I love that Reinard, those golden rims fits perfectly on that red body!
Tristan, can you just answer me a couple of questions regarding tyres.. In what category would you put your tires using the LFS language (R1, R2, R3, R4)? Do you have various components to choose from? How long do your tires last and how would you compare them to the LFS tyre wear?
And, just one more question, what kind of liberty do you have setting up your car? Compared to the liberty of the LFS garage, where you can set everything up, how restricted are your settings compared to LFS...
I'm corious about this stuff, as we are having some debate on our forum.. thanks in advance
1. I would say my tyres are similar to R2 in terms of grip and the rate of heating, although I think in terms of wear real life ones last a bit longer (but we drive a bit more carefully in real life!).
2. By components, do you mean compounds? There is a selection, and we went for A24 whilst most people seem to use R53 (softer), although I still seem to be pulling more G and beating most of those on the softer tyre. Graining and marbles are non-existent, so there is no problem going off line in 95% of cases.
3. Our slicks survived last year easily, which was 6 race meetings. This year I'm intended to do double that, and I think I'll have to replace them in the middle of the season, although I'll have to wait and see.
4. We have lots of liberty really. Springs are free (we use 400 - 450lb/in at the moment). Anti-Roll bars are available in 1/4 increments, and have a blade adjuster so we can vary the stiffness in the cockpit from fully hard (defined by the bar) to virtually nothing. Camber can be varied from about +1 to -3.5°, toe +-10mm (we use 1mm toe in)... Gear ratios aren't very critical with a torquey road engine, but there is quite a choice from Hewland... Wings are just on a slider, so I have infinite adjustment from min to max in theory, although I divide that into 9 settings using Tippex marks. Modern cars have superior wing setting arrangements. The only real restrictions we have are that the MINIMUM ride height for any sprung part of the car is 40mm (technically at all times, but everyone just does it at rest), and that the top of the rear wing must be below 900mm from the ground
The difference between real setup and LFS is in LFS you just enter in the result (camber, caster, toe, ride height) that you want and it goes away and makes all the relevant changes, IRL changing one thing will effect the others so it takes a bit longer to set the car up.
On a totally standard car? Not a lot - you might be able to buy and fit a close ratio gear set. You can tweak toe. And that's about it.
The more you modify the more you can change - adjustable spring platforms to change ride height and corner weights, perhaps with adjustable damping. You can get adjusters for the top of struts to give some basic camber adjustment, and even castor adjustment too. You might be able to buy, adapt and fit a gearbox that allows easier gear ratio changes. You can move things about, fit adjustable anti-roll bars, and brake bias (or pressure limiting) adjusters...
It just depends on your wallet and the regulations really. Anything is adjustable with a big enough wallet (or hammer).
All helmets and mandated safety equipment has to meet MSA requirements, which are generally similar but not always as stringent as FIA approval. Having said that shopping for the cheapest helmet that you can use is pretty stupid and if you want HANS posts (which Tristan uses) you cut yourself out of the cheapest helmets anyway.
Actually, when I bought this helmet last year I wanted to get one of the pre-painted Bell helmets with HANS posts. But, apparently, Bell were advertising something they didn't actually produce (the style I wanted), and no one stocked them anyway, so I went for a more expensive Arai, unfortunately in white.
I'm tempted to get it painted in a single colour anyway - a really bright red or yellow - because I'm not a fan of the overcomplex designs drivers seem to have. Helmets like Hill's, Senna's, Brundle's etc were more easily recognised, probably cheaper to do, and just as individual.
I suppose I could use stickers, but they'd look rubbish after a few uses.
good one tristan, do you come down to brands hatch and if so when ide like to pop up and see you mess it up(lol i mean win)
edit:just been on the site and seen you also have been down to lydden, i live bout half way between lydden and brands and my family have other links with lydden
The chap who came 3rd on Sunday is racing at Brands and Lydden with SEMSEC, so you can watch similar ish cars there. He (Andy) is hoping to beat a 2001 Dallara running at F3 ride heights regularly this season, although admittedly the Dallara is driven by an ape with no ability or technical knowledge...
Sadly I'm not going to Brands or Lydden this year. The championship does occasionally do Brands, and last year I did a SEMSEC round there, but this year it's all about the Mono championship for me.
Regarding winning and my recent 'form', bear in mind the last four races I've done have been at Snetterton. When we get to other tracks I'm expecting to be a bit slower again, as I seem to be quite good at Snetterton. The flip side is that I might have learnt a lot from Snett, and be able to go quicker than before elsewhere. I just don't know!!!
There is something about the Norfolk air, the locals are always faster than the rest of the field despite being in under powered cars at what should be a power track with two long straights
Could well be that! Maybe the flatness takes people off guard!
We're at Silverstone National this year, which is two [and a half] long straights with a couple of slow corners. Not far removed from Snetterton.
Rockingham (the same circuit BTCC use iirc) is horrid, and I don't expect to go well there at all, although I'm happy to prove myself wrong. Oulton and Cadwell I've not driven at. Oulton is quick, but Cadwell is very twisty. I don't know how I or the car will be in eaither case. Snetterton again (hurrah!). Mallory's race last year was abandoned, but I was going okay (only my second race to be fair)... I simply don't know how quick or slow I'll be anywhere else.
Spa will be lovely. I've already planned my gear ratios in anticipation, and I've been weighing up fuel loads for it too! Which reminds me - Andrew is busy for the Spa weekend, meaning not only will I be short of a pit hand, but also of an official photographer. I could be pursuaded to take someone local (either to me or to Spa), as long as they are handy with a spanner (by handy I meant totally and utterly competent in a professional type of way) and cam wield a camera... Submissions on a postcard to...
Unfortunately I'm away that weekend, tagging along to Spa would be great fun and annoyingly everytime an request has come for a foreign meeting or 24 hour race it's the one day of the year I've made a commitment that I actually can't squirm out of .
Unfortunately Mono don't seem to go to many of my local tracks (Donington, Castle Coombe, Mallory). I'd quite like to come to Mallory but don't know if I can, I guess it's a bank holiday, but which one? all I could find is 'Blueberry cheesecake day' which I didn't know we celebrated in the UK.
As for Oulton and Cadwell they're two gems of circuits, both older and narrower, Oulton is very fast in places, Cadwell is very tight in places, if you're on the full circuit you might need to make suspension changes to stop it bottoming out up the mountain. The rF Cadwell is quite good, Oulton is rubbish.
Cadwell is described as a mini-Nordschleife and that's not that far fetched, not technical in your conventional sense of boring constant radius slightly cambered corners designed to flow and give good racing but a real ballsy circuit but it does have short run offs and cars gaggling at the hairpin or mountain (depending on layout) cause probably the most big shunts of any UK circuit.
Congrats Tristan sounds like you had a blast. Hopefully you can pull it off again.
I am happy to be a mechanic for a wekend if you would have me. I grew up around tools and shops. With the military I have the discipline to use the right too for the job. I probably take 50 pictures a week at work I just have not been around racecars for years, and never around a single seater.
Ajp71 would be your best bet though I would think. Would understand totally if you didn't want me, American's do tend to be 'abrasive'
:edit: Doh Ajp71 already said he couldn't make it... and a new lap record!
Or just go down to your local hobby store buy a airbrush and do it yourself. Well one basic colour would do find actually, just have at least what decal on it or just make sure it isn't plain.
I'm not sure I'm capable of achieving a finish I'd be happy with. Plus you really have to remove seals, which means buying and fitting replacements... And it'd go wrong too knowing my luck.
The white doesn't make me slower, and colour(s) won't make me faster. So I'd rather spend the money on things that do. Next 'big' purchase is a mini-display unit that plugs into the datalogger and shows me things like lap/split times, and can be configured to show any variable, like lateral g or speed if I want it to as well... Knowing split times, and lap times, and all that sort of thing will make me faster because it gives you instant feedback on your driving, rather than having to work out what you did and why an hour later on a laptop...
So I'm saving the pennies for that and my Spa entry. And Spa probably means I'll have to miss Anglesey, which means I have to go quicker in the rounds I do do to ensure I have enough points to get away with missing a round... and so on.
Anyone here who paints helmets for a living and wants to earn themselves a crate of beer for a weekends work?
Far enough, of course the helmet doesn't make you quicker but it makes the overall image look better. I know the helmet colour/design isn't important but it is nice to have a nice helmet. Pitty you don't live in Plymouth as my uncle knows a few very good helmet painters, he's had two painted for him what matches the colours of his GSXR 600 and GSXR 1000. There are a lot of nice helmet designs out there, one of my mates has one what his bro gave him what has a angel one side and a devil on the other but cost him £400.
I thought you had a LCD in your cockpit what actually told you your laptimes but obviously not, how much do they cost about £300?
A helmet is a really bad thing to learn to paint on, it's a very thin composite construction that you could damage if you're too aggressive sanding or using thinners on it and you really do not want over spray inside it, added to that in the event of a fire it's meant to be fire retardant, you do not want to use the wrong paints that go up in flames or give off nasty fumes. Apart from the pure safety aspect of it you'd have to take your external sticker off it and convincing a scrutineer to give you another one when you've still got the all important internal one and haven't made any changes to it is hard enough.
. 
I just have not been around racecars for years, and never around a single seater.