daveski's 2025

[daveski]

Hi! I originally joined Cliosport 15 years ago when I went through a few 172's. I haven't posted much in the last few years but regularly read the forum. I've recently renewed my membership so thought I would share my year in cars. It's been a busy one so this may take some time, and more than one post.

I started this year with 3 cars, a 987.1 Boxster S 3.2 (bought in 2023), a 2006 Fiesta ST150 track car (bought in 2024) and a 2024 Honda ENY:1 (cheap PCP from Honda).

Despite there being nothing wrong with the Fiesta, I decided to upgrade the brakes to ST170 discs both front and rear, fit braided lines and change the fluid. This turned into a major operation as so many things were rusted on and ended up requiring a new brake pipe on the NSR. Thankfully all sorted for the first track day of the year at Blyton Park. Spot the ghetto headlight air intake.

Great day out. I like Blyton and it's a great circuit for something lower powered like the Fiesta as the faster cars can't get away from you on the straights and you can bully them in the corners.

At the end of March sadly the Boxster was hit in a car park and this was enough to write the car off. Fortunately I had the other drivers details and they admitted liability. I got a decent payout and the salvage was offered to me at a very decent price so I bought the car back and sold it.

A couple of weeks later we were at Donington Park. Been here quite a few times as it's my local track. This was an evening session and a couple of friends came with me.

Those friends were out doing some laps when I heard a noise and a lot of 'oooooh' noises coming from the pitwall. I looked over and saw my car going down the main straight with white smoke pouring out of it.

Oil was pouring out of a hole in the block! We left it there and drove home in the ENY:1, I found someone to collect it the next day and bring it home. I stripped the good bits off it and someone took the shell with the broken engine still in it. I've got this picture framed on the wall with a piece of the engine.

Other track days were already booked so I started looking around for cars. I fancied a Mégane and when this one came up for sale I bought it, a 2006 225 Cup.

I picked it up at Easter. Loads of work done by the previous owner to turn it into a track car. Stripped and painted inside with footplates, half cage, seats and harnesses, BC coilovers, decent pads, completely new brake lines, wishbone bushes etc. It came on the TD wheels but also with a set of track wheels.

First was back at Donington Park. I have never owned a car before that needed spigot rings before so got to the track, realised I couldn't fit the track wheels as I didn't have the spigot rings and had to go out on the road wheels and Rainsport tyres! Still had a good time on track.

At some point around now some friends had talked about getting a cheap car to use on track (like the Fiesta) and I put a cheeky bid on this Mini on eBay. I won it for £850

Sadly my friends wouldn't commit to anything so I sold this 10 days later as I didn't need so many cars.

Couple of weeks later and back at Donington, this time with spigot rings! Yay! However this time I had failed to check the wheel bolts after swapping the wheels over. It was my first time driving on AR1s and I'd heard they are pretty noisy. I went onto the track for the sighting laps at the front of the pack and soon realised something was very wrong. I pulled over near the split for the National and GP tracks to find 3 bolts missing from one of the wheels, had to be recovered back to the pits and went on the scrounge for some wheel bolts!

Since this happened I have fitted a stud and nut kit and also always remember to check wheel bolts!

At this point we're still in May!

Towards the end of May I had a day booked at Blyton with a friend who has a A110. I checked the car over, needed new front pads so swapped them over and bled the brakes

 

[daveski]

I'd also bought a standard set of R26 wheels with new AR1s on. Blyton Park went very well on the AR1s, no wheels fell off and had a great day on track.

At the end of May we headed to the Ring. I travelled with my mate in the A110 and my friends drove over in the Mégane. I was very grateful for this as the A110 has aircon and the Mégane doesn't!

A great weekend, everyone did a few laps as driver and passenger including one of my friends who did his first ever lap. I don't drive round there particularly quickly because I don't know the track that well and want to go home, it's more about the experience and the atmosphere over there.

June was Le Mans, didn't drive over in anything exciting. The 6 of us were squeezed in a Mazda CX6 & an Alfa Giulia. I've only been to Le Mans twice but I love it and this year was a much better experience than last year. We got up close with the cars after the race

Also in June I was missing having a car to drive. I had the Mégane which was terrible on the road and the ENY:1 which isn't very exciting so I decided to buy the cheapest 911 for sale, blind on eBay.

I live in Nottingham, the car was in St Ives, Cornwall. I started my journey to collect it on Friday night, stayed over in Taunton, collected it on Saturday and drove home with a couple of nap stops.

July I went to Anglesey in the Mégane. I did this track last year in the Fiesta and having an extra 100bhp this time did make it more exciting. Got the classic Anglesey picture

This was the first track day I'd ever done on my own, no friends with me or in other cars. Had a great time though and hopefully will make it there again in 2026.

July I also went to RS Tuning. I had what turned out to be a common issue with the decat -> exhaust studs coming loose and causing a rattle and the EML light to come on. They welded a bracket on to the decat to give it more support at the bottom and I put some better nuts on, this hasn't been an issue since. I also had the gearbox mount replaced and a remap.

Final power was 270bhp.

July we went back to the Ring but this time to cycle it. We took part in radamring, a 24 hour cycle race round both the GP and Nordschleife circuits. Bit risky posting a picture of myself on here (and admitting to being a cyclist!) but this is one of the professional shots of me cycling. I knew it was a hilly circuit but didn't realise how steep it was till I was trying to cycle up it! On the fastest bit of the track the organisers reckon you can hit 100km/h on a bike, my max speed was 80km/h which was fast enough.

 

[daveski]

August I was back in Germany but this time for more of a holiday, still packing in some car related activities though!

First was Stuttgart for the Porsche and Mercedes museums, then Munich for BMW museum. I hired a M2 from here and went for a blast down the autobahn. It gets to the limiter very quickly!

We then drove on to Nuremberg but stopped at Ingolstadt to visit the Audi museum. Smaller than the others but only €5 to get in and not far from the motorway if you're travelling north from Munich

For the August bank holiday we were back at the Ring but this time in a borrowed diesel Leon. This car used to be mine and during my ownership it had been remapped and fitted with the 312mm discs from the faster Leons. This is the first time I'd been to the Ring when the GP track was open for cars and wow it's great fun.

We were quite aggressive with the brakes and this meant having to have the pads replaced, on a Sunday afternoon in Germany. Fortunately we were able to get hold of the pads and someone to fit them for us

We got back from Germany and the weekend after drove to the Pyrenees for a cycling trip. We stopped at Le Mans on the way down

Had a great week cycling in the mountains before heading home.

September I was starting to think about what to do when the ENY:1 went back and a friend was selling his E91 330i so I bought that and had a busy garden for a while

Sadly this let me down on the M1 and I was having N53 engine issues so this one also went fairly quickly

12th October I did my first track day at Cadwell Park. What a great track! I loved it. Next day I went back to Donington Park. The Mégane was faultless both days.

Also in October I sold the 911. It was an early 996 3.4 with the tiptronic gearbox and it wasn't much fun so I sold it. At this point I only had the Mégane and the ENY:1.

In November I went to the NEC Classic Car show to catch up with @Jaff. which was lovely.

Then last week with only owning two cars I bought another Porsche, a 2014 Cayman S.

I am currently trying to go down to one car. I've made arrangements for the ENY:1 to go back to Honda and the Mégane is for sale although I am unsure, sadly I will take a massive bath on it so I'm wondering whether to keep it.

And now I'm skint so I won't be doing anywhere near as much next year!

 

[Trainerbrow]

Such a busy year. Looks like you've seriously enjoyed yourself 👍🏻

 

[daveski]

Yeah it's been great!

Sadly the radamring for next year sold out quickly so we won't be going back again. We're going to the IOM TT in June, and making plans for an Easter trip to the Ring. I'd like to do my bike licence but not 100% sure on that.