2005 RB 182 Cup

[R29TJR]

Watched the video, car looked quick [emoji1419]

The car felt amazing, and there is so much more in the car!

Absolutely love this car, it’s a beaut in the metal too. Track pics look superb too, deffo some there for the garage wall. 😍

Thanks Mate. You also saw the car when it was a looking a little sorry for itself.

One of my favourites on the forum.

Glad it’s going well.

Cheers! Its so good when a car works well after having work done to it.

Love the "through the trees" pic!

This is also my favorite pic, currently my laptop background!

I've finally read this start to finish : love it, pretty much exactly what i want to do to mine! Really need to start a thread really. Will have to keep an eye on this for when you are at brands for a look around in person.

(Is the caterham pull not still there though?)

Thanks for reading, I'm not as good as documenting or putting in words my journey however I try my best! Definitely get a thread going, really helps you realise how much you've done to your own cars. I'm next booked onto Brands on 22nd July 2020 for another evening session.

The Caterham question is a good one. The good ones sell quickly and the one that are left are often badly built. I do think I'll get a Caterham one day but at the moment this is so much fun and perfect for what I need. I have a number of friends who have cars that are around the same power/speed on track so it makes track days that much more enjoyable and I think if I got a Caterham I would neglect the Clio which seems daft considering I've got it to the "perfect" spec and it has so much more to offer (I'm the weakest link!).

 

[R29TJR]

Various - Early July 2020

I thought I'd post some additional pics prior to my posts regarding Snetterton on 1st July 2020 & Brands on 22nd July 2020, plus I have some additional media from Brands in June.

First off I wanted to say how impressed I am with my Yoko A048's, they aren't road legal however on track they are absolutely amazing plus look cool also:

I can't remember what detail I went into regarding my timing device but a few friend arrange a group buy of the vBox Sports which I absolutely love, the data you can pull from the device is amazing I won't go into full detail on this post but at some point I'll bore you with the details now I'll save that for another post but I genuinely believe this device alone has made the biggest improvement to driving.

Anyway this is a snapshot from my evening session at Brands on 15th June 2020:

As detailed in my previous post this shows my best time of the evening being 59.36 but with the car offering far more and me growing with confidence.

I was also sent this video of myself and Jon (Red Clio 200 Cup Racer):

Next up Snetterton and Brands...

Tom

 

[R29TJR]

Snetterton - 1st July 2020

I've let this thread slip a little recently, mainly due to being mad busy at work, moving house and just life! Best get it up-to-date.

On 1st July I did a full day at Snetterton with my usual group of mates. Was a good day, however I stupidly I only didn't check my VBox all day and it only recorded my first session. :-(

The weather was a little mixed, overall it was dry but we had a few downpours. I had a few issues, firstly my top mount on the passenger side keeps coming loose and the wheels studs keep coming loose (both issues now resolved). Anyway was a great day, here's some footage which isn't the quickest but its busy, which makes it interesting.



I also learnt this isn't the best line!

Track days are currently really fun as a load of friends have similar paced cars which is so much fun, it was my best track day at Snetterton.

I didn't really get many official pics but here's the best one:

Next Brands Hatch...

 

[jameswrx]

Very nice.

I’m pretty sure that white 200 (in front in your vid) was at Lydden the other day, left hand drive? He smashed it up pretty bad

 

[R29TJR]

Brands Hatch (Evening) - 22nd July 2020

I say this a lot but this was my best track day to-date. I was on track with three Clio 200 Cup Race Cars, whom are all quicker than me but I hold my own! Was only an evening session this one but got plenty of laps in and some great pics from Opentrack.

I also beat my PB around Brands of 57.51, and there is still a huge amount of driver improvement. I've found my VBOX has made me enjoy track days far more and has also improved my ability no end. I do not have the phone on display while driving however as I know the laps are recorded I concentrate more. Prior to the VBOX I would often find myself driving aimlessly. In short I save almost 2 seconds off my June track day.

Official Pics:

VBOX Data:

Video from Evening:





Back to Snetterton...

 

[R29TJR]

Very nice.

I’m pretty sure that white 200 (in front in your vid) was at Lydden the other day, left hand drive? He smashed it up pretty bad

Fortunately it wasn't the white 200 in the pic. However a shame for the car it was.

 

[Jekyll]

The RB and 200 pic needs to be entered into the calendar mate. Awesome shot!

 

[Ed Hodson]

Going back to your post of April 2019 - What do you think of your PS-09 lithium battery now that you've had it for a while? Has it always started the car well? Does it hold charge for a long time when the car is stored? Any issues with it - or does it get your full recommendation?

Thanks!

 

[R29TJR]

The RB and 200 pic needs to be entered into the calendar mate. Awesome shot!

I’ll try to remember, I’ve had a few good trackday pics this year. Need to get some printed.

Going back to your post of April 2019 - What do you think of your PS-09 lithium battery now that you've had it for a while? Has it always started the car well? Does it hold charge for a long time when the car is stored? Any issues with it - or does it get your full recommendation?

Thanks!

I’ve still not fitted it yet!

Will be fitted this winter.

 

[Hollidog]

I might be being daft here mate but it looks like your helmet isn't strapped properly? The strap should go back under the chin instead of hanging towards n/s, at least it should on every helmet I've ever owned!

 

[R29TJR]

I might be being daft here mate but it looks like your helmet isn't strapped properly? The strap should go back under the chin instead of hanging towards n/s, at least it should on every helmet I've ever owned!

You're correct.

I've just found the whole session and I got distracted while putting my lid on. I've put it through the metal part but never actually tightened it up.

Good job I didn't crash.

 

[misamo]

@a17vts Just been reading through the thread, car looks great a real credit to you and nice to see it gets used properly for all its looked after.
Looking to do a similar sort of thing with mine all been well, just sorting some general little tidying up jobs at the minute.
Who did you use for the paintless removal you mentioned? Have a few dings that let the car down
Cheers

 

[R29TJR]

@a17vts Just been reading through the thread, car looks great a real credit to you and nice to see it gets used properly for all its looked after.
Looking to do a similar sort of thing with mine all been well, just sorting some general little tidying up jobs at the minute.
Who did you use for the paintless removal you mentioned? Have a few dings that let the car down
Cheers

Thanks for the kind words.

I used this company https://www.dentfx.co.uk I couldn't recommend him enough. He's done loads of friends cars after they saw mine. I gave him the instruction of tidying up my whole car and he didn't disappoint. He's isn't the cheapest but its honestly one of the best things I've done to my car.

 

[R29TJR]

Snetterton - August 2020
26th August 2020

So I was booked onto a track evening back at Snetterton however, it was hard work attending.

In short I didn't realise my MOT had expired so I was going to give it a miss however a good mate offered to trailer the Clio there for me, so after a half day at work we arranged collection of my car from storage and loaded it up. We got there a little late but I didn't miss much. Was again another good evening I didn't get a whole load of track time as my I let me mate do a session.

Was a good evening until a mates E46 split a vanos pipe and we were all gathering around to help, I stupidly placed my helmet, balaclava and gloves all on the trailer while I gather my axel stands so they could jack it up. Next thing I know they are gone. Someone definitely stole them, so the evening was left a bitter taste in the mouth.

I contacted Snetterton and the MSV whom were no help. Annoyingly of around 30 people on track that night I know or indirectly know at least 20 of them, so I know it could only be one of the remaining drivers or there friends. I still can't believe this sort of thing would happen but let this be a lesson to you all, especially as Snetterton as this is the second theft I know about at this venue. Please note I don't blame MSV or Snetterton and appreciate its entirely my fault for not storing my items. I would also point out I have 3 cars whom are under suspicion and I will be following this up if/when I see these cars again, as it will be easy to identify if they are mine or not...

Any way, pics make everything better!

On the trialer:

And that brings me up-to-date.

I do however have Oulton Park and Donnington booked up in November and December.

Tom

 

[jp_lcr]

Gutting pal, shouldn't need to lock up belongings at events like that. Hope you get them back.

 

[R29TJR]

August 2020 - June 2021

Following my track evening at Snetterton in August 2020, the Clio had sat in storage until around May when I moved it into my garage. The car developed a starting issue, which some of you may have seen on IG. After many hours of searching for the issue the amazing Alex from AW Motorworks resolved the issue.

I then played around with wheels I'd accumulated, in short I still prefer the look of the 2118's however I'm very aware of how much they weigh. I've now got 3 sets of wheels:

1. TD Pro Race 1.2's Silver (Uniroyal RainSport 3's)

2. Speedline 2118's ET38 Candy Red (Yoko A048's)

3. Speedline 2118's ET38 Bronze/Gold (Interstate Race DNRT)

I'll look to fit a set of AR-1's to the Pro Race 1.2's so I can use them for sprinting as they are the lightest so should save me some time, while the 2118's I'll keep for trackdays/road use.

I set about getting the car ready for its MOT. I smashed both fog lights so I set about fitting some covers which I found from some chap on FB, I forget his name however they are a great product IMO. At the same time I also order a brand new OEM grill and some aftermarket stickers to fit. I was really pleased with the outcome:

I then promptly got the car MOT'd and had all the fluids (engine oil, gearbox oil, coolant, brake fluid) changed ready for upcoming events, unfortunately on route home from the MOT the car bottomed out and the gearbox got stuck in 5th. Fortunately due to a very helpful local it was a quick fix, although I'll look to run a sump guard as soon as they become available, you'll see why in this pic:

It couldn't have been more inline with the gear linkage if I tried!

I then had Mark (AKA @Jekyll) pop over to clean up my headlights, I was mega impressed with the results. Unfortunately the photo's do not do his work credit.

Randomly one night I decided to remove the rear wiper, I definitely prefer it without but not sure if I prefer the below or the Kill All Wipers kit, I'll live with this for a while and see what I think...

I then had Oulton Park booked for Tuesday 15th June 2021...

 

[MrBlonde]

Very nice work mate,ive had the same thing happen to mine with bottoming out,well it was a big bit of broken kerb that i hit,thanks to road works going on.Mine got stuck also but couldnt get into 1st.I would like to do a sump guard also at some point.

 

[R29TJR]

Oulton Park 15th June 2021

Having not been on track since August 2020 I was very excited to get out especially at a track I'd not driven before. However it was going to be my day.

The plan was to pop into the office for a few hours on Monday morning, a slow drive up in the afternoon, refreshed for the Tuesday, as per usual I got stuck in the office and didn't get on the road until around 6.30pm and then got stuck when they closed the M6 I finally arrived around 11.00 - 11.30pm.

The day got off to a slow start, a really nice Porsche crashed at around 9.30am causing the first red flag of the day, then a golf got a flat tyre (I think) causing a second red shortly after. Eventually I got back out and was following a Twingo whom I assume had done the track before as his lines were perfect and he was going at a great pace for me to learn the track. Then as I was doing my in-lap on the final bend the front right dropped and it locked up. At first I was sure my wheel studs had snapped.

It transpired by lower ball joint has snapped, and ripped out the drive shaft. It also caused some body work damage to the side skirt however nothing major.

All this before 10.45am!

In the garage, early doors:

Shortly followed by this:

Which resulted in this...

The process now begins of getting her up and running again...

Tom

 

[R29TJR]

Considering I only did around 10 laps I got some good pics, which is obviously the only reason I do track days!

 

[Simon1975]

Wow looks nasty guess you can only be grateful you were on your in lap not a quick one amazing how 1 little thing can run a day. Hopefully all fixed and back up and running very quickly. Scary when it happen I had a hub nut come off going into first corner at brands. No real damage and managed to just keep it on the track, good have been very different tho

 

[R29TJR]

One evening last week I decided to set about getting the body work lined up correctly.

After playing around for a good few hours I made the decision that my only option was to remove both the wing and side skirt.

Considering it was my first time removing panels it wasn't too hard. From start to finish it took me around 1.5hrs which included some internet searching to find how the wing was connected. I'm still researching how best to reattach the side skirts however I think I'll go the rivnut route for ease of future removal.

Upon removing the side skirts the Clio was left in the following state:

The Side skirt was holding a far bit of track debris

Now the sills have been exposed it's forced me to fix the common Clio issue, apparently they aren't that bad but I'm open to recommendations on how to fix and what products to use. You can also see the recent damage caused to the arch:

I'm sure the passenger side is similar so I'll remove that side skirt, maybe this weekend, and then look to fix them and add some additional strength like many have done. But I still need to do more research.

Tom

 

[frayz]

They're not bad at all mate, just looks scarier than it is.
Id get a wire wheel on a drill in there as much as you can on the rusted areas and treat with some Bilt Hamber Deox C to try and remove/convert as much rust as possible. Then paint in some Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. This will convert/seal any remaining rust under there.
Then you have a few options from the likes of Bilt Hamber, Jenolite, POR15, Upol or Dinitrol. Get some protection in between the layers before hammering the sills back as straight as possible. I used some hammers, drifts and smooth flat grips from Knipex to straighten mine.
Then you attack the rest of the rust with the same methods, wire wheel, hydrate 80 and then epoxy paint/underseal etc.
Once complete give it all a liberal coating of Bilt Hamber Dynax UB which will put a final calcium wax coating over the top.
Then put your skirts back on.
All that sounds complex, but it isnt really, just take your time, clean the s**t out, convert the rust and treat it. Its all behind the skirts so doesn't have to be a show stopping finish, it just needs to be hardy and weather proof. If you do that im pretty sure those bits of the car will outlast the rest of the metalwork.

You know im only a text away if youre stuck

 

[bowen86]

Well took me 2 days (with work getting in the way) but I finally finished your thread! Brilliant read.

Looking forward to updates when you get it back on the road.

 

[R29TJR]

They're not bad at all mate, just looks scarier than it is.
Id get a wire wheel on a drill in there as much as you can on the rusted areas and treat with some Bilt Hamber Deox C to try and remove/convert as much rust as possible. Then paint in some Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. This will convert/seal any remaining rust under there.
Then you have a few options from the likes of Bilt Hamber, Jenolite, POR15, Upol or Dinitrol. Get some protection in between the layers before hammering the sills back as straight as possible. I used some hammers, drifts and smooth flat grips from Knipex to straighten mine.
Then you attack the rest of the rust with the same methods, wire wheel, hydrate 80 and then epoxy paint/underseal etc.
Once complete give it all a liberal coating of Bilt Hamber Dynax UB which will put a final calcium wax coating over the top.
Then put your skirts back on.
All that sounds complex, but it isnt really, just take your time, clean the s**t out, convert the rust and treat it. Its all behind the skirts so doesn't have to be a show stopping finish, it just needs to be hardy and weather proof. If you do that im pretty sure those bits of the car will outlast the rest of the metalwork.

You know im only a text away if youre stuck

Amazing @frayz thanks for the detailed reply. It's really helped I think my biggest issues was not knowing where to start...

That said I have a fews questions if that's OK?

Firstly, from my research Bilt Hamber Doex C appears to be a solutions you place part into to remove the rust? Have I misunderstood? Not sure I have a box big enough to place my whole Clio!

To confirm, I currently believe the process is as follows:

1. Wire wheel remove as much rust as possible
2. Heat up and move sills into correct position
3. Clean some more
4. Rust converter (Hydrate 80?)
5. Epoxy paint/underseal
6. Bilt Hamber Dynax UB
7. Admire my work!

Sorry for all the questions, I'll hopefully get all the part ordered this weekend and next week I'll make a start on the repair.

Well took me 2 days (with work getting in the way) but I finally finished your thread! Brilliant read.

Looking forward to updates when you get it back on the road.

Work often gets in the way of important personal requirements!

Hopefully there'll be some updates with progress shortly.

I may have also ordered some RB paint to paint the arches so it could be interesting!

Tom

 

[Clio_fool]

You can get deox gel that sticks to bits you can't submerge. But that's a rust remover and I think it'll be better to wire brush and then use hydrate 80 which is a rust converter and then add protection of choice. That's the process I'm doing atm.

 

[frayz]

As above. The Deox gel clings to the parts so you can paint it on. Then cover in cling film/pallet wrap to prevent it from drying out. Just helps to get rid of as much rust as positive before using hydrate 80 to convert and seal whatever’s left.
Then epoxy paint and finish etc.

 

[R29TJR]

Slow Progress...30th July 2020

Unfortunately progress has been really slow on the 182, like many people at present, work is crazy busy, having a pregnant wife with constant "morning sickness" and 2 year old boy isn't a great mix for free time!

Although actual work on the car has been slow I've been securing parts/equipment to enable me to get the car back up and running.

Firstly I didn't realise how hard it would be to locate a drive shaft for the Clio, many people recommend J&R items and fitting a different boot however I've gone for an SNR part from AutoDoc. This only arrived earlier this week (maybe last week) so I now in theory have all the parts required to put it back together:

Nothing more exciting than car parts arriving in the post:

With the help from the CS/Insta I set about buying the correct products to sort the sills, at one point I was thinking about going "balls deep" and literally doing a full nut and bolt restoration however with a trackday booked at the Nurburgring at the beginning of September I thought this would be a stupid move, I've therefore decided to tidy up the areas I've exposed and the get the car up and running and then maybe this winter take the car off the road and get all the work completed in one hit. I've already mentioned this to Alex and I need to spend sometime writing up a full list of what I wish and hopefully I'll get it booked in with him later in the year.

That said I purchase a load of BH products to sort the drivers side sills while they are exposed:

I've also purchase a small amount of RB paint:

A had a few hours the other night to I quickly gave the sills and arch a quick clean so see what I was working with:

All of these rust spots were hidden with the side skirts fitted however I will look to get these sorted later in the year.

I now own a number of wire wheels brushes so I can look to remove a majority of the rust and then this weekend I plan on straightening the sills and get the side skirt fitted along with the wheel arch. Once they are all back in place I've then got the task of fitting the new drive shaft and fitting the new ball joint.

Thanks to @frayz for lending me this rivet gun and providing me enough rivets to re-fit the side skirts.

I'm still a little concerned I'll need a new side skirt before Germany, as my current one has a hole, I'm worried this will turn into a funnel and could cause more issues, I'll see what it fits like prior to fitting the rivets and go from there however trying to locate a RB side skirt is a nightmare...

Ideally I want the car up and running by next weekend as I would like to use for a few weeks prior to the drive to Germany. As soon as it's working I'll commute daily in the car, hopefully this will highlight any issues and give me time to get them resolved.

Fingers crossed for a more positive update soon.

Tom

 

[bowen86]

Good updates. Looking forward to seeing it up and running.

Hope the missus is good too? When's the due date? 😬

 

[R29TJR]

Good updates. Looking forward to seeing it up and running.

Hope the missus is good too? When's the due date? 😬

Thanks, I look forward to it getting up and running, it doesn't feel like I've driven it over the past 3 years or so.

The wife is now 5 months pregnant, due early December. She's been much better over the past 3-4 weeks thanks although since the pregnancy started she has spent 24 nights in hospital, so far from ideal!

 

[R29TJR]

Update 10th August 2021 - Up and running

Since the last update I'm pleased to say I've got the car up and running, I'm still not 100% happy with how the wing is lined up and I still need a new side skirt as the current one has a hole in it but I'm pleased it back on its own wheels.

Once again a thanks to everyone whom provided advise on how to tackle the bodywork and a special mention to @frayz for lending me his Rivet gun and providing me with the correct peel rivets.

I'm not the best at taking pics so I missed a few stages, however hopefully the below will explain what I have, or haven't done!

Rust Repair...

I first attacked the car with various wire bushes, drill and grinder attachments to remove the loose rust. During this process I also made a start on straightening the sills, unfortunately I didn't get many pics of this part as it was often done late at night while my neighbours were on holiday!

Once I'd removed all the rust I could possible I then followed the following steps:

1. Bilt Hamber Deox Gel
2. Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80
3. Bilt Hamber Electrox (primer)
4. Racing Blue Paint
5. Lacquer

I also need to add a layer of protection over the top, have another BH product to do this, I must say at this point I have been massively impressed with every product used, I had high expectations and they have certainly lived up to the hype.

Below is a section of pics showing the progress, hopefully in order, as stated above the early steps where not photographed:

Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 (going on)

Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80 (dried)

Bilt Hamber Electrox (Primer)

More to follow...

 

[R29TJR]

Continued...

Racing Blue Paint

Overall I was really happy with the finish so I then set about bolting the panels back on, they are ok, but I still think they need some minor adjustment to fit perfectly and as mentioned above I still need a new side skirt, but this is how it's currently sitting:

Finally I'd been toying with the idea of replacing my seats, I only purchased the XL Corbeau seats so I could fit in my car following my broken hip, however now I'm back to "normal" they felt a little too big for me. I'd always wanted a set of Recaro seats, ideally in Carbon/Kevlar and a friend did offer me an SPA in Carbon/Kevlar however it felt a little too tight, however this weekend I spotted this FIA Pole Position for sale including the side mounts so I jumped at it.

Its "brand new" and the mounts aren't even out the packaging and from the few moments I've sat in it I'm really pleased with how comfy it is. This should also allow me to run my door bars which was also another main reason for wanting to change seats, I'll hopefully get this bolted into place one night this week.

Tom

 

[R29TJR]

Spec Sheet – September 2021
Car - 2005 Renault Clio Renaultsport 182 Cup
Racing Blue (J45)

Suspension & Handling
AST-4100 Services Coiliovers 80nm front 80nm rear
AST Suspension Top Mounts
15” Speedline 2118’s in Candy Red with Nankang AR1's (ET38)
15" Speedline 2118's in Gold/Bronze with Interstate Race DNRT (ET38)
15” Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2’s in High Gloss Silver with Uniroyal Rainsport 3 Tyres
10mm Pure Motorsport Spacers Front
Pure Motorsport 75mm Stud and Nuts Conversion
Powerflex dogbone mount
Powerflex front ARB bushes (inner & outer)
Whiteline rear ARB
A/C Delete
EPAS Conversion

Brakes
Ferodo DS1.11 brake pads
Brembo HC Disc
OEM Standard rear discs & pads
Motul RBF 660 Fuly Synthetic Brake Fluid
HEL Braided hoses front & rear

Engine & Gearbox
Ramair Filter
Scorpion Rs Exhaust
Forge coolant hoses
Pure Motorsport precision gear linkage
Powerflex (red) exhaust bushes
172 Cup Alternator Setup
Direnza aluminium radiator
Vibra-Technics engine mounts
Gripper LSD with 4.53 FD
TTV lightweight flywheel
Valeo road clutch kit

Interior
Recaro Pole Position (FIA) on XBD X-Low subframes
Sabelt Clubman 6 point harnesses
Schroth B23A harness brackets
Full Safety Devices RO17 roll cage
Sabelt Renault Sport Steering wheel with Cruise Control bracket

 

[MrBlonde]

Proper mate 👌🏻😎

 

[MrBlonde]

At first i thought it was up for sale😆

 

[R29TJR]

Proper mate 👌🏻😎

At first i thought it was up for sale😆

Never selling it, I'm in too deep already!

The last time I updated the Spec Sheet was 2019 IIRC, so thought about time I updated.

 

[R29TJR]

Late September 2020

I've been a bit behind on update, due to life! However I'll try and bring up-to-date.

After I got the car back up and running I had a few small jobs to get the car ready for the CS breakfast meet and a big trip to Anglesey for a trackday.

Firstly I had the "easy" job of fitting the Recaro Pole Position seat, as I'm the only person to drive the car I have mounted the side mounts directly to the subframes. This helps by increasing rigidity and also helps lower the seating position. The side mounts that came with the seat wouldn't work with my side mounts so I managed to source a suitable set from eBay however they were alloy so i quickly set about painting them black. I spent a long time, I mean a very long time ensuring the seating position was correct as I had to drill both the side mount and sub frame. I taped up the subframe and measured a a number of times and tried the seating position a few nights to ensure I was totally happy before I started drilling! I've really pleased I spent my time on this part as the seating position is just perfect for me.

Painting the side mounts was harder than expected and quickly I realise the it would be harder than expected to remove the OEM Recaro stickers however once these were removed it was a relatively quick job. I'm not 100% happy with the end results, therefore I will look to redo them at some point. Now for the pics!

Sidemounts before

Sidemounts during

Sidemounts after

While I was painting I had a set of spare dash inserts which I had always thought about painting Racing Blue. I wasn't sure if this would make the interior look a little toy like, however I'm really pleased with the outcome. Yet again I'm not 100% happy with the end results (I painted on a very windy day) so I will look to repaint these at some point.

Dash inserts after (I've since re-painted these but no pics yet)

I then used the Breakfast meet at Farmers Fayre as a test morning, as this was the first real drive since the ball joint snapped. It was a great morning and was great to chat to some forum users. I didn't go to the C&M part of the day and I must admit the journey was a little boring however it was a good shake down for the Clio. I did get some amazing rolling shoots from @Jekyll friend, who's name escapes me!

Filling up

Rolling

On location

more to follow...

 

[R29TJR]

Late September 2020 - Continued

I then had a few weeks before a track day at Anglesey so I just wanted to clean a few items before the long journey. Firstly I took a pic of the Pole Position, I must admit I know these seat are expensive but its so comfortable, I drop the whole way to Anglesey, then around Wales for a few days, a whole day track day and home again and felt perfectly fine. As I'm sure you have all noticed, I currently only have one seat. I may keep it like this as; 1 it means I don't have to take people out on track days, which helps with weight! 2 I think it looks pretty cool with only one seat! I almost forgot to say, with the Recaro Pole Position fitted this allowed me to fit my door bar which I am most pleased about.

Recarco fitted:

I then re-painted the dash inserts as the finish was poor as I rushed the original coat, it came out much better 2nd time around, as you can see:

Dash Inserts:

Dash inserts fitted:

As I'm getting older, I'm also realising you can't put a price on safety. Around 2 years ago I was in the market for a Hans device however after trying on multiple versions I never found any comfortable. I then made the decision to buy the Simpson Hybrid Sport. I can't recommend this product enough, you can hardly tell you are wearing the device and it's so easy to use. I highly recommend if anyone is in the market for such a safety device.

Simpson Hybrid Sport:

A few months ago I purchased a brand new RenaultSport Sabelt steering wheel as mine was a little dirty, so I set about fitting that while a had a few evening free, at the same time I fitted a brand new oil cap, cleaned and painted the engine mount bolts and fitted a brand new steering wheel cruise control bracket. I'm not really pleased with the interior, IMO its perfect with the only thought being a flocked dash but where do you stop the flocking...

Pics of interior

Finally it was time to pack the car ready for my long weekend away, its amazing what you can fit in a Clio! I couldn't also help but give it a quick clean, although it was dark before I started!

Amazing how quickly the exhaust gets covered:

Full, ready to roll:

 

[R29TJR]

Anglesey Circuit (International & Coastal)

The car was ready for Anglesey and I couldn't wait to get out on track again, I've not been on track as much as I would have liked over the past two years but hopefully 2022 can be back to "normal"! This was my first time at Anglesey. Its a great circuit, although please note it's very harsh on tyres, I basically did a whole set of Interstate tyres during the day.

We left for Wales on Friday 24th September 2021 and those of you with good memories will remember this was the first weekend with fuel shortages, not ideal with such a long journey with a track day at the end, and certainly not ideal when you're driving with a friend with an TME Evo which only gets around 200 miles to a tank and can only run on vPower! Anyway we got there OK, although at one point I did get down to what appeared empty 😱 Luckily when we arrive just after Midnight there was a shell garage open so we both filled up and luckily fuel was ok all weekend.

Parked up:

Seat showing door bar:

The track day was great in the morning we had the International Circuit and after lunch we went to the Coastal layout. Loved both however as I knew I had the long journey home the following day I took it easy from around 2pm and called it a day around 3pm, especially considering we were unsure of the fuel situation on route home.

I used my vBox however not sure If I captured the best times of the day the best I had recorded was:

International: 1:49.32
Coastal: 1:24.11

Unfortunately I didn't get any footage of the day, well I did but I forgot to remove the lens protector which is badly scuffed therefore the footage is awful.

Anyways, pics are always best IMO:

Tom

 

[Jekyll]

Amazing work and write up as always!!

What jerry is that you have Tom?

 

[R29TJR]

Amazing work and write up as always!!

What jerry is that you have Tom?

Thanks, although I'm still not to your level of write ups!

Its a VP Racing one. Can get it them from ECP for good value when discounts are good. NB its empty in the pic!