What a day, I have been on a track day around the national before and felt quite confident on not getting lost
Felt a bit weird the Taisan was sat on the trailer ready for Sunday and me sitting at the hotel bar around 8pm having a drink and thinking something must be broken or in need of replacing. Just not used to things going to plan of late. Any way's spoke to a nice chap from the RX7 club for a while and headed to bed for some unearned rest.
Wow Silverstone the home of British motorsport, cant help thinking that this is all a bit too much. Keep a cool head get the bloody car of the trailer and sign on. Tweenierob having been on the sauce the night before with his boss on a stag do was wearing the stupid I am not sober smile all morning
So in my best attempt to wipe it clean off his face he got the hot seat for the warm up session. The car felt great even though the back end would not hold a line, I am sure the grandstand at brook lands where doing Mexican waves as we slid passed in a D1 type manner. Brake a bit earlier here and here and here too soon an the gas hold it hold it. I turn round to see Rob clinging to the roll cage not waring his I am stupid and not sober smile anymore, good stuff, must be doing something right. We pulled back into the pits clocking a 1:11 lap. Quickest around the national before was 1:22 so I was well chuffed and knew there was a bit more to come without the extra 14 stone wrestling with the roll cage.
During practice I aimed to get the braking right for copse and did but was not getting the turn in point right ether running wide or climbing the apex too much. Maggots was a hit and miss affair, finding that lining up against the inside in 4th then 3rd worked but dependent on the braking as to where the back end would let go. We had the tein dampers set to full soft as to counter the rear end traction issues but it was not working. I had managed to lap at 1;09 secs so a improvement but 14 stone lighter it should have ben more.
For qualifying we decided to remove the rear anti roll bar, good call by me
After 2 laps I soon realized that the coilovers where not working as they should so I hardened the settings, lap 3 a bit more and lap 4 more, until they where same damper hardness as the front shocks. Game on the rear end was holding but only just and too heavy a right foot was greeted with tyres squealing and the back end just mm's from giving way.
I managed to start getting laps together and holding the line through the bends better with more exit speed. The toyo's gave up the ghost pretty quick and I coasted for a lap knowing it is now or never. In to the complex flat out through woodcote copse, spot on into beckets too quick lock up plant the right foot drift.
cool down the straight and wait for the next lap nail it into the complex, B@lO£K$ chequered flag and a Marshall trying his best bull fighter impersonation middle of woodcote. I was getting faster each lap but ran out of time.
What a great day and one i will remember for a while, nice to chat to everyone new and old and even managed a 1:07 lap to top it all off, Jezz this is addictive, see you all at Oulton Park
John
