The Blog has Moved

Those of you that follow my blog will know that I tend to be very "bursty" in terms of the frequency of updates.
One of the reasons for this is that I'm short of time so anything that acts as a disincentive means that the updates don't get done.

Well the Blogger interface has certainly been acting as a disincentive. It is particularly poor at uploading photos and videos in a timely fashion in the evening (which is when I do most of my entries)

So I'm giving Wordpress a go. The new blog is at http://www.rgbracer.com
Plus the Apple template is a bit cleaner and nicer, with a better blog search facility.

Sorry for being a pain, but hopefully you may get more frequent updates as a result.

Cheers

Adrian

Winter Plans

It seems class B is going to get busy next year.  Tim, Judy, Rob Grant, Dan Bromilow and  several others are all swapping to class B.   This means that life is going to get much more competitive and I don't really expect to finish as close to the front as I have done this year.

This year has been fantastic... we'll see how next year goes  but Idon't expect to win any pots.. Tim is usually at least half a second ahead of me with a class C engine, that could well be extended with the extra power of a class B

As for winter plans,  

• I'm going to try and take some more weight out of the car and me.
  
• Fit some analog instruments, so that I can release some channels from the logger
• Sort out the bodywork,I'm really fed up with my car being the most skanky on teh grid, so she is going to get a new front end and a full respray.   
• All the suspension bushes need changing
• The engine will come out and go to Andy at AB Performance for a refresh
• New regs mean that I have to modify the exhaust to fit a catalytic converter.
• After that we'll see how much time I have for other modifications

Qualcast

My Genesis seems to be fitted with a Mulching attachement as these shots from my off at the Birkett Show

Birkett Race Report (Very Long)

The Birkett is a 6 hour endurance relay race run on handicap lines at Silverstone by the 750 Motor Club.  entry is open to teams of between four and six cars and is open to any closed wheel race cars.  As a result we get really esoteric machinery to race against from Radicals and Mallocks, to Se7ens, D/C type Jags, 2CVS and MR2s.. It is such a hoot, and really servers as the end of season party.  This years race was the 59th year that this unique spectacle has been run

I went testing on friday and it was bloomin lethal first thing Friday morning, my lap times were 2:20 ish and they began to start dropping to 1:41s by lunchtime. The track was damp  &  unpredictably slippery first thing in the morning but rubbered in and came back to us by lunchtime.  I had two going backwards on the grass moments, one at Farm/Abbey and one spin to the inside at Brooklands,  both due to being hamfooted on the throttle in very challenging conditions.

The Silverstone International circuit is a hoot,  it takes a while to dial it in... but changes Silverstone from dull and boring to exciting and fun.  The morning was open pit lane and I probably did 30 or 40 laps, including one quite nice session when Duncan called me in because I was having a ball... he was afraid I would run out of fuel.   The morning was otherwise punctuated by a series of Caterhams and MR2s parking them selves in gravel traps and causing red flags. Oh and numpty Morgan driver who cut across me dangerously at 4 consecutive apexes until he saw me and waved me past. I was literally shouting "Use your f*****g mirrors man!"  After lunch I went out again and managed a 1:39:xx which I was quite pleased with.  But I had a horrible jarring  judder in the drive train.

So we came in and checked out the chain and diff.   Unfortunately the chain had lost four of the bearing rollers from a short section, and this was plainly stiffening up and it was its poor engagement on the man drive sprocket that I could feel. It was obviously about to fail and flail the entire engine to death, even after we had split the chain (which took about 40 minutes)  this particular section was still very hot to the touch, whereas the rest of it had returned to ambient temps, so it was plainly on the way out

So Dunc and I set about changing the chain (Fortunately Tim Pell had a spare), and we also fitted my replacement rear sprocket too, as the existing one (which had done about a season) and was very worn indeed.  We also replaced one of the inlet trumpets in the throttle body.... it had rattled free and had been floating around the inside of the airbox. This took us until just about 4:30 and I managed to get out in the last of the afternoon sessions.

The drive train felt smooth and silky by comparison to the previous chain, and so I went for it a bit. The new rear sprocket was a 56 point rather than a 54, so the diff was slightly shorter, than normal. Now a 3.5 rather than a 3.375.  I was concerned that I would top out, but it proved to be just perfect... Right on the redline just as I hit the (now shorter and later) braking zone for Copse.

My lap now consisted of lift and brief confidence dab on the brakes, hard on the power at Copse well before the apex, let drift out to the exit. Hold  the power flat untll apex of Maggots. dab the brakes and knock it down two to fourth. Apex Beckets and hard on the power until the brake point for the  hairpin, hard on the brakes ,down two and chuck it in. Flat up through the gears round the double lefts that take you down to Abbey/Farm, arrive Farm at 11500rpm in top  Brake hard in a straight line just on the apex of the left kink before it. Knock it down four... apex late and hard up and over the hill to bridge, confidence dab on the brakes, down 1 through Bridge, run it up to Prioriy, brake, down 1 to fourth, Hard, on the gas again  past the apex to Brooklands, Brake hard, down the last two to 2nd and into Luffied... up to 5th by the the Woodcote kink.... and occasionally getting 6th here. And on to Copse

I was really getting into a rhtyhm, but was conscious of cowardice\prudence in both Maggots/Beckets and Bridge/Priory...so more time to come but I was pretty pleased with mostly 1:39s and 1:38.9 according to Duncan's stopwatch.

So Bring on Race day!

I had been given a handicap time of 99 seconds so 1:39 was my target time, Neil was 98s I think, Paul and David on 97s. Derek was handicapped at RGB lap record pace...his target was 1:28 which is plainly unachievable in mixed traffic when sometimes you cant even see the Apex.  We'd also been allocated 8th on the Grid.

By contrast to yesterday, practice was grippy, so rather than just trying to get used to the conditions I tried to go a bit faster again. Mainly I started to change my approach to Maggots/Beckets.  Now doing a lighter dab on the brakes and carry more speed. My best time in Practice was  139.12.... so touching distance of my handicap time.  And practice was marked by one particular full opposite lock lurid power slide round Priory. :-)

The agreed running order was David, Neil, Paul, Derek, Me....... Which meant I had a big rest before I went out, and also that I did the Anchor leg... bringing the team home to the checkered flag. I took that as a great compliment.... but no pressure then!
With Tim  missing we needed to do 36 minute stints but everybody else was pretty limited to 30 Mins  fuel tank capacity,  So with my large tank I could pick up the slack and go out for a forty five minute session to minimize the changes.

I'm was actually pretty worried about this as usually after 15 minutes or so my Carpel Tunnel kicks in and my hands hurt and fingers go slightly numb... go knows how I'm going to do 45 minutes.

So 11 O'clcok comes round and off we go,  David gets a good clean start and is running well in his session.  He's banging in a strong selection of 1:37s,1:138s and 1:39s  with one particularly fast one at 1:35.69... were running about 13th on the road.  David comes in and Out goes Neil.  Unfortunately Neil didn't get to test yesterday, so is unfamiliar with the circuit and is a bit off his handicap pace doing 1:41s and above, so we take a bit of a tumble down the time screen and drop out of the top 20.

At the end of Neil's  session Paul goes out and bangs in a 30 minute session composed of   1:36s - 1:38s with the odd 1:40 for traffic and a 2:35 in the first of a series of brief safety car periods.

Then it's Derek's turn. ... He's never seen the track before, and is badly hampered by a three safety car periods,  but, does a manage a 1:31:85 in one of the few free running periods, but is mostly in the 1:33-1:36 range. Out of a 20 lap stint he manages only 9 laps under green flags  However we make up some places on the road.

So I'm sitting in "Ready 5" waiting to go... In comes Derek, and off I go for my Marathon Stint.   I'm not going to take it easy, but I have warned the guys about my hands and will signal if I need to come in.  I am however making a conscious effort not to grip the wheel to tightly and relax my hands.

There then follows some of the most exciting and rewarding laps of my racing career.
All told I do 30 odd laps, relaxing my hands works beautifully and I have no problem doing 45 mins.,  Initially I'm in 1:43s with a heavy fuel load and lots of traffic, So I'm getting the "Push" Signal from Jonathan on the Pit wall. I drop into the 1:39s, then the 1:38s,  I'm getting braver everywhere, but mostly in Bridge and Priory,  my confidence brake and change down has now become a shorter and shorter lift and hard on the power through Bridge.   I follow a Caterham through Priory who shows me how it should be done and I gain another 1/2 second.  My sector times for Bridge drop from 8.9ish to 8.2 and for Priory they drop  from 14.5 to 13.8.  Sector times through Copse are dropping too as I experiment with no change down, and shorter and shorted dabs on the brakes. My sector times drop from 16 seconds to 14.7

I've also modified Beckett and Maggots and am carrying waay more speed past the first apex.

I have a few spots of rain and Luffied starts to get slimy towards the end of the session.  But I'm having a ball...It seems like I'm the fastest thing on the circuit bar a few bewinged beasties.. and its great.  :-)

Now I'm really in the groove and banging in lap after lap in the 1:37s and 1:38s.   Jonathan gives me the 5 laps to go on the pitboard , and starts the countdown to my in lap... but then I keep getting shown the 2 lap board... plainly they're happy with my times and are keeping me out!  Wow.  I spur on to one final flyer and get a 1:36:43.  Fantastic. Nearly 2.5 seconds below my target pace!

Highlights of this session are a couple of trips across the rumble strip at Copse, avoiding a spinning Caterham on the exit, Going three abreast into copse with a couple of Mr2s and holding the line to take the place, and chasing down and harrying my way past a Gold Arts R400  Fab :-).  And simply bucket loads of overtaking everywhere, slipstreaming past tin tops, out braking Caterhams, out accelerating pretty much everything from the Apexes.... top top fun :-).   The car is absolutely singing, stable under braking, forgiving in the slide....screaming  with delight when hard on the power.

Fantastic.


I finally come in for a lie down in a darkened room, and out goes David... and then we get a few minutes of rain.  Oh dear A048rs and rain.... this could be bad.  Were back running in the top 20, and David, unbelievably is taking four seconds a lap out of the guys in front, by the time he finishes his stint we've jumped about four places to about 13th on the grid, Guy does some calculations and we're now leading Class D on the road and on handicap (based on the assumption that nobody else is 10 laps ahead of thier handicap)

Things take on a more serious air  as we start to believe we might win something.

David comes in after his Stirling effort and out goes Paul, again,  we're out of order as Paul has wet settings, and Neil is on drys, Were still holding station around 12/13th on the road.  Derek then goes out and bangs  19 laps of 1:31s to 1:34s  and be gain another couple of places. His best time of the day is 1:31.84

Out goes Neil again but he still struggling,  and does 12 laps in the 1:43-1:45 range.  Plainly he's still  out of sorts and he makes the admirable decision to come in early, by signaling to Jonathan on the wall.  So I get to go and bring the team home to the flag.  Now that's pressure!

Right I'm going to get on it, after an out lap I'm immediately into the1:38s and 39s....I even bang in a 1:35.9 (WOW) I drop in a few in the 1:36s..... Now I''m hard on it ever where, Bridge is a slight lift, hard throttle, hang on.. Priory is now hard brake. hit the apex 100% throttle squirt, and I'm even now trail braking all the way round the Beckets apex..fantastic stuff.   I'm reeling in Doug Carter in the Ginger Biscuit RGB team who is also in a Genesis  but with 185 bhp Class A engine. I'm  gaining 10 meters or so  lap after lap, but intervening traffic is getting in the way.

One of these is an MR2, who I'm right up behind on the exit to Luffied, he grabs the  apex at Woodcote, so I go outside him to take him on the run up to Copse,  I'm halfway along side as we approach the Gantry and he squeezes me off the circuit on to the grass at 101Mph along the main straight.    I guess he hasn't seen me. But there's a fair bit of concrete around here!

The car is bumping along the grass, and each time it bounces I can feel the front end dig in.... Any moment it's going to rip the radiators out :-(... sorry guys.  but no, I keep her straight and get back on the circuit and away we go again :-)

Unfortunately Doug is out of sight  but I still manage a 1:43 for that lap, and bang in a few more 1:38s and 1:37s.    These are marked by rising water temperatures (103), and a distinct smell of mown grass in the cockpit... not to mention bits of mud falling out of the radiator under heavy braking at the Farm hairpin, which then proceed to hit my visor when swept up into my face by the airstream.  Then I come around and it's the checkered flag and we've made it.   We finished 9th on the road :-)

I come into back slaps and handshakes for such a storming stint, from the team and Dan tells me I got into the 1:35s whooo hooo!

What a fantastic Season 08 has been. :-)

All told I did about 45 laps and my Lead Foot Percetage went from 29.7% in practice to 42.6% on my 1:35.9 lap.  My best theoretical lap is 1:34.7 which was just .2 off Josh's best, time and that would put on the front row of Class B next year.

The Birkett as ever, was fabulous!   And I'm smiling my big wide Birkett smile.

As for the car .... I'm not changing a thing this winter

Another highlight of the day was seeing Anthea (Tim's wife) so well after her recent op... good job she was there too, as the lap timing loop doesn't run out into the grass where I had my off, and they hadn't counted my lap.  Anthea spotted this and Guy went off to challenge the time keepers, they checked the backup system.  She was right and we got the lap re awarded... Good show!

What a great team to race in,  all the cars came home in 1 piece, Many Many thanks to Guy, DH2, Jonathan, Shona, Charlie and of course Duncan.... Plus Helen, Della, David's wife (whose name escapes me sorry)  and Anthea of course.

Just a fantastic time!

Mallory Race Report

Mallory was the last round of the RGB season,  I went into the round just 3 points behind Neil Constable Berry for third place in the championship.  However short of winning the class, and beating everybody in the field I was unlikely to catch him.  So Mallory was simply a bit of end of season fun really.

Qualifying was the most uneventful part of the day, I did however spin on the first lap as I hit the brakes for the first right hander of the Essess, the right rear locked up and I weet careering across the grass.  Now this is the third of fourth meeting in a row where this has happened so it is not just me being useless on the brakes.  I think I'll check the corner weights as something is plainly and repeatably wrong.  

Anyway I adjusted the balance and got going again.  During the session I hooked onto the back of Derek, Josh, Steve R and Doug... all of whom are front runners,  In each case I managed to stick with them a bit and get dragged along.

This really helped my times and  I  Qualified  14th on the grid which is my highest ever starting position   However I was still 4th in Class B  .. 52.25   Overall I'm pretty pleased with that result, but I am one place behind Tony G on grid (we line up side by side).  I am however  2 seconds  and three or four rows ahead of Neil. Next row ahead is David Whale and Richard Wise... which is pretty exhaulted company.

Unfortunately Colin Chapman, had a sprocket adapter  adapter failure in qualifying which meant hat his propshaft went walk about the engine bay it sliced the fuel line just likeTims did last year .. but luckily Colin didn't have the major fire that Tim did. However, his  water pump + reverse is battered to death by the flailing prop, and Colin's day was over :-(  but at least the car isn't toast.

In the Race I  lost a place or so on Grid due to lots of wheel spin.... and tried hard to keep with Tony as we went round for the first couple of laps. Eventually I settled into a three way battle with David Whale and Phil Allcock.  On Lap 1 Josh loses it at the exit of Gerrards and dumps it in the barriers, so I'm now 3rd in class B, Josh damages his front end but he's ok.

About 10 minutes in after having swapped places with Phil and David quite a bit, I got baulked and Phil gets by. ... Tony G is about 10 seconds up the road now. 

I run deep at the Hairpin and let Phil and David through... Arrgh.  By now we've picked up Henry Carr  after he spins. Next Lap round  I get a much better drive out of Devils Elbow and up the start finish straight and we go three abreast into Gerrards. However I've got the inside line and nail both apexes.  Phil Tries to hold the power on level with me all the way round on the outside, but loses grip, puts two wheels on the grass, fishtails a bit and then spins along the outside armco wiping both ends off the car.  Later He freely admits it was his fault as he didn't want to yield the position to me despite my better grip out of the corner. Of course with Phil's car wrecked close to the exist of Gerrards we get red flagged.

We expect to come in, but  no after a fair bit of hanging around we get re-gridded for a 3 or 4  lap sprint.
On the gridI lose a couple of places that I've just taken to David and Henry on the count back to the red flag, but I'm gridded up behind the gap where Phil should be and then the next car is Tony Gaunt who is now 2nd in B and I'm 3rd.  So I've got some clear track to run into.

As the lights go out I get a storming start, a real monster.... by far the best all season, I zoom past Tony with a speed differential of at least 30mph.and go up the inside into Gerrards.  I'm ahead of such high flyers as John Cutmore, and Henry Carr and have dropped both David and Tony.  Heading onto the back straight I'm just four places behind Paul Rogers  who is 3rd and I'm right behind Doug Carter.  Next time round I carry waaaay more speed than him past the 2nd apex of Gerrards... and actually overtake him at the start of the back straight to take 6th on the track and that despite his big power advantage. Unbelievably my extra apex speed meant I just sailed  by him.   Fantastic for the first time I'm not the last Genesis on the circuit!

There' a bit more carnage behind me.  John Cutmore gets stuck nose into the barriers halfway round Gerrards.  Henry and Tony take to the grass, Rob Grant blows a cylinder and sets fire to the car on the inside of the back straight opposite Phil's wreckage.... but his on board extinguisher puts it out.   Mike Allen retires... new boy James Lindley is out again with an electrical problem.  Tony Carpenter half spins at Gerrards and gets gently T boned by Mike Allen at the restart plus a few other random mishaps.

Meanwhile I hold off Doug for two more laps... and at the last hairpin he gets better drive.  But I didn't see him 3/4 along side me and unintentionally squeeze him at Devils Elbow.... this effectively holds him off and I take 6th and second in class B.
Neil is 3rd in B  someway back.  That is my highest ever finish on the track.

So another Pot.  Whoo Hoo.

I raced and beat both Doug and David whom I've never even been close to before. And swapped places with Phil for quite some time, and all this on a track where I thought overtaking was next to impossible.

I finally learned how to get it off the line. :-)

I survived a race where there where 9 DNFs,

I think I earned 6th on merit from the restart but was probably 10th or 12th in the original race so am slightly flattered by that road position but I wasn't lapped in either race.

Getting second I think gives me 9th in the overall championship, although 4th by just two points from Neil in class B.  So no Class Championship pot, still to wear  a single digit "9" next season.... I'll take that thank you very much :-) and four of the top 9 are from class B (I think)

And did I mention it was gloriously sunny too.  Best lap was 52.05... Paul Rogers first in class B did 50.7  so only 1.3 seconds off him and less than .9 from last years class B lap record (51.14).  And remember my car weighs a full 80kg more than Paul's does.

Plus all of our cars for the Birkett are in 1 piece too. Me , Neil, David, Paul, and Derek all emerged unscathed.  The other Birkett teams may be doing some forced amalgamations.

Fantastic day. :-) and a fantastic way to end a fantastic season