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Well done Kev. I deliberatley moveed aside on the back straight because i didnt want us both to start a hot lap with you behind me. A) it would cause me to try harder than the car was capable of and B) i didnt want to bauk you
Well done once again, you, barrie and sam deserve it. Great bunch of lads.
Location: Bev?...Kev?... Bev...Kev...Bev. Nice Z4 Alpina. Thanks, we used to have one of those
Posts: 36,782
Car's finally been weighed yesterday, i think the weight will surprise people for different reasons i've read posts speculating that it's 1080kg...1100kg... hence why i've been getting good top speeds, fast lap times Final weigh in is 1150kg with under 1/4 tank of fuel Part of me is disappointed it's not closer to 1100 but the other part is happy that my lap times aren't down to a stupidly light car
Location: Bev?...Kev?... Bev...Kev...Bev. Nice Z4 Alpina. Thanks, we used to have one of those
Posts: 36,782
Car update, i've got round to building a new front bumper/splitter/undertray, same as before but hopefully a bit more sturdy Also changed the exhaust for the 3 MSV events so i don't get thrown off by one of Dr. Palmer's cronies God knows how much weight it's added not to mention the power loss, but needs must, also added more weight by adding a few more parts to help engine life, i think by the time the car is at Oulton i'll have added another 20kg to the car's weight, putting it somewhere near 1170kg
Location: Bev?...Kev?... Bev...Kev...Bev. Nice Z4 Alpina. Thanks, we used to have one of those
Posts: 36,782
I was a little bit off with my weight add-age guesstimate, 1152kg it weighed in at on Saturday, only added 5kg of weight with the stone-age exhaust i've fitted, heavier intercooler, engine parts and all the new underbody work i did go crazy with the airsaw to claw back some of the weight added so pretty happy with how it ended up. Corner weighting didn't happen so going back on Friday to have another go, car weighed 1229kg with me in it with a 52% cross weight needing to be sorted out, just need to shift/add 11kg to each corner to get it right so shouldn't take too long.
Location: Bev?...Kev?... Bev...Kev...Bev. Nice Z4 Alpina. Thanks, we used to have one of those
Posts: 36,782
Write up time. The few weeks between Silverstone and Oulton were spent making a new front bumper/splitter as the original one had seen better days the only other major thing to be changed was the exhaust to comply with the stricter noise regs at the MSV remaining rounds, we didn't have time to alter the titanium veilside one i've ran all season so threw on a stainless that clinic had lying around to get us through this round. I went up Friday before Oulton to pick the car up, set it up for the anticipated wet morning sessions and finished off corner weighting the car. 9.30pm and it was all done and time to get some sleep as we'd need to be up at 5am to get to the track on time.
Saturday arrives and the forecast was spot on, it's throwing it down! I'm not too daunted by it and after a scrambled attempt to get my car scrutineered and the new decals onto the car, we're out for the warm up session. There's a lot of standing water on the track and people are rightly cautious, mainly because they're on half a season worn R888s, far from ideal. Me, i was loving it, a fresh set of cut R888s saw me going quicker and quicker as the session went on as i found a bit of space after getting past the train of cars that had come out of the pits in front of me. I was not without my moments and had a few wild rides, either exiting corners or braking for them. The session finishes and i sit around for the practice session, some reason i thought it was a lot later on in the morning and expected it to dry out, but before i knew it i was back out again, the track was still wet but nowhere near as wet as the warm up session, i stuck with my wet setup and went out, and set about seeing how quick i could go, no point not trying to find the limit as the weather was unpredictable for the whole day, it could be like this for the final! We were given 30 minute sessions this weekend due to not having the drifters with us, so by the time the session was nearing the end it was starting to dry up a bit and i found my cut R888s starting to overheat and my lap times fell away. Session finishes and i'm quickest, only just, but my time was set on lap three when it was still wet compared to most of the other quickest laps towards the end with a drying track.
By the time lunch is over the track is completely dry, i set about getting the car back to my dry setup, tyres, roll bars etc. And i miss the start of the session, i get out as the rest of the field is already on flying laps, get round to start my flying first lap to find yellow flags at the first corner, i back off and come back round hoping to find them gone, only to find it's been red flagged! Back in pitlane i queue to go back out to find 8-9 cars have set pretty quick laps on their first laps out and i'm without a time.......then it starts to rain, my worst nightmare!! I sit patiently hoping it's only a brief shower, anything more and i'm screwed for setting a qualifying time. We're let back out after a 10 minute delay and the sun's back out and drying the track, i manage to find a bit of space on the track and get a couple of good times in, i get the no. 1 signal as i cross the line and feel confident that's enough to see me into the final. End of the session and i'm quickest by a second and a half, not bad for saying that's my first 7-8 laps around there in the dry
Final approaches and as usual i'm faffing around with the onboard cameras and i'm not ready for the start of the session, again i miss a few laps and head out onto the track, it's dry again thankfully and i soon find a space on the track, after my first flying lap i get the pit board of P4, need to pull my finger out here, i know i've got something in reserve and i can push my braking points a bit further if needed, i push on and with the tyres now fully up to temps my next lap feels loads quicker, i come past the pits and get the P1, excellent! i go for another lap but my tyres are going off a bit, i pull into the pits the next lap and check the times. I'm only 0.8 ahead so by no means in the bag and go out again after i get my tyre pressures checked, i get to the bottom of the pitlane and brake slightly for the bend and find my brakes have gone, nice! I try for the whole lap to get the pedal hard again but it's not having it, try again for another lap and it's getting better but i'm not going to be going for a hot lap with them like this, it takes another lap to get any confidence in them and i go for another fast lap now my tyres have cooled off with all this brake malarky. The lap is feeling good but i get held up into lodge and the lap is wrecked, the flag comes out and the session is over, i saw the P1 board as i crossed the line but wasn't sure if anyone had set a lap quicker after me. I cruise round the lap and get ushered into parc ferme, it takes a good 30 mins to get the car checked but passes with flying colours
Back in the pits and i can't quite believe i've managed 4 in a row, i'm starting to get a bit of self belief that i'm actually quite good at this Brands Hatch is 4 weeks away and i'm out to prove that last year was just a bad day, i finished 12th and out the points, mainly due to a turbo problem all day. This round more than any other i really don't expect to win, too many people's home track for me to bother them, i just need a good points finish and i'll be happy going into the final round in October, god that seems along way away now....
Big, huge, massive thanks as ever to the guys at Scoobyclinic, i just can't fault them, car was perfect all day Mikee & Pat as usual, thanks
Last edited by flat4; 08 July 2008 at 16:11.
Reason: typo city!
Location: Bev?...Kev?... Bev...Kev...Bev. Nice Z4 Alpina. Thanks, we used to have one of those
Posts: 36,782
Right, video from Oulton for your viewing pleasure.........or not as the camera angles are ****e! normal service will be resumed at Brands when i take over the camera work again Luckily Motors TV had and onboard camera on my car for the whole day so should be some good footage on the next show
Final weigh in is 1150kg with under 1/4 tank of fuel 
God knows how much weight it's added not to mention the power loss, but needs must, also added more weight by adding a few more parts to help engine life, i think by the time the car is at Oulton i'll have added another 20kg to the car's weight, putting it somewhere near 1170kg
What a circuit! Had an awesome day, even with the weather 
