The rest of my season

[stylussprinter]

I've had a look at what's left on the calendar for the ACSMC Championships and it's beyond any possibility that I could win again this season , due to others entering a full calendar of events , as I used to myself.
Having competed at Goodwood's B&HMC EAGLE Sprint which wasn't in the sprint championdship but is in the Sprint Challenge(another group of events for the Challenge) . That's some points already in my pocket then there's N Weald , Lydden and Castle Combe yet to come. Lydden's too long a journey for me but I will enter N Weald on the 30th September , for the first time since 2005 . I've never been to compete at Castle Combe and was quite taken with the circuit , when there with Stuart in his MG 160 Trophy for a charity day . So I'll enter this one too , on the 27th of October.

[stylussprinter]

Having organised for a tow bar to be fitted on the Alfa 159 ti 2.4lt jtdm on the 26th Sept , I can relax about getting the Stylus trailered to N Weald on the 30th Sept for my last but one sprint of 2012. It'll be bumpy as hell so probably wont get a quick time ----- last time there in 2005 it was that rough the front wheel arch extentions got ripped out badly. Watching Lee , Jeff and Simon there a few weeks ago the biggest problem seemed to be finding their way around the confusing coned course

[MattD]

You doing Sprint Royale at Rushmoor (not Eelmoor) on the 7th Oct ??

[stylussprinter]

You doing Sprint Royale at Rushmoor (not Eelmoor) on the 7th Oct ??

No -- it's a waste of my funds because that championship's already been won by Simon about two months back , whereas the N Weald sprint is part of the Challenge which theoretically I could still win
He's done so many events he's finished , as of his last one , a few weeks back . Having said that , he's considering Castle Combe to try out the new single seater , on 30th Oct .
Maybe I'll marshal Rushmore though

[stylussprinter]

North Weald was cold first thing but dry with some sunny periods all day. A convoy , 2 practice runs , and 4 timed runs to count --- very good value at £70 . Actually finished by 2-30pm even with the lunch break.
Downside was ---- I'd forgotten just '' how '' rough it was in places The car got shaken so much when going over the rough bits , I couldn't actually see where I was going , the cones were just a faded buzz mist because my glasses were bouncing up and down in my helmet , also my feet were being bounced on and off the pedals --- it was crazy --- don't know how I didn't hit the cones
My times were 91 & 88 sec's for two practice runs then 85.13 & 85.06 sec's from memory the next two timed runs. Didn't look at the cards after that so it'll be on their email to me at some point.
Ended up 3rd in class , beaten by Gino Cummo in his 450bhp 4 wheel drive DAX and a Cosworth Escort Turbo 4 wheel drive with traction control etc etc. Five cars in class.
The aweful bouncing/vibration broke the alternator bracket so didn't bother with the last run --- ''spegru'' on this forum pointed it out to me once I'd opened the flip front for him to have a look . It's been on the car since 2006 without problems but N Weald will sort any car period
The bonus is ---- none of my class mates were in my ACSMC championship so I will get 10 points from that championship co-ordinator , giving me 20 point in the ACSMC Sprint Challenge so far , then there's a chance of more points at Castle Combe at the end of October . Not a great many points really but other guys in that Challenge have less , so you never know

One real bugger though is while moving the trailer around the N Weald paddock I got a screw in the Alfa rear tyre wall edge which probably can't be legally repaired
May well end up an expensive event despite the cheap entry fee

[stylussprinter]

Just got the emailed results.

1st in class 78.86sec's
2nd in class 79.90se4c's
3rd in class (me) last runs show I did do 4 runs 85.13 sec's , 85.08sec's , 81.84sec's , 82.37sec's ------------- so 81.84sec's best and 10th overall.
FTD was Glyn Sketchley in a FORCE PT 1500 Hyabusa at 68 sec's

[stylussprinter]

Got busy making a new alternator bracket this morning out of carbon fibre . The weakness of the metal one was it's very long slot and therefore narrow edges of about 6mm's thick steel which is exactly where it cracked through both sides , in line with the clamping bolt. The carbon one I made is half the thickness but much wider at those two stress points PLUS it's not slotted for two inches like the broken one . Also it will flex when under stress/vibration.

It's slotted for just 20mm's and 12mm's wide either side of those slots --- material guage is 3mm's .

[stylussprinter]

I was looking forward to CASTLE COMBE ''Pegasus'' sprint but although in the championship , I've had no invite. So today I emailed the organising club to see why ---- then it's plain to see on the website that there's a FULL entry plus 10 reserves with the last entry date being mid September but most were August and some July
How the hell did those invites get out in July I'm pissed off to say the least as last entry date is given as 20th Oct
We'll just have to wait for the comp ' secretary's reply

I wasn't lucky with the screw in the Alfa rear tyre either --- it got me home without loss of pressure but once removed even with the liquid tyre canister , it wouldn't hold pressure and right on the wall/tread boundary . So a new tyre's on order (Accelera) via online source at £85 delivered which is a third the price of Pirelli's or Conti's --- they are around £240 to £280 a piece , a stupid price.

[stylussprinter]

Had a reply from the Sprint comp ' secretary for the Pegasus at Combe -------- there's no possibility of an entry now

[stylussprinter]

I ordered that ACCELERA 235X40X19 96Y tyre on Monday afternoon and it arrived just now at 12-00am --- not bad service
There's already one of them on the rear so when the front pair of Conti's go thread bare Accelera's will go there too --- especially at £85 delivered The alternatives would be £1000 a set of 4