Kames Testing - opinions and advice

[kevham]

Just spent 2 days at Kames driving the VX in anger for the first time since my Walshy day in October.

I have to say it was great fun although I am still a wee bit disappointed with my times. Looking back at my videos from Saturday, I was doing around 98secs clockwise and around 90 secs anti-clock.

My best times in the MX-5 were 100sec clockwise and 93 sec anti-clock. I know from similar testing in the MX5 that my times could drop by around 2-3 secs in competition and especially when it gets wee bit warmer so I could be looking at around 96 secs clockwise which I think would be fairly respectable on standard tyres in a bog standard car. A set of Kuhmo V70s could see another 2 secs shaved off although I want to push the Bridgestones as far as I can before moving up.

I've posted a video of a relatively clean run at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozzdX0GNIw4

I reckon I can carry more speed into and around the paddock bend and Norries (the right hander after the paddock) and I know I should be keeping on the gas through Gemmells (the left hander after Norries). Anybody got any other observations or advice for me to try. I'm back on 28th March for another test.

[alicrozier]

I think the temperature will make a big difference and your times will tumble, Kames seems to get really grippy in the summer sun. Will watch the vid later but in general (for clockwise) a clean hairpin exit is critical then not much to be gained on the other short straights hence as you say carrying speed into and through the bends is key.

For reference/targets I was running a standard Elise S2 111S in 2005 (156bhp with Nitrons but Toyo T1R road tyres). May be a bit of an unfair comparison but my PB's were:
95.23 Clockwise
86.08 Anti-clockwise

[tut]

Power does make a difference in the same car even on that tight track. I was with Ali in 2005 and mine was 91.? with 60hp more.

N3 would be in the 80's.

tut

[alicrozier]

Kames had a speed trap on the straight when we were there. Think it was at the timing beam.
I was around 10mph slower than tut (74mph vs 80's)...gotta be 1 sec a lap just there (never mind the rest of the track, sticky tyres etc.).

[tut]

Ali, be interesting if we both took N3 around there now.

In 2005 you were probably catching me up quickly in ability being a later starter, could be the other way around now. Graeme's last time could be a marker, and it would also show if I had started to go down the other side of the graph slope.

tut

[alicrozier]

I think it's a cliff mate...

[tut]

Right that's it, make it happen.

tut

[Shug]

Give it a month or so and our spare room, 30 mins from Kames will be free. You're both welcome to share the double bed in there. Just not the missus.

Only fee would be shots of both cars when you get to Kames

...and no naked tut wandering around in the middle of the night looking for his bed...

[tut]

Spoilsport...............

tut

[kevham]

It would be great to have more folk at Kames although you'd have to run in a modified class with a Honda engine There was a very orange 2-eleven at Kames on Sunday - If I win the lottery, I'm getting one of those. Hopefully the guy will compete at some stage this year. There was also a lovely old Europa which sounded fantastic and went like stink.

The comments are much appreciated. Based on Ali's comments, I need to work on the hairpin exit and try to brake less into the paddock bend. I'll work purely on these two things on the 28th. The proof will be in the pudding on Friday 2 April when I have my first sprint in the VX220

FWIW, my speed trap speed was consistently 67mph with the MX-5.

I believe 100% in tuning the driver before tuning the car so I'll be sticking with the standard set-up and tyres as long as I can (basically until they are worn out).

[alicrozier]

Just been watching the vid...does look a bit slippy! Hopefully it's ok if I critique a bit...?

Yeah, hairpin exit critical, I'd take a slightly wider line to 3/4 of the way round, late apex, unwinding the lock more progressively and you'll get on the power earlier. Braking into the hairpin is one of the most critical and hardest parts of Kames, eventually you'll want to be trailbraking really deep and turning in quite hard (as it's such a slow corner). The car should be rotating more and you won't need as much steering lock.

The kink at the end of the straight is eventually flat but important to get the car straight before braking. More balanced on the way in here and one continuous steering angle right through.

Overall pretty smooth around the tricky bits.

[kevham]

Just been watching the vid...does look a bit slippy! Hopefully it's ok if I critique a bit...?

Yeah, hairpin exit critical, I'd take a slightly wider line to 3/4 of the way round, late apex, unwinding the lock more progressively and you'll get on the power earlier. Braking into the hairpin is one of the most critical and hardest parts of Kames, eventually you'll want to be trailbraking really deep and turning in quite hard (as it's such a slow corner). The car should be rotating more and you won't need as much steering lock.

The kink at the end of the straight is eventually flat but important to get the car straight before braking. More balanced on the way in here and one continuous steering angle right through.

Overall pretty smooth around the tricky bits.

Thanks Ali. All good stuff for me - criticism is fine - that's why I posted the video!

I can confidently trail brake anti-clockwise at the hairpin and get that rotation to kill the understeer. Clockwise seems to be much harder In fact, I'm often just glad that I've not outbraked myself and gone down the rally road (has happened a few times!).

Going flat at the kink will take a bit of working up to! I used to take it flat in the MX-5 but I was only doing 67mph through the speed trap Oh, and I did quite often lock up on entry. In the VX, I seem to arrive at the kink MUCH quicker......... When it comes to the heat of competition, the red mist will set in and I'm sure I'll be able to keep the foot in.

Hopefully I'll get a good day on the 28th and I'll post another video so you can check on my improvement.
Cheers,

Kev

[alicrozier]

Good stuff Kev, I've been late into there too, took the number plate off on the outside kerb!

With more grip the late braking into paddock (?) will come. One technique to try, rather than just braking later (hence full threshold braking with high risk) try braking at the original point but slightly lighter. Once you're comfortable with the extra speed into the corner you can then gradually brake later up to full threshold braking...

[Lazydonkey]

I always find Kames MUCH scarier in that direction Every lap i would come round and think "dont lift for the kink dont lift" and then bottle it

[meatball]

Ali is a good one to get advice from.....I remember watching his vids and saw that he took most corners in one turn of the wheel m(or one cut) unlike me......I had/have a (bad) habit of taking a corner in more than one cut.......less stable + slower......

Kames is good fun.....I prefer the anticlockwise direction though!