Well, no pictures from a fortnight ago still, so last Sunday, I thought it best to get involved again so I can have some pictures. This one was a bit different to what I'm used to, quite a fast sweeping test, with no tight turns for the 300 to take advantage of. Day consisted of 1test, with 6 competitive runs. Also, no individual classes, so I was running against Golf GTi's and a Scoob RA (the race altered one used mainly in Group N!).

So, RWD vs 4WD magic diff''d car on wet grass/mud. I'd been warned that most people would be on knobbly tyres, and borrowed a set off my mates stage prepped Golf. I also took the front of the bodykit off as it looked like it would get bumpy, which it did... had her airborn once or twice...

I started off very very poor, 30 secs off the fastest time on a 1:30ish test. But, I had the biggest grin ever, the car was everywhere. Throughout the day, I let the course dry as the cars went through, choosing when to put a run in, and improved massively with each run, taking off 8 secs both in my second and 3rd, then 5 secs, then 3 then 2secs on the last. I *know* I didn't managed to get one of the corners right, but I don't care, I had an awesome day, and learned a lot again.

In the end, Fake was 8 seconds slower on the test that the RA (which ran very late, and the course was still getting faster. I've a feeling I could have got it down to ~4secs, maybe a bit less) 8 secs on an 80sec test I'm really happy with, especially knowing I could do better and don't have the experience the others did. Only thing that was annoying was I let my mate double drive Fake, and as I'd gone first originally, he had the last run, and beat me by a second. I'm claiming that it was the track getting faster....

Anyway, some piccies.

Proving the knobblies could grip the ground...


Need more bucket! At least we don't have too much understeer...



... but we do have oversteer!


Theres a few more here http://www.flickr.com/photos/c_cardwell ... 357637725/

I'll put anymore I find in there too.

Vid of the scoob going round

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cD3jPLdXz4

Do I see correctly, that you have 3 different type of rims? Looks like proper motorsport driving there

And some nice new side skirts too

Tom

First 12car of the season last night, glad I took the bodykit front valance off (havn't looked to see if the skirts are still on..). Started dubiously, with Fakes favoured problem of having either full or no throttle happening just as we left the start, until 30% in. Was awesome fun though and she sorted herself out, the Bridgestones held nicely (apart from on the mud, but can't have everything) couple of "white" roads, about 1.5miles worth, first one was awesome, just flat mud and managed to carry a lot of speed with handling feeling perfect. Second one we got to the end, thought we were lost, and drove it again the other way ( ) this one was rutted, and I managed to rip the backbox off again (it was only held on with a quick release soup tin, so hopefully I just need to eat another can of soup Third white had a 50ft ish "puddle" on it, but I knew the road, so could hit it flat chat. Looking at Fake this morning, I managed to cover the entire thing with mud, it looks awesome end of that white onto normal road incurred some silly sideways.

All in all, happy Chris, broken Fake

twas a good nights motorsport... though I was standing in the cold signing timecards rather than competing - which was a mistake as I really wished I was competing as soon as I heard the sound of the first car approaching our control

Nice one Chris... I love the soup can comment

Yesterday involved stripping the inlet/crankcase breather etc down. Replaced soup cans with more soup cans (they break first, meaning I'm going through less exhausts than normal ). I found in total - 2 exhaust leaks, 2 water leaks, lots of oil leaks, and 8 (yes eight) vacuum leaks. Put some new vacuum hose in (seems fitting a 10mm t-piece in an 8mm pipe for my econ gauge wasn't clever ), new gaskets on the carb base blocks, had the blocks off, and they were a mess with 2 gaskets on one side, non the other, and all the gaskets sooo old they had properly stuck to the blocks. 6 hours later, bottle of water and oil in the back, and took Fake out on the Wessex MC's first scatter of the season.

She felt amazing compared to last weds, tyres are great, she was picking up better, but got pipped at the end by Jason in his tubby Saab! Need moar speeds...

Showing my ignorance - are there any clever techniques for checking for vacuum leaks?

Mine were highly complex methods, I saw 3 inch long splits in hoses, and noticed that 3 gaskets were a different colour in some areas to others (as was the metal underneath them). The other two were on the crankcase ventilation, so I doubt they mattered much, but again, snapped plastic bits.

The approved method is to wave carb starter/wd40/unlit blowlamp around an area, and see if the revs pick up. If they do, then the gas is getting in the engine to be burnt, so there is a leak.

hehe, yeah no excuse last night chris... you were beaming about the car before and after the event (which is a very rare and good thing!)..... still can't believe I managed to pilot a 1.5 ton fwd (vauxhall cav)saab with appalling (broken then fixed then broken again) lights to more points than you though! was good fun all the same.... pc2 it is then chris - but I may have a more capable lane machine by then, though if you 16v her then we'll be on very similar terms.... (in fact you'll have muchos moar torquezzz)

In case anyone is wondering, speed isn't actually a huge factor - it just makes it more fun.

Ooooops, i was gonna try and join the fun last night but it totally slipped my mind. Must try and get out in my 16v sometime soon.

So when you gonna start doing some proper all-nighters Chris?

Jason, no excuses at all mate, Fake for once was perfect all night, I certainly was going quick enough top speed, but I'm sure I slow more than some (shall we say the, erm, nutcases... Olly...) for corners. I want a bit more pull out, and the broader torque of the valver would sort out the gearing problem I think. If I managed to read the right word on the sign we would have drawn I think.

Carl, I'll play in proper rally's when I've got a daily and don't need Fake, i.e. when I finish Kar

lol, me and aleks went to one or two places where we couldn't spot the answer as well. Olly was driving like a nutter though.... but I did manage to not let him catch me on one section of lanes I actually knew a bit - though that was brisker than I would ever want to do again in the saab!

I want to get out on some bigger stuff soon but there is a little more work needed on the french thing first... though I've basically finished the welding over the last day and a half

Chris_C wrote: Carl, I'll play in proper rally's when I've got a daily and don't need Fake, i.e. when I finish Kar

Pah, where's the fun in that!!

Not had an update of late. So far, Fakes been scarily reliable for the season so far, and me and Rich have managed 5 student wins out of 5 starts in the Uni rallies. Not done much else with her lately though, apart from a Chelmsford Gymkhana on Sunday on an airfield. Really good fun, but she was playing up a bit (to make up for the last 4 months no doubt!) to the extent that after a morning full of abuse she wouldn't start after lunch.

Luckily it was an easy fix, I had suspected the CPS for a while, so in true emergency style I threw a bucket of water over the bellhousing and them sprayed WD40 everywhere. A quick bumpstart after running the battery flat (it's on the way out I think ) and it was perfect for the last run of the day. Was running a different tyre combo to normal, Goodyear NCT's on the back and Pirelli P4000s on the front, as I won't use the 4ks on road. Understeer everywhere, so turns consisted of a flick and scooping the back end up afterwards. Still, even with a broken engine for 4 of the 5 tests, managed to come 33rd out of 52, and against some much much faster machinery again. I don't understand tbh, I really should have got owned!

So, the rest of the uni rally season to go but nothing really competitive for me over the next month, Rich is setting the next event and me the one after. I'm hoping I can get her sills done and her re MOT'd in time for the 5th March when we can compete properly again. Will upload pics from weekend later, not as many as normal as it was pouring all day!