Housey's MX-5 Race Car Plans!
- Thread starter Housey
- Start date
Well got signed off by my specialist on Wednesday to race, so all good. I plan to be out in July at Snetterton 300 and currently having some revised dampers fitter to the car and then it gets it's team stripes because at the moment it looks a little different and is feeling left out!
In brief terms not a great weekend for me. The head gasket went in 2nd session during the Friday test day, so I got very little time running the car on Friday bar 30 minute wet session at start of day and then 3 or 4 laps on the second session with a misfire before I had to call it a day. We then had to change the head gasket during the Friday and I simply twiddled my thumbs.
I will need a new engine build as I decided not to go with a head skim or any work on my engine, simply running a stock lump and this has proved an error as not only is it not likely to last but is also well down on power, which the 2 long straights showed at Snetterton where I was losing huge amounts of time which pretty much stuffs you. My car is also over weight by over 20kilo's, which is significant so that also needs work both car wise and me wise. I finished both races so completed my stint but was very dissapointed with my lack of pace down the long straights which was obvious to see on the video. Made a fantastic start in race one passing 3 or 4 cars only to be passed before the first bend due to power deficit, again depressing. My testing day at Donington had been misleading it turns out as I was matching the other car out from our team for times with a well experienced driver but Snetterton was not the place to be down on horses. Had a flat in the 2nd race to add insult to injury, though did a full pitstop for a change and got back out.
My car is back home, needs money spending on it and will need engine work and weight reduction to be competitive as well as some new set up work due to me having a few excursions trying to carry speed onto the start straight. In reality due to other things going on in my life right now this will be most likely parked until the new year but I completed my first 2 races and have my stamps so progress, but really for me a disappointing weekend.
But as Arnie says....
I will need a new engine build as I decided not to go with a head skim or any work on my engine, simply running a stock lump and this has proved an error as not only is it not likely to last but is also well down on power, which the 2 long straights showed at Snetterton where I was losing huge amounts of time which pretty much stuffs you. My car is also over weight by over 20kilo's, which is significant so that also needs work both car wise and me wise. I finished both races so completed my stint but was very dissapointed with my lack of pace down the long straights which was obvious to see on the video. Made a fantastic start in race one passing 3 or 4 cars only to be passed before the first bend due to power deficit, again depressing. My testing day at Donington had been misleading it turns out as I was matching the other car out from our team for times with a well experienced driver but Snetterton was not the place to be down on horses. Had a flat in the 2nd race to add insult to injury, though did a full pitstop for a change and got back out.
My car is back home, needs money spending on it and will need engine work and weight reduction to be competitive as well as some new set up work due to me having a few excursions trying to carry speed onto the start straight. In reality due to other things going on in my life right now this will be most likely parked until the new year but I completed my first 2 races and have my stamps so progress, but really for me a disappointing weekend.
But as Arnie says....
My plan is to get it finished off with a full race engine and a few other bits and bobs in the next couple of months then get it back out and get some serious track time in the car. I need seat time more than anything and once I have some of that then I shall look at where I go race it, but it's currently sitting in my garage in need of some TLC.
There is little point messing around with scrap engines, not least as I don't do anything on the car myself. I need race car time to learn how to make it go quickly and set it up to be consistent and competitive as small changes can have a sizeable impact on times and I need to learn those. I have a road going MX5 that can give me plenty of track time, the important thing is to get myself really settled in the race car and simply to get into the racing groove, with some help from a coach to iron out the bad habits and refine a few points. In real terms I have had little track time in the last 20 years so I am still rusty compared to many but you don't forget what you know, you just need to remember when to apply it.
The engine builders provide a full 12 month guarantee on the race engines if they are properly run in following the prescribed procedure and that needs to be done also. If I simply want to go on a track day that is easy but I want specific car time. First time out in the car at Donington I was into 2nd half of the grid pace in a morning, running very similar times (within a couple of tenths) as my mates out in another car who are much more experienced, so a great foundation from which to build from. They went quicker in the PM session, but I would have expected to go quicker too as I left at lunchtime, perhaps not on their ultimate pace but within a second as I could see a good 2-3 seconds in my car on that day.
I went to Snetterton 200 only a few weeks after breaking my leg expecting to be on similar comparative pace (having never set foot on that track) and blew the head gasket on the tired 86K mile stock engine 4 laps in to Friday testing. Although the team worked like stars to get me out come race day my own head was not in the right place and the car was underpowered, miss firing and carrying 27kgs too much weight. Add in me overdriving it and a car that was a conservative 15mph off on the straights and we were miles off where we needed to be and I was despondent.
No point going out again until the car is where it needs to be and then I can get myself familiar with it and into the times I need to see. I am confident I will get competitive (top 20 pace) but I really need race car seat time to help in that process as in real terms I had 1/2 a day at Donington and went racing with people who have lived and breathed track days for 10 years and raced in some instances for seasons. I only make a mistake once and learn by it and if I am going to do this it will be in a competitive car, with the bits it needs and at a weight that sits on the minimum, but I will do it when it's right and not until.
I am looking around £4K to get the bits I need done, so not huge money but money I can spend elsewhere right now.
The engine builders provide a full 12 month guarantee on the race engines if they are properly run in following the prescribed procedure and that needs to be done also. If I simply want to go on a track day that is easy but I want specific car time. First time out in the car at Donington I was into 2nd half of the grid pace in a morning, running very similar times (within a couple of tenths) as my mates out in another car who are much more experienced, so a great foundation from which to build from. They went quicker in the PM session, but I would have expected to go quicker too as I left at lunchtime, perhaps not on their ultimate pace but within a second as I could see a good 2-3 seconds in my car on that day.
I went to Snetterton 200 only a few weeks after breaking my leg expecting to be on similar comparative pace (having never set foot on that track) and blew the head gasket on the tired 86K mile stock engine 4 laps in to Friday testing. Although the team worked like stars to get me out come race day my own head was not in the right place and the car was underpowered, miss firing and carrying 27kgs too much weight. Add in me overdriving it and a car that was a conservative 15mph off on the straights and we were miles off where we needed to be and I was despondent.
No point going out again until the car is where it needs to be and then I can get myself familiar with it and into the times I need to see. I am confident I will get competitive (top 20 pace) but I really need race car seat time to help in that process as in real terms I had 1/2 a day at Donington and went racing with people who have lived and breathed track days for 10 years and raced in some instances for seasons. I only make a mistake once and learn by it and if I am going to do this it will be in a competitive car, with the bits it needs and at a weight that sits on the minimum, but I will do it when it's right and not until.
I am looking around £4K to get the bits I need done, so not huge money but money I can spend elsewhere right now.
Thought I should update this thread as it's been sometime. I still have the car and a few weeks back I had a full engine rebuild to latest race spec put into the car, replacing the low on power normal engine I had in there. I also had the suspension re-setup and an extra seat and harness put in the car so I could let a few friends have a go.
Plan is to get it repainted and then run some track days with a view to doing some endurance racing some time next year.
Plan is to get it repainted and then run some track days with a view to doing some endurance racing some time next year.