Racing Five

Manifolds and engine mounts

2012-01-08T22:04:00.000Z

Ok, the replacement eBay manifold arrived yesterday and it's looking good. It has a different collector pattern to the old one (which I believe is a Janspeed) - the new one goes down to two pipes much further up which frees up a bit of space to clear the oil filter. I'm not sure of the make of the new manifold but I think it might be a Raceland. It's certainly stainless steel and it weighs a bit less than the old one (a bonus).

Here's the two manifolds side by side (new one on the left):

And on the engine - old one first:

And the new one (note the clearance to the oil filter):

I've ordered up a new fitting kit with wire gasket and I'll get some new studs and hopefully get some time to fit it by next weekend.

My thoughts have turned to engine mounts. I had hoped to upgrade the mounts to reduce movement but on inspection, the drivers side mount is a basic small capacity mount. This makes sense since the car is built on a 1.1 litre shell. To change to a competition mount will probably require fabricating a new inner wing section. So, I'll leave that for now and just replace the mount with a new one (or maybe look at 205 mounts......) The gearbox mount can be easily replaced and the rear lower mount has already been polybushed so that's easy.

Drivers side mount:

Gearbox mount:

Of course, all of this is just a diversion from doing the cam seals. I've rechecked the cams and flywheel are locked at TDC and found I had it wrong first time round. I'm still a bit nervous about this bit.....

Work on the RacingSaxo begins

2012-01-06T19:47:00.000Z

Happy New Year !

I've taken advantage of some time off work to make a start on fixing the niggles on the Saxo. The main items that need sorting are the exhaust manifold which fouls on the oil filter, the cam seals which leak and a few bits and bobs to get through the MOT.

I started by taking a photo of the engine bay as it was to help me put it all back together:

Then I decided access would be much easier if I took the bonner and the front of the car off.

It would be even easier if the radiator was out of the way so It came out too and then the manifold just slipped off no problem at all.

The old Janspeed manifold is well bent and bashed on the bottom. I hope the replacement I've ordered off eBay is a better fit.

So, that's it all ready for the new manifold to be bolted in to place. I just need to decide whether to splash out and get it ceramic coated to keep the engine bay temps down.....

Next up, the cam seals.

December already

2011-12-04T11:33:00.000Z

November was a post-free month on RacingFive.co.uk, mainly due to the lack of any activity at all.

The bad news is that my racing budget for 2012 has taken a severe beating with the need to renew the turbo on my tow-car/family barge. That, combined with the need to buy a new Nomex race suit for next year means that I will not be attending the Autosport show in January and I will probably be late starting the season.

The good news is that I haven't sold any of my racing car fleet so I should still have something to compete in when I do get enough cash together.

Photos from the archive

2011-10-30T19:30:00.000Z

Well, not really the 'archive' - just some photos I found on a camera that had been lying around for a few months.

A fat Orange bloke sitting in the racingMetro with no seats!

The racingPug at Ingliston before it broke down

Some fat bloke eating a donut at Ingliston

Autumn tidy up

2011-10-24T20:34:00.000+01:00

Not much happening in racingFive land at the moment. I spent the weekend tidying up the garage in preparation for doing some jobs on the Saxo. I put some shelves up, cleared a bit more space on the floor and dismantled an old MX-5 engine that had been lying on my workbench for several years.

A visit to the local scrappy is in order to get some of the old metal lying around weighed in and raise some much needed racing fund cash. A win win situation - I get some of my garage space back and some readies in hand. I hear batteries are over £400 a tonne and I've got at least three lying about - that could be the best part of £25! I must remember to claim the tax back on the Saxo too........

End of Season Victory - Kames 3 October

2011-10-05T20:41:00.000+01:00

The final sprint of the year took place at Kames on Sunday courtesy of Wigton Motor Club.

Poor weather conditions made it tricky to really get the car going but the good news is it performed without any major hitches.

The low entry meant the road going classes were amalgamated meaning I was up against a range of cars from the very quick Peugeot 205 Rallye of David Wiggins to the hairdressers special MR-2 of Dave Exton and the Honda S2000 of Ronnie MacGregor. A very nice Lotus of Alex Thornton made up the class.

I managed to win the class comfortably with a time of 102.87 seconds - not bad considering the wet conditions. Next closest was David Wiggins (who holds the A1 class record) who managed a 104 sec run. Dave had a bad day though as he crashed into the tyres and did a bit of damage to the nearside of the car. Strangely, I was on track at the same time and also had an off (at the hairpin) - someone said it was like synchronised crashing. Luckily, I did no damage.

The wee Saxo has a lot of potential and could be very competitive in the Wigton championship. A few little issues emerged through the day - a small oil leak from one of the camshaft seals, the battery gave up the ghost at the end, and there is a bit of 'looseness' in the offside front strut.

Still, it gives me some work to do over the winter......

Fixing the fire damage

2011-09-24T21:45:00.000+01:00

The front end off

I got the front end off the Saxo so I could clean up the mess from the fire last weekend. After I cleaned up all the dry powder, I removed all the heat wrap off the exhaust. It was well soaked in oil and that was almost certainly what had caught fire on Sunday.

The oil soaked heat wrap

Next job was to remove the alternator. It hasn't worked since I bought the car so it was just dead weight - quite a lot of dead weight at that! Off came the tensioner and bracket too.

The alternator, tensioner and brackets

On further investigation, the exhaust manifold has been damaged at some point, probably in an off at somewhere like Forrestburn. There is a big bash in the down pipe and the impact has almost certainly bent the pipe which is why it is fouling on the oil filter. So, a new manifold will be needed over the winter period. I think I might splash out on a Supersprint 4-2-1 and get it ceramic coated to avoid the dreaded heat wrap.

Bash in the exhaust downpipe

Tight to the oil filter (that's a tiny Subaru filter!)

I fixed a few other wee bits and bobs with parts I picked up from the local scrappy - tailgate strut (so I wont get bashed on the head again!), fuse boxes, and steering column bolts. I've also got the offside headlight to fix.

Next outing is at Kames for the season finale next weekend. Hopefully it will survive that!

A Hot Weekend at Harewood

2011-09-19T23:21:00.000+01:00

I took the Saxo down to Harewood for the double header hillclimb at the weekend. It's the first time I've been to the Yorkshire hill since 2009 and I was really looking forward to driving the Saxo in anger for the first time.

The journey down was a precurser to the weekend with the A1 being closed for most of Friday and some tropical thunderstorms making conditions harrowing. I finally arrived around 6.30pm, unloaded the car and pitched my tent before heading into Wetherby for a takeaway.

On saturday morning, I spent a fair bit of time chatting to fellow Wigton MC competitors Dave Exton, Colin Sutherland, Ronnie MacGregor and Peter Sewell. Peter's wife kept us well fed and watered with bacon butties and tea/coffee. All this meant I never got round to walking the hill.

The weather was 'changeable'. In other words, it could be sunny when you left the paddock and tipping with rain by the time you got to the start. The times reflected this with a wide variation between runs.

There was much chat over the Saxo - it seemed to attract quite a lot of attention both amongst fellow competitors and spectators. It proved to be relatively quick on the track too.

As the day progressed, I got quicker and quicker, soon beating my previous best time in the MX-5 by around a second with a low 73 sec run.

On the last run, I was into the swing of things and got a pretty good start. I was still a bit wary in the first corner but attacked the 'esses' section more aggressively and kept in clean for the rest of the lower part of the hill. Coming out of 'farmhouse', I got on the power early and was feeling confident of a quick run when I caught glimpse of a huge plume of smoke in my mirrors. Had the engine let go? No - it was still running fine so I carried on round the last corner over the line.

The marshall at the top signalled to me and I wound the window down. Cool as a cucumber he says "Your car is on fire".
Attempting to mirror his coolness I reply "Ok, I'll just park up over there and you can put it out".

So, I park up in front of the main building, jump out and watch as the marhsalls proceed to cover my car in a powder resembling bicarbonate of soda.

I hear one of them say "Get the foam" and out comes another big scoosher and coats the bicarb turning it into a stinking goo.

"I'd advise you clean that off asap - it's corrosive". Says the man in orange. I was very grateful that they had put it out but couldn't help thinking that they could have used a bit less goo. After all, I hadn't actually seen any flames.

Anyway, with the help of some fellow competitors, I spent the next couple of hours cleaning up and got it reasonably clean.

The cause of the fire? Ah, we suspect that would be the oil filter what I had put on in the dark and apparently not tightened up properly. Sprayed a load of oil onto the heat wrap on the exhaust which then caught fire.

After a reasonable curry and some chat with Dave Exton, I retired to my cosy tent to contemplate buying a fire extinguisher. On the plus side, I had smashed my previous personal best and posted a time of 72.74 sec - and that was in a burning car!

On Sunday, I was a bit paranoid about the thing catching fire again and it proved to be justified. On returning from the second practice run, I got back to the paddock and was just taking my helmet off when I saw folk running towards the car pointing. I immediately knew why as the smoke billowed out from under the bonnet.

This time, I fetched the extinguisher myself and carefully aimed the nozzle at the base of the flames. A very brief puff of powder later and the thing was out. No mess, no fuss. Nice and simple. However, I couldn't face fiddling with the car to get the oil soaked heat wrap off so I decided to call it quits and retired. Just as I was about to leave, the heavens opened and the thunderstorm returned........

A post about a steering wheel

2011-09-14T19:03:00.000+01:00

Fixed the loose steering wheel tonight - just needed a wee tighten up.

However, having moved the seat forward, and being a deep dished type, it is now too close to me. So, I need to source a flat type wheel. Anyone want to swap their flat wheel for a dished wheel, let me know.

Next job - timing strut. Only 2 days 'til Harewood.......

AutoSOLO - Penrith

2011-09-13T21:54:00.000+01:00

I took the Saxo down to Penrith for a wee club AutoSOLO, courtesy of Wigton Motor CLub, on Sunday. An AutoSOLO is like an Autotest without any reversing - lots of cones and lots of scope for going the wrong way. The key to success is smooth, accurate driving - not really my forte!

It is brilliant fun and great for practising car control albeit at relatively low speed.

The weather was pretty wet and windy but that in no way dampened spirits and the 15 or so competitors all entered into the fun spririt of the day. Everyone takes a turn at marshalling which is a great way to see other drivers up close.

My natural tendency is to just go hell for leather as fast as I can but this style is not really suited to AutoSOLO as it is very easy to go the wrong way round a series of cones or indeed hit the cones and incur a time penalty. My first few runs were littered with the dreaded phrase 'wrong test' meaning I had failed to complete the course correctly.

I did evenually get the hang of it and post some respectable times but the damage was already done and I was never really in contention for a win.

The Saxo performed well. I learned about how the diff can catch you out and pull the car sharply in one direction. I learned about how to steer it on the throttle round a 360 degree turn - grip is really impressive

The Saxo's steering is far too heavy for tight AutoSOLO courses and by the end the day my arms and hands were aching. I also found that the steering wheel boss has a small amount of play so I need to get that off and have a look before Harewood.

Other wee issues are that the car sometimes won't idle but it seems better once warmed up. The battery managed to last the day with a wee boost for 10mins at lunchtime so I'm fairly confident that I can just remove the alternator completely rather than fork out for a new one.

I've managed to move the seat forward a wee bit but I could do with moving it another inch or so - a minor winter project.

I'm thinking of running the car in the modified class next year so I might have a few other things to do over the winter......

The Saxo first impressions

2011-08-31T23:13:00.000+01:00

I took the Saxo down to Kames for a test on Sunday. The journey was eventful as my towcar developed an alarming vibration under acceleration which subsequently turned out to be a broken CV joint.

It was nice to see the old racingPug at Kames in the hand of the new owner, Cammy who seemed to be having a great time.

Anyway, the first impressions of the Saxo are favourable. It accelerates very quickly, has plenty of grip and pulls through the corners thanks to the Quaife ATB differential. You can really feel it working its magic on the paddock bend at Kames and coming out of the hairpin.

It needs a bit of adjustment for my driving - the rear brakes seem to lock a bit too easily which could be a problem if I trail into the corner. There is a valve to adjust rear pressure but I couldn't get it just right on Sunday.

The seat needs moved forward a bit - I found myself struggling to get the clutch in without a real effort. On that subject, the clutch is a bit noisy - maybe the release bearing is on the way out. Works fine though.

The alternator is completely goosed so I ran all day sunday with no belt - the car started fine with just the solar trickle charger topping it up and a quick blast on the jump leads at lunchtime. I suspect I might just strip the alternator off completely to save a wee bit weight.

Last wee niggle is a slight coolant leak from the expansion tank - the coolant has a bit of gunk in it so I hope its not the HG on the way out.

Anyway, it's a blaster of a wee car - I just hope I can do it justice and get some decent times. We'll see in a couple of weeks when I take it to the Wigtom AutoSolo at Penrith.

The new car arrives

2011-08-25T22:56:00.000+01:00

I knew it wouldn't take long for me to replace the racingPug and tonight I picked up a cracking wee Citroen Saxo to finish off this season and campaign next year.

It's a roadgoing car so I'll be back in class R2 in the Wigton championship, the class I won in 2009.

t's a quick we thing - in the hands of it's previous owner, it did some remarkable times including 95secs at Kames clockwise - faster than I ever went in the VX220.

It needs a few we jobs done and there is still some scope for more development so I'm quite excited by the prospect.

I'm taking it down to Kames on Sunday for a test session - full report after that....

The racingPug moves on

2011-08-15T21:52:00.000+01:00

Things move quickly and I find myself in the same position as last year - mid August and I've gone and sold my competition car. Yep - the racingPug is moving on to a good home and will hopefully be seen gracing the sprints and hills in the hands of its new owner.

So, I have to decide whether to plough the funds raised straight into the racingMetro to get it back to a roadworthy conition or bide my time and find something else interesting.

In the meantime, I have a caravan to fix.......

Kames 31 July 2011

2011-08-12T18:36:00.000+01:00

Photo: Stephen Hynds

I haven't given up on this blog, honest! - its just that I have been quite busy with family and work recently to do the updating.

Anyway, my last event was at Kames on 31 July where I was out in the racingPug against the usual tough competition in the small modified saloon class. Realistically, I was aiming to beat my PPB (Personal Peugeot Best) time of 102.64sec.

Conditions were relatively good - only a short shower in the morning which had no real effect on the track conditions.

In the end, I managed to shave a few hundredths off my time to get 102.60 secs.

I have to say that the racingPug never missed a beat all day and whilst I'm growing a wee bit weary of always coming last, it is still giving me loads of fun.

Having said that, it is time to start thinking about selling it. I do feel a degree of responsibility to try to ensure it stays in the sprint/hillclimb fraternity because I know how much effort Adam and his dad (the previous owners) put into the build.

So, I'll be hoping it goes to a novice driver as a great wee starter car (it ticks all the boxes - no need to MOT, tax or insure it, more grip than power and all the proper safety gear).

If you know anyone who might be interested, point them in my direction please.....

All set for Kames.

2011-07-30T19:44:00.001+01:00

The racingPug is on the trailer all ready for the sprint at Kames tomorrow. I hope the weather is kind to us....

Posted via Blogaway

Posted via Blogaway

Alford Sprint

2011-07-18T22:25:00.000+01:00

Photo: John Stewart, Flatout Photography

Ok, I forgot about the blogging app so I'm only just getting round to the update now.

Alford is an unusual event in that it takes place on an oval track with two diagonal crossovers. The layout means that you crossover twice and get a fairly even number of left and right hand bends. It seems a bit mickey mouse but it's really good fun and actually needs a fair bit of techical driving to get right.

My class was very competitive - there seemes to be a glut of really fast Minis in the northeast and they were out in force on Sunday. I was never going to be anywhere but last in my class so I had looked at my time from last year in the VX220 (59.82sec) and added on 10% to get my target time of 65 seconds.

The wee Pug has only 80 odd bhp compared to the 150 of the VX although the Pug is probably a wee bit lighter.

Anyway, the weather was kind to us and although it threatened to rain a couple of times, it stayed dry for all my runs and I got steadily quicker each time.

By the last run, I managed 64 secs dead and that was with a couple of hairy moments when my foot slipped off the brakes whilst heel and toe down changing. A 62 sec run would definitely be possible so maybe next year....

The Mini lads had a great tussle and Jonathon Brown managed to smash the class record with his final run of 57.05 secs.

I learned something about tyres on Sunday. Due to being a cheapskate (this is bargain basement motorsport after all), I had a soft compound on the offside front and a hard compound on the nearside front. The unique layout at Alford allowed me to deduce that the hard compound gripped better than the soft. How could I tell? No understeer on the right hand bends - loads of understeer on the left hand bends. The soft tyre was pretty knacked by the end of the day.

Next outing for me is Kames at the end of the month.

Testing Blogaway App

2011-07-16T10:44:00.001+01:00

I've picked up a free blogging application for my phone and I'm going to give it a go this weekend at Alford. Not sure how good it will be at handling photos...

A trip up north

2011-07-15T22:02:00.000+01:00

We're all heading up north to the sprint at Alford on Sunday. Weather looks a bit iffy but I'm still looking forward to it as it's my kind of track.

I gave the car a good check over last weekend and managed to shear a stud on the distributer (DOH). I still haven't set the timing properly and I think it's now advanced a bit to much as it sounds like its pinking a bit. I retarded it a 'baw hair' and bought some Tesco Momentum 99 fuel to be safe. We'll see.

Doune - King of the Hills - 18/19 June 2011

2011-06-27T00:43:00.000+01:00

Photo by Stephen Hynds

Last weekend saw me compete at the fabulously scary Doune hillclimb.

There was a great entry as it was a round of the British Hillclimb Championship as well as the Scottish and Lowland Championships. There was also a smattering of Ferraris which brought a touch of class to proceedings.

Paul Webster Photo by Scott Paterson

Also making the long trip from Hampshire was Paul Webster in is highly modified MX-5. Paul is a regular competitor in the HSA speed championship which I contested in 2009 and it was great to see such a well modified MX-5 at Doune.

As this was a mixed National A and National B event, I ended up in a class of my own. This had the advantage of ensuring a victory and trophy (the first and probably last of the season).

The weather was grim at times

The weather was not kind to us and there were several bad crashes over the weekend (fortuately no injuries) which meant that proceedings were sometimes slow. However, I managed to get my times down on each run although my best was in the low 62 second range, well off my personal best of 60.94sec set in April.

Murray simpson lines up for the start

It was great to see three MX-5s competing at Doune - Paul Webster's monster with a 58.25sec run, Murray Simpson in his Mk2 put in a great time of 60.11sec and Kevin Clark not far behind with 63.9sec. All creditable times for their first visits to Doune.

Ben Lyons had an off in Saturday practice in his VX220 turbo and did a fair amount of damage but managed to overcome this to post a very impressive 56.05sec run on Sunday.

Next outing for me is at Alford in July.

Photo by Stephen Hynds

The kids sneek into the racingPug

Teesside report

2011-06-02T21:12:00.000+01:00

Teesside is a great wee kart track on the edge of Middlesbrough city centre. On Monday, it hosted the Keith Pattison Memorial Sprint organised by York Motor Club. This was the fourth round of the Brockbanks Solicitors Cross Border Speed Championship and I had been looking forward to returning to the track after an absence from the calendar last year.

The weather on Sunday night for the journey down was windy but dry and sunny so I was quite hopeful that the predicted rain for Monday would not materialise. However, I awoke in the morning to the sound of rain on the roof of the car (my makeshift motorhome!) so the omens were not good.

The morning session proved to be quite frustrating as the rain came on and off but never stopping long enough to dry out the track. The track proved to be very slippery when wet and this led to quite a few hairy moments as I tried to get to grips with the inherrent twitchyness of the racingPug.

My competition in class was Mike Hunter in his Metro and a wee Nova rally car driven by local entrant Ken Sturdy. Mike spent the whole morning fixing his throttle cable in the pouring rain which must have severely dampened his spirits, if not his times.

I managed to keep getting faster on each run and by the second last run, I had set my sights on getting under 60 seconds. I was delighted to post a 57.89 sec run on my final run. As expected, this was well off the pace of Mike (53.03 sec) and Ken (54.96 sec). However, it was a respectable time and was good enough to beat all the bigger engined road-going cars in Class R2. This was especially satisfying after my defeat to Dave Exton's eBay MR2 at Ingliston.

Talking about the R2 class, they were having a real hum-dinger of a battle with the top 5 separated by half a second. I miss that close competition and it got me thinking that I might need to get back into that class again some day. Or maybe I could just get a single seater.

Fastest time of the day went to Roy Munro in an OMS who had travelled down from the north of Scotland for his first foray south of the border. Turned out to be his first ever FTD and he gave a really good, well thought out, winners speech - nice to see that.

The racingPug didn't have any problems (which is good) although it is smoking quite a bit and is definitely running rich since the Ingliston Ignition Timing Incident. Whether I can be bothered trying to fix that is debatable.

Next outing for me is Doune on the 18/19th June and it looks like that will be the only event for me in June. After that, I'm planning to go up to Alford in mid-July and then Kames at the end of July. August will see me go to Forrestburn with a double header at Harewood in September. I plan to finish off the season at Kames in October.

Maybe, just maybe, the raingMetro will be back in action before then.......

Teesside just around the corner

2011-05-25T20:04:00.000+01:00

Wel, May has passed quickly and Teesside is this coming Monday. I have prepared the racingPug by doing absolutely nada - not even taking the numbers off from Ingliston!

I have the finals for Monday and it looks like a half decent entry of just under 50. It seems clubs are struggling to get big entries this year which is no real surprise with the financial situation. I'm having to cut back and probably won't do more than 10 or so events this year - much less than the last 2 years.

Anyway, priority for the weekend is to get a new camp stove since mine broke on the way back from picking up the racingPug in Berkshire back in February......

A few weeks off

2011-05-07T21:53:00.000+01:00

The season has only just begun but I've done 4 events so I've decided to take the month of May off - next planned event is Teesside on 30 May.

There's some news on the racingMetro, though. Further to my rash decision to get rid of it, I had a change of heart and decided to strip out the interior completely to get a proper look at the rust.

I then trial fitted the cage and took the car down to Clark and Scott at McDonald Minis in Wallyford for an appraisal. After much poking, scraping and hammering, it was agreed that the shell was repairable with some small plates and the cage could be fitted quite easily. So, I should be getting it in at the beginning of June for the welding and cage fitting. Clark will do the other work needed at the same time so by the end of June I should have a roadworthy car again.

Then I'll just need to get it ready for running in the A1 class but I expect to have it out by Forrestburn in August........

Ingliston Sprint weekend

2011-05-02T22:45:00.000+01:00

The RacingPug had its third and fourth outings of the 2011 season at the resurrected Ingliston sprint circuit, near Edinburgh at the weekend.

Saturday started well enough for me. I got my sighting run in and a couple of almost respectable (for an e-bay special with around 80bhp) practice runs - down to 58 seconds dead in my third practice. The car handles beautifully - Ingliston is a unique mix of high speed corners and a tight hairpin.

First timed run was going well until just before the final corner when I lost all power. The car just wouldn't rev and I coasted back to the paddock. My time was 58.92 so it would have been a flyer.

As is usual in these situations, a plethora of helpful people descended on the car and from my inane mumblings, a broken gearbox was diagnosed. I was pretty depressed at that thought and about to go and get the trailer when I spotted fellow Peugeot competitor, Gary McDermaid, sitting having a fag. I went over and told a tale of woe about the crapness of french cars and he came over with a couple of mates and set about poking and prodding.

After a good half an hour of jacking, running, testing, geachanging we deduced that the gearbox was in ok condition, the clutch was operating perfectly but the engine was sick as a parrot. All fingers were pointing at a fuelling issue but the pump was peeing out copiuos amounts of V power. Then some black magic was performed on the carb and it was made to run, albeit on half choke. So out I went for my last timed run with the car idling at 3,000rpm!

At the start line, I dropped the clutch and nowt happened. I pulled away at a crawl and tried tinkering with the choke but to no avail. By the first marshals post, I signalled that my run was over and by the time I reached the next post, the red flag was out. I took a shortcut back to the finish and hobbled back to the paddock.

The carb gurus descended again and after much head scratching, scoosing of carb cleaner and tweeking, one of the lads nearly lost his eye when a massive backfire shot out of the intake..... We all looked at each other..... Ignition timing?

Then the penny dropped. I'd had the dizzy off to change the oil seal and probably hadn't nipped up the nuts properly!. More fiddling and the engine was revving freely. No-one had a timing light so that would have to wait for Sunday.

Sunday came and John Roddick (another friendly Citroen driver) produced an old timing light so we set about the task. Unfortunately, try as we might, we just couldn't see any timing marks on the flywheel so I just had to run as it was.

The track had been shortened by around 100m due to an administrative error (long story) so comparisons with Saturday were not possible. On the first practice I took it easy but the car seemed ok so on second practice I pushed harder and managed a 53.42 sec.

In the morning, I made a bet with Dave 'The Destroyer' Exton that if he beat me in his e-bay special MR2, I would scrap the racingPug. Our times were fairly well matched so it seemed like a good challenge. I tried all my best mindgame tricks and it seemed to work when he spun out on his next run. However, he put in a good run after lunch and got 53.25sec so the pressure was on.

I went out for my final run and it was going very well until I decided to left foot brake at the last corner. I'm not a natural left foot braker although I have been practicing in my automatic Volvo of late. Anyway, I didn't quite shave off enough speed and pushed wide. This lead me to lift off and of course, being a Peugeot 205, the car hated this and decided that its arse should be leading the way. I managed to hold on to it but I'd lost valuable time and came home in 53.46 secs.

So, Dave won the bet and I was forced to humbly accept he is the driving god I could never be. I managed to wriggle out of scrapping the Pug by promising to buy my kids some sweeties which I duly did.

Anyway, it was a cracking weekend in many ways. Great weather (again!), great sport and most of all, great banter.

A special mention must go to Ben Lyons who, on his first competitive event, smashed the A8 class record in his beautiful VX220 Turbo. Apparently Ben used to have an MX-5 and clearly has excellent taste in cars. Obviously, it's all going to go downhill for him now and I fully expect him to be buying an old French car on e-bay any day soon. ;-)

John Stewart has posted some great photos of the event on his site at www.flatoutphotography.com

It is clear that the racingPug is no contender in class M1 against the very well developed machinery in that class. However, it does provide excellent fun at bargain cost (less than some of my class competitors have spent on tyres this season) and for that, I am truly thankful.

Next outing for the racingPug will be at Teesside on 30 May. There will definitely be some more news about the racingMetro before then and it might be different from the previously reported demise......

Lightening the load

2011-04-29T22:56:00.000+01:00

In preparation for the British Sprint Championship weekender at Ingliston, I did a few more wee jobs on the racingPug.

I've had the Kumho tyres fitted on to the steel wheels to give them a go. However, I've discovered that I don't actually have a full matchings set of steel wheels. Two wheels are lightweight 13" Rallye wheels with a low offset (probably ET15 or ET20). The other two are 13" steel wheels from some other Peugeot - they are significantly heavier and have an offset of ET28. That means the fitment is very tight and needs spacers. It took me a while to suss this out because they all look very, very similar.

I also tried fixing the ongoing dipstick tube leak with some JB Weld - we'll see how that holds up over the weekend.

Finally, I took the door mirrors off. The passenger mirror was hanging loose anyway. I was amazed at how heavy they are. So much so that I decided to weigh all the bits I've taken off the car - it came to an amazing 6.1kg! That means I can have another muffin tomorrow.

I took the car over to Ingliston in the afternoon with my eldest kid, James. The track needed a good sweep and there are a few potholes around so it will be interesting to see what the single seater guys make of it.

The racingPug with its new agressive front end

The box of bits removed from the racingPug

Hitched up to the Volvo for a change

James walks the track at Ingliston

Lonely in the paddock at Ingliston

A few wee jobs done

2011-04-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

I spent another theraputic day in the sunshine doing some wee jobs on the racingPug to get it sorted out for its next outing at Ingliston in a couple of weeks.

Firstly, I decided to tidy up some of the wiring in the engine bay. This led on to removing the coil and distributor so I decided to renew the rotor arm and dizzy cap whilst I was at it. Unfortunately, my local motor factors did not have an o-ring seal for the distributor but at least I know where it lives now.

I then decided to remove the fog lights and this led on to removing the headlights and associated wiring. Having removed the drivers side headlight and indicator units, I cleaned up the inner wings and painted them, I then had to make up a blank headlight to cover the gaping hole - that took a fair bit of time!

The previous owner had made up a cold air feed using an old headlight for the passenger side so I fitted it too. I'm not sure about how this looks - I think I might make up a blank for that side so I can lose the indicator unit.

Now for the bad news.....

I had started stripping out the racingMetro in preparation for getting the roll cage in but it is clear that the rot is too extensive to make restoration worthwhile. So, I have come to the difficult decision to get rid of it and sell of the good parts. This will free up some much needed garage space and allow me to concentrate on developing the racingPug.

Doune Speed Hillclimb - 17 April 2011

2011-04-17T22:28:00.000+01:00

Photo by Kev Clark

They call Doune the 'King of the Hills' - and for good reason! It is probably the most daunting and challenging speed hillclimb venues in Britain. Today was my third visit and the first with the racingPug.

As a competitor, Doune seems to be a place that you either love or hate. At least that was what I thought until today. You see, on my previous visits, I had never managed to get to grips with what it was about. In the VX220, I was very cautious - not wanting to damage that expensive fibreglass body. When I took the Metro last September, I hadn't driven the car in anger before so I was unsure of what to expect.

Today, I had the benefit of several test days and a sprint at Kames and I was getting used to the venue. Even better, the weather was fantastic and this made for a fabulous day's motorsport.

My class, B1 Modified Production Cars up to 1400cc, had 5 entrants - me plus Mike Hunter in his Rover Metro, Jonathon Brown in a very nice 16valved Mini and the double entered Mini of Stuart and Jim Sugden. Against this opposition, my goals were simply to get some times and hopefully beat my personal best of 61.12 secs set in the VX220 (albeit in the damp).

My first run up was uneventful and I arrived with a high 62 sec run so immediately I was looking to beat that PB. Second practice run I got a red flag as Mike Hunter had an off. On the re-run, I got a good start and attacked the course like never before. I had a bit of a slide coming out into the long right-hander of the Meadow and ran a wee bit wide as I turned at the bottom of East Brae (a very scary 1 in 3 hill followed by a sharp, blind over crest right hander). This put 2 wheels on the grass and as I braked for the sharp right, the back end just went and I did a 180 degree spin. Fortunately, no damage done.

First proper run and I was a bit more circumspect but managed to get it home in a low 62 sec so it was all to go for in the final timed run. To my delight, I managed to get up the hill in 60.94 sec - a new personal best and within touching distance of the almost respectable 60 second barrier.

Needless to say, I was last in my class (Stuart Sugden won with a blistering 51 sec run) but I had achieved three things: I had joined the 'East Brae' club, I had set a new PB and I had survived my third visit to 'The King of the Hills'.

The car worked fine although by the end of the day it was dribbling oil all over the ground again so my fix hadn't worked for long. The Yoko A048s are now at the end of their days so their coming off and being replaced by Kumhos that I have from the Metro.

Next outing for the racingPug is the double header sprint at Ingliston on 30 April/1 May but I'll have some news on the racingMetro before then.......

Preparing for Doune

2011-04-15T21:03:00.000+01:00

I took advantage of some fine weather to do some little jobs on the racingPug and get it ready for the Doune hillclimb on Sunday.

First up, I popped the racing numbers on - 55 - so that's all my fives gone for the season!

The stud conversion

Then I took he wheels off and fitted my conversion studs. I ordered 50mm long studs but having fitted them, I really could have done with longer ones. I hope I can get them off again since I used some heavy duty thread lock to hold them in place!

I also took the dipstick tube out and put on some high temp sealant to try and stop the oil leak at the base of the tube. I have no idea if it will work but it is worth a try.

The oil and coolant tanks

Finally, I did some tidying in the engine bay - I re-attached the oil catch tank and the coolant overflow tank which had come adrift. I also found a couple of loose bolts - one on the distributor and another on the gearbox bellhousing.

So, that's it all ready for Sunday. The weather forecast is reasonable so I am aiming to get under the magic 60 seconds for the first time. I'm not very good at Doune. It scares me and that slows me down.......

RacingPug completes first event !

2011-04-10T18:48:00.000+01:00

Photo by Andy Low

The RacingPug survived its first competitive outing in Round 1 of the Brockbanks Solicitors Cross Border Speed Championship at Kames yesterday.

The weather was fantastic and the track proved to be really grippy so it was a good test of the wee car.

I was in the up to 1400cc modified production car class along with Mike Hunter's Metro and Gordon Dundee's Peugeot 106. I knew I would get nowhere near Mike's times but I was hopeful I would give Gordon a scare. However, my main goal was to beat the 103.58 second run I did in the Metro back in November.

I started on target with a low 105 seconds and slowly chipped away at my times throughout the day to reach 102.74 secs by my final run. I was pleased with that although I'm certainly not going to win any trophies this year - Mike did a new class record of 94.48 and Gordon managed 100.80 before his driveshaft popped.

I learned a fair bit about the car: the front end grip is fantastic, the engine revs way beyond the 6,000rpm redline and the close gearing is good for Kames.

There were still a few niggles: It's still leaking oil from the dipstick tube and the distributor seal and the exhaust back box now has a big extra hole in it. However, it noise tested at 88dB so it can't be too bad yet!

I wasn't able to run the Michelin slicks that Mike had given me due to the previously reported wheel problem but that should be sorted for the next Kames outing in May.

Next up for me is a trip to the King of the Hills, Doune, next Sunday. I'd better get my plastic pants looked out again because that place scares the crap out of me.......

Kames target times

2011-04-07T22:13:00.000+01:00

I've been thinking about what sort of times I should be aiming for at Kames on Saturday. It's always nice to have something to aim for, especially when you know you're no competing for a trophy.

Looking at last year's results, I can see that Gary McDermaid in his Peugeot 106 did a 100sec run in August. I know that Gary's car was probably of a fairly similar spec to mine so I'll be aiming to get down to that sort of time by the end of the season. To start with though, I'll be happy to beat the time I did in the Metro back in November of 103.58 secs.

Countdown to the Season Start

2011-04-05T22:17:00.000+01:00

Only a few days until the season starts at Kames on Saturday 9 April. This will be th first round of the newly rebranded Cross Border Speed Championship. I'm competing in class M1 with the Metro of Mike Hunter and Gordon Dundee's Peugeot 106. I don't expect to be competitive but I'm hopeful I'll get close to the 106.

The Peugeot 205 is nearly ready for action - just a couple of niggles left to fix before Saturday - the oil leak from the dipstick and I need to get some safety stickers on the car.

The first round of the Scottish Sprint and Lowland Championships are at Kames on Sunday but I'm giving it a miss so I can fund an entry at Doune the following weekend.

Finally, I've had my entry for the Ingliston sprints on 30 April/1 May confirmed. This promises to be a great weekend - both days are counting rounds in all three of the championshiops I've entered and it's only 15 minutes from home. Can't ask for more than that really.

Kames test day

2011-03-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

Took the racingPug down to Kames today for another shakedown before the season starts proper. It's still leaking oil so I guess the dipstick was not the cause of the problem. However, its no worse than last time so I'll just have to live with it for now.

Took the video camera and managed to get some footage from the afternoon. Times seem to be in the 104 secs which is almoast exactly on a par with the racingMetro but slower than I had hoped. I guess that 84bhp is really not enough regardless of how much weight you lose!

I tried out the slick tyres which was a laugh but I need to get them on proper wheels as the Roland Garros wheels run on the wheelarch without spacers.

I've uploaded some footage to youtube to show how similar the Metro and Pug times are. Metro on the left and Pug on the right:

Battery fitted

2011-03-25T20:46:00.001Z

I spent an hour or so replacing the very heavy battery with a tiny sealed Odyssey racing battery tonight. I wasn't sure where best to mount it but after much faffing around, I decided to bolt it to the floor on the passenger side. Since its a sealed battery, it can lie flat and doesn't need to be in a battery box. I'll probably leave the battery box in place though so I can put a standard battery back in.

I've also managed to get a set of slick tyres courtesy of the extreme generosity of fellow B1 competitor, Mike Hunter. I had a nice run down to Mike's place in the borders yesterday to pick them up and my friendly tyre fitting them should have them back to me, on the Roland Garros alloys, tomorrow afternoon. Turns out that you can see our old house from Mike's kitchen window. It really is a small world!

I just need to have a go at setting up the gazebo and I'll be all ready for the test day at Kames on Sunday.

Niggle No.2 fixed (hopefully)

2011-03-21T21:47:00.000Z

Rummaging around the spares in the garage I came across a spare brake reservoir, master cylinder and servo unit for the Metro. Hmmm. 30 seconds later and the cap was fitted to the Peugeot - hopefully that will fix the leaking cap.

I spemt an hour tidying up the front end of the Peugeot on Saturday - painted the grill matt black, replaced some bolts and tied up some loose cables.

Funds are tight so I'm going to re-paint the bonnet black. It'll do while I save for a GRP bonnet. Hopefully I'll get it done before the weekend.

I've started thinking about tyres. The Pug has well worn Yoko A048s fitted but they're 185 x 60 profile. I have lots of Kumho V70s in 175 x 60 sitting around and I plan to get a set of those on the spare Pug alloys. However, I can't decide whether to splash on a couple of 175 x 50 Yokos (which would improve the gearing by 8%) or really splash out on a set of slicks....... funds are tight, remember.

Niggle no.1 resolved

2011-03-16T23:30:00.000Z

At Kames, I noticed a small oil drip when I came back in after each run. Initially I thought it was coming from the filter but I quickly narrowed it down to oil coming out the top of the dipstick (which didn't seal) and running down the tube. So, a new dipstick arrived today and hopefully that will solve the problem.

Tasks still to do -
Next niggle is the brake fluid reservoir - the seal has perished.
Then there is the exhaust backbox - one of the hangers fell off at Kames.
Still got the Odyssey battery to fit (weight saving).
Remove all the lights and wiring (weight saving).
Get GRP bonnet and fit (weight saving).
Fit steering wheel and shift light from Metro (racing car coolness).
Put together gazebo and do a trial run of putting it up (keep me dry).
Buy a car cover (keep the car dry).

Oh well, that little lot will keep me busy.......

racingPug - First Drive

2011-03-14T17:52:00.000Z

I managed to fix the previously reported cooling system problem on the racingPug with a new valve cap and some PTFE tape. A quick bleed of the system and it was running fine so I loaded it on the trailer ready for some pre-season testing at the weekend.

I woke on Saturday morning to an inch of snow and decided not to risk the 50 mile trip but Sunday turned out fine and all the snow was gone so off to Kames it was.

First task on arrival was to get a Competition Car Log Book (CCLB) sorted out. This is my first foray away from standard road-going cars and whilst the Pug has an MOT and could be insured and taxed to run in a road legal condition, that would cost me around £200 for the season and would limit some modifications. So, the CCLB avoids the need for MOT, tax and insurance and only costs £34.

The car was checked over by the scrutineer, who gave particular attention to the roll cage, battery installation, seat, belts and ignition cut-off. Fortunately, everything was in order so the CCLB could be issued.

After that, it was a tentative first run out on track. I say tetative because this was the very first time I had driven the car and I was aware that it had been sitting for a number of months so things like brakes might be seized.

Anyway, the first run went well - I was immediately impressed by the very sharp turn-in - by far the most responsive car I've ever driven. The pay-off for the sharp turn in is the twitchy rear end. It could be a bit of a handful in the wet!

There was another Peugeot 205 there - a nice wee 1.6 GTi. The driver spoke to me and I explained that it was my first outing. He was keen to point out that the 205s demand some respect and are very prone to lift-off oversteer. I thought I'd have a go and lifted mid corner in the hairpin. As he predicted, the car snapped round but I caught it and it proved to be quite an effective method of getting round the corner. Its definitely something to watch out for though. The sting in the tale is that the GTi driver subsequently crashed into the tyrewall and roll the car causing considerabe damage!

That was the first of two roll-overs on the day. I've never actually witnessed a roll-over in action but to see two in one day (and a test at that) was quite sobering. Fortunately, none of the drivers involved was seriously hurt - testament to good rollover protection. I'm certainly glad the Pug has a substantial roll-cage and it has become an absolute necessity for the Metro before I take it back on track.

Anyway, all that has made my mind up. I am campaigning the Pug in 2011 and have entered the Scottish Championships and the Wigton Cross Border Speed Championship.

First event is on 9 April at Kames and I cannot wait. Not long now........

racingMetro on the Rolling Road

2011-03-06T16:41:00.000Z

Today I took the racingMetro to a Wigton Motor Club organised rolling road day at JDM, near Carlisle. I was supposed to take the Peugeot but when I started it up yesterday to put it on the trailer, it started leaking coolant and it was clear that the cooling system was pressurised as the expansion tank filled up. Further inspection revealed a split bleed valve. I hope it's just sucking in some air and not something more serious but I didn't have time to fix it so I popped the Metro on the trailer instead.

James and I set off at around 8.15am for the journey down to Carlisle. When we arrived, there was a diesel Citroen being abused on the rollers. Turned out it was Peter Garforth (who had organised the day), getting his towcar chipped.

We set about getting the car unloaded whilst the other cars got tested in turn. There was a lovely old Lotus Cortina which made about 110bhp, Peter Keen had a wee mg Midget with a mini A-series engine on a big Weber carb. I never saw what power it made but it sounded good. Dave 'the destroyer' Exton brought his MR-2 and seemed surprised when it made 169bhp - only 1 short of what it had when it left the factory 20 years ago.

My turn came round and I warmed up the Metro before driving, with some trepidation, on to the rollers. The guy asked if it had any engine work and commented that you don't see many of these anymore. Anyway, first run and the car sounded sweet. Peak power was 114bhp. Second run and it made 116bhp at 5770rpm. It was about 10bhp more than I expected so I was well pleased.

Thanks to Peter for organising the day and it certainly got me thinking I should get the Metro sorted sooner rather than later......

The dyno graph

RacingPug Pictures

2011-02-20T19:21:00.001Z

Ok, here are some pics of the new racingPug.

It is completely stripped inside and has a full 10-point OMP cage.

Only 1 seat - it's not the comfiest and I'm not enitrely happy with the mounting - it's ok for now though.

Battery is relocated to the inside which should help the weight distribution:

The sunroof has been removed and an alloy panel bolted in place:

Engine is standard 1360cc TU3S all aluminium. Has a single Solex carb which has apparently been rejetted and a crusty looking Pipercross pancake filter.

Cosmetically, the car is not bad but it its let down by the badly painted bonnet. I can't decide whether to repaint ot or just leave it for the 'rat' look.

So, there he is - Roland, the racingPug. As far as I can tell, he's ready to go. I'll take it down to Kames in March for a good thrash and then decide whether to get it logbooked or tax it and run as road legal.

In the meantime, I'd better do something with the racingMetro.........

Roland - the racingPug

2011-02-19T21:51:00.000Z

Well, I'm just back from an 800 mile trip to pick up the new race car. It's a 1989 Peugeot 205 Roland Garros which has been completely stripped out and prepared for the sub-1400cc modified production class.

I haven't had a good look at it yet but the car looks in reasonable nick for its age.

All change again!

2011-02-17T20:37:00.000Z

I really am off my head. I've gone and bought yet another car for sprinting!

When I looked at the list of things that needed done to the Metro to get it through the MOT and then added the race preparation work needed (stripping it, fitting the cage, seats etc), I just despaired as my back is still giving me jip.

So, I was on eBay last weekend, not seriously looking at cars and I happened to type 'hillclimb' into the search box. Up popped a promising lookng Peugeot 205 for not a lot of money. A few phone calls later and I was paying a deposit having never even seen the car.

Not only that but it's located in deepest, darkest Berkshire. So, I'm driving down there with the trailer tomorrow night to pick it up. Full details and pictures when I get it......

Back on track....

2011-02-08T23:45:00.003Z

Well, things took a turn for the worse after my last post. My back got much worse and I got to the stage where I couldn't really do anything. So, I put the Metro up for sale thinking I could raise some cash and buy a mint MX-5 ready to race (and hence no need to get under the car to do work!). However, the car fell through and my back has been slowly getting better ever since.

So, I managed to get down to Kames on the 29th and got a few runs in. I tried out the Trackmaster software on my new Android Phone which worked reasonably well. But I still don't gel with FWD - too much wheelspin out of the corners - costs me lots of time. I can feel the time literally slipping away.

Anyway, I decided to get the Metro in for a pre-MOT checkup and as expected, there are a few issues:

1. Welding needed to the inner rear valance/arches.
2. Rear brakes need looked at (slight leak).
3. Brake pipe needs replaced
4. Nearside radius arm has excessive play
5. Nearside wheel bearing has excessive play
6. Exhaust system needs a cat to pass emissions.

I'm going to have a go at the welding myself. It's just two wee patches. I've got the steel, I've got the MIG and all the gear and I've ordered an auto darkening helmet. I've had the gear for about 2 years but never used it so I'll do lots of practicing on scrap steel to start. I'll post up my progress for a laugh. Lets hope I don't set the place (or myself) on fire!

The radius arm job looks a bit of a pig - the hydragas needs to be depressurised and then getting the old bearings out of the arm could be tricky. I'm trying to get hold of a whole replacement arm so I can get someone else to refurb it and then I can fit it. Knowing my track record on breaking suspension components, it all has the potential to go badly, badly wrong so watch this space......

Slipped Disc

2011-01-22T00:48:00.004Z

Ok, my MSA licence has arrived but already things have started to go awry for 2011.

Firstly, thanks to a mistake in the championship calendar, I've booked the wrong dates for my accomodation at the May Fintray hillclimb. I can't change the dates and the room is not refundable so I'm £60 out of pocket - that's effectively an event I'll have to miss!

Then, there's the slight hinderance of my back injury. Turns out I've got a proplasped L5 disc which is severely hampering my ability to stand up, never mind actually walk. The result is I can't do any work on the Metro and I don't know how long it will take to get better. The test day I had planned for next weekend looks in serious doubt......

As for good news, well I bought a nice gazebo at Autosport International and it arrived yesterday safe and sound. I can't open the box though as its too heavy for me to lift!

I've also got hold of a nice wee Odyssey battery which should save a few kilos. I still need a couple of lightweight bucket seats though.

Gearing up for 2011

2011-01-05T17:11:00.003Z

I've been doing a few administrative tasks for the coming season.

Firstly, I sent off my MSA licence application. I had pondered downgrading to a National B licence and saving £35 but there's always this niggling feeling that I might want to enter a purely National A level event so I decided to stick with that licence grade.

Next, I've rejoined my two motor clubs - Wigton MC and East Ayrshire Car Club. Wigton runs the rejuvinated Cross Border Speed Chamionship 2011 which is visiting Kames, Ingliston, Forrestburn, Barbon, Aintree, Teesside and Harewood. I'm really looking forward to going back to Teesside (where I did my first competitive sprint) and Harewood and I hope to be able to go to Aintree for the first time.

East Ayrshire Car Club runs the Kames motorsport complex and despite not being my geographically nearest club, it feels like my home team because I grew up just a few miles from Kames and I seem to spend a lot of weekends there now. The club is also a key player in the Lowland Speed Championship which I will be entering in 2011.

I've started booking cheap accomodation for some of the further away events - the early bird catches the bargain as they say and it all helps keep costs down. Of course, I intend to do a bit more camping this year - especially at the likes of Harewood and Barbon.

I'm off to the Autosport Show at the NEC on the 15th. I'm taking my 4 year old son, James, for the first time. It promises to be quite an adventure for him (and me). I'm hoping to pick up one or two wee things for the car whilst I'm there.

Finally, I've booked a couple of test days at Kames - at the end of January and in the middle of March. Hopefully that will spur me on to get some work done to the car which now has no tax nor MOT.......

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-12-28T14:00:00.001Z

Not much happening here. Managed to get into the garage but only to get some coolant to top up the Volvo - work on the Metro is suspended until A} it gets warmer and B} my back is better.
However, I have got my Autosport show ticket and my hotel booked so at least there is something to look forward to.

The winter blues

2010-12-06T21:21:00.002Z

The winter is getting in the way of work on the race car. With all the snow we've had these last couple of weeks, I can't get into the garage and I've had to shell out money on things I didn't really want to buy.

At the moment, there doesn't seem to be any end in sight for the cold, snowy weather so the Metro is sitting tucked up in the garage waiting for some work to be done.....

John Frew Memorial Sprint - Kames - 13 November

2010-11-17T20:02:00.002Z

Pic by Douglas Hunter

Saturday was a rare day - a sprint in November. This could have been a complete disaster knowing what the weather can be like at this time of year. However, someone was looking after us because it was wall-to-wall sunshine all day.

The event was East Ayrshire Car Club's Charity Sprint, this year dedicated to the memory of club chairman, John Frew, who sadly passed away earlier in the year. I met John just a few times but was always impressed by his upbeat approach and friendliness so I was keen to be able to support this event.

Considering the time of year and the fact that a lot of competitors had gone into hibernation, there was a really good entry - around 40 - including a whole class of rally cars.

It was my first competitive outing at Kames in the Metro, recently christened "Snotro" by fellow competitor David Wiggins, presumably because it is green. Anyway, it was also the first time taking the whole family in the racingFive bus (a Seat Alhambra) with the trailer in tow. My dad and brother also turned out so we had quite a clan in attendance!

Pic by Kevin Clark

Unfortunately, I was the only entrant in Class A1, so I was really just trying to beat my own times. I was quite pleased with my runs - I started with a 104.99sec and shaved about half a second off each run to end with a 103.58sec. A good base from which to build in 2011.

The day ended with a great prizegiving - the trophies were old ones out of the EACC cupboard and winners had to choose them out of a bag at random. My boy, James, picked up my trophy and managed to bag a 2010 EACC Class Winner gong - perfect! Some folk got things like 2005 Grass Test 2nd Place awards.

All the proceeds from the event went to two charities and I here that over £2500 has been raised which is fantastic.

A bit of work on the Metro

2010-11-07T19:38:00.002Z

I got a chance to spend a couple of hours on the Metro today.

I started by filing down the centre bores of the refurbished wheels I bought as the powdercoating was stopping them fitting properly. The wheels have a set of Kuhmo V70 hard compound tyres fitted and I'll be putting them on the car for the upcoming John Frew Memorial Sprint at Kames on Saturday.

I also took the opportunity to pump up the rear drivers side suspension as it was a bit lower than the passenger side. This was the first time I'd used the Hydragas pump and I made a bit of a mess ! However, the pressure was a bit low so I pumped it up to 450psi and it seems to sit a bit more level now. I tried to check the pressure on the passenger side but I just couldn't get the Schrader valve to seal properly. I need to investigate further when I have some time.......

I've started on the roll-cage too. I unwrapped all the cling film that have been on it to keep it clean and treated the surface rust that had appeared. I then primed and started to re-paint. It needs another coat of gloss black and then it will be ready for fitting. I need to either make up some spreader plates or buy the Safety Devices fitting kit (£75). I might just buy the kit an save a lot of hassle! Photos to follow ehn its fully painted.....

What next?

2010-10-16T23:54:00.004+01:00

I'm having a bit of angst. I can't decide whether to go with the Metro for 2011 or go back to an MX5. I've found myself looking at cheap Roadsters on e-bay and gumtree in between shopping for a new pram.

The thing is, the Metro should be reasonably competitive in Class A1 of the Scottish Championships and it is cheap to run. But it is rough around the edges and needs a bit of work to get through the MOT.

Having said that, it is quite solid and if I can get motivated to work on it, could be a great wee car. Trouble is, I just haven't taken to it yet.....

So, I've booked another test day at Kames on 31 October and I'll be able to go there in style on my new trailer:

I spent a couple of hours going through some of the spares I got with the Metro. I've been able to identify most of the parts but there are some that I have no idea what they are. I'll need to take some photos and post on the Metro Power forum. Here's a small selection:

Season end

2010-10-04T21:58:00.002+01:00

So, the speed season has ended and my year with the VX failed to pick up any championship trophies. The final positions for each of the championship classes was as follows:

Guyson Scottish Speed Championship - Class A8
1st Ian Duncan 57 pts
2nd Alistair Matheson 23 pts
3rd Kev Hamilton 22 pts

Guyson Scottish Hillclimb Championship - Class A8
1st Ian Duncan 38 pts
2nd Kev Hamilton 24 pts

Lowland Speed Championship - Class A8
1st Alistair Matheson - 757.13 pts
2nd Jamie McDonald - 739.84 pts
3rd - Kev Hamilton - 732.46 pts

I'm still waiting for the Brockbanks Solicitors Northern Speed Championship and the Guyson Scottish Sprint Championship results but it looks like my best performance is in the Scottish Hillclimb Championship.

Well done to all the class winners - it was good competition and I'll be sorry to be out of it in 2011.

Right, I'm off to change a nappy........

Metro goes to Kames

2010-09-26T22:30:00.002+01:00

I took the Metro to Kames for a wee end of season test today. The weather was great so I got a good idea of how the car performs. I ran with the Kuhmo V70 hard compound tyres all round to start and then changed the rears to the soft compound for the later runs. The tyres grip really well but the passenger front tyre takes a real pounding - even the hard compound was suffering after a few runs.

I was managing clockwise runs in the 104-105 sec range so its not far off the old MX-5 but a good 10 secs slower than the VX220. Still, with some developments that I am mulling over, it should be well competitive in the Scottish and Wigton championship classes. I'm starting to look forward to 2011.....

I grabbed some in car so you can hear the great sound of a straight racing exhaust.....

The new car and Doune

2010-09-23T21:23:00.003+01:00

Ok, the news is out. I will be competing in grandma's shopping car next season.

I've replaced the fine VX220 with a 1993 Rover Metro GTi. Yes, a Metro. But it is a GTi MPi so it has a whopping 103bhp! Woo Hoo!

It's a bit rough around the edges but seems solid enough and is quite well set up with lowered and stiffened suspension (it uses the good old Hydragas system), a straight through racing exhaust and a really natty shift light!

I've got a pile of spares with the car - I've got a full 6-point cage to fit and I plan to strip the carpets, fit a kirkey seat and see where I can save a wee bit of weight. I've already bought some new alloys and Kuhmo V70 tyres but I'll be getting it through an MOT before I spend any serious money ortime on it.

I took it to Doune at the weekend for its shakedown an was quite impressed by the handling although it will demand a completely different driving style from what I am used to. I need to get used to the understeer and I need to push it hard to see what happens when the back end does go.

On the Saturday, I managed to get into the 61 secs (not far off my VX time) and had it stayed dry, I would certainly have got under 60sec but the Sunday was very wet and whilst I got a semi-dry final run, the best I could do was a high 62 secs.

Peter Locke caught some video off the startline:

I'm off to Kames on Sunday for a wee test - I'll try and get some video so I can see what sort of times I can expect.

The car takes me into a new class - class A1 in the Scottish championships and class R1 in the Wigton championship. It should be quite competitive and the previous owner had a few class wins and holds some class records so no pressure then.

I'll probably be a bit quiet for a few weeks since my wife is due to give birth again next week.........

Ready for Doune

2010-09-15T22:46:00.001+01:00

Still not had time to take any pics of the new car but I've managed to get an entry for Doune this weekend. I've bought some re-furbed alloys and put some new Kuhmo V70s on - hopefully they'll be ok for Doune.

I'm not going to spend any more on this car though. Its a wee bit rough round the edges and I'm really set on getting another MX-5 at some point.

The season's NOT over yet!

2010-09-08T18:13:00.001+01:00

Ok, I couldn't stay away. All that cash was burning a hole in my pocket. I just had to buy another car.

I had my eye on a nicely specced turbocharged MX-5 with a claimed 250bhp but I decided I wanted a complete change of tack and I've bought a wee FWD tin-top instead. I'm off to pick it up tonight so I'll have some pics later..........

Hopefully I've got a late entry for Doune in a couple of weeks so we'll see how I cope with FWD and a roof.......

End of the season

2010-09-03T19:58:00.001+01:00

With the impending arrival of my third child in a few weeks, I decided to hang up my helmet a bit early this year and Forrestburn was my last event.

I also decided I was going to do something different next year so I put the VX up for sale. 1 day later, it was gone!

So, my bank balance is a bit healthier but I'm now carless..........

Forrestburn 28/29 August - A class win and a tie!

2010-08-29T22:00:00.001+01:00

I'll have to think what to say for this. It was a fantastic weekend and the weather held (unusual for Forrestburn). I won my class on Saturday, beating Dave Exton in his MR2 with a time of 53.93sec - a quarter of a second of my PB from June.
Today proved to be one of the most bizarre experiences I've had in speed events since I started in 2007.
I didn't go particularly well in practice as I was getting to grips with the stiffer suspension I'd put back on the car last night. I was well behind Jamie McDonald in the Elise and Alastair Matheson in the TVR.
But at lunch time, I hd a think about what I was doing wrong and for my first timed run I posted 54.47sec. This proved to be a second faster than Alastair and nearly 2 secs faster than Jamie who had a disastrous run.
Final run came and I was pleased to see the clock stop at 53.97sec - nearly as fast as Saturday. I got back to the paddock and Jamie excitedly asked what my time was. I said 53...... he said "53.97". I said - 53.97 - that's my time - he said " that's what I did". Alasitair had only managed a 55sec so, Jamie and I were tied for the class.
On enquiring with the clerk of the course, we were informed (wrongly as it turned out) that the winner was the person who posted the time first - so Jamie got the trophy. I was quite happy to let him have it since I had mine from Saturday and it wouldn't affect the championship points. In any case, I didn't actually beat him (but then he didn't beat me). - like I said, bizarre!
So, as the season nears its end, I'm sort of looking to next year. Don't know what my plans are yet - I'll have a new baby to deal with first - but I'm sure I'll be back in 2011.

First time at Fintray

2010-08-17T22:03:00.003+01:00

I spent my first weekend at Fintray speed hillclimb last weekend. Thanks to Phil Rowlands who lent me his trailer, my wife and kids were able to come too and we had a great family weekend away. The kids really enjoyed the open space at Fintray and the venue is excellent for families with lots of good spectating, good facilities and most importantly, an ice cream van! Fortunately, the weather was fantastic all weekend.

The entry in class A8 was really excellent - the best of the year so far in fact. Five of us on Saturday and a whopping eight of us on Sunday. Never having been to Fintray, nor even seen a video before, I had no expectations of fast times. That, and the fact that I was up against some seriously well developed machinery, made coming last a distinct possibility.

Anyway, after a late start on Saturday, I got into the swing and managed to get my times down to 35.17secs - very, very far from the class winning 33.09 of Mike Stout in his 6-week old Lotus 2-11. I was closer to Martin Smith in the VX220 Turbo but he was having misfire problems. Anyway, I set my sights on a sub-35 second time for Sunday. That would be almost respectable!

On Sunday, I focussed on trying to brake less for the first corner (called Ruin). This is a very tricky corner as the entry is blind and looks much tighter than it really is. It then has a double apex and I reckon that a lot of time can be lost if you get this wrong.

Throughout the day I managed to chip away at my times getting down to 34.66 secs. Again, this was well down the pecking order but I did manage to beat Graham Sinclair in his 150bhp S1 Elise and Andrew Kinmond in his Zetec engined TVR Vixen. All in all, I was happy.

A quick word about Ian Duncan in the RX-7. He's been competing in the same car at Fintray since 1993 and had a storming weekend - smashing his previous personal best and managing second place on Sunday with a 32.44sec - only one tenth slower than the 2-11 !

The analysis of the 64ft and split times shows I was getting good starts (down to 2.37sec - better than the 2-11 !) but by the first split, I was a second down. So, I need to work on that first corner!

John Stewart took some great photos (more at flatoutphotography.com)

Kames 1 August

2010-08-02T22:38:00.001+01:00

Not much to say. The weather was much the same as Saturday with frequent light showers. I forgot which gears to be in until the final run and as a result, never really got into the swing of it. Best I could manage was 88.6 sec which only bagged third in class behind Alistair Matheson's TVR on 87.84 wth Ian Duncan taking another class win with a storming 86.15 sec. His RX-7 sounds like a bee in a biscuit tin but it can't half shift. I like it!

Kames Sprint 31 July

2010-07-31T22:16:00.001+01:00

Just a quick note after a tiring day at Kames. The weather was unpredictable with frequent showers but I managed a new personal best of 96.21 secs - taking over 1 second off my previous best. It was good enough for second in class (I got a trophy!) behind Ian Duncan who did a blistering 95.89 secs. Ian is a wee bit inconsistent (that time was 3 sec wuicker than any of his other times today) but when he's flying, he is pretty quick!

Alistair Matheson was 3rd in the TVR with 97.37 - also a personal best and Jamie McDonald 4th with 99.41 - yet another personal best. The class was propped up by Duncan McAdam in the Lotus 2-11 who seemed to have a disastrous day only managing 99.51 sec.

So, I'm getting near my season target time of sub-96 secs but as that is probably my last clockwise event at Kames in 2010, it will have to wait until next year.

Tomorrow is anti-clockwise and hopefully the weather will be kinder. I'm looking to beat my PB of 87.60 secs set in June and get revenge of Ian Duncan and his pesky Mazda rotary thing. :-)

2nd Place in Alford Debut

2010-07-18T21:34:00.009+01:00

Alford is quite a long way away, I've decided. Two and a half hours away to be precise. But it is worth the trip - especially on a day like today where the sun shone bright.

There was a good entry in class A8 - Ian Duncan's RX-7, a TVR, an MR-2 Turbo and another VX220 - a turbo driven by local entrant, Martin Smith. So, five of us in total and with their experience, Martin and Ian were fighting for class honours.

I was giving away at least 100bhp to Martin's machine and he also seems to have spent a fair bit on gearbox, suspension and brakes!

The track itself is a simple oval with two 'cross-overs' which see cars doing a figure of eight on the runs. From the chat beforehand and watching the early competitors, I decided that 60 seconds was my target. The class record was in the 56s.

I started with a 62s run which I was quite pleased with. Ian managed a superb 58.73sec whilst Martin spun off. The other guys were a few seconds behind. I continued to improve and when it came to the timed runs, I put in a 60.07secs. Ian came in at 59.98secs and Martin on high 58secs so it was looking close.

Final run and I managed 59.82 which I was well chuffed with. I got back in time to see Ian's run and he somehow fluffed it and only managed 60.01secs so I 'stole' second place! Martin did 58.30sec - so I was only 1.5 sec behind!

I didn't hang about for the trophies since I had a long trip back but I had a nice roof-down run back down and was home in time to see the kids before they went to bed.

Two weeks now until the big weekend at Kames. I need to have a look at the championship standings to see where I am.

Some photos by John Stewart:

New shed and off to Alford

2010-07-17T11:33:00.001+01:00

Picked up a replacement for my shed-spec Merc 190 which I scrapped at easter. The new shed is a 1996 Volvo 940 Turbo Sports Edition. Needs a few bits tidying up but with a few months MOT and tax, it looks like a half decent buy (especially since I found out the rare wheels alone are worth a few hundred quid).

I'm off to Alford for a sprint tomorrow. I had planned on camping but the weather looks a bit dubious so my back-up travel inn will come into play. I've never been to Alford before so I'm both nervous and excited about the prospect although I can't say the 2 and a half hour journey is exciting me!

VX220 Trackday at Kames

2010-07-07T00:49:00.001+01:00

Had a great day at Kames on Sunday with around 10 other VX220 owners from VX220.org - although it rained most of the day, it was still great fun.

I also established that the play in the diff/gearbox is common - so I'm back to suspension as the clunk cause!

My attention is now swiching to Alford on 18 July. First time there and don't really know what to expect. Watch this space......

Chartered Engineer

2010-07-03T20:11:00.001+01:00

I found out at the end of the week that I passed my Chartered Professional Review and will soon be able to call myself a Chartered Engineer !

It's been a long road - over 18 years since I graduated with a non-accredited degree meaning that I've had to jump through some tricky hoops before even sitting my review. Anyway, I'm chuffed to bits (beats even a class win) and glad I don't have to do it again.

I'm off to Kames for a wee trackday with some other VX220 owners tomorrow. Weather is looking a bit dodgy but it means I'll get some much needed wet practice. I might take my video camera and post the results.....

Forrestburn Hillclimb

2010-06-27T16:25:00.004+01:00

I'm just back from a round of the Lowland Speed Championship at Forrestburn. I set out with the aim of beating my previous personal best of 57.66sec, set last August in the MX-5. Based on times at Kames, I was aiming for a target of 54.36secs. I had no expectation of getting a trophy with a strong entry in class A8 of Alistair Matheson in the TVR Griffith, Gus Carnegie in the Ginetta G4, Ian Duncan in a Mazda RX-7 and Jamie McDonald in his Lotus Elise. Gus, Ian and Jamie had competed on Saturday with Ian putting in a storming 54.05sec to win the class. I felt sure I would be bringing up the rear today.

Practice went ok and I was hoping for lots of rain after a wet second run which saw me go fastest by quite a margin with 60.84sec. However, it cleared up nicely for the first timed run and right enough, I was at the back with 55.14 - albeit having smashed my previous personal best.

My car was severely clunking on the start and coming out of the hairpin which led me to think that it was transmission related so we jacked the car up and discovered an alarming amount of free play in the transmission. So it looks like it might be a gearbox/diff problem. More investigation required.

Anyway, final timed run came and I pressed on a bit more - still nice and smooth with no real drama though. I was delighted to cross the line in 53.78sec - good enough for second in class behind Alistair on 53.20sec.

There were some other interesting cars there including 7 Aston Martins.

So, yet another trophy for the mantlepiece, a smash of my personal best and some valuable Lowland Speed Championship points. But the best aspect about today was how close the competition was - it was really refreshing to be in a class where four of us were within less than a second of each other and we were all within a couple of seconds of first. That's what this is all about for me.

AutoSOLO !

2010-06-23T18:37:00.003+01:00

In a departure from my usual tearing up hills and round race tracks, I thought I'd have a go at a relatively new branch of motorsport last weekend, AutoSOLO. This is a halfway between the discipline of Autotest and the speed of sprinting. Essentially, it involved driving around some cones set out around an auction mart in Penrith. It proved to be a test of skill and speed to a degree.

The event was organised by Wigton Motor Club and was the first such event that they had organised but it ran fairly slickly and we got 4 runs at the first course in the morning followed by 4 runs in a revised (and longer) course after lunch.

The course itself was made up of a series of 'tests' - chicanes to you and me - which had to be negotiated with considerable precision as quickly as possible. The driver with the fastest combined times was the winner. Penalties were added to each time for every cone hit or going around the wrong way or (as in my case), not stopping astride the finish line.

There was an array of different cars there from a wee mini to a classic old Porsche 911. It quickly became clear that my VX was incredibly quick and nimble with me setting the fastest 'vanilla' times on the first runs. Unfortunately, my driving precision didn't quite match the pace of the car and I kept hitting cones - with the resultant penalties.

Cone damage!

In the afternoon, the course was extended and included a couple of very tight corners that proved virtually impossible to negotoate in one go in the VX. However, after a bit of careful thought, I came up with a route which avoided the problem and stayed within the rules - much to the amusement of the clerk of the course!

In the end, I was delighted to win my class (for RWD cars over 1400cc) and finish 3rd overall.

In summary, a great day's motorsport all for £12 and a tank of fuel - plus I learned a lot about how my car handles in a relatively safe environment. Bring on the next one.

Kames success

2010-06-14T20:13:00.002+01:00

I had a great day's sprinting at Kames on Sunday, competing in a round of the Lowland Speed Championship and the Guyson Scottish Sprint Championship.
I had my nice new Toyo R888s and despite a damp start, the weather cleared up and I was able to make the most of the extra grip they provide. My class competition was class A8 stalwart Alastair Matheson in his TVR Griffith 500 and newcomer Jamie MacDonald in is Lotus Elise. We were all on a fairly even playing field as the event took place on the anti-clockwise layout and Alastair and I don't have a lot of experience going that way round. In fact, it was only my third competitive event on that layout and my previous best time in the MX-5 of 93secs looked pretty slow....

The new tyres
Anyway, morning practice was a damp and miserable affair and there were no prizes for the slow times that ensued. I managed a best of 99.7 with Alistair on 95 and Jamie on 98secs.
It dried up during lunch and so for the third practice, we were able to go at it a bit more. I was chuffed with a time of 89.36 and I thought that might be the pace I'd be stuck at so I was quite disheartened when Alastair produced an 87.39 - 2 seconds faster. I consoled myself with the fact that he had been on hot tyres after getting a re-run when Jamie got red-flagged for an excursion onto the grass.

However, practice is just that - practice - and it only counts when it comes to the timed runs. First run went well for me - plenty of grip, smooth and no real drama - I was delighted to see the clock at 87.60sec. Alastair was a wee bit adrift on 88.49 but I knew he could go a bit faster. Jamie was closing in on us at 89.35sec.

Final run and it was all to play for. I made a wee mistake on the entry to the hairpin and lost a bit but apart from that it was ok. Time - 88.04 - a wee bit slower but still not bad. I got back to the paddock and watched the other guys - Jamie did 89.07sec - a respectable first outing. Alastair did 88.26sec - faster than his first timed run but not enough to beat my time.

So, another class win at Kames, a new personal best and a nice wee trophy to boot.

The car continues to clunk away on acceleration and it's definitely holding me back both in pure speed terms and mentally but I'm hopeful I'll have it sorted by Alford on 18 July.

What's up in June

2010-06-06T18:04:00.001+01:00

June is busy, busy for me - but not just in the motorsports sense. I have a professional review interview on the 9th, an open university exam on the 16th and I still have to get my VX sorted out!

The only speed event I've entered is Kames on the 13th but I've also put my name down for an AutoSolo event in Penrith on the 20th.

I've ordered a set of Toyo R888s which should be on the car for Kames and I've also got a pile of suspension components coming to add to my new driveshaft in an attempt to get rid of the dreaded clunk. WHen they will get fitted - I just don't know yet.

If I get it all sorted in the next 2 weeks, I'll pop in a late entry for Forrestburn. Otherwise, the next outing will be Alford on 18 July.

I'd better get back to the studying now...........

Kames - 22 May - First in Class !

2010-05-25T21:16:00.001+01:00

The VX is giving me highs and lows in equal measure.

I was delighted to take a class win and get near my personal best at Kames on Saturday in Round 2 of the Brockbank Solicitors Northern Speed Championship.

Practice was farily uneventful - a steady 100sec run to start and then into the 98s to warm up. However, the dreaded clunk started in my first timed run but I still managed to chip a bit off. Second timed run was similar - no drama - but the clunk was getting worse.

Third timed run was getting much smoother and I managed to carry more speed through the tricky right hander, 'Norries' and posted a near personal best of 97.57secs. This was easily enough to win the class as my competitors (an Audi Quattro and a Subaru Impreza) were still not under 100 secs. It was also enough to be fastest roadgoing car on the day - beating even David Wiggins in his super wee 205 Rallye who managed to set his personal best of 99.93secs.

Final timed run came and I decided (as usual) to give it everything. This proved to be very exciting as my clunk was now affecting the handling of the car and as it slid through the lefthander after 'Norries', it suddenly clunked and slid round bit further than I expected. After a small excursion onto the grass and an overcorrection back towards the tyre wall, I managed to slam on the brakes and rely on the ABS to get me round the hairpin. Undeterred, I overcooked my entry speed to the paddock bend and managed another slide but kept it under reasonable control. Final time was 98.06secs and I reckon I lost a second or so through my over exhuberance so sub-97 secs is definitely on.

Unfortunately, the clunking had become too distracting and I was worried that something major was about to snap so decided to take the car home to inspect before the Sunday event. As it turned out, I couldn't get the problem sorted so decided to play safe and withdraw from Sunday.

So, the high of a class win (and fastest roadgoing car) followed by the low of not competing on the Sunday.

I still have to solve the problem on the VX and since I am severely financially challenged at the moment, it might take some time.

Watch this space.........

Clunk, clunk

2010-05-21T16:13:00.001+01:00

Picked up the car from Eric on my way back from hols today. Car still clunking a bit but I'm going to risk taking it to Kames this weekend.
General consensus is that a suspension refresh is needed. It means that mys season will be reduced as I can't afford to compete and redo the suspension. So, I think I'll be missing Doune, Barbon and maybe even Forrestburn in June. :-(

Suspension clunk diagnosed

2010-05-12T20:01:00.001+01:00

The suspension clunk has been diagnosed as a failed wishbone bush. Vauxhall quoted £30+VAT for the part but said "it would have to come from Germany and will take 10 days". I tried an independent VX partsspecialist whosaid the same. Fortunately, I knew it was the same part as a Lotus Elise so I phoned a Lotus dealer who quoted £22+VAT and could have it by Tuesday and sent to me by Thursday. Hmmm - a bit tight for Kames.

So, my final call was to EliseParts.com. After a discussion about Ertalon bushes (a nylon like material - better fr track use), The helpful chap said he could supply the individual Lotus OEM bush I needed for the Lotus price of £22 + VAT. He had them in the workshop and would get it to me by the weekend. Result.

So, my friendly mechanic, Eric will be fixing the bush whilst I'm away next week and hopefully the car will be back to normal for Kames on 22 May.

It has made me think that I really have to do a full suspension refresh this sooner rather than later so if funds allow, I'll order up some Ertalon bushes and start the job in July.

Teesside cancelled

2010-05-11T21:46:00.001+01:00

Just got the news that the York MC event at Teesside on 31 May has been cancelled due to a lack of entries. Shame because I really like Teesside and I was hoping for some valuable Northern Speed Championship points from it.

Still, it eases some of the financial pressure at the end of the month.

Ingliston Day 2 - Clunkarama

2010-05-03T21:12:00.002+01:00

Not much to say. The VX developed a very nasty clunk from the rear end under acceleration after my first practice run. Decided to take it easy and was soundly beaten by Alistair Matheson's TVR.

I need to get the car fixed by Kames on 22/23 May but my recent expenditure on wheels, an impending family holiday and some unexpected house maintenance mean that there is a very strong possibility that I won't be back out in the VX until June at the earliest.

I'm punting as much crap on eBay as I dare to try and raise some funds but there's only so many AC/DC records that I can sell!

A pic from Saturday at Ingliston:

Ingliston Sprint - Class win!

2010-05-01T18:33:00.003+01:00

Day one of the double header at the revived Ingliston sprint venue went very well. The track, which was last used for MSA sprinting in 1995, is a real challenge being fast and intimidating in equal measure. There is a very long straight which allows 4th gear - this is quite unusual in sprinting - and unique in Scotland, I think.

As this was a round of the British Sprint Championship, the usual classes were split based on the grade of licence of the driver. As I upgraded this year (still not sure why!), I was in the National A class A8 along with fellow Wigton Club member Stephen Hemmingway in his lovely Porsche 911. The National B class A8 consisted of Jamie MacDonald (on his first ever sprint) in a nice S1 Lotus Elise and Dave 'the Destroyer' Exton in a new (to him) MR2.

Practice was wet but was drying by the third run. I clocked just under 57 secs on my third practice and was within reach of Stephen's porsche. Jamie in the Elise was flying and was down to 54 secs but I was reasonably happy because I knew there was more to come.

First timed run was a bit of a nightmare for me - I overcooked the hairpin entry and understeered very wide before getting some rotation to bring me back on line. So, despite havin gone much quicker over the rest of the course, I still only managed a 56sec run. Jamie by this time was in the low 53secs.

Final run and I nearly had a complete disaster! I went to the toilet, came back and was just chatting to Dave Exton when I spotted the other drivers in my class with their helmets on. I rushed over to my car only to discover they were returning from their last run! A quick grovel to the Clerk and I was allowed to take my last run.

I still couldn't get to grips with the hairpin - again I went in way too fast and understeered wide. But I must have been going faster elsewhere because this time I posted 54.63sec - fast enough to beat the Porsche and claim the class win. Jamie in the Elise didn't quite better his earlier time of 53.15ses but it sets a good record to chase tomorrow.

Overall, it was a great day and if tomorrow is half as good, it will be fabulous....

New wheels have arrived

2010-04-23T21:31:00.004+01:00

One of the joys of the VX220 is the bizarre wheel/tyre fitment at the front. Vauxhall, in their infinite wisdom, decided to fit 175/55 tyres on a 17" rim. This is a unique tyre size and therefore only Bridgestone RE040 tyres are available (at the princely sum of around £140 +fitting). To make matters worse, the hubs are a Vauxhall 5-bolt fitment meaning that Lotus wheels cannot be utilised.

Even other Vauxhall wheels are no use due to the clearance needed for the AP Racing caliper. So, in summary, there are no cheap ways to get decent tyres on a VX220.

The only viable option is to buy a set of bespoke wheels and fortunately, there are a few available - Compomotive did a short run, Speedline produced a small number for the VXR220 and Team Dynamics produce a set of their Pro Race 1.2 in a specially developed fitment.

I opted for the Team Dynamics from Thorney Motorsport at the reasonable price of £499 inc delivery. Thumbs up to Thorney, they were ordered on Sunday night and arrived on Tuesday morning in my first choice colour of gloss black.

They come in a 16" x 7" size for the front and 17" x 7.5" at the rear and are much lighter than the turbo alloys I've currently got fitted.

For tyres, I'm still undecided. I'm either going to splash out on Kuhmo V70a in 205/40 16 front and 235/40 17 rear or go with much cheaper Hankook RS2s in 205/40 16 front and 225/45 17 rear.

I won't have them in time for Ingliston next weekend but I should be good to go for Kames at the end of May.

Photos from Doune

2010-04-20T20:56:00.003+01:00

Some photos from Saturday at Doune:

Ready for the scrutineer

In the start line queue

On the start

Approaching Oak Tree (pic: Kevin Clark)

At Junction on to the Meadow

A Wet Sunday at Doune

2010-04-19T22:26:00.003+01:00

My first ever day a Doune hillclimb was followed by my first ever wet day at Doune hillclimb!

This obviously had a major effect on my ability to improve on Saturday's times and whilst I felt I was pushing a wee bit harder, I was still struggling to come to terms with the blind corners. This meant I was braking far too much (and instantly regretting it) and losing lots of speed and time. Best I could do was 62 secs although my most committed run was my last run but in heavier rain was a 63 secs. This meant I was easily last in class and Alistair Matheson will overtake me in the Lowland Speed Championship.

I can see that getting even a half decent time (under 60sec) here is going to take me a couple of visits.

It was a fantastic experience though. Challenging - yes, exciting - of course, scary - you bet!

I take my hat off to the madmen that can drive their full blown racing cars, at well over 100mph, up that tight, intimidating course in less than 40 seconds. They are truly mad. No joke. But they are also very skilful and very, very good at what they do. No wonder Scotland produces so many talented speed eventers.

Anyway, I've got a couple of weeks off to polish the car before the sprint at Ingliston near Edinburgh. It's nice and local to me and I'm really looking forward to it.

The mighty Doune tamed (not!)

2010-04-17T18:09:00.003+01:00

British hillclimbing has some must dos. Shelsley Walsh has the history, Harewood has the fun factor and the mighty Doune has 1680 yards of sheer terror.

I never quite managed to pluck up the courage to drive there with the MX-5 but for some bizarre reason, I entered the VX220 for the opening two rounds of the Scottish HillClimb Championship this weekend Sat 17 and Sun 19 April.

Well, as I write this, I'm back home in the comfort of my living room after a day experiencing the madness that is Doune Hillclimb.

Words cannot really describe the nature of the course but I'll try. The first few hundred yards are completely enclosed by stout looking armco barrier - the fast guys like to scrape along these. The first real bend is called Oak Tree - I'll let you use your imagination as to why! Lets just say it focuses the mind somewhat!

Just up from Oak Tree is the next bend, a right hander called Garden Gate. I'm reliably informed that this can be taken in third but I'm still at the novice change down to second stage. This is partly because I REALLY don't want to go fast enough to need third gear!

Once throgh Garden Gate, you enter the ominously titled 'The Tunnel' - so called because the sun never shines through the tree canopy making it a dark, damp place. THe armco has run out here - replaced on the inside by nasty looking dry stone walls. The track can only be a few feet wider than the car here.

At the end of the tunnel is Junction - a tighter right hander leading directly into the open 'Meadow' section. The change from the enclosed tunnel environment to the wide open meadow tempts you to boot it but the bend through meadow is deceptive and was fairly slippery today.

At the end of meadow comes the scariest corner I've ever driven - the infamous 'East Brae. Unfeasibly steep, with a sharp right at the top, you have to have faith and turn in before you can see the bend. If you don't you're in the bales. I was VERY ginger through here today and it showed in my times.

East Brae is followed by a series of 'esses' before the final left hander taking you down to the finish. All in all, a real test of nerves and skill - I fail on both counts.

My times today proved to be fairly slow at 65s, 62s, 61s and 61s. My target for the weekend is to get under th 60secs and I thought I had done this as my wife erroniously reported to me that I had done a '58 something'. She had, of course, been doing her nails or some other fivolous activity at the time and had heard the time of fellow class competitor, Gus Carnegie. I was overjoyed at having beaten my target and set about telling everyone and anyone only to discover 10 minutes later that I had actually done a 61sec run !

Anyway, divorce papers have been issued and I'll just have to keep my mouth shut in future! :-)

I'm back for more punishment tomorrow. I just hope the weather is kind........

Photos from Kames - 11 April

2010-04-13T20:14:00.002+01:00

Douglas Hunter took some nice photos of me on Sunday:

2010 Season has begun - Report from Kames 10/11 April

2010-04-11T23:03:00.002+01:00

The sun was out this weekend for the opening of the 2010 Scottish Sprint Championship at Kames. Saturday was a warm-up club event and Sunday was the forst round of the aforementioned championship and also the Lowland Speed Championship.

I was entered both days in Class A8 - Marque Road Sports Cars. This would be my first competitive sprint in the VX220.

I set myself some goals for this season. Some were going to be tougher than others to beat but firstly, I wanted to beat the 100sec barrier for the clockwise layout at Kames. Its a magical number - some folk take years to get there. I had come tantalisingly close in the MX-5 on a number of occasions but never quite made it. So it was with some delight that my first practice on Saturday came in at 99.65 secs. Imagine my supreme delight when I posted 98.42secs on my second practice. I even managed a respectable 97.4secs on my third practice.

When it came to the timed runs I was a wee bit slower but still managed 98.0 secs. This was enough to beat Alistair Matheson in his TVR (by just 8/100ths!) to win the class. Oh - that was another goal for this season - a class win!

Sunday was another cracking day and this time there were more entrants in the class and important championship points up for grabs. This time, I got off to a really slow start - over 100secs and felt quite down about it when Alistair managed a 97sec run. Second practice was better for me - I posted 98.4 secs but Alistair was still in the 97s. By the first timed run, I had sort of got it together and managed a slightly untidy 97.66secs. My lunch time mind games must have worked (or maybe it was the dodgy burgers!) but Alistair went slower wuth a time in the 98s.

The final run came and I decided to really go for it. I got a great start, kept the foot in round the first corner and was cleanly through the technical part to the hairpin. I got a nice clean exit and fired down through the kink towards the paddock bend. I braked later than usual and carried much more speed into the corner. In fact, I carried much to much more speed and started a big slide which I was fortunate enough to catch and keep on the blackstuff. My time still managed to be 99 sec. Again, Alastair had a nightmare run and couldn't better my 97.66.

However, we were both roundly beaten by the Lotus 211 of Duncan McAdam who managed a run in the low 90s. I'm just glad he hasn't regsitered for the championships.

Anyway, a great start to the season - 2 goals reached and valuable championship points which should see me leading the class (albeit untl next weekend at Doune).

All set for Kames

2010-04-08T21:25:00.002+01:00

I'm all set for the start of the sprint season at Kames this weekend. Saturday is an East Ayrshire Car Club warm-up event - no championship points up for grabs but a good practice for the main event on Sunday.

Sunday is the opener for both the Guyson Scottish Sprint Championship and the Lowland Speed Championship. There' a healthy entry for class A8 this year and with the changes to the scoring system, it's not clear who is well placed to win the class.

Sunday's event has four entrants in class A8 - Nina Baker in a BMW Z3, Duncan McAdam in a Lotus 211, Alistair Mathieson in his TVR Griffith 500 and me. I reckon I've got a fighting chance of second in class but unless the 211 driver is blind, a class win is out of the question! One thing's for sure, I'm sure it will be a good, competitve weekend!

I've fixed my ABS problem - although it's just a bodge job for now. The nearside front sensor cable is broken at the connector and needs to be replaced. I've crimped a connector on temporarily until I can source the right part.

Test day - 28 March

2010-04-03T20:16:00.002+01:00

Another test day at Kames on Sunday saw my first outing with the VX on the trailer. I arrived a bit late at the track since the clocks had changed and I had mistakenly stopped for coffee for half an hour thinking I was an hour early!

Anyway, the weather was pretty poor in the morning and I ended up in the gravel on my first run! The ABS on the VX has packed in - I think it's a loose cable on the front nearside sensor but I'll have to investigate.

There were a few more crashes than usual for a test day - three looked fairly serious and the result was that the tyre walls took a fair hammering. The weather picked up in the afternoon and I got some good practice in towards the end of the day.

The tyre wall damage combined with the atrocious weather during the week led to the postponement of the Good Friday Wigton Sprint, the opener of the 2010 Northern Speed Championship. That was a bit of a disappointment but on the plus side, it does give me an extra week to try and fix the ABS and it means I can enter the EACC sprint on Sat 10th April.

Test video

2010-03-25T19:44:00.002Z

Ok,
here is the video from the test day.

I've got a few things to work on at my next test this coming Sunday. I need to get a clean hairpin exit and build up to keeping the foot in through the kink before the padock bend.

I've finally got round to fitting the rear VXR shocks. I spent a rather grim evening with a single ended hacksaw balde cutting through the bottom bolt on one side which had seized in the bush. Took a while but I got there in the end. The VXR shocks are designed for heavier turbo cars so the ride height is a bit on the high side but I'm hoping the stiffer springs will tighten things up a bit. They were cheap after all.......

Testing, Testing, Testing

2010-03-14T20:18:00.002Z

I've just had 2 days testing in the VX at Kames. Had a brilliant time - it was great to blow away the winter cobwebs and get some tracktime in. The VX is a fair bit quicker in a straight line than the MX-5 was. It seems to have a bit more grip too and being lighter, it can carry more speed through the corners. Problem is, my brain is tuned to MX-5 pace so I need to really push myself and concentrate to actually go any faster.

I tooks some videos and looking back at them, my times for the clockwise layout are around 98secs. Similar testing in the MX-5 was around 102secs so I reckon I'm around 3-4 secs quicker.

I'm certainly not going to win any gongs at that pace but with a set of sticky track tyres, my times could come down to around 95 secs so that is what I'm setting as my season target!

If I can work out how to do it, I'll post a video from today's testing soon......

Preparing the VX220

2010-02-20T14:36:00.003Z

I've been busy doing some prep on the VX220 for the coming season. Nothing major - funds are likely to be tight this year. I've started with some stickering:

The obligatory ignition switch sticker:

Front and rear towing eyes with stickers:

Just in case someone thinks its a Lotus:

Then it was down to fitting the Scroth Profi II ASM harness I bought from MSAR. I've fitted the harness bar:

Trial fitting the shoulder straps showed that I really need to get the cut-outs in the seat so I've got the seat out to cut the holes and fit the grommets. That'll take me a couple of days no doubt.

I've still got the rear dampers to fit but other than that, the car will be ready to go for the test days at Kames in mid-March. If I can shift the trailer, I'll buy some wheels and List 1B tyres. Otherwise, I'm sticking to the standard Bridgestones........

Sad day :-(

2010-01-23T12:19:00.001Z

Well, it finally came to pass. My trusty steed is on its way to Berkshire today, hopefully to be re-born as a trackday superstar.

I've had lots of good times with that car - several epic trips round Scotland with fellow MX-5ers, trips to Europe including an epic adventure to Italy, countless trackdays and of course a couple of speed championship trophies to boot.

Turns out I owned that MX-5 longer than any other car I've ever had - nearly 6 years!

I was sad to see it go and James was in tears - he said "But I don't want the MX-5 to go - I want to go on a run with the other MX-5s through the big puddles" :-(

I now need to resist the temptation to fill the empty void and keep the bank balance a bit healthier but I'm sure I will be back in a '5 before too long............

Long time no post

2010-01-18T21:32:00.003Z

It's been a couple of months since my last post - Christmas, New Year and some snow got in the way of any meaningful news so I haven't bothered!

I attended the Wigton Motor Club annual dinner last weekend and collected my award for second in class R2. The dinner itself was great with guest speaker, Barry 'Whizzo' Williams giving an entertaining reprise of his career.

The East Ayrshire Club dinner is at the end of the month and I'm looking forward to that.

On the car front, the MX-5 is still on the driveway but I've taken a deposit and hope it will be away by the weekend.

I visited the Autosport show last week and ordered a Schroth racing harness for the VX220. That coupled with a second hand harness bar and some seat cut-outs will see me ready to compete, albeit I would rather have new wheels and tyres first. Unfortunately, I don't think my 2010 racing budget will stretch to new wheels and tyres at the start of the season so I'll be at a competitive disadvantage for a while.

I'm focussing on 2 championships this year - The Wigton Northern Speed Championship and the Scttish Lowland Speed Championship. I anticipate doing around 15 events between the 2 championships and it looks like I'll only need a couple of overnight stays away from home. The programmes and regulations are still to be published but it looks like the season kicks off on Good Friday, 2 April at Kames for a round of the Northern Speed Championship.

2010 - a year of understeer?

2009-11-16T15:22:00.004Z

MSA Categories
The MSA has decreed that all speed championships will run class structures based on a set of defined categories from 2010. I personally think this is a good idea as it moves towards standardization across the country, meaning that wherever you go, you'll know which class to enter.

However, it is raising a few questions, particularly for road-going cars like mine. The MSA have split road-going cars into two categories - Road-going Series production cars (produced in quantities of over 1,000 per annum) and Road-going specialits production cars (less than 1,000 per annum). Now, I'm pretty sure that my VX220 is a Series production car because the VIN database on VX220.ORG suggests that there were over 7,000 produced in 5 years. My own car has a chassis number greater than 1,000 and it appears to have been built in the first year (2001) but trying to prove this to a scrutineer could be problematic.

Some Lotus variants, like the Exige, appear to have been produced in quantities much less than 1,000 and so will fall into the specialist production category. In many championships (including the Scottish Championships), this will not matter as specialist and series production cars will run together but in some, it means that Exiges will run alongside Caterhams and Westfields.

I guess time will tell how this is going to pan out.

2010 Plans
I've decided to cut down the mumber of events for 2010 and will probably do no more than 15. My plans at this stage include a double-header at Ingliston on 1/2 May, the mighty Doune in April, Kames as often as I can, Forrestburn at least once, Harewood at least once and a foray up north to Fintray or even Golspie.

I've decided, for budget reasons, to keep the car fairly standard with just some wheels/tyres and safety critical mods (harness bar, harness and rear toe-links). This will give me a chance to get to know the car and get my driving up to scratch without spending too much. Hopefully I can still bag a championship award at the end of the year but my real aim for 2010 is an event class win.

The winter training regime

2009-11-04T20:12:00.003Z

No. It' not what you're thinking. I'm NOT going on a health kick just yet!

I've been planning some track time in the VX to get my skills in shape for next season and have already managed a couple of great days.

First off was a trip down to Kames for a test day last month. The weather was awful but the car handled it superbly. Fresh from setting a new PB in the racingFive, I practiced my new found lines and discovered that the VX has much more grip, much more acceleration and much better brakes. So much so that I reckon I was lapping in the low 100s in the very wet conditions. Mid-90s in the dry is my target time for next year.

This week, I ventured all the way to Essex for a session with Lotus driving guru, Andy Walsh. I booked one of his famous 4-person car limits days and I have to say it was the best £200 I have ever spent on my car activities. I learned more in that one day than I've learned in 10 years of trackdays and 3 years of competiive events.

The theory covered in this introductory day was already familiar to me through my reading of 'Speed Secrets' and 'Going Faster' but I realised I had never actually had the opportunity to have it explained nor had the chance to try out sliding and drifting.

The infamous high speed bend exercises were great fun - I spun more times than I can remember but soon got the hang of catching the big slides, top gear stylee.

The best part of the day for me was the mini sprint circuit at the end when we got the chance to put all we had learned into practice. Andy takes you out first and sets a target time in your own car (55 secs for me). Then its your turn to show him what you've learned. I took it nice and steady and he gave me a few pointers for the next run.

He then gets you to take one of your fellow attendees out for the last run so that they can critique you. I went out with Steve, a nice Elise owner, on his first 'track' experience. He drove first. Nice and smooth, lacking aggression but a good effort given his experience.

Then he jumped into my car, I guess expecting much of the same. He got a bit of a shock when I braked a good second and a half after he finished shouting BRAKE for the first cone, turned in, immediately started a huge slide, caught it, power on and before he'd caught his breath we were braking for the next cone. He didn't say much after that! He just laughed all the way round as I understeered, oversteered, drifted and generally ruined my tyres on every corner!

At the end of the run, we got out and Andy was grinning broadly - "that was pretty good" he said - "you did a 60 second lap, not very smooth but very entertaining". "Thanks", I said, "I've been wanting to do that for years. Smooth is so yesterday!"

The VX? It was sublime - so balanced and controllable. I can't wait to drive it in anger again. The 900 mile round trip was ok too - I got a wee bit wet and the ABS light came on briefly but nothing fell off. Need to buy some new tyres though!

Anyway, I had so much fun that I'm already planning my next foray - possibly a Lotus On Track day at Rockingham in a couple of weeks. Watch this space......

So near and yet so far......

2009-10-04T20:54:00.003+01:00

Picture: Andy Low
The end of the season TJ Services Northern Speed Championship decider was at Kames today and I was in with a shout of the class win being equal top on points with Paul Rigg. The maths were complicated but I needed a full 10 points to have any chance but I also needed Chris Harris in his Elise to score 6 or less. That seemed highly unlikely but I had to focus on what I could do rather than worry about what others.

I had spent all week trying to recapture my mindset of 2 years ago when I did 100.99 secs on standard tyres. I'd never got close to that since - wallowing in 102-3sec territory and blaming the car set-up. The truth was, it was all down to me - I had lost the edge and needed to get it back quickly.

The weather was smashing to start although the track seemed a bit slippy for first practice. I only managed a disappointing 106.8 second run, albeit faster than Chris who did 107.5 secs.

Second practice was a bit better, with me posting 102.8 . However, Chris managed to do 101.8 secs which I knew was faster than he had ever been before. My task seemed nigh on impossible now.

There were some shower clouds gathering so I decided to go all out on the first timed run. I carried more speed into paddock and found a new line through the hairpin which saw me home in 101.15 secs. I was chuffed with that because it was as fast as I had been round Kames since about April 2008. Chris managed to spin off and although Dave Exton in the MR2 also spun, he beat Chris and it looked like I might be in for a very lucky day.

During lunch, the rain came a bit but it was never enough to wet the track and by the time we restarted, the track was bone dry and really grippy. I went out flying and managed 100.87 secs - a new PB on list 1A tyres. Chris did 102.35 sec and Dave managed 103.69. If only Dave could find another second and a half........

Third run and I shaved a bit more off posting 100.78 secs. Chris closed right in on me with 100.82secs. Dave 'the destroyer' lived up to his name and crashed out so it looked like it was all over.

Chris decided not to take his last run but I posted 100.73 secs and so shaved another slither off the PB. Dave crashed out again so this time it was all over and the class award for the championship went to Chris.

The final R2 Class placings for the championship look like this:

Chris Harris (Lotus Elise S2) - 64 points
Kev Hamilton (MX-5) - 62 Points
Paul Rigg (MGF) - 60 points
Dave Exton (MR2) - 51 points
Steve Palmer (Honda Civic) - 43 points
Dennis Hope (MGF) - 34 points

So, reflecting on the season, it was very competitive this year and could have gone either way. The high for me was smashing my best time at Teeside. The lows were getting brought back down to size at Barbon where Paul drubbed me and being beaten by Chris by just 4/100ths of a second at Forrestburn which cost me the championship. The craic at the Wigton MC events is second to none and everyone is really friendly and helpful. I hope next year is as much fun as this year.

Finally, I've taken the difficult decision to retire the racingFive and focus my efforts on the VX220 for next year. So if anyone wants a well sorted, track-ready, championship winning MX-5, drop me an e-mail. Otherwise, it's getting returned to standard and sold on eBay...........

Harewood

2009-09-20T21:37:00.001+01:00

Saturday was my last visit to Harewood for this year for the penultimate round of the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship.

The weather was fantastic and the craic was even better. I was hoping to score ten points to keep my championship hopes alive but alas it was not to be.

I did, however, come second of the championship contenders - beaten fair and square by Chris Harris in his awesome Lotus Elise S2. I also managed to beat my previous best time at Harewood of 74.18secs. My new best time is 74.07secs.

The result means that it all comes down to the final round at Kames on 4 October. The unofficial points are as follows:

Paul Rigg 60 points
Kev Hamilton (me) 60 points
Chris Harris 56 points
Dave Exton 50 points

In theory, any one of us could win the class but Paul and Chris have the best chance due to the dropped scores system. The most I can score is 62 points if I win at Kames. However, Paul and Chris could still both easily score 62 and if its a three way tie then Paul would win as he had highest score in Round 1. It's all prety complicated but realistically, I'm aiming for third place now. I knew I would rue that 4/100ths I lost by at Forrestburn!

Photos will follow as soon as I get some.

The racing is interupted

2009-09-09T01:13:00.002+01:00

Photo: Stephen Hynds

Forrestburn on 29 August saw the VX out for its first run. I managed a time similar to my MX-5 times (58.4sec) which was ok, if a touch disappointing. I think I need lots of practice before venturing out on the hills again in the VX.

I should have been at Ty Croes on Anglesey for the weekend of 5/6 September but due to my wife suddenly taking ill and me having to ferry back and forwards to hospital and watch the kids, I had to pull out at the last minute. I had been really looking forward to it but it can wait. Thankfully, the better half is now on the road to recovery.

For next year's campaign, I've acquired a small trailer to allow me to take the family with me and save some miles on the car. I'll be on the lookout for a cheap estate towcar soon - I fancy either a Volvo V70 (again!), a Skoda Octavia (again!) or a Vauxhall Omega (for the first time!).

Finally, I'm off to Bo'ness for the hillclimb revival on Saturday - I'll try and remember my camera! Then I'm off with my eldest (he's only 3!) on a run with the Scottish Fivers on Sunday - that should be a laugh.

Forrestburn - Saturday 28 August

2009-08-29T19:03:00.002+01:00

Just back from a day at my least favourite venue, Forrestburn for a round of the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship.

Weather started pretty miserable with heavy driving rain but it cleared up by the time practice started at 10am.

I have struggled to get a good time at Forrestburn ever since I went off on the first corner in April 2008. I know the corners reasonably well now its just that I don't have the bottle to push it hard. I've been trying since then to break my personal best of 58.64secs.

Anyway, today I was running in the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship against the MGF of Paul Rigg/Dennis Hope, the S2 Elise of Chris Harris, the Honda Civic of Steve Palmer and the MR2 of 'Diamond' Dave Exton.

Practie didn't go great with me getting a fastest run of 60.55 - well behind Paul and only just in front of Dave Exton. I knew I had to go quicker when the timed runs came.

With the changeable weather, I was surprised to see the sun come out for the first timed run and thought this might be the only dry run so I would have to go for it. I managed 58.29secs - beating my old PB and all the other championship class contenders except Chris Harris who posted 57.93secs.

I was sure that was the only dry run we were going to get as the rain came on soon after but it was only a brief shower and it soon brightened up. So the final run came along and it was dry!

I got a good start and kept the power on through more corners than I have before. I managed 57.88secs - I was well chuffed, having taken nearly a second of my previous best.

Again, it was enough to beat all the other championship contenders but Chris did 57.83secs - pipping me to the 10 points by just 5/100ths of a second. That could cost me dear at the end of the season. If only I'd kept the boot in a weeeeeee bit more..........

By my reckoning, the championship class looks like this with 2 rounds to go and dropped scores now counting:

Paul Rigg 60 Pts
Kev Hamilton 58 Pts
Chris Harris 46 Pts
Dave Exton 44 Pts
Steve Palmer 43 Pts
Dennis Hope 31 Pts
Andy Suter 13 pts
David Child 2 Pts

Suspension grief

2009-08-15T21:47:00.002+01:00

Old and new(ish)

One of the front dampers on the VX was leaking so had to be replaced. I decided to tackle it myself and bought a set of second hand dampers from a late model VXR. The pic above shows the two coilover units side by side - the one from my car is on the bottom of the pic.

It should be an easy job - jack car up, take wheel off, unbolt two bolts, remove damper, insert new damper and bolt up. Unfortunately, the monkey who built my car had put the lower damper bolt in backwards making it impossible to remove without either removing the ARB droplink or cutting it out. I chose the latter method on the basis that if I started farting around with the droplink, something else would break.

Suspension with no damper unit in place

Upper shock bolt in place

So, a 1 hour job ended up taking 3 hours but it is done and I've learned a bit more about the car.

VX Back

2009-08-12T21:56:00.002+01:00

I finally got the VX back tonight. My mechanic had some real issues to deal with after he picked it up on Sunday night.

First off, his wife crashed her car on Monday so he had to spend all day sorting that out. When he started work, he discovered that the bleed nipple on the front right caliper was seized so that had to be machined out. Then he had to source a bleed nipple. Then he bust the master cylinder seal and had to source a new master cyclinder - Vauxhall quoted a 10 week delivery - he got one off the shelf the same day by cross-checking against other cars - it's the same item as an Audi TT.

Anyway, it's now running sweet - no rattles. The engine oil has been changed to the right viscosity (10w40), the fuel filter done, coolant checked, brake fluid changed, new plugs (that was the rattle!) and a pre-MOT check done. The front left shock is leaking and you can feel it under braking - the car skips to the right, then left as the shocker fails to work properly but the brakes are working great now.

Other than that, he reckons it's now sound as a pound. I've actually bought some secondhand shocks already (I had a feeling one was kaputt) and I should e able to get them changed over fairly easily myself. I just need to source some new nyloc nuts.

So, the car is entered for Forrestburn on 30 August and I just need to make up a timing strut and mark the battery negative cable and I'm good to go.

The racingVX ?

2009-08-09T22:31:00.002+01:00

Took some more photies of the new VX after me and the wee man cleaned it this afternoon.

The car's off to get a good service. When Eric (my friendly VX tech) came round to pick it up, he reckoned it was no more noisy than most Z22SE engines so I guess I'm just paranoid. Car is getting a full monty service - oil, filter, plugs, brake fluid, coolant, fuel filter - and a pre-MOT check.

I'm already planning my mods for sprinting it. First on the list is a set of decent sized wheels! The VX comes with really odd front wheels - they are 17" diameter but only 5.5" wide! Only Bridgestone make tyres to fit and they are like hens teeth so a set of Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 are on the wishlist.

That will open up the sticky tyre options to include Toyo R888 and Kumho V70 - looks like they will be permitted in roadgoing production classes next year.

However, fitting sticky tyres puts greater stresses on suspension and the Elise/VX has a weak point in the rear toe links. These have recently been done on my car but a set of uprated motorsport items is on my list.

Last but not least, a harness bar and Schroth harness will be purchased and I'm swithering about an Exige style seat with harness cut-outs. Then I'll be ready for action!

If my plans come to fruition, a Courtenay supercharger kit is not out of the question. For £3,700 you get 210bhp and 195lb/ft torque - another £2k and you're up to 250bhp without modifying internals.

Might need to budget for a new number plate as folk at work have been slagging me for being an aRSE! ;-)

A year of coming second?

2009-08-09T20:02:00.003+01:00

The Elise of Chris Harris in front of the Wigton MC paddock

Three Sisters race track, near Wigan, was the venue of the latest round of the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship on Saturday.

My class, R2 (Roadgoing Production cars 1400-2000cc) had 5 entries - The Rigg/Hope double entered MGF, Chris Harris in his Elise S2, Dave Exton in hs Mk2 MR2 and me in the racingFive.

The weather was fantastic and I had my new racing boots (Sparco Top Driver mid) so I was sure to do well!

It all got off to an eventful start with Dave Exton going off in first practice and me having to sit on the startline whilst they cleared it up. Dave had put 'the man most likely to crash' on his commentator's sheet - all the startline crew thought that was really funny.

I took it nice and easy for the first run and came home safely in around 94seconds - 3 seconds off my previous best.

Second practice and I pushed a bit harder to get down to around 91 secs. Still slower than I knew I could go but heading the right way.

Afer lunch, the real runs started and again I was lined up behind Dave Exton's white MR2. He set off and I was called to the startline. The light went green and away I went with a smooth, quick start. I got through my first lap very smoothly, taking some kerbs and sliding slightly round the bottom bend. I cam round for my second lap and was shown the red flag so I slowed right down and proceeded to clear the track (as instructed). I got to about 50yds from he finish line and there was Dave Exton's car in the tyres with an ambulance in attendance! Not the sort of thing you want to see, really.

Anyway, Dave was ok but he had taken out the timing gear so there was a delay whilst it was all set up again. I got a re-run but I was a bit preoccupied and only managed a 91sec run again. Paul Rigg was in the lead with 89.80secs - I was a bit despondent.

Second timed run came round and I got a flyer in. Got back and checked the time - 89.84sec. So close but not enough to beat Paul who had gone slower that run. We waited whilst he organisers decided whether we could get a third timed run and eventually the news came through - we were on! So, final chance - I had to make it a great run because I knew Paul would find time somewhere.

Unfortunately, I got a poor start and made a mess of the first two corners. That lost me a fair bit but I kept on trying and came in with a time of 90.49secs. Paul did find extra time and managed to get into the 88secs so I was well beaten.

Chris Harris struggled in his S2 Elise and only managed a time around 90-91 secs and Dave Exton did manage to get a run without spinning but was also in the 90-91 secs.

Paul's win opens up the championship and makes the run in to Kames in October interesting as we will start dropping scores now. I reckon I'll need to get two wins - I'm hoping that Forrestburn will intimidate the opposition and I can pull off a 100sec run at Kames to do the business. Even then, I'll still need a second place at Harewood - if it rains, I have a chance but if it's dry, I'm not so sure.

Next outing - Forrestburn 28/29 August.

It's a long way to Wigan

2009-08-06T22:56:00.002+01:00

It's been a week of variety and chasing rattles! I took the Skoda to work on Monday, the VX on Tuesday and Wednesday and the racingFive today.

I'm a wee bit worried because the VX has developed a tappety clicking noise from the head. I got the big screwdriver out and had a listen to where it is coming from - definitely not the cam chain - it sounds nice and smooth. No, the knocking is coming from the other end of the head - when I put the screwdriver on the coil pack it is worst. I don't know much about these engines but it doesn't sound clever.

Anyway, the car is getting picked up on Sunday night to be checked over by a VX tech I know. He reassured me on the phone that they are quite noisy engines but I'm not so sure.........

At work we have a serious seagull problem and I got well splattered on the way out of the car park tonight. I was quite lucky in that the poo landed on my roll-bar - just missing my head. I did get splashed though! Anyway, I've spent tonight cleaning the car of bird poo and it's all tickety-boo for the trip to Three Sisters tomorrow.

The main competition in the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship are entered - Chris Harris in the Elise and Paul Rigg in the MGF. Three sisters is quite like Teesside so I hope I can push the limits of MX-5 performance and give them a fright.

Last time I was there was in 2007 and I managed a time of 90.67secs on this 2-lap layout. That was good enough for 16th place in a class of 27. This time there's just 5 in the class and as the weather looks promising, I'm looking to get nearer the 88sec mark.

Harewood Rain, Kames Sunshine and a new motor

2009-08-03T23:50:00.003+01:00

What a busy weekend. I'm done in. Started on Friday with a trip on the train to Arbroath to pick up the new motor. It's a 2001 Vauxhall VX220 NA in silver. Needs a good service and a few bits and bobs but seems fairly straight otherwise. Much quicker than the five and a PITA to get out of. I've already got stuck in it once and I've only driven it twice!

After a nice Italian lunch with my work colleagues (I made a special excursion to pop in to work on my day off), it was straight down the M6/A66 to Harewood for a round of the HSA/RIA Speed Championship. The weather turned out to be awful - all my gear got soaked and so did I. I did however come very close to beating the current HSA championship leader in his Mk1 Roadster - I was ahead on every split until the last!

It was also nice to see an old friend, ex-MX5 owner, David Horne out campaigning his Caterham Seven. I hadn't seen David since an epic road trip round the West Highlands in 2005. I almost beat him too - I was within a second of his time.

I made a real mess of my last run - outbraked myself on the second corner, locked up and ran out of room. I decided to just keep going straight on, into the field and went about 30 yards before stopping. Fortunately, no harm done and I even managed to drive out without the indignity of being towed. I didn't check the final times (I was too wet!) but I think I ended up second of the four MX-5s that were there.

On Sunday, I was at Kames for a round of the British Sprint Championship. I wasn't competing this time but I had offered my services as a marshal. Turned out to be a fantastic day. I spent the morning on post 2 (Norries corner) where I got to see the different lines everyone was taking up really close. I spent a bit of time on the startline too which was also an eye-opener. The event was really well run by East Ayrshire Car Club - they managed to get through 100 entries and two top-12 runoffs - a real achievement for the organisers. It made me really proud to be a member of such a well run club and I'm sure they'll get the big event again.

The usual Class A8 crowd were there - Alastair in his TVR, Graeme and Jennifer in the Exige and David Child making a return in the Mk3 MX5 but the class was won by Scott Cruikshanks in a stunning Lotus 211. It was a pleasure to watch - such a smooth drive - no drama at all and what looked like a touch of left foot braking into Norries. He came very close to beating Graeme Bremner's class record. I'm not sure the Lotus 211 is really in the spirit of a road going production car class (it's a pretty extreme machine) but it was a remarkable sight nonetheless.

Next outing for me is this weekend when I'm off to Three Sisters near Wigan for a round of the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship.

Kames, Harewood and Kames Again

2009-07-30T21:04:00.004+01:00

Kames turned into a bit of a damp squib with wet conditions for most of the day, a small entry and a shortage of marshalls. I ended up marshalling at the paddock bend both morning and afternoon and it definitely affected my concentration (that's my excuse anyway).

My class was quite big with 7 entries including the amalgamated R1 Peugeot 205 Rallye of Dave Wiggins. The wet conditions didn't suit me - especially with the Marangonis on - and the best I could manage was 108.68 seconds. This was only good enough to get 4th in class after Wiggins in first, Chris Harris's Elise S2 in second and Paul Rigg's MGF in third.

Most entertaining drive of the day came from Dave Exton who seemed to be intent of rally crossing his MR2. Either that or he is entering the Tokyo Drift Championship next year. It was a bit off-putting to see him launch over the gravel trap, tip up and nearly overturn at paddock bend. I've never seen anyone do that before! Fortunately, no-one was hurt and he managed to pick all the stones out and get a final run where he very nearly beat me.

Tomorrow, I'm off to pick up my new car and then rushing down to Harewood for a round of the HSA/REI Speed Championship. Weather forecast is wet so it could be interesting.

Then its back up on Saturday in time to get to Kames on Sunday to help out at the British Sprint Championship meeting. Hopefully they'll give me an interesting job.

Clunk Clunk

2009-07-25T15:57:00.005+01:00

Ok, I'v been out and changed the wheels. While I was at it, I looked at the front nearside lower wishbone again. The front alignment bolt had loosened off again and that was the source of the clunk. I took the bolt out and it looked a wee bit bent so I replaced it with a new one.

New bolt in place

This bolt must take the bulk of the punishment on the events that I do - most of the circuits are clockwise and the front nearside wheel does most of the work.

Getting ready for Kames

2009-07-25T13:26:00.001+01:00

Back from hols. It was nice to have a week with the wife and kids.

Managed to buy a new car too! More on that in a later blog.

Got to get the car ready for Kames on Sunday. I need to put my Marangonis on as the weather looks very wet and the Toyos have not much tread left. I also need to sort the clunk AGAIN!

Holiday time

2009-07-17T10:34:00.003+01:00

It's just past the half way point in my season with 13 events completed and 10 more to go. My family rarely come to speed events because of logistics and with so many events this year requiring an overnight stop, it's time for some family time. So, we're all off to Argyll for a week.

In true racingFIVE style though, I'm taking a slight detour on the way back to look at a potential new car for the 2010 season.........more on that towards the end of the year methinks.

When I get back, I have to get ready for the Wigton MC sprint at Kames on 26 July. It's a crucial event for me because it could make or break whether I can defend the R2 class title. The opposition are tough to beat and although I have lots of experience at Kames, it's not really enough to beat the throttle bodied, nitron suspended Elise of Chris Harris unless it rains like last year. Paul Rigg is also quick in the MGF VVC and that car is well suited to the track.

The others are all capable of humbling me too - especially if I have one of my 'despondent days' but I'm hoping that the break will see me refreshed and raring to go.

On the techincal side, I found out what the 'clunk' was a couple of weeks ago. Turned out to be a loose lower wishbone bolt. I duly tightened it up and aligned the wheel by eye (how accurate is that!) and clunk gone. Alignment is all to pot now but the car feels stable and worked fine at Scammonden so I'm not too worried.

I've changed the oil and cleaned the very dirty air filter so hopefully it should all be running tickety-boo at Kames.

Looking forward, August is going to be busy with Harewood, Kames, 3 Sisters, MIRA and Forrestburn all on the itinery. I'm going to need this holiday...........