First sprint 2009 is GOODWOOD 27TH June !

[stylussprinter]

I'm fairly sure I'll be ready in two weeks so today have entered the TUNBRIDGE WELLS MOTOR CLUB '' TONHIRE '' Sprint at Goodwood on the 27th June. Let's hope they get the 'seeding' right this year At last years event I broke the upright after being baulked 3 times and ended up not too calm on track
It's too late for Abingdon as I've got jobs to do when it gets back from painting. Joe Middleton told me today that it will be later finishing so probably Friday pm not Thursday

[stylussprinter]

Got the entry list now There's a Fury bike engine , two 2lt Escorts on slicks (one is Roy Edwards who's done just about everything in motorsport -- Boss of TONHIRE the sprint sponser ) , a Tiger Avon 2lt then a bloody great GTD40 5lt beastie

Plus me h'mmm

[stylussprinter]

GREAT day but vibration issues Report to follow tomorrow

[stylussprinter]

I was feeling nervous re- 9 mths ago's shunt and anticipating the car would feel & handle differently after a considered change of set up. That feeling didn't leave me all day mainly due to a VERY loud vibration coming from the chassis Had a good look around underneath between practice and the first timed run -- nothing occurred to me out of order. Wheel nuts , prop' , body clearances all checked --- baffled
Anyway , I only had two choices really -- withdraw for safety reasons or slow down a little On the first timed run I decided to try and ignore it and push on harder to see what may occur to make it more obvious. The result of that was that the vibration became quicker and higher pitched It was a good banker time at 192.64 sec's but above my best here on a two lapper from standing start but I was still in one piece which gave me confidence plus it was way quicker than the others in class , even the GTD40 5lt (this guy was a circuit racer and had the car plus mechanic delivered to the circuit -- he then flew over from Gibralter to drive it at Goodwood THEN flew home again )
I was still , I think the word is frightened , of the car's soundness but confidence was building . The second timed run I totally ignored the vibration because now't had happened and she was handling well so the set up had been proven.
This was a quick run at 190.43 sec's and listening to the others chit chat , it appeared they were stuffed and the GTD40 driver was puzzled being on full slicks 12 inch rears 10 inch fronts plus said he was pulling 155mph down the Lavant straight -- 25mph above me
When I saw one of the Escorts with bonnet and boot lifted off to show it was simply a space frame plus unknown bhp yanky zetec 2lt and full slicks AND weighed 625kgs ----- I assumed he'd be the winner or the GTD40 .

Anyway , the others all went for the 3rd run but I didn't feel great and was hungry so stayed in the pits and drank a lot too. It didn't help them as I ended up first in class with the 190.43 sec's 2nd run
So I won by just 1.33 sec's over the GTD40 over two laps.

Their times ---
R1 FURY 241.41 218.59 209.5
2lt MK2 ESCORT 209.6 209.59 209.63
2lt MK1 ESCORT Space frame 212.31 202.15 201.14
2lt TIGER AVON 248.0 235.11 232.94
5lt GTD40 206.01 197.4 191.76

Haven't shown their 3rd runs -- all were slower

Another really good FURY 2lt zetec driver/not in my class was very consistant -- also after looking around under mine asked about the ARB so may possibly sell another one
His times -- 195.42 practice no 1st timed 194.86 A man to watch

VERY many thanks to all who came to support which helps to inspire a result
Matt & relatives , Andy , Mel & lady friend , John -- and Stuart Parley plus my son Stuart who always does the leg work back and forth collecting my time card and telling me what others are doing

On the way home we had torrential rain , hail , thunder and lightening -- filling the car floor and carpet etc with water . We were going so slow at 10 mph on the M25 so no chance of keeping the rain out

[kevp]

Well done Rob. Could you have a wheel vibration?
I'll post my report later, but I was not as successful as you, but we did have brilliant sunshine all day. Managed to pick the new bike up as well, so Iv got to ride it now

[stylussprinter]

Well done Rob. Could you have a wheel vibration?
I'll post my report later, but I was not as successful as you, but we did have brilliant sunshine all day. Managed to pick the new bike up as well, so Iv got to ride it now

Thank you Kevin I'll check wheel bearings when it's jacked up but I did repack and tighten so hope not It really did sound metal to metal but this morning I had a thought while sitting in bed at 6-00am drinking tea Although I was careful to cut around the underside of the new flip to miss the airbox --- perhaps it was ' just ' touching and that airbox would become a sound amplifier being bolted to the engine
Opened up the flip to show a friend just now and noticed a little tiny (about 5mm round) red paint on the grey underside of the flip on the corner of the airbox I'd already cut around it to miss by about 2mm's BUT paint don't lie --------- hopefully that's it

You'll be out on that bike now then buzzing the sports cars off

[stylussprinter]

Matt Downes took loads of around the track pic's but I'll just put a few up here . Maybe Matt could put a link to them all seeing as he's a clever little bugger with widgets unlike me

[norma]

Great Job Rob - you are the man!!!

[stylussprinter]

Great Job Rob - you are the man!!!

OOOH you know just the right thing to say aye does my ego a power of good

Thanks

[Antnicuk]

excellent stuff rob, have you had your wheels checked since the shunt?

[stylussprinter]

excellent stuff rob, have you had your wheels checked since the shunt?

You mean for balance No , but none hit the tree . The tree nestled nicely in line with the ' D ' piece in the nose and the wishbone , hence the wheel coming through the top of the wing

Hopefully it's going to be what I assumed in my previous post but not done yet

Thanks Tony

[stylussprinter]

I've looked very carefully at the channell that the original bonnet shut into when the body was all bonded in . It does foul the airbox because red paint off the box is on the '' channell '' cut out to clear that airbox .
The box isn't touching with the car stationary but once the engine is flexing on it's mounts then it must touch. So I've cut some more f/glass from the channell but I wont be certain that's the cause of any vibration until I'm on track again That'll be GURSTON 3 weeks from now It is a pain not being able to test the car when I've either changed the set-up or made some alteration --- apart from a test day at Goodwood but there isn't one before Gurston , I don't think .

[Antnicuk]

i hit some debris a couple of trackdays ago which punctured my tyre, didnt think anything of it until last week when i got new tyres fitted and the rim is actually split in the middle and also egg shaped, so they can bend quite easily.

Would it be worth running them down to your local tyre place forr £20 to have them checked?

[stylussprinter]

i hit some debris a couple of trackdays ago which punctured my tyre, didnt think anything of it until last week when i got new tyres fitted and the rim is actually split in the middle and also egg shaped, so they can bend quite easily.

Would it be worth running them down to your local tyre place forr £20 to have them checked?

I'm certain I'd know if a wheel was damaged , the steering would vibrate like hell if it were a front wheel and it would cause a different sort of vibration. I've had all the wheels off during preparation for Goodwood , they are straight . This is more like a tuning fork moving from double bass to tenor etc