Mallory 18th April Nippon Challenge
29 March 2010, 11:49 AM
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Mallory 18th April Nippon Challenge
Vaughan Fletcher: No:15 GT300 Subaru Mallory 18th April 2010
It’s been a long time coming, but at last we’re back!!!
In mid April, we will find ourselves returning to Mallory Park in Leicester, for the start of the 2010 Nippon Challenge.
The season is shaping up to be another close fought and action packed event.
On the day, the Nippon Challenge will race alongside the following:
MaX 5 CHAMPIONSHIP (MX5)
WELSH SPORTS & SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
MR2 Challenge
Formula Ford 1600
CNC HEADS SPORTS & SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Qualifying gets underway at 09:30 and the racing starts at Midday.
There will be a full and varied days racing, so why not pop along for an enjoyable day.
There has been considerable investment at Mallory over the winter months, with improvements to both the track and its facilities.
Hope to see you there.
Jonathan
www.VF-Racing.co.uk
It’s been a long time coming, but at last we’re back!!!
In mid April, we will find ourselves returning to Mallory Park in Leicester, for the start of the 2010 Nippon Challenge.
The season is shaping up to be another close fought and action packed event.
On the day, the Nippon Challenge will race alongside the following:
MaX 5 CHAMPIONSHIP (MX5)
WELSH SPORTS & SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
MR2 Challenge
Formula Ford 1600
CNC HEADS SPORTS & SALOON CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Qualifying gets underway at 09:30 and the racing starts at Midday.
There will be a full and varied days racing, so why not pop along for an enjoyable day.
There has been considerable investment at Mallory over the winter months, with improvements to both the track and its facilities.
Hope to see you there.
Jonathan
www.VF-Racing.co.uk
19 April 2010, 04:55 PM
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Vaughan Fletcher: No: 15 GT300 Subaru Mallory 18th April 2010
It’s mid April, and we find ourselves returning to Mallory Park in Leicester, for the start of the 2010 Nippon Challenge. This is the first of two visits here this year, with the return leg being held in September.
Race Day:
Vaughan and a couple of the team travelled down to Mallory on Saturday afternoon, and were joined by a few of the other competitors in the paddock.
The rest of the supporters congregated on Sunday morning, in time to see the qualifying.
Running on the same day as the Max5racing, and other saloon car championships, the Nippon Challenge was amongst good company. Unfortunately due to lack of numbers the Formula Ford racing had been cancelled.
Qualifying:
There was a good turn out, with a grid of 24 cars, providing a good cross section in each class. Hopefully a sign of things to come, and the Nippon can continue to grow and head for championship status.
It was good to see some new faces/car’s with the new Subaru’s run by Ian Froggat and Spencer Turner with the ScoobyClinic prepared RA and the Triton Motorsport prepared STi respectively. Ian’s car had only been finished the day prior to Mallory, and driving it off the trailer was the first time he’d been behind the wheel!
With driver registration out of the way, it was a case of making sure Vaughan was happy with the car’s set up. The tyre pressures were set to 26psi and the car was fuelled for qualifying. The suspension set up was adjusted to what we thought would be best considering the weather, and the fast right hander of Gerard’s.
The car went through scrutineering without any issues, and passed noise level with a reading of 92 dBa.
One lesson learnt from last year, was that it’s important to get out on track at the head of the pack. As Mallory is a short circuit, we knew we could soon get caught up in traffic, and that this had the possibility of causing our lap times to suffer.
As the new brakes have not been tested before the race, it was important to make sure Vaughan was happy with the way they responded. After a couple of laps to bed them in, and to get the rest of the car up to temperature, the qualifying laps could commence in earnest.
Upon returning to the paddock, the tyre temperatures were recorded, which will help us ensure that they are working at their best on circuit.
The tyre temperatures are something we will be monitoring throughout the season, in order to help us achieve the best chassis set up for each race venue.
The recorded tyre temps, and pressures were used to identify that there was some adjustment needed in the suspension. There was also some damage to the driver’s side front tyre.
Other than this, the car had performed well during qualifying, and all the work done through the winter, was looking like it had paid off.
Before the first race, the car had the driver’s side front and rear tyres swapped over, in order to put the damaged tyre on the rear, where it would get less wear. The suspension on the drivers side was then adjusted to remove some of the negative camber in an attempt to battle the high temperatures we had encountered on the inside edge during qualifying.
When the results came in, we were over the moon, as Vaughan had claimed his first pole position, and would line up against Maxim for the first race.
Qualified 1st in class
Qualified 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.025 sec on lap 12 of 16
Pos 1: Vaughan Fletcher
Pos 2: Maxim Taylor RX7
Pos 3: Adrian Howells Subaru
Round 1:
Starting from 1st place on the inside of the grid, we had the better line into Gerards, however the Oramge RX7 of Maxim Taylor wasn’t going to make this easy for us. As the lights went green, Maxim timed it to perfection and got the slightest advantage before the 4wd of the Subaru hooked up, and allowed Vaughan to pull out a lead as they went around the long right hander.
What followed was then an epic battle to keep Maxim behind us, as his extra power helped him to close up the gap on the two long straights of Steebe and Kirkby.
For the first ¾’s of the race, Maxim was trying every trick in the race driver’s handbook to find a way past Vaughan. Following him through seemingly impossible gaps in traffic and on several occasions finding himself alongside Vaughan under braking into the JC Esses.
When the back markers came into play, it was a case of picking though them, which was on the whole without incident, until one of the MR2’s turned into the side of Vaughan at Druids as he was accelerating past. Fortunately the damage was minimal with a dented front wing, and a scuffed wheel.
However by now Maxim was backing off, and short shifting the RX7 in an attempt to nurse the car home. This later turned out to be an issue with the wastegate, and not wishing to cause any major damage, he decided to not risk running in race 2.
This meant we were able to pull out a comfortable lead over Maxim, and allowed to us to take the win.
There was some action slightly further back as Adrian Howells and Steve Burke were closing in on the stricken RX7. Coming through the bus stop on the last lap Steve came through with a late run to the line, and took 3rd place overall from Adrian Howells.
Finished 1st in class
Finished 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.557 sec on lap 8 of 17
Round 2:
The car was checked over after the contact with the MR2, but nothing untoward was found. The tyres were checked over, and were found to be running nice and even. A testament that the pressure’s and suspension set up was working well.
As the temperature was starting to decline, it was decided to up the tyre pressure by 1psi. More fuel was added, and the car was ready for race 2.
Starting again from 1st place on the grid, we had the empty grid slot next to us, where Maxim would have been. This meant that Adrain Howells in the quick Subaru Cup car would have a clear run to the first corner.
As the lights went out, we were blessed with a good start, and the grid behind us got away cleanly.
Vaughan pulled out a good lead, and was able to drive the race without Maxim breathing down his neck. Even without the constant threat of being overtaken, it was no reason to back off. When doing so, Vaughan found that he was making little mistakes in his race line and under braking. As a result, he decided to go back to full race speed which brought back the concentration levels.
With back markers looking again, the headlights were switched on, so as not to have a repeat performance from race 1. This time all the back markers followed the instruction of the blue flag, and made the necessary room available for a clean overtake.
After starting quite a way down the grid due to first race Gremlins, Ian Froggat drove a good race to come up from 12th to 6th overall. What makes this more remarkable is that after a few laps, the car threw its drive belt, which left the Subaru without any power steering! Thankfully, Ian is a heavy haulage contractor, so is obviously used to driving his HGV’s! Ian finished 3rd in GT300, which was a great result for his first weekends racing.
After 17 laps we were able to take the chequered flag for a second time. After our mixed season last year, it was a great end to a day’s racing.
Finished 1st in class
Finished 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.478 sec on lap 2 of 17
Summary:
An unbelievable start to the 2010 Nippon Challenge for us, and one we are really proud off.
Thanks to everyone on the team who turned up to offer their support and help on the day.
Thanks go to all our sponsors who have helped us turn out again, and allow us to do what we enjoy.
Jonathan Fletcher Supporter. Subaru GT300 #15
It’s mid April, and we find ourselves returning to Mallory Park in Leicester, for the start of the 2010 Nippon Challenge. This is the first of two visits here this year, with the return leg being held in September.
Race Day:
Vaughan and a couple of the team travelled down to Mallory on Saturday afternoon, and were joined by a few of the other competitors in the paddock.
The rest of the supporters congregated on Sunday morning, in time to see the qualifying.
Running on the same day as the Max5racing, and other saloon car championships, the Nippon Challenge was amongst good company. Unfortunately due to lack of numbers the Formula Ford racing had been cancelled.
Qualifying:
There was a good turn out, with a grid of 24 cars, providing a good cross section in each class. Hopefully a sign of things to come, and the Nippon can continue to grow and head for championship status.
It was good to see some new faces/car’s with the new Subaru’s run by Ian Froggat and Spencer Turner with the ScoobyClinic prepared RA and the Triton Motorsport prepared STi respectively. Ian’s car had only been finished the day prior to Mallory, and driving it off the trailer was the first time he’d been behind the wheel!
With driver registration out of the way, it was a case of making sure Vaughan was happy with the car’s set up. The tyre pressures were set to 26psi and the car was fuelled for qualifying. The suspension set up was adjusted to what we thought would be best considering the weather, and the fast right hander of Gerard’s.
The car went through scrutineering without any issues, and passed noise level with a reading of 92 dBa.
One lesson learnt from last year, was that it’s important to get out on track at the head of the pack. As Mallory is a short circuit, we knew we could soon get caught up in traffic, and that this had the possibility of causing our lap times to suffer.
As the new brakes have not been tested before the race, it was important to make sure Vaughan was happy with the way they responded. After a couple of laps to bed them in, and to get the rest of the car up to temperature, the qualifying laps could commence in earnest.
Upon returning to the paddock, the tyre temperatures were recorded, which will help us ensure that they are working at their best on circuit.
The tyre temperatures are something we will be monitoring throughout the season, in order to help us achieve the best chassis set up for each race venue.
The recorded tyre temps, and pressures were used to identify that there was some adjustment needed in the suspension. There was also some damage to the driver’s side front tyre.
Other than this, the car had performed well during qualifying, and all the work done through the winter, was looking like it had paid off.
Before the first race, the car had the driver’s side front and rear tyres swapped over, in order to put the damaged tyre on the rear, where it would get less wear. The suspension on the drivers side was then adjusted to remove some of the negative camber in an attempt to battle the high temperatures we had encountered on the inside edge during qualifying.
When the results came in, we were over the moon, as Vaughan had claimed his first pole position, and would line up against Maxim for the first race.
Qualified 1st in class
Qualified 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.025 sec on lap 12 of 16
Pos 1: Vaughan Fletcher
Pos 2: Maxim Taylor RX7
Pos 3: Adrian Howells Subaru
Round 1:
Starting from 1st place on the inside of the grid, we had the better line into Gerards, however the Oramge RX7 of Maxim Taylor wasn’t going to make this easy for us. As the lights went green, Maxim timed it to perfection and got the slightest advantage before the 4wd of the Subaru hooked up, and allowed Vaughan to pull out a lead as they went around the long right hander.
What followed was then an epic battle to keep Maxim behind us, as his extra power helped him to close up the gap on the two long straights of Steebe and Kirkby.
For the first ¾’s of the race, Maxim was trying every trick in the race driver’s handbook to find a way past Vaughan. Following him through seemingly impossible gaps in traffic and on several occasions finding himself alongside Vaughan under braking into the JC Esses.
When the back markers came into play, it was a case of picking though them, which was on the whole without incident, until one of the MR2’s turned into the side of Vaughan at Druids as he was accelerating past. Fortunately the damage was minimal with a dented front wing, and a scuffed wheel.
However by now Maxim was backing off, and short shifting the RX7 in an attempt to nurse the car home. This later turned out to be an issue with the wastegate, and not wishing to cause any major damage, he decided to not risk running in race 2.
This meant we were able to pull out a comfortable lead over Maxim, and allowed to us to take the win.
There was some action slightly further back as Adrian Howells and Steve Burke were closing in on the stricken RX7. Coming through the bus stop on the last lap Steve came through with a late run to the line, and took 3rd place overall from Adrian Howells.
Finished 1st in class
Finished 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.557 sec on lap 8 of 17
Round 2:
The car was checked over after the contact with the MR2, but nothing untoward was found. The tyres were checked over, and were found to be running nice and even. A testament that the pressure’s and suspension set up was working well.
As the temperature was starting to decline, it was decided to up the tyre pressure by 1psi. More fuel was added, and the car was ready for race 2.
Starting again from 1st place on the grid, we had the empty grid slot next to us, where Maxim would have been. This meant that Adrain Howells in the quick Subaru Cup car would have a clear run to the first corner.
As the lights went out, we were blessed with a good start, and the grid behind us got away cleanly.
Vaughan pulled out a good lead, and was able to drive the race without Maxim breathing down his neck. Even without the constant threat of being overtaken, it was no reason to back off. When doing so, Vaughan found that he was making little mistakes in his race line and under braking. As a result, he decided to go back to full race speed which brought back the concentration levels.
With back markers looking again, the headlights were switched on, so as not to have a repeat performance from race 1. This time all the back markers followed the instruction of the blue flag, and made the necessary room available for a clean overtake.
After starting quite a way down the grid due to first race Gremlins, Ian Froggat drove a good race to come up from 12th to 6th overall. What makes this more remarkable is that after a few laps, the car threw its drive belt, which left the Subaru without any power steering! Thankfully, Ian is a heavy haulage contractor, so is obviously used to driving his HGV’s! Ian finished 3rd in GT300, which was a great result for his first weekends racing.
After 17 laps we were able to take the chequered flag for a second time. After our mixed season last year, it was a great end to a day’s racing.
Finished 1st in class
Finished 1st overall
Fastest lap: 52.478 sec on lap 2 of 17
Summary:
An unbelievable start to the 2010 Nippon Challenge for us, and one we are really proud off.
Thanks to everyone on the team who turned up to offer their support and help on the day.
Thanks go to all our sponsors who have helped us turn out again, and allow us to do what we enjoy.
Jonathan Fletcher Supporter. Subaru GT300 #15
04 May 2010, 10:16 AM
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