So there we were; the first race at pembrey in '03 with a still incomplete, but all new truck. Pulled on the track for the first time Saturday lunchtime after having spent all Friday night finishing off cosmetic bits. Handling of truck good. Power from engine low, struggling to reach 100mph and suffering from a general lack of grunt. Standard road tyres introduced this season are a nightmare to run on. No grip whatsoever for a truck truck built and set up for the sticky continentals we used last season.
Qualified poorly and finished 6th place both days. Return to base for testing.
Found the exhaust smoke box was the cause for reducing the engines power - it
was not allowing engine exhaust gases to get away quick enough, therefore choking
the engine up. So we chucked the smoke box filter in the skip and decided to
run without one for the rest of the season. We then reduced the fuel going into
engine to cut black smoke. A bit worried about racing at places like Nurburgring
though, due to the course being up a mountain the air is thinner. No problem
there with Pembrey! You see the course is below sea level; under water most
of the time in fact with a constant gale blowing. This allowed us to
get the performance that we should have had first off
The next problem we found - the truck wouldn't stop when full grunt was restored.
This was due to front brake calipers being past their shelf life. A few days
later we had this problem sorted. After making modifications like larger brake
chambers to create more braking force we decided to test again. All working
ok now, apart from the brake pads glowing red and falling apart! Will have to
find a tougher alternative for the coming races.
Although we had found the fundamental problems experienced originally at Pembrey,
the truck had not covered a full race distance at full power, let alone a whole
weekend.With only collecting 10 points gained at Pembrey by the skin of my teeth,
we were at least 10 points behind where we wanted to be. We needed to gain some
serious ground, certainly with Thruxton looming. If we finished down the pecking
order or if we failed to finish that would be our championship over in June!
W e decided to take a trip to the european championship race in Austria in May
and use it as a shakedown and testing in race conditions.
24 hrs driving from Enstone and 2 days later we arrived at this beautiful place
surrounded by snow capped mountains
called the Osteriech ring located in deepest Austria. The weekend was fraut
with problems in almost every practice session
or race we went out in. The biggest one being the engine overheating!
I can be seen this on my gauges but when the engine management system
reads the engine temperature is too high it just shuts down power from engine.
We limp home on approx 1/3rd power output. So every time I got going she would
cut power allowing others to pass. Good thing I suppose - stops the engine blowing
up.
Try telling me this though when 900 miles from home after this huge investment on the new truck. Teething problems they say...
OK, we spent all weekend trying to get more, damper air into the front intake
tunnel of truck to get us through weekend while suffering other niggly problems
like electrical switches playing up. Still it gave us track time which is why
I came but it is hard, not being able to race flat out from start to finish
and get results. A return to base saw us trying to sort the cooling again; thermostats,
air flow etc etc anything we could do to keep temperature down. Although thruxton,
in June, would not be as bloody hot as austria in May with the air not so thin
near Andover.
Off to thruxton in June for the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the British Championships
with many more mods taken place to the truck. We blew a turbo in the first practice
session leading me to beleive the weekend would be like this but when it came
to it she went like a dream and was well on the pace. We dumped 30 litres through
8 spray jets into our revised air fow tunnel which kept it all cool. Two 2nd
places, close behind the factory backed fully sponsored MAN truck with no one
else in my mirror. This finally pulled us up to where we needed to be. I was
very pleased with that and went on to win the anglo french race in front of
my home crowd. Just fine tuning now and try to find some grip from these awful
tyres - they don't wear down, they just scream at me to stop putting them through
such punishment. It's the only way to get to grips with this works MAN man.
We picked up 18 pionts to add to the 10 we had already, but the main man was
on 44 and walkin it.
The 2003 season carried on for us in Europe and with the British championships. The highlight of our year, leading a European race at Assen Holland, on Sky TV, in front of millions of viewers. In early September we seemed to be catching up on points with good consistent podium finishes until we visited Zolder, Belguim in late September when the jinx came back.
All the practice sessions seem to go OK but in the 1st race, about 2/3rds way
through, I came down to a chicane on full chat at 100mph, heavily jumped on
the brake pedal with dire consequences. The offside front brake disc shattered,
tearing off the caliper and threw me off the track backwards into the gravel
at high speed - where I sat the rest of the race out. Ah well, it happens! Sunday's
race saw me well up the grid in 2nd place after a good qualifying session to
challenge for the lead. Or so I thought! Going into turn 2 I kept tight to the
inside line through the dust and smoke. In front of me a truck driver misses
a gear while another gives me a little helpfully shunt from behind so where
do I end up, off in the gravel, but this time I got out and rejoined back in
twelfth – eventually finishing 3rd.
Good results at Pembrey in October and Donnington in November saw us finish
3rd in the championship, which was good considering we had two non finishes
and were well down the pecking order after the first races of the year.
Winter of 03/04 saw us concentrating on our business commitments at Cherwell leading to us not really doing too much to the truck over winter. 2004 started well with a 3rd and a second at Pembrey. Two 2nds at Thruxton leading on to Germany in July. In the first race it was like being in a bumper car race, bits flying off trucks and trucks flying off the circuit taking others out on the way. We seemed to be doing alright anyway laying in 2nd with plenty of bits hanging off our truck after clips here and there, but she seemed to be going well. Then I made a stupid mistake and ran wide on the exit of one of the fast curves allowing the two trucks pursuing me to just beat me into the following corner pushing me out. Not for long though, I took the long way round and exited the next corner, getting ahead of them again. Then came the bang, one of my friendly mates stuck the corner of his bumper straight into my rear wheel - hard, puncturing the tyre which then destroyed itself flailing on my ERF's bodywork. Tearing of the mudguard and sideguard. The officials black flagged me and brought me in off the track with one lap to go. No points. I was not happy and was straight to see my fellow competitor afterwards who, after his prank, had overhauled me into 2nd place in the championship. Sunday race the champions factory engine blew into a million bits in the biggest possible way with blue con rods laying on the track during lap 3. Was this the start of a dent in the amour of the main man? The man who scores maximum points as if on a Sunday afternoon drive, leaving us independents in his dust! Well thank you, I thought, as I flew past him parked up. We went on to win that race gaining the maximum 10 points but of course none yesterday, but champ got none either today leaving me still in 3rd place in the championship (and not 2nd as we were when we came).
I believe to this day if I had finished on Saturday then I could have won the championship in 04 - through the champ having one non finish. Never mind aye.
Next was Pembrey again, in late July where I don't think we got it quite right. Had two 3rds and a 2nd. Pembrey again in October with two 2nds.
This all finished up with 2nd in the championship at the end of the 04 season. So 2nd in 2002 with old truck, 3rd in 2003 with new truck but teething problems had plagued the first couple of meetings (until we got it reliable) and up on the pace and one non finish in Zolder. So, 2nd in 2004 where she was on the pace all year really but just one non finish blew our chances of beating that factory truck. Shows you how close it can be.
Well, a lot! The truck has had a complete refit that began in January. As i write this in March 05 it still has a long way to go to be ready for the opening rounds at Pembrey on April 16th and 17th. Rule changes within the world governing body of all forms of motorsport have, in their wisdom, rendered our race truck illegal for this year to race in 2004 trim. We had a chassis under-frame which effectively stiffened up the chassis rails. But to lower the centre of gravity of the bulk of weight, we had our engine and gearbox mounted within this frame. Now the engine and box have to be attached to the chassis in its original mounting points! So the frame has gone in the skip and we have started again, mounting the engine where the FIA say it has to go.
Honestly the money the teams have to spend each year on this irrational type of major change is obscene. Just because someone, somewhere decides to put pen to paper – oh, and of course, they don't have to pay. But thats the fun of motorsport if you wish to compete. A factory team who builds a new truck every year, with huge budgets is one thing, for an independent, who runs a truck for 4 or 5 seasons it hurts i can tell you.
The weight threshold has been lowered, yet again, to 5.5t including the driver (new for this year ) our truck at the end of 2004 weighed in at 6,200 kg plus me (porker in a race suit at 15 stone). While the minimum last year was 5,800 without the driver was livable, now, we are talking about a 850kgs or so penalty. If you have tried dragging that weight down the straight on a barrow you would understand - let alone the horsepower needed to get it to 100mph! Weight must come off her to be competitive this season. We are having to make new aluminium front, rear and side guards and a lighter subframe. We are also re-mounting the water radiator away from the intercooler in a new underslung position to try and aid cooling - a cool engine always goes quicker. There are limits now on number of times a support may cross the chassis, these include the fuel tank, 5th wheel, bumpers etc. so the build is proving difficult. Trying to keep stiffness in the chassis - front, middle and rear and not exceed the number of cross braces.
Engine mods are planned for increased power as well but these will probably not be introduced till after the 1st race as we are running out of time with the chassis work. Until everything is bolted back on and she rolls out of the workshop we will not be able to weigh her and see if all our work has been successful. Then, until we test at the first race we wont see if it will handle and stay on the track. I suspect it will feel very different and react in different ways. I will let you know how we get on.
On top of all this, my friend and reigning champion will be missing off the grid this year due to a bit of bad luck and business commitments. The SISU truck that proved very fast and strong at the end of last year is coming out this year quicker still. A new factory backed truck with a works engine is planning to do the full British Championships, smelling glory with the champ not able to defend himself. Although, last year, the driver was quoted in the press as saying the British championships are an inferior series, not worthy of his presence. I also sense a surprise entry from an old team who, if I know them, will produce a very rapid truck.
So, all this will lead, I think, to a very interesting season for 2005.
I hope to see you at a race this year.
