I did a sprint at Chivenor airfield on Sunday, it was my first time there and i was having a really good day until my last timed run!
My first practice run was 116.8 secs but that was a fairly steady one as there was standing water everywhere and i was on R888's. I managed to knock 7.5 secs off that on my second practice as it was drying out and i was really starting to get a good feel for the track. My first timed run felt really good but i missed 3rd gear going onto one of the straights and i thought it was a bit untidy in places but i was surprised to see when i looked at the times that i'd taken another 4 secs off which put me in 4th place 0.25 secs off 3rd and 1 sec off 2nd place.
On my second timed run i went off the line down the straight and 1st to 2nd gear was fine but i had trouble getting 3rd again so had to go into 4th, slowing down towards the first corner it wouldnt go down into 3rd again so had to scrub off some speed and go into 2nd. Then coming out of the first corner i went for 3rd again, it went in this time but couldn't any other gear after that so had to leave the track and sit in one of the run off area's until the end of the event :doh:
Then if breaking my gearbox wasn't bad enough when i looked at the results at the end somebody had decided that my first timed run didn't count as i'd supposedly gone off the course somewhere :evil: The track is set out by cones and if the marshals think you've gone outside of them you get an AFW (all four wheels off the course) I know that i didn't go off anywhere though so as i was only 4th it didn't bother me too much but if i had of been in the top 3 i think i might have had to have a word with the organizers about that!
Off the start line there was a timed 1/4 mile, i managed to do a 12.1 at 119 mph with a 2.2 or 2.3 64ft time as it was a bit damp so i was quite pleased with that, Den managed an 11.6 at 123mph in his LHD car which was good to see though 8)
This was the car that i was trying to get 3rd place from. I suppose being 0.25 secs off his time isn't too bad considering its 530bhp, four wheel drive and is probably worth 25 times what my sunny is :lol: Its nice to see something like this being used in anger too 8)
My first practice run was 116.8 secs but that was a fairly steady one as there was standing water everywhere and i was on R888's. I managed to knock 7.5 secs off that on my second practice as it was drying out and i was really starting to get a good feel for the track. My first timed run felt really good but i missed 3rd gear going onto one of the straights and i thought it was a bit untidy in places but i was surprised to see when i looked at the times that i'd taken another 4 secs off which put me in 4th place 0.25 secs off 3rd and 1 sec off 2nd place.
On my second timed run i went off the line down the straight and 1st to 2nd gear was fine but i had trouble getting 3rd again so had to go into 4th, slowing down towards the first corner it wouldnt go down into 3rd again so had to scrub off some speed and go into 2nd. Then coming out of the first corner i went for 3rd again, it went in this time but couldn't any other gear after that so had to leave the track and sit in one of the run off area's until the end of the event :doh:
Then if breaking my gearbox wasn't bad enough when i looked at the results at the end somebody had decided that my first timed run didn't count as i'd supposedly gone off the course somewhere :evil: The track is set out by cones and if the marshals think you've gone outside of them you get an AFW (all four wheels off the course) I know that i didn't go off anywhere though so as i was only 4th it didn't bother me too much but if i had of been in the top 3 i think i might have had to have a word with the organizers about that!
Off the start line there was a timed 1/4 mile, i managed to do a 12.1 at 119 mph with a 2.2 or 2.3 64ft time as it was a bit damp so i was quite pleased with that, Den managed an 11.6 at 123mph in his LHD car which was good to see though 8)
This was the car that i was trying to get 3rd place from. I suppose being 0.25 secs off his time isn't too bad considering its 530bhp, four wheel drive and is probably worth 25 times what my sunny is :lol: Its nice to see something like this being used in anger too 8)
I think that was just the disappointment though as i'm over that now and will try and get the box out and fix it before castle combe sprint next month. My current box has been in the car around 5 years now and has taken a lot of abuse so i can't complain too much, its got a fair bit of power running through it too.
