I was nearly right on the outcome-poll then

OT: I currently can't access your site? Is it me or is it a issue with the site

Can't access the Site either.

Sounds great, well done Tristan! :up:

Any photos or video footage of the race?

Bah, I was sure he'd crash.

<begrudgingly>Well done, Tristan!</begrudgingly>

I think under the circumstances and from what I saw, Tristan drove an excellent race.

:laola: Nice one Tristan!

How come I can't find that "this thread is worthless without pics" thingymajing?

Damn the castle combe monkeys for putting your race so sodding late in the day. Wish i'd been lurking for it.

Sounds like there will be more where that came from, so if you're around the combe again, shout!

Congrats Tristan, treat yourself to some proper non-OAP rubber.

3 off the pace ? not bad ...

Tristan, Which chicane did you brake late on? I was sitting near the second chicane.

I really enjoyed the race =) I would have stopped by after tech but I needed to get home and I didn't know how long post tech would be.

From where I was at you were making some great laps. A bit cautious, but I would hope so =)

Compairing you to the leaders coming off the chicane you powered on later and didn't take much of the curb. That's in no way knocking your driving =) Amazing run =) 3 seconds from the leaders is awesome =)

I really enjoyed the day and I hope I wasn't too much of a pain!

Quote from Highsider9 :

Can't access the Site either.

Dreamhosts seem to be having some issues - it's gone down several times in the last week for an hour or two at a time. Grrr! Working at the moment though.

Quote from GP4Flo :

Sounds great, well done Tristan! :up:

Any photos or video footage of the race?

There is a gallery of pictures here, a trackside video here (not amazing footage I'm afraid!). The onboard camera wouldn't work - not sure why. Maybe vibration issues, maybe electrical interference issues, maybe a duff camera or SD card... I need to give it a kick really!

Quote from Callous Hooper :

I think under the circumstances and from what I saw, Tristan drove an excellent race.

Thanks! I made a point of applauding the marshalls on the slowing lap, because without people like you motorsport wouldn't exist!

Quote from Quietus :

Damn the castle combe monkeys for putting your race so sodding late in the day. Wish i'd been lurking for it.

Sounds like there will be more where that came from, so if you're around the combe again, shout!

Congrats Tristan, treat yourself to some proper non-OAP rubber.

Yeah... should be worth a bit of time! I want to get some old rubbish wheels and put the current slicks on them to use as transportation tyres - no point pressing gravel into new slicks if we can avoid it!

Quote from Viper93 :

Tristan, Which chicane did you brake late on? I was sitting near the second chicane.

I really enjoyed the race =) I would have stopped by after tech but I needed to get home and I didn't know how long post tech would be.

From where I was at you were making some great laps. A bit cautious, but I would hope so =)

Compairing you to the leaders coming off the chicane you powered on later and didn't take much of the curb. That's in no way knocking your driving =) Amazing run =) 3 seconds from the leaders is awesome =)

I really enjoyed the day and I hope I wasn't too much of a pain!

The first chicane - a car retired near the braking zone, and I started using it as a brake point marker. But misjudged it a bit on one lap. From the trackside it probably just looked like I did it properly for once, but from my point of view it was a bit too risky for a first race.

I wondered if you'd pop by, but no worries mate. Post race scrut lasted about 15 minutes, and a few people were pointed at. Our car was, apparently, fine! They didn't weigh us though. And we had loads of fuel left over - miscalculated how much we'd need!!!

At the second chicane I wasn't sure how much kerb I could take before unsettling the car, so I opted for caution over bravery. And each lap I think I was getting on the power a little bit earlier, which was pleasing. The fact I ended up quicker than a few of the experienced people ahead of me pleased me the most though!

Quote from tristancliffe :

At the second chicane I wasn't sure how much kerb I could take before unsettling the car, so I opted for caution over bravery. And each lap I think I was getting on the power a little bit earlier, which was pleasing. The fact I ended up quicker than a few of the experienced people ahead of me pleased me the most though!

I definatly agree and would be chuffed to bits if I was running laps faster than people that have raced before =)

I noticed each lap or so you did bring the car in harder and out sooner. Towards the end you weren't putting the power down that much later... the guys in front were using a light throttle just before the second part of the chicane to get that little bit more for the strait, and to probably get the rear end to step out a bit so they wouldn't put it into the grass, their full throttle points didn't seem that far off yours. They did munch full curb on the backside but curbs are like ice if you have never driven on them before. It also seemed that they did more trail braking into the chicane, but I was on the far side of the chicane so I couldn't really see the brake points well.

All in all it was a good race, you got some seat time, held your composure and were putting in laps within a second or two of each other, which is all anyone could ask for =)

How many G's did you end up pulling nearer the end?

According to the datalogger I was doing about 1.4 - 1.6g in most corners. The highest being Camp (100mph right hander). The car should be able to do about 1.8 sustained g, so I guess it's either the nature of Combe, the nature of really old slicks, or just my driving/commitment.

Quote from tristancliffe :

According to the datalogger I was doing about 1.4 - 1.6g in most corners. The highest being Camp (100mph right hander). The car should be able to do about 1.8 sustained g, so I guess it's either the nature of Combe, the nature of really old slicks, or just my driving/commitment.

Nice =) 1.6 is double what a standard street car will pull =)

IMO slicks would be part, how the suspension is setup would change it a bit as well, still getting used to doing things in a "G" filled enviorment is not easy and it will take some getting used to. By the end of the season or possibly even next race you hopefully would see numbers closer to that. Doing things even like a gearchange (though there probably isn't many corners that would allow a gearchange through the corner) you would have to apply the normal movement force to change the gear PLUS the force you would need to counteract the "G" you already know all that =) But I am sure others reading might or might not have thought about it like that =)

I think the tires are the biggest part though. Tires do everything for the car, without a good set of tires the car means nothing. Tires do everything a suspesion does.. all in one little area. Everything from shock absorbsion to spring rates, camber is partially controlled by the tire if you think of it in terms of one sidewall flexing more than the other. I think you will feel a whole new car yet again when you put fresh slicks on for the first time =)

I have to say this though, please anyone tell me if I am wrong with any of this. Everything I have learned or thought I learned has been by listening to people so I could be miles off the mark =) I am sure Tristan you and your family know all about these things, writing these things are more for me and making these ideas concrete in my head.

Like this... until a few days ago I thought that toe in at the front gave you better intial bite into a corner, don't ask me why I thought that. If you sit down and really think about it does the oposite, but it will give you strait line stability... Toe out in the front will give you greater initial turn-in but will make the car wander down the straits, the farther you step away from 0 in either direction the more wear and heat your building in the tire.

Anyways I wouldn't have gotten this straitened out in my head if I didn't post on another forum is what I was trying to say, hopefully this will do the same =)

Have finally written a news item during my lunch break (so it's a bit rushed). If anyone wants to suggest improvments or inform me of grammatical mistakes (read: spelling errors) then feel free. You know you're crap when you have to ask people to beta test your news articles!!!!

Chris (Viper): Now you have no excuses. Click HERE

LOL you got me! =)

Quote from tristancliffe :

Yes, we need new slicks - that'll be worth an easy second per lap (assuming I bed them in properly).

more than that surely!!!

i find a nearly second on new tyres from old tyres that have done 2 days and are only 3 months old, on alot shorter track!!!

Well, if they'd find 2 seconds, that'd put me on the pace of very quick people. If they found 3 seconds I'd be winning for fecks sake!

Remember that your tracks are a bit twistier too, so more corners at which to gain/lose time. Combe has basically 5 corners that would be limited by tyres. The flat ones were flat out with my tyres, and thus have very little impact from newer tyres.

And I brake like a girl - I just don't trust myself or the car to lock a wheel and NOT fly into a wall! I want to play with braking whilst testing when the track is emptier, so I can set the brake balance properly.

i reckon they would find 4 seconds! its the guy behind the wheel that makes the car faster than anyone else!

also, with new tyres u can push alot more because of the added confidence of more grip, so u wouldnt have to brake like a little girl!

i wanna come watch u one day tristan.
love u long time.

I doubt 4 seconds somehow, but we'll see. I can talk about how much per lap this and that will give me, but the only way of knowing is to go out there and do it.

Next up is probably testing at Snet (probably a week day), then hopefully Mallory Park. There are two races at Mallory our car is eligible for, so either I do both (!) or Andrew does the other one and gets some practice in... I just don't know yet...

And finding entry fees isn't easy you know!

You seriously ran slicks from 1988? Maybe you're taking the whole historics thing a bit too far!

the tyres in the tyre walls are probs newer than your tyres m8! i laughed at sum1 who had tyres from 2002! maybe we can place bets at how much faster tristan will be with new tyres. i go with 2.1 secs

Nice to hear you did well Tristan!

Once you build up your confidence you'll soon find the speed. Newer tyres will probably make you quicker and give you more confidence but then it's all relative. With new tyres braking distances will become shorter and corner speeds higher so it really stays the same when it comes down to pushing it hard. Hope that makes sense .

It's good your taking it steady though and building up the pace. Heard of many people spending big money from karts to sprints/hillclimbs and going hell for leather in their first couple of events to have a big smash and never race again.

You need to come up this way and race

Just read the Mallory update. Well done! :up: So how much difference do you think the new tyres made? I would expect them to make it feel like a completely different car.

Yeah, completely different. Totally alive! So much grip, no understeer (except at the hairpin at 25mph) smidgen of oversteer. Mmmmmmm, I loved it. Was going to be racing for 4th or 5th that day, but the race was cancelled after two red flags (for those that don't know).

Tristan...

Just been looking at the pictures from Mallory...

...3 pages from the end, whos the blonde?