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'.
Monday, 25 October 2010
Frustrations & Attitudes
To say this last weekends racing was frustrating is putting it mildly. All weather station predictions were that rain was on the cards for Friday and for whatever reason it never once even looked like rain at all. To some degree even that was frustrating as one now wondered if the predicted clear for Saturday would perhaps now have rain. Anyway at least that was something of which we had no control of and never would either.
As a precaution the rings on the Datti were replaced after the last race and needed bedding in and as such my first session was purely a test session. Everything seemed OK, oil pressures and water temps all fine the only exception being a lack of braking ability. I kept it under 6000 RPM and on my last test lap I stomped on the 'loud peddle' between T3 and T4. Coming out of T4 I noticed no oil pressure and pulled to the right hand side of the track. In hind sight it was not a good idea and I should have stopped completely even though there was no sign of engine noise or any laboring of the engine. Seeing the oil gauge on zero pressure dropped my spirits and emotions and increased my frustrations even more and I sort of resigned myself to the fact that my weekends racing had already come to an end as I would not consider redoing an engine this late in the day. I cruised at idle speed all the way back to my pit not realizing what had actually gone wrong. Upon my return we discovered that the oil cooler adapter had come off from the engine block (with the piping and oil filter still neatly intact and secured) due to the thread having been stripped which essentially meant I was now also guilty of dumping my sump all down the back straight. I duly went to the marshals offices out of my own accord and guilt, owned up and apologized for the mishap. We removed the oil cooler and the adapter and just screwed the filter straight on and bypassed any cooling. I expected the worst and even wondered if filling up with oil was even worth it but without doing so we would not know for sure the extent of any damage. We started up and to everyone's dismay and belief the oil pressure was up at 5 bar pressure and no sign of any engine or bearing failure. I did the last session for the day at 15h15 and everything was perfect other than I still battled to stop. Upon my return to my pit and a debriefing ceremony I again reiterated that the brakes were not up to scratch as per the norm. I was duly informed that oil would take a while to burn off and was likely the cause. In the interim a thorough check was again done and the tappets sounded a little noisy. The tappet cover was removed upon which we discovered a rocker shaft pedestal bolt had stripped in the head. So off to the workshop I went to get heli-coils and whatever else was required to repair the job. In the interim while waiting, the front brakes were checked only to discover there were no brakes left and that being after only 2 races. That was duly replaced with a new set of pads while waiting for me to return to the track. After having then fixed the head gear everything was now ready for qualifying the next morning with a set of brake pads that still needed bedding in. A couple of laps around the pit complex was as best as we could do that evening and I parked the car and went for supper a much happier person for now but still very frustrated at my short sightedness in hindsight.
Saturday mornings qualifying was moved to 07h45 for whatever reason and we were already at the track by 06h15 to do our necessary preparation on both Datsuns. The 140Z was operating like a clock and all that was required was a quick radiator flush and a wipe down of the body. In his qualifying session he posted a brilliant 1:21.9 which gave the 140Z pole position for race 1. The datti on the other hand eventually got down to a qualifying time of 1:28.9 with the brakes still not having been fully bedded as yet but was good enough for the race. I was placed second of the class B cars but with a class C Alfa posting a quicker time than me and thus found myself down in 9th place in the grid out of 27. I had a reasonable start and managed to get ahead of the class C Alfa of Dave Alhadeff from the rolling start but was short of HP on the Scirocco that of Biccari. There was not much pressure on me from behind but that soon changed after lap 6 when I felt I was going slower and slower until I eventually pulled off after lap 7 with a suspected rocker failure. Not wanting to further test fate I duly pulled off onto the Oval between T1 and T2 and secured whatever points I could get having only completed 7 of the 8 laps. In the interim the 140Z ran away from the field and posted his fastest ever time of 1:21.3 and thereby affording him the race win by the proverbial mile. Eventually I was towed to the scrutineers only after the next race upon which it seemed rather odd and soon learned that some very irritated scrutineers were hounding all the clubman cars who had just finished their first race, over the scrutineering bay and were obviously checking each one for any oil leaks. A scrutineer eventually came up to me while I was still parked at the entrance of parc ferme and asked to lift the hood. I duly complied and a small amount of oil was seen on the chassis rail. My issued scrutineered sticker was duly removed and I was told in no uncertain terms 'you can also load your car and go home'. Short and sweet. No option to even repair it for the 2nd heat.
Now even more frustrated I merely complied with such unprofessionalism and neither of the Datsuns along with a few others took any further part (the 140Z also being found guilty of two drops of oil hanging from under the gearbox) of the race event in principal of shoddy attitudes displayed by the scrutineers and on apparent instruction of the C.O.C. of the day.
In the interim I'll consider my further involvement with the club after I have had a good think about who actually pays who to race. (As one clubman competitor said, "in 15 years I've never had to sit out on a race, this is the first time".)
Thanks 'boet' for desperately trying to keep me on the track. In the meantime, PHUKEMALL.
As a precaution the rings on the Datti were replaced after the last race and needed bedding in and as such my first session was purely a test session. Everything seemed OK, oil pressures and water temps all fine the only exception being a lack of braking ability. I kept it under 6000 RPM and on my last test lap I stomped on the 'loud peddle' between T3 and T4. Coming out of T4 I noticed no oil pressure and pulled to the right hand side of the track. In hind sight it was not a good idea and I should have stopped completely even though there was no sign of engine noise or any laboring of the engine. Seeing the oil gauge on zero pressure dropped my spirits and emotions and increased my frustrations even more and I sort of resigned myself to the fact that my weekends racing had already come to an end as I would not consider redoing an engine this late in the day. I cruised at idle speed all the way back to my pit not realizing what had actually gone wrong. Upon my return we discovered that the oil cooler adapter had come off from the engine block (with the piping and oil filter still neatly intact and secured) due to the thread having been stripped which essentially meant I was now also guilty of dumping my sump all down the back straight. I duly went to the marshals offices out of my own accord and guilt, owned up and apologized for the mishap. We removed the oil cooler and the adapter and just screwed the filter straight on and bypassed any cooling. I expected the worst and even wondered if filling up with oil was even worth it but without doing so we would not know for sure the extent of any damage. We started up and to everyone's dismay and belief the oil pressure was up at 5 bar pressure and no sign of any engine or bearing failure. I did the last session for the day at 15h15 and everything was perfect other than I still battled to stop. Upon my return to my pit and a debriefing ceremony I again reiterated that the brakes were not up to scratch as per the norm. I was duly informed that oil would take a while to burn off and was likely the cause. In the interim a thorough check was again done and the tappets sounded a little noisy. The tappet cover was removed upon which we discovered a rocker shaft pedestal bolt had stripped in the head. So off to the workshop I went to get heli-coils and whatever else was required to repair the job. In the interim while waiting, the front brakes were checked only to discover there were no brakes left and that being after only 2 races. That was duly replaced with a new set of pads while waiting for me to return to the track. After having then fixed the head gear everything was now ready for qualifying the next morning with a set of brake pads that still needed bedding in. A couple of laps around the pit complex was as best as we could do that evening and I parked the car and went for supper a much happier person for now but still very frustrated at my short sightedness in hindsight.
Saturday mornings qualifying was moved to 07h45 for whatever reason and we were already at the track by 06h15 to do our necessary preparation on both Datsuns. The 140Z was operating like a clock and all that was required was a quick radiator flush and a wipe down of the body. In his qualifying session he posted a brilliant 1:21.9 which gave the 140Z pole position for race 1. The datti on the other hand eventually got down to a qualifying time of 1:28.9 with the brakes still not having been fully bedded as yet but was good enough for the race. I was placed second of the class B cars but with a class C Alfa posting a quicker time than me and thus found myself down in 9th place in the grid out of 27. I had a reasonable start and managed to get ahead of the class C Alfa of Dave Alhadeff from the rolling start but was short of HP on the Scirocco that of Biccari. There was not much pressure on me from behind but that soon changed after lap 6 when I felt I was going slower and slower until I eventually pulled off after lap 7 with a suspected rocker failure. Not wanting to further test fate I duly pulled off onto the Oval between T1 and T2 and secured whatever points I could get having only completed 7 of the 8 laps. In the interim the 140Z ran away from the field and posted his fastest ever time of 1:21.3 and thereby affording him the race win by the proverbial mile. Eventually I was towed to the scrutineers only after the next race upon which it seemed rather odd and soon learned that some very irritated scrutineers were hounding all the clubman cars who had just finished their first race, over the scrutineering bay and were obviously checking each one for any oil leaks. A scrutineer eventually came up to me while I was still parked at the entrance of parc ferme and asked to lift the hood. I duly complied and a small amount of oil was seen on the chassis rail. My issued scrutineered sticker was duly removed and I was told in no uncertain terms 'you can also load your car and go home'. Short and sweet. No option to even repair it for the 2nd heat.
Now even more frustrated I merely complied with such unprofessionalism and neither of the Datsuns along with a few others took any further part (the 140Z also being found guilty of two drops of oil hanging from under the gearbox) of the race event in principal of shoddy attitudes displayed by the scrutineers and on apparent instruction of the C.O.C. of the day.
In the interim I'll consider my further involvement with the club after I have had a good think about who actually pays who to race. (As one clubman competitor said, "in 15 years I've never had to sit out on a race, this is the first time".)
Thanks 'boet' for desperately trying to keep me on the track. In the meantime, PHUKEMALL.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
It takes 2 to Tango!!
The itch was just too much, the in between waiting had become too long, the want almost a must. Besides, I was not sure which way the rules would go for 2011 especially the 'replica' rules and decided to look at another Datti in the interim, this time a 4-door 'boxie' all while the dust settled. The car was a HRCR 3rd overall championship car for 2008 and I always had one eye on the track and the other on this car and eventually took the plunge to buy it at the beginning of August. Everyone including myself wants to have a personal or unique looking car and I started stripping the bodywork of decals and the interior to suit my taste. It took me almost a month with my 2 left hands to do so but patience and perseverance finally paid off and I eventually transformed it to something I liked all while still retaining the exact mechanicals as originally bought.
And so it went from this........................................................to this.
Permission was sought and granted to participate in the last 2 races of the HRCR season of which my first was on 18th September at Kyalami. Not having had the chance to previously test the car I had no idea of its capability although its potential was always a given knowing its previous history. As such 'Mr Datsun Guru' of the fairest Cape duly was to attend the race meeting and came up on the Thursday night. He quickly noticed a few key areas and was soon removing unwanted or unnecessary parts from the suspension and also made some changes in other areas he found somewhat wanting. Mechanically he changed the jetting to something that made a bit more sense, adjusted tappet clearances and set the timing to his specification needs. The Friday morning we were off to the track and our testing commenced. Our first stint was not of the greatest but hey, this is a new race toy and a learning curve was to be expected. Again we made further changes to the jetting and by late afternoon I manged to get her down to a 2:12.5. As certain internal carburetor parts were suspected to be incorrect, we were left with no alternative but to make do with what we had to out disposal. Further changes were again made but as no further testing was possible on the day, it was now left to the qualifying session on the Saturday morning. A brilliant day with cool morning air did the trick and I posted a 2:10.9 for qualifying. During race 1 I again bettered my time and clocked a personal best of 2:09.8. Race 2 saw the mercury a little hotter and also therefore times slightly slower but hey a fantastic achievement for the weekend and for our first time out. We finished 16th overall out of a total of 56 competitors with a 7th overall in class.
My second race meeting was to be on the 16th October at Zwartkops and would also be my last as the northern region season had come to an end. In the interim I painstakingly removed the carburetors and inlet manifold and gave this to a friend of mine who offered to help with the stripping and setup. I ordered the correct parts as instructed and such were fitted along with new bolts, spring washers and the like. After having collected the carburetors I once again painstakingly put them back into roughly the same place I removed them from and tightened all the bolts and fittings. No matter how hard I tried I could not get the Datti to start. After battling for about 30 minutes I eventually got it fired up but man it was rough and sounded terrible. No matter which screws I adjusted on the carbs, nothing changed and I duly killed the engine, covered her up and reported to Cape Town HQ.
Again on the Thursday night before the race, 'Mr Datsun Guru' appeared from nowhere and went about setting the carbs which was supposed to be a 2 minute job apparently. My my, no matter what was adjusted the problem remained and it was decided to strip the and remove the carburetors again so as to better ascertain the problem. Now for those who may think I have a state of the art workshop to accomplish all of this work, well let's just say it is very unique indeed. Pictured below is how we have to make do when you don't have the luxury of an equiped garage at the race track like I have access to in Cape Town.
To top it all, after we had removed the carbs we had a Gauteng thunder storm of note resulting that we could not finish that night (the car stands outside on its trailer) and had to wait for morning. By 06h30 the carbs were reassembled, adjusted and were back on the car and fired up by 07h30. A whole range of screws were adjusted (it almost looked like a grand piano tuner) and within 2 minutes she was idling smoothly and revving beautifully once again. We duly packed the car with all our tools and race fuel, hitched the trailer and off we were to Zwartkops arriving there by 09h30 on Friday morning.
My first stint again was not anywhere near my expectation but I was at least here to have some fun and intended to do just that. I was then posting around the 1:19 - 1:20 lap time. I had set myself a personal goal for the weekend of reaching a 1:17 lap time and would be most satisfied with that for 2 reasons, one, I was not used to the track and two had I ever raced this car here. 'Mr Datsun' did a spark plug analysis reading and again decided to change the jetting. Again I went out and tested and not before long I was down to 1:17.5. Very chuffed with myself I was still 0.5 seconds away from my goal but would now have to wait for tomorrow as our allotted testing was over for the day. We duly packed up and enjoyed a few hard earned frosties with the boys down at the track bar. Saturday morning we were again up early and got to the track (40Km's later) by 07h00. We fueled the car, set the tyre pressures to suit the crisp cold morning air and then just stood around with a great bunch of racers making idle chatter, everyone a touch nervous for our qualifying session. I was super motivated this being a new track, a new car (well almost) and at the back of my mind a bunch of guys who could seriously peddle fast around Zwarties. I did not want to disappoint, not myself or anyone else for that matter. I sat in parc ferme
deep in concentration going over my race lines and trying to remember my areas of weakness as was pointed out by those a lot more observant and experienced. In the interim, 'Mr Datsun Guru' made some final tyre pressure adjustments.
I took to the track and warmed the tyres and brakes on the first out lap after which I nailed her good and solid. This was my best chance with the cold morning air (9 degrees) to get my goal lap time I had set myself. The car felt good, very responsive, handled well and did everything almost perfectly. I had only put in 4 laps and felt it was the best I could do, at least for now. Almost unbelievably upon returning to the pits, my boet open the door, stuck out his hand and congratulated me, I had just posted a 1:16.2. PGA - Personal Goal Achieved!!
Race 1 was hard, very competitive and I was dueling with 3 much bigger engine cars as well as another Datsun like mine but with plenty Zwartkops track experience. Equally then we were most probably all over-driving our cars with hardly a cars length between us at times, some accidentally running into others, others a little too sideways in corners with some eventually suffering terminal engine failure. I finished 5th in my class. Race 2 was as good but with somewhat less competition due to some DNS's and I somewhat had a much lonelier race. In the end I finished 3rd in my class and for the day I achieved a 3rd place overall which was most unexpected.
I guess one can have the very best guitar and have the talent to play it well but if you don't know how to tune it, it pretty much sounds awful. Yes I drove my heart out and gave it my best shot on a not too familiar track but without 'Mr Datsun Guru' I would still be stuck on the trailer at home unable to have got my car started at all.
Thanks 'Boet'
Also a big thank you to the HRCR for allowing me to participate in their last 2 race meeting of 2010.
And so it went from this........................................................to this.
Permission was sought and granted to participate in the last 2 races of the HRCR season of which my first was on 18th September at Kyalami. Not having had the chance to previously test the car I had no idea of its capability although its potential was always a given knowing its previous history. As such 'Mr Datsun Guru' of the fairest Cape duly was to attend the race meeting and came up on the Thursday night. He quickly noticed a few key areas and was soon removing unwanted or unnecessary parts from the suspension and also made some changes in other areas he found somewhat wanting. Mechanically he changed the jetting to something that made a bit more sense, adjusted tappet clearances and set the timing to his specification needs. The Friday morning we were off to the track and our testing commenced. Our first stint was not of the greatest but hey, this is a new race toy and a learning curve was to be expected. Again we made further changes to the jetting and by late afternoon I manged to get her down to a 2:12.5. As certain internal carburetor parts were suspected to be incorrect, we were left with no alternative but to make do with what we had to out disposal. Further changes were again made but as no further testing was possible on the day, it was now left to the qualifying session on the Saturday morning. A brilliant day with cool morning air did the trick and I posted a 2:10.9 for qualifying. During race 1 I again bettered my time and clocked a personal best of 2:09.8. Race 2 saw the mercury a little hotter and also therefore times slightly slower but hey a fantastic achievement for the weekend and for our first time out. We finished 16th overall out of a total of 56 competitors with a 7th overall in class.
My second race meeting was to be on the 16th October at Zwartkops and would also be my last as the northern region season had come to an end. In the interim I painstakingly removed the carburetors and inlet manifold and gave this to a friend of mine who offered to help with the stripping and setup. I ordered the correct parts as instructed and such were fitted along with new bolts, spring washers and the like. After having collected the carburetors I once again painstakingly put them back into roughly the same place I removed them from and tightened all the bolts and fittings. No matter how hard I tried I could not get the Datti to start. After battling for about 30 minutes I eventually got it fired up but man it was rough and sounded terrible. No matter which screws I adjusted on the carbs, nothing changed and I duly killed the engine, covered her up and reported to Cape Town HQ.
Again on the Thursday night before the race, 'Mr Datsun Guru' appeared from nowhere and went about setting the carbs which was supposed to be a 2 minute job apparently. My my, no matter what was adjusted the problem remained and it was decided to strip the and remove the carburetors again so as to better ascertain the problem. Now for those who may think I have a state of the art workshop to accomplish all of this work, well let's just say it is very unique indeed. Pictured below is how we have to make do when you don't have the luxury of an equiped garage at the race track like I have access to in Cape Town.
To top it all, after we had removed the carbs we had a Gauteng thunder storm of note resulting that we could not finish that night (the car stands outside on its trailer) and had to wait for morning. By 06h30 the carbs were reassembled, adjusted and were back on the car and fired up by 07h30. A whole range of screws were adjusted (it almost looked like a grand piano tuner) and within 2 minutes she was idling smoothly and revving beautifully once again. We duly packed the car with all our tools and race fuel, hitched the trailer and off we were to Zwartkops arriving there by 09h30 on Friday morning.
My first stint again was not anywhere near my expectation but I was at least here to have some fun and intended to do just that. I was then posting around the 1:19 - 1:20 lap time. I had set myself a personal goal for the weekend of reaching a 1:17 lap time and would be most satisfied with that for 2 reasons, one, I was not used to the track and two had I ever raced this car here. 'Mr Datsun' did a spark plug analysis reading and again decided to change the jetting. Again I went out and tested and not before long I was down to 1:17.5. Very chuffed with myself I was still 0.5 seconds away from my goal but would now have to wait for tomorrow as our allotted testing was over for the day. We duly packed up and enjoyed a few hard earned frosties with the boys down at the track bar. Saturday morning we were again up early and got to the track (40Km's later) by 07h00. We fueled the car, set the tyre pressures to suit the crisp cold morning air and then just stood around with a great bunch of racers making idle chatter, everyone a touch nervous for our qualifying session. I was super motivated this being a new track, a new car (well almost) and at the back of my mind a bunch of guys who could seriously peddle fast around Zwarties. I did not want to disappoint, not myself or anyone else for that matter. I sat in parc ferme
deep in concentration going over my race lines and trying to remember my areas of weakness as was pointed out by those a lot more observant and experienced. In the interim, 'Mr Datsun Guru' made some final tyre pressure adjustments.I took to the track and warmed the tyres and brakes on the first out lap after which I nailed her good and solid. This was my best chance with the cold morning air (9 degrees) to get my goal lap time I had set myself. The car felt good, very responsive, handled well and did everything almost perfectly. I had only put in 4 laps and felt it was the best I could do, at least for now. Almost unbelievably upon returning to the pits, my boet open the door, stuck out his hand and congratulated me, I had just posted a 1:16.2. PGA - Personal Goal Achieved!!
Race 1 was hard, very competitive and I was dueling with 3 much bigger engine cars as well as another Datsun like mine but with plenty Zwartkops track experience. Equally then we were most probably all over-driving our cars with hardly a cars length between us at times, some accidentally running into others, others a little too sideways in corners with some eventually suffering terminal engine failure. I finished 5th in my class. Race 2 was as good but with somewhat less competition due to some DNS's and I somewhat had a much lonelier race. In the end I finished 3rd in my class and for the day I achieved a 3rd place overall which was most unexpected.
I guess one can have the very best guitar and have the talent to play it well but if you don't know how to tune it, it pretty much sounds awful. Yes I drove my heart out and gave it my best shot on a not too familiar track but without 'Mr Datsun Guru' I would still be stuck on the trailer at home unable to have got my car started at all.
Thanks 'Boet'
Also a big thank you to the HRCR for allowing me to participate in their last 2 race meeting of 2010.
Sunday, 05 September 2010
Dats (un) how you do it.
This weekend was like the break of a long drought for me in particular having last completed a full race since the beginning of June. Once again a lot of hard work was done by my boet to get the Datti back up to competition level. The 140Z had a full spanner check since the PE race and a general check in all critical departments as per usual. Not having the chance to do a previous run of the engine since the rebuild I arrived early the Friday morning to do as many tests as possible and ensure nothing was left to chance. My first stint was a very satisfactory test but tyres we of concern. For the later stint I replaced the rear tyres with previously used tyres which by appearance seemed a little better than the ones I currently had on. Again the test run was positive but the front was still under steering especially in turns 2 & 5. I called for the new set to be brought down to the track which required that I do a third test stint to at least get a heat cycle in before the Saturday qualifying session. Everything was to my satisfaction and the Datti was finally parked for the day. By late afternoon the 140Z had also had a shake down and was ready to do battle with the class S fellow competitors.
Saturday morning was yet again up early as I wanted to bleed the brakes as a final adjustment before qualifying. Final prep on both cars was done as per our ritual and we were out at 08h20. The early morning air was cool and should have its advantages as per usual. On my flying lap I was unexpectedly caught up behind the Capri of Trevor Momebrg who had experienced engine problems resulting that I had to change my race line going into turn 1. With a determined effort to break 29's I only managed to post a qualifying 29.6 with which I was satisfied with given the slight change on race line. The 140Z had a cracker run with no traffic and posted a very impressive 22.2 putting the 'Red Devil' on pole ahead of the flying Can-Am of Anton Rolino was posted a blistering 22.5 during qualifying.
Race 1 was off at 10h50 and the rolling start was of a medium pace. At lights out I was perfectly on the cam and managed to get ahead of the Scirocco of Sandro Bicarri by turn 1 while the 140Z got the better of the Can-Am up front. I soon found myself in for some serious competition as I had both the 'Twinspark' Gotech Alfa and the 2.0L Scirroco right on my tail for the first 2 laps. On lap 3 I allowed the Alfa GTAm of Ferdi v Niekerk Jnr through into turn 1 for technical reasons but by turn 2 the Alfa slowed and pulled off with throttle linkage failure. I now still had the Scirrocco to contend with but luck was finally going my way and not long after the Scirocco pulled off with terminal gearbox failure. With the pressure now off it was a lonely race to the flag. In the interim the 140z was comfortably in the lead up front but lady luck was not to be in his favour. On reaching the final lap a miscalculation of liquid propellant resulted in that the 140Z was prevented from taking victory and was accordingly relegated to eighth position with the Can-Am after a long lay off taking the chequered flag.
A proper check of fuel levels was done on the 140Z while the Datti only required a recheck of tyre pressures and also a fuel fill up. Race 2 was off at 14h50 and this time the 'Red Devil' had to start from 8th on the grid while the little Datti had a first time ever 3rd place start and found myself this time behind the monster Can-Am of Anton Rolino who was this time to dictate the rolling starts pace. This time behind me I had the Alfa Giulia of Jonathan Bernstein to contend with while Ferdi Jnr who hounded me in race 1 had to start from the back of the grid. At lights out I hung on for dear life to the back of the Can-Am but as the saying goes, there's no replacement for displacement.
With only 20 meters to go to turn 1 already the bright light
s of the 'Red Devil' were bearing down on me and without argument I kept out of his way. By halfway through the exit of turn 1 the 140Z was a car length ahead of me with the rasping rotary of Chris Carolin on the full outside and the Can-Am of Rolino just ahead of him. In the blink of an eye, the Rotary and the Can-Am touched resulting in the Can-Am being turned sideways to the infield and Carolin now in full avoidance mode in the meanwhile collecting the flying 140Z who was already in the passing. 
Both the Can-Am and the Rotary came to a halt in the midfield and the 140Z was once again out in front with (what he thought) no further competition. (hehe!!!) I now found myself in second place and before long found myself clear of the rest of the field who were taking the necessary avoidance's further behind me. Going down the back straight for the first time I soon caught up to the 140Z who had suffered steering damaged as a result of the turn 1 incident and for the first time since I've started racing I now found myself out in front. Although the 'Red Devil' was slightly injured he managed to come to terms with the now very skew steering wheel and thought what the hell, let's make something of this and pursued to give chase to the Datti. Boy was I now loving this. I was still pushing as hard as I could and the 140Z pushed me as if he was determined to give me a driving lesson. Nobody ever has been that close to my 'ass' going through turn 4 with not any place for a newspaper to fit between us. Down the back straight I would pull a slight gap (now in full knowledge) and by turn 5 he was back all over me like a rash. It was brilliant as I felt I was still in a serious dice and I was determined to give it my all still driving my lines and not letting the pressure get go me. At the end of the race it was Datsuns 1st & 2nd across the line while the 3rd placed car some 9 odd seconds further behind.
Now I do believe it w
as still possible for the 'Red Devil' to have simply disappeared into the distance but sanity prevailed and we made a spectacle of it, proof yet again that it takes a gentleman driver to sacrifice a most certain overall win and rather have the spectator at heart than his own personal interests. I will treasure this overall win for many years to come as it's unlikely to repeat itself. But hey, I'll take it which ever way it comes.
A brilliant prepared car and all thanks go to you boet.
Thanks 'boet'
Saturday morning was yet again up early as I wanted to bleed the brakes as a final adjustment before qualifying. Final prep on both cars was done as per our ritual and we were out at 08h20. The early morning air was cool and should have its advantages as per usual. On my flying lap I was unexpectedly caught up behind the Capri of Trevor Momebrg who had experienced engine problems resulting that I had to change my race line going into turn 1. With a determined effort to break 29's I only managed to post a qualifying 29.6 with which I was satisfied with given the slight change on race line. The 140Z had a cracker run with no traffic and posted a very impressive 22.2 putting the 'Red Devil' on pole ahead of the flying Can-Am of Anton Rolino was posted a blistering 22.5 during qualifying.
Race 1 was off at 10h50 and the rolling start was of a medium pace. At lights out I was perfectly on the cam and managed to get ahead of the Scirocco of Sandro Bicarri by turn 1 while the 140Z got the better of the Can-Am up front. I soon found myself in for some serious competition as I had both the 'Twinspark' Gotech Alfa and the 2.0L Scirroco right on my tail for the first 2 laps. On lap 3 I allowed the Alfa GTAm of Ferdi v Niekerk Jnr through into turn 1 for technical reasons but by turn 2 the Alfa slowed and pulled off with throttle linkage failure. I now still had the Scirrocco to contend with but luck was finally going my way and not long after the Scirocco pulled off with terminal gearbox failure. With the pressure now off it was a lonely race to the flag. In the interim the 140z was comfortably in the lead up front but lady luck was not to be in his favour. On reaching the final lap a miscalculation of liquid propellant resulted in that the 140Z was prevented from taking victory and was accordingly relegated to eighth position with the Can-Am after a long lay off taking the chequered flag.
A proper check of fuel levels was done on the 140Z while the Datti only required a recheck of tyre pressures and also a fuel fill up. Race 2 was off at 14h50 and this time the 'Red Devil' had to start from 8th on the grid while the little Datti had a first time ever 3rd place start and found myself this time behind the monster Can-Am of Anton Rolino who was this time to dictate the rolling starts pace. This time behind me I had the Alfa Giulia of Jonathan Bernstein to contend with while Ferdi Jnr who hounded me in race 1 had to start from the back of the grid. At lights out I hung on for dear life to the back of the Can-Am but as the saying goes, there's no replacement for displacement.
With only 20 meters to go to turn 1 already the bright light
s of the 'Red Devil' were bearing down on me and without argument I kept out of his way. By halfway through the exit of turn 1 the 140Z was a car length ahead of me with the rasping rotary of Chris Carolin on the full outside and the Can-Am of Rolino just ahead of him. In the blink of an eye, the Rotary and the Can-Am touched resulting in the Can-Am being turned sideways to the infield and Carolin now in full avoidance mode in the meanwhile collecting the flying 140Z who was already in the passing. 
Both the Can-Am and the Rotary came to a halt in the midfield and the 140Z was once again out in front with (what he thought) no further competition. (hehe!!!) I now found myself in second place and before long found myself clear of the rest of the field who were taking the necessary avoidance's further behind me. Going down the back straight for the first time I soon caught up to the 140Z who had suffered steering damaged as a result of the turn 1 incident and for the first time since I've started racing I now found myself out in front. Although the 'Red Devil' was slightly injured he managed to come to terms with the now very skew steering wheel and thought what the hell, let's make something of this and pursued to give chase to the Datti. Boy was I now loving this. I was still pushing as hard as I could and the 140Z pushed me as if he was determined to give me a driving lesson. Nobody ever has been that close to my 'ass' going through turn 4 with not any place for a newspaper to fit between us. Down the back straight I would pull a slight gap (now in full knowledge) and by turn 5 he was back all over me like a rash. It was brilliant as I felt I was still in a serious dice and I was determined to give it my all still driving my lines and not letting the pressure get go me. At the end of the race it was Datsuns 1st & 2nd across the line while the 3rd placed car some 9 odd seconds further behind.Now I do believe it w
as still possible for the 'Red Devil' to have simply disappeared into the distance but sanity prevailed and we made a spectacle of it, proof yet again that it takes a gentleman driver to sacrifice a most certain overall win and rather have the spectator at heart than his own personal interests. I will treasure this overall win for many years to come as it's unlikely to repeat itself. But hey, I'll take it which ever way it comes.A brilliant prepared car and all thanks go to you boet.
Thanks 'boet'
Monday, 16 August 2010
Gone with the Wind.
The long and much awaited 'Ford & Friends Festival' eventually arrived and many made the journey up to to the 'friendly city' by car and in convoy. We departed in the early hours of Thursday morning and duly arrived just after lunchtime. By late that afternoon we had off-loaded both our cars and unpacked the cars finally covering them for the night where after we settled into a festive mood at the track. We had both set our personal goals and targets for the weekend and finally hit the sack by around pumpkin time.
Friday morning we were up early and headed for the track by 7.30am and duly preformed our ritual in preparation. Sadly and very disappointingly, history repeated itself again and once again prevented me from racing the Datti as it so also did in 2007. On my out and warm up lap with oil pressure at a good 4.5 - 5 bar on leaving the pit, by the time I had got to Chevy Sweep it was down to 1.5 bar and by Goodyear, 150m further ahead, it was down to less than 1 bar. I simply pulled back into the pit and there it remained for the weekend under cover. This meant I would now concentrate my efforts in helping where I possibly could in reaching the personal goals set by my 'boet' for the weekend. It was no doubt a tall order (no pain no gain I guess), but through careful calculations taken from previous visits to the track with similar machinery, we had a good idea of what we felt as doable. New tyres for a start were not available and he started off with a used set of 8 x 13" slicks. The morning session eventually produced times of around 1:12. With nothing having to be adjusted on the engine, it was down to getting saddle time and finding the limits of the tyres given the track and surface conditions. He again attempted a session after lunch with a few new ideas in mind as to where time could likely be made up. We re-corrected tyre pressures and took to the track once again. Although a further improvement was achieved that with posting 1:11's it was eventually accepted that the maximum had now been extracted from 8" rubber. Wanting to call it a day, I made the suggestion to put on the 10" rubber and get another heat cycle before Saturday mornings qualifying. He agreed and we made the change. Again we made the due tyre pressure corrections taking current track and air temps in consideration. Out he went again and after 3 laps he achieved his first personal goal, that of breaking the 1:10 barrier. In fact, unofficially the clock stood on 1:09.7 and whatever happened here after suddenly all became irrelevant. We called it a day with everyone congratulating the maestro in his achievement.
Saturday morning was again up early as qualifying was now to be done and we had prep to do beforehand. We duly went about making all the necessary checks and adjustments and made compensation for the early morning track and air temp conditions. Knowing how close the opposition was to our times, it was going to take a concerted effort to repeat the times we set our goals to. Lo and behold the 'magician' put his head down and on lap 4 put in a blistering official 1:09.956 and claimed pole position for race 1. I don't ever recall a 4-cylinder engine single overhead cam posting such official times around Aldo and a new benchmark had in all probability been set.
Race one saw the 140Z on pole with the 700HP 'Wesbank' late Owen Ashley built Capri Perana in 2nd position. By all counts the V8 should have had the legs on the straight to out run the 140Z going into turn 1, but at lights out for the start the 'giant killer' lead the Capri into T1 and opened up a gap through the tight back section of Aldo. By turn 8 (Goodyear) the 140Z had opened up a 200m lead only to have it closed to within a few meters at the end of the main straight going into T1 again. So the race went on with the 140Z consistently opening a gap sufficient enough to breath safely, or so we thought. By lap 5 they started catching the back markers and traffic was heavy, not everyone watching their mirrors closely enough as the express train approached with blazing headlights. This allowed the gap to be narrowed and on the last lap both the 140Z and the Capri Perana were side by side coming out of Toyota corner with the Capri on the inside race line and the 140Z on the outside. With neither driver prepared to relinquish their track space, the Capri touched the left back-end of the 140Z resulting that both went off in Chevy Sweep. It was now a case of who kept a cool head and got going again. The 'maestro' hooked second gear and rooster tailed it out towards Goodyear and came out sideways into the main straight. By now Robbie Smith (SMURF) had also got the Capri back on track and the express train was once again at full bore chasing the 140Z to the finish line. The 140Z took the finish by a mere 0.767 seconds ahead of the Capri and making it a very closely contested and well deserved race.
Minor suspension damage was endured in the coming together between the two and we duly borrowed the calibration tools and made the necessary wheel alignment adjustments as required. In the interim we had acquired 2 brand new 10 x 13" tyres from a local Ford supporter and decided now was the best time to put such weaponry to use. So we had them fitted at the track and duly sported a new set of front boots, ready for race 2.
Race 2 was to be very much of the same as race 1 or so we anticipated. At lights out though, things changed very quickly with the Capri getting ahead of the 140Z and Rose in the Porsche RSR now also alongside the 140Z heading into turn 1. No way would a 'hammer' out corner the 140Z and the Porsche duly slotted into 3rd place with the 140Z tucked right up on the Capri's back bumper. Turn 1 is a long right hander and the moment that Robbie looked up into his rear view mirror he had made the fatal mistake and locked up the front going into the esses and ran very wide. This allowed the 140Z through and this time there was to be no second chance. 'Mr Datsun' put his head down and peddled that 140Z as if there was no tomorrow and again opened up a substantial gap that put paid to anyone catching him unless through some mechanical failure or mistake. Such was not to be either and try as he may the 'Wesbank' V8 Capri Perana was given a thourough driving lesson on the tight 2.48Km track of Aldo Scribante.
Veni vidi vici.
Due to my unfortunate DNS my 'boet' offered me the chance to drive the 140Z in the 1 hour race. Not being one to want to race another mans race car (not even my own brothers) I humbly accepted with the provision that I would NOT attempt to finish the full 60 minutes nor attempt any heroics at lap times. This is one car I cannot afford to pay and have fixed. Well, all that is left to say is that it was absolutely and utmostly enjoyed even although by now the back tyres were finished and the tail was quite happy to hang out at any given opportunity. In total I managed to finish 16 laps on a 18 liter fuel tank and my best time posted was 1:15.7 during the race. After 16 laps I pulled in satisfied that it takes a better driver than me to make that red rocket fly in the 1:09 bracket.
Thanks again 'Boet' for all the efforts made in getting us to PE.
Friday morning we were up early and headed for the track by 7.30am and duly preformed our ritual in preparation. Sadly and very disappointingly, history repeated itself again and once again prevented me from racing the Datti as it so also did in 2007. On my out and warm up lap with oil pressure at a good 4.5 - 5 bar on leaving the pit, by the time I had got to Chevy Sweep it was down to 1.5 bar and by Goodyear, 150m further ahead, it was down to less than 1 bar. I simply pulled back into the pit and there it remained for the weekend under cover. This meant I would now concentrate my efforts in helping where I possibly could in reaching the personal goals set by my 'boet' for the weekend. It was no doubt a tall order (no pain no gain I guess), but through careful calculations taken from previous visits to the track with similar machinery, we had a good idea of what we felt as doable. New tyres for a start were not available and he started off with a used set of 8 x 13" slicks. The morning session eventually produced times of around 1:12. With nothing having to be adjusted on the engine, it was down to getting saddle time and finding the limits of the tyres given the track and surface conditions. He again attempted a session after lunch with a few new ideas in mind as to where time could likely be made up. We re-corrected tyre pressures and took to the track once again. Although a further improvement was achieved that with posting 1:11's it was eventually accepted that the maximum had now been extracted from 8" rubber. Wanting to call it a day, I made the suggestion to put on the 10" rubber and get another heat cycle before Saturday mornings qualifying. He agreed and we made the change. Again we made the due tyre pressure corrections taking current track and air temps in consideration. Out he went again and after 3 laps he achieved his first personal goal, that of breaking the 1:10 barrier. In fact, unofficially the clock stood on 1:09.7 and whatever happened here after suddenly all became irrelevant. We called it a day with everyone congratulating the maestro in his achievement.
Saturday morning was again up early as qualifying was now to be done and we had prep to do beforehand. We duly went about making all the necessary checks and adjustments and made compensation for the early morning track and air temp conditions. Knowing how close the opposition was to our times, it was going to take a concerted effort to repeat the times we set our goals to. Lo and behold the 'magician' put his head down and on lap 4 put in a blistering official 1:09.956 and claimed pole position for race 1. I don't ever recall a 4-cylinder engine single overhead cam posting such official times around Aldo and a new benchmark had in all probability been set.
Race one saw the 140Z on pole with the 700HP 'Wesbank' late Owen Ashley built Capri Perana in 2nd position. By all counts the V8 should have had the legs on the straight to out run the 140Z going into turn 1, but at lights out for the start the 'giant killer' lead the Capri into T1 and opened up a gap through the tight back section of Aldo. By turn 8 (Goodyear) the 140Z had opened up a 200m lead only to have it closed to within a few meters at the end of the main straight going into T1 again. So the race went on with the 140Z consistently opening a gap sufficient enough to breath safely, or so we thought. By lap 5 they started catching the back markers and traffic was heavy, not everyone watching their mirrors closely enough as the express train approached with blazing headlights. This allowed the gap to be narrowed and on the last lap both the 140Z and the Capri Perana were side by side coming out of Toyota corner with the Capri on the inside race line and the 140Z on the outside. With neither driver prepared to relinquish their track space, the Capri touched the left back-end of the 140Z resulting that both went off in Chevy Sweep. It was now a case of who kept a cool head and got going again. The 'maestro' hooked second gear and rooster tailed it out towards Goodyear and came out sideways into the main straight. By now Robbie Smith (SMURF) had also got the Capri back on track and the express train was once again at full bore chasing the 140Z to the finish line. The 140Z took the finish by a mere 0.767 seconds ahead of the Capri and making it a very closely contested and well deserved race.
Minor suspension damage was endured in the coming together between the two and we duly borrowed the calibration tools and made the necessary wheel alignment adjustments as required. In the interim we had acquired 2 brand new 10 x 13" tyres from a local Ford supporter and decided now was the best time to put such weaponry to use. So we had them fitted at the track and duly sported a new set of front boots, ready for race 2.
Race 2 was to be very much of the same as race 1 or so we anticipated. At lights out though, things changed very quickly with the Capri getting ahead of the 140Z and Rose in the Porsche RSR now also alongside the 140Z heading into turn 1. No way would a 'hammer' out corner the 140Z and the Porsche duly slotted into 3rd place with the 140Z tucked right up on the Capri's back bumper. Turn 1 is a long right hander and the moment that Robbie looked up into his rear view mirror he had made the fatal mistake and locked up the front going into the esses and ran very wide. This allowed the 140Z through and this time there was to be no second chance. 'Mr Datsun' put his head down and peddled that 140Z as if there was no tomorrow and again opened up a substantial gap that put paid to anyone catching him unless through some mechanical failure or mistake. Such was not to be either and try as he may the 'Wesbank' V8 Capri Perana was given a thourough driving lesson on the tight 2.48Km track of Aldo Scribante.
Veni vidi vici.
Due to my unfortunate DNS my 'boet' offered me the chance to drive the 140Z in the 1 hour race. Not being one to want to race another mans race car (not even my own brothers) I humbly accepted with the provision that I would NOT attempt to finish the full 60 minutes nor attempt any heroics at lap times. This is one car I cannot afford to pay and have fixed. Well, all that is left to say is that it was absolutely and utmostly enjoyed even although by now the back tyres were finished and the tail was quite happy to hang out at any given opportunity. In total I managed to finish 16 laps on a 18 liter fuel tank and my best time posted was 1:15.7 during the race. After 16 laps I pulled in satisfied that it takes a better driver than me to make that red rocket fly in the 1:09 bracket.
Thanks again 'Boet' for all the efforts made in getting us to PE.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Hit & Miss and then I was OUT.
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'
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'
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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