My Donnington GTI Trackshow diary....(long)

[PhatVR6 0]

Well, it was touch and go whether I was going to make it. Checking the car over last night, driver side front wheel bearing totally shot :( (but in a way I'm happy as I now know what's been making that awful grumbling noise). I had a root throught the shed and garage, managed to find my spare pair of hub assemblies, phew. Damn shame, couldn't get the CV joint out (need a hydraulic press) so I had to take off my brand new CV joint and just fit the lot, ball joint and all. I didn't really get chance to drive it until I'd cleaned myself up (beige leather was a bad idea...) and it felt awful, steering really light.....but it was dark by then so I packed in.

 

Got up at 6:30, jack out again, tracking a mile out, toeing in big time. So I struggled like mad to move the track rod as far as I could and managed to dial out as much as I could. ran out of time and had to head off to Donnington. I forgot my helmet, and my camera.....I got there and the front tyres were red hot, and worn down to the markers!! another quick adjusting session and they were tracked up (by eye at least).

 

Anyway, that was the car disaster over, just enough time to give it a quick wash down before I was due out on track (at 11:40). Missed half of the breifing, but by then my 3rd can of red bull was kicking in so I was all hyped up for the track. under my mates advise we got into the queue early to avoid being caught up in a pack, which worked too. I took it really steady for 2 laps, didn't want the cold tyres to catch me out, and I haven't driven donny before either so I didn't really know the lines. A few cars behind me were getting impatient and trying to get past already so I couldn't have that and started to pick up the pace.

 

Within 3 laps I could barely see anyone behind me, I was just chasing my mate in his 230bhp track prepped mk2 1.8T. By lap 5 we were catching the back markers, which slowed him enough for me to catch up, by about lap 6 I passed him, much to my delight! :-P :lol: he quickly fell back and off the pace, and it transpired later in the day that was having major boost and overheating problems, he had to retire unfortunatly.

 

The only car that managed to pass me on the whole session was a Jabbasport tuned Shelby kit car. so I was prettey chuffed that I didn't manage to have an off or stuff it, and that it basically hammered everything on track :) the worst thing that happened was that I kept accelerating for too long going up the hill out of craner, around a long left hander, and the back end slid out. I was really lucky to catch it just in time to brake for the next right hander, it lost me a lot of time but at least I kept it on the black stuff)

 

Chassis wise, no ARB is a very bad thing, body roll was pretty bad at the rear, and on hard left handers I was getting an awful rumbling from the drivers side rear. I think it's a CV joint or the driveshaft rubbing on the chassis leg, or the exhaust hitting the prop?. another thing to sort. engine wise, fine, water temp never got above 110. brakes wise, terrible, the 288s are going in the bin, they cannot handle track use. they were pretty much useless by mid session, and I had to stop using them hard. when I pulled back intp the pits they were smoking for half an hour.... tyres? Toyo R888's, fantastic, love em, but too soft for road use and wear out too quick

 

Managed to blag a spot on the PVW stand for the rest of the afternoon (lined up for a full feature at the end of the year) , pretty pointless though as the show was dead due to an advertising cock up......didn't bother cleaning it or anything, no point. Whilst sat in the PVW trailer a few of us thought we could smell petrol, and it seemed to be coming from my car...hmmm

 

I left at about 4:30pm, went straight to the services for a refuel (130 miles out of a full tank LOL!!). Stuck £30 in , and these guys started shouting at me, the fuel was pissing out all over the forecourt. :roll: . I paid the £30 and moved the car straight into the truck stop, away from everything....just in case.....had a shufty around the back, and to my utter horror the petrol was absolutely gushing out af a hole in he side of the tank and all over the back box!!!!!! thank God I'd let the car cool down before filling up.....

 

Here's what I think happened. the crappy temporary back box came off it's hanger under hard corenring, and I think a lof the noise I was hearing on the left handers was the exhaust hitting the prop to diff bolts. It's then moved too close to the tank, but the fuel in the tank has been taking the heat away. Then, when the fuel has dropped low (as it guzzled almost half a tank on the track) and I pulled in (i.e no air flow around the tank or exhaust) the heat just got straight to the plastic and melted it!!! :shock: :shock: needless to say I was very shook up by this, as it could have very easily gone up in flames and caused untold damage, or even killed me.

 

The AA guy told me to park it up on the grass and wait for 2 hours for it to drain out. By 7:30 the flatbed was here, got my home for 10pm.

 

So, it's back to the drawing board. Need a new rear bumper (exhaust melted that too), temorary exhaust has had it's last day and is going in the bin. My mates rallye shell is getting robbed of it's fuel tank,a nd the car is coming off the road for a month to finally sort all this sh1t out. I've had it with driving a half built car. MOT runs out in a week, and I know I can't get it through, so I may as well have another session and do it all properly this time instead of rushing it.

 

and I'm buying a mountain bike and cycling my fat lazy arse the 5 miles to work for the next 4 weeks too.

 

the saga continues!

[Chris VR6nos 0]

My i bet your fingers are aching, good post, shame it wasn't a sell out!

 

 

Chris

[CaiosG60 PWR 0]

Good read! At least you had fun in it for most of the day!

[PhatVR6 0]

aye, and usually I'd be sulking like a big spoilt kid and throwing stuff about when thing like this happen, but I such a good time out on track it just doesn't really matter. I know that the hard work has been worth it, and that the poloquin diff and the 4WD are just so amazing at putting the power down that the car actually feels underpowered!

 

The crappy, half built phase has come to an end, I know what I need to do to make it spot on now. shame I haven't got a penny to do it with!

[TomB 0]

That sounds like an awesome track day, just a shame about having to go home on the truck. Still, like you say, you know what needs to be done to make it perfect, and there's no doubting that when it is, even the Shelby wont catch ya! :-)

[24V Renshaw 0]

Interesting read Paul. The fun of building a car where the bits don't belong together! :) Its the little bits and pieces after the major work that I enjoy, sorting out each little problem in turn and improving the drive each time!

 

Keep on it mate, VW take years to develop a car, so you are doing well so far! :)

 

Jay

[Tempest 0]

Ah, that was you at the PVW stand on Saturday (on Sunday they weren't even there anymore, just left a locked trailor behind :lol:), as my Mk1 was on Saturday at least, hidden away behind those 2 Mk4 Golfs that we had on our V-Dubs-United stand right next to you guys (against the wall, next to the Audi boys).

 

It's only when your Rado was on the PVW stand, that I actually bothered to go out and have a look at the track action ... Had I known : :roll:

 

Tempest