10th David Piper International - Zwartkops

The 140Z has made inroads at almost every event it has taken part in and has made many sit up and take note so much so that 3 official letters from motoring authorities were eventually requested and obtained to confirm the 140Z's legality and conformance to the pre-77 rulings. That done it was now time to take the 140Z up to Zwartkops, a track it has to date never competed on. The trip up from CT was long and inconvenienced by trailer tyre problems all along the way to JHB. Eventually they arrived at around 18h30 at Zwartkops and we off loaded the car and stored it overnight in a locked up shed along with other fellow Captonian racers.

Friday morning we were up at sparrows as per usual and did nothing more than fuel the car and do the normal routine checks. The early morning session was an open practice which afforded us some saddle time as well as to get a heat cycle into a new set of NA Carreras. All early indications were that the 140Z was slowly coming to terms with the technically challenging track and times were around a 1:12. A second session proved to be as good and times dropped to 1:11.7 even though ambient temperatures were a lot hotter by then. The afternoon session was all reserved for qualifying and ours was scheduled for 14h00. Some tyre pressure changes were made to compensate for the heat and took to the track where the 140Z put in a qualifying best lap of 1:11.58 putting us 4th on the grid with the 745i BMW on 3rd, the V8 Sierra in 2nd and yet another Datsun 2.8 Skyline GTX on pole having posted a blistering 1:08.8. That left us pretty chuffed even although all 3 cars ahead of the 140Z were 10 years younger then the pre-77 complaint Datsun 140Z. As such another carrot was being dangled and we had to find a way of gaining another second or so to put us in with a chance of a top 3 finish. The amount of people that gathered around the 140Z after each outing was unbelievable, many totally gob smacked by the qualifying achievements. We tidied up and later headed for the cafeteria area to catch up on some late lunch and discussed the positives and negatives of the qualifying. We managed to single out 2 corners which 'Mr Datsun' felt could be improved on but we had to also take into consideration the local conditions and altitude. While everyone else was probably satisfied with their qualifying times, 'Mr Datsun' was never going to be. Eventually a phone call was made to a knowledgeable local race ace who analysed the feedback provided and eventually offered a solution. We went back to the car and implemented the 2 settings as advised and also to check if by chance new brake pads were yet a requirement. I then went to the COC and asked if we could have a few laps after the official qualifying was over for all the categories to which he was most accommodating. We only manged to get a test session at around 17h30 but it was good enough for us. The 140Z took to the track with only 2 other tin tops and on lap 3 the 140Z managed to clock a 1:10.49 putting us right up there with a far better chance. That was just what the doctor ordered and we settled in for an early nights rest.

Saturday morning we were again up at sparrows and performed our usual race ritual preparations for the race scheduled for 09h50 . The pace lap was fast which lead to a field being very wide spread but hey, pole man sets the pace and either you keep up to his pace or you loose. We found ourselves is 4th place as per the grid and on lap 2 overtook the 745i BMW going onto turn 5 on the table top under brakes. That gave us a chance to now chase the V8 Sierra in earnest. As the saying goes, 'there's no replacement for displacement' but the 140Z was not going to just lye down without putting up a fight. We had a strategy in place and intended to stick to it for the race. By lap 5 our strategy started coming into play and we slowly caught up to the V8 Sierra who was being pushed hard into every corner. It was only a matter of time before tyres and brakes would come into play on the bigger and heavier cars. On lap 7 going up towards turn 5 the 140Z had closed right up to the Sierra and knew his brakes were now fading fast as the 140Z was able to make up much ground under braking. Just one more lap and we were in with a possible upset. Lo and behold on lap 7 Ashley Lobb in a Fiat 131 spun and was unable to move the car from being in the middle of turn 8 which lead onto the main straight and due to safety conditions the race was red flagged. They finished Skyline, Sierra, 140Z with the 140Z putting in the fastest race time of 1:10.53, the V8 Sierra 1:10.99 and the Skyline 1:10.63.
The 140Z was swarmed with people who converged around the little 'Giant Killer' and everyone said, if only you had 1 more lap you would have caught the V8 Sierra. TV crews with their cameras appeared and 'Mr Datsun' had to give an on camera interview of his race achievement conducted by Greg Malony. Unbelievable was the saying of the day.

Race 2 was to be much later in the day and the conditions throughout the whole day were sweltering hot. We managed to catch one or two of the more popular races but otherwise settled in and around the 140Z to be there for the interested onlookers. Our race was scheduled for 16h30 and rain clouds had built up by now and were looking threatening. It started raining but did not damper the racing spirit. By 15h45 we were still considering whether it would be a dry race or if we needed to pull out the dreaded wet tyres. Either way we were prepared but from a racers point of view, dry is what we wanted. By 16h10 the rain had stopped and by the start of the race we again had a bone dry track with a lot cooler conditions.
This time the Skyline took it a lot slower and the entire field bunched up nicely on the pace lap, the 140Z tucked right behind the Skyline in 3rd place with the Sierra to his outside in 2nd. Everyone was now very aware of the 'point and squirt' 140Z on this track with many having predicted that if the 140Z did ever manage to beat the V8 Sierra it would probably be the talk of the year never mind the race. This may well have been in the back of the mind of the Sierra driver and at the end of the pace lap the V8 Sierra pulled off (tail between its legs) into the pits and never returned. There was no sign of any mechanical failures after race 1 and it remains strange to have pulled off on a pace lap with no sign of any real problem. This offered another opportunity for a Datsun 1, 2 finish and would have had the crowds going mad if this was ever accomplished. The first few laps saw both the Skyline and the 140Z swapping places frequently upfront with the 140Z holding the Skyline on the outside of turn 4 on more than 1 lap going up towards turn 5. From where I was standing it had the spectators clapping and shouting for the 140Z and almost choked me up a little at times. The dice continued until 5 lap where due to the much cooler temperature conditions had now allowed the Dutch entry turbo charged Alfa the chance to close in on the 2 front Datsuns. The Alfa eventually caught up to the 140Z and split the 2 Datsuns for the remaining 2 laps and so ended race 2 in that order. A most entertaining race. This achievement brought out the likes of Colin Clay (former 140Y Wesbank racer) who congratulated Martin on both his races and even sat in the car in awe of this 'Giant Killer'. So too did Willie Hepburn turn up, so too did Roelf Du Plessis of Wesbank racing, Larry Wilford, Dick Sorrensen, Richard Sorrensen who were all offering congratulations for a brilliant race effort.
















And so ended the weekend having won class B and unofficially taking 2nd overall for the day only to have been beaten by much bigger and more modern day cars but equally which were raced to their limits. We were all tired and a little sun burnt from the weekends glorious weather and we left soon after prize giving where 'Mr Datsun' headed for Bloemfontein for a good nights rest. Let's wait and see what the 3rd leg of the Springbok series brings to the Cape where hopefully yet another battle may just resume, then again most probably not.

Thanks 'Boet' for me being a part of your racing.

Hello 2011

Well it's not quite time for racing just yet but hey, it's as good a time to start getting ready and preparing for the season that lies ahead. A lot of work still lies ahead and many mechanical decisions still need to be made for the championship ahead but the one decision that has been made so far was to send the 1200 'boxie' down to Cape Town for the historic weekend in February. For obvious reasons I have had to remove all the previous stickers, numbers and sponsors (used in JHB) and who are also no longer involved with the series which means new ones have to be made anyway. For those not yet aware, I also voluntarily gave up my race number (#22) in CT for a good cause and will have to await a new number to still be allocated to me. (Hopefully reverse psychology will still come into play.)

Depending on how things pan out I may just decide to keep the 'boxie' in Cape Town and give the GX Coupe a rest and a little TLC, after all it's served me well over the years. One thing is for sure, I've got the best Datsun mechanic in the country (in my personal opinion) and either way I hope to again be right up there where I am lead to believe that a lot of plans are in process to challenge the Datti. (At least try with a 1600cc and not something with 600cc and more!!)

I would still love to have a race car with me in JHB for the up coming Piper weekend at Zwartkops later this month but with only an empty wallet and a bent credit card (school fees, uniforms and books have no respect not to mention Club membership and MSA license renewal) common sense will therefore prevail. In the interim I am holding thumbs for all those still in the process of building new cars for the season and I can't wait to see you all again soon.


The 140Z should also be getting a thorough check through during the up coming weeks as well and should be ready to 'rock 'n roll' by as soon as the next race. I think I must also however sit my tutor down and do some convincing for him to be the 'Tried Piper'.

Thanks in advance 'Boet'!!

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'.

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.

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.