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Donington Race Report / NSX Content



  Turbos.
The NSX hasn't had much season so far this season. Having had the engine built with ITBs, it has had two test days, but both of these were cut short. But early in the year, we entered the NSX into a couple of Britcar rounds just to see "what she'll do".

So we rocked up at Donny on Friday for a pre-race test day. Instead of my old man, i'd be sharing the seat with GT1/LMP1 driver Rob Barff, who we often use for instruction. It was my first visit back at Donny for over 5 years, where coincidentally it was my first ever race in our original NSX.

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After letting the other Rob go out in the first session, there were issues with steering. Despite having 'race' power steering, it was providing next to no assistance and also the steering wheel was about a quarter turn to the right instead of dead-ahead. In my session, i found it was a very physical car to drive. I was getting tired after a few laps! However, it was nice to have a bit of extra poke after the Elise, and the seating position was ace!

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The car got stringed up, to see if the geometry was out to cause the steering issue.

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In the meantime, i checked out what else was on track.

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Forgot Donny was right next to an airport too!

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Strangely, the toe angle was way out on the front wheels. You can't exactly just take the steering rack out, so the guys had a look around but couldn't see anything obvious. So we finished the day with dodgy steering, albeit with the power steering much improved thanks to some mapping work. We also ran without the airbox, as the car seemed a bit slow.

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In the morning, we found out the butterflies were only opening about 80%, which is why the car felt slow! This was then fixed, and the boys also took out the steering rack to find it was falling apart.

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I still wasn't particularly happy with the car, the steering being massively heavy, especially when reactive (i.e. controlling slides). The previous day i'd spun, correcting the first slide but literally running out of energy to correct the next! But at least the weather was on my side, as it was dry despite the dodgy start.

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Eventually, the job list was done and we were able to qualify, ending up 4th in class, just a few tenths behind the two in front.

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We were so lucky to get the good weather, just 20 minutes before the BOSS F1 cars had to abandon their session due to the monsoon!

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Overnight, the boys rebuilt and reinforced the rack for the race.

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General checks were done, together with a final geometry change. We found a wet set up (i.e. soft everywhere) was the best for feel/confidence as the car was board-stiff beforehand. Will get round to changing for softer springs...

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I was on to the assembly area to get on to the grid.

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The marshalls, god bless them, cocked up and i was in the wrong grid position. On the green flag lap, i cheekily overtook a couple of people to get to the right place!

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I got a great start. A crash up front caused people to be a bit nervous, so i grabbed a couple of positions.

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I also found some killer lines...

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This was my first race of the season in slicks, and it took me a few laps to accept they needed warming up! Fortunately, being quite a long wheel base, slides were easy to manage.

20 minutes in, i was getting pretty knackered. The power steering didn't seem to be doing its job and now the steering was pointing left. I had found a consistent pace though, so was OK. That is until suddenly the car made a massive clunking noise...and i lost drive. It sounded exactly like when the driveshaft fell out of the Elise at Silverstone. I crawled back to the pits, jumping out when i saw smoke.

The diagnosis? A little alu spacer on the driveshaft got hot, releasing the driveshaft out, through the exhaust (hot grease got set alight in the process). It was actually minimal damage really, but of course there's not much you can do with one-wheel drive!

So it was a disappointing end, so i didn't take any after pics... but i will try and find more from other people over the next few days. There is a lot to work on, but we have plenty of test days booked for the rest of the season so we can have a proper go next season :) Oh, and it could have been worse...

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maynard

ClioSport Club Member
  ph2 172 track car
Unlucky :(

Love how the boys just rebuilt the rack overnight!

I can't even get some suppliers to do that for me!
 
  172 Race Car
Sounds like a bad day mate. We need them in racing tho as it makes the good days even sweeter.

Good write up as always. Were out at Donny next, only been there once as a spectator years ago
 

Alex H

ClioSport Club Member
All the best drivers seemed to DNF this weekend ;) There's always next time!

Don't know if you've seen this Rob? Skip to 5m03s.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  Turbos.
Nice find Alex! Hadn't seen that... Looked good at about 1m20s, until i went off LOL. Shame it has a penchant for being on fire...
 
on a serious note, fml....

great to see, the smart is brilliant and i'm guessing the MX5 in the background is the factory effort or the one mazdaspeed put effort into?

some massive exotica there. what were the fastest things there on the day out of interest and how did you compare, etc.
 
  Turbos.
We did a 1.14, the Moslers could do a 1.07 i think. The top F1 car, owned by the guy who whos Ascari (Klaus Zwart or something) did a 57sec lap! I think the Smarts did a 1.45...lol. We need to be 2/3 seconds quicker to be top of class.

Yeah, the MX5s were backed by Mazda. One was significantly faster than the other, so must have been supercharged or something.
 
madness, so in essence with work you could match the moslers or be on their tails? thats amazing. i remember when i did the 24hr at silverstone and the moslers were rediculous quick, heavy old girls though (well they look it)
 
  Turbos.
Well, to be fair, 7 seconds is a chasm really. The other NSX will be a match, as it will be spaceframed. Think fuel consumption is their issue for something like the 24hr, can't do much about a 7ltr V8!
 
yeh true, i was just getting excited an NSX isnt 'that far' off a mosler lol. they didnt come high up the rankings in the 24hr, 34634635 pitstops caused that ;)

still brilliant, spaceframed one will be something else i'm betting!
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
I was there with the race 4 slovakia team as they run our motors (6th picture down).

I should have clicked with the go green Motorsport stickers and should have come and said hello, bet I walked past you a few times!

Saw you guys at Silverstone as well as I was there with the radical's but every time I came over to say hello there was no one about.

The Slovakia car finished 3rd and they were doing 1.08's most of the time.

Would have won had it not been for having to top up the oil and the driver forgetting how to activate to paddleshift on the way out of the pits lol.
 
  Oil Burner
What is it with this car and catching fire!?

Car is looking good, shame you had a DNF, but i guess that car only has 5 or so proper runs under its belt, so can be forgiven teething problems.

Might make the effort to come along to one of your meetings soon. Will PM you and find out which ones your likely to be at.

Did you catch the Smarts all falling over? Think i heard of 3 going over?
 
  Turbos.
Hi Dan, put you in the Spotted thread!

Nick, basically i'll be at all Lotus Cup/UK rounds and might be at Britcar Thruxton.

Cheers Tony...it was frustrating but i started the weekend viewing it was a test, more than a race, so it was easier to take!
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Yeah I saw and replied!!

If I ever see you guys around will make sure I try and track you down to say hello.

Wish I had realised now as you were only like 3 garages down, and I bet I bumped into you or your guys as I kept getting in the way well they were putting the flooring away.

Bad luck with the drive shaft, would have been good to see how you would have got in if you made it to the end, but as you say at least you were not the Mosler! I was told it was a clutch pipe burnt through and put clutch fluid all over the exhaust. Did you see how fast the cockpit filled with smoke as the driver got out :eek:
 
  Turbos.
Yeah, pretty bad! I spoke to a Dutch Supercar guy who had a Mosler that burnt to the ground. I witnessed two others do it over the last few years, so maybe not as reliable as i presumed!

May have been clutch fluid, i was slipping the clutch like a cnut to get it back to the pits. But yeah, pop by any time, i am the very good looking one...
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Sorry not made it clear I meant clutch fluid for the Mosler that was on fire!

Lol will pop by and ask for the good looking one.

That guy you were talking to, if it is the one I am thinking of, who had a Mosler burn to the ground is actually the owner/organiser of the Dutch supercar championship! Or it may have been his son, as he was driving when it burnt out. There are looking at buying a car from the Race 4 Slovakia guys now.

Check this out:

http://www.supercarchallenge.nl/new..._test_met_snelle_k1_roadster_in_slowakije.htm

Its all in German but the first picture says it all...
 

MaLicE

Honorary Member
ClioSport Club Member
  Lazy v8
whats happened to the original nsx rob?? i thought you were fitting a huge wide arch kit to it and had big plans?? seems to of vanished lol?

current one is looking good though :) no air jacks?? pfft lol!

discs look abused too lol!
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
What in the f**k is this?

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Looks scary as fook!

Proper car lol!!

Was original based on a Radical SR8 but now completely redesigned by them.

Had a RPE 3.2L V8 (10,500rpm :cool:) engine with just over 500hp.

Awesome bit of kit, as I said was there with them all weekend, finished 3rd in class!
 
  Turbos.
Based on a Radical SR8? Cool! Shouldn't it easily be quicker than everything else then?

The other NSX will take a lot of money to achieve what we want it to. Getting the other cars finished before we get onto that! The pauper version does have air jacks though...

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Christopher

ClioSport Club Member
  Z4M
Awesome stuff. Shame about the result though.

The NSX at the top of the OP... I take it that's road legal? Want.
 
  Turbos.
Technically, the race car is still taxed and MOT'd, but of course now isn't road legal...

The first NSX is in bits, boxed up in a container!
 

Christopher

ClioSport Club Member
  Z4M
Still?! ;)

Looks great mate. Both do.

I love the livery you're using this year, too. It looks brilliant!
 

Gally

Formerly Mashed up egg in a cup
ClioSport Club Member
FML! :(

Anyway unlucky dude, one day it'll all come together with zero hassle! Both for the Lotus and NSX!

Look at the epic wheel/brake combo on the Lambo! Possibly the biggest brakes i've ever seen!

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  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Based on a Radical SR8? Cool! Shouldn't it easily be quicker than everything else then?

Well I say based there original car that was there (Orange one) was a cut and shut thing using a Radical Chassis.

The new white car is a complete redesign by them and it was the car's first outing and the drivers first time at Donington. The only thing they really use from the Radical in the new car is the engine and gearbox (Hence why I was there!!)

The car is also around 300kgs heavy than the Radical.

If it had not been for a few minor issues they would have won it with around a 3min lead,
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Engine builder at Radical IIRC, or something like that

Close, and how the hell do you know that lol!!

I work for the engine department in Radical (www.radicalperformanceengines.com) but I am now an office monkey dealing with customers.

At some of the Radical meetings to do all the customer stuff and help out when I can.

Was just at the Britcar as alot of the Slovakian team are friends and we always have a laugh!
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Lol yeah one of the drivers had his gf that was 'miss' something or another, I think Slovakia!!

Car looks acem is that last pic as the drive shaft went?? Just looks like fire or something at the back!
 
  Homo spec mazda
Isnt the slovakia car one of them K1 attack thingys, one frequents all the shows with some cruise stickers on it.


Anyway, car looks awesome, and I cant wait to see what you do with the Old one, New paint job is fantastic too.
 
  Focus, GSXR1000 & R6
Yeah the Slovakia car is all part of the K1 attack things, although the car at Donington was a completely new redesigned one.

I believe the one that attends the shows only has a Ford V6 or something similar!
 


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