Hillclimbing, the 2007 Season Project.

rob4620

I'm not sure I will check for you, I'm using a single something.

rob4620

Checked and indeed I am, why do you ask?

rob4620

This weekends national A meet at Shelsley had a massive 215 entries and the sun was shining saturday. I got in early and booked my 3 practice runs for my first crack at a track I know in dry conditions with the car at 100%. I launched on my first run took second and the car made what I can only describe as a mega WRC style anti lag noise and went nowhere, we checked and double checked everything tried again and the same happened. My car which had come off the trailer from Loton 2 weeks previous and into my garage come off the trailer at Shelsley and developed a massive misfire?!?!?

Spoke to Paul trailered up and off to Zen. They were very busy when I arrived with customer cars on the dyno for time attack, a while later and they got me on and after some buggeration the misfire was gone and the car pulled good numbers on the dyno and after some japanese food and good company I was off home and before I knew it back on the start line.

I did a 70% run with nice slow shifts as I have been really struggling to get used to the 6 speeder and crunching a lot of gears at previous meetings. I posted a 31.00 which put me in second place behind Roger in the mega Audi who posted a 29.96, quick but achievable with the new spec of the car.

I had a decent margin between me and 3rd place and nothing to lose in the 2nd run, whilst it was likley Roger would go faster you never know and I knew the car could break the 30 second barrier if I could put a quick clean run in.

So I went for it, it started great launching 1.83 fastest of all the 200+ cars of the weekend, then.......crunch another ****ing missed gear! finaly found the gear and to say the red mist had come down is quite an understatement, I got Kennel and Crossing just right and felt like I was clawing back time, my ess approach split was 19.47 just a tenth behind my PB even with the missed gear and there was hope yet, that is until I came into the esses far too hot driving like a twat.....understeer to massive oversteer to oversteer the otherway to big grass bank, another crunched gear all this and I still posted a 31.44 . The most annoying thing was Roger who was up behind me broke a drive shaft off the line and the 29.96 time stood as the winning time. My best sectors combined from my 2 runs put me faster than that which made things even more annoying as I may not get a better chance to beat Roger at Shelsley.

So a missed opportunity but considering I had no practice and Paul managed to fix the car against the odds and get it out there to score some much needed championship points not all bad.

I expected to come out of the blocks superfast this year and just go quicker instantly but I have a lot to get used to with all the new components on the car especially the gearbox and I think as last year I won't be really up to speed until mid season.

Loton Park next weekend for the first visit of the British and Midland champs to my favourite track, I did my Banzai run and record break here last big meeting and hope I can do the same this time, it will be tougher than tough though to take a win as Roger seems to be really flying in the big A4 now and the development problems of last season seem to be behind them but I'm up for the challenge!

I'm off to practice changing gear.

Ess approach at 97mph


My car post encounter with grass bank


My Banzai run, some great driving and some awful driving....what could have been.
View My Video

Mark A

Only because most of the big output cars seem to run 2x 044. I've got a spare one which I'd never used because I thought I needed another. I will now try a single 044.

Mark

John Stevenson

I use a single 044, can't imagine what two would sound like in stereo

Mark A

Notice I said the big output cars, you obviously don't fit that criteria John

Is your engine ready yet?

Mark A

P20SPD

Rob, is it selecting 3rd that you are having trouble with?

rob4620

Yeah, it's odd I didn't miss a single gear change through the entire 2007 season and I haven't managed an event without missing at least one gear with the 6 speeder this year. Everyone else who's driven it seems to think it's fine though so I think I might just need to sort my act out?

Nice to meet you at the weekend by the way .

banny sti

I always seem to miss 3rd in my 6 speed too and this seems to happen to anyone who drives a 6 speed car after getting used to the 5 speed impreza box.

Banny

P20SPD

Rob, i had this problem for most of Knockhill untill i held the gearstick differently and adopted a slightly different movement.

Instead of pushing the gearstick diagonally from 2nd to 3rd, say at 2 o clock angle, where it doesnt go into 3rd, try pushing it more towards 1 o clock.

I did this by putting the palm of my hand behind the stick instead of to the side. I havent missed 3rd gear since.

The gate between 1 and 3 is very narrow, especially compared to a five speed.

Try the above approach and see what happens.

Nice to meet you too

Steven

John Stevenson

Who needs a 'big output'

Yes !!, so are the bits you are sniffing at, do you want them ?

---john---

Mark A

John I've sent you an e-mail

rob4620

Loton Park tomorrow for practice and race on Sunday, I have been trying to master the akward shift from second to third on the 6 speeder up and down the drive and I think I have it nailed (famous last words), were also gonna try some new stuff with the handling to calm it down and make it more neutral.

Forecast is good and I'm looking forward to it!

H&DLCC - Events

I got given a pic from Harewood (below), I have entered the 2 day national at harewood on 5th and 6th of July and hope to take a couple more seconds out of my times.

rob4620

Another frustrating weekend but this time nothing it on to blame but myself, I went well in practice with some good record time splits but had a minor spin on my final run after putting a wheel on the grass.

I made a good triangle split on my first competetive run of 21.6 right where I needed to be for record times but drove up the 'straight' like a puff and made a hash of the last corner.

My final run sat in 2nd place with my record gone and nothing to lose I went for full attack and locked up and went over the grass into the first corner, great. I was clawing it back when....... wey hey I missed 3rd gear out of the final corner and finished with a 56.4.

So 2nd place and my record broken down from 55.79 to 55.55 by Roger in the mega audi. I know the car is well capable of those times and even getting into the 54's I just need to kick my driving up a notch or Ten.

My mistake filled season continues and I really need to sort my concentration and finish some clean fast runs, I am almost a second behind my times of last year with twice the car, stupid errors and missed gears are threatening to ruin my season already. I intend to get my act together for my next outing.

The teething problems with the car are behind us now and it was excellent, handling sorted and really neutral and seriously fast accelerating through the gears.

Struggling to upload the video at the moment but will post it up later.

The Clerk of the course finaly lost his rag with my route 1 approach to one corner and left me a reminder of the flappy things I keep breaking and he won't put up with it much more.

mctaff

Cutting Rob, you could make a rally driver!

rob4620

I hope to be the unmaking of some rally drivers very soon .

I'm on full attack for the rest of the season, I'm seriously dissapointed with my cowardly weekends driving and intend to bring some pain to epynt!!!!!!

Bigbrakes

Take care Sir, this place will bite you in the arse if you let your concentration slip for a 1,000 second.

Keep plugging away, all your hard work will pay off in the end..

Regards, John..

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