|
|
|
|
Presented by Maximum Attack Photography
Jayne White
Mallala Sprint 24th Oct- I managed a 1min17.61 quite easily really as I did a 1min17.66 while passing other cars. Very happy with that as it is the last time I will drive the car competitively as the car is now for sale and the new Puma is well on the way to being drivable. Goto http://www.mscasa.com/ to see Sprint results YouTube Link 1min 18.03sec lap http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoozpaKebMM&feature=channel_video_title 1min 18.03sec lap of Mallala Raceway. (low res)Video of the lap.
Neville Darwin
Andrew Bailey
Clubby Nationals 2007
Alastair Dow Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-9o26fP4Us
David Christian
Clubby Nationals 2011
A Puma newbie’s first experience of Mod Regs at Mallala – November 7th 2010 By Alastair Dow Drove to the track in convoy with friend Kai and his partner Aime (in Kai’s Sirius Clubbie) and friend my Richard and me in Percy (Puma #001). Arrived at Mallala about 7.45 AM and stood around nervously waiting to sign on. We were immediately befriended by the first of a series of new friends – we nicknamed him “The Club President”. He gave us a whole lot of useful advice which boiled down to ‘relax, you will be fine’. We were signed on by Fran, a wonderful volunteer of the type who make these events happen. After doing the paperwork she looked at each person in turn and said with a smile “Make sure you have fun”. We took our Clubbies through scrutineering. This was more thorough than I’d expected – tape over the headlights, fire extinguisher, approved helmet etc etc. Then off to the driver’s briefing where we given a pep talk and the flags were explained. The blue flag meant ‘someone is trying to pass you’ – for the first couple of rounds every flag marshal seemed to have one of these permanently waving in my direction. After each session the officials produce a printed sheet with everyones lap times – there’s no hiding from comparison. These sheets are the subject of much analysis and head shaking. There were two groups of 20 cars, arranged in the order the lap time order that we had nominated. Kai and I were placed in the middle of the slower group B. This included amongst others a motley collection of Peugeots, Madza Rotaries, a hot Datsun 1600, a Nissan Silvia, a lovely old MG, an Austin Healey Sprite, a V8 powered Cortina and a Toyota Yaris – which was bog standard except for racing rubber. After ‘staging’ we were flagged onto the track at 3 second intervals. The five minute wait in staging was interminable – probably the worst moment of the day – too much time to contemplate the fearful unknown. But soon as I rolled out onto the track, I felt immediately at home. No trees, no Stobie poles, no traffic coming the other way, lovely surface. There was 12 minutes of practice during which I was passed by several slower cars including the Toyota Yaris (with about 90 kilowatts to my 163). It was a huge reality check and I realised that sheer power is useful, but it’s only about 20% of what makes you fast. Smoothness, braking and consistency is what counts (and balls). Then, spread over the day, we had four rounds of five laps – the idea is to circulate at a consistent time, but most people were also driving fast – really fast. My first session times were about 1.39 a lap. I struck up a bit of a friendship with the Yaris driver who turned out to be one of the better exponents of this kind of motor sport, and after the second five lap round he very generously invited me (during the cooldown lap) to follow his lines and braking points through all the corners. I noticed that he braked late and wide, used every inch of the track, and on some of the wider corners he didn’t touch the brake at all. I realised that I had to ignore the impulse to brake when every molecule in my being was telling me to slow down. It was a turning point (to use a pun) and by the end of the day I was circulating at 1.27 (a big improvement but 1.20 is considered quick). So the idea is to leave your braking really late and then stand on the pedal as hard as you can– much harder than you would ever in normal driving. We were going from 180kmph to about 40kmph in 150 metres. The air reeks of burning brake pads, and there is a fine shower of expensive rubber fragments into the cockpit. At the last moment you turn really hard towards the apex of the corner and feed in the power. Sounds easy but it ain’t. I discovered a whole element of Percy’s character that I had only had hints of on the public road – power. Spooled up between 4 – 6000 RPM his usual happy bellow turns into a barking snarl, and coming out the of the corners in third gear the inside rear tyre was spinning and leaving long black strips, I was even getting wheelspin in 4th on long bends – a limited slip differential has gone to the top of the upgrade priority list! We were hitting 6000rpm in 4th on the back straight which is not really straight (translates to about 180kmph). I only used 5th a couple of times but by the end of the day I was only using 3rd and 4th. Percy’s torque is massive and 2nd gear just induced wheelspin without any benefit. I probably need to play around with final drive ratios, damper settings and tyre pressures too. For the 4th session in group B I was released from staging first (a real privilege) and with a clear track gave Percy his head - bucking and sliding through the corners, shift lights flashing, tyres howling – dramatic fun but definitely not as smooth or efficient as it needs to be. I ended up having an attack of red mist and spinning out on two corners which was mildly embarrassing. On the last lap I felt warm fluid dropping onto my foot – coolant! The coolant reservoir was overflowing into the car - getting a bit too hot. I’d also virtually run out of fuel as on 15psi of boost Percy is getting about 2 km per litre. I was quite pleased with my progress, but know that cars the same as mine have circulated Mallala in 1.17 so there is plenty of room for improvement. Some of that will come with a turbo upgrade, limited slip diff and more careful setup of the front wheels and new dampers – the ones I have now are completely shot. The rest will be down to me. Back in the paddock some we were starting to get to know some of the other Clubbie owners and I was able to beg a few litres of fuel from a kind person. By this time were starting to feel physically and mentally exhausted. I was left with new respect for racing car drivers who drive for hours on end nose to tail with absolute consistency. It’s a lot harder than it looks! After congratulating ourselves on surviving the day we retreated to the Mallala pub for a celebratory drink before driving home – caked in brake dust, coolant and rubber fragments and feeling absolutely exhilarated. Can’t wait to do it again!
Nine Months and a Few Seconds later – July 2011 By Alastair Dow Well, I was warned that it would be addictive and it is... that is circulating the 2.7 km of exposed, windblown bitumen of Mallala Motorsport Park. Early experiences of Modern Regularity and Supersprints were saturated with adrenaline and excitement and it took a while to calm down and start ‘thinking’ my way around the track. I quickly learned that driving a high performance car on a race track has little in common driving on the public road, and it takes a while to unlearn lifelong habits, particularly the instinct to brake early and gently before entering a corner. Initially the seconds fell away quite quickly, but improvement becomes exponentially more difficult, a matter of chipping away a tenth here and a tenth there. I reckon Percy is capable of around 1.21 without any further modification, and the best time so far has been 1.23.9. Three seconds does not sound like a lot but you celebrate every tenth! So what have been the lessons so far? I’ve started to learn about what words like ‘turn in’, ‘camber’ and ‘apex’ mean, and to develop my sensitivity to the feel of the car and its strengths and limitations. Looking for technical solutions for more speed can just mask bad driving - but I have been experimenting with tyre pressures, wheel alignment and softer brake pads. The car was also corner weighted, a process that ensures that each wheel has the same weight on it. This has improved the balance of the car and increased its lateral stability. A Puma strength is its acceleration, and part of the trick has been to find cornering exit lines which allow you to get the power down without wheelspin or torque-induced squirming, especially without the benefit of an LSD. Everyone says that smoothness and consistency is the secret to good times – easier said than done! Braking and cornering – still a long way to go to get them right! Speed comes from finessing the car like a scalpel rather than an axe. A big part of the fun has been getting to know some of the friendly, knowledgeable and generous Clubbie fraternity. There’s an atmosphere of friendly competition, but the main impulse is to do your personal best and to have fun doing it. Some lasting impressions from the last 9 months - driving to the track in the cold darkness – braking into the northern hairpin with a bellowing GT Falcon looming in the mirrors like a block of flats - spinning on every corner except Clubhouse – feeling the tail starting to drift at 185 kmph on the big back bend - struggling to find a fast line around corner 2 (and 3, and 4 and...) - the raucous chaos of the Super Sprint dummy grid – the intoxicating smell of hot brake pads and melting rubber - the pub after the meet - driving home in parallel rain – and thinking about how to do better next time.
The Artist, The Scientist and The Animal -16th Oct There seemed to be three approaches to hill climb The Artist, The Scientist and The Animal. Their vehicles The hillclimb Artist¹s clubbie is moderately powered, immaculately turned out, perfectly maintained and reliable, with high quality basics but with few modifications. During the event the Artist might check the tyre pressures but that¹s about it. Between runs the Artist meditates on each sector of the track, quietly imagining his way through the next run. The Artist rarely changes his car, preferring occasionally to replace it with a new, professionally built or high end kit vehicle. The approach is minimalist, as the Artist knows that it is all about the driver, not the car. The hillclimb Scientist¹s car is a technological marvel, bristling with every latest gadget. The Scientist is always fiddling with his car. The tyre pressures always are checked between each run, and he wishes there was a more precise measurement for tyre pressure than one PSI. By the time the Racechrono has been downloaded, the damper settings have been tweaked, the fluids checked, seating position altered and the mirrors reset it¹s time to go again. Because the Scientist knows that it is all about the car, not the driver. The hillclimb Animal¹s car is often slightly damaged, and the cockpit carries the evidence of his latest off track excursion stones, twigs, grass and bits of broken track markers. The Animal tunes his car by revving it. The rear tyres show signs of heat stress. The Animal dreams of extracting even more power than he can currently handle a bigger turbo, lumpier cam. Between runs the Animal annoys the Scientist by asking him technical questions, even though he can¹t remember the answers. The Animal admires the Scientist but would really like to be an Artist. In the formup The Artist does not start his car until the last moment. He sits in contemplative silence, his body still, his eyes closed, thinking about every sector of the track and visualising it in its entirety, so that his mind is three corners ahead of the action. The Artist can see the track in a way that the Animal can only dream of. The Artist is thinking of how he will perfect the double apex on turn 3 and shave off another millisecond. The Scientist restlessly scans the instrument panel, his ear cocked for any strange or unusual noises. He¹s still wondering about his tyre pressures, and worrying about that funny rattle that only seems to happen between 5,500 and 5,550 revs. He blips the throttle, shakes his head and gets out of the car to poke under the bonnet. He is thinking about whether his new dampers will control that annoying axle tramp on the launch. The Animal¹s hands grip the steering wheel tightly. His eyes bulge with adrenaline and anticipation. His jaw is clenched and he is revving the engine, oblivious to the noise and fumes. He is thinking of burying his right foot to the firewall and holding it there. On the track The Artist has already driven the track in his mind a dozen times. For him it¹s not just about the result, it¹s about the journey. The Artist sees the whole track holistically, as a canvas on which he can work his art graceful, smooth and fast, the Artist makes the impossible look effortless. The Scientist wants to match his car to the track. He sees each sector as a separate challenge, and his job is to ensure that his gear changes, braking points and cornering lines gives the car the best chance to go quickly. The Scientist blends his car with its environment. The Animal approaches the first corner with a plan he learned from the Artist, but in the excitement he forgets it. From then on he approaches every corner as if it is the first time in his life that he has seen it. He drives instinctively, trying to dominate the track with the sheer force of his will. He's loving every second of it, and sometimes it works but sometimes you get a result like this. http://www.youtube.com/user/adow77#p/u/0/Fs6bKB-iHZk
Race Results
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Page owner Jayne White |
