Speed season 2017

[RussellT]

Just got the final regs for my first event of the new season at the Liverpool MC run event at Aintree on the 22nd.

Some good competition in the class with 3 Clios the duel boosted VW Scirocco (turbo and supercharger) a rapid Honda Integra and a 205GTi

Im still working on the throttle bodies. Im filling a lip onto the bottom to grip the silicone hose connector. At the moment they are parting company with the inlet manifold just trundling around town. The big downside of that is you loose the vacuum to the brake servo which I really don't want to happen at full chat in 4th going into Beechers at Aintree!!

Anyway I need to get through scrutineering and the noise test before I get anywhere near the circuit.

Wish her luck.

[Matt Cole]

Good luck Russ. Keeps us posted.

[Trevhib]

Go well Russ. Exciting times with Doris' latest evolution.

[Alex]

Good luck, keep us posted...

[RussellT]

The first event hasn't gone too well. I got as far as Preston on the way to Liverpool when she started to run lean. Diagnosis wasn't hard as I had the issue 2 days ago use to contamination in the fuel blocking the injectors. I got off the motorway and managed to limp all the way back to St Annes where she cried enough 3 miles from home. So AA called ETA 90 min so I locked her up and called a taxi to take me home.
I need another fuel filter just before the fuel rail.
If I can get the line cleared before lunch I could still compete but I would need to on the road by 11.30 and tthat looks doubtful. I have informed the organizers that I have broken down.

[Trevhib]

Any updates?

[RussellT]

As I sat down to eat my breakfast still in my race pajamas feeling a rather deflated. My phone rang. It was Andy who had done all the work on Doris. Although it was his day off he was willing to tow Doris in and clean the injectors. So that's what we did. In addition we had a fuel filter left over from the rebuild and put that into the fuel line before the fuel rail.
Up she fired and off I went, having first checked in with the Liverpool Motor Club. I arrived just in time to sign in unpack and join the queue for the last practice run.
I did that at road settings and she ran fine setting a time of 57.85 with a speed trap of 113. I fed straight into the queue for the first competition run and this time at 16psi boost Doris managed 55.66 with a speed of 115. Father and son team Michael and Alex Thornton in the Honda Integra was the class of the field with Alex on top on 54.86 with 118 through the speed trap.
On full boost 21psi Doris absolutely flew but I was struggling. I was breaking too early not sure of which gears to use and to be frank way off my PB of 53.11.
On the last run I was tied with dad Michael on 54.78. Michael had the better 2nd best time so I was in 3rd. Michael was ahead of me and I could see his last run time. 54.45 and the commentator announced the time declaring it a new PB for Michael. So I was under pressure to respond.
I braked late for the first corner threw her at the apex and the rear started to bounce, not good, sending me wide towards the golf course. The right front was destined for the grass but I kept pushing and although the wheel was well on the grass Doris took it in her stride and I powered out of the corner.
With all that drama at the first corner I didn't get into 4th for the second corner but in 3rd I could feel the diff working pulling me around the corner to a fast exit on a good line. Up to 4th I'm flying and brake late and hard for the last corner and I lost the rear. I'm in real trouble I go through the big dip on the entry seriously sideways on full opposite lock. I have only one hope. Full power now. I bury the throttle and the front pulls me straight. I'm still on the track and heading for the finish. I hold 4th through the speed trap at well over 7K revs Doris loves it. I stop the clock at 54.41 2nd by 0.04. My best speed trap was 117mph.
I know the time is down but it's not due to the engine.

[Matt Cole]

So how does it feel compared with the car Russ? Do you think with more practice the difference in power delivery will be of benefit?

[RussellT]

The engine is amazing it just loves to rev as an example I could hold 4th through the finish before the power would ebb away and I had to change to 5th. I am very happy with the way the car drives.

[Trevhib]

Awesome. Really glad you got there and competed. A nice reward for your mechanic's commitment.

Sounds bloody hairy out there on track. Reading it I wasn't sure which way it was going to go! Looking forward to the reviews of your other meets this year

[RussellT]

My second event is on Sunday. It was rather doubtful the event would go ahead as the operators of the 3 Sisters track went into administration. However all is apparently sorted with the receiver and the event is on. Just 53 cars so will no doubt have plenty of runs.

Since the last event at Aintree I have had the tracking checked she was 4mm toe out not quite the desired setting and Ive fitted my last pair of AD08 Advan Neova tyres. They may not be class legal from next year so may as well use them. The nearside CV boot was ripped and chucking grease at the nearside brake rotor so thats been fixed and some new pads put into the front brakes.

Meanwhile the launch control has stopped working I havnt fiddled with it I think I will leave that to Scoff.

R

[RussellT]

What a day we had on Sunday at 3 Sisters dry all day and 8 runs in total 2 practice and 6 competition runs. Doris performed faultlessly but my driving was a bit off. My best time was only good enough for 4th place up against a strong class. Keith Minshull was the star performed getting to within a whisker of Fred Currell's class record. His best was a 51.64. Then came an old friend and namesake Russell "Fishy" Herring in a very tidy Fiesta ST 150 tuned by Mountune. Paull Henderson was behind me but having swapped onto Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres he loped off over a second to take a clear 3rd.

No excuses the video shows some bad habits and maybe I could be more aggressive with the kerbs. My next event is a trip to Harewood on the 4th June. Lets hope for another sunny day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi7nq-pyxzE

RT

[Matt Cole]

Russ what suspension setup have you got?

[RussellT]

Leda dampers up front with 300 lb/" springs stiffened front anti roll bar Koni dampers at the rear with a volvo ARB added.

[Trevhib]

After coming out of first gear it looks like there's only 2 gear changes over the whole distance!

[RussellT]

yep 1st to second then 2nd to 3rd for the back straight to the final corner. I was planning on trying 1st gear for the uphill hairpin on the last run but when I got there I couldn't change gear as my left foot was otherwise engaged on the brake.

[Matt Cole]

Leda dampers up front with 300 lb/" springs stiffened front anti roll bar Koni dampers at the rear with a volvo ARB added.

Might sound like a strange question this but what is it like on the road? I'm wanting a decent road setup with my heavier engine but don't want my fillings knocking out with every slight road imperfection.

[RussellT]

You can alter the settings on the dampers so just run them soft on the road. We have an issue with potholes so I have given up using her on the road. If we had decent roads she would be fine. The competition engine mounts give some vibration into the car she is quite loud so not the most relaxing drive but I still enjoy using her which tends to be running up and down to Scoff at EFI Parts Runcorn.

[Alex]

So Doris is no longer your daily driver Russ?

[RussellT]

No I can't say she is. The lack of replacement body parts really made up my mind.

[RussellT]

Doris at full attack into the downhill esses.

Sunday seas the first hill climb of my season at Harewood north of Leeds.

Since the last event my pit crew have discovered a leaking waste gate actuator and 2 broken HT leads. They have hopefully fixed a leaking rocker cover that was in danger of dripping oil onto the flywheel and reattached the turbo which had managed to unscrew 2 studs.

I won't be winning any prizes on the day though as the Harewood Championship allows list 1B tyres which are road legal competition tyres where as my clubs stipulate list 1A tyres road legal tyres.

[RussellT]

Harewood on a sunny day with a vast expanse of Yorkshire before you is a great place to be. Yesterday was such a day. We had 2 practice and 3 timed runs on a dry track. The best I could manage was 70.52 which is pretty hopeless.

The pit crew had swapped my leaking actuator for the one that came with the new turbo but thats only good for 7.5 psi so not really strong enough to control the wastage at higher boost levels but still it worked fine I ran an indicated 18.5 psi boost at the inlet manifold and as before the engine felt very strong reved easily and broke traction if I was rough with the accelerator. So to finish with a time considerably slower that Ive done with no brakes and a misfire is baffling.

In 2009 I ran a 68.99 with sector times of 2.70, 9.82, 14.26, 14.47, 16.36 and 11.38
yesterday my best was 2.82, 9.99, 14.79, 15.00, 16.59 and 11.33

The course map is here http://www.harewoodhill.com/content/...4200915173.jpg

Anyway a new actuator is on its way. My next event is another hillclimb at Barbon where Im the class record holder but if the day is dry that will change next weekend.

A highlight of the day was bumping into a Jeff Roberts all the way from Norfolk who has no fewer that 4 GT turbos (he later admitted it was nearer 3.5) but still thats quite a collection.

[RussellT]

Barbon tomorrow and Doris is pouring petrol from her new tank. There is a yellow bung thats been displaced by the tank moving against the subframe. Back in the pits having that fixed. Ive also had a new firmer sprung wastegate actuator from Turbo Technics fitted. So again I need to work out what gain level on the Blitz boost controller will give race boost.
The weather forecast is heavy rain which is never nice but at this rural event threatens weather it can go ahead the paddock is a field (literally a paddock) and turns to mud quickly.
I know Doris isnt competitive and Im pinning my hopes on Scoff being able to find something in the mapping when he returns from holiday.

[Trevhib]

I assume she's handling as she was and you're as confident/punchy as ever, so sounds like a lack of torque, traction, or both.

[Matt Cole]

Could be the increased efficiency in torque that the efi has to offer. Might be worth looking into boost by gear now if their isn't anything blindingly obvious.

[RussellT]

For the second year in a row Barbon was blighted by poor weather, It really is a sweet little village nestled in a valley with a spectacular hill climb up Lord Shuttleworth's drive. As I mentioned the paddock is just that a paddock and it gets very wet and boggy. The entry exit point is particularly vulnerable to acquiring bog like status akin to Glastonbury. Having seen this before I suggested that some hay was put down. The cars mix this in and it holds the surface together enough for cars to run over it. That idea was not taken up. The course is a long left then a straight to another off camber long left another straight to a tight hairpin and finally a short run to the finish. I am nervous of the braking for the hairpin having almost destroyed Doris there 2 years ago. If you brake late but then lock up you are doomed.
My class had 4 very fast cars with 5 drivers who had all beaten me at one time or another, so it was a tough class. We had a Clio Cup car a Scirocco 1390 (turbo and supercharged) A Starlet and a Honda Integra. I had managed to arrive with less petrol on board and was heartened to see that I wasn't too far off the pace in practice running 14psi. In fact I was thinking of leaving the boost down to reduce wheel spin. I also reduced the front tyre pressures and softened the front dampers to suit the wet conditions.
In the end I turned her up to a race boost setting and sure enough out of the first corner the front tyres lit up then out of the second corner in 3rd gear the same thing happened. Up to the hairpin Doris is really flying. My plan was to go from 3rd to 1st with a double de clutch but she wasn't slowing enough, so I went to 2nd then 1st. I had some room to spare but hit a nice apex and powered out in 1st then grabbed second before the finish. I stopped the clock at 33.27 which put me 4th with the Clio in the lead with a 32.54 ahead of the Scirocco and Alex in the Integra (32.90) Gordon Riley in the Starlet was having gearbox issues.
That turned out to be the end of the event. A Sylvia striker thew a con rod layering the track with oil. The marshals toiled in the persistent rain for half an hour to clean it up. We finished the first runs and as I put my helmet on for our 2nd run the clerk abandoned the meeting because of the degeneration of the paddock exit.
So a performance nearer the mark in very difficult conditions.
My next event is back at Aintree on the 24th June It would be nice if I could make it back to Scoff's before then. Im also worked about a "catch" in the drive train like something is loose in the drive train. I also need to fix the leaking petrol tank..

[RussellT]

Could be the increased efficiency in torque that the efi has to offer. Might be worth looking into boost by gear now if their isn't anything blindingly obvious.

There is a problem with the map "accelerate pump" function if you stamp on the throttle there is a momentary lean reading on the AFR meter.

[RussellT]

The engine bay of Will Roberts victorious Clio Cup

By the way having posted this photo I noted that Will has removed the slam panel at the front of his car which is against the class rules. Its also a safety issue as it significantly weakens the front of the car. Ill have to mention it to him next time I see him of his father.
All very F1
(moral 3rd to Doris!)

[Matt Cole]

Well done doris! keep us updated on the repairs.

[RussellT]

OK pit crew found a loose ball joint nut, broken nearside engine mount and the roll pin in the drive shaft was broken.
Re the fuel leak, the replacement tank has a yellow plug on the drivers side and the plug is like a cup and the base of the cup was cracked. I turned down a nylon plug and glued it into the cup with water weld paste.

[RussellT]

the debris under my intank fuel pump

[RussellT]

Doris takes an early bath.
On the way to Aintree this morning she developed a misfire and refused to accelerate. I wasn't sure why she had plenty of fuel pressure but was registering lean on the AFR on acceleration. I had been messing with the fuel tanks so it was possibly a blocked injector again. Anyway I parked up signed on and unpacked.
First practice confirmed my worst fears as she coughed and spluttered out of the corners, however worse was to come. Turning into the last fast right hander as near side rear suspension accepted the load there was THE MOST ENORMOUS CRACK! WTF was that. I backed off and trundled around.
Inspection of the car failed to find anything broken or issue with the rear suspension.
I went for 2nd practice but it was hopeless thankfully she handled OK but I couldn't accelerate.
A new competitor at his first sprint and also in a R5 GT turbo was Shane Dyson who obviously knows his way around a car and the upshot of investigation was a weak spark from one side of the wasted spark coil pack.
Various kind and some would say foolish souls offered me a shared drive but when I drive other peoples cars it often doesn't go well so I made the decision to call it a day and I packed up and trundled home. The scenic route back from Aintree again.

[RussellT]

Update
It wasnt the coil pack it was a clogged injector again despite the inline filter just before the fuel rail. At least I have a spare coil pack and I took the opportunity to put some heat shielding under the coil pack.

No news yet and what caused the loud crack.

[RussellT]

Scammonden Dam on Sunday is my next event. Its a odd venue right by the M62 so its one place where noise is not an issue. Ive done hill climbs there before but never as part of my championship so this will be a first.
Update on Doris the pit crew couldnt find anything amiss with the rear suspension but there was a mark on the underside of the car suggesting I had run over something.

We shall see
R

[RussellT]

Im back!
slight issue there when my subscription ran out.

Too late to post now but in short a great day out 9 runs on offer 1 did 8 and came 3rd.... out of 4 in class.

More later

Russell

[Matt Cole]

Im back!
slight issue there when my subscription ran out.

Too late to post now but in short a great day out 9 runs on offer 1 did 8 and came 3rd.... out of 4 in class.

More later

Russell

We were worried that there would be no further updates!! Glad your back Russ and supporting us as ever!

[RussellT]

Doris ready to go. Just arrived a tad early to get a good spot in the "paddock"

Scammonden Dam is a little gem created by a water board engineer with a penchant for hill climbing. The pumping station at the bottom of the dam needed an access road so he crafted a tricky S bend with a final tight in and opens right hander, through in some Armco and voila Scam Dam hill climb was born. It's short but seriously steep get it wrong, have to back off and the car just stops. All it lacks is a nice parking area. The constant noise of the motorway powering across the dam drowns out the noise of the competition cars but still a few residents across the valley have been known to bulk at the ricochet of an anti lag firing.

The weather was dulll at first but then scorching hot and the track originally contaminated with clumps of mud soon cleaned up and gave impressive grip. Time Team had set up a 64foot time and a split, giving 3 sectors.

Doris had run fine on the way down but still hesitated on initial acceleration.

[RussellT]

searching for a boost leak

Finding a boost leak at the one way valves. Over to the pit crew to fix.

[RussellT]

Internal damage to one of the connecting hoses from the plenum to the TB. The worm screw of the jubilee clip was overlying this area and obviously transferring too much heat.



I found the leak at the one way valves for the breather circuit and the brake servo.

[RussellT]

Considering the boost leak (which also didn't help my brakes) Doris did pretty well.

Nigel won the class in his Scirocco with sector times of 2.85, 14.34 and 10.94 total 28.13
John Pinder was 2nd in a Fiesta ST with sector times of 2.97, 14.59 and 10.91 total 28.47
I managed 3rd with sector times of 3.00, 15.03 and 10.67 total 28.70.

So Doris was the fastest from the split through the tight in and opens right to the finish. Roaring through 2nd gear to the rev limit and a snatched change to 3rd to get across the line.

Should go better with all the boost going into the engine.

[RussellT]

Here is a link to an in car of the hill

https://youtu.be/N6BKq8W-YH0

[Matt Cole]

Well done Russel. Pretty good going considering!!!

Hopefully all the niggles should come to an end and give you a clean break to win some events.

[RussellT]

Update
The pit crew have found that the one way valve for the breather circuit was broken. My precious boost was leaking into the sump. Luckily I had a replacement. I asked them to check the one for the brake servo. No news on that one yet.
So that should make a difference.

[RussellT]

This is the track for Sunday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d3BM_CHon8

Nigel in the Scirocco is down to play, as well as The Pug 306 team of Keith Minshull and Paul Henderson always good for a cup of tea and even a burger as they compete in style with extended family in tow.

Doris feels better with boost going into the top of the engine rather than the bottom but it looks like a wet day and the fiendishly clever Scirocco is fas in the wet.

We shall see.

R

[RussellT]

Back from a sunny 3 Sisters after mother great days motorsport. Doris ran perfectly apart from an issue with the fuel supply. As I upped the boost in stages she started to really fly, In the end I managed a 3rd place out of 12. Keith Minshull won the class with 85.27, then came Nigel in his scirocco with 85.73 and I managed a 86.24 on my first timed run at just 16psi boost.
Upping the boost the engine response was terrific she really flew down the straights and pulled all the way to the rev limiter, and the joy of having brakes that worked. It's a under appreciated luxury.
However the 3 sisters track features a never ending right hand bend taken initially in 2nd gear then changing up to 3rd as you turn. It's all at very high revs and usually involves spinning up the front wheels. My swirl pot fills from the pipe that originally came from the small pump on the reserve tank. It finishes in the head of the sender unit. I suspect that through this long bend the fuel from the lifter pump doesn't fall into the swirl pot. Doris ran out of fuel down the straight after the bend. Not a good situation as she would have run lean.
To cap it all on my last run the turbo started to scream at me again and the really popped and banged over the line. Peak boost registered 23 when it had been 20psi on the previous run. I thought that was strange but it was only on the way home with the boost controller turned down again that I realised I had a problem. Accelerating had the boost surging to 18psi. Something was seriously wrong. It turned out that one of the pipes had come off the control valve and I had no wastegate function at all.
That could have caused a lot of damage.
So a very positive day and I need to take the sender unit out for further modification.
Next event is back to Scammoden dam on the 12th August. There are no long corners there!

[Matt Cole]

Do you not just lift from the main tank to the swirl pot Russel? In any case the restriction is always going to be the original fuel sender unit. Maybe a bigger swirl pot would sort it?

[turbo ted]

I still use the original sender and Gtt fuel pumping to fill my swirl pot and then 044 gravity fed off swirl pot to rail👍

[RussellT]

I wanted to use the reserve tank and the original lifter pump to "simplify" the system.

Lucky for me the Adaptronic ECU has an overboost ignition cut you can set.

Another advantage of the swirl pot around the original sender is that when the level in the SP runs low the orange fuel warning light comes on, which is what happened, then the fuel pressure dropped.

I really should have given up and backed off but up to then the run had felt so fast I couldn't give up on it.

[Matt Cole]

I still use the original sender and Gtt fuel pumping to fill my swirl pot and then 044 gravity fed off swirl pot to rail👍

Rob, can you explain how you have piped up your set up? Im on changing mine now with lift pump, pot and 044

[RussellT]

I know why I ran out of petrol.
The lifter pump from the reserve tank pumps into the sender. Which is good as the fuel will enter the swirl pot, however there is no exit hole for the returning fuel it just seeps out of the join between the plastic base and the metal sides. So Ive drilled a couple of 5mm holes just above the base to let the fuel out.
I put it all back together started to clear up my bench and found the filter for the bottom of the sender sat on my bench staring at me so I had to take it all apart again.