I Raced at The Epynt Hillclimb today and what an event.

The track is just amazing a proper tarmac rally stage with steep climbs, blind bends, tight chicanes and a long blind straight that saw me doing 120mph.

I was out the blocks fast setting a 60.70 and 59.01 in practice quick and the car felt great after yet more handling tweeks, the times were fast to considering the hill record was 60.3. I wasn't alone though the WRC Impreza and 2 Darrians were also in the 59's. My fist competetive run I really went for it and nailed a few important sections and was commited up the straight no matter how scary after the very long drive down the return road I got back to find I had posted a 57.82 a new hill record and was leading from the 2 Darrians in the 58's and the WRC Impreza not far behind.

I pressed hard in the final run and got a bit out of shape and couldnt make the final bend posting a 59 but the 57.82 stood as nobody else got down in the 57's.

So Fastest Time of the day and new hill record I'm double chuffed, I drove really, really well and the car was mega I'm tuned into it now and finally getting the hang of the gearbox and feel the season is really underway.

A fantastic event really well organised a big thanks to Brecon motor club, I haven't enjoyed racing that much in ages and I can't wait for the next one.

Watch the in car video here - YouTube - Subaru Impreza at Epynt Hillclimb, New Hill Record.

Some pics....

 

Mate

thats excellent news I am now going through what you did with somehow not finding 3rd gear. It looks like some practice will help.

 

awesome

Liz

 

Well done Rob, glad it came together.

 

Stunning results there Rob.

Great drive, well done

 

Congratulations Rob

 

Thanks all,

Nice pic from the Brecon website.

 

That sucks mate, it really knocks your confidence worrying about the 'box. It will come with practice it takes a while to adapt to new stuff sometimes.

 

A big congrats mate what a result,cheers for putting me in touch with Zen they were a big help and gave me food for thought?

 

Nicely done, bet it raised a few eyebrows with the Darian and WRC boys

 

Great time Rob.

Its a shame you can't sort out the video exposure as I'd love to see the lines in more detail.

Is this you first run at Epynt?

Do you come any further South this year?

Mark A

 

It is a shame but it really struggles with any kind of contrast. I'm moving it for the next outing.

Yeah it was my first visit, and what a place.

I may try and get down to something more southern between the midland meets but nothing decided yet.

 

 

Great to see you again Rob, it's good to see the potential of that car being realised and all the hard work paying off. You've set a good target for next year, you just have to come back to defend it !

4 cars went faster than last years winning time so I expect the competition to be keen again next year. Good luck with the rest of the season, I hope to get along to one or two of the rounds.

Cheers,
Gary

(P.S. YHPM)

 

I didn't get fastest 64ft launch of the day my 1.82 just didn't cut it, my Dad who dual drove with me did a 1.79 and I caught it on my phone camera.

View My Video

 

That looks like a lot of Fun Rob, Well done !!!

 

Re. Dennis Motorsport Epynt Hillclimb:

Results with contact prints will be posted in the morning.

Also results at Brecon Motor Club - Home

 

I have to take that back, I have seen the results now and I did infact set the fastest 64ft time of the event with a 1.77.

Big national A meet at at Prescott this weekend, my second visit of the season in the new spec car.....well I can't really call the first visit a visit as I killed my old gear box after 30 seconds of my first practice run earlier this season.

I have fresh tyres on the car and it now handles like a demon after much buggeration and I think I have the akward shift from second to third cracked so I'm confident I can bag some good times and go under my PB of 45.78 and hopefuly the record of 45.35. from last years splits I'm right up there but dropped off record pace from entry to the esses to the finish so that is where I will be concentrating on finding time.



Will it be enough? We shall see.

My new headlight camera should be working (fingers crossed) and ill post the vids up here as usual and try and work on the over exposure of the in car camera.

Lets hope the weathers kind to us.

 

I came into this weekends meeting full of confidence after epynt and knew I could set some quick times.

Well my confidence became quite deflated like my OS Front tyre which when I checked the pressure was just 5psi, and couldnt help but notice the big shiny screw sticking out of it. *****. I spoke to the BMTR support truck and they told me it was ruined and there was no way of repairing it and they didn't have any more tyres available so weekend over.

Well bollocks to that I got one of the works drills out and sank the screw right into the tyre pretty much sealing it off. Both my dad and I did a practice run and it seemed to hold pressure but was seriouly hot after the run and was blistering the tyre up around it. I rang Powerstation who are a few miles down the road and set off down there to see if they could do anything, Dirk repaired it with a plug which wouldnt take very well but seemed to stem the airloss and meant we could run again.

So off we went again I set a 46.30 which is pretty quick but it was apparent to me the soft complient setup which was so great at epynt was not good at the billiard ball table surface of Prescoot and the car lurched into the corners before settling. I tried cranking up the suspension and it helped a bit and I went a bit quicker 46.21, the car seemed to be steering strangely towards the end of the run a quick inspection and it had chucked most of the power steering fluid out around the engine bay, double *****. You can hear the pump running pretty much dry in the video posted below.

So race day tyre holding air ok, fluid topped up and system bled and ready to go for it. So I went for it, practice day my splits had been really good ahead of the other roofed cars but in the final 2 corners where I felt the car lurching badly I was going from ahead to almost a second behind of Keith edwards in the SWB Quattro. I tried to pick up time in these corners but nothing of merit and posted a 46.14 not great. Roger in the A4 posted a 45.60 so I was some margin off the pace.

I'm convinced Prescott suits a low wide car as the porsches which the fastest of I beat by at least 3 seconds at other tracks are only a few tenths behind me here. So well behind with nothing to lose I decided to drop the car 10mm all round and stiffen the suspension and roll bars against various advice, now 10mm doenst sound like much but I had to wind the rings to the bottom of the thread on the shock to achieve it. My dad handed the car to me after his run and said it was a nightmare, I set off chucked it in and it just sat and gripped a dream I pressed on and felt quick through the last 2 corners and hoped it was enough. Roger had posted a 45.98 so if I could get under the 45.60 I had it, the clock read 45.68, triple *****!!!!

So ****ing close but a great battle and I was really happy with the changes I made to the car and the way I drove on my last run setting my first PB on one of the 3 midland tracks this year, I also know there is plenty more to be had and a 44 is a reality.

The debut of my headlight cam was a bit lame as it was slightly on the wonk and shaking a bit, when I straightened it and added extra fixings to the mount someone crashed running infront of me and I was sat on the line for 30 mins and the SD card filled up before my actual run.

Here is the first attempt anyway, practice 46.30.
View My Video

So second in the midland again no matter how close it was (8/100ths) its still a second place, I still feel good after the weekend and know I have loads of time to come everywhere and can make the car behave how I want to really attack the tracks and go for the wins and records.

 

Well done mate overcoming all those problems and coming a very creditable 2nd and only 100ths of first.
Mixed bag for me this weekend at Aintree,beat my previous class record on first run did a 48.48 so only by 1/100.Had dinner break then messed up first run after that,3rd run was great fastest ever first 2 corners even managed 4th gear instead of 3rd for the second corner.Then engine cut out burnt out fuel pump relay and wires,day over!
Will have to find the fault quick as im at 3 sisters this coming sunday!!!!!!

Congrats again

 

Really like the new video Rob, much better contrast than the other one - nice for looking at lines!

Here's some we took.....

MVI_3224.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
MVI_3225.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
MVI_3230.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
MVI_3232.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
MVI_3234.flv - Video - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Good to see y'all

Martin

 

I was entered at Harewood for a big 2 day A meeting this weekend but due to a combination of reasons I have deceided not to run as its not part of any championship i'm in and was just for me to try and lower my times and learn the track better, and just looking at the weather report I think I made the right desicion as it looks seriously grim up there with storms tomorrow.

I have a few weeks off now and we have lots of stuff to do on the car based around the info we have gathered on what works and what doesn't from the early part of the season, the main focus will be on the handling as it showed at Prescott last weekend some big changes realised over 1/2 a second instantly and potentialy plenty more.

I am going to concentrate on the 3 midland hills of shelsley walsh, prescott and loton park more in the second half of the season with B meetings at all of them to get the car set up as well as possible and be as practiced as possible for the remaining championsip rounds.

I also have to get the thing road legal for TOTB as I have been picked for team subaru!

 

Been at 3 sisters today,what a day.Get there in poring rain first run is like driving on a ice ring,equaled best time on second run with a 51.90 with drying track.First timed run got red flagged then on rerun throttle stuck open and we went off,no damage but last in class with 1st on a 50.9. 2nd run after dinner came out with a pb of 50.24 and class win,3rd timed run no improvment and then the heavens opened and end of day with class win.

 

Sounds eventful, well done mate.

 

Cheers mate,back to Curborough this week for a double lapper

 

Bring the pain!!!!

 

Will do i want the record weather depending,was only 0.25 off the single lap record.Want to remove the evo that holds it!!!!

 

New bits!

This should sort my mushy front end out for Shelsley at the weekend

 

rob 56.30? or 46.30 i can do 49's in the pissing wet so lets hope its a 46

 

Good point, altered.