Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

Since installing my Dawes on the first groupbuy (when was that, January?) there has always been thoughts in my mind that sustained periods of high rpm and full boost being controlled by a £25 widget isn't the safest route around.
So I decided not to track the car this year until I could monitor the relevent readings associated with engine meltdown - one EGT and AFR meter later and we're all set..

Now to find a trackday...as luck would have it a full day at Oulton Park on a Saturday courtesy of the TVR club, handy since Heathers (my girlfriend) parents live 5 miles away from the circuit - its a madhouse so imagine her surprise when I suggested visitng them for the weekend - "You haven't seen them since Xmas" "Yeah I know, but...."

Anyway as the Commonwealth Games was being washed out Oulton Park was bathed in sunshine all day bar one light shower which lasted 10 mins, the track drying even quicker. The format was 3 groups of 30 cars using the full circuit - 20 min sessions per hour. Wow what a circuit! It took me a session to learn, then a passenger ride with Mellow to take me to degree standard (sorry if all you want to know is how the Dawes got on, best scroll to the end ). I was put into the intermediate group as requested, or so I thought - it seemed all scoobs were put into the same session and with the various marques of TVRs I didn't expect to reel so many in. It was very apparent that I was carrying much more corner speed, especially in the fast sweeping 4th gear ones - combine that with effortless traction out of the 2 chicanes meant that what straight line advantage they had on me was easily overturned on a full lap. Interesting enough the ettiquette on track was overall very good, but only after lunch - earlier in the day if they didn't yield on the straights the only legal way to get by them (you could only overtake on the left) without their cooperation was on the run up to the banked hairpin. The marshalls were not too forthcoming with the blue flags either, that changed once I had a word with the chief marshall - although I must admit he approached me for a quiet word in my ear, my only defence was if I had overtaken on the left then I'd have to use the grass for 3/4 a lap since they don't move over, sorry about that!. I think most of the drivers in my group were at Oulton Park for the first time, also I think most were driving well within themselves through the turns - they knew how to put their foot down once straight though!

Right the Dawes bit. Its funny how you say to yourself that you'll monitor the gauges on every straight or at least once a lap...hmm well maybe when I'm a trackday veteran But when I did monitor them everything checked out splendidly. I'm running an MY95 WRX so that means small slanty IC, TD05 turbo and piddly 2pot brakes. The EGT gauge never got over 1400F (760C) and its mounted in the headers where the old lamda sensor used to be. I was running 8%+ CO all day, fuel used was optimax and 2ml/litre NF. Ambient temps were 20-25C all day and boost was set and held 1.0 bar when checked.
The car behaved brilliantly The brakes were not up to much, so much so that I couldn't brake at the max for every corner on a whole lap - I had to pick and choose when to use them basically depending on traffic, if I had just overtaken someone then I'd use them fully next corner so that I could put a bit of distance between them and me - other than that I had to be gentle. The uprated ARB's and solid droplinks really came into their own, I've only had them on the car a few months and I must say is the best track mod for the money - having said that although I've uprated the disks, pads and lines, fluid etc the 2pots just have to go they are the weakest link.

It was nice to meet Mellow and SillySi - thanks for the ride and advice , however the nicest thing that happened that day was to see Heathers mum turn up to watch and enjoy it, she doesn't often venture from the house these days but she did then must have been a lot of remanissing since Heathers dad used to race TVR's - how cool is that!

Justin