The bad day at the office continued but it did get better before it got worse. As I mentioned in my previous blog I eventually narrowed my mis-fire down to being the rev counter and as such from there on it should have been a walk in the park to fix. (Ha Ha). A new rev counter (bigger and better and more expensive) was ordered and duly fitted in the week after the last race of 6 June. All other minor and trivial checks were diligently performed where after on Saturday the 19th 'Mr Datsun' took it to the track to test and only to discover that the misfire was still prevalent above 7000RPM and in addition he was notified that the Datti was smoking unusually. So back to the workshop it went and on the Sunday it was stripped down entirely. The crank was attended to, new bearings, rings and even valve guides replaced. Urrrr.....what has that got to do with a misfire??? Dunno. The carburettors were stripped.....again.....cleaned.....again, serviced and finally put together again. By Wednesday late afternoon all the parts had been returned and assembly could now at last begin. In the interim I had arranged to have a complete new electronic distributor done complete with electronic module and coil, all pre-wired and ready to simply put in. I arrived that Wednesday evening (due to heavy soccer world cup flights already pre booked closer to the weekend) and by 22h00 that evening she was fired up. This time we had now put back half of the mods that were originally put on and then taken off in search for the misfire we had encountered on the 6th June. All satisfied with the assembly we let the engine run hot where after we switch off and went home. Thursday morning at 06hoo the under carriage was washed clean, re-torqued the head and the new electronic dizzy was fitted WITH new plug wires, new distributor cap and a new rotor. New ignition wiring was also done, an additional earth strap was made and attached to the engine casing. Again everything was tested and all sounded OK. What more could we still do. OH yes....fit the new SQP rev counter. Such was done with great attention to detail and great care to the wiring thereof. Once done a further test was again done and you will not believe it, the rev counter after all of this was still jumping erratically as it did before we started this whole effort that we had now gone to. F$%^^&*ck me what a waste of time.
Ok, calming down, we scratched our heads and started a process of elimination. First we also then noticed the alternator charging light not coming on when switching on the ignition. We disconnected the alternator and still the same resulting erratic jumping of the rev counter. Eventually frustration got the better of us and we called upon an auto electrician to provide further assistance. The charging module was subsequently also found to be faulty and was duly replaced. Now the charging light at least worked correctly. We demonstrated the erratic rev counter issue we were still faced with and even he (the sparky) was eventually puzzled by it all after all we'd done. Even the digital Alfano timer which incorporates a built rev counter was now also erratic as was the analogue rev counter. To cut a long story 'square', the 'sparky' then requested that we remove all external attached devices and only connect the timing light which had its own rev counter. We obliged as requested and again fired up. Smooth as can be. We then attached the new rev counter just bought and there it was back again. Final proof that 2 rev counters later, one used and one new, both had the same fault condition. We scrounged an old Mallory rev counter last used in 'Mr Datsuns' oval track days, wired it up and 'wha la'......we're back in business. It was now 16h00 on the Thursday afternoon. I attached the A-frame and hastily took it to the track to do the final test. By lap 3 I finally confirmed that all the gremlins had now been resolved and parked the car at last satisfied, washed it and put it back into the garage. As my tyres were of substandard rubber by now, I did NOT practice on the Friday so as to try and save what I could of the now defunct slick tyres and of which there is simply NONE in the entire country to buy.
Saturday Morning it was up early as per usual and down to the track. The car was fueled (minimally) and the tyre pressures adjusted accordingly. At o8h30 we had our qualifying session and the gremlins of a different nature were still upon me. On lap 1 going into turn 5 the car simply died (mors dood, vrek) and I was not able to restart it. I coasted into the pit and was further pushed to the pit garage. Eventually after a while it fired again and for some unknown reason which I cannot explain it was OK thereafter. I somehow hoped and prayed it was a shortage of fuel although I have doubt upon such theory. Race 1 was off at 10h30 but somewhat delayed due to a huge oil spillage which then first had to be cleaned up. We were then again afforded 2 warm up laps after the oil had been cleaned up and not having officially qualified or having posted a time I was rightfully placed at the back of class B and as such found myself right behind the HUGE back bumper of the V8 Studabaker, that of Andre Mouton, next to him Dave Alhadeff in the 2.0l Alfa GT with both 2.0l Scirocco's ahead of the 2 of them. I was tucked right up to Moutons back bumper and at lights out I nailed the 'loud peddle' and dived in between the Studabaker and the Alfa going into turn 1 and managed to take the V8 Stud before turn 1. Alhadeff in the Alfa held the inside line goinmg into T2 and I took to his outside holding him right through and I managed to take him going through the 'kink' and lead him into T3. At every conceivable corner I was tail sliding into the corner loosing time and feeling somewhat uncomfortable. I simply put it down to the worn tyres. What do I know afterall? On lap 5 I must have over done it going into T3 and the back simply got away having no grip (or so I thought) and resulted that I clipped the new T3 inside 'shark teeth' sidelining me with a damaged left front lower control arm. Although we had spares, the state of the tyres simply didn't warrant that we make all the effort and possibly have a bigger disaster through negligence or poor decision making. (I have also just been informed while still typing this blog that the likely result of my spin in T3 was as a result of either the lock diff or a side shaft breaking with drive now only to 1 wheel as confirmed by 'Mr Datsun.)
That allowed us to then spectate the rest of the day in T3 in the icy cold wind along with some die hard classic car supporters.
The moral of the story is, The Datsun GX and NOT the driver is still BOSS at this stage!!
A huge thank you again to my boet for making all the effort during the week and at night to get my car back on track for which I am forever grateful. Our next race will be the PE Ford & Friends Festival after which we will only be back at Killarney (by forceful persuasion) on 4th September.
Thanks ' Boet'
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Sunday, 06 June 2010
A bad day at the Office
It was bound to happen at some point in time. By all counts literally everything has always gone without any major hassle on almost every race day that I've competed in. Well, this one was different. Quite a bit of trick work was done on the Datti between the last race and this one done on 5 June. Nothing out of the ordinary was done either and merely included implementation of a multi spark distributor with rev limiting capabilities and a device to better control carburetor air flow efficiency. At least that was the planned and desired outcome of the modifications done. Fridays weather was overcast with cool air in circulation. We arrived at the track just before noon in order to do final prep for the afternoon practice sessions. The 140Z required a change in tyre from the 10" variety to a more subdued 8" variety. Some minor fastening was required but otherwise was ready to be tested. The Datti was as ready as ever with only tyre pressures and fuel requirements before taking to the track.
Our first session was out 13h40 but was somewhat delayed due to an earlier oil spill on track. We eventually took to the track eventually at 14h30. From almost word go, there appeared a hesitancy at around 7000RPM which has previously proved to have been dirt in the fuel system. After 3 laps it was apparent it was not going to clear and I duly proceeded to the pit complex. Again a strip down of the carbs was done and lo and behold dirt was again encountered in the float bowls but this time none in the needle and seat or banjos. The carbs were drained, cleaned and put together again. The air jets were changed for a slightly richer setting.
The 140Z on the other hand showed it was still well in contention albeit with a smaller foot print. No further testing would be required and the 140Z was put to rest for the day. I again took to the track at 16h00 for our last session only to find the same (misfire) problem still present. Again I returned to pit. This time the plugs were changed, just in case. The timing was again duly checked and the distributor was checked for any excessive wear/play on the rotor. The implemented air flow device was now removed as well. Everything else appeared normal and within acceptable allowances. All checks done seemed fine and she cleanly revved to 7000RPM. We would now have to wait for the morning during qualifying. A traditional 'braai' was had along with a few well deserved beverages.
Saturday morning and we got to the track at sparrows (06h15) and again prepped the cars for qualifying. By sunrise it was blatantly clear that early morning mist was present and resulted that qualifying was eventually abandoned for safety reasons. That left us in no better position for the race. Our first race was at 10h40 and the grid was now determined from our finishing results from our last race on May 8. As such I found I was now the meat in the Scirroco sandwich in class B with Sandro Biccari ahead and Johan Swart behind of me. I was now on new batting turf. A normal rolling start was done in which I got away cleanly and ahead of the class B cars but coming out of turn 2 the misfire was now again there at around 7000Rpm and getting worse by all accounts. It seemed to last longer and was more noticeable. I returned to the pits after the very first lap somewhat dejected by it all. The 140Z on the other hand was not in the same league as the Porsche of Keith Rose this time around due to being on the 8" tyres but none the less still put up another class X time of 1:22.8 thus ensuring his further participation therein. I in the meantime started stripping the carbs again in hope of finding more dirt. The 'Guru' eventually returned to take over from my endeavor and it was clear that ideas as to the problem were now becoming perplexing. We drained the very last drop of fuel, cleaned the tank, checked the fuel filter, removed the fuel header tank, cleaned it thoroughly, and again cleaned carbs which turned out to be perfectly clean anyway. We put that all together again and decided to go back to basics by further removing the newly installed multi spark distributor. We put the standard coil back and now hoped for the best. All our new imposed modification now came to naught after all of that. We now hoped that race 2 would be back to normal in which we would now start from the back of the field in position 23 by my own choice.
Our last race was at 15h15 and all and any pressure was now off me due to our mishaps. Everything seemed OK until I again hit just above 7000RPM when the misfire was again present. Damn, damn, damn I screamed inside my helmet. I tried to now do a final process of elimination and noticed firstly that if I backed off slightly the miss cleared. If I further accelerated it would again appear once reaching just over 7000RPM. Could it be carburation after all of this? I continued until I eventually noticed that as soon as the rev counter went over 7000RPM it suddenly shot to 10000, then back to 7000, again back to 11000. I suspected the shift control and turned this off with no change, then completely on also with no difference. All during this time I still managed to catch the class E and most of the class D guys but was unable to do so getting beyond 7000RPM. In a final and desperate attempt I tried to physically break the wiring going to the rev counter but was unable to reach the wiring sufficiently due to being strapped in and I eventually abandoned the attempt. The positive was that I finished the race and made up 11 places after all of that and still with a misfire. I can now only put it down to being a faulty rev counter which we will replace for the next race. A very frustrating weekend indeed.
The 140Z was having no such problems on the other hand and made a thoroughly enjoyable race with the other class X and class A guys, which from reports received, had the spectators most excited. The 140Z will now undergo engine maintenance for it's next encounter which will be in Port Elizabeth on the 14th August.
We'll show that Datti who's boss next time out Boet, you better believe it!!
Thanks 'Boet'
Our first session was out 13h40 but was somewhat delayed due to an earlier oil spill on track. We eventually took to the track eventually at 14h30. From almost word go, there appeared a hesitancy at around 7000RPM which has previously proved to have been dirt in the fuel system. After 3 laps it was apparent it was not going to clear and I duly proceeded to the pit complex. Again a strip down of the carbs was done and lo and behold dirt was again encountered in the float bowls but this time none in the needle and seat or banjos. The carbs were drained, cleaned and put together again. The air jets were changed for a slightly richer setting.
The 140Z on the other hand showed it was still well in contention albeit with a smaller foot print. No further testing would be required and the 140Z was put to rest for the day. I again took to the track at 16h00 for our last session only to find the same (misfire) problem still present. Again I returned to pit. This time the plugs were changed, just in case. The timing was again duly checked and the distributor was checked for any excessive wear/play on the rotor. The implemented air flow device was now removed as well. Everything else appeared normal and within acceptable allowances. All checks done seemed fine and she cleanly revved to 7000RPM. We would now have to wait for the morning during qualifying. A traditional 'braai' was had along with a few well deserved beverages.
Saturday morning and we got to the track at sparrows (06h15) and again prepped the cars for qualifying. By sunrise it was blatantly clear that early morning mist was present and resulted that qualifying was eventually abandoned for safety reasons. That left us in no better position for the race. Our first race was at 10h40 and the grid was now determined from our finishing results from our last race on May 8. As such I found I was now the meat in the Scirroco sandwich in class B with Sandro Biccari ahead and Johan Swart behind of me. I was now on new batting turf. A normal rolling start was done in which I got away cleanly and ahead of the class B cars but coming out of turn 2 the misfire was now again there at around 7000Rpm and getting worse by all accounts. It seemed to last longer and was more noticeable. I returned to the pits after the very first lap somewhat dejected by it all. The 140Z on the other hand was not in the same league as the Porsche of Keith Rose this time around due to being on the 8" tyres but none the less still put up another class X time of 1:22.8 thus ensuring his further participation therein. I in the meantime started stripping the carbs again in hope of finding more dirt. The 'Guru' eventually returned to take over from my endeavor and it was clear that ideas as to the problem were now becoming perplexing. We drained the very last drop of fuel, cleaned the tank, checked the fuel filter, removed the fuel header tank, cleaned it thoroughly, and again cleaned carbs which turned out to be perfectly clean anyway. We put that all together again and decided to go back to basics by further removing the newly installed multi spark distributor. We put the standard coil back and now hoped for the best. All our new imposed modification now came to naught after all of that. We now hoped that race 2 would be back to normal in which we would now start from the back of the field in position 23 by my own choice.
Our last race was at 15h15 and all and any pressure was now off me due to our mishaps. Everything seemed OK until I again hit just above 7000RPM when the misfire was again present. Damn, damn, damn I screamed inside my helmet. I tried to now do a final process of elimination and noticed firstly that if I backed off slightly the miss cleared. If I further accelerated it would again appear once reaching just over 7000RPM. Could it be carburation after all of this? I continued until I eventually noticed that as soon as the rev counter went over 7000RPM it suddenly shot to 10000, then back to 7000, again back to 11000. I suspected the shift control and turned this off with no change, then completely on also with no difference. All during this time I still managed to catch the class E and most of the class D guys but was unable to do so getting beyond 7000RPM. In a final and desperate attempt I tried to physically break the wiring going to the rev counter but was unable to reach the wiring sufficiently due to being strapped in and I eventually abandoned the attempt. The positive was that I finished the race and made up 11 places after all of that and still with a misfire. I can now only put it down to being a faulty rev counter which we will replace for the next race. A very frustrating weekend indeed.
The 140Z was having no such problems on the other hand and made a thoroughly enjoyable race with the other class X and class A guys, which from reports received, had the spectators most excited. The 140Z will now undergo engine maintenance for it's next encounter which will be in Port Elizabeth on the 14th August.
We'll show that Datti who's boss next time out Boet, you better believe it!!
Thanks 'Boet'
Sunday, 09 May 2010
Guess who turned 21
Perhaps this is a good time to pay homage to someone who not only puts his money where his mouth is but actually delivers the goods and undoubtedly deserves more credit than is actually given. Not only did he choose to drop the compression ratio of his race car by a substantial margin so as to improve the reliability of his 4-cylinder engine, as well as to duly comply with breakout rule requirements, but he was equally determined to prove a further point by actually starting from the back of the grid instead of just the back of the class. In order to ensure optimum performance though you have to have a good handling race car and he therefore paid extra carefully attention this time to the handling department in every aspect. Having chosen to start from the back of the grid, it was therefore futile to qualify as it would serve no purpose in this instance.
Race 1 was off at 09h45 or thereabout with no warm-up formation lap. It was an out lap and a formation lap all in one and when the pace car pulled off, it was go. The 140Z carved its way through the field like a hot knife through butter and by lap 4 he was already in second place with only the Porsche of Keith Rose still in the distance. By the end of the race the Porsche managed to stay ahead and win by exactly 1 second. In the interim, the Datsun 140Z had posted a personal best time of 1:21.6. (That didn't help getting out of class X though.) Never ever has a 4-cylinder normally aspirated 8 valve engined saloon car been recorded doing such times at Killarney. You can say what you want to, but at the end of the day you simply have to admire the mans masterful race engine and race car preparation ability which is slowly proving unsurpassed at club racing level. What makes it even more amazing, is that it fully complies in every aspect of the rules with period part rule requirements having been met and having been duly verified as such by the technical committee.
Race 2 now saw the Datsun 140Z standing second on the grid next to the Porsche RSR. The start was again the same as the first. The German engineered flat six rudely stormed off and was soon hounded by the Japanese Datsun 140Z. At every opportunity that the Datsun had tried at to make a pass, the Porsche blocked the attempt. On lap 4 he tried it once too often and upon entering T3 the Datsun stuck his nose in as the Porsche does not have the cornering ability nor the corner speed to stay with the Datsun going through there. They approached T4 side by side, the Porsche on the outside the Datsun on the inside. Keith tried to cut across the Datsun but this time found the left front bumper in mid corner and came off second best. (As I recall, that was the second coming together with the Porsche RSR). The long and the short of it was that the Datsun walked the race by 5 seconds with the Porsche RSR knowing full well he'd been beaten fair and square by a superior car and driver.
On a similar path was the little Datsun GX Coupe now still in class C. Mr 'Datsun Guru' still having a book full of tricks up his sleeve had other ideas of me remaining there. Again changes were made between the last race meeting and this one but this time nothing further was done in the power plant department. Upon my arrival on the Friday I was greeted with a complete set of new brakes front and back and a complete different seating position. The steering had also been adjusted to match the new seated position. I tested for 2 sessions on the Friday and was most impressed with the new (unofficial) time and the changes that were made. Saturdays qualifying was the official proof thereof with a slower time of 1:28.7 while in race 1 an improved time of 1:28.2 (still 0.3 sec slower than the unofficial time done on Friday) was further done. Race 2 was done at a slower pace and I only managed a best 1:29.23. The damage however was already done in qualifying. Class B here we come. I now have to ask the inevitable question, has a 1400 normally aspirated engined car ever in the history of Killarney race tracks existence reached class B? I most certainly don't recall it.
Yes I was the driver and obviously played some role, but I stand up and salute you 'Boet' for constantly and confidently chipping away at the pinnacle of the ridiculous to prove to all and sundry that it CAN and HAS now been accomplished with may I say OEM parts which include the drive train (gearbox and diff) and brakes. I will also go on record as saying that even one of the HMC technical consultants thought this was now just a step too much to believe and that something must be going on under that bonnet. Well, we welcomed the opportunity to open up and allow his full unhindered inspection (purely out of his own curiosity) which to his utmost amazement could not believe that the achievements were actually done with an perfectly legal A14 engine on OEM front discs and standard road (NOT race) disc pads and with OEM drum brakes still fitted to the rear. He shook both our hands and said he now had sufficient evidence to prove beyond any reasonable doubt to whomever that you do not always need the best in racing parts alone as many always proclaim, but that given the proper setup with a good dose of race engine and race car preparation knowledge, he now had living proof right in front of his own eyes. Needless to say the Datsun GX Coupe won both its races done in class C for the last time.
My 'Boet', you not only amaze the racing world at Killarney, and elsewhere around the country I may add, but you still boggle my mind with your never ending attempt at going faster each and every race, with success, and all still within the allowable rules.
I truly salute your efforts.
Thanks 'Boet'.
Race 1 was off at 09h45 or thereabout with no warm-up formation lap. It was an out lap and a formation lap all in one and when the pace car pulled off, it was go. The 140Z carved its way through the field like a hot knife through butter and by lap 4 he was already in second place with only the Porsche of Keith Rose still in the distance. By the end of the race the Porsche managed to stay ahead and win by exactly 1 second. In the interim, the Datsun 140Z had posted a personal best time of 1:21.6. (That didn't help getting out of class X though.) Never ever has a 4-cylinder normally aspirated 8 valve engined saloon car been recorded doing such times at Killarney. You can say what you want to, but at the end of the day you simply have to admire the mans masterful race engine and race car preparation ability which is slowly proving unsurpassed at club racing level. What makes it even more amazing, is that it fully complies in every aspect of the rules with period part rule requirements having been met and having been duly verified as such by the technical committee.
Race 2 now saw the Datsun 140Z standing second on the grid next to the Porsche RSR. The start was again the same as the first. The German engineered flat six rudely stormed off and was soon hounded by the Japanese Datsun 140Z. At every opportunity that the Datsun had tried at to make a pass, the Porsche blocked the attempt. On lap 4 he tried it once too often and upon entering T3 the Datsun stuck his nose in as the Porsche does not have the cornering ability nor the corner speed to stay with the Datsun going through there. They approached T4 side by side, the Porsche on the outside the Datsun on the inside. Keith tried to cut across the Datsun but this time found the left front bumper in mid corner and came off second best. (As I recall, that was the second coming together with the Porsche RSR). The long and the short of it was that the Datsun walked the race by 5 seconds with the Porsche RSR knowing full well he'd been beaten fair and square by a superior car and driver.
On a similar path was the little Datsun GX Coupe now still in class C. Mr 'Datsun Guru' still having a book full of tricks up his sleeve had other ideas of me remaining there. Again changes were made between the last race meeting and this one but this time nothing further was done in the power plant department. Upon my arrival on the Friday I was greeted with a complete set of new brakes front and back and a complete different seating position. The steering had also been adjusted to match the new seated position. I tested for 2 sessions on the Friday and was most impressed with the new (unofficial) time and the changes that were made. Saturdays qualifying was the official proof thereof with a slower time of 1:28.7 while in race 1 an improved time of 1:28.2 (still 0.3 sec slower than the unofficial time done on Friday) was further done. Race 2 was done at a slower pace and I only managed a best 1:29.23. The damage however was already done in qualifying. Class B here we come. I now have to ask the inevitable question, has a 1400 normally aspirated engined car ever in the history of Killarney race tracks existence reached class B? I most certainly don't recall it.
Yes I was the driver and obviously played some role, but I stand up and salute you 'Boet' for constantly and confidently chipping away at the pinnacle of the ridiculous to prove to all and sundry that it CAN and HAS now been accomplished with may I say OEM parts which include the drive train (gearbox and diff) and brakes. I will also go on record as saying that even one of the HMC technical consultants thought this was now just a step too much to believe and that something must be going on under that bonnet. Well, we welcomed the opportunity to open up and allow his full unhindered inspection (purely out of his own curiosity) which to his utmost amazement could not believe that the achievements were actually done with an perfectly legal A14 engine on OEM front discs and standard road (NOT race) disc pads and with OEM drum brakes still fitted to the rear. He shook both our hands and said he now had sufficient evidence to prove beyond any reasonable doubt to whomever that you do not always need the best in racing parts alone as many always proclaim, but that given the proper setup with a good dose of race engine and race car preparation knowledge, he now had living proof right in front of his own eyes. Needless to say the Datsun GX Coupe won both its races done in class C for the last time.
My 'Boet', you not only amaze the racing world at Killarney, and elsewhere around the country I may add, but you still boggle my mind with your never ending attempt at going faster each and every race, with success, and all still within the allowable rules.
I truly salute your efforts.
Thanks 'Boet'.
Monday, 05 April 2010
F.....ck those Datsuns..........................are quick!!
Well it was race time again (27th March) however this time round the 140Z was not to be a part of it due to some race parts still being awaited from the USA. The 140Z has demonstrated beyond all doubt that a well prepared and tuned 4-cylinder can put in times that will make any opposition stand up and take note. What has equally been demonstrated is that you can only do so much to a 4-cylinder race engine where after reliability or rather the lack thereof starts playing a vital role as we saw. As such the 140Z will now be de-tuned to a more reliable state of tune where after it will once again resume race duty first in class X and hopefully thereafter back to class A.
In the meanwhile we did some head scratching as to what we will need to do in order to allow the Datti GX Coupe to be a little more competitive in class C. I will be the first to admit that realistically this car is super competitive in class D and ideally does not belong in class C. However going backwards is not an option either and I did the inevitable by asking the very person who gives 110% in preparation on this car if he could squeeze a little more just so that we can at least be up there with the other class C competitors. I had conjured up some weird and wonderful ideologies and suggested that we consider the possibility. The Datsun master said 'leave it to me' and I duly did not expecting anything to dramatic. Boy was I horribly wrong. Not only did he implement the changes to the entire intake and exhaust system but also lowered the entire car all while still retaining the original suspension parts. As per usual I flew down on the Thursday night and we met at the track. After our ritual greeting and hellos I had the opportunity to at least take it down pit lane where after I parked it for the night. The sound of the new exhaust was most obvious. The extra oomph however was mind boggling and put a smile on my face sufficient that if it wasn't for my ears, the top of my head would have fallen off.
Friday morning we had some running around to attend to and we eventually got to the track by 12h00. The normal routine checks out of habit were done and the tyre pressures were adjusted as per the norm. My first practice session was at 13h46 and I was rather eager to get to grips with my rejuvenated Datti. I donned the overalls, helmet and gloves and eventually took to the track slowly at first just to get some heat into the tyres and to get a feel of the car and its handling difference. Man was I impressed especially coming out of the corners. On lap 2 I upped the pace slightly and it felt good and eventually coming at full tilt through T4 and onto the back straight I silently said, 'gimme what ya got'. About halfway down the straight I encountered a miss, took T5 and again nailed it down the main straight again noticing a miss. I immediately slowed and coasted back to the pits. 'Mr Datsun' grilled me with all kinds of questions and eventually made a decision to the likely cause. A further change was made to the fuel system and a new set of plugs were put in just in case. We now had to make a call as to whether the problem was solved or whether we had to make further changes which then required that we go back to the workshop. I duly requested the chief marshals permission for a quick 2 lap test run and was duly given permission to go out with the Sports & GT category. Again I took to the track and all seemed clear. I hit the back straight and let her run until reaching full revs and she was clear throughout the entire rev range. Again down the main straight and again she was clear. I pitted after the 2 laps satisfied that the problem was solved. My next session was at 16h10 and I needed to do a time to ascertain the improvement over my previous best time of 1:32.0 done in February. Again we checked the basics and everything was 100%. Time seemed to move so slowly. I eventually got my chance and by now the air temperature had cooled somewhat all while the track conditions were still good. My first lap was great and it was evident that this Datti had some serious grunt for an A14 and I was soon to see why. I started my second lap and man it felt good, she turned well, accelerated brilliantly and sounded awesome on the back straight. I hit T5 with a much greater speed than normal and the brakes worked well. Coming out of T5 she rocketed out all while drifting slightly to the edge, I held her and let her rev up towards the start finish and even before reaching it 'Mr Datsun' gave me the thumbs up signal, 'Job Done'. I crossed the finish and posted in the 1:29's. My jaw dropped and my delight was like that of giving sweets to a child.
Saturday, race day and again we were denied a qualifying session meaning that we would use our previous race's best time to make up the grid and thereby putting me second to Dave Alhadeff in the 2000cc Alfa GT Junior. Overnight rain ensured that the track would likely be somewhat slower but by now it had cleared and the track was dry. A rolling start was done as per the norm and at lights out I hoofed it clinging to the back bumper of the Porsche 911 of William Carter as we approached turn 1, Dave on my outside having the better line for T2. I took the outside line on T2 and took Carter and got Dave going through the kink heading for T3 with Dave right up behind me. I new the Alfa was quick here but not ever having had the opportunity to be up here with him I was still unsure. We headed for T4, a dab on the brakes and then peddle to the mettle through T4 and on to the back straight. By now I had pulled a slight gap on the Alfa but now it was who had the best legs down the back. The Datti surprised me as it kept pulling down the back. I hit the brakes hard as I passed the 50m brake marker, the left front locking up slightly under heavy braking due to the extra speed carried. Dave closed on me only slightly. Through T5 and on the exit the Datti simply pulled away from the Alfa. Man this was good. This lasted for the entire race with me eventually finishing 0.3 sec ahead of the Alfa and in turn posted a personal best of 1:30.1 during the race.
Race 2 and I now found myself 4th on the grid as all 3 Sciroccos had withdrawn from class B with Dave in the Alfa this time on my left. Again a brilliant rolling start was done and this time I was tucked right up behind the 530 BMW of Charles Arton in class A, the lights went off and I held onto that BM's back bumper like paint going into T1. Dave still next to me held on dearly, but coming out of T1, the BM simply disappeared in to the distance and I managed to out drag the Alfa going into T2. Again for the entire race it was a ding dong battle with Dave pushing me at every corner hoping that I would somewhere make a mistake so that he could capitalise. Mistakes I made aplenty as I pushed as hard as I could through each corner but held him off to the finish line with a mere 0.7 sec separating us this time around. In turn Dave put in his fastest ever time of 1:29.7, while the Datti got down to a blistering 1:29.6. After 16 hard fought laps we were separated by 1 second in time difference.
The 2 wins ensured a class win for the day and to my utmost surprise I was awarded the 'Driver of the Day' award at prize giving that evening. I still cannot actually believe that an A14 motor can be tuned to such competitive heights, proof once again that I still have the greatest Datsun engine builder in the country without any question of doubt.
Thanks 'Boet'.
In the meanwhile we did some head scratching as to what we will need to do in order to allow the Datti GX Coupe to be a little more competitive in class C. I will be the first to admit that realistically this car is super competitive in class D and ideally does not belong in class C. However going backwards is not an option either and I did the inevitable by asking the very person who gives 110% in preparation on this car if he could squeeze a little more just so that we can at least be up there with the other class C competitors. I had conjured up some weird and wonderful ideologies and suggested that we consider the possibility. The Datsun master said 'leave it to me' and I duly did not expecting anything to dramatic. Boy was I horribly wrong. Not only did he implement the changes to the entire intake and exhaust system but also lowered the entire car all while still retaining the original suspension parts. As per usual I flew down on the Thursday night and we met at the track. After our ritual greeting and hellos I had the opportunity to at least take it down pit lane where after I parked it for the night. The sound of the new exhaust was most obvious. The extra oomph however was mind boggling and put a smile on my face sufficient that if it wasn't for my ears, the top of my head would have fallen off.
Friday morning we had some running around to attend to and we eventually got to the track by 12h00. The normal routine checks out of habit were done and the tyre pressures were adjusted as per the norm. My first practice session was at 13h46 and I was rather eager to get to grips with my rejuvenated Datti. I donned the overalls, helmet and gloves and eventually took to the track slowly at first just to get some heat into the tyres and to get a feel of the car and its handling difference. Man was I impressed especially coming out of the corners. On lap 2 I upped the pace slightly and it felt good and eventually coming at full tilt through T4 and onto the back straight I silently said, 'gimme what ya got'. About halfway down the straight I encountered a miss, took T5 and again nailed it down the main straight again noticing a miss. I immediately slowed and coasted back to the pits. 'Mr Datsun' grilled me with all kinds of questions and eventually made a decision to the likely cause. A further change was made to the fuel system and a new set of plugs were put in just in case. We now had to make a call as to whether the problem was solved or whether we had to make further changes which then required that we go back to the workshop. I duly requested the chief marshals permission for a quick 2 lap test run and was duly given permission to go out with the Sports & GT category. Again I took to the track and all seemed clear. I hit the back straight and let her run until reaching full revs and she was clear throughout the entire rev range. Again down the main straight and again she was clear. I pitted after the 2 laps satisfied that the problem was solved. My next session was at 16h10 and I needed to do a time to ascertain the improvement over my previous best time of 1:32.0 done in February. Again we checked the basics and everything was 100%. Time seemed to move so slowly. I eventually got my chance and by now the air temperature had cooled somewhat all while the track conditions were still good. My first lap was great and it was evident that this Datti had some serious grunt for an A14 and I was soon to see why. I started my second lap and man it felt good, she turned well, accelerated brilliantly and sounded awesome on the back straight. I hit T5 with a much greater speed than normal and the brakes worked well. Coming out of T5 she rocketed out all while drifting slightly to the edge, I held her and let her rev up towards the start finish and even before reaching it 'Mr Datsun' gave me the thumbs up signal, 'Job Done'. I crossed the finish and posted in the 1:29's. My jaw dropped and my delight was like that of giving sweets to a child.
Saturday, race day and again we were denied a qualifying session meaning that we would use our previous race's best time to make up the grid and thereby putting me second to Dave Alhadeff in the 2000cc Alfa GT Junior. Overnight rain ensured that the track would likely be somewhat slower but by now it had cleared and the track was dry. A rolling start was done as per the norm and at lights out I hoofed it clinging to the back bumper of the Porsche 911 of William Carter as we approached turn 1, Dave on my outside having the better line for T2. I took the outside line on T2 and took Carter and got Dave going through the kink heading for T3 with Dave right up behind me. I new the Alfa was quick here but not ever having had the opportunity to be up here with him I was still unsure. We headed for T4, a dab on the brakes and then peddle to the mettle through T4 and on to the back straight. By now I had pulled a slight gap on the Alfa but now it was who had the best legs down the back. The Datti surprised me as it kept pulling down the back. I hit the brakes hard as I passed the 50m brake marker, the left front locking up slightly under heavy braking due to the extra speed carried. Dave closed on me only slightly. Through T5 and on the exit the Datti simply pulled away from the Alfa. Man this was good. This lasted for the entire race with me eventually finishing 0.3 sec ahead of the Alfa and in turn posted a personal best of 1:30.1 during the race.
Race 2 and I now found myself 4th on the grid as all 3 Sciroccos had withdrawn from class B with Dave in the Alfa this time on my left. Again a brilliant rolling start was done and this time I was tucked right up behind the 530 BMW of Charles Arton in class A, the lights went off and I held onto that BM's back bumper like paint going into T1. Dave still next to me held on dearly, but coming out of T1, the BM simply disappeared in to the distance and I managed to out drag the Alfa going into T2. Again for the entire race it was a ding dong battle with Dave pushing me at every corner hoping that I would somewhere make a mistake so that he could capitalise. Mistakes I made aplenty as I pushed as hard as I could through each corner but held him off to the finish line with a mere 0.7 sec separating us this time around. In turn Dave put in his fastest ever time of 1:29.7, while the Datti got down to a blistering 1:29.6. After 16 hard fought laps we were separated by 1 second in time difference.
The 2 wins ensured a class win for the day and to my utmost surprise I was awarded the 'Driver of the Day' award at prize giving that evening. I still cannot actually believe that an A14 motor can be tuned to such competitive heights, proof once again that I still have the greatest Datsun engine builder in the country without any question of doubt.
Thanks 'Boet'.
Monday, 08 February 2010
A 'cracking' start to 2010.
The start to the 2010 race season proved to be a rather expensive one to begin with for the Datti 1400GX. It all started going pear shaped from the airport on the Thursday night already but that was completely out of my control and I had to put it behind me albeit R2000 later. The commencement of the new season was now in full swing and I had to get some practice under the belt after nearly a 2 month lay off. The Datti had again been thoroughly prepared mechanically and only needed to be cleaned and the required new sponsorship decals applied. This was all done and accomplished by lunch time leaving me with 2 full sessions available for testing purposes. I took to the track at 14h00 and slowly got back into the swing of things but by the 4th practice lap the dreaded miss as suffered last December was back, so into the pits I pulled. A check by Mr Datsun himself confirmed another blockage in the needle and seat area. This was again removed and cleared without much effort. So we went out again at 16h45 to retest everything. The Datti was sounding as sweet as could be but coming down the main straight past the pit area I noticed a metal object hurtling along the ground which had come from under the car some 150m ahead of me. It looked like about 200mm in length and simply cartwheeled onto the bonnet front-end and into the windscreen blasting a hole and a huge impact shatter. Now I realized what Filipe Massa must have gone through. Luckily it did not penetrate and only splintered the glass that was shot into the car. All said and done, I was happy and was still able to see through the windscreen damage albeit with some difficulty.
Saturday morning qualifying was at 09h30 and it was perfect race weather with light cool winds and overcast while the track temp was just right. I was now faced with the fact that this was a start of a new season and yes, I was still in class C but had to now raise my efforts if I was to remain within chase of any glory among the much bigger and powerful cars. The Datti was absolutely brilliant and on lap 3 I manged a personal best ever of 1:32.0 and was so chuffed I pulled in satisfied that it should stand me for good. After checking the results it left me in 2nd place within class C with the 2L Alfa Junior of Dave Alhadeff in 1st position.
Race 1 was off at 14h00 and I gave my best but was never ever able to catch the much quicker Alfa and so settled for a comfortable 2nd place in class C. Upon reaching parc ferme, the scrutineers took a look at the windscreen and decided it was too dangerous to continue and would have to replace it. So that evening we fetched my spare and fitted it ala NASCAR style.
Race 2 was on Sunday which was a much cooler day with a hint of rain in the air. The first heat was due off at 11h00. I firstly took my car down to the scrutineer bay where they re-issued my certificate to compete after having now replaced the windshield overnight and were satisfied that it was now safe to race again. The grid was made up from the results of the 1st heat and was next to Dave again. The start was of medium pace and was now in a close dice with the pack. Going down the back straight and into T5 I over did it under braking and found myself in the marbles and ran very wide off the circuit. I manged to hold it and keep going and got back on now a further 6 places down the field. I now had a race for my life as I was determined to regain the lost ground from my mistake made. It was not easy but I kept a cool head and picked them off one by one. Lo and behold on about lap 7 it started to miss again but I was determined to just keep going. Slowly all the ground I had made up was being lost and those that I had past were catching me again . Luck was still on my side as after Keith Andrews had now passed me, he too slowed down again and I retook the position still with the misfire. On the last turn now heading for the chequered flag I had no option but to allow the Alfa Sud through of Mike Napoli and finished 0.4 seconds behind him at the finish and in 3rd place in class class C. So we again had to clean the needle and seats of each carburetor. It was now evident that the fuel hosing had to be replaced for our next event in March.
Race 3 was due at 14h30 and the weather had now cleared quite a bit and was quite hot. Starting from 14th position on the grid I now had to put in a good result if I was to stay in the running for a top 3 position for the weekend. The rolling start was done at a cracking pace and it was a cooker from lights out at the start. I was always in with a shout but on lap 4 I spun in the huge oil spill coming out of T2 and other too followed suit. I suffered no damage and managed to get the car started again and was off this time ahead of Dave in the Alfa who also went off in the oil. No sooner had I regained to the track and the race was red flagged only to have to do it all over again this time with only 6 laps. At the restart I found myself in a comfortable 2nd place knowing that Dave was now out of the running and that I was never going to catch the Northern region entrant of Wenzel Nortman in the 2L Toyota Corrolla SR5. In the end the final results for class C were Nortman from Richards with Napoli taking ovrall 3rd.
After all said and done it was a great weekend with many ups and downs but I was most satisfied with what was achieved by the Datti and among also some great fellow competitors.
Thanks 'Boet'
Saturday morning qualifying was at 09h30 and it was perfect race weather with light cool winds and overcast while the track temp was just right. I was now faced with the fact that this was a start of a new season and yes, I was still in class C but had to now raise my efforts if I was to remain within chase of any glory among the much bigger and powerful cars. The Datti was absolutely brilliant and on lap 3 I manged a personal best ever of 1:32.0 and was so chuffed I pulled in satisfied that it should stand me for good. After checking the results it left me in 2nd place within class C with the 2L Alfa Junior of Dave Alhadeff in 1st position.
Race 1 was off at 14h00 and I gave my best but was never ever able to catch the much quicker Alfa and so settled for a comfortable 2nd place in class C. Upon reaching parc ferme, the scrutineers took a look at the windscreen and decided it was too dangerous to continue and would have to replace it. So that evening we fetched my spare and fitted it ala NASCAR style.
Race 2 was on Sunday which was a much cooler day with a hint of rain in the air. The first heat was due off at 11h00. I firstly took my car down to the scrutineer bay where they re-issued my certificate to compete after having now replaced the windshield overnight and were satisfied that it was now safe to race again. The grid was made up from the results of the 1st heat and was next to Dave again. The start was of medium pace and was now in a close dice with the pack. Going down the back straight and into T5 I over did it under braking and found myself in the marbles and ran very wide off the circuit. I manged to hold it and keep going and got back on now a further 6 places down the field. I now had a race for my life as I was determined to regain the lost ground from my mistake made. It was not easy but I kept a cool head and picked them off one by one. Lo and behold on about lap 7 it started to miss again but I was determined to just keep going. Slowly all the ground I had made up was being lost and those that I had past were catching me again . Luck was still on my side as after Keith Andrews had now passed me, he too slowed down again and I retook the position still with the misfire. On the last turn now heading for the chequered flag I had no option but to allow the Alfa Sud through of Mike Napoli and finished 0.4 seconds behind him at the finish and in 3rd place in class class C. So we again had to clean the needle and seats of each carburetor. It was now evident that the fuel hosing had to be replaced for our next event in March.
Race 3 was due at 14h30 and the weather had now cleared quite a bit and was quite hot. Starting from 14th position on the grid I now had to put in a good result if I was to stay in the running for a top 3 position for the weekend. The rolling start was done at a cracking pace and it was a cooker from lights out at the start. I was always in with a shout but on lap 4 I spun in the huge oil spill coming out of T2 and other too followed suit. I suffered no damage and managed to get the car started again and was off this time ahead of Dave in the Alfa who also went off in the oil. No sooner had I regained to the track and the race was red flagged only to have to do it all over again this time with only 6 laps. At the restart I found myself in a comfortable 2nd place knowing that Dave was now out of the running and that I was never going to catch the Northern region entrant of Wenzel Nortman in the 2L Toyota Corrolla SR5. In the end the final results for class C were Nortman from Richards with Napoli taking ovrall 3rd.
After all said and done it was a great weekend with many ups and downs but I was most satisfied with what was achieved by the Datti and among also some great fellow competitors.
Thanks 'Boet'
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