RACE REPORT SILVERSTONE NATIONAL AUGUST 2014-08-10
TRICOLORE TROPHY
PRE RACE PREP
Popped the car in to Mark Fish to get the car corner weighted prior to the Silverstone race at the weekend, the car was weighed and checked, it appeared my corners weight was off massively, so re balanced at a 49.5% cross weight.
Checked front camber and toe, no changes needed as my adjustments were spot on (using strings and a shimmed garage floor).
Reminder, I fitted the new ASTs 2’s with custom spring rates, AST top mounts set to maximum positive castor and replaced the Wilwoods with the OEM callipers and Ferodo pads.
TESTING
So with that done I loaded up the car and set out for the test day at Silverstone. I missed the first session due to travel and prepping the car in the paddocks as I needed to do a quick spanner check, I manage 3 sessions and was out for around 15-20 min per session as I didn’t want to cook my brakes and tyres before the race.
My check list for the test day was
Check bump rates for the ASTs and adjust
Check hot and ambient tyre pressures (before and post race)
Bed new brake pads in (DS1.11) on standard set up with HC discs.
Maybe adjust ride height (was not needed)
Get used to the car on the new set up
Put in some fast lasp of the circuit, having never driven there before
Overall testing was fairly straight forward and I must say the car feels totally different, esp with the 45% increase in spring rates. I was expecting it to be very hard to drive; this was actually the complete opposites. Car felt so planted and once again, for the first time this season I have 100% confidence in the car.
I was hoping to achieve a 01:09 lap but best lap was a 01m11s....so in the hotel that evening I set about studying my laps on the racelogic software on my laptop while scoffing a macdees in the Travelodge...living the high life lol
RACE DAY
QUALI
Quali was a combined grid with the Nippons, so again was hard to put a fast lap in with the traffic, my fastest lap was a 01.12, not overly happy as this was slower that practice the day previous. This put me in 10[SUP]th[/SUP] place on the grid, just in front of Tom in his Clio and behind the Pug 205.
RACE 1 (Stand alone)
Race 1 started with a stalled car on the grid 2 places in front, this messed with my plan, but again worked in my favour as the cars in front split....foot to the pedal I planted it through Copse Corner, a train formed within the first few laps and saw a few of us exchanging positions, being the rear marker of the “train” I was struggling to get past, so was trying to conventional lines to pick up speed to under/overtake, this would have worked if I had more power, but was only shredding tyres. Pete spun in front this gave me the upper hand and moved up a place. This was a very exciting race, the best of the season so far...as it seemed all cars was equal in power/weight ratio. I missed selected a gear, 5[SUP]th[/SUP] instead of 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] going into Luffeild this gave the impression that the engine died, my heart sank for a plit second, but all was good.
The car felt so balanced im totally in love with my car again, the only weakness now is the tyres, so this will be getting addressed very soon. Dunlops or Advans it is.
I finished 7[SUP]th[/SUP] and won 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] in class, fastest lap was 01.10m So very happy with that.
RACE 2 (combined)
Due to combined race our grid positions reflected our morning quail times, this saw me 12[SUP]th[/SUP] on the grid, in front of the red Scooby and behind the blue 106 (same as Snetterton). Race was going well until I was having a tussle with the pesky 106, that thing was hard to shrug off, Pete saw this and gained a place, then it was all over, no way was I going to gain that place. I actually got in front of the 106 before the final lap and finished 11[SUP]th[/SUP] and best lap was slower than race 1 at a 1.12m
Memory card on the camera was full so only half a race recorded (currently uploading)
So overall was a very good days racing for me, mainly due to having confidence in the car and not having any car problems. I am looking forward to Cadwell as this is a circuit I know very well, but never having raced there.