M100CUP - RB 182 Sprint and Hillclimb Car

[Rob Thomson]

Rob i'm also in weston. Two hill loving cups in the same town!!

Ahhh... I've heard about you... Maybe one day we'll actually do the same event!

 

[Rob Thomson]

Always enjoy Wiscombe. I was spectating last Saturday nice to be stood on the other side and enjoy a beer!! I'm competing there tomorrow hoping the weather holds off!!
Rob i'm also in weston. Two hill loving cups in the same town!!

PS. Good luck at Wiscombe!

 

[shiftspark]

Just to add to this if you run in modified you will need a MSA log book for your car, not quite as strict as a race/rally car log book. It's also the same for sports libre. I had to run in this class as my car is 99% rally car but don't have the log book yet but as it has a MOT its ok to run in sports libre without log book.

You only need a logbook for modprod/sports liber standard to modified are fine in road going.

 

[David James]

Il aim for the same class as Graham if I can as it gives me head room to improve and most my modifications are allowed

 

[GrahamV182]

Photos of the three Clio's from last Saturday at Wiscombe Park courtesy of Riviera_Guy:

Car 133 - Michael Hall (Clio 172 Cup)

Car 131 - @Rob Thomson (Clio 172 Cup)

(Rob - Looks like lot of tyre roll in the front?)
Car 125 - Yours Truly (Clio 182 Cup)

Car 39 - Alexander De Vries (Citroen 2cv - 1100 cc BMW bike engine)

 

[Rob Thomson]

It's okay as long as the rim doesn't touch the tarmac...

I love that 2CV... want one.

 

[marc1330]

Ahhh... I've heard about you... Maybe one day we'll actually do the same event!

Sounds ominous!!!:smile: Hopefully I will be at the combe pegasus sprint in october and maybe clay pigeon.
Not a bad day yesterday unfortunately the rain, mud and oil on the hill shortened the meeting and meant two very bent mini's in my class (DEWS club) but thankfully only metal damage that should be repairable.
R888's were not the best tyre choice but managed a very ragged 51.08

 

[GrahamV182]

Hi M
Low 51 secs is a good time in mixed conditions. As you know I have mixed feeling about triple 8 ' s..... I think they are ok for track days but they don't seem to work well for sprints and hillclimbs.

Hope the two minis are not too badly dented.

 

[GrahamV182]

Quick update: The two pictures below show my second set of wheels on the Clio. The background is that I scared myself driving back from Castle Combe in a monsoon when I hit a big patch of standing water and the 'semi slick' VR2s let go in a big way. After that I drove home very, very slowly - I even had a fully laden Nissan Micra overtake me.

So I decided to buy a cheap set of road wheels and Rainsport tyres. I figured I would be safer driving to events on road tyres and swapping to the VR2s when I got there. This would also save a lot of wear on the soft competition tyres. At the last very wet Wiscombe hillclimb I couldn't be bothered to swap to the VR2s - so I left the Rainsport 3's on. Lots of grip - second in class.

The main learning point for me is that not all wheels have the same nut / bolt fitting. Also the thread is 12 x 1.25 mm on my studs rather than the Clio standard of 12 x 1.5 mm bolt size. The 'Speedline' nuts wouldn't fit into the new wheels - I had to buy a new set of slim, 'Tuner' nuts for the new wheels. They look a bit odd so I will look for a shorter set that don't stick out so far.

Second learning point - disappointed with Rimstock: Ordered a set of wheels online and paid by credit card - then had a email saying they hadn't actually got them. I phoned them up asking if they have any similar alternatives and they said they would look at what was available and send me a list by email. Waited two days - no email. Chased them for any alternatives - next day a one line email turned up saying 'no other cheap alternatives'. Waited for a refund - then had to chase them yet again to get my credit card refunded.

Looked at the Rimstock website this morning (4 weeks later) - cheap TD Pro Race 3's still showing as 'in stock'. Just phoned Rimstock - 'No, sorry we don't have those'. Is it an offence to advertise goods and take credit card payment for them when you don't actually have any?

As a reminder of the competition wheels / tyres .... having a good clean up:

Sadly no competitions for the next few weeks - in the middle of a house move. I've entered the next Castle Combe Sprint but that's not until near the end of October :-(

 

[shiftspark]

The wheels look nice , what are they ? they look nice n light. The 2118's I had were very heavy.
It looks like the "Northern" clubs are looking to move to 1b tyres next year so these VR2 will be on my list. That is unless they move them to 1c as I saw your thread on uphillracers !

 

[Brushwood69]

Ah should have warned you about the tyres had the same issue with the RB5s they dont have anywhere for the rain to get out so they just float! It was the same for the Audi getting overtaken by everything! Also can get TD pro race 3s in white quite cheap and delivered in a few days if you ever need any more!

 

[GrahamV182]

The wheels look nice , what are they ? they look nice n light. The 2118's I had were very heavy.
It looks like the "Northern" clubs are looking to move to 1b tyres next year so these VR2 will be on my list. That is unless they move them to 1c as I saw your thread on uphillracers !

Yes, they are lighter than the 2118s. I have no actual figures but the bare wheels are certainly lighter. The new wheels have a 'RAVS Gram Lights' logo on them.

Re the MSA Lists: it looks like Extreme VR1s and VR2s will both be List 1B.... that's the word from the UK supplier but nothing is certain until the MSA Blue Book comes out. If the northern clubs go to List 1B as per the South, then we should be able to get rid of the lists altogether ... I. E. Tyres just need e-marked as road legal

 

[shiftspark]

Are they Rays gram lights ? Or copies ? Where did you get them from ?
Cheers

 

[GrahamV182]

I imagine they are copies? They are sold by Rimstyle (not Rimstock)....... £286 for a set of 4 (7 x 15). Hope the link works ....

http://www.rimstyle.com/alloywheels/detail/?car_model_id=1033&year=2005&s=wC69JuWA

 

[marc1330]

Really like those wheels i must admit. I'm at charmouth this Saturday. Not a fan of the place but need the points for my class. Im also entered for the combe sprint in October so looks like we will be in the same class!!!!!

 

[GrahamV182]

Hi Marc..... agreed, I'm not a fan of Manor Farm at Charmouth. I have had two accidents and both have been at Charmouth - hit the first telegraph pole in the Caterham and spun the Clio into a straw bale about 20 yards further on.

But I'm looking forward to Castle Combe - there should be quite a few Clios competing

 

[shiftspark]

Who's running the Combe event ?

 

[marc1330]

Bristol pegasus motor club as far as I'm aware.

 

[GrahamV182]

Yes - its Bristol Pegasus Motor Club. Not to be confused with the other great club - Bristol Motor Club. The regulations and online entry form can be found on their website ... https://bristolpegasus.com/
It is restricted to 105 cars (iirc) - so it must be getting close to capacity now. I entered online about 4 weeks ago and was entry number 78.

Whats the saying? 'Book early to avoid disappointment'.

 

[Rob Thomson]

I'm at charmouth this Saturday.

I'm doing Sunday... once again the two WsM hillclimb Cups will avoid meeting each other!

I have had two accidents and both have been at Charmouth

Wish me luck!

 

[GrahamV182]

@Rob Thomson ..... 'Good luck'.

Remember that the telegraph poles don't move and the straw bales are much, much heavier than you think.

PS - I know a good (i.e. cheap) body repair man in Dorchester

 

[GrahamV182]

Bristol Pegasus Sprint – Castle Combe circuit 21st Oct 2017

So my last event of 2017 – another year has flown by!

The weather is always a bit of a lottery at this time of year and 'Storm Brian' was hitting the UK on the day of the Bristol Pegasus sprint at Castle Combe. We arrived at 7.00 am at a cold, damp and very windy Castle Combe circuit – pitch black and you couldn't see where the class markers were for parking.... my track day and breakfast mate, Jim Faulkner, was already parked up in his Westfield and advised 'Plenty of room - just park close to the catering'. Ten minutes later Roger Brunt arrived in his Caterham 620R arrived and parked next to me – again too dark to see where the class parking was supposed to be and he aimed for a friendly face. Roger was happy as he had just won the ASWMC Sprint Championship for 2017 – he must have been happy because he offered to buy me a celebratory beer at the year-end ASWMC prize giving bash.

As dawn broke about 7-20 then the rest of the Class A3 started to arrive – 4 Clios in class, a very fast Mountune Fiesta ST, a gaggle of classic Volvos (!) and an ultra, ultra fast Lotus Elise 250 Cup Racer. A total of 13 cars in Class A3 which is a good healthy number for this time of year.

Breakfast at the 'Tavern' with Jim was next on the agenda – as he always says 'the “Big Boys full english” at Castle Combe always sets you up for a good days competition'. Scrutineering is usually a formality but this time the scrutineer picked up a problem with my car - one of the seat mounting bolts had come loose with vibration allowing the drivers seat to move a little bit. Quickly rectified with the nip of a spanner but well spotted by the scrutineer.

First practice was about 9-15. The track was still wet in places and ice cold semi slick VR2 tyres … I wasnt feeling confident. It was slippy as you will see in the video below with slides at Quarry, Esses and Camp Corner.

First Practice Run -




The gale force wind from 'Brian' was drying everything and by second practice there was a dry line all the way around the circuit. The weather forecast was not great for the afternoon so the first timed run in the afternoon was probably going to be the quickest ….

First Competition Run -



Time of 91. 62 seconds which was good enough for 4th place in class – the Lotus Elise 250 Cup Racer was the obvious class winner. With hindsight I could have pushed more but isn't that always the case? The final run in the late afternoon was a bit of a non event – everybody was slower as the track was now damp from a few showers and the temperature had dropped.

Overall though a great day's fun – roll on March 2018 when it starts all over again.

Photos courtesy of Alan Lines -

I think this is cornering hard at Quarry? Looks like I missed the apex ....

Again ... I don't know where this is on the circuit When you are driving you focus on the track and never notice the scenery. Looks a good safety fence ...

 

[GrahamV182]

Bristol Pegasus Sprint – Castle Combe circuit 21st Oct 2017 (part 2)

Snaps from around the paddock -

A trio of Clios ready for first practice:

A beautiful Audi Quattro in the RAC Rally livery:

Unusual vintage Volvo 544:

I think this is a Triumph Dolomite sprint:

Sadly two write offs. This MG and a TVR has really nasty accidents:

My little Clio 182 didn't stand a chance against this Lotus Elise 250 Cup Racer (Class A3 winner):

Beautiful vintage Alfa - love the wheels ....

 

[colesy]

Looks like another great event. SC53ODU is a cup I used to own back in 2012, wish I hadn’t of sold it!

 

[shiftspark]

How did the ST go ?

 

[GrahamV182]

The ST went very well ... second to the Lotus. The driver of the ST is a nice guy - Pete Goodman - he gave me loads of advice and encouragement about driving Castle Combe earlier this year. He's also the current record holder of our class at Castle Combe.
I'm not sure what power the Mountune engine is generating but I think as a complete package the car works very well.
In the 'up to 1400 cc' class there was a Mountune 1.0 turbo 'ecoboost' Fiesta as well - that seemed to work well at Castle Combe.

 

[shiftspark]

I have considered running my ST next year but would be up against all the Subaru's etc as our northern classes are different.
If it's a full spec mountune expect around 265bhp but costs around £4K as you need to step through the upgrade path from mountune.
Think I will stick with the Cup. I will try and get down south next year if funds allow.

 

[marc1330]

Really enjoyed it yesterday Graham nice to get the clios out at the same time. Im gonna tuck the cup away and drive the R26 over the winter i see what happens in the spring as to what stays and what goes.

 

[David Stuart]

I have a fiesta ST as my daily. If you are tuning the engine mountune is the most expensive way to do it and no where near the power others can give. I got a stage 1 tune with no hardware for £320 with a dyno proven 225bhp and 277 ft lb of torque. 30% up on the factory set up. You could easily go for a new turbo and full height intercooler and get near 300 bhp for less than 3k.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[GrahamV182]

Really enjoyed it yesterday6 Graham nice to get the clios out at the same time. Im gonna tuck the cup away and drive the R26 over the winter i see what happens in the spring as to what stays and what goes.

Hi Marc .... yes, really good to see you. I think you should keep the Clio - it's such a solid car in really good condition. Add to that the amount of work you've put into it I think you would be mad to sell it.

Did you know that Rob T from WSM was marshalling for us? @Rob Thomson .... you are my hero.

 

[Rob Thomson]

Haha, thanks Graham. To be honest I didn't have to do much and I did get a free bottle of wine, so actually quite low on the heroism scale...

 

[GrahamV182]

@a17vts ..... to wet your appetite for Sprints I've just found this video that was produced a few days ago for Bristol Pegasus Motor Club - I like it because it shows the range of cars competing in a Sprint (and I'm in it quite a lot). Look out for the Audi Quattro - stunning.



I will drop you a PM / photos over the weekend covering the three basic things for road going cars in Sprints (timing strut, yellow tape on battery earth and label for ignition off/on). I will also send some some advice on seat belts, helmets, gloves and race suites (race boots not required for hillclimb and sprints).

 

[bashracing]

TVR Griff driver has balls of steel

 

[Brushwood69]

You out for wildlife? You need to come down to Portreath in April a weekend sprint stage and then the big one in September England's first approved public closed road hillclimb at Watergate bay near Newquay.

 

[GrahamV182]

You out for wildlife? You need to come down to Portreath in April a weekend sprint stage and then the big one in September England's first approved public closed road hillclimb at Watergate bay near Newquay.

Hi Nathan - good to hear from you. Yes, I hope to do the Torbay and Wildlife weekend at Wiscombe Park. I haven't put an entry in yet but will do tomorrow - Roy sent me the entry forms this morning.
So far I'm accepted for two events in 2018:

• This weekend (24th March) is the long Castle Combe Sprint - 1 and 3/4 laps of the full circuit so touching about 120 mph on the long straights in the Clio. Should be fun . Class A3 is very well supported again - about 14 entries but only 2 Clios. Really, really tough opposition though including an 'Elise 250 Cup Racer' - so my target is to finish mid table;
• Wiscombe Park (first event of 2018 at Wiscombe on 28th and 29th April - run by Woolbridge Motor Club) - looking forward to that but I need some 'soft' compound tyres .... or really heavy rain

The Watergate Bay Hillclimb looks a must - a little bit of hillclimb history being made in 2018 - I bet it will be well over subscribed but I will try to get in. Hopefully the fact I have supported the ASWMC championship, Castle Hillclimb and Tregrayne for the last 5 years might count in my favour?

 

[Brushwood69]

I will put in a word ;-)

 

[GrahamV182]

Well..... that was interesting: Great Western Sprint, Castle Combe

First competition of 2018 and my own performance wasn't very good (more of that later). The real highlight was seeing the British Sprint Championship cars competing in the same event.
The following short video is of Heather Calder (2017 British Sprint Champion) in her Gould 55. I believe the engine is of an Indy car origin with as much BHP as a Formula 1 - the whole package performs incredibly well. The video below shows her touching 160 to 170 mph through Folly - make sure you turn the volume up (video courtesy of Bristol Motor Club).



The learning point for me was that these cars / drivers are just a different league - she was a minute quicker than me! Yes, a whole MINUTE!

My own performance was a bit disappointing - 9th in class out of 13 :-( As this was the long format sprint, there were two runs in the morning in the wet and only one dry run in the afternoon - I wasn't brave enough to carry speed into the corners on my only dry run and I made a big mistake at Avon Rise on the second time around. Enough of the excuses - it was still really great fun and good to catch up with everybody.

My second timed run (Dry):


Roll on the Clay Pigeon Sprint next weekend .....

 

[Brushwood69]

:up:Good Job Graham! Now go fit a V8 to catch up with the Gould! Was the Dialynx Audi there?

 

[GrahamV182]

:up:Good Job Graham! Now go fit a V8 to catch up with the Gould! Was the Dialynx Audi there?

Hi Nathan
The only Audi I saw there was the SB Racing one -

It was a spaceframe jobbie with what seemed like a big V8 in it and the silhouette of an Audi ..... Beast!

 

[Rob Thomson]

Great to see you at the weekend Graham - isn't it brilliant to have started again?!

I've found Combe such a hard circuit to learn, not helped because it feels quite intimidating with such high speeds and so little run-off in some places. I've now done four sprints and a track day and it's finally starting to click, but I still learn something every time.

Hope to see you at Wiscombe!