Rockingham Trackday Report: 02/03/08

[trackdaynova]

Awesome day out - wasn't looking good from the outset tho.

Packed up tools, and headed on our way to Rockingham, half way there my car decided to split the hose that goes from side of the head, to heater matrix, thought - no problem, will replace the hose as I have a spare... doh! left it at home :mad: I thought - no worries, will put another jubilee clip on the split just until we get there... uh ho - left those at home too lol Paul cable tied it up so it closed the split and it held until we got there and sorted it.

First session out, 2 laps in, Michelle as passenger, following Dave & Jonboy in the Cossie, and my car decided to cut out, and wouldn't start again -so put hazards on - and red flag came out and everyone had to go into the pits, I got recovered to find my throttle position sensor wires had broken - Thanks Paul (200) & Paul (novashed) for sorting that for me.

Another big thanks to my awesome pit crew: Paul (200), Paul (novashed), Steve, Mal, Matt, Andy & Rob

Sorted the throttle position sensor wires and continued with the outting with Michelle as passenger, was fine - a good start to the day.

Second outing with Paul (200), 2nd lap in, my air temp sensor that I removed from the backing plate because I was borrowing Dars airbox, decided to jam the throttle open on the main straight obviously causing it to hit and stay on redline for about 11 seconds (i thought it was gonna go bang) before we whipped ignition off and pulled it into the pits

Anyway, that was the fun parts of the day - the rest of the day ran like any other trackday should have!

A couple of pics for now from the BaT official photographers, followed by lots of fun vids with a load of races...

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/nc0625.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock01.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock02.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock04.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock05.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock06.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock07.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q161/neocapture/Rock08.jpg

Vids to follow shortly!




Video Links:

6m 09s - Passenger: Claire Gamble, VS BMW & Caterhams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx6Ai0YwG78)

0m 27s - Passenger: Paul Crocker, Throttle Jams Open (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x9aISUiK1I)

7m 01s - Passenger: Steve Clay, chase those Caterhams! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atnLK4k5faI)

3m 02s - Passenger: Matt Newey, chasing Jonboy in Alpinas 373bhp Cossie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ZwsWz_zOQ)

4m 09s - Passenger: Matt Newey, hunting Caterhams & BMW that locked up last time... does it again - big style! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3cfXBY_Ylw)

1m 55s - Passenger: Michelle Hewitt, Nova vs Red Caterhams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmDTya_7Sw)

[Jonlem]

Good report Olly, it was a cracking day and the weather held off too !

Looking forward to seeing the videos

[Adam]

Nice pics.
Vids will be cool :)

[twistysnovagte]

great stuff m8, wish i had time and money to do this,would be there every weekend:)

[corsakid]

looking good shame that me and will couldnt come down!

[burgo]

i didnt make it cos was to busy fixing a bloody head gasket for a mate. anywho some cracking pics and good to see it cocking a wheel up lol

[LiquidPug]

Come on Olz - sort the Vids out :p

[Lee]

Thats what rev limiters are for lol. Looks like a top day, and the weather held out too which would have been a bonus!

[burgo]

Thats what rev limiters are for lol. Looks like a top day, and the weather held out too which would have been a bonus!of course the weather held out, twos is sunny northants lol

olly what suspension set up are you runnning again as ti looks very settled in the corners

[trackdaynova]

Lee - you wait till you hear the vid, altho it only sounds like a few seconds, it lasted a fecking life time inside the car! lol

Burgo - Spax RSX432 coilovers with 313lb front springs, set to 23 clicks hard out of 28 allround

[burgo]

Lee - you wait till you hear the vid, altho it only sounds like a few seconds, it lasted a fecking life time inside the car! lol

Burgo - Spax RSX432 coilovers with 313lb front springs, set to 23 clicks hard out of 28 allroundchrist mine are set fully soft and its rock hard

[LiquidPug]

Vids to follow shortly!
Any of the lightening fast tyre change from your super pit crew :thumb:

[trackdaynova]

Videos now starting to be uploaded, links on original post under the photos.


Enjoy! :)

[burgo]

lmao@ the bmw driver obviously not liking having a nova pushing him along so out drives himself

[trackdaynova]

Another video uploaded on main post - total of 3 now.

Will upload more tomorrow etc.

[LiquidPug]

lol @ that, it was well funny... 7 secs wasn't it? :p
More like 7 minutes but what d'you expect for free :D

Good day out mate :thumb: Watch your back though, the Pug is coming after ya! :cool:

[peester]

cool vids, cool car luv the sounds

[Steve]

Nice vids, good to see the novas taking out the big boys in their beemers and 911s

[nov4801]

awsome vids mate

[burgo]

just watched the last vid, that black caterham was a bit of a tool, you were so obviously quicker then him yet he refused to let you by

did you notice or feel any difference with the air box on olly?

[MC]

Just watched one of the vids, I was Royaly pished off by the caterhams too, we were obviously seconds faster per lap but they are so reluctant to move over.

Have you got a quick rack?

Your traction looks good out of the slow corners, what diff have you got?

CP and I did the long course that meant we got to go full chat round the bank before the start/finish straight, quite an experience!

Thanks for the vids, I think Vauxhall Nova's are being taken more seriously on track days now!

MC

[trackdaynova]

Caterham was annoying me slightly, which just makes me push harder - its a shame someone stacked it somewhere else on the track at the time (as the red flag came out) else I would have had him on that next lap! lol

Burgo - airbox definately reduces intake noise, and doesn't hinder performance in my opinion one bit - so I'm thinking I'm going to have one made too.

MC - cheers for the comments, I don't have a quickrack yet - altho it is now definately on my list after visiting Rockingham! I have a ZF Plate type diff with the Quaife box.

I am still to upload my latter sessions where I am in 5th down the main straight and almost on the limiter going around the left hander which would be 137mph! now that felt cool as hell, car felt so planted, definately my new favourite track.

[Adam Moran]

Great pics olly!

After watching those vids i have to get me one of those gearboxes!!

[Will F]

That airbox of Dar's being whore'd out again! lol

I need one too! Group buy? :)

Good vids matey, I am guessing that you dont have a quick rack though? Get one! ;)

[Jonlem]

I spoke with Olly and I can have some airboxes made in alloy, if they are like Dars though you can't run a firewall, no problem imo but I'd prefer people knew this before I get some made.

The kwik rack thing was funny, I got out of the 3 door and into Ollys and went grasstracking on the infield section lol

[trackdaynova]

lol that was hilarious at your cockney accent comment of "get a facking kwik rack faa fack sake olly"

lol awesome - will upload vids tonight!

and me chasing you JB in the Cossie :)

[craig green]

Sounded like a lot of fun.... owning other machinery as usual Olly. Good lad!

[Adam]

Top vids :cool:

[trackdaynova]

More videos added to original post now :D

Enjoy!

Cossie one rocks!

[trackdaynova]

For the lazy folk among us...

Video Links:

6m 09s - Passenger: Claire Gamble, VS BMW & Caterhams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx6Ai0YwG78)

0m 27s - Passenger: Paul Crocker, Throttle Jams Open (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x9aISUiK1I)

7m 01s - Passenger: Steve Clay, chase those Caterhams! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atnLK4k5faI)

3m 02s - Passenger: Matt Newey, chasing Jonboy in Alpinas 373bhp Cossie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1ZwsWz_zOQ)

4m 09s - Passenger: Matt Newey, hunting Caterhams & BMW that locked up last time... does it again - big style! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3cfXBY_Ylw)

1m 55s - Passenger: Michelle Hewitt, Nova vs Red Caterhams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmDTya_7Sw)

[Ste L]

quality vid's then :thumbs:

keeping up with jonboy too :eek:

[Jonlem]

The lesson to be learnt here is having x power is no good if you can't lay it down, my typical excuses will be :

Not my car
Not my 888's

The problem with the 3 door and its very primative back suspension is under load it uses about 2% of the tyre and with nearly 400hp you are well aware you can't floor it until your close to pointing where you want to go. It actually seems too fair ok against most things but clearly when being chased by something thats fast in the bends its useless lol

Regardless of speed there is nothing quite as exciting as steering a car with the back end, fwd is great, safe but has its limitations, same as rwd but once your out of grip you can just drive sideways everywhere rather than understeer everywhere.

Olly has the most ideal setup, reasonably cheap well balanced reliable track car that clearly has enough go in it to upset nearly everything on track, change a few things on the cossy and it would be a different story in the bends BUT you always have to think that Ollys engine is about ?150 to replace and the 3 doors to replace is atleast 4k LOL. maybe that is the reason I stay on the Vauxhall scene, cheap speed with less concern over repair costs.

It was a superb day out and regardless of whats faster the cars were quite evenly matched and I know I really enjoyed being able to drive them both.

[trackdaynova]

hear hear JB - was a great day!

still loving your excuses tho lol

[nova ian]

Nice one Olly, looked like you had a good day, bar the few little issues!

Rockingham looks like a good circuit, have to check it out at some point.

Glad the cars going well:thumb:

[Jonlem]

hear hear JB - was a great day!

still loving your excuses tho lol

Later this year you can try your luck against my own car, then we'll see who is making the excuses :p

[Adam]

Nice flames out the cossie :cool:
Right on him in the corners, and even in the straights its not pulling a massive gap :cool:

[Adam Moran]

Wheres the vid of jonboy driving ols?

[Jonlem]

I've not seen it yet so I was either driving it better than he does or its that bad he won't post it LOL

[CP]

Good vids - looks like you were having fun:)

Whilst the trackdays at rockingham are good, the increased popularity is encouraging the organisers to get too many cars on circuit now and its not just rockingham. Its nice to have a bit of traffic to play with but judging by your vids you had the same problem as us - ie lots of cars ahead being slowed down all the time queueing to get past slow cars. Its ok for a bit but once you get the circuit learnt it becomes irritating. I think it works better when they divide the drivers up between the novices in road cars and those experienced with track cars. That way you tend to be out with cars and drivers who are at similar speeds and then you dont tend to get this bunching and can plan your overtaking manouevres more easily to make sure once ahead you stay there.
If i get backed up in a queue I slow down and find a clear patch but when there are loads out with a fair few really slow cars mixed in you never do find a clear patch.

[jay xe]

looks cool like the vids

[trackdaynova]

Cheers guys!

Yeah CP, we were actually talking about that at the trackside, there were only 34 cars their, it was only the fact they were all novices, and all newbies to Rockingham that was slowing us down.

Had they all have been a little more experienced, it would have been a fab day!

Jonboy/ Ad - here is the video for Jonboy driving my car ahead of the Cossie this time

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_j62LdzcglM

[trackdaynova]

Just found this picture courtesey of Google Earth, this is the circuit we ran on the day, which was the first time they used it apparently

http://bookatrack.com/-PG?jimbo&3391&27616&640&.jpg