX8 performed beautifully all day, and I finally managed to collect my first piece of hardware from this season
I was pleased to see we were also the fastest naturally-aspirated car of the day by a solid second-and-a-half, which given our relative weight and lack of power I was very pleased with indeed!
Not much of a break before Croft – on Sunday! The last time either of us were there we were sharing an increasingly sick Fiesta Zetec S, so it’ll be interesting to see how we fare in the RX8
So, Croft! As said, first time we’d driven it in the RX8 and I wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s another fast circuit with lots of time to be made (and lost!) in the bravery stakes.
I’d managed to mix up my weekends somehow, but through some serendipitous events was due to be visiting in-law family in Middlesbrough. So, I duly trekked up on Friday evening, spent the day on the beach on Saturday and got a taxi over to the circuit on Sunday morning, where Pete was patiently waiting with the RX8 and trailer. Cue many jokes about having ‘my man’ bring the car up for me, which he managed to take in good humour
Gratuitous pic of the old M5 on a driveway in Middlesbrough:
Croft is up there as one of my favourite tracks. The whole section from the undulating braking zone into Tower through to Sunny Out is incredibly rewarding and huge fun – and yet I didn’t hit it spot on all day! I started with a good time first thing and managed to gently chip away the odd tenth here and there, eventually trimming off half a second or so on the penultimate run. I think my actual driving improved a lot during the day but heat was proving to be a real issue – double-driving the car meant thy tyres weren’t getting a chance to cool down, and it was a hot day on track that generates a lot of tyre heat through a sequence of fast corners and heavy braking zones. We tried fiddling with tyre pressures before the last run which gave us both better launch times but slower laps overall.
Still, a very successful day in all. Again we managed to be the quickest atmospheric car of the day (placed 14th and 16th overall) with barely half a second between us. Judging by the pics I’ve had back we were both pushing pretty hard
Pete’s done another excellent job with the video (note the new camera position, it’s worth watching with the volume up!). Watching this back (and with the split timing available from Javelin) it seems the difference in time was made up under brakes into Tower. It’s frustrating to watch back knowing I could have been quicker, but as ever I’ll gladly take any driving critique!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMoWV9mOU-w
Since then Pete has been busy with the diet (the car, that is) – doors have been gutted, glass has come out and perspex has gone in. There’ll be more to come over winter, so watch this space!
I’d managed to mix up my weekends somehow, but through some serendipitous events was due to be visiting in-law family in Middlesbrough. So, I duly trekked up on Friday evening, spent the day on the beach on Saturday and got a taxi over to the circuit on Sunday morning, where Pete was patiently waiting with the RX8 and trailer. Cue many jokes about having ‘my man’ bring the car up for me, which he managed to take in good humour
Gratuitous pic of the old M5 on a driveway in Middlesbrough:
Croft is up there as one of my favourite tracks. The whole section from the undulating braking zone into Tower through to Sunny Out is incredibly rewarding and huge fun – and yet I didn’t hit it spot on all day! I started with a good time first thing and managed to gently chip away the odd tenth here and there, eventually trimming off half a second or so on the penultimate run. I think my actual driving improved a lot during the day but heat was proving to be a real issue – double-driving the car meant thy tyres weren’t getting a chance to cool down, and it was a hot day on track that generates a lot of tyre heat through a sequence of fast corners and heavy braking zones. We tried fiddling with tyre pressures before the last run which gave us both better launch times but slower laps overall.
Still, a very successful day in all. Again we managed to be the quickest atmospheric car of the day (placed 14th and 16th overall) with barely half a second between us. Judging by the pics I’ve had back we were both pushing pretty hard
Pete’s done another excellent job with the video (note the new camera position, it’s worth watching with the volume up!). Watching this back (and with the split timing available from Javelin) it seems the difference in time was made up under brakes into Tower. It’s frustrating to watch back knowing I could have been quicker, but as ever I’ll gladly take any driving critique!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMoWV9mOU-w
Since then Pete has been busy with the diet (the car, that is) – doors have been gutted, glass has come out and perspex has gone in. There’ll be more to come over winter, so watch this space!
Nice writeup as ever.
Engaging my inner Karun Chandokh for a moment, there's a part of the video about 2/3rds in where you over-brake into a right, meaning you don't get the exit kerb and you get a little kick of oversteer when you put the power back on. It looks like that's where you lost the time, after that the gearchanges are spaced about half a second apart and the time gap looks pretty static. It also looks like Pete is a slightly smoother driver than you, fewer mid-corner corrections.
(You're both miles quicker than I would be!!)
Engaging my inner Karun Chandokh for a moment, there's a part of the video about 2/3rds in where you over-brake into a right, meaning you don't get the exit kerb and you get a little kick of oversteer when you put the power back on. It looks like that's where you lost the time, after that the gearchanges are spaced about half a second apart and the time gap looks pretty static. It also looks like Pete is a slightly smoother driver than you, fewer mid-corner corrections.
(You're both miles quicker than I would be!!)
Due to Ben living in the wrong part of the country and then buggering off on holiday, i thought i should do a little update where the car is and events its just been in.
So after Croft there was to be a big gap in the season until the last round at Snetterton on the 300 curcuit. This will be on the 27th October, racing on my birthday, what could be better!!! Unfortunately Ben can't make it due to family commitments but we will be doing a track day beginning of November so he gets another go in out in the car.
Anyway, due to such a big gap I had a hunt around and on the 12th October it was to be Javelin Sprint Series last round at Cadwell Park. Now due to a slight mishap at the beginning of the year
meant i missed Cadwell. Which is by far my favorite track in the UK. So i entered.
I then looked at who was in my class, some pretty serious machines, couple of fully built clios, a very tuned civic, mildly tuned civic etc. so looked like Racecat was going to be out gunned in weight and power.
During the last few rounds not much has been done to the rex, due to building myself a new garage with a pitched roof that i can use my ramp in, but with that complete i thought it was time to see if we can improve the rx8 ready for Cadwell.
So with regular updates and consulting with Ben, i put racecat up on the hoist and set to work
DSC_2176 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2182 by peteandkel, on Flickr
First job with no Ben round to stop me, it got one of my Zombie decals
DSC_2171 by peteandkel, on Flickr
next job was to get the weight out of the doors, as you see from Ben pics above that the windows are now much lighter, the all the electrics and motors were removed from the door
DSC_2175 by peteandkel, on Flickr
I then manage to acquire some plastic sheeting from work to make door cards of sorts and Ben order a couple of door pulls so we can pull it shut.. I spent far too long trying to decide where to put the pull, somewhere to reach to shut the door, but not in the eyeline when driving or to be annoying. Got there eventually and very happy with how it sits.
Then moved onto the rest of the car. first up was removing the radiator, with have a mushimoto radiator and a Spal fan to remove the stock ones. We were not happy with the switch inside the car that controls the fan, as a few time we have left the fans on overnight ended up with a flat battery race morning, wanted to wire them into the ignition.
Front fell off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM
DSC_2183 by peteandkel, on Flickr
managed with the Rad out of the way to get the last of the air con pipes out
DSC_2194 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Also knowing we wanted to get the heater matrix out and the coolant was drained, disconnected and re-routed the coolant pipe to miss out the matrix
DSC_2195 by peteandkel, on Flickr
new rad and spal fan
DSC_2204 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Went saw a friend (Sileck motorsport wiring) who sorted me some connectors and wiring re wire the fan switching and the new interior fan (get to that in a mo)
After discussion, as the rotary gets hot we decided to to run the Spal fan off a switch inside the car so we can have it on when queuing and as soon as we come it, but wired to the ignition so we don't forget to switch it off
Refitted
DSC_2206 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2209 by peteandkel, on Flickr
As I had got this far, decide that might as well get the heater matrix out. which then turned to a bigger job of get rid of some wiring, and the random control boxes..
Only issue being the its in my garage and you have to let the rx warm up before shutting down, i couldn't test each thing as i removed to ensure the car still worked.. i just was very carefull about what i removed checking what everything done.
many many many cuts later this was all happening
DSC_2200 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2198 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2212 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2213 by peteandkel, on Flickr
starting to get back together
DSC_2215 by peteandkel, on Flickr
FREE POWER!!
DSC_2218 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2231 by peteandkel, on Flickr
looking a lot clearer behind the dash now
DSC_2216 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Tidy up the wiring a bit (a lot of this can come out but that will be over winter, also checking the clocks still work)
DSC_2220 by peteandkel, on Flickr
now there was a large hole behind the dash where the aircon and heater matrix pipes used to feed through
so a blank was made with a bung incase we decided to run any wiring ourselves
DSC_2232 by peteandkel, on Flickr
It was fitted, bolts and then sealed in place
Lastly we now no longer needed the stereo unit for Fan controls, i couldn't believe how much that weighed, but we still need some form of fan for in the car
from another motorsport friend put me in the direction of this
DSC_2227 by peteandkel, on Flickr
which can do hot and cold air, also can swivel up to windscreen to demist, or direct at driver for some circulation
sorry for the bad pictures, but the light was shining straight in the garage
wired up a switch panel to control the new interior fan and spal fan ( this is temporary until i get some material to make a better panel over winter)
DSC_2256 by peteandkel, on Flickr
It has the toggle and push button for starting the car but not wired in yet, if anyone knows which wires on the ignition witch i need to use that would be amazing!!!
Got the front end back together as well, fitted a new tow strap
DSC_2251 by peteandkel, on Flickr
It was then time to see if it would fire into life after all this work
https://youtu.be/l9DC3wZc7fI
i have tried to embed the video but don't know how it works
No .. Doh, i am now thinking, hmm i have a week till racing at cadwell, this could end up being a long week, so pulled out all the stuff sitting the garage i had removed from rex and looking at the random control boxes, first tried plugging back in the airbag system.. no luck
then has a flash of though i had removed the keyless entry gixmo box, maybe the immobilizer goes thought it, plugged that back in and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9acuzi-nRw
After a good check over and topping up the coolant it all worked. cleared the ECU error (which was unable to see immobilizer) pulled it out the garage and a good check over before loading it onto the trailer
https://youtu.be/sBpVOFiXqvI
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBpVOFiXqvI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
then put the porsche in the garage ready for some work, the window regulator needs some work, also new exhaust manifolds for more noise and cam cover gaskets, maybe a few other bits
DSC_2272 by peteandkel, on Flickr
DSC_2272 by peteandkel, on Flickr
I then set about weighing everything i had taken out of the car, then added the weight i had put into the car (new rad and spal fan) to work out what weight saving we had managed.. 48KG in total.. very chuffed with that
So a few days pass by with the car sat on the trailer.. Its Race weekend
The race is on a Saturday as its last of the year so people can have a drink sat night without worrying about work Monday (I don't drink but the awards ceremony is always a good laugh)
So Thursday loaded up the shogun
DSC_2276 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Friday midday, look forward to the M25 traffic off we got
DSC_2283 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Got to Cadwell park around half 4
DSC_2284 by peteandkel, on Flickr
off loaded the car ready for saturday
DSC_2285 by peteandkel, on Flickr
The trailer unhitched, got this picture.. this thing is amazing built to do everything i want it to
DSC_2287 by peteandkel, on Flickr
I was staying at the Paddack Scamblesy
https://www.thepaddockatscamblesby.co.uk/en-GB
half mile up the road, and would recommend to anyone, they have three rooms, will get up in the morning and cook you breakfast for whatever time you want it, poached eggs sausage and mushrooms waiting for me and 6.30 was nice start to the day.
The also set you up in the room with fizzy drink, water bottle, sweets, crisps and fruit, all free and for you to take to the track the next day.. and my favorite, a couple of large shortbread biscuits
Raceday here
DSC_2293 by peteandkel, on Flickr
and the sun was shining
DSC_2297 by peteandkel, on Flickr
So last year on the last dry run i manage a 1.40.9 I want to at least match that this year, Scrutineering and sighting runs were done. practice started..
Straight away the car felt very different to last time on track, last year we were at the top of second but not enough for third in the first section of corners, this time however i ran out of revs in second very quickly, noted to try third on the first timed run.
while waiting for first timed run had a good chat with fiends, catching up with people.. but still missed not having Ben around to banter with..
So off to the first run, and the car felt great, third gear through the first section was a great call could really throw the car around now (its lighter, better seats harness and new alignment on last year)
Also what is great that surprises everyone, due to the way the car revs and no torque you have to change gear through some of the sweeping corners, but this car it just doesn't unsettle it, which helps massively
Come over the line with a 1.39.23 i was over the moon.
I knew there was more in the car, and i wanted to see a low 1.38 maybee a 1.37 at this point
so over the next we runs i was a solid 4th in class getting down to a 1.38.01 on run 4. I was only half a second behind 3rd place (6 in class)
Decided i needed to do something drastic, Ben doesnt let me tinker with the suspension much when the car feels good, but its such a smooth track i stiffened the coilovers 10 clicks harder..thinking well if its worse ill just go back to original settings for last run
Off i went, came over the line thinking that felt good and should be a high 1.37.. and actually was a 1.36.85 I was chuffed. This had now bumped me up to second in class. Kate in the clio has been complaining that her new tyres had been terrible all day and swapped back to the r888r's hoping she could claim back at least third.
so it was on for the last run of the day, I went out was going really well. Then i missed my breaking point for the goose neck just pushing to far, just got a bit out of shape still came in with a 1.37.11 which again i was still happy with. Kate manage to jump me and put in a low 1.36 meaning i got pushed to third in class..
Sam who had been sitting in a comfortable 2nd all day now on the last run found himself in 4th, like me he mucked his final run up and finished 4th. But it made for a n exciting last couple of runs between the three of us. 1st was a heavily modified well built civic that was flying all day ended with a 1.34.49 (we have an aim for next year Ben)
Also good news for Kate because she had put that last run in it meant she took enough points to win the Class for the year (well done Kate)
With the cars that were in our class i was very pleased to come away with a third place, i just went and aimed not to be last in class.
Cadwell still sits as my favorite track
DSC_2301 by peteandkel, on Flickr
I came home with a trophy
DSC_2307 by peteandkel, on Flickr
a bit of phone photo inception
DSC_2306 by peteandkel, on Flickr
Racecat was brilliant and did not put a foot wrong all day, Is now re-fueled and sat on the trailer waiting for Snetterton in just over a weeks time for the final round of the japanese/Mazda sprint series. The family is coming up to watch it will be their first event of the year, so fingers crossed the weather will be on out side.. but lets be honest, end of October its going to be wet!
Its a shame Ben can't make it. he will be missed everyone always ask where my partner in crime is, i think we are the Burt&Ernie of sprinting
So untill Snet then, I am sure Ben will take over the writing of these updates, he has his teeth in he will do all next year,.He does a much better write up than me, words are not my thing
Here is my Video of Cadwell, Inside video didn't work for my fastest run, have also put my 2nd fastest run against the rx8 last year and the mr2, shows the MR2 with mid engined and wider rear tyres was better off the line, but once the RX8 catches on the hairpin it just walks away, my driving has also improved a lot since the MR2 it would seem
Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVn45yu3tFE
anyone know how to embd the video i have tried using youtube link but don't think its worked
So after Croft there was to be a big gap in the season until the last round at Snetterton on the 300 curcuit. This will be on the 27th October, racing on my birthday, what could be better!!! Unfortunately Ben can't make it due to family commitments but we will be doing a track day beginning of November so he gets another go in out in the car.
Anyway, due to such a big gap I had a hunt around and on the 12th October it was to be Javelin Sprint Series last round at Cadwell Park. Now due to a slight mishap at the beginning of the year
meant i missed Cadwell. Which is by far my favorite track in the UK. So i entered.
I then looked at who was in my class, some pretty serious machines, couple of fully built clios, a very tuned civic, mildly tuned civic etc. so looked like Racecat was going to be out gunned in weight and power.
During the last few rounds not much has been done to the rex, due to building myself a new garage with a pitched roof that i can use my ramp in, but with that complete i thought it was time to see if we can improve the rx8 ready for Cadwell.
So with regular updates and consulting with Ben, i put racecat up on the hoist and set to work
DSC_2176 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2182 by peteandkel, on FlickrFirst job with no Ben round to stop me, it got one of my Zombie decals
DSC_2171 by peteandkel, on Flickrnext job was to get the weight out of the doors, as you see from Ben pics above that the windows are now much lighter, the all the electrics and motors were removed from the door
DSC_2175 by peteandkel, on FlickrI then manage to acquire some plastic sheeting from work to make door cards of sorts and Ben order a couple of door pulls so we can pull it shut.. I spent far too long trying to decide where to put the pull, somewhere to reach to shut the door, but not in the eyeline when driving or to be annoying. Got there eventually and very happy with how it sits.
Then moved onto the rest of the car. first up was removing the radiator, with have a mushimoto radiator and a Spal fan to remove the stock ones. We were not happy with the switch inside the car that controls the fan, as a few time we have left the fans on overnight ended up with a flat battery race morning, wanted to wire them into the ignition.
Front fell off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM
DSC_2183 by peteandkel, on Flickrmanaged with the Rad out of the way to get the last of the air con pipes out
DSC_2194 by peteandkel, on FlickrAlso knowing we wanted to get the heater matrix out and the coolant was drained, disconnected and re-routed the coolant pipe to miss out the matrix
DSC_2195 by peteandkel, on Flickrnew rad and spal fan
DSC_2204 by peteandkel, on FlickrWent saw a friend (Sileck motorsport wiring) who sorted me some connectors and wiring re wire the fan switching and the new interior fan (get to that in a mo)
After discussion, as the rotary gets hot we decided to to run the Spal fan off a switch inside the car so we can have it on when queuing and as soon as we come it, but wired to the ignition so we don't forget to switch it off
Refitted
DSC_2206 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2209 by peteandkel, on FlickrAs I had got this far, decide that might as well get the heater matrix out. which then turned to a bigger job of get rid of some wiring, and the random control boxes..
Only issue being the its in my garage and you have to let the rx warm up before shutting down, i couldn't test each thing as i removed to ensure the car still worked.. i just was very carefull about what i removed checking what everything done.
many many many cuts later this was all happening
DSC_2200 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2198 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2212 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2213 by peteandkel, on Flickrstarting to get back together
DSC_2215 by peteandkel, on FlickrFREE POWER!!
DSC_2218 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2231 by peteandkel, on Flickrlooking a lot clearer behind the dash now
DSC_2216 by peteandkel, on FlickrTidy up the wiring a bit (a lot of this can come out but that will be over winter, also checking the clocks still work)
DSC_2220 by peteandkel, on Flickrnow there was a large hole behind the dash where the aircon and heater matrix pipes used to feed through
so a blank was made with a bung incase we decided to run any wiring ourselves
DSC_2232 by peteandkel, on FlickrIt was fitted, bolts and then sealed in place
Lastly we now no longer needed the stereo unit for Fan controls, i couldn't believe how much that weighed, but we still need some form of fan for in the car
from another motorsport friend put me in the direction of this
DSC_2227 by peteandkel, on Flickrwhich can do hot and cold air, also can swivel up to windscreen to demist, or direct at driver for some circulation
sorry for the bad pictures, but the light was shining straight in the garage
wired up a switch panel to control the new interior fan and spal fan ( this is temporary until i get some material to make a better panel over winter)
DSC_2256 by peteandkel, on FlickrIt has the toggle and push button for starting the car but not wired in yet, if anyone knows which wires on the ignition witch i need to use that would be amazing!!!
Got the front end back together as well, fitted a new tow strap
DSC_2251 by peteandkel, on FlickrIt was then time to see if it would fire into life after all this work
https://youtu.be/l9DC3wZc7fI
i have tried to embed the video but don't know how it works
No .. Doh, i am now thinking, hmm i have a week till racing at cadwell, this could end up being a long week, so pulled out all the stuff sitting the garage i had removed from rex and looking at the random control boxes, first tried plugging back in the airbag system.. no luck
then has a flash of though i had removed the keyless entry gixmo box, maybe the immobilizer goes thought it, plugged that back in and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9acuzi-nRw
After a good check over and topping up the coolant it all worked. cleared the ECU error (which was unable to see immobilizer) pulled it out the garage and a good check over before loading it onto the trailer
https://youtu.be/sBpVOFiXqvI
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBpVOFiXqvI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
then put the porsche in the garage ready for some work, the window regulator needs some work, also new exhaust manifolds for more noise and cam cover gaskets, maybe a few other bits
DSC_2272 by peteandkel, on FlickrDSC_2272 by peteandkel, on FlickrI then set about weighing everything i had taken out of the car, then added the weight i had put into the car (new rad and spal fan) to work out what weight saving we had managed.. 48KG in total.. very chuffed with that
So a few days pass by with the car sat on the trailer.. Its Race weekend
The race is on a Saturday as its last of the year so people can have a drink sat night without worrying about work Monday (I don't drink but the awards ceremony is always a good laugh)
So Thursday loaded up the shogun
DSC_2276 by peteandkel, on FlickrFriday midday, look forward to the M25 traffic off we got
DSC_2283 by peteandkel, on FlickrGot to Cadwell park around half 4
DSC_2284 by peteandkel, on Flickroff loaded the car ready for saturday
DSC_2285 by peteandkel, on FlickrThe trailer unhitched, got this picture.. this thing is amazing built to do everything i want it to
DSC_2287 by peteandkel, on FlickrI was staying at the Paddack Scamblesy
https://www.thepaddockatscamblesby.co.uk/en-GB
half mile up the road, and would recommend to anyone, they have three rooms, will get up in the morning and cook you breakfast for whatever time you want it, poached eggs sausage and mushrooms waiting for me and 6.30 was nice start to the day.
The also set you up in the room with fizzy drink, water bottle, sweets, crisps and fruit, all free and for you to take to the track the next day.. and my favorite, a couple of large shortbread biscuits
Raceday here
DSC_2293 by peteandkel, on Flickrand the sun was shining
DSC_2297 by peteandkel, on FlickrSo last year on the last dry run i manage a 1.40.9 I want to at least match that this year, Scrutineering and sighting runs were done. practice started..
Straight away the car felt very different to last time on track, last year we were at the top of second but not enough for third in the first section of corners, this time however i ran out of revs in second very quickly, noted to try third on the first timed run.
while waiting for first timed run had a good chat with fiends, catching up with people.. but still missed not having Ben around to banter with..
So off to the first run, and the car felt great, third gear through the first section was a great call could really throw the car around now (its lighter, better seats harness and new alignment on last year)
Also what is great that surprises everyone, due to the way the car revs and no torque you have to change gear through some of the sweeping corners, but this car it just doesn't unsettle it, which helps massively
Come over the line with a 1.39.23 i was over the moon.
I knew there was more in the car, and i wanted to see a low 1.38 maybee a 1.37 at this point
so over the next we runs i was a solid 4th in class getting down to a 1.38.01 on run 4. I was only half a second behind 3rd place (6 in class)
Decided i needed to do something drastic, Ben doesnt let me tinker with the suspension much when the car feels good, but its such a smooth track i stiffened the coilovers 10 clicks harder..thinking well if its worse ill just go back to original settings for last run
Off i went, came over the line thinking that felt good and should be a high 1.37.. and actually was a 1.36.85 I was chuffed. This had now bumped me up to second in class. Kate in the clio has been complaining that her new tyres had been terrible all day and swapped back to the r888r's hoping she could claim back at least third.
so it was on for the last run of the day, I went out was going really well. Then i missed my breaking point for the goose neck just pushing to far, just got a bit out of shape still came in with a 1.37.11 which again i was still happy with. Kate manage to jump me and put in a low 1.36 meaning i got pushed to third in class..
Sam who had been sitting in a comfortable 2nd all day now on the last run found himself in 4th, like me he mucked his final run up and finished 4th. But it made for a n exciting last couple of runs between the three of us. 1st was a heavily modified well built civic that was flying all day ended with a 1.34.49 (we have an aim for next year Ben)
Also good news for Kate because she had put that last run in it meant she took enough points to win the Class for the year (well done Kate)
With the cars that were in our class i was very pleased to come away with a third place, i just went and aimed not to be last in class.
Cadwell still sits as my favorite track
DSC_2301 by peteandkel, on FlickrI came home with a trophy
DSC_2307 by peteandkel, on Flickra bit of phone photo inception
DSC_2306 by peteandkel, on FlickrRacecat was brilliant and did not put a foot wrong all day, Is now re-fueled and sat on the trailer waiting for Snetterton in just over a weeks time for the final round of the japanese/Mazda sprint series. The family is coming up to watch it will be their first event of the year, so fingers crossed the weather will be on out side.. but lets be honest, end of October its going to be wet!
Its a shame Ben can't make it. he will be missed everyone always ask where my partner in crime is, i think we are the Burt&Ernie of sprinting
So untill Snet then, I am sure Ben will take over the writing of these updates, he has his teeth in he will do all next year,.He does a much better write up than me, words are not my thing
Here is my Video of Cadwell, Inside video didn't work for my fastest run, have also put my 2nd fastest run against the rx8 last year and the mr2, shows the MR2 with mid engined and wider rear tyres was better off the line, but once the RX8 catches on the hairpin it just walks away, my driving has also improved a lot since the MR2 it would seem
Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVn45yu3tFE
anyone know how to embd the video i have tried using youtube link but don't think its worked
Edited by pistolpete12 on Tuesday 16th October 11:56
Don't you worry, we'll set to over winter and get set for hot-hatch chasing next year 
. Nice write up though
If anyone's wondering where I was...
r
. Nice write up though pistolpete12 said:
anyone know how to embd the video i have tried using youtube link but don't think its worked
You can't. Welcome to the nineties If anyone's wondering where I was...
rI thought I recognised the car from here! I took part in the Sprint at Cadwell also, my first event and also first dry laps around there, fantastic circuit. The RX8 sounded lovely, nice clean lap you got in.
I was running a Spec C Impreza, running mostly standard bar the R888r's and it was absolutely fantastic, managed a 1:35.8 but lost what I thought was my fastest run due to timing failure at the end.
Will definitely be looking into doing a few more events next year so will give you a shout next time.
I was running a Spec C Impreza, running mostly standard bar the R888r's and it was absolutely fantastic, managed a 1:35.8 but lost what I thought was my fastest run due to timing failure at the end.
Will definitely be looking into doing a few more events next year so will give you a shout next time.
Legend83 said:
Love this thread! Wish I had the skills, time and money to use my RX8 like this (as should be!), alas I just get to enjoy her on the B roads on the way to work.
You can enter in a stock car as well... Ours was, pretty much, when we started. The class system caters for it pretty well. It's cheaper than a weekend track day too 
HSV_V8 said:
I thought I recognised the car from here! I took part in the Sprint at Cadwell also, my first event and also first dry laps around there, fantastic circuit. The RX8 sounded lovely, nice clean lap you got in.
I was running a Spec C Impreza, running mostly standard bar the R888r's and it was absolutely fantastic, managed a 1:35.8 but lost what I thought was my fastest run due to timing failure at the end.
Will definitely be looking into doing a few more events next year so will give you a shout next time.
Ahh i saw that i was sat in the grandstand gawping at your car when you were queuing, i used to have a 1995 wrx sti RA which was amazingI was running a Spec C Impreza, running mostly standard bar the R888r's and it was absolutely fantastic, managed a 1:35.8 but lost what I thought was my fastest run due to timing failure at the end.
Will definitely be looking into doing a few more events next year so will give you a shout next time.
this photo was taken by Darren of pistonbroke photography on the day
FB_IMG_1539691275674 by peteandkel, on Flickr
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