The White Rascal, our poor little shop car, has not gotten much love lately. We finally made a little progress on it in the last few days. The car has been completely stripped down will all the interior and dash removed. I think we may have taken the "simplify and add lightness" just a little too far this time. We need to start bolting parts back on soon if we have any hope of getting onto the track.
The rear subframe was taken off, media blasted, then painted black. This car is going to live a long hard life on the track, it will not be a trailer queen. Low maintenance black engine enamel spray paint will keep this part looking relatively nice as well as hide track grime.
We did need a little bit of bling so we had all our control arms powder coated a bright red. Why red? Because race car. We finished off the arms by installing a set of our MRbearings and MONOballs. This should greatly increase the steering feel of this track focused machine. The stock bushings and ball joints are fine for road use but a track car demands suspension that does not flex and deflect under load. Expect some more progress in the coming weeks because we are all itchin' to drive her!
I attended a recent safety seminar put on by Stand21 during the Long Beach Grand Prix. Stand21 are my favorite safety gear brand as their approach to product development is driven by safety and performance. They work with industry experts, including professors, physicians and others who have a keen interest in improving safety in motorsports. They hold these seminars at various times of the year and are well worth attending. This year they had several presentations from Dr. Terry Trammell, Dr. John Melvin, Danny Ebberts and Dr. Jacques Dallaire.
Terry spoke specifically about fire safety and the importance of fire resistant underwear. Studies that he conducted showed that an extra layer of clothing more than doubles the time BEFORE fire temps begin causing damage to the human skin. The correct underwear can also keep you cooler as well - which I can vouch for having run in very hot conditions at Spring Mountain.
The most dramatic presentation came from race car driver, Danny Ebberts. Watch the video linked below to see his off-road truck get engulfed in flame. He narrowly escaped but still suffered 2nd degree burns and was hospitalized for weeks. Danny's speech was especially relevant as one tip he provided I had never heard - hold your breath in a fire incident. This was something that can save you from damaging your lungs.
Terry stressed that cotton t-shirts are really not going to provide the protection that proper racing underwear can provide. Additionally, plastic based performance shirts are known to melt to the skin - what may be appropriate to wear during a 5K running race may not hold up when your race car is on fire.
He also addressed women specific issues. Specifically, he mentioned bras as a source of trouble. Terry mentioned under-wire bras as a special no-no as they speed up heat transfer. Stand21 introduced a jog bra that is fire resistant to give women better options.
Additionally he talked about the safety concerns for women with long hair. He recommended that they put their hair into a 'flat-braid' so it goes down the neck under a balaclava and can be tucked into the driving suit. He suggested that hair that is exposed acts like a wick for fire.
I'm especially concerned that many trackday participants don't consider the possibility of fires when they are on the track. Most production cars that are running stock fuel systems can be very safe. It is the track cars that are using modified fuel systems that I have seen catch on fire. A couple of years ago, a Lotus Cup racer's track-prepped Exige caught on fire in a race. The fire exploded through the rear glass and engulfed the driver - who luckily only suffered some singed hairs on his face. He told me that eve that he would never wear an open faced helmet in a car again! Be careful of any mods you make to your fuel systems and be prepared with the proper fire protection clothing and fire suppression system.
I use Stand21 products because of their technical approach to product development. Fashion is not foremost in their minds - though their products look great. Most importantly, I've been happy with their comfort as well - especially in the heat of the desert tracks I frequent. I blogged about their products a couple years ago: HERE.
Stand21 feel so strongly about safety education that they have set up a non-profit organization, Racing Goes Safer, designed to improve motorsports safety. Learn more about them: HERE
We had great results at the second Lotus Cup race weekend at Buttonwillow. We managed to secure two Open class victories and one overall win. We also secured the fastest lap all weekend again - beating the entire field including the 211s that we're attempting to compete against. Our driver Glen is doing a superb job along with the team in prepping the Art Car. We also had help from our friend and driving coach Dave Thilenius.
Challenges
The weekend did not run 'issue-free'. We suffered from an electrical cut that killed the car on the first day during practice. Patrick managed to figure out that one of the wires in our ignition was loose and secured it. We have kept the stock key and start button on our car. Glen's knees are quite close to these wires and he believed his knees were brushing the wires causing the cut out. Unfortunately for us, the problem cropped back up on the second race - while we were in the lead, on the last lap! Luckily Glen had a clear enough mind to wiggle the wires under the steering column and get the car started. He managed to get in behind Andy and secure the Open Class victory and second place overall. Eliminating this wire is now high on our list of reliability improvements.
AiM Data Coaching We're big advocates of using data to lower lap times. We also use it as an R&D tool as we develop our products. At Buttonwillow we were graced with Dave T's presence and benefitted from his extensive expertise with coaching via data. Reviewing the data allowed Glen to adjust his shifts, braking points and more in order to achieve the fastest lap of the weekend. Our friend Andy has used data to secure LCU championships with his 211 and is one of the fastest drivers in our series. We have a new AiM product that makes getting into data much more affordable and practical for track day enthusiast and racers alike. See the new Solo DL.
Adjustments
The guys were taking tire temps and pressures and adjusting pressures and camber. Amazingly we are running less than -2deg of Camber with this kit and getting even tire temps. Typically these Yokos require -3deg. We also softened the High Speed Compression to improve our grip over the curbs. In doing so, we stiffen the Low Speed Compression as well to quicken the turn-in. Buttonwillow is a much bumpier track than Chuckwalla so a softer set-up is ideal. Our new raceUPRIGHTs are running beautifully and allowing for an amazing low ride height. We kept our ride height at 103mm/110mm to insure we did not bottom out. These ride heights can not be achieved in an Elise or Exige with stock uprights. We are now conducting our Set Down process to see how the raceUPRIGHTs are fairing. I peeked at them and they remain in great shape after 5 track days. Expect another Blog posting reviewing the condition in more detail.
Car Prep
A key tool that we use to prep and insure our car is running well are simple Checklists. We use these lists to confirm that we checked critical areas on the car before it leaves for a practice session, qualifying or race. Every time - not just at the beginning of the day. It takes a bunch of time to run through these checklists but we've found it is a key way to ensure our car runs as well as it can. Since we are running with the LCU leaders, we can't afford to make mistakes with the car prep. If any of you would like copies of our Checklists, let us know. They are an effective tool for the casual track day enthusiast to the hardcore racer.
What's Next?
We can't be happier with our results so far this season. We have some work to do before the next race - including a Lexan Optic Armor windshield that should shave another 16lbs from our Art Car. Infineon is the next race in mid May and we will be competing against a bunch of NorCal locals who know the track well. We'll need to bring our 'A' game to keep our track record as it will be very competitive!
A common problem faced by owners of light cars with light wheels is high speed vibrations. We faced a serious vibration problem at the last Lotus Cup race and wanted to determine the source. Typically the following areas can be the cause:
Wheels
Tires
Balancing
Suspension
After returning from the races, we conducted a comprehensive set-down on our car. We scrutinized the suspension components to see if any parts had come loose. We were testing our new raceUPRIGHTS and new Delrin Bushes so we checked everything closely. Nothing was loose or found to contribute to the vibration problem. We then turned our attention to the ETHOS wheels that we had used.
We decided to send the wheels that we ran and were suspect to our supplier, Tom Merrifield, for measurement. I called Tom to discuss the issue and he was open to conducting a Run-out test on the wheels. Poor run-out in wheels could be from either poor manufacturing quality or track/road damage. We decided to measure these wheels to see if they were out of spec.
Tom made a nice video showing the test method. See below:
He found that the wheels had less than .004" of run-out. According to Tom, vibrations can not be felt under .015" of run-out. We are well under this amount.
This leaves the Tires or Balancing. Since the tires are from Yokohama, the quality is generally very high. I spoke with the tire supplier and he was also confident that the tires were OK. We've run them many times with good success. Of course since we did not test them, we're not 100% confident. In our mind, this left Balancing as the most likely source.
We arrived at the event with a set of scrubbed-in tires that we had locally mounted and balanced on a set of ETHOS. They performed with no problems and Glen set the Fastest Lap of the Weekend. We bought a new set of tires, at the track, and had them mounted and balanced to a new set of ETHOS. These vibrated badly around 70mph.
Balancing done at the track is usually difficult because of time constraints. There is usually a line of racers waiting for their turn, so the poor guy balancing never really gets enough time. This was the case at this first race. The tire supplier graciously offered free mounting and balancing so had their hands full!
Our local wheel balancer, Frank, advised that plenty of lubrication is needed for these tires and that proper time needs to be taken along with careful balancing to get these light wheels and tires sorted correctly. He also agreed with the run-out spec that Tom follows. We're attending this weekend's race with new tires and old ones that Frank balanced to the same two sets of ETHOS wheels that we ran last time. Running the old tires (that vibrated), balanced by Frank, will determine if the track balancing was the problem.
What's the moral of the story? Get an extra set of wheels and use a local tire balancer who will take the time to install and balance your race tires before you leave for your track event. Follow this rule and you won't likely have the same headache that we faced.
Overall we had great results with the Dry Sump and are ready to release it to other race teams and shops. Amazingly we ran the car with no oil coolers. Oil temps slowly climbed over the course of the day to about 280degF. Clearly a small cooler will be a good idea when the ambient temps are hot. I think a laminova oil cooler will be perfect and should allow us to delete the front coolers. We think the complexity of a Dry Sump does not lend itself to the average shade tree mechanic. If you are interested in a solution, give us a call so we can discuss your needs.
The TRACKpipe is our new track muffler. We've been running it for a few weeks and have shown sneak peeks of it and sound clips in recent videos like this and this. The sound is not loud and has a great tone to it. We think track guys are going to be pleased with the price and quality.
The DSbrace is our new affordable toe link brace. It uses the same components as our tried and true RTD & RTVbraces. We eliminated the central brace and added lower cost, but still effective, brackets to place the toe link joint into double shear. This product also bolts on with absolutely no modifications to the chassis. This kit delivers the highest joint strength of any solution we are aware of.
The ETHOS wheels ended up coming off the car as we experienced some rubbing at the rear. We ran 245 Hoosier A6s at race ride heights and experienced some rubbing on the outside fenders. We took them off and installed our back up wheels/tires. We think these will work with Lotus that are running flares. They are perfect for their primary application: the Ariel Atom.
We recruited our good friend Dave T. to push the car hard. He turned some of the fastest times of the day with only 211s beating his times. This allowed us to push the car hard and see how it would perform. He turned 2min56s times on the 3.5mile config. Overall it was a long but productive test day for our team.
The White Rascal, our poor little shop car, has not gotten much love lately. We finally made a little progress on it in the last few days. The car has been completely stripped down will all the interior and dash removed. I think we may have taken the "simplify and add lightness" just a little too far this time. We need to start bolting parts back on soon if we have any hope of getting onto the track.
Expect some more progress in the coming weeks because we are all itchin' to drive her!
