Racing this weekend at Ruapuna

[matt dunn]

For those who like watching the circuit racing,

Racing at Ruapuna this weekend.

Toyota Racing series,
Porsche's
Tier 2 NZ V8's
OSCA North vs South
Pre 65 North vs South
and others
as well as my class Sport Saloons.

Hopefully I will be organised enough and remember to turn the incar camera on for all of the races this time so will hopefully post them up next week sometime.

Anyone floating around can come and say hi,
I wont be hard to find.


Anyway Because I can cut and paste faster than I type,
and so there is some stuff to read,

From the Sport Saloons Website

The intense battle between the two leading contenders in the 2006/2007 Kumho Sport Saloon Series will continue at Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway at Ruapuna near Christchurch this weekend.

This will be Round 4 of the series, and as the Sport Saloon competitors return to the venue where the championship kicked off in October, Mike Small of Timaru holds the slimmest of leads in the point standings over Ashburton driver Kerry Bartlett. There have been nine races in the series to date and Small has won four of those and Bartlett three. The only times that Small or Bartlett have not been the first to greet the chequered flag has been in handicap races where they have had to fight their way through the field.

It was Bartlett in his Mazda RX7 "Batmobile" who fared best when the series last visited Ruapuna almost three months ago. On that occasion he won the round by one point from Small in his Nissan Skyline. However Small held the advantage at the second round on his home circuit of Timaru. The pendulum swung Bartlett's way when the circus visited Teretonga Park early in December. Bartlett was in great form on that occasion as he repeatedly dropped the lap record and won two of the three races.

There will be a fresh challenge for the championship leaders at this round. One of the series frontrunners, Neville Stowell of Timaru, will debut his new Nissan Skyline at the event. The new car has been 10 years in the making after Stowell started a business during that period and had little time to complete the job. Stowell say's he has built the car as an endurance car aiming for the South Island Endurance Series. "It's got a bigger fuel tank and it is stronger and heavier to make it suitable for long distance racing. It is pretty conventional, it's very similar to Mike Small's car," say's Stowell. There will be little opportunity to test the car prior to it's first race outing so Stowell say's "we'll go to the track and hope for the best." The Timaru driver has accumulated points at the first three rounds, racing a Subaru Legacy to regular top six finishes.

Others who have been consistently to the fore include current champion Arron Black of Dunedin in his turbocharged Toyota Starlet and former motorcycle and truck racing champion, John Hepburn of Timaru in a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO.

Phil Hood of Blenheim makes a welcome return to the series in his EVO after missing Round 3 after a dreadful start to the series. Mechanical problems plagued him at the opening round while an accident at the second round caused a lot of damage. Matt Dunn of Timaru is also back on track after brake failure sent him into the tyre wall at Teretonga. Other regular runners expected on the grid are Timaru drivers Raymond Hart, Ron Shelton, Nathan McAuley and Grant Waters, Temuka's Gary Duncan, Matt Edgar of Wanaka, Mark Robertson of Christchurch and Brent Russell of Rangiora.

Kieran Parish of Motueka returns in his EVO after mechanical problems at Round 1 while new faces Allan Ranson of Twizel in a Mitsubishi EVO and Leighton Hill of Christchurch in a Toyota Levin join the series.

The Kumho Sport Saloons will battle it out over three races this weekend. The first is a grid start event with starting positions based on qualifying times, the next sees the top six competitors on the grid reversed and the third and final race is a handicap event.

Lindsay Beer
Publicity Officer
Kumho Sport Saloon Series
021 351 499

2006/2007 KUMHO SPORT SALOON SERIES
Round 1: 14/15 October 2006 - Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway, Ruapuna, Christchurch
Round 2: 29 October 2006 - Timaru International Motor Raceway, Levels, Timaru
Round 3: 3 December 2006 - Teretonga Park, Invercargill
Round 4: 6/7 January 2007 - Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway, Ruapuna, Christchurch
Round 5: 27/28 January 2007 - Timaru International Motor Raceway, Levels, Timaru
Round 6: 28/29 April 2007 - Teretonga Park, Invercargill

[Kahlua]

So that means you are all repaired and ready to go Matt?

I'll already be there earlier than most, have the Official's Racemeet briefing at the Clubrooms tomorrow night, then there for the full day testing on Friday before the event Saturday & Sunday..

I'm working with the Transponder computer in Control for the meet, which means early starts & late finishes, but should be an awesome event.

Good luck mate, and if I don't see you during the weekend, I guess it will be at the Street Sprints in Ashvegas.

PS The rest of you all should come on down for a look - especially the Sunday. Apart from the racing, the TRS Promo Girls make it all worth while

[B ROWDY]

$$$??

[B ROWDY]

$$??

[Mr Revhead]

usually like $10-15 on the day

[Dunny]

$20 for the weekend

[B ROWDY]

Thanks babe

[matt dunn]

So that means you are all repaired and ready to go Matt?

Not ready yet, but hey there's still a whole 24hours left.

Wont be there for friday practise, but finished the last of the reassemble tonight and have had a quick drive of it,

so a quick check over tomorrow night and the little things will be done at the track.

dont happen to have a program of events do you,
or know how many test qualifying and practise sesions we get on the sat??

Matt

[Kahlua]

So that means you are all repaired and ready to go Matt?

Not ready yet, but hey there's still a whole 24hours left.

Wont be there for friday practise, but finished the last of the reassemble tonight and have had a quick drive of it,

so a quick check over tomorrow night and the little things will be done at the track.

dont happen to have a program of events do you,
or know how many test qualifying and practise sesions we get on the sat??

Matt

I believe on Saturday its just purely Qualifying, with the afternoon being Race 1? Check in here again around dinner time and I'll let you know times / run details for your class.

I thought I had a programme on me, but I've left it at Control, all I have is my Car Number / Entry & Transponder list.

[Kahlua]

Shit, just got back from the Test Day and forgot the programme.

We were a little bit busy, had a major mission the whole day.

Normally we run just one transponder system, but TRS use a different system, so we had to run 2 different units, and whilst our normal one (the one you will be using Matt) is going no worries, its proving a mission setting up the TRS one, and feeding live results (overall placings whilst race in progress) to Commentary, Race control & the TRS pit centre wirelessly.

Oh well, another early start tomorrow.

[matt dunn]

sh*t, just got back from the Test Day and forgot the programme.

We were a little bit busy, had a major mission the whole day.

Normally we run just one transponder system, but TRS use a different system, so we had to run 2 different units, and whilst our normal one (the one you will be using Matt) is going no worries, its proving a mission setting up the TRS one, and feeding live results (overall placings whilst race in progress) to Commentary, Race control & the TRS pit centre wirelessly.

Oh well, another early start tomorrow.

That's ok, have it sussed now anyway.

see ya there

[Kahlua]

sh*t, just got back from the Test Day and forgot the programme.

We were a little bit busy, had a major mission the whole day.

Normally we run just one transponder system, but TRS use a different system, so we had to run 2 different units, and whilst our normal one (the one you will be using Matt) is going no worries, its proving a mission setting up the TRS one, and feeding live results (overall placings whilst race in progress) to Commentary, Race control & the TRS pit centre wirelessly.

Oh well, another early start tomorrow.

That's ok, have it sussed now anyway.

see ya there

No worries, I'll PM my Mobile and if you have some spare time, I'll meet you at Control, and you can take a look

[4000GT]

Hey Matt,

How did you go mate? That green machine hold together ok?

[matt dunn]

I qualified 7th and finished 6th in the first race but had a lot of brake trouble so was braking really early at times, ( good 1-200m earlier at the end of the straight).

Traced and repaired the problems and started off pole for the second race.
Got raced off the line by the 4wd's as you expect, but once I got a bit if confidence in the car agian got down to really good times.
I actually beat the lap record.
Last years lap record was 1.33.9 and I did a 1.33.72.
Last years series champion did a 1.33.71, and finished just in front of me,
but the class speed has incresed so far since last year that the top 2 or 3 were doing 1.30's.

Got that whole race on incar camera so will host and post it onto the end of my other video thread.

Last race was reverse grid and due to my fast lap time was off near the rear,
but it blew the exhaust manifold gasket and became really lazy too boost so was not really in with a chance, so finished near the back and got disqualified for overboosting anyway as the boost controller had a hard time trying to keep the pressure right with the leak.

So really happy with the way it went.
Small couple of repairs and race again in Timaru in 3 weeks.

Matt

[4000GT]

I qualified 7th and finished 6th in the first race but had a lot of brake trouble so was braking really early at times, ( good 1-200m earlier at the end of the straight).

Traced and repaired the problems and started off pole for the second race.
Got raced off the line by the 4wd's as you expect, but once I got a bit if confidence in the car agian got down to really good times.
I actually beat the lap record.
Last years lap record was 1.33.9 and I did a 1.33.72.
Last years series champion did a 1.33.71, and finished just in front of me,
but the class speed has incresed so far since last year that the top 2 or 3 were doing 1.30's.

Got that whole race on incar camera so will host and post it onto the end of my other video thread.

Last race was reverse grid and due to my fast lap time was off near the rear,
but it blew the exhaust manifold gasket and became really lazy too boost so was not really in with a chance, so finished near the back and got disqualified for overboosting anyway as the boost controller had a hard time trying to keep the pressure right with the leak.

So really happy with the way it went.
Small couple of repairs and race again in Timaru in 3 weeks.

Matt

Thats great news about your times... shame about the little stuff going wrong. What boost controller did you end up going for? Since its capped at 18psi, why not go for a properly sized wastegate spring?

[RedMist]

I qualified 7th and finished 6th in the first race but had a lot of brake trouble so was braking really early at times, ( good 1-200m earlier at the end of the straight).

Traced and repaired the problems and started off pole for the second race.
Got raced off the line by the 4wd's as you expect, but once I got a bit if confidence in the car agian got down to really good times.
I actually beat the lap record.
Last years lap record was 1.33.9 and I did a 1.33.72.
Last years series champion did a 1.33.71, and finished just in front of me,
but the class speed has incresed so far since last year that the top 2 or 3 were doing 1.30's.

Got that whole race on incar camera so will host and post it onto the end of my other video thread.

Last race was reverse grid and due to my fast lap time was off near the rear,
but it blew the exhaust manifold gasket and became really lazy too boost so was not really in with a chance, so finished near the back and got disqualified for overboosting anyway as the boost controller had a hard time trying to keep the pressure right with the leak.

So really happy with the way it went.
Small couple of repairs and race again in Timaru in 3 weeks.

Matt

Sounds like a good outing after some serious work.
What boost pressure are you restricted to run? And how do they datalog it?

[matt dunn]

Thats great news about your times... shame about the little stuff going wrong. What boost controller did you end up going for? Since its capped at 18psi, why not go for a properly sized wastegate spring?

Basically money and Time.
Plan is to build a whole new manifold and run a different turbo and an external,
so untill i can do all three at once there's no point playing with what's there now.

I currently use an HKS EVC because it has closed loop boost control,
but cannot get rid of the spike my car has completely,
I have the new Gizzmo MSIBC which is also closed loop to try,
but the problem is getting time to change it and test and adjust it as at most race days there is no practise just Qualifying, so fiddling with setting there is a bit hard a an overboost in qualifying sends you to the back of the grid.

Sounds like a good outing after some serious work.
What boost pressure are you restricted to run? And how do they datalog it?

Boost pressure is restricted to 18psi,

They have a box which you probably see on the dash in the incar video's,
which runs thru to a fitting that is tapped into the plenium after the throttle body's.

Basically it's a hobbs pressure sw and a latching relay with a 9v battery and a LED.
Overboost, the relay latches and the led comes on untill it is reset.
Slighly more technical in the electronics, but is still just a hobbs pressure sw in the box as the main sensor.

Matt

[matt dunn]

Anyway

Here in the latest Incar From the Lady Wigram Trohy race Meeting at Ruapuna last weekend.

Started from Pole as it was Reverse Top 6 on the Grid.
The blue RX7 starting from second was pinged 10Sec penalyt and lost 3 places in race one which placed him 5th so he started 2nd??

Anyway, I get a reasonable take off but not as good as the 4wd's
and the tyres pressures were a bit low so took a lap too long to get them to warm up.
Also was still getting confidence back in the brakes from the last two times we had trouble.
The red Starlet that passes me and I follow is last years Series Championship winner.

Anyway here is the Vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15V_1Zhz_r8

Matt