Mark, I still don’t understand (and there seem to be a few of us) the handicapped race.
That was race 2 right?
Congratulations to all! but especially to Sean and Gavin, both proving how good:
-can a well assembled K be
-the std S2 Exige is
-how good drivers they areWould have loved to be there but hey, can’t do everything.
Especially pleasant (to me) is seeing how the little and often slagged 1.8 Rover lump can be there at the top
Thanks guys.
Uldis - I too was happy to see the K doing well, I am assuming that the other cars were running Ks, hondas and audis ? Does anyone know how many of each type were on the grid ?
Thanks again.
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?action=attachment&tid=113249&pid=2617215
results are here - they also list the engine/tuner/team so you should be able to see the mix.
Looks like it was quite an event! Well done to all those who competed!
Just to say congrats to Sean, Gav, Evosal and the rest for a great day, including the organisers especially Mark and Paul. We all had a superb day, and thanks once more to Scuffers, got a couple of races in albeit not in the usual chariot. It was great fun to try and master the Elise again after that feeling of being on rails of the Exige.
Top job all round!
Mark, I still don’t understand (and there seem to be a few of us) the handicapped race.
That was race 2 right?
Race 2 was the Handicap race, and although there were some inconsistencies it did sort or work. The way it works is the handicappers take the fastest dry laps done by each driver and if they are all within 0.5 secs it’s quite easy for them. However if they are inconsistant then it’s more difficult.
From this they can work out how quickly they believe a driver will do the 20 laps, so for example if driver 1 takes 60secs the 20 laps will take 20 mins, however if driver 2 takes 61 secs, at the end of the race driver 2 would be 20 secs behind, therefore driver 2 is set off 20 secs before driver 1. If driver 3 does a lap in 63secs then driver 3 would be a full minute behind driver 1 after 20 laps, i.e. 1 lap, therefore driver 3 only has to do 19 laps to complete the race and he will set off in the same group as driver 1, if driver 4 takes 64 secs then he will set off beside driver 2 but will only do 19 laps.
The handicappers also take into account the drivers ability to get through traffic based on the result in race 1, so if a driver does well in race 1 they will be assumed to be perhaps quicker than their pure lap time suggests so may be set off 20secs later than was originally planned (this bit is down to the handicappers experience and software and I’m not going to pretend I understand that bit.
Where there was a problem on Saturday was with Christian who hadn’t sat in his car before getting to Brands so was getting constantly quicker throughout the day so he looked slower to begin with but was obviously quicker at the end so was faster that the handicappers thought he would be. They also believed that Sarah C was sandbagging so gave her a quicker time than she should have got.
If you look beyond Christians car the next 8 cars were all within 10secs and all the remainder of the grid were within 40secs (ignoring the issues with lap credits from the timekeepers) so they weren’t a long way off.
From this experience they will obviously have more info for future races, also at a longer circuit where the lap time is more than 54secs there will be less lapping of cars going on so it should be easier for the spectators and drivers to understand.
Mark,
Either way both races were brilliant, as in properly, overwhelming fantastic, the whole day was simply awesome, and all you LoT guys should be feeling thoroughly chuffed.
Well done and thanks!
David
So where do I start??
Well I suppose it all kicked off last Monday when I took the car down to Brands for a track day… Paddock hill bend for the first time, what a corker… (still not as exilerating as the first corner at cadwell though). I decided to break my Brands cherry on a trackday rather than on the test day before the race as I felt I would get more done in respects of learning the track. (also I didn’t want to show my hand too much, you know how it is, competion and all that ) Didnt get there til late and left at 3.00 so only got about 1 hr on circuit but felt I had learnt it enough to give me a good idea how the track lies.
So onto race day. I dont think all of the cars had even left the pits for qualifying and the reds were out for Dave Harvey stuck at the top of the bank going into druids, that was soon cleared mind and we were all back out and underway again. 20 minutes later and we have all done our best and eagerly awaiting to see the results. I must admit I was a little dis-heartened when the time sheet was made available…I was hoping to be in at least the top 5 of our class (preferably top 3). So to see myself backdown in 19th and 6th in class came as a sobering shock as to the level of competion out there. However examining the timing sheets closer it soon became apparent that the top 6 class ‘A’ cars all qualified within 0.2 of a second from the 1st to the 6th (me) and all sitting on the grid together from positions 14 - 19. All of a sudden I didnt feel so bad about it as this small time difference could be found from somwhere and it looked to become a 6 way race…Perfect!
Race 1…
I got off to a reasonably good start, although I had said to myself many times over before we started… ‘Gav, whatever else you do you must get through the first few corners without binning it or taking any one else off but also not to give too much away…’ As it was I think I made at least one place off the lights and kept it as tight as I could for the rest of the first lap…
To be quite honest, what with not knowing all of the cars and drivers I was at some loss as to who I was racing against and what class they wher in, although tbh I didnt care, if they where infront of me and in my way then they needed to be passed and that was all there was to it, As it happened thats exactly what I did until it seemed as there was just no-one left to pass. The modded cars were no where to be seen…
I tell ya, 20 minutes has never felt so long… perhaps it is becasue Brands is such a short lap and you do many of them but the flag couldnt have come sooner…
It wasnt until I had got back into teh garage that some geezer with a brands jacket on came and grabbed me to go to the podium… PODIUM!! Where did I finish?? 10th and 1st in class… Get ye ass up them steps lad!!
No way!!
So off to get my trophy and to stsand on the steps as so many famous drivers/riders have done before me… Cool
I must say though that afterwards I was somewhat disappointed that there were no dolly birds wearing skimpy lilttle outfits dishing out the awards and instead I got to shake hands with some old wrinkly (No offence mean’t Im sure you were very important but bring out the dancing girls next time please!!).
After the awards were given out I was just on my way back to my garage and the bird with the camera crew collar’d hold of me asking to give me an interview… that is about as much as I can remeber from that stage… Shite what did I say?? i havent got a F’ing clue now as I was so wrapped up in just winning the class race… should be good for a laugh when it is screened (if it is screened)…:hidesincorner:
Second race…
OH MY GOD!! The first lap was caos to the extreme!! sitting at the back of the grid in the second pack i actaully got a good start on the flag drop but found the guy sitting on the front row at a stand still… By this time I am well into launching the car in a forwardly fashion and have no choice but to take to the grass… One nightmare over only to be confronted by another… There walking on the grass is the guy with the starting flag moseying his way down the side of the track gazing at his stopwatch and not the start of the race!! Lucky his buddy next to him saw it happeing and dragged him back out of harms way!! Not a nice thing to experience!!.. Any hows manage to get through paddock, druids and graham hill ok only to be confronted with a VX220 at 90 across the track…I really dont know how i missed him from ther on in I had a good race with Paul hard in his s1 eklise until Russ came through which was an entaining few laps at teh end of the race… you just wait til I get a quicker car boyo!!
Highlights of the day for me were
Winning the class race at the opening round…
Beating a couple of the faster cars…
Making a move on Russ into paddock and him holding his ground around the outside… Nice
Just on a final note, congratulations to Sean for his class win also (exigers bringing home all the trophies, great stuff).
And a big thnks to all those for the words of encouragement especially that from the exige.com and nyloc crowd… you were all in the car there with me!!
Gav
The ‘wrinkly’ was Mike Kimberley, CEO of Lotus.
Nice one Gav: good to see someone upholding the S2 end.
Cracking report too.
Mark
Congratulations Gav!
Thought I would do a bit of a write up as Gav�s is such a cool read.
Well my weekend started on Friday morning at 6:30am when I jumped in a cab from the top of some mountain on the Swiss French border. That took me to some dodgy train station in a place called �Aime� I caught a train from there to a town called Chambery. From there I got in another cab to an airport just outside the town. I then caught the one flight out that day, which went to Southampton. I then ran to the train station and got on a train to Birmingham. Tony (one of my pit crew) picked me up from the station and drove me to my house. Wayne (the other one of my pit crew) and I then loaded the car on the trailer and finished loading the van. Then we picked Tony up and drove to Brands. I finally got a beer in my hand at 10:30pm (cheers Russ!!!)
Saturday morning wasn�t too much of a rush, we were up and at the track early and we only had a couple of things to do to the car before scruteneering which it duly passed.
Qualifying was a little fraught to be honest, John from Plans had made a best guess for the damper settings and tyre pressures and off we went. After we got going again following Dave Harvey�s red flag I managed to get a couple of quickish laps in before the tyres started to go horribly off. Plus my gearbox wouldn�t engage 5th gear every now and then and I was being easy on it by using the clutch. I came in after about 12 minutes and called it a day, thinking that there wasn�t really time to make any changes and very worried about my fu(*&^g gearbox. In the end I had qualified 6th.
Qualy times were:
- Andrew Walsh � 52.971
- David Harvey � 53.468
- Mark Funnell � 53.494
- Mark Gooday � 53.744
- David Skeggs � 53.891
- Sean Bicknell � 53.906
John made some changes to the setup for the first race and Tony and Wayne spanner checked the whole car and threw some fuel in.
I got an absolute flyer at the start of the first race, from 6th on the grid I was 2nd by the first corner and I managed to hold 2nd until just after the end of the 1st lap when the extra umph of Mark Funnells SC Honda got me down the straight. I held Dave Harvey off for another lap, but he got me into Druids with one of his three wheels on the grass manoeuvres. Lol. I had quite a good battle holding off Skeggsy until he had a bit of a spin I think. The gearbox was OK in the race only missing 5th about three times. I had gone for a no clutch strategy and the box seemed to like being treated hard!! In the end I got 4th only 1.3 seconds behind the more powerful and lot lighter car of David Harvey and only 8.1 seconds behind the SC Honda of Mark Funnell, so I was well chuffed with that.
There was a mix up with the car classes and they had me down in class C, and with my 1.8 I am only a Class B car, so I didn�t get on the podium in the first race. The trophy was given to Steve Williams, who then gave it to David Skeggs, who then gave it to me once we had the official results posted.
The lap times made interesting reading as my best race lap of 53.117 was only two tenths off Mark Funnells 52.873 and less than one tenth from David Harvey�s 52.924. Andrew Walsh�s 52.386 was still a little way off though. lol
The lads gave the car a quick check over and put some more fuel in. I had still been getting some understeer (although it was a million times better than in qualifying) in the race so John from Plans made a few more tweaks to all the dampers.
The second race was a bit of a nightmare, I lined up in the last but one group, starting some 30 seconds behind the first group and having to do one more lap than most of them. The flag guy was completely obscured by a car in front of me on the grid and I simply had to wait until the other car went before I knew it was time to go. The result of that minor panic was loads of wheel spin and a down right shitty start.
The rest of the race though was simply awesome. Skeggsy and I battled hammer and tong no more than a couple of car length between us for the whole race. Most of the time I don�t think there was more than a couple of inches between us and on a few occasions I thought I was going to touch him. Our cars were so evenly matched, down the straight, side by side there was absolutely nothing in it between us. My car would be quicker in some of the corners and Skeggsys quicker in others. He had made it to the first corner before me and as we weaved in and out of the slower cars I managed to get a tight line through clearways and edge my way up the inside onto the start finish straight, as I had the inside line I was the first into Paddock Hill bend, Skeggsy no more than an inch from my bumper. I held him off for a few laps and then I made a mistake. Coming onto the main straight there were two back markers in front of us having there own little battle, one slightly in front of the other, I went right and as I did the front most back marker went right also, that was it I was blocked in, I had the first back marker in front of me and the second back marker by the side of me, Skeggs at this stage had gone left and was in the clear. It took me a good three laps and the help of some further traffic to get back on his bumper and we crossed the line two tenths of a second apart. I can truly say it was the best track experience I have ever had. The gearbox had only missed 5th once so it looked like my brutal treatment had paid off.
The fastest lap times were interesting again:
- Mark Funnell � 52.430
- Andy Walsh � 52.764
- Sean Bicknell � 53.011
- David Harvey � 53.714
The result is still as big a mystery to me as anybody, I pulled into the garage and a guy came over and said Podium to me, I was like �what� on my walk down the pit lane, Christian had got the same treatment and was also as bemused as I. I called Skeggsy as he had crossed the line in front of me, surely he was on the podium too?? We all finally managed to find our way up there, where the official told us the results, with Christian first and me second, so god knows really what happened there. Also got interviewed and hadn�t really got a clue what I was saying, so just spewed some complete nonsense. Lol.
So all in all a great day and my car even drove itself onto the trailer!!! I seriously can�t remember the last time that happened. Lol. I reckon after all my bad luck in 2006, like I only finished the two Snett races, one of those with no alternator and the other jammed in 5th gear, I was due a good day and Saturday was certainly it!!!
Big thanks to Tony and Wayne for all there help over the winter prepping the car and on the day looking after it.
Big thanks to Plans Motorsport, especially John, for all of the help with the setup.
Big thanks to Simon Erland for putting my 1.8 together. Roll on the 2.0!!!
Thanks also to all of the well wishers and nice comments I have had, it all really means a lot!!!
Roll on Snett!!! Now where did I hide that jet engine?!?!?!
Just to let you lads know, the HUGE TSU gallery is up.
Top stuff Ben and Tap!
Well done guys, top day it was
my turn to be driving next time
Did anyone watch the demo runs by this guy - [image]tsuphoto.com - tsuphoto Resources and Information.
he was certainly giving it some beans - in total contrast to the 2-11 which was circulating very slowly…is that how you demonstarate a circuit car
Nice write up Sean !
… in total contrast to the 2-11 which was circulating very slowly…is that how you demonstarate a circuit car
To be fair to Lotus, that car is already sold to a customer (Patricko from elisetalk.com) I’m sure they would want to take it easy for his benefit.
Brendan
The one being “demonstrated” was plain white (didn’t look too god imho) ie not the one bought by PatrickO (which does look good!).
The rallycross exige apparently has a K-series with only 230bhp. Certainly looked and went like it had 430bhp, fastest thing out there all day.
Likewise…First and foremost well done to Sean and Gav, the whole field and the LOT team…a most excellent day Gents! Heres to continued success.
And thanks to Con for introducing me to all the Exiges regulars that he knew and Pesky for the rest!
Bruh/Pegbox…who’d 've though it. Hope it sounded well as I left the services and sorry I didnt see you later!
Lookforward to the next outing with what is a great forum
Congrats and thanks again!
PS Splitpin…I need that splitter AND that rear paned conversion…when can I book her in? Fantastic work!
the car sounded fantastic, nice and understated at idle, even as you pulled away it still sounded tasteful and not OTT.
Once you gave it some beans however, all hell let loose and it really sounded good. I need to find out if there is an outlet in germany for 2bulars products so i can get a TUV. Your GT� exhaust would be my choice.
nice to meet you and hope to see you again.