TrackScotland Trackday @ Knockhill - 22nd Feb 2008

[GregR]

looking lovely up by the castle at the mo...

[Andy G]

Good outing today - typical Scotland - 4 seasons in 1 afternoon. Rain, Snow, Sleet, Sunshine - often combined!

Bloody wet circuit made for tricky conditions and the standing water was a mare for my Atom. It was constant correction in most places, nearly went off under braking for Duffus, and went sideways, well pretty much everywhere. Bloody good fun though. Got stuck after spinning at the hairpin (under a red flag! ) and covered myself in mud getting out. Deserved it for being stupid

When i gave up the LOTRDC a few people have asked how i would cope not racing this year - i have the answer sitting in my garage. In these conditions a well sorted Elise or Exige would have been faster, but my god, i don't know when outside of racing i have worked so hard at car control, lines braking. What a car! Leary as hell!

It was great to meet Maz, freakishly at the local Shell! Meant to say mate, your car sounded awesome up the straight, and thought you were going really well in the conditions and a with a new car

George was there so the first Scottish Atom meet has now officially happened, and great banter as usual. Thanks for the use of the support vehicle for storage as well mate (good to meet Brian also - another Atom owner in 17 months time!)

Tut - another hilarious session, saw Tut and me monkeying about. Hats off for making the trip and here's hoping the next ones a dry one

Lowell - it was good to see McApes old shed on track and off track You've no idea how close i came to making a wanker sign until i remembered it wasn't the ginger one behind the wheel anymore . Good sign of effort though - hope to meet you next time.

Good to meet the other SE'ers also (Black and Red exigers whose names i've forgotten! )

I need to sort a few things on the Atom, suspension, geo and possibly brake balance although i'll defer decision on that till its dry!

Can't wait for conditions that actually let me see what this thing can do. It was lifting on the crest on the main straight at Vtec in 5th, with a twitch The sweeping left after clarkes down the straight, it was going sideways and needed constant correction.

A insanely visceral car - and I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight. Till SIDC chaps

[foz01]

Lol Tut was all set to give me the wanker sign after i got stuck after the chicane


The day for me though, what a disaster.

Started out pish we me getting delayed and missing the first 1/2 hour.

1st Lap, 1st corner, spin Cold tyres, unfamiliar car, oil on the track from a sick skyline, pishing sleety rain, arf.

2nd attempt after checking everything was ok.

Lap 1: Fook me theres literally no grip, anywhere.
Lap 2: this car is very, very easy to lock up under brakes and the arse end, fook me it likes to wag its tail.
Lap 3: Apologies to the red Exige S must have wondered wtf was going on with my lines and general slidyness, pleased to see the shed held it's own on the straight though.
Lap 4, throttle stays pinned open when coming onto the brakes going into the chicane, convinced was heading straight to the scene of a pretty big accident cant really remember all that much about it other than hitting the gravel and trying to keep it straight an ending up doing a full 360 on the grass after the gravel trap. Not being able to make it back on the track as the grass was so wet and the slight incline meant having to get a push out from the marshals only adding insult to injury

The next hour and half trying to fix it, and fixing what i thought to be the problem only after getting absolutely soaking and freezing to discover it was proper knackered

Other thoughts, In the wet i dread to think it would be like supercharged, the brakes were awfully grumbly after only 5 laps, pads look fine, dunno if the pagids ADTS...


And finally, asking tut if he could see what was up with the throttle, and us heading locked up heading towards a brick wall after the throttle did it's party trick


Still the throttle worked like a rudimentary cruise control on the way home!

Hope the guys in the atoms lived close by, conditions were the worst i have seen at KH

[robin]

Sorry to hear about the throttle sticking open. Do you now at least know what's wrong with it?

Cheers,
Robin

[Cisco]

Hey Foz 01,

I was the Red Exige behind you...it was a lot of fun..but I knew you were going off..I just didnt know where!

Considering it was a skating rink u did pretty good.. I was half expecting you to be back on track before I got to Clark's.

Nice one. Would have been good video..

Take care,

[tut]

Robin

I suggested that Lowell took his car to Ali to get the throttle sorted, and maybe a once over to check on other problems. He had never actually heard of him, so maybe somebody down there could steer him that way

As he said, he asked me to take it around the car park, and it was clicking badly, but then the bugger not only stuck, it accelerated us towards the side of a concrete building, which was a damned sight worse than anything on track.

tut

[4RTR]

Good to meet up Andy, and thanks again for the pax ride - an awsome display of car control if I may say so. On the edge everywhere, putting power on in places I am taking it off, breaking almost as late in the wet as I do in the dry. Some great catches long after I thought we were heading into the gravel. Great car, very different to mine. Should be unbeatable in the dry.

I have traced some of my braking issues to a sticky throttle cable causing the power to stay on which was alarming a few times (I started dipping the clutch as I came off the power to avoid it which was not ideal). No excuse for being so slow of course. But then again my Atom didn't do an impression of a tractor across the infield under a red flag......

A group of friends are doing Silverstone GP circuit next weekend. 2 groups, 30 min sessions. What do you think of the place Andy? Bloody long drive there & back towing the trailer. Worth it at £250 ?

[mckeann]

A group of friends are doing Silverstone GP circuit next weekend. 2 groups, 30 min sessions. What do you think of the place Andy? Bloody long drive there & back towing the trailer. Worth it at £250 ?

I did silverstone GP last year. I wasnt expecting much from it, but was pleasantly surprised. The first corner, and maggots/becketts is fantastic if you have big balls. The corner at the end of the big straight (hanger??) is also a great test. I'm not a fan of the next 2 chicanes, but from bridge to the end is absolutely brilliant, and a trail brakers heaven.

I would say go for it. I would also say join LoT and get the day for 200 quid open pit lane

[gdr]

1st Lap, 1st corner, spin Cold tyres, unfamiliar car, oil on the track from a sick skyline, pishing sleety rain, arf.

Spotted from a Bruce taxi through the spray http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DzSgvBffI
Not the day for an on-off throttle (mostly on in your case!). It looked a tad tricky. At least you're back in one piece. Hopefully the problem can be sorted without too much trouble. Throttle cable OK? If you need a custom one, there was a place that would make up teflon lined one to order. I looked at this when building the Ultima, can dig out the contact if you need.

[foz01]

Hey Foz 01,

I was the Red Exige behind you...it was a lot of fun..but I knew you were going off..I just didnt know where!

Considering it was a skating rink u did pretty good.. I was half expecting you to be back on track before I got to Clark's.

Nice one. Would have been good video..

Take care,

lol yes the "digital" on/off throttle was great

That was also my 4th lap in the car, ever, done almost no road miles.


Am i trotting out enough excuses but yeah video would have been great!

As for fixing it myself i will take on most anything btut if theres someone good out there all you guys use then great

[r055]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=s8DzSgvBffI

brown trouser moment indeed!

[foz01]

That was nothing compared to the 2nd one, brakes on, engine screaming, lock applied heading stright accross the kerbs into the gravel trap

[Modena Scotland]

It was good to see Andy, Tut, 2 x George and Frank from SE yesterday. I thought the wet track was rather amusing! The Club racer was sliding all over the place. A great fun.

Andy, next time we are at KH on dry day, please show me what your beautiful machine can do! Must be incredible.

See you guys soon.

Mass

[tut]

Mass

The rate that you are going, you will soon be the SE Trackday tart........

Your car sounds lovely up the straight, and it is a pleasure to lap with you. The reason that I am quicker is because I have more hp.

tut

[Modena Scotland]

Mass

The rate that you are going, you will soon be the SE Trackday tart........

Your car sounds lovely up the straight, and it is a pleasure to lap with you. The reason that I am quicker is because I have more hp.

tut

Thanks Tut.

Not only your car is fast, you are one skilled driver. When I was following you, your car control was brilliant. I am sure there are a few tricks you could teach me!

I bought the Club racer mainly to track so I shall try to do as many trackdays as I can this year.

Look forward to seeing you on the track in the near future.

Mass

ps
I wish I could hear how the car sounds from outside. I will wait until 15th March as Jon will be tracking his club racer. I hope he will have the sports exhaust fitted by then.