Oulton Park 21st April

[erictharg]

First race of the season is with the Historic V8's at Oulton Park Easter Monday. I've not raced there before so looking forward to it. It is the full international circuit. Car as it was after Spa last year but sorted the timing cover oil leak and located the camera hopefully out of the way of rain drops!
Wet race would be good with all those high HP V8's, but otherwise I'll be watching my mirrors.

[erictharg]

Oulton Park 21st April

We were teamed up with Bernie's Historic V8's as a support race at the British GT's weekend. 20 min practice and two 20 min races on the full International circuit. I'd not driven Oulton before and had practised on the computer, giving me a predicted 2:15 lap.
Car was all ready to go but as I loaded it up the charging light failed to light when I switched the ignition on. I checked there was a feed to the alternator field so figured it was working and the problem must lie with the warning lamp. Still to bottom that out but it was not a problem.
Drove up Sunday afternoon in cold gloomy wet weather. Dropped the car in the paddock and retired to our hostel (Red Lion, Little Budworth - a mile from the circuit). Had a good meal and a couple of beers. They also did a good cooked breakfast the following morning, which dawned much warmer and dry.
Signed on and scrutineered with no trouble. Took practice easy not having driven the circuit before. Did some grass cutting at turn 1 (learned you have to go deeper into it than you think before turning in) and ended up with a best of 2:14 something. So, as predicted and last on the grid but only just over a second adrift of the next car, Robert Frost's big block Cobra. Another Oulton virgin! I knew I was a long way off what was possible and hoped for better in the race. Mark Bowd put his GT40 into the gravel and tyre wall at turn 2 but no serious damage done.
First race was at 1pm 'ish. Rolling start which allowed me to jump Rob Frost over the line and hold him off for a couple of laps before he found his form and blasted past me. I was getting in the groove when the car started misfiring. Rev counter was jumping around so it seemed electrical. It was only getting worse so I had to pit. Saw water running from under the car, and all over then engine including the distributor. Looked as if it was the water pump, so retired and went back to the paddock to investigate further. In hindsight it was lucky the water caused the misfire otherwise I might not have noticed until it was too late and cooked the engine. I didn't have a spare pump (had one sitting back at home...), but decided to put some water in and run it up just to check where the leak was, and found it was actually the water pump gasket that had failed. Relief - we can fix that! Pulled the pump off, got out the finest Wurth RTV and make a new joint from RTV, leaving it to semi set before refitting. Refilled with water and no leak, so left it to finish curing ready for the second race at 5 'ish. Pleased to have been able to fix it as it was an expensive event to enter!
Race 2 I was obviously at the back again, but pushed much harder now I knew the circuit. The car was going really well, dancing through the chicanes and drifting beautifully on the corners, brakes chirping on entry. Really felt good. Didn't get lapped by the leader until crossing the line on the last lap. Best lap mid 2:10. Much more like it, and still a bit more possible I think. 2:09 could be done.
The new Dunlops that never really got scrubbed at Spa worked brilliantly, engine ran well. I did get 3rd gear not slotting home fully a few times, which I'm guessing was because I was pushing too far over the gate and maybe catching the reverse selector. Need to look at that. If I shifted slowly and carefully it worked OK. Also think I can lower the ride height another 20mm or so.
So, new water pump and gasket to fit (the old pump did have some play in the bearing so I won't risk re-fitting it), sort out the charging light and otherwise ready for Silverstone in two weeks. 75km race with the 750 MC.
Loved Oulton Park as a circuit - every corner different, nowhere to relax, lots of rise and fall. If only I had another 30 or 40 HP! Hmmmm...a plan coming together I think.

[jonclancy]

Excellent write up, Charles. I enjoy reading these, so please keep them coming! By coincidence, a mate was up at Oulton and reported he saw your XI in action. Didn't Phil Keen score a good result in one race? He drove my mate's R5 TS to a class win at the 2004 Reunion race at Thruxton.

How are you going to find your extra HP? In other news, I'll be taking my stripped engine to the workshops in a couple of weeks and am considering a SW5-07 and flowed head to bump my power up by, er, a lot!!

[allymally]

Hello Charles, I agree with Jon, a very nice write up thank you. I will come to Silverstone to spectate, had hoped to have a go myself but just too much to do at present. may be later in the year. All the very best Malc.

[erictharg]

Thanks guys. On the track the power is never enough - except when exiting slow corners without an LSD! On the road it is verging on scary - partly because it is set up pretty stiff for racing so is very skittish on a bumpy road, and also because the 649 cam is very peaky. Once over 4K it flies - feels too much for the road sometimes! I only drive it on the road to shakedown changes or repairs before a race. I was considering trying the SW23 cam, but after talking to Swiftune their impressive hp figures are in one of their top end engines with the best of everything so I'm not sure it would make much difference in my budget clubman motor. Suspect I'm going to move to a Toyota 4AGE for next year. And move up to Class C.

[jonclancy]

Toyota power...

It would be interesting to know the bhp/kg engine stats. Will it need dry-sumping to fit?

[M400too]

The Toyota engine is a good compact unit I have driving it in Elise and it does not need constant gear changes to get best so in a lighter car in would be possibly better

[erictharg]

The 4 AGE pre-dates the Elise unit I believe, but is a jewel of an engine. Co-designed with Yamaha it is basically a BDA copy. Should fit OK with stock or mildly modified wet sump. Maybe a tiny bulge in the bonnet. It's the smallest engine of its type, with the required LHS exhaust. Will probably have to run programmed ignition and crank trigger (electronics - yikes!). Was tuned to 240hp in Formula Atlantic applications, so should take me into Class C and eventually if needed into Class B.

[adamwilkinson]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321384018888

Looks quite a tall unit if you compare where the flywheel is relative to the a-series

[jonclancy]

Thanks - I didn't know that, Charles.

Do you need a custom backplate to bolt to the A-Series gearbox?

Sorry, this is thread-drifrting!!