Finale Pedals

Its been quite a while since I updated the blog. A number of pedals have passed and a number of moments included. With the ANWCC Hill Climb Championship being secured with the last outing at Loton, the finale took place at Scammonden.

Scammonden Dam (ANWCC Final Round)

With a wet start and travelling in some odd conditions, the track looked as though it was drying out during the morning. In the morning brief it was advised the number of runs will be decided after practice. That was 10. This is the normal for scam, with it being a short course and small allocation. This doesn't detract from the place at all, its a fun tight little sod and great fun to pedal. 

I pushed out the gate fairly early on setting on par times, but still some way off my previous PB. I spent most of the day playing with the suspension setup trying to get a comfortable feel. With the championship being essentially dealt with, I thought it'd be a good time to play around. Well what a mistake. While I was fannying around with the car I had a right moment, pirouetting in the middle of the track. Not sure how that's possible, but it happened. That was me almost done for the day, got back on the horse but that was constantly on my mind.

Ray's pace was getting faster and faster. I think it was around run 6/7 he beat my time and kept on going. He finished the day smacking my arse and being only a few hundredths of the record time (my record time the sneak). Absolutely stunning pedaling by Ray taking the class win. Well done and very very well deserved. 

Aintree (Final Round)

Back for the third and final attendance to Aintree of the year. Very similar out set to Scammonden. Lots of runs, great club and many laughs. Set of out the gate on pace time, still not far off the PB. I don't know what happened but I just didn't gel with the car. It was one of those days where I was battling myself and not getting the best from it. Ray however was on fine form. Run after run cutting times down like a proficient Canadian lumberjack. He tears his PB up, shaving seconds off. Continuing he sets the fastest time & PB (beating my previous PB by a few tenths, and just off the record) and secures neatly the class win. Incredible pedaling again. Its obvious that Ray is getting to grips with the car and prefers his current setup. The timed served and experience is really paying dividend. Again, top stuff lad. Love it.

Three Sisters 

Waking up blurry eyed from Aintree the day before, we arrived at Three sisters. This is our first trip here, and all we can think is this is a tight little cuss. Definitely suited to my style of driving, tight with a hint of drifto. Mr Rowe was in attendance in the S2K as well. He's the resident master here having won several championships and records over the years. Let battle commence, hahaha.

Setting off on practice, I can hardly contain myself. Its a beautiful conflict of I want to go fast but sideways. That's just what I did, shaking the cobwebs off from Aintree I took the Sisters sideways. So much fun, I came back to the pits chuckling to myself and shocked by a half decent time. Ray was struggling with the course a little, finding it difficult to get a flow together. We were both new so it was going to take some time to gel.

In the timed runs I calmed it down and gathered some pace. On for a neat lap then I chuck it off in fine style. Somehow again I manage to keep the car on the black stuff, but by Christ it was a big spin. That was me once again educated for the day. Wanting to drive how I did what I could to battle with top slot, but no chances. Mr Rowe definitely made sure we knew he was king, smashing the class record by a country mile and taking the win. Well done dude, again, experience and course knowledge showing its definitely the master.

Its been brilliant fun over these last few pedals. Lots of laughs, friends and fast times. Its been a strange one for me, as I've struggled with getting my head straight and working with the car. This has shown through, having spun at each one of these events. That's slightly out of my nature, but learning from these mistakes.  Looking forward to the next event and playing with the set up a little more.

Scammonden Dam & Loton 1,2,3

Its been a busy few weeks with racing and with work being very busy I've not had chance to update the blog. Three events have been run since the last update, one at Scammonden and a double header at Loton Park.

Scammonden (22nd July)

The first return to Scammonden after the scorching first round there (temperature and pedalling). Previously I set an unofficial new record there, and was determined to obtain an official time. With all to play for again, the event saw the return of the usual S2000 group plus Lee for his first English event / Hill climb in a year.

Practice was certainly practice, with some frustrating times being set. Quick but not quite on the pace of before. Adjusting all the suspension to suit the conditions I found that the NSR shocker was wound tight compared to the others. I changed these settings blind at Aintree in weeks previous, and obviously got it the wrong way around. At Loton (14th July) I noted the car was stepping out a lot which I couldn't calm down. Ray said it was just me driving the car hard and that's the limits, but I wasn't convinced. Turns out I was a plonker setting it wrong, not entirely down to my driving. 

In the run previous to my setting adjustments, Mr Rowe had beaten his previous PB and hill record by a few hundredths. With the car set right off we went again. Absolutely belting lap, it felt good but not sure if its was record worthy. Timing board shinning and fist pump in the air, 27.18s. I'd managed to replicate my previous time and set a new hill record, or so I thought.  The time set won the day. At the awards several new records were set and mentioned, however nothing was said when collecting my award. A day later the results came through and apparently my original record stood. Discussing with the organisers and time keepers, they are confident the time was correct and is official. Turns out I already had the record and didn't beat it again. Oh well, next time Scammy, next time. 

Should of probably looked closer at the official time sheet on the day

Loton One (14th July)

Meanwhile.....

After Aintree and before Scammonden on the 22nd July, we decided to sneak in a extra Loton for practice. Loton is an amazing climb and is known to take years to perfect. We thought we best take that warning and practice. Practice a lot. 

With a large class and some excellent cars to contend with, we knew it would be a difficult day. In our class was an incredibly quick MK3 MX5 driven by Duncan Morgan. A veteran on the hill, he was showing exactly how fast a MX5 can be in the right hands. His sector times were astonishing, showing there's lots of time to be had everywhere.

Pushing on managed to finally pip Duncan in the final timed run, winning the class for the day. Very chuffed with my first win at Loton, especially given the great competition. It was a pleasure to meet Duncan, another great competitor who is happy to shake you hand and say well done. I really enjoy this community of people.

Loton Two/Three (4th/5th August )

August 4th was the start of the big double header weekend. An important weekend being two rounds of the ANWCC championship, with only one round left. Having already had a dropped score due to missing the second round at Barbon Manor, a poor score here would mean vital points being lost.

Straight out the gate a ruck of sloppy runs and grass tracking ensued. I don't know if there was something in the water, but it seemed everyone was pushing and probably a bit too hard. I certainly had a few moments on the drifting bends, whilst Ray and other decided to rally the course. 

Picture from Loton Photographer - Ian Mellor (Thanks for the awesome shot dude)

Pressing on and deciding to keep it clean was the answer. Timed run 2 resulted in a new PB 61.91. Absolutely over the moon, broke into the 61's as I set out to do. This secured my second win at Loton park, pipping a gorgeous MK2 Escort and Duncan in the MX5.

Rest bite in a gorgeous BnB with some snap at the local, we were up bright and early to have another crack at the hill.

The day seemed like a blur. After the Saturday, clearly some intentions were set as times were getting quicker and again more cars exiting the circuit. Martin Rowe, Roger Fish & Phil Ludbrook were in the Classic Marques class. These chaps are veteran S2000 peddlers. The times they achieve are a great benchmark to be aiming towards. Even they were having difficulty in keeping things tarmac based during the day. I think maybe a combination of two days sun and beer the night before was effecting everyone. It was great to see all of us achieving comparable times, especially on the same day in the same conditions. It’s difficult to gauge times against different days, as sometimes the circuit and the car have better days.

Final run of the weekend was upon us. I was currently leading the class but wanted to set a low 61. Ray wanted to set an official 62 second time, which he had seen in practice but felt it didn’t count. In a huge plume of smoke, Ray’s burnout was tremendous to watch. Launching the car in 2.3 seconds, he smashed his PB with only 4/100ths of a 61 second time at 62.04. This secured Ray 2^nd place on the day with an excellent time. My last run was clean and tidy and a lot of fun. To my surprise I snipped off several more tenths settings at 61.30.

Absolutely bowled over with the time. I also know there’s more time in the car and my driving, plenty of improvements to be made. This capped off an excellent weekend with 2 x 1^st , a 2^nd  and 2 x PB targets achieved. What an amazing weekend. Big thank you again to everyone who came to support and to all the new friends we met. The competition is fierce on times, but not in person. I’m always amazed at how friendly the community is despite it being competitive. Next pedal is Scammonden for the final round of the ANWCC hill climb championship. 

Aintree - 30th June

This was our second outing at Aintree this year, after having so much fun there earlier in the season. With it being the last day in June, the temperatures didn't disappoint. Sweating my nads off is an understatement, in overalls it can be a bit overwhelming. Oh well, at least the track was dry and grippy.

The cool morning meant practice times were probably the best for everyone, as the temperature made the cars suffer a little. P2 saw a PB of 52.40 (only a few tenths off the record of 52.04), but that doesn't count being practice. Every run during the day was within the 52's, with timed run three seeing my best results of 52.68. This was enough to secure 1st place in class. Ray took second honors with a 54.41. 

Unfortunately due to a delay during the day, we didn't manage 4th timed run. The dangers of Motorsports were fully realized for one competitor. Entering Beechers bend at probably speeds in excess of 120mph, he lost control and whistled off the track into one of the grand national jumps. It took them around an hour to remove the car from the scenery due a tree branch puncturing through the car over the lap of the driver. They had to cut the branch off before the driver/car could be removed safely. The car is complete toast with every corner pointing in a different direction. Luckily the driver is completely unharmed, and hopefully only suffering from a bruised ego. It could be any one of us one time, its just how these things go. Motorsports is dangerous (bet hellishly good fun).

Very happy with the weekends results. I'm confident with a bit more time and kinder temperatures there's a 51 in there. Big thank you to everyone who came along to support and huge thank you to Ray (Daytona Autos) for preparing the cars. I look forward to our third outing in September.

Double Header - Barbon / Curborough

A little bit late on the update due to a busy week at work, but better late than never.

I woke up around 4am on Saturday (9th June) to head out for our first event of the weekend, Barbon Manor. Having got the car prepared the night before I made myself a coffee and head straight out the door to meet up with Ray. Google maps said Barbon would be a 2hr+ journey. Being our first time at Barbon we wanted to be early, being prepared for getting lost and leaving enough time to walk the course. A leisurely run saw us at Barbon inside 1hr 50Mins to be greeted by a fairly empty paddock and a bunch of cows. Dusting off the timing struts, we prepared the cars and ventured up the hill. 

On the cut of the valley, the road climbs nicely through several sweeping bends climaxing at the hairpin. In the sun the scenery is gorgeous, with a pretty village down in the basin and church peering through the middle. 

First corner is very much like Scammonden, its barely into 2nd gear before chucking it to the left. The Armco looks pretty intimidating, but once we got pedaling it doesn't even enter your mind. Well.... apart from the last bend, that's one scary piece.

Below you can see the climb's "straight" section. I say straight, its pretty much a sweeping left hander into a very blind left. The 2nd bend is pretty much based on faith, hoping that the rest of the corner is still there once you've entered it. With the grass banking covering the visibility of the bend, it took a few goes to feel confident attacking it.

Peering in the distance is the black and checkered markings of fear, the hairpin Armco. Watching a number of YouTube videos before setting off to Barbon, cemented the fast this is where it might go wrong. 

Arriving at the Armco section you can see why. There's about a 1-2ft section of concrete between the tarmac and barrier. Its raised up by a small kerb stone. Stood there in the flesh you can see the problem, get it on the kerb/concrete and it'll draw you into a lot of body repair. We both said seeing it, stay away.

Looking back through the valley is stunning. Very picturesque. Certainly a great place to spend a day racing cars and relaxing in the sun.

The day ran extremely smoothly with the organizing committee. This is only the second event I've attended with Liverpool MC as the hosting club, and again very efficient in the turn around/organization. They are an absolutely fantastic group of people who just love Motorsports, which make the events seem quite special and fun to attend. With that being said with a couple of delays due to incidents, they pushed on and managed to give us two practice session and three timed runs. Pace was building throughout the event, learning the corners and gain confidence in attacking them. Ray and I were in a pack of some very quick MX5's (MK1/2/3's). Some of these cars look very unassuming but you can see under closer inspection how many modifications and details have been put into these cars. Some of the quicker cars look completely standard until closer inspection. With that said we managed to fend of most of the pack with one MK1 MX5 splitting Ray and myself. I ended the day on a 29.20 taking 1st place, and Ray took third with a 30.36. 

Having packed up with ventured home to rest before the next day, where we were competing at Curborough.

Weary eyed, we spent the morning against the clock just to get to Curborough. Ray in his wisdom read the notes in the morning, to realize the local roads were shutting due to an Iron Man event. To be honest I had completely glossed over the notes and missed this, good job one of us was paying attention. Ray called me and we set off 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, which was fortunately as the police literally shut the roads behind us.

Not the usual greeting you want at an event, tap tap tap. As Ray pulled up he noticed his engine was knocking. Sounds like the little ends are tapping away. It was either pack up, or punch it and prey. Needless to say, Ray being Ray, decided he was going to race anyway. To make things a little safer, he raced short shifting to ensure the engine wasn't buzzed to blow.

Practice one was steady away to get back into the Curborough rhythm. I was complaining to Ray about the front tyre grip. I seem to struggle with the Extremes compared to the Nankang's, as the Nankang's just seem happier at the limit and don't break away as easily. Practice two was a little bit better but still not overly happy with the front end performance. Whilst dropping the tyre pressures ready for the 1st run, Graeme who was spectating came over to chat about the run. He said Ray did a 67 something and Mike did a 65 something. "What???? No way. French off." I think that's close to what I said anyway. I couldn't believe what felt like such a steady relaxed run turned out to be fastest run I've done at Curborough. That completely smashes my previous PB by a second. Its also around a second faster than the current HSA records held by a very notable Elise driver.

With that in my head, the sun beating down and two days of pedaling, I was tired and scrappy. Unfortunately I wasn't able to replicate the P2 time of 65.52, but put in two consistent 65.70's timed runs. That successfully secured  1st place. Ray put in some cracking times despite engine worries and a fantastic tank slapper on the cut through. Once a car problem is in your head its very hard to shake.

 

What an absolutely amazing weekend. Gorgeous sunshine, over 300 miles driven, two 1st places and a new PB.

I really can't say enough how much I enjoy Hill climbing and sprinting. The community of people is incredible, really friendly and great to talk to. The events are fun for everyone, even as a casual competitor to the hardcore championship chasers. A massive massive thank you to Ray for getting the car prepared and making the days laugh. Also, a big thank you to everyone we know who attends. Its good to have your support and have you cheering us on.

Next up, Aintree. Can't wait.

Scammonden Dam - 20th May 2018

As a native Yorkshire boy having lived in Salford for nearly 10 years, its quite surprising to realize every time I ventured home I passed such a gorgeous climb. Situated on the drop side of the dam (just passed the farm in the middle of the M62), its probably the steepest hill I've seen so far. Tarmac looks really pock marked, but you can tell underfoot its a grippy track with some serious grooves. The day was blisteringly hot, with what looked like a quiet pedal with only me and Ray in class. As we arrived things changed again with the arrival of Mr.Rowe (a fellow S2000 driver and current Scammonden record holder). We knew from arriving it was going to be a fun day with some good competition on hand. Its really pleasant to be around seasoned chaps to learn the trade and have a benchmark. I really enjoy how welcoming the hill climbing and sprinting community are to everyone, a very positive environment. Even if you are battling for a position, its always greeted with a well done and praise, no negativity. 

First practice run and it felt like a bouncy castle. The car isn't struggling for traction in terms of conditions or tyres, its physically the surface not allowing for all the wheels to be in contact together. Between bend two and three its particularly difficult with the car hopping and the revs climbing as the diff unlocks. It feels like a real tussle between a clean line or drifting. Clean line means the momentum dips off and its so steep that means time. Drifiting is always fun but costs times, however here it could help keep the momentum up. No big slides possible as the track width is tiny with quite aggressive curbing. Sub 30s first time up, excellent right on the money despite the hideous skipping around. Shows its another element to tackle in the climb, critical for fast times.

With the first timed runs posted, I'm really happy with the result. Getting very close to pace times straight away and leading the class. I knew it wouldn't be an easy pedal with Martin there, as he knows the climb, car and how to use both.

Times were slipping with changes to the car and my head going off in the heat. I was looking at different lines to improve the skipping around, but there isn't much to be done other than embrace it. Mr. Rowe had managed to edge me out by a 10th and with only a couple of runs left, it was time to go for it. Roll on time run 4 and its a corker. I came back to the paddock really chuffed with the run, thinking that's the one. I'm out of the car chatting with Ray saying that felt spot on, clean and quick. Just as we are talking the Clark of the course arrives to say no time was posted due to timing error. FFS to say the least. Hat chucked in the tent and back down to the start for a repeat run. Like a pissed off teenager I attacked the hill. Normally extra runs should be seen as another way to gain time, but I was so annoyed I felt my best time wasn't recorded I threw away the run.

Final run was upon us. Ray kept telling me to chill out and relax. Keep and calm head and put a solid run in. Off I went as the final car in the group and put in what felt a good time, but merely average.

No times were posted. We packed up and got ourselves ready to leave before attending the awards. Literally as the awards began, the times were posted. I thought I'd read the wrong time. I'd managed to secure 1st in class on my final run with a 27.12. This would be a class record (previous best Martin Rowe 27.35) however due to the timing company used on the day, records wouldn't be official. I was totally blown away by the result. I checked it several times to make sure it wasn't a mistake, couldn't quite believe it. This netted me first in class and best novice of the day. Martin finished 2nd, 27.45 and with Ray in third with 28.23. Excellent drive by Ray as well, as times were falling steady through the day. I think its safe to say we are both looking forward to returning here with the ANWCC championship.

Aintree Sprint - 28th April 2018

Yesterday marked another of our first forays onto new tarmac. I've never pedaled Aintree before but YouTube research suggested only one thing, it's fast. It might only be three corners, but bloody hell they are three very fast corners. In its heyday it was a Grand Prix circuit with it being graced with the likes of Clark & Brabham. The tarmac is bumpy and extremely wide, with some surprising hips. Everything that increasing speed highlights and adds to the danger/fun. When we arrived and set off to walk the track in the morning, we couldn't believe the size of it...

Very intimidating place. Even though there's lots of run off, it would be very easy to whistle very far into the distance and into disaster. Cars prepped and ready to rock.

Signing on and taking in some much needed advice from the old school training board.

Walking out of signing on we bumped into a familiar face, Mr Rowe. A veteran in the S2000 in the Sprints and Hill Climb scene, a very talented driver with a numerous of wins, trophies and records. He noticed we were registered in the 1D class and decided to change his entry join us. Originally destined to use his Peugeot, he thought he would have more fun tussling with a few more in his class.

Returning to our cars we get talking to a few more of the competitors, and its apparent that nearly everyone is seasoned drivers here with well equipped cars. One of the MX5's was running with some serious engine work, super glorious sounding cams in the 2.0 Duratec. These things can comfortably run 260BHP with solid cams, and I expected that's exactly what this chap had nestled in the bay. With all the veterans and cars with us, I felt like we were in for a smacking. Oh well, at least its a sunny day... hahaha

After all the briefings and certain amount of caution instilled, we tackled our first practice runs.

What an awesome stretch of road. Its terrifyingly fast around the bends, I had no idea where to effectively turn in, brake or power. Bit of a cluster for the first chuck around the circuit, but set a very reasonable time of 55.82. Into practice 2 I managed to shave another 1.67s off with a 54.15. Things were starting to drop into place however I was still struggling to find the right way to tackle everything comfortably. Before lunch break the first timed runs were called and off we went....

Unfortunately due to about 10 minutes sat waiting on the start line due to an issue on track I forgot to start my camera. Tyres were cold from the burnout due to the wait, but hey ho off we go. Set a very reasonable 53.60, which ended up being my fastest time of the day due to a series of calamities on the remaining tries. Run 2 I ended up with a tail out into the first corner, Run 3 I had a spectacular drift around Beechers and Run 4 I managed to find 5th gear successfully three times in a row instead of 3rd.

Dori Dori....

Despite all the little mistakes the day was amazing fun with some great company. It was great to have Mr.Rowe there to learn from and have a good bench mark of how I should be pedaling in the years to come. With the collected first run I managed to secure 2nd place (53.60s), and Ray managed to take 3rd (54.35s). Mr.Rowe took 1st (53.14s) meaning that it was a 1st, 2nd 3rd S2K finish. Really looking forward to tackling Aintree again. Its a lot of fun for three bends. Big thanks to everyone who came along and made the day special. Cheers chaps.

Colour Coordinating

Over the winter period we finally got around to tackling the rust on the drivers rear arch. Its something I wanted to do for a long time, but struggled to find the right opportunity. With a bit of break over the Christmas period, Ray had a spare slot in the garage before it was taken up by another restoration job. I booked some time off and did what I could under the advisement of Ray to get the job done. I tried to document the process as best as I could on S2KI (Rear Arch Repair - Daytona Autos), for a reference to other owners. 

Here's some snaps from the work;

Given the cost and price of paint, well at least a good paint job, wrap seemed like the right answer. With the time constraints and season upon us, I decided to wrap a basic livery to cover the primer until a full wrap next year. So far its looking good with quite a bit of work remaining. It was great to have the chaps down at Daytona give me a hand getting it done, especially Ray for the materials/help/garage time and Chris for his calm approach. Chris does this sort of thing for a living, so isn't prone to panicking.

More work to come with finishing details......