Sprinting/hill-climb or competing in an S2000 2017
07-18-2017, 09:50 AM
#41
We had a cracking weekend Mark, it stated off with a 190 mile road trip down to Llsy y fran hillclimb in Pembrokeshire we went down the day before and went to the venue for a mooch about and what a beautiful place it is, first impressions were how narrow it is and very damp and mossy it was under the tree canopy as it was our first hillclimb we walked the hill a couple of times and wondered what the hell we were doing there thinking we had got to come up here at as close to full chat as we dare on cold tyres,
So off we went to find the hotel grab a bite to eat and chat about the day ahead, In the morning we were back at the dam by 6.45 waiting for the gates to open and we soon into the routine of getting the cars ready and checked by the scrutineers, we were also joined by 3 local lads in a very well prepped MX5 running extreme VR2 tyres, sign in and get a newcomers briefing and before you know it we were lined up for are first practice run, did i mention it was raining and had done so since the early hours and continued til about 11 so they we were first time at this venue and also our first hillclimb oh and my first time on a 1B tyre (i knew i should have put my rainsports on) oh nearly forgot also my first run with a 4.6 diff, Well shit myself didn't come close the light went green and i floored it off the line just as i do at Curborough and nothing i just sat there with the back slowly drifting into the timing beam off the throttle and back on and away we went slipping and sliding all over the place i managed a 61 something which put me middle of our group while mike managed a 57 something beating the MX5 into 2nd place, within 2 sec's of being parked up the guy was all over Mikes car scratching his head,
2nd practice, The rain had stopped a few minutes earlier and off the line still no traction but i did find some grip on the track and thought this isn't going to bad then around the hairpin and my run was red flagged due to someone crashing into the tyres and knocking them onto the track, so i had to line up again with the next group to have my 2nd practice run this took nearly 1/2 hour and my leg got the shakes soon i was off again and although the start was still slip city the run did feel good but there is no timing board at the finish so you an'it a clue what you have done till you go look on the board as i parked my car Mike and the others were coming over with thumbs up i had ended up fastest in practice 55 something although to be fair the track had another 1/2 hr drying time so it was a bit of a cheat but it was nice to see my name at the top of the time sheet now for some dinner,
1st timed run, Mike had figured out there was more grip on the left side of the start line so off i went again still a fair bit of wheel spin but getting better the run felt great but i bogged down on the hairpin and braked too early for a couple of corners so wasn't expecting much but i felt comfortable with the car it never stepped out of line and though i could maybe improve on the next run, had to wait for the others to do their runs and we went over to check our times, holy shit balls i was fastest again 53 somthing this time with no cheaty extra run now the pressure was on but i knew from sprinting last year that i normally get beat on the last run so i was happy to think i may pick up a 4th and dared i hope a 3rd,
After this run the paddock went crazy the guy with the mX5 found a bunch of mechanics from somewhere to reset all his suspension others were changing tyres so we went off and watched some racing and chill for a bit as we only had the car we drove down in and no spares to play with,
2nd timed run, Much better start and what felt like a good run but could have improved and i started going on and off the throttle again mid corner which i thought i had got rid off still the run was over and i had to wait for the results, when they came out i was shocked to find i had ended up beating Mike and lee into 2nd place with a 52.62 and the MX5 chap beating me by 1/2 a sec what a rush i achieved more than i thought i would and what a great weekend we had and can't wait to go back next year and try again ,,,whoops i waffled on a bit sorry,
My last run of the day with loads of room to improve
So off we went to find the hotel grab a bite to eat and chat about the day ahead, In the morning we were back at the dam by 6.45 waiting for the gates to open and we soon into the routine of getting the cars ready and checked by the scrutineers, we were also joined by 3 local lads in a very well prepped MX5 running extreme VR2 tyres, sign in and get a newcomers briefing and before you know it we were lined up for are first practice run, did i mention it was raining and had done so since the early hours and continued til about 11 so they we were first time at this venue and also our first hillclimb oh and my first time on a 1B tyre (i knew i should have put my rainsports on) oh nearly forgot also my first run with a 4.6 diff, Well shit myself didn't come close the light went green and i floored it off the line just as i do at Curborough and nothing i just sat there with the back slowly drifting into the timing beam off the throttle and back on and away we went slipping and sliding all over the place i managed a 61 something which put me middle of our group while mike managed a 57 something beating the MX5 into 2nd place, within 2 sec's of being parked up the guy was all over Mikes car scratching his head,
2nd practice, The rain had stopped a few minutes earlier and off the line still no traction but i did find some grip on the track and thought this isn't going to bad then around the hairpin and my run was red flagged due to someone crashing into the tyres and knocking them onto the track, so i had to line up again with the next group to have my 2nd practice run this took nearly 1/2 hour and my leg got the shakes soon i was off again and although the start was still slip city the run did feel good but there is no timing board at the finish so you an'it a clue what you have done till you go look on the board as i parked my car Mike and the others were coming over with thumbs up i had ended up fastest in practice 55 something although to be fair the track had another 1/2 hr drying time so it was a bit of a cheat but it was nice to see my name at the top of the time sheet now for some dinner,
1st timed run, Mike had figured out there was more grip on the left side of the start line so off i went again still a fair bit of wheel spin but getting better the run felt great but i bogged down on the hairpin and braked too early for a couple of corners so wasn't expecting much but i felt comfortable with the car it never stepped out of line and though i could maybe improve on the next run, had to wait for the others to do their runs and we went over to check our times, holy shit balls i was fastest again 53 somthing this time with no cheaty extra run now the pressure was on but i knew from sprinting last year that i normally get beat on the last run so i was happy to think i may pick up a 4th and dared i hope a 3rd,
After this run the paddock went crazy the guy with the mX5 found a bunch of mechanics from somewhere to reset all his suspension others were changing tyres so we went off and watched some racing and chill for a bit as we only had the car we drove down in and no spares to play with,
2nd timed run, Much better start and what felt like a good run but could have improved and i started going on and off the throttle again mid corner which i thought i had got rid off still the run was over and i had to wait for the results, when they came out i was shocked to find i had ended up beating Mike and lee into 2nd place with a 52.62 and the MX5 chap beating me by 1/2 a sec what a rush i achieved more than i thought i would and what a great weekend we had and can't wait to go back next year and try again ,,,whoops i waffled on a bit sorry,
My last run of the day with loads of room to improve
Last edited by Daytona-Dave; 07-18-2017 at 10:17 PM.
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AquilaEagle (07-22-2017)
07-18-2017, 11:50 AM
#45
What an absolutely stunning place to have a hill climb. Loved every minute of being there, and such a great laugh with the guys and locals. Massive congratulations to Ray, brilliant pedal especially fending off the well equipped MX5 through the first run.
In the first timed run I had a bit of moment after the bridge. Thought I better calm down after that as I kinda wanted to drive home. Video below.
I can't say thank you enough to the guys for the weekend, and everyone at the dam. We were made to feel very welcome and was such a good atmosphere. Looking forward to next year now.
In the first timed run I had a bit of moment after the bridge. Thought I better calm down after that as I kinda wanted to drive home. Video below.
I can't say thank you enough to the guys for the weekend, and everyone at the dam. We were made to feel very welcome and was such a good atmosphere. Looking forward to next year now.
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AquilaEagle (07-22-2017)
07-18-2017, 10:57 PM
#46
Looks good. 2nd gear looked spot on for most of that with the new diff. Ideal!
08-02-2017, 10:58 PM
#48
No sprint's or Hillclimbs for the last couple of weeks but Mike and myself did go to Harewood Hillclimb academy, This turned out to be a brilliant day out,
We got there early doors and signed in and were then allocated an instructor per group of 5. we ended up with Richard Spedding who is lying 2nd in the British hillclimb championship in a GWR Raptor so he knows his onions, after this we had the pep talk and then did our first runs with the instructor, Then the rain came so the next 3 runs were on a very wet track then then broke early for lunch because of how heavy the rain was, Bloody typical as soon as we sat down the sun came out, through out lunch we watched videos of our runs to see if we were following advice about lines and apex's, i looked so slow i'm sure Lee could have run up the hill faster, after lunch all the marker cones were removed and we had a further 3 runs but agian the rain returned for the first half of the afternoon then for the 4th run the instructor got back in the car to see if we had learned anything and offer further advise, after this it was open pit lane and soon the day was over as quick as a flash,
Since the academy day i have now booked into my first hillclimb at Harewood on the 27th Aug so the real learning curve beings, before this i have a Fig of 8 sprint at Curborough on the 13th but this Sat were off to watch the hillclimb at Loton Park which is the next venue i would like to do
We got there early doors and signed in and were then allocated an instructor per group of 5. we ended up with Richard Spedding who is lying 2nd in the British hillclimb championship in a GWR Raptor so he knows his onions, after this we had the pep talk and then did our first runs with the instructor, Then the rain came so the next 3 runs were on a very wet track then then broke early for lunch because of how heavy the rain was, Bloody typical as soon as we sat down the sun came out, through out lunch we watched videos of our runs to see if we were following advice about lines and apex's, i looked so slow i'm sure Lee could have run up the hill faster, after lunch all the marker cones were removed and we had a further 3 runs but agian the rain returned for the first half of the afternoon then for the 4th run the instructor got back in the car to see if we had learned anything and offer further advise, after this it was open pit lane and soon the day was over as quick as a flash,
Since the academy day i have now booked into my first hillclimb at Harewood on the 27th Aug so the real learning curve beings, before this i have a Fig of 8 sprint at Curborough on the 13th but this Sat were off to watch the hillclimb at Loton Park which is the next venue i would like to do
Last edited by Daytona-Dave; 08-02-2017 at 11:01 PM.
08-03-2017, 12:44 AM
#49
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Only just noticed this thread.
I'll be out in 750 Motor Club Roadsports endurance series for the maiden race in this on Sat 19th September at Silverstone International.
I'll be out in 750 Motor Club Roadsports endurance series for the maiden race in this on Sat 19th September at Silverstone International.
08-03-2017, 04:08 AM
#50
No sprint's or Hillclimbs for the last couple of weeks but Mike and myself did go to Harewood Hillclimb academy, This turned out to be a brilliant day out,
We got there early doors and signed in and were then allocated an instructor per group of 5. we ended up with Richard Spedding who is lying 2nd in the British hillclimb championship in a GWR Raptor so he knows his onions, after this we had the pep talk and then did our first runs with the instructor, Then the rain came so the next 3 runs were on a very wet track then then broke early for lunch because of how heavy the rain was, Bloody typical as soon as we sat down the sun came out, through out lunch we watched videos of our runs to see if we were following advice about lines and apex's, i looked so slow i'm sure Lee could have run up the hill faster, after lunch all the marker cones were removed and we had a further 3 runs but agian the rain returned for the first half of the afternoon then for the 4th run the instructor got back in the car to see if we had learned anything and offer further advise, after this it was open pit lane and soon the day was over as quick as a flash,
Since the academy day i have now booked into my first hillclimb at Harewood on the 27th Aug so the real learning curve beings, before this i have a Fig of 8 sprint at Curborough on the 13th but this Sat were off to watch the hillclimb at Loton Park which is the next venue i would like to do
We got there early doors and signed in and were then allocated an instructor per group of 5. we ended up with Richard Spedding who is lying 2nd in the British hillclimb championship in a GWR Raptor so he knows his onions, after this we had the pep talk and then did our first runs with the instructor, Then the rain came so the next 3 runs were on a very wet track then then broke early for lunch because of how heavy the rain was, Bloody typical as soon as we sat down the sun came out, through out lunch we watched videos of our runs to see if we were following advice about lines and apex's, i looked so slow i'm sure Lee could have run up the hill faster, after lunch all the marker cones were removed and we had a further 3 runs but agian the rain returned for the first half of the afternoon then for the 4th run the instructor got back in the car to see if we had learned anything and offer further advise, after this it was open pit lane and soon the day was over as quick as a flash,
Since the academy day i have now booked into my first hillclimb at Harewood on the 27th Aug so the real learning curve beings, before this i have a Fig of 8 sprint at Curborough on the 13th but this Sat were off to watch the hillclimb at Loton Park which is the next venue i would like to do