Scottish Elises

It's been a year since my first track day at AMP3 last year and since then I did one SIDC day earlier this year. Managed to do some prep on brakes before the day with the intention of improving my overall performance. The reality though was that I learnt some good valuable lessons.

My car is a standard 118hp (T1Rs and NTRs) job so anyone who was on track at AMP3 is likely in my video overtaking me at some point or other.

The first outing shows a little trepidation and lifting too much for passing cars making it harder to feed back in to the train. With a pack of higher powered cars bearing down on you it's easy to jump out the way when it would be better to let a few pass while retaining a higher speed. I also seem to keep second into the chicane and only start changing to third in later runs.


Now with passengers for the rest of the session I settled in a bit and started trying to increase my corner speed. Steven (CaptianMcSlow) was along for an elise track expereience ahead of car hunting himself.


I think this was my best session. Begining to make progress and overtake some cars.


Heres where it all started to go a bit pete tong. My Dad was up for his first experience round knockhill, so with his excitment (audible), my desire to show off to my old man and maybe scare him a little, the two of us weighing much more than I'd had in the car before, and my intention to up my corner speed, the driving quality dropped and I started to make mistakes. I should have seen the writing on the wall as I start to lose it going into corners rather than having nice controllable oversteer on the way out. ANyway, big lesson learned as you can see when I spin off after the chicane.


Determined to get back in the saddle we went back out and did a big session which was much more relaxed. The track was getting busy towards the end of the session so we called it a day.


All in all a great day out, and I go away wiser for the experience of pushing the car to hard at the wrong bits. The cars totally fine although my front number plate was sacrificed at the alter of the knockhill gravel trap. Looking forward to the next one.

Cheers
Ferg

Ferg, love the way your camera is at a pronounced angle for sessions 4&5
I'm on my iPhone so can't see the videos (just the initial still) but I assume it's due to your wee spin?


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lol, I think I may have knocked it getting in and out, it was already at a jaunty angle for the 4th session where I spun. It was too low really, I was trying to get a better shot out the front window as previous vids I'd tried show lots of rear view mirror. The gaps in the sound are because the mic was really good at picking up the in car chat even though the people can't hear each other so there was lots of shouting and such which was better removed from the vids.

Absolutely love the rear facing footage from the engine compartment in the R8 Peter. And it can fairly shift too!

Good vids Ferg, looked like you were having fun! Even some proof the BM was on track

never realised your Dad was up Ferg - recognised his voice and chuckling!

One thing i learned the hard way - there is only SO fast you can go through a corner - once you have found it, recognise, thats it! I've binned that corner on a few occasions, once airborne in a 405 Mi16!! The line is the signle most important part of that corner, and those new kerbs must be a bitch to see in a single seater or something really low!

Several £000's of tyres later - I'm still trying to teach myself this lesson

Great to see you enjoying the car SO much mate, and going well

Next time your Dad is coming up let me know

- there is only SO fast you can go through a corner -

Exactly, especially the Hairpin. Tried different lines, but come back to one.

tut

Ferg,

Great suite that. Never laughed so much than at your "outtakes" one! Lots of lessons learned and that is the key thing. Your save through Duffus was quite something.

I also had a guffaw when you piled into the hairpin a bit fast after waiting and waiting and waiting for someone you were passing to lift off a little

Actually, I thought your brakes, braking and speed into Duffus generally were great. I only use 3rd through McIntyres, never thought of using 2nd and at least it means less to do through Butchers and on lineup for chicane. I also just stick with 3rd into Clark too. Std gearbox.

Have spun at chicane, McIntyres and hairpin myself over the years ... if you don't you aren't trying hard enough...however never really want to spin through Duffus or Clark as it feels far to easy to hit something at a bad angle on both of those

You absolutely have the measure of your "standard" S1 so maybe next a Sabreheads KR1 spec update would be a cool move...and yet it just goes to show the fun to be had in a regular Elise.

Didn't see much of UJI, we need to rectify that next time

I seem to recall the instructor at SIDC telling me to stay in third for that whole section, changing down to second is just overworking the car and not needed, but I forgot in the heat of the action. Unfortunately I messed up the recording when I had the instructor before as that would have been good to review prior to each track day.

A bit more power would be nice to stop people having to slow down so much to let me pass. On a less 'friendly' track day it must be murder to get past anyone.
With power comes great expense and after getting pissed and bidding on stuff on Friday my budget has been eliminated for now. lol

Would be good to get out for a couple of close laps with UJI.

Ferg wrote:I seem to recall the instructor at SIDC telling me to stay in third for that whole section, changing down to second is just overworking the car and not needed, but I forgot in the heat of the action.

That was precisely where I got my approach to that section - albeit 12 years ago ... the circuit, and the Elise, haven't changed much in that time

A KR1 head update would not in fact break the bank even if done entirely by the garage profession (as ever, I was lucky and had the SE Jedi Order taking me through it). If you have a HGF, do it then. If you haven't had one yet, you might consider doing this before it happens. Either way you win

I found a std spec K series head on eBay for £100 and got this built up to spec by Rog (and then Robin). Robin then did some kind of deal with my std head, I forget what, but all in all the parts costs and the head update costs were incredibly good VFM. Remember you essentially get a cambelt service thrown in with such a change too, so if you time it right... (no pun intended).

Anyway, as I said, you were pedalling a std car very well indeed. Must be that high level rear spoiler...

You were top entertainment on that slightly hairy lap with me following mate

How you got it back through Duffus, I still don't know

Nice vids Ferg.

Colin needs to work on his pit exit in the last one...sheesh.

alicrozier wrote:Nice vids Ferg.

Colin needs to work on his pit exit in the last one...sheesh.

Just his pit lane exit ?, looks like he was holding up S2 Elises

Alan

Colin wouldn't have been driving. A couple different people had it out including me. Can't get a clear look at the helmet to be sure so going to apologise for that one. Still learning and very green.

CubanGav wrote:Colin wouldn't have been driving. A couple different people had it out including me. Can't get a clear look at the helmet to be sure so going to apologise for that one. Still learning and very green.

Why he lets people drive it when it's driving soooo badly is beyond me

I had some experimentation with gears in the 2-11...I'd not driven it at KH and not driven KH with the new kerbs.

For me it's defo 3rd through McIntyres and the chicane, flat when clear with lfb option into chicane. I needed to be up to 4th before Clarks, >90mph (then back to 3rd).

Railway straight I could stay in 4th (only once nudged the limiter after an awesme drive through Clarks, full exit kerb and perfectly judged drafting). The exit kerb at Clarks was pretty slippy all day and was getting wheelspin there so stayed off it mostly.

Pit straight I needed 5th gear (hitting rev limiter in 4th = 115 mph @ 8,200rpm).

I usually went down to 3rd for Duffus but tried 4th a few times. Jury out on this one, revs really high in 3rd, less engine braking in 4th made trailbraking easier, a bit more stable - flat through the bottom of Duffus either way. Critical braking for McIntyres a little compromised with the downchange to 3rd though...

edited to add: Massive difference with a pax everywhere...even a light one.