...... managed to blag a ride with Paul in his skyline, nice bit of kit!....dunno how it managed to pull as well as it did though as its only used to having one fat b*sted in it, not two! 
Thanks Paul 
Martyn
Season opener- Snetterton 20th January
Good pics TK :thumb: really enjoyed today and agree with you that little Lotus Sunbeam was a bit special ...... managed to blag a ride with Paul in his skyline, nice bit of kit!....dunno how it managed to pull as well as it did though as its only used to having one fat b*sted in it, not two! Thanks Paul 
Martyn
...... managed to blag a ride with Paul in his skyline, nice bit of kit!....dunno how it managed to pull as well as it did though as its only used to having one fat b*sted in it, not two! Thanks Paul Martyn
James did most certainly start to catch the radical - that Civic is a MONSTER ..... endless acceleration, awesome braking and amazing handling - and lots of additional turf ballastJames Breadvan wrote: Managed to catch the radical up on the straights, I have a witness, honest!
Dum spiro, spero
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Everyone loves the Sunbeam Some nice pictures there Trev, and yes, it was a shame you couldn't take part but it was nice to see you and the other guys (Martin, Gary, Gary @APT and a few others) supporting those that ventured out in January.
My day started at 4.45am. Frankly, a bloody ridiculous time. Sleep has been patchy for a while (long story) and I had banked on a good nights kip before the first outing. I even dreamt I rolled the car, my daily driver, at Riches!! That's when I decided to get up.
I arrived at the circuit to secure some garages and get signed in. Jason(Sidewaysfletch), Andrea and Hattie were already there as was Matt (MJP) The weather was dry and it looked like the wet track may yield some grip after all. Fingers crossed
The Golf was a bit unusual to start with. A lack of weight and grip meant driving on metaphoric thin ice for the first hour, partly to evaluate where the grip was and also to weigh up whether or not I was gonna kill the car.....this is the only one I have left :lol:
The normal bevvy of spinners and sliders went out to play and came back with mud from various orifaces. Prize of the day goes to James with his mighty Civic in that respect. You could plant a good sized Christmas tree with the sods of earth he brought back to the pits :thumb: Well he gets the prize out of our guys, an Evo (I think a 4) managed to roll at the entry to Riches. I can only imagine he ran wide on entry and his car dug into the soft soil that lines the circuit?? On another sad note Richard, a friend of Jasons, managed to stuff his rather gorgeous M3 into something pretty solid. Seemingly only cosmetic damage but enough of it to spoil a lesser mans day. I would have been crying into my pint until about July if that was me and my M3.
I played tag with SteveVR6 and another mk2, piloted by a racer in this years championship called Frank, for most of the day. The cars were all quite evenly matched and my Golf impressed both myself and a few passengers. For a very modestly powered, largely standard car the 20 year old Gti did me proud.
I was also lucky enough to get a couple of passenger rides. First was Jasons 325 E36. A perfect example of a tough, reliable, well balanced, cheap track car. I was a little alarmed to see it revving all the way around to 20mpg but Jason knows when to change gear by ear!! The grip was huge, the handling and steering response sharp and the fun factor was bloody great. Jason is one of the smoothest drivers I have sat next to. Lap after lap, his entry to Riches was pretty much inch perfect. The only thing he needs to sort out is the gearchange which let him down on a couple of occasions, but overall I think the Mans hard work has paid off in bucket loads. Next up was James and his 400 odd BHP Civic.
BANZAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
There is nothing subtle about James' car or his driving. The power and delivery is blistering. No bullshit, on two seperate ocassions he hauled in a Radical on the straights! Mental. The brakes were good, the suspension seemed soft, but James assured me it was Tein. The tyres definitely need sorting out. They are probably fine for 200bhp but hardcore lapping with twice the power had these puppies squeeling, pitching and rolling around like a hovercraft. Serious tread shuffle and a significant hinderance to decent lap times. Imagine how quick it would be with a bit more experience and a lot more grip? Seriously, seriously fast in my opinion.
All of the guys seemed to have a great day. The circuit was very busy at times but overall etiquette was good and the weather was just so good at this time of year, we were blessed.
No photos at all. I was too busy driving
Here's to the next one. Onwards and upwards :thumb:
Some nice pictures there Trev, and yes, it was a shame you couldn't take part but it was nice to see you and the other guys (Martin, Gary, Gary @APT and a few others) supporting those that ventured out in January.My day started at 4.45am. Frankly, a bloody ridiculous time. Sleep has been patchy for a while (long story) and I had banked on a good nights kip before the first outing. I even dreamt I rolled the car, my daily driver, at Riches!!
That's when I decided to get up.I arrived at the circuit to secure some garages and get signed in. Jason(Sidewaysfletch), Andrea and Hattie were already there as was Matt (MJP) The weather was dry and it looked like the wet track may yield some grip after all. Fingers crossed
The Golf was a bit unusual to start with. A lack of weight and grip meant driving on metaphoric thin ice for the first hour, partly to evaluate where the grip was and also to weigh up whether or not I was gonna kill the car.....this is the only one I have left :lol:
The normal bevvy of spinners and sliders went out to play and came back with mud from various orifaces. Prize of the day goes to James with his mighty Civic in that respect. You could plant a good sized Christmas tree with the sods of earth he brought back to the pits :thumb: Well he gets the prize out of our guys, an Evo (I think a 4) managed to roll at the entry to Riches. I can only imagine he ran wide on entry and his car dug into the soft soil that lines the circuit?? On another sad note Richard, a friend of Jasons, managed to stuff his rather gorgeous M3 into something pretty solid. Seemingly only cosmetic damage but enough of it to spoil a lesser mans day. I would have been crying into my pint until about July if that was me and my M3.
I played tag with SteveVR6 and another mk2, piloted by a racer in this years championship called Frank, for most of the day. The cars were all quite evenly matched and my Golf impressed both myself and a few passengers. For a very modestly powered, largely standard car the 20 year old Gti did me proud.
I was also lucky enough to get a couple of passenger rides. First was Jasons 325 E36. A perfect example of a tough, reliable, well balanced, cheap track car. I was a little alarmed to see it revving all the way around to 20mpg but Jason knows when to change gear by ear!! The grip was huge, the handling and steering response sharp and the fun factor was bloody great. Jason is one of the smoothest drivers I have sat next to. Lap after lap, his entry to Riches was pretty much inch perfect. The only thing he needs to sort out is the gearchange which let him down on a couple of occasions, but overall I think the Mans hard work has paid off in bucket loads. Next up was James and his 400 odd BHP Civic.
BANZAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
There is nothing subtle about James' car or his driving. The power and delivery is blistering. No bullshit, on two seperate ocassions he hauled in a Radical on the straights! Mental. The brakes were good, the suspension seemed soft, but James assured me it was Tein. The tyres definitely need sorting out. They are probably fine for 200bhp but hardcore lapping with twice the power had these puppies squeeling, pitching and rolling around like a hovercraft. Serious tread shuffle and a significant hinderance to decent lap times. Imagine how quick it would be with a bit more experience and a lot more grip? Seriously, seriously fast in my opinion.
All of the guys seemed to have a great day. The circuit was very busy at times but overall etiquette was good and the weather was just so good at this time of year, we were blessed.
No photos at all. I was too busy driving
Here's to the next one. Onwards and upwards :thumb:
I have to thank Stu and Steve for fantasic laps too ... Stu for the nice smooth fast lap .. and Steve for the most excellent spin .. followed by a bigger spin and some air ....
And the Civic ... now that is something else .....
My mate Chris is also very greatful for the generosity of the bigpower members for allowing him out ... he still thinks the best laps were in the sierra
.... And the Civic ... now that is something else .....
My mate Chris is also very greatful for the generosity of the bigpower members for allowing him out ... he still thinks the best laps were in the sierra
Dum spiro, spero
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I must admit Ben, I realised today just how good the Dagenham is. Try as I might I just could not get near to Pete. He's had a few bits done and reported that it feels like its pulling much harder.
Pete (Father in Law) is certainly gaining in confidence and has taken to track driving like a duck to water. Not bad considering he only started in August.
Pete (Father in Law) is certainly gaining in confidence and has taken to track driving like a duck to water. Not bad considering he only started in August.
first thing I said to Chris was don't underlook the black sierra - I told him it's cornering ability would amaze him .... he was to say the least rather impressed ...stuart wrote:I must admit Ben, I realised today just how good the Dagenham is. Try as I might I just could not get near to Pete. He's had a few bits done and reported that it feels like its pulling much harder.
Pete (Father in Law) is certainly gaining in confidence and has taken to track driving like a duck to water. Not bad considering he only started in August.
Dum spiro, spero
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Certainly looked like you both were having fun out there Stu :thumb:.... just wish I had more time/ funds to get out there more often myself.stuart wrote:I must admit Ben, I realised today just how good the Dagenham is. Try as I might I just could not get near to Pete. He's had a few bits done and reported that it feels like its pulling much harder.
Pete (Father in Law) is certainly gaining in confidence and has taken to track driving like a duck to water. Not bad considering he only started in August.
Martyn