It seems such a long time since we both raced with the 2011 season finally getting underway, yet it was only the beginning February that we had a taste of things to come. I think we both had high expectations and anticipations but for illogical reasons it all came to naught at the start of it all. The 140Z was not entered and did not race for a number of reasons. Upon closer inspection it was soon evident that too many minor things needed attention and replacement and as such required a lot of time and effort to get it race ready. This also being a difficult 1st quarter of the year was not the most opportune time and the 140Z may still race at a later date this year all things going well. The Datti on the other hand was left as it was since the February race with only the branch being replaced as the previous one was beyond repair. As such it was race ready and we had little expectations of any surprises. Little did we know at the time.
The Datti was taken down to the track on the Thursday night and parked in the track garage over night. All that needed to be done was a polish, tyre pressures, fuel and some practice time could be undertaken on the Friday. Little did I still know. I only went down to the track at about 10H00 on the Friday and duly polished the car, put fuel in and indeed checked the tyre pressures. Our session was scheduled for 11h50 and I was ready at last to get some saddle time. On the out lap I noticed a slight vibration and not being certain of its location I proceeded with caution around turn 2. The kink seemed fine as did turn 3. On turn 4 I again heard this vibration and decided I was not comfortable with it and headed down the back straight. About half way down it happened, the left front wheel picked a fine time to leave me. Thank heavens I was not going fast and slowly brought the car to a halt 100m from parce ferme. Expecting the worst I was puzzled (and still am as to how it was possible) that all four wheel nuts had miraculously come off and disappeared. The wheel came to a halt about 20m behind me. The session was red flagged and I was duly towed back to the pits on a flat bed truck. While still on the truck I jacked the car up on the left and put the wheel back and secured it with four other wheel nuts. Damage seemed minimal if anything at this stage and I now awaited the next session scheduled for 14h55. The temperature was high and well into the high 20's maybe even 30's and times were never going to be of importance but more importantly I need track time. Everything was again checked and by lap 4 I had reached the decision that 1:32's was not satisfactory and pulled into the pits. Mr 'Datsun' duly requested that the car be jacked up upon which he immediately saw that the exhaust had been flattened to less than half its size (due to the weight of the car on it when the wheel came off) and was likely a contributing factor to posting slow times. He placed an order for exhaust tubing to be made up and for it to be delivered to the workshop where after we decided to replace the damaged section of pipe. So started my weekend.
The exhaust was removed at the workshop and the new piece was duly measured and cut. The exhaust was welded up and ready for fitment. The inevitable had suddenly crossed Mr "Datsuns' mind and he decided to change the Datti's motor with our old one. He felt that we should rather start the season off well where after we could still experiment with further changes later in the season. It all made sense as we knew what we had with the A14 but were still in the dark as to what was in the A15. Now was as good a time as ever. To cut a very long story short, we finally finished putting the A14 in at about 08h30 that Friday night after making many modifications (different accelerator linkages, clutch forks etc.). A few test runs were done at the 'Montanague Oval' after which it was decided we had now obtained the sweet spot. Tired and frustrated we drove the Datti to the track headlights, flickers and tail lights all working and proceeded cautiously behind the bakkie. Mr 'Datsun' opened the garage and I pulled in and parked the Datti for the night. The only things we needed to do early next morning was to get our transponder, safely secure the accelerator cable on the peddle, fuel her up and again set the tyre pressures for the 08h00 qualifying. I was chuffed and eagerly awaited the morning. With no one around it was now too late for our ritual braai and we both popped up for a quick bite at the clubhouse and were home by 22h00.
Saturday morning we were again up at sparrows as per norm and were at the track by 06h30. We opened up garage 26 to get ready and I duly went down to fetch the Datti in my garage. I neatly nestled my self in the tight fitting seat, turned on the kill switch, activated the ignition switch, flicked the petrol pump switch and hit the start button. KLUK. Try again, KLUK. Check the kill switch. Try again. KLUK. Just by the sound of the KLUK I could tell this was not a battery problem and duly called Mr 'Datsun' to the rescue. "It can only be something stupid, a loose earth wire or something like that he stated". After a few more KLUK's he's attitude suddenly changed. Get me a 13 spanner. Hastily it was off with the oil pump. It might be jamming he said. The oil pump looked OK. We then turned the motor manually. It turned 359 degrees and no further where after it was solid. Turning it the other way and again 359 degrees and it was solid. Star screwdriver please came the next request. Off with the tappet cover expecting a rocker or even valve failure of some sort. Nothing. Mr 'Datsun' then put his finger into the oil pump hole and said turn the engine VERY SLOWLY. I proceeded to turn it only a few degrees at a time until the inevitable words were uttered. The camshaft is stripped. Two inexplicable occurrences over night.
Dejected we closed up and I withdrew my entry. By 07h30 we were sitting like 2 lonely haunted farts in turn 3 not saying a word to each other. I just wasn't meant to race this day and I'll take it as an omen yet to be understood.
This little set back has just made both of us super motivated and as such we'll (sorry, that should be, Mr 'Datsun') repair this motor for the April race. The Datti has just got on the wrong side of Mr 'Datsun' and will unfortunately have to be taught a lesson. Do keep an eye out for sudden behavioral changes.
Thanks 'Boet' for all the efforts made.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Tuesday, 08 February 2011
50th Anniversary Historic Race Meeting - Killarney
No sooner had the Zwartkops event finished and the next one was again upon us in Cape Town, home of the Killarney raceway which celebrated it's 50th anniversary. This weekend turned out to be a good one after all for both Datsuns yet once again. The 140Z was as ready as ever with only a need to change worn brake pads. As for the power-plant, not much attention was required there at all. The little Datti was finally sign written which I think turned out quite OK. Everything else we left just as it was raced in JHB last with only the jetting corrected for the altitude change. On the Friday's second practice session indication was that the clutch was slipping and most definitely had an effect on the initial times being posted which were around 1:34. This was merely adjusted and we again tested it on the last practice session only to still suffer from a slipping clutch syndrome. We decided not to take any further chances and subsequently replaced the clutch and pressure plate which did the trick. The 140Z merely went out to bed brakes and was thereafter parked ready for the Saturday.
Qualifying on the Saturday morning saw the 140Z posting a 1:22.69 putting him 4th on the grid but 1st of the classics behind the Trans-Am cars. The Datti on the other hand chose to do qualifying with the class DEF and pre-66 guys as were not sure of the times we would post. It turned out to be above expectation and we settled for a 1:31.55 which effectively put it 6th on the grid behind the behemoths up front. Having posted such time I opted to move to the ABC & Trans-Am class in fairness to the others.
Race 1 on Saturday was off at 14h00 and was done in hot and dry conditions with the 140Z holding on throughout the entire race and finished in the same order as they started. It was evident from the start that the V8 cars enjoyed the longer straights which afforded them to display their superior power not to mention the turbo charged IMSA Alfa which was indecently quick once that turbo had spooled up. Further back the Datti landed up doing battle with the Scirrocos, Alfas and while it lasted also the Opel Super Boss which soon ended in tears. Having initially got ahead of the Superboss the Datti held up reasonably well with the bigger engined cars but was soon again passed on the back straight by the bigger engined Alfa of Pierre de Waal. I held the outside line while he overtook to the inside. No sooner was he next to me then the Superboss tried a suicide move by trying to overtake the Alfa on his right side resulting in the Superboss putting 2 wheels on the dirt. This resulted in him loosing control and narrowly missing both of us on his way to the barrier on the back straight. 6 love, game, set and match no tie breakers!! Shortly thereafter the race was red flagged due to oil on various sections making it too dangerous to continue. In the interim, the Datti had posted a 1:31.2.
Race 2 on the Sunday was again a carbon copy for the 140Z which again finished in 4th place behind the 3 Trans-Am cars and posted an identical time of 1:22.8. The Datti this time found itself now behind the V12 Jaguar of Clive Spolander on the grid with the Scirrocco of Paul Amman alongside. The start was a good one going into turn 1 right up close with the V12 but the Scirrocco was the chicane going into turn 2. Both crept ahead initially and I was left to duel with the BMW CSL of Derek Hulse. It turned out to be a great dice between the two of us, him having the legs on the Datti down the straight whilst I made his life hell going into the corners. On about lap 4 I managed to catch the BMW going into turn 2 and held him to the outside and through the kink but found myslef soon running out of road and put 2 wheels into the dirt. I managed to hold it straight lining it back onto the track for turn 3 but had lost vital ground again and had to do it all over. A lap later my exhaust broke clean off on the flange on the branch which then held me back due to huge power loss. The Datti had managed to post a 1:30.1.
Race 3 was off at 14h00 and again the 140Z was not going to give up trying even although the chances we now all but gone. On lap 2 the V8 Sierra cried enough and pulled off with some unknown damage leaving the IMSA turbo Alfa out in front, followed by Robbie Smith in the V8 Capri with the 140Z in hot pursuit. The Capri probably having been over driven all weekend was obviously running out of grip and now sliding all over the show with the 'Red Devil' in chase like a whippet after a hare. On lap 5 heading for turn 4 with the 140Z tucked right behind the V8 Capri with no intention of braking the Capri lost grip and headed for the tyre barriers coming out of T4 putting paid to his race. That left the IMSA Alfa out in front and the 140Z settling for a second place. As it would be, an in car TV camera caught all the up front action which should add some added excitement if ever broadcast.
The Datti meanwhile had to continue with a patched up broken exhaust with the remaining length of the exhaust all tied up underneath. This time the Datti was alongside the BMW CSL on the grid with the Scirrocco of Paul Amman again ahead of me. The rolling start was once again of a decent standard but this time the Scirrocco was a moving road block in front of me. I remained closely tucked up and almost into the boot of the Scirroco finally diving to his left under brakes going into turn 2 and driving around him on the outside to get ahead and now once again in chase of the CSL. The dice was even better than the last one with some very close racing between the 2 of us, never once getting too close for comfort though. No matter how hard I tried at every corner, I would either catch him going into a corner or hold him going through one but ultimately there is no replacement for displacement and Derek finished ahead of me in a well deserved race. In the interim the Datti had finally posted a brillaint 1:29.8 thereby again putting me into a class B time slot for the start of the 2011 season.
The Datti must now under go an engine transplant for the start of the new 2011 season as the engine we raced is deemed ineligible in Cape Town all while it is perfectly legal and allowable in Johanessburg under the HMC national regulations for 2011. Crying therefore about spilled milk is not going to help us so we will move on and do what has to be done and control what we can control. The HMC has given its full undertaking into resolving the engine block rule in the interim but for now we must prepare and concentrate on the season that now lies ahead. I am reasonably confident that our engine plant that we will use will be more than adequate to compete and if my judgment is correct it should hold its head well above water in class B.
So, with some outstanding issues regarding the time slots for the big boys out in front we will have to see whether the 140Z will continue in the 2011 season as defending either the 140Z's ability and or its eligibility is no longer an option that will be dwelled upon and will as such not be further entertained. By all counts we now have ample proof of what the spectators (country wide) want and appreciate but we still remain in the dark as to what the powers that be want or will ultimately decide upon.
Thanks 'Boet' for once again providing and preparing 2 ultra competitive Datsuns all weekend long.
Qualifying on the Saturday morning saw the 140Z posting a 1:22.69 putting him 4th on the grid but 1st of the classics behind the Trans-Am cars. The Datti on the other hand chose to do qualifying with the class DEF and pre-66 guys as were not sure of the times we would post. It turned out to be above expectation and we settled for a 1:31.55 which effectively put it 6th on the grid behind the behemoths up front. Having posted such time I opted to move to the ABC & Trans-Am class in fairness to the others.
Race 1 on Saturday was off at 14h00 and was done in hot and dry conditions with the 140Z holding on throughout the entire race and finished in the same order as they started. It was evident from the start that the V8 cars enjoyed the longer straights which afforded them to display their superior power not to mention the turbo charged IMSA Alfa which was indecently quick once that turbo had spooled up. Further back the Datti landed up doing battle with the Scirrocos, Alfas and while it lasted also the Opel Super Boss which soon ended in tears. Having initially got ahead of the Superboss the Datti held up reasonably well with the bigger engined cars but was soon again passed on the back straight by the bigger engined Alfa of Pierre de Waal. I held the outside line while he overtook to the inside. No sooner was he next to me then the Superboss tried a suicide move by trying to overtake the Alfa on his right side resulting in the Superboss putting 2 wheels on the dirt. This resulted in him loosing control and narrowly missing both of us on his way to the barrier on the back straight. 6 love, game, set and match no tie breakers!! Shortly thereafter the race was red flagged due to oil on various sections making it too dangerous to continue. In the interim, the Datti had posted a 1:31.2.
Race 2 on the Sunday was again a carbon copy for the 140Z which again finished in 4th place behind the 3 Trans-Am cars and posted an identical time of 1:22.8. The Datti this time found itself now behind the V12 Jaguar of Clive Spolander on the grid with the Scirrocco of Paul Amman alongside. The start was a good one going into turn 1 right up close with the V12 but the Scirrocco was the chicane going into turn 2. Both crept ahead initially and I was left to duel with the BMW CSL of Derek Hulse. It turned out to be a great dice between the two of us, him having the legs on the Datti down the straight whilst I made his life hell going into the corners. On about lap 4 I managed to catch the BMW going into turn 2 and held him to the outside and through the kink but found myslef soon running out of road and put 2 wheels into the dirt. I managed to hold it straight lining it back onto the track for turn 3 but had lost vital ground again and had to do it all over. A lap later my exhaust broke clean off on the flange on the branch which then held me back due to huge power loss. The Datti had managed to post a 1:30.1.
Race 3 was off at 14h00 and again the 140Z was not going to give up trying even although the chances we now all but gone. On lap 2 the V8 Sierra cried enough and pulled off with some unknown damage leaving the IMSA turbo Alfa out in front, followed by Robbie Smith in the V8 Capri with the 140Z in hot pursuit. The Capri probably having been over driven all weekend was obviously running out of grip and now sliding all over the show with the 'Red Devil' in chase like a whippet after a hare. On lap 5 heading for turn 4 with the 140Z tucked right behind the V8 Capri with no intention of braking the Capri lost grip and headed for the tyre barriers coming out of T4 putting paid to his race. That left the IMSA Alfa out in front and the 140Z settling for a second place. As it would be, an in car TV camera caught all the up front action which should add some added excitement if ever broadcast.
The Datti meanwhile had to continue with a patched up broken exhaust with the remaining length of the exhaust all tied up underneath. This time the Datti was alongside the BMW CSL on the grid with the Scirrocco of Paul Amman again ahead of me. The rolling start was once again of a decent standard but this time the Scirrocco was a moving road block in front of me. I remained closely tucked up and almost into the boot of the Scirroco finally diving to his left under brakes going into turn 2 and driving around him on the outside to get ahead and now once again in chase of the CSL. The dice was even better than the last one with some very close racing between the 2 of us, never once getting too close for comfort though. No matter how hard I tried at every corner, I would either catch him going into a corner or hold him going through one but ultimately there is no replacement for displacement and Derek finished ahead of me in a well deserved race. In the interim the Datti had finally posted a brillaint 1:29.8 thereby again putting me into a class B time slot for the start of the 2011 season.
The Datti must now under go an engine transplant for the start of the new 2011 season as the engine we raced is deemed ineligible in Cape Town all while it is perfectly legal and allowable in Johanessburg under the HMC national regulations for 2011. Crying therefore about spilled milk is not going to help us so we will move on and do what has to be done and control what we can control. The HMC has given its full undertaking into resolving the engine block rule in the interim but for now we must prepare and concentrate on the season that now lies ahead. I am reasonably confident that our engine plant that we will use will be more than adequate to compete and if my judgment is correct it should hold its head well above water in class B.
So, with some outstanding issues regarding the time slots for the big boys out in front we will have to see whether the 140Z will continue in the 2011 season as defending either the 140Z's ability and or its eligibility is no longer an option that will be dwelled upon and will as such not be further entertained. By all counts we now have ample proof of what the spectators (country wide) want and appreciate but we still remain in the dark as to what the powers that be want or will ultimately decide upon.
Thanks 'Boet' for once again providing and preparing 2 ultra competitive Datsuns all weekend long.
Sunday, 30 January 2011
10th David Piper International - Zwartkops
The 140Z has made inroads at almost every event it has taken part in and has made many sit up and take note so much so that 3 official letters from motoring authorities were eventually requested and obtained to confirm the 140Z's legality and conformance to the pre-77 rulings. That done it was now time to take the 140Z up to Zwartkops, a track it has to date never competed on. The trip up from CT was long and inconvenienced by trailer tyre problems all along the way to JHB. Eventually they arrived at around 18h30 at Zwartkops and we off loaded the car and stored it overnight in a locked up shed along with other fellow Captonian racers.
Friday morning we were up at sparrows as per usual and did nothing more than fuel the car and do the normal routine checks. The early morning session was an open practice which afforded us some saddle time as well as to get a heat cycle into a new set of NA Carreras. All early indications were that the 140Z was slowly coming to terms with the technically challenging track and times were around a 1:12. A second session proved to be as good and times dropped to 1:11.7 even though ambient temperatures were a lot hotter by then. The afternoon session was all reserved for qualifying and ours was scheduled for 14h00. Some tyre pressure changes were made to compensate for the heat and took to the track where the 140Z put in a qualifying best lap of 1:11.58 putting us 4th on the grid with the 745i BMW on 3rd, the V8 Sierra in 2nd and yet another Datsun 2.8 Skyline GTX on pole having posted a blistering 1:08.8. That left us pretty chuffed even although all 3 cars ahead of the 140Z were 10 years younger then the pre-77 complaint Datsun 140Z. As such another carrot was being dangled and we had to find a way of gaining another second or so to put us in with a chance of a top 3 finish. The amount of people that gathered around the 140Z after each outing was unbelievable, many totally gob smacked by the qualifying achievements. We tidied up and later headed for the cafeteria area to catch up on some late lunch and discussed the positives and negatives of the qualifying. We managed to single out 2 corners which 'Mr Datsun' felt could be improved on but we had to also take into consideration the local conditions and altitude. While everyone else was probably satisfied with their qualifying times, 'Mr Datsun' was never going to be. Eventually a phone call was made to a knowledgeable local race ace who analysed the feedback provided and eventually offered a solution. We went back to the car and implemented the 2 settings as advised and also to check if by chance new brake pads were yet a requirement. I then went to the COC and asked if we could have a few laps after the official qualifying was over for all the categories to which he was most accommodating. We only manged to get a test session at around 17h30 but it was good enough for us. The 140Z took to the track with only 2 other tin tops and on lap 3 the 140Z managed to clock a 1:10.49 putting us right up there with a far better chance. That was just what the doctor ordered and we settled in for an early nights rest.
Saturday morning we were again up at sparrows and performed our usual race ritual preparations for the race scheduled for 09h50 . The pace lap was fast which lead to a field being very wide spread but hey, pole man sets the pace and either you keep up to his pace or you loose. We found ourselves is 4th place as per the grid and on lap 2 overtook the 745i BMW going onto turn 5 on the table top under brakes. That gave us a chance to now chase the V8 Sierra in earnest. As the saying goes, 'there's no replacement for displacement' but the 140Z was not going to just lye down without putting up a fight. We had a strategy in place and intended to stick to it for the race. By lap 5 our strategy started coming into play and we slowly caught up to the V8 Sierra who was being pushed hard into every corner. It was only a matter of time before tyres and brakes would come into play on the bigger and heavier cars. On lap 7 going up towards turn 5 the 140Z had closed right up to the Sierra and knew his brakes were now fading fast as the 140Z was able to make up much ground under braking. Just one more lap and we were in with a possible upset. Lo and behold on lap 7 Ashley Lobb in a Fiat 131 spun and was unable to move the car from being in the middle of turn 8 which lead onto the main straight and due to safety conditions the race was red flagged. They finished Skyline, Sierra, 140Z with the 140Z putting in the fastest race time of 1:10.53, the V8 Sierra 1:10.99 and the Skyline 1:10.63.
The 140Z was swarmed with people who converged around the little 'Giant Killer' and everyone said, if only you had 1 more lap you would have caught the V8 Sierra. TV crews with their cameras appeared and 'Mr Datsun' had to give an on camera interview of his race achievement conducted by Greg Malony. Unbelievable was the saying of the day.
Race 2 was to be much later in the day and the conditions throughout the whole day were sweltering hot. We managed to catch one or two of the more popular races but otherwise settled in and around the 140Z to be there for the interested onlookers. Our race was scheduled for 16h30 and rain clouds had built up by now and were looking threatening. It started raining but did not damper the racing spirit. By 15h45 we were still considering whether it would be a dry race or if we needed to pull out the dreaded wet tyres. Either way we were prepared but from a racers point of view, dry is what we wanted. By 16h10 the rain had stopped and by the start of the race we again had a bone dry track with a lot cooler conditions.
This time the Skyline took it a lot slower and the entire field bunched up nicely on the pace lap, the 140Z tucked right behind the Skyline in 3rd place with the Sierra to his outside in 2nd. Everyone was now very aware of the 'point and squirt' 140Z on this track with many having predicted that if the 140Z did ever manage to beat the V8 Sierra it would probably be the talk of the year never mind the race. This may well have been in the back of the mind of the Sierra driver and at the end of the pace lap the V8 Sierra pulled off (tail between its legs) into the pits and never returned. There was no sign of any mechanical failures after race 1 and it remains strange to have pulled off on a pace lap with no sign of any real problem. This offered another opportunity for a Datsun 1, 2 finish and would have had the crowds going mad if this was ever accomplished. The first few laps saw both the Skyline and the 140Z swapping places frequently upfront with the 140Z holding the Skyline on the outside of turn 4 on more than 1 lap going up towards turn 5. From where I was standing it had the spectators clapping and shouting for the 140Z and almost choked me up a little at times. The dice continued until 5 lap where due to the much cooler temperature conditions had now allowed the Dutch entry turbo charged Alfa the chance to close in on the 2 front Datsuns. The Alfa eventually caught up to the 140Z and split the 2 Datsuns for the remaining 2 laps and so ended race 2 in that order. A most entertaining race. This achievement brought out the likes of Colin Clay (former 140Y Wesbank racer) who congratulated Martin on both his races and even sat in the car in awe of this 'Giant Killer'. So too did Willie Hepburn turn up, so too did Roelf Du Plessis of Wesbank racing, Larry Wilford, Dick Sorrensen, Richard Sorrensen who were all offering congratulations for a brilliant race effort.
And so ended the weekend having won class B and unofficially taking 2nd overall for the day only to have been beaten by much bigger and more modern day cars but equally which were raced to their limits. We were all tired and a little sun burnt from the weekends glorious weather and we left soon after prize giving where 'Mr Datsun' headed for Bloemfontein for a good nights rest. Let's wait and see what the 3rd leg of the Springbok series brings to the Cape where hopefully yet another battle may just resume, then again most probably not.
Thanks 'Boet' for me being a part of your racing.
Friday morning we were up at sparrows as per usual and did nothing more than fuel the car and do the normal routine checks. The early morning session was an open practice which afforded us some saddle time as well as to get a heat cycle into a new set of NA Carreras. All early indications were that the 140Z was slowly coming to terms with the technically challenging track and times were around a 1:12. A second session proved to be as good and times dropped to 1:11.7 even though ambient temperatures were a lot hotter by then. The afternoon session was all reserved for qualifying and ours was scheduled for 14h00. Some tyre pressure changes were made to compensate for the heat and took to the track where the 140Z put in a qualifying best lap of 1:11.58 putting us 4th on the grid with the 745i BMW on 3rd, the V8 Sierra in 2nd and yet another Datsun 2.8 Skyline GTX on pole having posted a blistering 1:08.8. That left us pretty chuffed even although all 3 cars ahead of the 140Z were 10 years younger then the pre-77 complaint Datsun 140Z. As such another carrot was being dangled and we had to find a way of gaining another second or so to put us in with a chance of a top 3 finish. The amount of people that gathered around the 140Z after each outing was unbelievable, many totally gob smacked by the qualifying achievements. We tidied up and later headed for the cafeteria area to catch up on some late lunch and discussed the positives and negatives of the qualifying. We managed to single out 2 corners which 'Mr Datsun' felt could be improved on but we had to also take into consideration the local conditions and altitude. While everyone else was probably satisfied with their qualifying times, 'Mr Datsun' was never going to be. Eventually a phone call was made to a knowledgeable local race ace who analysed the feedback provided and eventually offered a solution. We went back to the car and implemented the 2 settings as advised and also to check if by chance new brake pads were yet a requirement. I then went to the COC and asked if we could have a few laps after the official qualifying was over for all the categories to which he was most accommodating. We only manged to get a test session at around 17h30 but it was good enough for us. The 140Z took to the track with only 2 other tin tops and on lap 3 the 140Z managed to clock a 1:10.49 putting us right up there with a far better chance. That was just what the doctor ordered and we settled in for an early nights rest.
Saturday morning we were again up at sparrows and performed our usual race ritual preparations for the race scheduled for 09h50 . The pace lap was fast which lead to a field being very wide spread but hey, pole man sets the pace and either you keep up to his pace or you loose. We found ourselves is 4th place as per the grid and on lap 2 overtook the 745i BMW going onto turn 5 on the table top under brakes. That gave us a chance to now chase the V8 Sierra in earnest. As the saying goes, 'there's no replacement for displacement' but the 140Z was not going to just lye down without putting up a fight. We had a strategy in place and intended to stick to it for the race. By lap 5 our strategy started coming into play and we slowly caught up to the V8 Sierra who was being pushed hard into every corner. It was only a matter of time before tyres and brakes would come into play on the bigger and heavier cars. On lap 7 going up towards turn 5 the 140Z had closed right up to the Sierra and knew his brakes were now fading fast as the 140Z was able to make up much ground under braking. Just one more lap and we were in with a possible upset. Lo and behold on lap 7 Ashley Lobb in a Fiat 131 spun and was unable to move the car from being in the middle of turn 8 which lead onto the main straight and due to safety conditions the race was red flagged. They finished Skyline, Sierra, 140Z with the 140Z putting in the fastest race time of 1:10.53, the V8 Sierra 1:10.99 and the Skyline 1:10.63.
The 140Z was swarmed with people who converged around the little 'Giant Killer' and everyone said, if only you had 1 more lap you would have caught the V8 Sierra. TV crews with their cameras appeared and 'Mr Datsun' had to give an on camera interview of his race achievement conducted by Greg Malony. Unbelievable was the saying of the day.
Race 2 was to be much later in the day and the conditions throughout the whole day were sweltering hot. We managed to catch one or two of the more popular races but otherwise settled in and around the 140Z to be there for the interested onlookers. Our race was scheduled for 16h30 and rain clouds had built up by now and were looking threatening. It started raining but did not damper the racing spirit. By 15h45 we were still considering whether it would be a dry race or if we needed to pull out the dreaded wet tyres. Either way we were prepared but from a racers point of view, dry is what we wanted. By 16h10 the rain had stopped and by the start of the race we again had a bone dry track with a lot cooler conditions.
This time the Skyline took it a lot slower and the entire field bunched up nicely on the pace lap, the 140Z tucked right behind the Skyline in 3rd place with the Sierra to his outside in 2nd. Everyone was now very aware of the 'point and squirt' 140Z on this track with many having predicted that if the 140Z did ever manage to beat the V8 Sierra it would probably be the talk of the year never mind the race. This may well have been in the back of the mind of the Sierra driver and at the end of the pace lap the V8 Sierra pulled off (tail between its legs) into the pits and never returned. There was no sign of any mechanical failures after race 1 and it remains strange to have pulled off on a pace lap with no sign of any real problem. This offered another opportunity for a Datsun 1, 2 finish and would have had the crowds going mad if this was ever accomplished. The first few laps saw both the Skyline and the 140Z swapping places frequently upfront with the 140Z holding the Skyline on the outside of turn 4 on more than 1 lap going up towards turn 5. From where I was standing it had the spectators clapping and shouting for the 140Z and almost choked me up a little at times. The dice continued until 5 lap where due to the much cooler temperature conditions had now allowed the Dutch entry turbo charged Alfa the chance to close in on the 2 front Datsuns. The Alfa eventually caught up to the 140Z and split the 2 Datsuns for the remaining 2 laps and so ended race 2 in that order. A most entertaining race. This achievement brought out the likes of Colin Clay (former 140Y Wesbank racer) who congratulated Martin on both his races and even sat in the car in awe of this 'Giant Killer'. So too did Willie Hepburn turn up, so too did Roelf Du Plessis of Wesbank racing, Larry Wilford, Dick Sorrensen, Richard Sorrensen who were all offering congratulations for a brilliant race effort.
And so ended the weekend having won class B and unofficially taking 2nd overall for the day only to have been beaten by much bigger and more modern day cars but equally which were raced to their limits. We were all tired and a little sun burnt from the weekends glorious weather and we left soon after prize giving where 'Mr Datsun' headed for Bloemfontein for a good nights rest. Let's wait and see what the 3rd leg of the Springbok series brings to the Cape where hopefully yet another battle may just resume, then again most probably not.
Thanks 'Boet' for me being a part of your racing.
Sunday, 02 January 2011
Hello 2011
Well it's not quite time for racing just yet but hey, it's as good a time to start getting ready and preparing for the season that lies ahead. A lot of work still lies ahead and many mechanical decisions still need to be made for the championship ahead but the one decision that has been made so far was to send the 1200 'boxie' down to Cape Town for the historic weekend in February. For obvious reasons I have had to remove all the previous stickers, numbers and sponsors (used in JHB) and who are also no longer involved with the series which means new ones have to be made anyway. For those not yet aware, I also voluntarily gave up my race number (#22) in CT for a good cause and will have to await a new number to still be allocated to me. (Hopefully reverse psychology will still come into play.)
Depending on how things pan out I may just decide to keep the 'boxie' in Cape Town and give the GX Coupe a rest and a little TLC, after all it's served me well over the years. One thing is for sure, I've got the best Datsun mechanic in the country (in my personal opinion) and either way I hope to again be right up there where I am lead to believe that a lot of plans are in process to challenge the Datti. (At least try with a 1600cc and not something with 600cc and more!!)
I would still love to have a race car with me in JHB for the up coming Piper weekend at Zwartkops later this month but with only an empty wallet and a bent credit card (school fees, uniforms and books have no respect not to mention Club membership and MSA license renewal) common sense will therefore prevail. In the interim I am holding thumbs for all those still in the process of building new cars for the season and I can't wait to see you all again soon.
The 140Z should also be getting a thorough check through during the up coming weeks as well and should be ready to 'rock 'n roll' by as soon as the next race. I think I must also however sit my tutor down and do some convincing for him to be the 'Tried Piper'.
Thanks in advance 'Boet'!!
Depending on how things pan out I may just decide to keep the 'boxie' in Cape Town and give the GX Coupe a rest and a little TLC, after all it's served me well over the years. One thing is for sure, I've got the best Datsun mechanic in the country (in my personal opinion) and either way I hope to again be right up there where I am lead to believe that a lot of plans are in process to challenge the Datti. (At least try with a 1600cc and not something with 600cc and more!!)
I would still love to have a race car with me in JHB for the up coming Piper weekend at Zwartkops later this month but with only an empty wallet and a bent credit card (school fees, uniforms and books have no respect not to mention Club membership and MSA license renewal) common sense will therefore prevail. In the interim I am holding thumbs for all those still in the process of building new cars for the season and I can't wait to see you all again soon.
The 140Z should also be getting a thorough check through during the up coming weeks as well and should be ready to 'rock 'n roll' by as soon as the next race. I think I must also however sit my tutor down and do some convincing for him to be the 'Tried Piper'.
Thanks in advance 'Boet'!!
Monday, 15 November 2010
It's all over now.
And so the final race of the 2010 season dawned upon me and I found myself somewhat exited, somewhat apprehensive all at the same time. The outcome no longer mattered after all, all I really wanted was to just enjoy the last race, finish both heats without any unnecessary damage and end the season on a positive note. As such then I feel I have reached such desires and was only too happy to have been a part of it all.
Friday morning I arrived at the track for the first practice session which was scheduled for 09h45 and was hoping that it would prove to be successful so that another session was not necessary. The Datti had been given another set of bearings as a result of the loss of oil pressure encountered during the last race as well as the rockers having been fixed and the oil feeds repaired. The engine sounded as per normal and oil pressure was excellent. I took to the track and did my normal warm up procedure for the first lap after which I increased the speed until I finally reached race pace. On the 3rd lap I noticed that it would jump out of 4th gear around 6000 RPM on the straights both back and front as well as between T3 and T4. I started going through T4 in 3rd to prevent using only 1 hand but eventually accepted it was not to be. I put a call through to 'Mr Datsun' and said I could not race it in such condition. Within 10 minutes the car was collected and taken back to the workshop where the gearbox was removed and replaced with another and was returned to the track by 11h30. I was to again test at the last afforded session being at 12h55. The test was successful and everything worked well, the only feeling being that the Datti was not at her most powerful and seemed to be off pace from her usual. Never the less I was happy that I could sill be in contention for a challenge at finishing the season on a good note.
The 140Z was all previously and meticulously prepared and only a top up of fuel and tyre pressure was needed for a test. Even although the track was not perfect and the wind had come up she was as crisp and ready as ever and awaited the challenges it was likely to face from good opposition in the likes of the ex Hennie vd Linde SABAT Skyline GTX and the late Tony Viana Winfield BMW 745i which were especially invited to end off the classic car season. Both these cars were serious contenders in the heyday and were still no slouches in the very capable hands of their current drivers.
Saturday and as per usual we at the track at sparrows as our qualifying was scheduled for 08h00. The morning was overcast and cool and by 07h15 a light drizzle had crept in and made sure that the track was entirely wet. We both decided that even although it was not raining heavily at all we would chance it and go out on slick tyres. The times were slow and I qualified the Datti at a 1:50.4 while the 140Z also only manged a 1:45.8 putting him 2nd on the grid. By 09h30 it had stopped drizzling and by 10h00 for our first race we had a dry line to at least race on.
Race 1 saw the Datti behind both front wheel drive cars who qualified by 0.5 seconds quicker than me and had the better grid position. At lights out I managed to get good drive and managed to easily pass them before going into T1. I found myself right behind the bumper of the the Scirocco who had by now already been passed by the much faster rear wheel drive cars. I hung on as best as possible but it was soon evident that I was not in any contention to challenge the much quicker Scirocco of Biccari. Everything else seemed to be working perfectly but I was eventually caught by the Zakspeed Escort Mk1 of Robbie Jeptha who was luckily still in class X but had more pace on the day. The 140Z simply stormed off into the distance along with the Mazda Rotary of Chris Carolin and there was never really any challenge from the only invited guest being Paolo Cavelieri in the BMW 745i. It was simply out classed in the race and put in an excellent 1:22.3 lap while that of Chris Carolin only 1 tenth of a second slower at 1:22.4.
Race 2 for the Datti turned out to be a rather lonely race which was also largely due to a huge oil spill that resulted in the race before ours. Large amounts of cement were as such laid down on the oil which soon turned into a dust storm from the cars up ahead. I tried as best to avoid as much of it as possible on the warm up lap but it was difficult to avoid all contact. Again I got away well but visibility was almost zero in some places and instead I chose to be on the cautious side as I new I was unable to be of any major threat to the Scirroco while the Zakspeed was of no threat to me at all as far as points were concerned. On each lap the cement dust became less but it had already taken its toll on those who chose to deliberately drive in or through it. I was as such slowly catching the Zakspeed Escort and eventually passed it where after it came to a halt with likely engine damage as are result of excessive cement dust in the engine. In the interim the guys up front were making a race of it and the lead up front often changed between the 140Z, the Mazda Rotary and even the BMW 745i at times thereby getting the spectators most excited at the possible outcome of the race. Who would be the victor at the finish line. In the end it was the 140Z followed by the BMW 745i, the Mazda Rotary and the Mk1 Escort of Louis Powell all within 1 second between them all. It may not have been the fastest race of the season but judging by the feedback from both spectators and fellow racers from around the track it was one of the most exciting and entertaining races dished up for the season.
And so the Datsuns will now be parked for quite some time until the next season starts sometime in 2011. It was undoubtedly a difficult season both mechanically and emotionally as well as financially at times. Perhaps in hind sight the emotions were allowed to get in the way of racing and as such took the edge off at times and thereby blurred our mental visions. On a more positive note, at least for now we have a stable set of rules which should remain unchanged for 3 years and in turn allow the fields to once again increase knowing that it won't change in the next year.
Above all I have to say a big thank you to my 'boet' for whom without I would only be a spectator. Throughout the entire season he meticulously prepared, rebuilt, modified and made changes which saw the Datti go from a class C car at the beginning of the season to finishing 2nd in class B for 2011. I cannot think of any other car with an engine capacity so small ever achieving such results in class B, a remarkable and commendable achievement.
To all the regular followers of the Datsun's, 2011 will be even better to watch. To all my fellow competitors, best you enjoy the off season.
Thanks 'Boet'.
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