North East Past
Events
RS CLUB CROFT TRACK DAY -
Sunday 6th July
At 8am we met my nephew Matt, It was to be Matt’s
first (and probably last) track day, we proceeded to the circuit to find lots of
large marquees and trade stands etc. It was obviously going to be a very large
event for the Ford RS owners club.
Matt had to park his very fast 1litre Peugeot 205 (with wide wheels and large
spoiler) in the public car park as it was obvious there was going to be little
room in the pits. By the time he had walked up to us in the pits he had seen
some very fast looking Cosworths, Scooby’s, Evo’s etc. and it was just now
beginning to sink in that this was a very serious affair not just going as fast
as you can down the local high street to the pizza shop!!
After signing on we went to the drivers meeting, Matt was not being his usual
chirpy self, it was obvious that the nerves were starting to kick in, “Think” he
was only just 18 and this was the first time he had been to a race circuit, The
first time he had driven a car as unforgiving as an MR2 and all those other very
fast aggressive looking cars!! (Not to mention the drivers)
I have been competing on bikes for the last 20 years but I still get
butterflies in my tummy when events are about to start so I know what it’s like,
To take his mind of it we went out and checked the MR2, Fuel (Optimax) “Check”
Air in tyres “Check” What else matters!! Time to go out now into the pit lane to
line up behind the pace car for some sighting laps.
Matt was well impressed with the performance of the MR2 even though I had
switched off the Supercharger (did I not mention this was a MK1 supercharger
with 175BHP and a limited slip diff) Matt was really thrown in at the deep end
but coped well on the parade laps.
Out for the first time he was very cautious but I was pleased with that, I
think I was more nervous now as it was my MR and I know how unforgiving it is,
It needs to be pushed hard not tickled! After about 15 minutes a very fast
Cosworth blew up putting the best part of a gallon of Mobil 1 onto the track so
that session was stopped.
Now it was my turn on the track, My best lap time ever at Croft was 1 min 57
in my first MK1 N/A, My best time in this Supercharger had been 2 min dead,(
John Clelland 1min 47 in a 2.5 Vectra with passengers) That was three years
earlier just after we got it, The reason being there are a lot of 100+mph
corners on the circuit and the Supercharger with it’s limited slip diff just
does not instill any confidence in me on fast corners, We were off and I decided
it was brake my lap record or bust!!
The track was just as I remembered it - “scary” with plenty of armco to slow
you down when things go wrong, The SC was pulling well as usual and now with the
Bridgstones warmed up was not handling to bad and only the odd car was wanting
to pass us.
The complex is the only slow part of the track so it was time to use the LSD
for some serious posing, much better to watch than some four wheel drive Scooby.
(Video proves it)
By lunch time I was running constant 1min 54s which I was will pleased with,
That was with bouncing off the kerbs at 105mph through the Jim Clarke esses!! I
thought the MR was handling quite well but Matt thought different after it had
bit him a few times, His problem was that he kept turning in to early and going
around the corner on a trailing throttle until he was almost right round before
using the throttle fully and locking up the diff at which point the car handles
like it’s on rails. I on the other hand was turning in late but sharp which
started the back end to slide, hit the gas pedal which squirted me out of the
corners as fast as the four wheel drives.
By lunch time Matt had had his first spin in an MR2 and it had not done his
confidence any good at all, His best lap time by now was around 2 min 20.
LUNCH TIME
Now almost out of fuel I whizzed off to Northallerton to fill up with
Optimax. I returned to the track and was giving the car a quick check over when
Daniel arrived from the “Drivers Club” Just then the pit lane opened, Matt was
nowhere to be seen so I told Daniel to jump in, He took a bit of persuading but
eventually agreed as long as I didn’t go to fast!! As if.
We had only done about five laps when yet another Cosworth expired,
unfortunately we were near the entrance to the pits when the red flags were
shown and we were ushered in without a cool down lap, A few seconds after
switching off the engine we heard some strange noises from the engine bay, It
was obvious that the hot engine was now acting like a kettle and starting to
boil the coolant - not violently with steam etc. - but non the less boiling,
Matt (a mechanic) suggested starting the engine to get the “forlife” circulating
again and that seemed to work, Daniel had now run off to part exchange his MK2
for a MK1.
Matt took the MR out in the next session but still could not get the hang of
turning in late, with only one year of driving he had picked up this bad habit
and his instincts kept over coming him.
It was now about 4pm and I had promised to take Mark out for a few passenger
laps so he could compare it with his N/A. Mark had just arrived from the
unveiling ceremony of Dave’s Karmeleon which he was well envious of; Well done
to Paul Woods on completion of that mammoth task (I think Becky will want to
finish the honeymoon off now).
I was surprised that Mark was more impressed with the brakes than the general
performance of the car, I assured him they were standard as fitted to his MR2
apart from “Pagid” fast road pads, It was quite amazing though that they were
hauling the MR down from over 100mph three times per lap without even the
slightest fade and only an occasional wobble of the steering wheel when braking
down from about 106mph for “Sunny”. At the end of that session Mark went home to
have a look at his brakes and see if they could be improved!!
Now 4.20 and Matt had not been in the MR with me when I had been driving so
out we went, Driving as smooth as possible (except for the complex) I put in my
best time of the day a 1 min 51, The tight chicane Matt was taking at 60mph was
easily taken at 75mph when it was straightened out by using the kerbs, For the
Jim Clark esses Matt was slowing to around 75mph I was taking them at over
100mph by using the kerbs and getting the straight line through.
End of that session and we wanted to get Matt out for the last session so
straight back into the pit lane only to find the last cars going out onto the
track, Not wanting to use the hot brakes at slow speed (To avoid the brake fluid
boiling) we both jumped out while the MR was rolling much to the surprise of the
marshals watching.
Matt had now seen what the MR was capable of in confident hands so he set off
with a make or break attitude, Much better now but still not good enough so I
came up with an idea that always works, I should have tried it earlier “Meat
Loaf” on full volume, now we were cooking!! Things started to fall together for
him, the faster he went the better the MR handled so Matt was able to go even
faster with more confidence.
With about 5 minutes to go before 5pm it all went wrong when a Mitsubishi Evo
came up behind us quite close, Matt went to pieces with the site of a big fat
Evo in his rear view and went into the next corner (Tower) slightly slower than
he had been but turned in too early again, The MR saw it’s opportunity to bite!!
And boy did it bite!! 180 degrees and onto the grass at 60 mph!! The guy in the
Evo was laughing as he went past us pointing in the right direction!! No time to
waste we were off again but now all confidence was gone and Matt had gone to
pieces big time. That last session came to an end when a Scooby got beached in a
gravel trap (even with four wheel drive)
Conclusion:
Thanks to the Ford RS owners club a great day was had by most!! More than one
Cosworth went home on the back of a recovery truck. The MR clocked up over 150
track miles and used around 15 gallons of Optimax, 10mpg being achieved because
of the slower speed that Matt was lapping. Shame there were no more MR2s there,
The next available track day at Croft is on the 29th of July but run by
“Bookatrack” is a full £100 more expensive for less track time so we may wait
until next year before we visit again.
Matt was - up until his last spin - going to look out for a MK1 but now I
think he is going to stick with his much safer front wheel drive hatchback!!.
MIKE JOHNSON
87 Charcoal Grey SC