KSport Impreza Race Report 2011 Time Attack Round 5 July 31st Cadwell Park
06 August 2011, 07:36 PM
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KSport Impreza Race Report 2011 Time Attack Round 5 July 31st Cadwell Park
KSport Impreza Race Report 2011 Time Attack Round 5 July 31st Cadwell Park
My weekend didn't start particularly well.....When loading late on Friday night the car developed a misfire which meant it wouldn't rev or idle properly....added to that was the fact my laptop chose this oppourtune moment to die with the battery splitting open in several places!!! duh.....it was too dark and late to sort out then so it would be sorted at the track......or at least I hoped it would!!!
My pit crew, Dave Skykline and Andy Andreou (AndySTIV3) arrived early Saturday morning and we were on the road before 7.30, this month as the race car was feeling a little under the weather I decided I would take my BMW training car along as well.....we were at the track an hour before lunch, unloaded and signed on and I was out in the BMW for a couple of early laps....we fired up the race car and took her out....I had hoped the magic Subaru fairies had spent the night under my bonnet fettling the car but alas no, the misfire was still there and the car wouldn't pull beyond 5000 revs....not only that but one of the Bosch 044 fuel pumps that I'd only changed out the week before was making an awful rattling noise!!
Some technical support was sought from Zen Performance supremo Paul Blamire.....and we set about checking all the wiring out...earths, coil pack connectors etc.....with time marching on and only 40 mins of tracktime left we decided to get the car back out and get some more data while we still had the chance....the misfire was still present BUT after only a few laps it seemed to improve and i could start pushing the car a little and get the tyres warm at last....5 laps later and the misfire was all but gone! result...I pushed on and completed a few more laps, had something of a moment coming down the hill to Mansfield past Lee Broadhursts KTM.....complete lockup on the brakes, all four wheels off the track and grass everywhere.....hmmmm....not my intended line for the race tomorrow!!
I was much happier now knowing the car was firing on all four again. Paul B drove the hour or so south from TOTB X at Elvington, and after a review of the logs and some discussion then some circuit specific chassis settings were determined...we also concluded that the misfire was down fouled plugs....they were whipped out, regapped, cleaned and reinstalled....After a full clean inside and out only one job remained.....stripping down the fuel tank to change out the pump again.....that would have to wait as the me and the pit crew were starving and chippie/pub run into Louth was deemed to be the priority!!
A comfortable night in the van for Dave and I.... unfortunately Andy drew the short straw as his blow up bed didnt stay blew up for too long....by the time the morning had come it was very much like a flat tyre!! duh!!! Sorry Andy....mental note to test blow-up beads before next race weekend.....so fuel tank to bits and a fix was made on the noisy fuel pump, fiddley job but all good now....signed on, transponder fitted and before long we were out....low boost for the first session, not after breaking any lap records....apart from a little understeer in one of the low speed bends the car drove brilliantly....it felt better than its ever felt with amazing grip through the bends and when putting the power down.....some good info was gathered for a couple more minor tweaks....all good and onto the 2nd session....
The second session didnt start well, after only a lap or 2 heavy smoke was coming from the engine bay.....I hobbled around to the pit lane killed the engine and jumped out....Andy, Dave and the Marshalls were on the car like a rash....just as well the marshall had picked up the extinguisher as oil(whiched turned out to be power steering fluid) had ignited and was on fire on the floor of the car under the engine.....oh B*LLOCKS!!!!
Andy spotted the flame first and had the fire out with just one quick squirt from the extinguisher.....session ended and back to the paddock to assess the damage....we were very lucky....no damage to speak off apart from a burnt through power steering line, the source of the leak....with only just over an hour until qualifying we had to come up with a plan quick, either that or put the car on the trailer and go home....
It was clear if we could make the car serviceable again it would be without power steering....hmmmmm....this would prove a challenging drive at Cadwell with no PS for sure....
some more phone support from Paul Blamire at TOTB X and a plan was hatched to re-configure the power steering to get the car out again.....
Andy Dave and I worked through lunch and with only a few minutes to spare before qualifying we had the car ready (thanks Walter and Marcus for the ATF fluid!). Out I went, I was right it was a pig to get the damn thing to turn in.....felt like I was arm wrestling a gorrilla with both hands!...once your part way through a corner the car wants to rip the wheel off you and put you on the outside of the bend....I got 5 laps in and didn't come off the black stuff which I was pleased with BUT my lap time was 1:41.7, 9th out of 12 which didnt meet my expectations....a full 4 seconds off Gav who put in a 1:37.6
It was time to take a double dose of brave pills, switch the NOS on, turn the boost up and give it everything for just 2 or 3 laps.....After numerous red flags the final took forever to come round.....they lined us up in the pit lane for what seemed like half an hour but was probably only 5 mins, this didnt do my car any good at all though as it started to overheat before we even got going (Mental note to tell Glen we need a 1 min board in the pit lane in future).
So it was out for the first lap of the final, Gav leading, then I was behind Alan Freelands Pink Evo.....round to the finish line for the first time and it was pedal to the metal.....I tried to get past Alans evo on the pit straight but didnt quite have enough there to do it....not far off flat through Coppice....powersliding through the two apexes of Charlies and foot to the floor again for the back straight....onto the inside kerb though Chris curves and set the car up for the arm wrestle through the Gooseneck.....so far so good....hard on the gas out of Mansfield and a couple of sideways moments throught the left right before getting airborne over the mountain....no dramas, through hall bends and clean through the hairpin and barn corner before coming back down the pit straight.....
WOW those brave pills work....(or maybe it was the NOS).....a 1:38.2, 3.5 seconds up on my qualifying time and enough for 2nd place behind Gav initally before Marcus put in a late stormer leaving me with 3rd place and the last Pro Podium position....
Once the adrenaline stopped flowing I could reflect on the weekend.....disapointing not to be challenging for the outright win....and but for the fire and loss of power steering who knows.....I could really have done with the points to challenge for the 2011 title too.....all said and done, given the circumstances, I was happy to get to the podium, collect the SIDC Fastest Subaru prize and not destroy the car with what could have easily been a major fire......
So onto collecting the prizes, and then the long drive home, and then attention turns to the remaining 2 rounds of 2011, its sure to go down to the wire......please show your support for the series and the cars and come down to Anglesey on August 28th for the next installment of UK Time Attack 2011
Once again huge thanks to my pit crew, Dave Skyline and Andy Andreou, and to Paul Blamire for ongoing trackside support.
Big thanks also to my sponsors:
Bren at KSport Uk
Enginetuner
Lateral Performance
EBC Brakes
AET Turbos
Zen Performance
CDF Racing
Also thanks to Adz and Dave Grice
My weekend didn't start particularly well.....When loading late on Friday night the car developed a misfire which meant it wouldn't rev or idle properly....added to that was the fact my laptop chose this oppourtune moment to die with the battery splitting open in several places!!! duh.....it was too dark and late to sort out then so it would be sorted at the track......or at least I hoped it would!!!
My pit crew, Dave Skykline and Andy Andreou (AndySTIV3) arrived early Saturday morning and we were on the road before 7.30, this month as the race car was feeling a little under the weather I decided I would take my BMW training car along as well.....we were at the track an hour before lunch, unloaded and signed on and I was out in the BMW for a couple of early laps....we fired up the race car and took her out....I had hoped the magic Subaru fairies had spent the night under my bonnet fettling the car but alas no, the misfire was still there and the car wouldn't pull beyond 5000 revs....not only that but one of the Bosch 044 fuel pumps that I'd only changed out the week before was making an awful rattling noise!!
Some technical support was sought from Zen Performance supremo Paul Blamire.....and we set about checking all the wiring out...earths, coil pack connectors etc.....with time marching on and only 40 mins of tracktime left we decided to get the car back out and get some more data while we still had the chance....the misfire was still present BUT after only a few laps it seemed to improve and i could start pushing the car a little and get the tyres warm at last....5 laps later and the misfire was all but gone! result...I pushed on and completed a few more laps, had something of a moment coming down the hill to Mansfield past Lee Broadhursts KTM.....complete lockup on the brakes, all four wheels off the track and grass everywhere.....hmmmm....not my intended line for the race tomorrow!!
I was much happier now knowing the car was firing on all four again. Paul B drove the hour or so south from TOTB X at Elvington, and after a review of the logs and some discussion then some circuit specific chassis settings were determined...we also concluded that the misfire was down fouled plugs....they were whipped out, regapped, cleaned and reinstalled....After a full clean inside and out only one job remained.....stripping down the fuel tank to change out the pump again.....that would have to wait as the me and the pit crew were starving and chippie/pub run into Louth was deemed to be the priority!!
A comfortable night in the van for Dave and I.... unfortunately Andy drew the short straw as his blow up bed didnt stay blew up for too long....by the time the morning had come it was very much like a flat tyre!! duh!!! Sorry Andy....mental note to test blow-up beads before next race weekend.....so fuel tank to bits and a fix was made on the noisy fuel pump, fiddley job but all good now....signed on, transponder fitted and before long we were out....low boost for the first session, not after breaking any lap records....apart from a little understeer in one of the low speed bends the car drove brilliantly....it felt better than its ever felt with amazing grip through the bends and when putting the power down.....some good info was gathered for a couple more minor tweaks....all good and onto the 2nd session....
The second session didnt start well, after only a lap or 2 heavy smoke was coming from the engine bay.....I hobbled around to the pit lane killed the engine and jumped out....Andy, Dave and the Marshalls were on the car like a rash....just as well the marshall had picked up the extinguisher as oil(whiched turned out to be power steering fluid) had ignited and was on fire on the floor of the car under the engine.....oh B*LLOCKS!!!!
Andy spotted the flame first and had the fire out with just one quick squirt from the extinguisher.....session ended and back to the paddock to assess the damage....we were very lucky....no damage to speak off apart from a burnt through power steering line, the source of the leak....with only just over an hour until qualifying we had to come up with a plan quick, either that or put the car on the trailer and go home....
It was clear if we could make the car serviceable again it would be without power steering....hmmmmm....this would prove a challenging drive at Cadwell with no PS for sure....
some more phone support from Paul Blamire at TOTB X and a plan was hatched to re-configure the power steering to get the car out again.....
Andy Dave and I worked through lunch and with only a few minutes to spare before qualifying we had the car ready (thanks Walter and Marcus for the ATF fluid!). Out I went, I was right it was a pig to get the damn thing to turn in.....felt like I was arm wrestling a gorrilla with both hands!...once your part way through a corner the car wants to rip the wheel off you and put you on the outside of the bend....I got 5 laps in and didn't come off the black stuff which I was pleased with BUT my lap time was 1:41.7, 9th out of 12 which didnt meet my expectations....a full 4 seconds off Gav who put in a 1:37.6
It was time to take a double dose of brave pills, switch the NOS on, turn the boost up and give it everything for just 2 or 3 laps.....After numerous red flags the final took forever to come round.....they lined us up in the pit lane for what seemed like half an hour but was probably only 5 mins, this didnt do my car any good at all though as it started to overheat before we even got going (Mental note to tell Glen we need a 1 min board in the pit lane in future).
So it was out for the first lap of the final, Gav leading, then I was behind Alan Freelands Pink Evo.....round to the finish line for the first time and it was pedal to the metal.....I tried to get past Alans evo on the pit straight but didnt quite have enough there to do it....not far off flat through Coppice....powersliding through the two apexes of Charlies and foot to the floor again for the back straight....onto the inside kerb though Chris curves and set the car up for the arm wrestle through the Gooseneck.....so far so good....hard on the gas out of Mansfield and a couple of sideways moments throught the left right before getting airborne over the mountain....no dramas, through hall bends and clean through the hairpin and barn corner before coming back down the pit straight.....
WOW those brave pills work....(or maybe it was the NOS).....a 1:38.2, 3.5 seconds up on my qualifying time and enough for 2nd place behind Gav initally before Marcus put in a late stormer leaving me with 3rd place and the last Pro Podium position....
Once the adrenaline stopped flowing I could reflect on the weekend.....disapointing not to be challenging for the outright win....and but for the fire and loss of power steering who knows.....I could really have done with the points to challenge for the 2011 title too.....all said and done, given the circumstances, I was happy to get to the podium, collect the SIDC Fastest Subaru prize and not destroy the car with what could have easily been a major fire......
So onto collecting the prizes, and then the long drive home, and then attention turns to the remaining 2 rounds of 2011, its sure to go down to the wire......please show your support for the series and the cars and come down to Anglesey on August 28th for the next installment of UK Time Attack 2011
Once again huge thanks to my pit crew, Dave Skyline and Andy Andreou, and to Paul Blamire for ongoing trackside support.
Big thanks also to my sponsors:
Bren at KSport Uk
Enginetuner
Lateral Performance
EBC Brakes
AET Turbos
Zen Performance
CDF Racing
Also thanks to Adz and Dave Grice
Last edited by popeyedoyle; 07 August 2011 at 05:36 PM.
06 August 2011, 08:36 PM
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Well, at least it wasn't a dull event!
Stunning pictures there Paul.
Well done for the podium, onwards and upwards.. !
Stunning pictures there Paul.
Well done for the podium, onwards and upwards.. !
07 August 2011, 04:18 PM
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thanks for the kind words Alan.....also thanks to you, Rob, Andy and all your team for building me an engine that can deliver 750hp with a rather large blast of NOS on top!!.....
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07 August 2011, 07:39 PM
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Your gritty determination is admirable, and what it's all about at the top level.
08 August 2011, 07:00 PM
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Great write up and smashing pictures too, I would love to have gone along to this but they always do it with modified live which isnt really my thing!
Glad you had a good weekend, sounds like you all earned it!
Glad you had a good weekend, sounds like you all earned it!
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