[Torbjorn968]

Doing my first race Saturday. An andurance race at this track:



http://rejsa.nu/bana_info.asp?mantorp



video of a lap:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyQuRpIhu2A (cool car, homebuilt, have a look at it!)



with this car:



http://www.blommenhofracing.se/ an BMW M3 E30 Evo



So far I have 3 laps in the car which was a culture shoc compared to my reasonably track oriented CS. No steering servo and a shift with a feeling of a truck Very mechanical, very basic. No servos on the brakes either. Will get an hour tomorrow prior to the race, saturday 9 o clock the 8 hour race starts with 50 cars (if I understood correctly) on the grid.



And it is likely to rain. Only had one track meet with rain and R tires and it was to me a very tricky experience with a decent amount of grip, then sudden losses of grip (the tires where very worn and rotating the wrong direction which should have something to do with it...).



Any rookie tips? What to think of?



Best



TL

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[Eric_K]

Your first race ever is an endurance race? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> You will probably find it mentally draining with so much stuff going on. The most important thing is to protect the car. I'm sure you will see people doing lots of stupid things - dont' be one of them. That means no risky passes and leaving room when someone is trying to pass you (or even thinking of it). It also means driving at a pace that you can maintain without undue risks. Just 5 minutes spent in the pits fixing something will wipe out any seconds you gain with aggressive driving. Try to relax and have fun. Drink lots of fluid. Even if it is raining it is easy to become dehydrated in the car. Do you have any way to get fluids while driving? It helps a lot. Do you know how long you stint(s) will be? What are the rules for pit stops? Good luck.

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[333pg333]

What the heck is that car you're driving in the Youtube clip? Is this what you're driving in an endurance?? Sheeshh. Nice initiation.

Good luck and as Eric says, have fun.

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[Torbjorn968]

[quote name='333pg333' post='50748' date='Apr 11 2008, 02:04 PM']What the heck is that car you're driving in the Youtube clip? Is this what you're driving in an endurance?? Sheeshh. Nice initiation.

Good luck and as Eric says, have fun.[/quote]





The car is not mine and I have never been on the track, until today that is. Cool little thing isn't it? It's a home built racer with a Wankel! The car for the initiation is a BMW M3 E 30 (the first boxy one).



The test drive today went fine, the Beemer is easy to drive but very physical without the servo. I can see the point however driving without the servo, lots of feedback. Drove for an hour which is almost what I will do tomorrow. Worked fine but I am a bit spent so soon hitting the sack.



It is not only going to rain the entire day tomorrow, tonight they say we are going to have a bit of snow mixed in....



In any case I am going to be a happy guy tomorrow. I am actually doing this! <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



//T

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[333pg333]

Well take care and good luck. That sounds very difficult conditions, but then I've never seen snow let alone driven on it!

So that car has a rotary engine in that clip. Normally you can hear them clearly but as an open car it had so much wind noise you can't tell. What body is it in? Looks sort of like a Cobra copy.

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[Torbjorn968]

[quote name='333pg333' post='50782' date='Apr 11 2008, 11:29 PM']Well take care and good luck. That sounds very difficult conditions, but then I've never seen snow let alone driven on it!

So that car has a rotary engine in that clip. Normally you can hear them clearly but as an open car it had so much wind noise you can't tell. What body is it in? Looks sort of like a Cobra copy.[/quote]



The body is Farrari copy.



The race was some experience. We where in the upper quarter of 42 cars when I took over as the fourth driver (70 minutes stints max, 8 hour race). Rain mixed with show, about 34 F. On Pirelli R tyres (bad decision, the rest of the guys hoped it would dry up). Very slippery. Stayed mostly on the track (one big save, one small off) and brought the car in one piece to the next driver which was the object. Taking it rookie easy one of the biggest challenges was all the passes of cars with more experieced drivers and raintyres.



Towards the end of the race we where walking to the pitwall to bring our driver in for the final stint. But no car came, the security car whent out, the ambulance went out. As the ambulance rolled in I ran after it, but once at the secreteriat our driver jumped out unscathed. The car had had a brake failure on the forward brakes at the end of the big straight (130 mph) which made it slide out on the grass gradually while the driver tried working the rears. Then on the gras big spin and backwards into a posting.



Not too badly hurt we got the car back on the track driving slowly due to concern regarding the brakes and a crocked chassis. Points for finishing given so the car limped to a 28th place with many DNFs due to the slippery conditions. Will post some pics you'll find interresting later in the week.



Question: what do you preffer regarding tires in rain?



Best



TL

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[Torbjorn968]

   



Some pics from the race (not in chronological order):



924 with 928 V8



The end of the rear end. Surprisingly little dammage give a spin at the end of a rather long straigt.



Appropriate gear...



and snow collection (competining team)

//TL

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[Eric_K]

Congrats on finishing in tough conditions. 70 minutes seems like a short stint, was that because of the rules or what the car could do?



Hoosier rains are the trick for the wet.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...odel=Radial+Wet

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[Torbjorn968]

[quote name='Eric_K' post='50875' date='Apr 14 2008, 06:00 AM']Congrats on finishing in tough conditions. 70 minutes seems like a short stint, was that because of the rules or what the car could do?



Hoosier rains are the trick for the wet.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...odel=Radial+Wet[/quote]



Rules are 70 minutes max with 60 minimum rest. This is to encourage big teams to keep cost down per driver and let many drivers out on the track. 42 cars on a 3km track (guess) is rather tight as it is and there is preassure from more team. Four drivers seems as standard. We are five. Good for cost sharing after a crash....



Q: what would the difference be in terms of feel and laptimes with the Hosiers compared to the tires we rand (new Pirelli R tires).¨



//TL

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[Eric_K]

I'm not familiar with the Pirellis, so I can't tell you the difference. The Hoosiers would be very hard to beat though. They are soft and work great in the cold/wet. They make it seem like it is not even wet!



The enduros here have a 3 hour max per driver, so in a 8 hour we do three 2:40 stints with three drivers. You'd be amazed how fast the time goes.

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[Eric_K]

Check Jim Child's video to see what Hoosier wets can help you do. (I'm pretty sure he was using these in this race)



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...2592237628

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[Torbjorn968]

[quote name='Eric_K' post='50892' date='Apr 14 2008, 07:34 PM']Check Jim Child's video to see what Hoosier wets can help you do. (I'm pretty sure he was using these in this race)



http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...2592237628[/quote]



To slow line at the moment. Need to pursuade my team manager so let me put it this way:



The Pirellis are R tyres but said to be better than most. My impression is however not too dissilmmilar to the Yokohamas I have driven in the wet (although this time it was also very cold). I felt as if you lost grip rather quickly and it was therefore difficult to mildly drift the car as I would have in my best moments in the dry.



How does a very good street tire stack up against an R tyre in the wet? And moving to the hosiers wet would the difference be significant?



And the last question for tonight: how dry can it get before the wets are a bad choice (we had the R tyres on in the vain hope that it would dry up).



//TL

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[Torbjorn968]

Watched Jims driving. Seems to be able to carry quite a bit more speed than the competion. How did the race end? Form a start at the rear to the podium?



Would be very gratefull for answear to the rain comparison asked in my previous post:



R tyre



Good Street tyre



Rain tyre (the Hosier Wet proposed)



And what happens when it drys up.



//T

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[Eric_K]

I believe Jim finished 2nd or 3rd with the white 968 (seen at the start) winning. Jim?



A proper racing rain tire will be in a different league than a street tire or a dry weather racing tire in the wet. The difference is huge. However, they are soft and will not last in the dry. If it dries out, you need to change tires. An R tire with treads (like a full tread Toyo RA-1) is good for mixed conditions where it is alternating wet/dry. It is a compromise. It will not be as fast in the wet or the dry but could save big time in avoiding a mid race tire change. Street tires have no business in a race, unless being competitive is not important.

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[Torbjorn968]

The endurance racing I have gotten myself involved in is fairly lowbudget with one class limited to street tyres and other classes allowing R tyres, no slicks. Hence the question regarding street tyres. Have a feeling the street tyres where quicker saturday.

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[Jim Child]

[quote name='Eric_K' post='50959' date='Apr 16 2008, 03:29 PM']I believe Jim finished 2nd or 3rd with the white 968 (seen at the start) winning. Jim?[/quote]



I finished 2nd, less than a second behind Gary Grigsby's white 968. We were both on Hoosier Rains as was the 3rd place finisher.

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