Was a mixed day :roll:
Up at 4:00 and out the door at 5:00
Arrived at the Lotus factory at 6:30 to find a few cars already there but mostly a big empty car park.
First thing, unload the car. Change the wheels for the Pirelli rally slicks that were of doubtful benefit at last Friday's go-kart extravaganza and while at it, stiffen up the front KWs as recommended by Zak. Bump and rebound were mid way so I took the to 75% as a starter.
The car park soon filled to capacity with 100+ competitors and some very nice machinery. I arrived early as I wanted to walk the course, as it's the first time at Hethel, for me, I wanted to at least know the way round. I walked round with John Start and we were later joined by Kim, on his bike. So, enjoying the benefit of their combined experience and suggestions we walked and discussed this rather technical course.
As this was part of the Lotus test track and Lotus being renowned for their superb chassis design and handling it was pretty fair to assume it wouldn't be a banked oval and it certainly wasn't. Start was from a side road with 60ft timing with a tight left at about 100'. There was a series of fast left and right bends, fast chicane, leading to a 180 with a roundabout. Once round and it was a couple of left and right bends another chicane before a hell for leather dash to the finish which was positione on a right hand bend. The course was skirted by banking with a tyre wall for most of the way until the finish dash, this just had a tyre wall on the outside of the final bend, just in case.
Signiing on, scrutineering and briefing over and it was queue up for first practice. I usually take the first practice at a steadyish pace as there's nothing more embarrassing than overdoing it and either wrong routing or worse, demolishing part of the course in an over-zealous spin :oops:
I had the demon driver Mike Blackmore and the regular Mike Shearing in the class. My time was 83 secs., Mike S was 81secs and Mike B was 75secs
. Must try harder :roll:
Second practice and the car seemed to be going well I was quite pleased although the handling was nothing like I was hoping for with slicks and having stiffened the front. It was more drifting than gripping but I felt it was going OK until the second chicane where there was a red flag being waved and a couple of very bent cones. Mike S had straightlined the chicane on the previous run which meant I had a re-run.
Lined up for the re-run and off I went, this time, in the first series of bends the car just wouldn't 'hook up' it was all over the place and I was desperately trying to get it together.
The marshals and ambulance crew were very efficiant and I was well looked after. The lady doctor was very pleasant and they eventually deposited me back at the paddock, followed by a very forlorn looking car. I'd lost it completely on the last bend a tight left followed by a right leading into the straight. The back end had come round, after the left and the driver's side swiped the tyre barrier which spat me into the infield.
The recovery truck deposited the car as close as it could to my allocated place and the two Mikes and I had a look. It was rather battered along the one side and the front bumper was off. I had a look at the front wheel arch, which was clear of the tyre and after a bit of discussion we decided to see if it would start and maybe drive it into the space. Turned the key and it started as usual.
Hmmm maybe I can get it out for the timed runs? Mike B said "Are you going to try to run"? "Why not?"
With that Mike and another guy leapt upon the front wing with a hammer and started beating it away from the tyre, the wheel was off, to check the suspension, a drill was borrowed and strategic holes were drilled for tie-wraps, to secure the bumper. In what seemed no time, the bumper was on, the wheel was back on and Mike S was using someones cleaning solvent to rub some of the tyre black from the doors and wing
Car was re-scrutineered, doors opened and closed OK, windows up and down OK. The scrutineer was satisfied so I drove it up and down the paddock steering side to side F1 style 8) and trying the brakes. It seemed fine. At the last moment, I thought better of it and re-adjusted the front suspension to a softer setting.
First timed run came round and off I went, a little cautiously, just in case and got a 81 secs. It felt fine. Mike B was 72 secs, Mike S was 79.5ish
Second run I wanted to get sub 80 at least and just managed to pip Mike S by a couple of tenths in the 79s
Car's looking a bit sorry for itself but my big worry is that the engine doesn't want to idle and was a real pain driving back down the A11 in stop start traffic that stretched the entire lengthe of the single carriageway to the Lakenfield roundabout.
I haven't touched the car since I arrived home at gone 8:00 last night, totally wasted. My nightmare is, that after hitting fuel surge on the Hethel roundabout, during second practice, it's holed a piston
I'll have to do a compression test and see. Finger's crossed I'm wrong.
Nice to see Logan and his young lady in the afternoon. It was good of you to commiserate and offer advice instead of the usual benign T Cut comments.
Sorry it dragged on a bit.
.
I'll have to do a compression test and see. Finger's crossed I'm wrong.