Sprint at Curborough 17^th April 2005

 

This was a round of the Yorkshire league and the club had three competitors Jason Turner, Ralph Jackson and myself Alastair Crosby, with Jon Neale also out for the day with Jason's son Jake and my mother also in attendance. The sprint didn`t get off to a good start for me. After working late most of the week I spent Saturday working and changing tyres. It was about 9.30 pm when I got the car out for a quick run and to set the brake bias for the tarmac tyres, good thing I did as it was just locking the rears. Then I had to load the car on the trailer and sort out some tools and spares. With hind sight I could have gone without most of the spares as there's not much opportunity to break things other than shafts at Curborough although a Kitcar managed to break a wishbone.

Managed very little sleep and still had the timing strut to fit at the venue. Then the car wouldn`t quite start because the battery was a little weak and the car had been left out over night on the trailer so jump leads on to the transit were required. Thanks to Jason and TBM Cutters Ltd for use of the van. Then signing on and I realise that the folder of car documents I`ve brought does not include my competition licence and clubcard they are in my other bag which I have left at home. More running around followed by payment of £36.00 for not producing my licence, seems a bit steep but better than spectating after all the effort I`ve put in. This left about 5 or 10 minutes to walk the course so I jogged round most of it.

Back at the car scrutineering was no problem so I could relax for a while, but then Jon and Jason who sometimes serve as service crew turned up and suggested I fit the slicks which I had in the van. I was going to do the first practise run on the Colways. So with the slicks bolted on I joined the queue for the start.

Slightly nervous waiting as I have not done a sprint before and was a little unsure of the start procedure. Anyway got off the line fluffed the change into second was into the first long left changing up to third which it now seems was a bit optimistic and the back end came round. Tried the usual power and opposite lock which always works except that time on the Dukeries and was very surprised to be heading across the grass sideways and then backwards. Slightly embarassed and mildly shocked I headed carefully back to the start/ finish area.

Jason and the others had seen my antics and agreed that the slicks should go back in the van. After talking to experienced sprinters I found out that it's usual to run slicks at much lower pressures at Curborough to try and get some heat into them. It was also pointed out that the tyres on the back were quite by chance harder than the front. In the van they went although I now think I should have tried keeping them on the front as with such a twisty track and plenty of braking and acceleration I think they would have been alright.

For my second run now on Colway moulded slicks I was pleased to make it round the two laps required and it was nice to just beat the immaculate newly built sprint 309 gti which I was parked next to, especially as he had made it round the track at his first attempt and I was effectively a run down.

Jason was going very well in his standard M3 evolution, I think there was just a Porsche 911 in front of him in the over 2 litre standard car class, whilst I was second in the 1400 to 2 litre modified production car class which was been led by a Seat Ibiza.

After a lunch break it was the first timed run of two which were to count towards the results, Just before I went out I heard that Jason had set the fastest time in his class. It was now looking like it would rain later so that this first timed run would effectively be the only one to count. I kept it off the grass again and felt as though I was starting to learn the track although I was still being too wary of the back end stepping out which was definately down to cold hard rear slicks and a slight excess of speed on my first run. It's amazing how all the 3rd gear corners from walking the track are actually 2nd gear corners when you go back with a car.

A sensible kind of run with no obvious mistakes and across the finishing line flat in 3rd at about 78 mph although I should have checked the rev counter, running without a limiter for the first time.

My time 71.63 seconds for two laps over a second up on my practise run and it felt quicker. The other 309 had actually only set a 74.03 having messed up a gear change and got 5th instead of 3rd.

It started raining before my last run and although I had some Michelin wets with me I could not see the point in getting wet fitting them and also risk wrecking them if it dried up as we had about twenty minutes to wait for our run after being called up. There was no chance of improving on the earlier times so I decided to be careful to not go off and spoil not only my afternoon but also all the guys sat around in their single seaters and Caterham types with just an umbrella to keep some of the weather out.

Took the first lap carefully but that didn`t stop me trying to slide the car about and I managed to get it reasonably sideways at the hairpin with the hand  brake. Apparently proper sprint cars don't have hand brakes.

An enjoyable day really, was pleased to discover that the Ibiza which beat me by 6 seconds had 230 bhp so at least 70 more than myself and the driver has won his class in the Curborough sprint championship so knows his way round and for one final excuse the car would be lighter being a stripped out sprint car. Jason beat Mr. Curborough himself to the class win with his M3 finishing 23rd overall and about 3.5 seconds ahead of myself with my second in class and 30th.

Ralph - another of our club members - finished a very respectable (for a Volvo) 7th in the up to 2 litre standard car class with a best time of 78.98 seconds.

That should give us some reasonable points for the Yorkshire league.

I enjoyed the sprint but there is quite a bit of waiting around and it would be nice to have someone in the car sharing the fun. I used standard lower arms and hubs on the day with fixed platform Bilstein struts and I think that lowering the front on the adjustable Bilsteins and perhaps some more negative camber with the rose jointed arms could improve the font end grip and the balance. I have only used these struts on one rally before and suffered from excessive understeer there so will get the adjustable struts rebuilt and fitted then I might even get round to rallying the car.

 

Alastair