First Race - In Car.
 

Not sure if this is the right spot for this thread but after all the questions and advice given from this thread and all the members (thank you) I figure its a good place to start - mods move if necessary.

So first car race ever. First time on track in the wet ever, first time on these tyres in the wet ever....

was a lot to take in! (and I was crapping myself... )

race 1 - part 1 (race starts around 6 mins 0 missus gives a pep talk prior to that (she could tell I was basically shitting myself, she's a great girl!)



race 1 - part 2

oops, not sure why it listed them twice....?

Also vids are NOT upside when played.

Attached is a photo of qualifying...a little wet!

qualified 3rd of 16 :fawk: (am a little proud of that... :) )

Car only ran 7lbs boost as had previousley had issues with IC intake hose popping off at 11-12lbs.

Changed to the 3.9 torsen 2 diff and didn't like the feel or the ratio, fell off power in 2 corners and struggled to get back in to it....

So a few changes to make and should go a bit better....

Congrats!

You're going to need good luck with a cage like that.

Respectfully speaking considering you're more of a man than me for racing the car and doing it in nasty conditions the first time, you have to do something about your seating position. You look horribly uncomfortable and we can see it in your hands.

Popping your cherry feels great lol

Way to go, your confidence will grow so will your lap times decrease

Happy Hunting

I like the moral support talk girl :D

You would NOT believe the bullshit we had to go through to even get a cage in the car within this F'ing stupid "Sporting Bodies" rules.....

In saying that, what part are you refferring to ...?

Also interested in this comment.....I have a feeling the wheel is a bit small but being 6'2" and 104kg's means space (leg room, arm room) is a premium (also a significant part of the cage drama).

Ideally the seat would be relocated 15-20mm towards the centre of the car, this would provide head room away from the roll cage padding (with helmet) in corners and help in not being cramped.

All of which being 5' 10" or less would make a lot easier!

But thank you guys for the comments, much appreciated!

Next one is 6 weeks away. I hope to have the turbo running at a 11-13 psi after fixing the IC pipe from popping off. Hopefully be a bit more competitive to the faster guys then....we'll see.

PS - The missus is very embarrassed of her cameo but the vid clip was so high res (one above 1080p), nothing I had could edit it. I told her everyone would skip to the racing :giggle:

That cage is terrible. No door bars (lol) no diagonal in the roof, and that's all I can see. I would not race this car. A bad cage design is worse than no cage at all.

Cut into the trans-tunnel and center yourself, you must be comfortable in this car. It looks like you have really long legs, don't be afraid to scoot back and use a steering-wheel spacer. It looks like your quads touch the steering-wheel and because you're sitting so high you're shuffle-steering. Your hand position is miserable throughout the vid because when you turn the wheel your hands are up in your tea-bags. Do we need to have the "shuffle-steering talk" with you?

I use the front OEM seat bolts and cut-out the rear humps, then bolted to the floor. I'm 5'11" with a 30-31" inseam making me all torso and my eyes are even with the tops of the mirrors.

Again, you are doing more manly shit than me so take what I say with a grain of salt...I guess.

Hey, another perspective is worth it's weight in gold.

So bare in mind this is still a road car with a bit of track thrown in....the rules for door bars would have made entry virtually impossible (let alone in a semi DD...)

I have purchased some later NA doors with door bars for "race use". This will involve removing window mech and stripping out but I presume intrusion bar doors are better than not...?

Steering wheel IS on a quick detach so is back 2" (?) -- metric country...approx 50-60cm's. I have a 32-33 inside leg so seat is fully back against rear wall.....these are all the issues we tried real hard to balance against the regs.

As it is a road car I was very keen on retaining the sliding mech but this is open for consideration over the next 6 months....

Any and all suggestions to making car safer/faster welcome....I need to have a talk about my t28 not spooling decently before 3800-4000 as well...but this will be another thread....I think I might do alright in this class if I can sort out a few things (driver included)....Be good to have an mx5 at the pointy end in this country again.

Unfrotunately I think we DO need to have the Steering Wheel shuffle conversation (or point me to a thread...) my life has been racing 2 wheels so 2 more wheels and a steering wheel are a bit new to me (excluding many years of R factor.. :) )

Looks like a fun track!

Positives: Looking fairly smooth with the wheel – some seesaw, but not bad. Power steering or manual rack? You also get both hands back on the wheel after a shift - I tend to slack on this at times.

To work on: Looks like you have a tendency to turn in early in some spots - especially after the grand stands. Maybe this was a function of the wet weather and fear of the rear coming around. Yet I work a bit more on late apex in some spots.

Additionally you seem pretty consistent on hitting the apex while in traffic, but seem to wander some while solo.

Good luck with the next one and have fun!

Absolute kill the slider.

Savington and I steer the car the same way. My left (your right) hand never, ever moves the entire time I'm in the car. The only time my right hand moves is to change gears and then it goes precisely back to where it was before. This way, you don't have to look at the wheel to know steering-angle, you know where it is based-upon where your arms are and it becomes a motor function when applying brake and throttle . More steering angle always means softer brake pressure and less throttle angle.

Some people say it doesn't matter and they think shuffle steering is okay, those guys are slow and probably stupid.

This is a troll post, right?

Troll post? He wanted feedback. For example Video 2 of 3 - 2:14, 3:10, 3:55-58. I guess the "experts" up here stare at the cabin and not ahead thru the windsheild.

Yes, seating position is really important because that's how you control the car, lolol.

Thanks Kid, Yes this is the second time soemone has pointed out the early entry thing. It is something I have to work on. This is the second time I have driven with not stock sway bars so the car staying composed with later turn in is something I am still getting a feel for.

In saying that the track was a lot wetter /slippery than the video shows so being smooth and not having the decent turn in grip was a factor. Fear was another thing, that 1 st turn (after grandstand) has a wicked off camber (or maybe exaggerated crown is a better description) if you stay out wide too long there you STAY out wide and barely keep on the track....I notice some people do have a wide entry line there (perhaps a Frt WD thing?) so for future passing opportunities I intend to practice the wider entry line....

As for the missing apex's when alone.....I suspect that is trying to be to daredevil under brakes. It seemed to be the only place I could gain any time, but of course trying to hard or not getting it perfect loses it again on exit. A trait I have in Rfactor as well...!!!

Appreciate your insight, thanks.

looks fun!