Spa
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erictharg
- Posts: 680
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:50 pm
Re: Spa
Not yet!
Race is on the 12th. Heading out Thursday 9th. See post in upgrades re. progress. Got tickets and "log book" with all the details. There is one Ginetta G4 running an Imp engine that is smaller than me. Otherwise it's MGB's and up to 935's, Astons, Jags...
What's your advice on route? A CAT guy who works near Brussels says just go via Brussels ring road - traffic is shit, but it is every other route.
Race is on the 12th. Heading out Thursday 9th. See post in upgrades re. progress. Got tickets and "log book" with all the details. There is one Ginetta G4 running an Imp engine that is smaller than me. Otherwise it's MGB's and up to 935's, Astons, Jags...
What's your advice on route? A CAT guy who works near Brussels says just go via Brussels ring road - traffic is shit, but it is every other route.
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sgrant
- Posts: 333
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:44 am
Re: Spa
Oops! Sorry.
I've only ever gone to Spa on Le Shuttle -> Calais -> Brussels ring road -> Spa. I've had very mixed experiences on the ring road, including sitting on it for 2 hours. Expect it's going to be slow, it usually is. If you have a decent satnav with you, try a detour once you get onto the ring road, if it's really bad. I remember doing this a few years ago and it took me off at the next available exit and then routed me over a few wierd backroads, badly surfaced, past some strange warehousing, round a few more corners and then back onto the main road, completely bypassing the ring road! No idea how/what but if it works it'll save you an hour and possibly a head gasket as well
I've only ever gone to Spa on Le Shuttle -> Calais -> Brussels ring road -> Spa. I've had very mixed experiences on the ring road, including sitting on it for 2 hours. Expect it's going to be slow, it usually is. If you have a decent satnav with you, try a detour once you get onto the ring road, if it's really bad. I remember doing this a few years ago and it took me off at the next available exit and then routed me over a few wierd backroads, badly surfaced, past some strange warehousing, round a few more corners and then back onto the main road, completely bypassing the ring road! No idea how/what but if it works it'll save you an hour and possibly a head gasket as well
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techbod
- Site Admin
- Posts: 311
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 10:25 am
Re: Spa
"I'm trying to recreate the spirirt of the 50's, 60's and 70's here."
So cloth cap, frilly shirt and a race suit made of a shiny man-made polyester* for erict then.....
*(A polyester race suit may have the slightly undesirable property of being extremely flammable, but I'm told you have to suffer for fashion)
So cloth cap, frilly shirt and a race suit made of a shiny man-made polyester* for erict then.....
*(A polyester race suit may have the slightly undesirable property of being extremely flammable, but I'm told you have to suffer for fashion)
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erictharg
- Posts: 680
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:50 pm
Re: Spa
Rene - good to meet you too. We got home with no problems, thanks. I hope you decide to race your Eleven also. Appreciate your interest and sending the CD. As discussed, we should aim for a Europe wide Elevens rendezvous sometime in 2012 maybe?
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erictharg
- Posts: 680
- Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:50 pm
Re: Spa Race Report
Race Report - Spa Francorchamps Summer Classic 12/13 June 2011
So, this was the big one. The (hopefully) highlight of my racing year. All the prep was done well in advance, so I ended up twiddling my thumbs and worry about what could go wrong during the week before the event.
Our "outfit" was me driving the Eleven and Austen as service barge in his T5R Estate. Had the great idea to head down to Maidstone service Wednesday evening to miss M25 rush hour and then catch an earlier ferry to avoid Brussels rush hour. The first bit worked OK but Thursday morning they decided to close the M20 at Folkstone leading to a frustrating hour of crawling along a diversion meaning we missed the 10:00 ferry by some 15 minutes.
Journey to Spa otherwise was pretty uneventful. Hit Brussels at rush hour but not as bad as rumoured - maybe we were lucky.
Got to the circuit at 19:30. Paddock already getting full. We found a spot towards the bottom end and pitched. Wandering around afterwards we found the rest of the SR> crew higher up had saved us a spot (thanks Ken), so we moved up there. No food on the go at the circuit to headed into Stavelot for a good meal and a few beers.
Friday was sign on and scrutineering, and pretty painless. Mostly worried about clothing. Over in 10 minutes. Spent the rest of the day checking out the other cars and walked around the circuit. Got my first view of Eau Rouge from the top, with the track disappearing from sight like some crazy roller coaster. there's 100 metres of elevation change around Spa. Also realised that the long straight (Kemmel) after Eau Rouge is up quite an incline. Worried about my engine pulling max revs in top up such a climb. Fantastically varied grids and races at the event.
Saturday was drivers briefing at 08:00 then out for 30 min practice at 09:00. Took it easy for a couple of laps getting a feel for the tyres and corners. Pulling about 6200 at the end of Kemmel so not too bad, and accelerating all the way. Lap 5 I pushed a little harder into Eau Rouge, and heard a horrible whine as I started up the far side. The sort of sound you get from a bearing before it seizes, so quick decision to hit the clutch and pull over at the top of the hill. Waiting for practice to finish at the marshall post assuming the worst. Not even sure if it would tow back. We gave it a try and the safety car pulled me all the way around the circuit back to the paddock. At least the new front tow point was worth fitting. By then I'd convinced myself it was the gearbox and trying to work out how to get it back home. I didn't bring a spare gearbox. Not good.
Pulled the body off and jacked up the read wheels and ran it through the gears. Sounded Ok. Shifted OK. Nothing falling off. Hmmm. Getting a bit of clunking in 4th but nothing I could pin down. Hoped it was a halfshaft or the diff as I had spares. Shafts OK. Diff feels OK. Drained the gearbox oil. No shrapnel. Pulled the diff. All fine. Then noticed bits of tyre rubber on the radius arm bolts. And matching grooves on the inside of the rear tyres. It had to be the bigger rear tyres catching the bolts under hard cornering. Re-filled the g/box and diff, put the road wheels back on and road tested it. All fine. Phew. Big relief. I can race and hopefully still get home. And I've done some preventative maintenance on the g/box and diff. Lesson learned: Don't make any big changes before a major race!
So now I'm faced with racing on my road tyres (the ones Avon call the "widowmakers"). Not ideal but possible. Just going to slide around an awful lot.
But I remember watching some classic FF guys racing earlier on. They run the same ACB9 tyres. If I could find someone who would sell me a pair of used front tyres I could run the smaller fronts all around. So we start asking and sure enough a young keen French driver (thanks Arnoud - I'm sure you don't usually get that much for used tyres but it worked for me) had a fresh set fitted for his next race and sold me his 2 race old pair for 150 Euros. George Polley swapped the tyres over and we are back in business.
Celebratory beer time. Went out with all the SR> crew for a meal. Talked tactics for the race. My best lap in practice had been 3:23 (I'd predicted between 3:20 and 3:15 based on GT Legends training). I was right behind Barry "Sideways" Smith, the veteran MGB racer who organises our participation in the event. Decided the smart move was to try and stick with him in the race.
The weather Friday and Saturday had been pretty grim. Cloudy and lots of rain showers. Bloody cold at night too. Sunday dawns clear and sunny. Race is at 11:20 so a leisurely start and trying to get my head straight and stay cool mentally. Lots of coffee and pain au chocolat. Breakfast of champions.
It's a rolling start so after forming up on the grid we do a formation lap, pulling up tight as we go through the chicane before the start line. Lights must be green because everyone is off. Straight into a huge traffic jam around La Source. No major bumps though and still got Barry in sight. First 2 or 3 laps going well. The cars behind me are staying there and the gap between me and Barry starting to reduce.
By about lap 6 I'm right on his tail and then manage to out drag him coming out of Stavelot. Stayed calm and started to build a lead. We have to do a mandatory pit stop for 1 minute. For Barry it's the minute and then off as he has a good sized fuel tank. For me it's out of the car, re-fuel then back off again. The stop goes well, adding about 10 litlres of fuel (thanks Austen - good job). Back in the car and right around the whole pit lane. Got back into the groove and after a few laps have re-passed the cars that were behind me and decide I'm going to take it easy to be sure to make it home OK. Nobody close behind other than faster cars lapping me. But then I see both Cheng (in the Lotus Esprit he's driving with John Dickson) and Barry's MGB in front of him. The fact I'm gaining on the Lotus means they have a problem - both Cheng and John are very quick drivers. I catch the Lotus and Cheng is trying hard but I get past him at La Source and stay in front through Eau Rouge. Then catch Barry and take him going into Fagnes.
Then it's about hanging on and hoping for the finish.
Fantastic feeling of relief when I see the chequered flag. We did it! Bit of drama after practice, but otherwise the car is amazing considering how close to stock it is. Much beer drinking and mutual congratulations all afternoon. All the SR> guys finish OK. Ken Culverwell was highest in his Mamba, just getting below 3 mins mark. The Esprit was suffering fuel starvation coming out of corners and high oil temp.
Checking the car over shows minimal oil used and the tyres are looking pretty sick. Like a bit of licquorice someone chewed up and spat out. Seems that asking a set of FF tyres to work on a car that is some 100KG heavier for a 61 mins race may be too much. They were great to drive on though.
Barry held a presentation for all the drivers (a trophy for everyone who entered) which is a nice touch. I thanked him for showing the way around the circuit. We ended up 17th out of 32 starters (excluding the Crossles, who are literally in a class of their own). Best lap was 3:16. Very pleased with both my performance and the car.
We got kicked out of the circuit Sunday night so stayed at an basic hotel in Stavelot. Saw Button do his bit in Canada to round the day off. Long day in the saddle Monday but no problems other than Kent Higways really trying to p*ss me off again by closing the entry back onto the M20 from Maidstone services and sending us around a tour of the traffic lights of Maidstone for 30 mins. Bastards!
Brilliant weekend. Next time though it will have to be on a trailer! Having to drive home is impacting how hard I drive on the race, plus it's bloody tiring. the question is how soon can I afford to go again?
Next race Donington on 2nd July. Another new circuit for me.
So, this was the big one. The (hopefully) highlight of my racing year. All the prep was done well in advance, so I ended up twiddling my thumbs and worry about what could go wrong during the week before the event.
Our "outfit" was me driving the Eleven and Austen as service barge in his T5R Estate. Had the great idea to head down to Maidstone service Wednesday evening to miss M25 rush hour and then catch an earlier ferry to avoid Brussels rush hour. The first bit worked OK but Thursday morning they decided to close the M20 at Folkstone leading to a frustrating hour of crawling along a diversion meaning we missed the 10:00 ferry by some 15 minutes.
Journey to Spa otherwise was pretty uneventful. Hit Brussels at rush hour but not as bad as rumoured - maybe we were lucky.
Got to the circuit at 19:30. Paddock already getting full. We found a spot towards the bottom end and pitched. Wandering around afterwards we found the rest of the SR> crew higher up had saved us a spot (thanks Ken), so we moved up there. No food on the go at the circuit to headed into Stavelot for a good meal and a few beers.
Friday was sign on and scrutineering, and pretty painless. Mostly worried about clothing. Over in 10 minutes. Spent the rest of the day checking out the other cars and walked around the circuit. Got my first view of Eau Rouge from the top, with the track disappearing from sight like some crazy roller coaster. there's 100 metres of elevation change around Spa. Also realised that the long straight (Kemmel) after Eau Rouge is up quite an incline. Worried about my engine pulling max revs in top up such a climb. Fantastically varied grids and races at the event.
Saturday was drivers briefing at 08:00 then out for 30 min practice at 09:00. Took it easy for a couple of laps getting a feel for the tyres and corners. Pulling about 6200 at the end of Kemmel so not too bad, and accelerating all the way. Lap 5 I pushed a little harder into Eau Rouge, and heard a horrible whine as I started up the far side. The sort of sound you get from a bearing before it seizes, so quick decision to hit the clutch and pull over at the top of the hill. Waiting for practice to finish at the marshall post assuming the worst. Not even sure if it would tow back. We gave it a try and the safety car pulled me all the way around the circuit back to the paddock. At least the new front tow point was worth fitting. By then I'd convinced myself it was the gearbox and trying to work out how to get it back home. I didn't bring a spare gearbox. Not good.
Pulled the body off and jacked up the read wheels and ran it through the gears. Sounded Ok. Shifted OK. Nothing falling off. Hmmm. Getting a bit of clunking in 4th but nothing I could pin down. Hoped it was a halfshaft or the diff as I had spares. Shafts OK. Diff feels OK. Drained the gearbox oil. No shrapnel. Pulled the diff. All fine. Then noticed bits of tyre rubber on the radius arm bolts. And matching grooves on the inside of the rear tyres. It had to be the bigger rear tyres catching the bolts under hard cornering. Re-filled the g/box and diff, put the road wheels back on and road tested it. All fine. Phew. Big relief. I can race and hopefully still get home. And I've done some preventative maintenance on the g/box and diff. Lesson learned: Don't make any big changes before a major race!
So now I'm faced with racing on my road tyres (the ones Avon call the "widowmakers"). Not ideal but possible. Just going to slide around an awful lot.
But I remember watching some classic FF guys racing earlier on. They run the same ACB9 tyres. If I could find someone who would sell me a pair of used front tyres I could run the smaller fronts all around. So we start asking and sure enough a young keen French driver (thanks Arnoud - I'm sure you don't usually get that much for used tyres but it worked for me) had a fresh set fitted for his next race and sold me his 2 race old pair for 150 Euros. George Polley swapped the tyres over and we are back in business.
Celebratory beer time. Went out with all the SR> crew for a meal. Talked tactics for the race. My best lap in practice had been 3:23 (I'd predicted between 3:20 and 3:15 based on GT Legends training). I was right behind Barry "Sideways" Smith, the veteran MGB racer who organises our participation in the event. Decided the smart move was to try and stick with him in the race.
The weather Friday and Saturday had been pretty grim. Cloudy and lots of rain showers. Bloody cold at night too. Sunday dawns clear and sunny. Race is at 11:20 so a leisurely start and trying to get my head straight and stay cool mentally. Lots of coffee and pain au chocolat. Breakfast of champions.
It's a rolling start so after forming up on the grid we do a formation lap, pulling up tight as we go through the chicane before the start line. Lights must be green because everyone is off. Straight into a huge traffic jam around La Source. No major bumps though and still got Barry in sight. First 2 or 3 laps going well. The cars behind me are staying there and the gap between me and Barry starting to reduce.
By about lap 6 I'm right on his tail and then manage to out drag him coming out of Stavelot. Stayed calm and started to build a lead. We have to do a mandatory pit stop for 1 minute. For Barry it's the minute and then off as he has a good sized fuel tank. For me it's out of the car, re-fuel then back off again. The stop goes well, adding about 10 litlres of fuel (thanks Austen - good job). Back in the car and right around the whole pit lane. Got back into the groove and after a few laps have re-passed the cars that were behind me and decide I'm going to take it easy to be sure to make it home OK. Nobody close behind other than faster cars lapping me. But then I see both Cheng (in the Lotus Esprit he's driving with John Dickson) and Barry's MGB in front of him. The fact I'm gaining on the Lotus means they have a problem - both Cheng and John are very quick drivers. I catch the Lotus and Cheng is trying hard but I get past him at La Source and stay in front through Eau Rouge. Then catch Barry and take him going into Fagnes.
Then it's about hanging on and hoping for the finish.
Fantastic feeling of relief when I see the chequered flag. We did it! Bit of drama after practice, but otherwise the car is amazing considering how close to stock it is. Much beer drinking and mutual congratulations all afternoon. All the SR> guys finish OK. Ken Culverwell was highest in his Mamba, just getting below 3 mins mark. The Esprit was suffering fuel starvation coming out of corners and high oil temp.
Checking the car over shows minimal oil used and the tyres are looking pretty sick. Like a bit of licquorice someone chewed up and spat out. Seems that asking a set of FF tyres to work on a car that is some 100KG heavier for a 61 mins race may be too much. They were great to drive on though.
Barry held a presentation for all the drivers (a trophy for everyone who entered) which is a nice touch. I thanked him for showing the way around the circuit. We ended up 17th out of 32 starters (excluding the Crossles, who are literally in a class of their own). Best lap was 3:16. Very pleased with both my performance and the car.
We got kicked out of the circuit Sunday night so stayed at an basic hotel in Stavelot. Saw Button do his bit in Canada to round the day off. Long day in the saddle Monday but no problems other than Kent Higways really trying to p*ss me off again by closing the entry back onto the M20 from Maidstone services and sending us around a tour of the traffic lights of Maidstone for 30 mins. Bastards!
Brilliant weekend. Next time though it will have to be on a trailer! Having to drive home is impacting how hard I drive on the race, plus it's bloody tiring. the question is how soon can I afford to go again?
Next race Donington on 2nd July. Another new circuit for me.