Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
TomB

Survived my first track day...

Recommended Posts

Well after a fun Saturday at Elvington, I now feel happier with what the VR can & can't do. I'm also happy that out of the 3 of us that went, I came away with the smallest repair bill (so far). I was easily the slowest of the 3 of us, but then I wasn't prepared to go absolutely all out in the pursuit of the fastest lap EVAH (that's what the Capri will be for) :)

Here's a photo for the car nutters among you to identify the other two:

 

3 amigos.jpg[/attachment:1pzwj8qo]

 

Cheers,

T

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Very cool - again, would love to get the C on a real track rather than having to settle for the TT course!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well worth it i must say, and the most important thing to remember is that there's nothing to prove to anyone. I spent the morning short shifting, gently washing out to hints of tyre squeak, and just getting a really good feel for the car that in a way that I wouldn't do on the road. The afternoon session was a little more...active, but nothing that upset the car (kept a constant eye on oil & water temps) etc.

I recommend doing an open pit lane session rather than one in 20 minute stints. That way you can can do as many or as few laps as you want.

Cheers,

T

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good eyes people, it is indeed a GTi-6 Rallye driven by my Capri co-conspirator. 3corsameal, its a standard 2l n/a pushing out about 170bhp, and will I'm ashamed to say knock the spots of my VR. That's partly down to the talent of the chap driving it (or his willingness to press on harder than me) and partly down to its excellent handling and weight distribution. He was keeping up with (and passing) all sorts including an Impreza, a Caterham, an old Maserati and a number of other things!

The S2 Elise is in a different league though. I've driven it on the road and it's superb, but on the track, it is just phenomenal. It was probably the quickest thing there (including the spaceframe V8 with a Mondeo shell & the M5).

I'll upload some more photos in a bit.

 

Cheers,

Tom

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A friend had a GTI-6 which I used to drive alot and they are very impressive cars, make a great noise too.

The rallye is basically a lighter GTI-6 isnt it?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
A friend had a GTI-6 which I used to drive alot and they are very impressive cars, make a great noise too.

The rallye is basically a lighter GTI-6 isnt it?

 

It is, keep-fit windows and everything. Weirdly however, the one in this photo has air con (along with a superb exhaust & I agree about the noise).

 

Cheers,

Tom

 

Post Hoon Shadows.jpg[/attachment:tq3ciduk]

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good stuff :D

 

The Peugeot XU9 engine series have pheonominally well flowing cylinder heads for a production 16v. I shoehorned an XU9J4 (aka Mi16) into my old 205 GTi, and it was insane! 1.9 litre and 160hp as standard, that's 84hp per litre :shock: 34.6mm inlet valves equal a lot of power from a roadgoing engine.

 

The only head that outflows it would be the Cosworth YB; although i'm guessing the 20v might flow near as well... and perhaps some other more recent engines.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I love track days and this is what I use, it's rusty and people don't think it will be quick, at Cadwell a 205 Pug Mi16 found out to it's cost lol. The great thing is that if it breaks it just gets improved and the engine takes a hell of a caning and it does not bat an eyelid (other than throw oil out of the breather)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Only a few 'after' shots I'm afraid, I did have the opportunity to purchase shots of the Corrado cocking its rear wheel, but there were only a couple of good photos, and I didn't want to pay £20 for the privilege!

If you'd like to see them though, I'll post them up...

Cheers,

Tom

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My mistake in the original post (apologies) it's an S2 Exige with the 220bhp superecharged Toyota unit. The colour looks much better in the metal (or should that be fibreglass) than in the photos but I'm going to make that point to the owner to wind him up :)

Cheers,

T

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...