February 2019
28Feb
Panel refitted
I refitted the repaired and resprayed panel behind the front suspension tonight, and its looking good. The nose is ready for collection, I'll pick it up on Saturday morning. The diffuser end plates have been replaced with deeper and longer ones, which I cut out from carbon sheet, by hand, which took an age but I did a neat job of course.25Feb
Going testing
I’ve booked a test session at Mallory Park next week, there was an offer of going to Blyton, but it’s a long drag of the trailer/race car, and to be honest I’m only looking to do some basic shakedown tests. The nose cone will be back on Thursday, and I need to affix it to the car. The front suspension panel just needs a coat of lacquer and that’s then ready for refitting this week. I’ll make sure the Kodak 360 degree camera is on the car for Mallory, so I can capture some decent in-car footage.22Feb
Wheels
The rebuilt wheels will be ready next week, so I'll get the Ultrasoft tyres ordered from Triple M, and that will give me a set of ultra's and super's for this season. I'm going to see if I can get some testing at Mallory park, in March, but I'm waiting for the nose cone to come back as I cant run the car without that fitted. I'll run the super's at Mallory, to get used to their increased grip levels. I've got the Pirelli and Michelin tyre circumferences ready for the calibration changes next week. Chris from **** is due to pop round one evening, to make changes to the setup.21Feb
30 days to go
Registration opened today for the #BSC. Its £80, so I've put my money down and registered for 2019. I dropped the remains of the two damaged wheels off at Force Racing, and Carl is going to build me replacement front and rear wheel, which could take two weeks as he's been waiting for delivery of rim sections.20Feb
31 days to go
I've entered the Liverpool Motorclub Aintree Sprint in June, which will be the first time I've been there as a BSC contender. I hope its a good turn out for the championship. Speaking of which there are 19 drivers entered at Castle Combe, and some new names to me, so its going to be a good scrap for the Top 12 positions. Championship Registration still isnt open yet, we're waiting for the MSUK to approve the regulations, and issue the permit number. With four weeks left, there's still plenty of time to get that done...17Feb
34 days to go
Sealed the diffuser floor where it joins the chassis floor beneath the gearbox. Sprayed the rear wing mounts again. Sorted some other areas where I wasnt happy with the routing of the chassis harness, where it ran down the chassis. Downloaded the fresh ECU data to see what the extra channels look like, and I can now see for instance, the paddles being operated as I changed gear. Very cool. Applied P38 filler to the front section of body work, so thats now ready to be wet'n'dried down to make it all smooth for spraying. Fitted the oil catch tank bottle and a new section of hose from the outlet on top of the gearbox. Sorted out the wiring for the lambda sensor. The loom is too long, so I have to bundle up the cable and cable tie it together, so it can rest in the gap above the front of the gearbox.16Feb
35 days to go
Replaced the 530mm front pushrod with the longer 550mm version. Refitted the exhaust with the recently welded on stainless end. Wrapped the front and rear wing end plates in yellow vinyl, and I've some more wrapping to do, I'm just waiting on Coalville Signs providing some more vinyl.My VW Transporter van was serviced and MOT'd on Friday, and passed. The cam belt change is due this year, as the van has now reached 5yrs and 40,600miles, so I'll book it in during the summer for the work. I only did 3500 miles towing last year, so the mileage is being kept down to sensible levels.
5 weeks left until the Castle Combe sprint, and the list of remaining jobs is much smaller now. I've started spraying the rear wing brackets black, as I didnt like the bare aluminium look. This week I'll get the replacement Force wheels ordered, so I can get a set of Ultrasoft tyres fitted, and I'll seal the diffuser floor, do a couple of wiring mods I've been putting off, and start looking at the launch and traction control settings to see if we can improve on where the car was at the end of last year. I also need to recalibrate the gear position sensor, and finish off the damaged bodywork that sat behind the front suspension that took the brunt of the crash.
Plenty of time....
10Feb
Exhaust tested
I ran the engine yesterday, and on the overrun the exhaust now spits flames. Not sure if its done that before and I just didnt notice it, but it looks cool all the same. Another box ticked. I've started repairing the damaged section of body work that sat behind the front suspension, and I hope to have that finished this week. The longer 550mm pushrods are painted black, and one will replace the 530mm pushrod on the front to give the rod ends more tube to screw in to. I've removed the exhaust pipe to get it welded. This week the T5 van needs servicing and MOT'ing, so I'll fetch it out of storage on Thursday, and re-fit the rear seats to avoid an advisory.8Feb
Brake pipe shortened
Not the best progress this week, but I have sourced a 3" stainless tip for the exhaust, which will need welding. I've trimmed the bodywork that sits next to the pipe, so it wont get burnt. I spoke to Simon McBeath regarding the exhaust exit and the impact on the rear wing, and he says he doesnt think it'll have any impact on performance. I've shortened the brake hose for the off side rear caliper, and the hose now sits on the outside of the bottom arm, rather than travelling up and over the top arm, which saves even more weight. I've also tidied various bits of wiring, and fitted Ti strips to the front wing end plates, to offer then some protection should they strike the ground.3Feb
Nose done
The red ex-Sutton nose is trimmed to fit over the front wing, and it will be dropped off at Faircharm for spraying. It is a far lighter nose than the one it replaces. Much thinner GRP, so that saves some more weight. I've trimmed the side pod which covers the exhaust pipe, to give some clearance and protect the pod from possible heat damage. The foam seat is now back in, the covers behind the driver are all replaced, and fastened securely. The firewall needs fitting back in, which I'll do asap. I swapped the shoulder belts over so the hologram is now on the opposite side, as a few scrutineers had commented it needed to be the on the opposite side. My entry for the Castle Combe sprint has been accepted, though the BSC registrations are still not open, its not deterring the BSC drivers from entering events from the sound of things.2Feb
7 weeks to go
We've now passed the 7 weeks milestone, and the Castle Combe sprint in March is rapidly approaching, and the entry fee was £165. The Anglesey Sprint entry opened yesterday, so I entered their weekend event in April, which cost an eye watering £250, but hopefully this year I'll be racing on the Sunday, if I can avoid hitting the barriers again.The modified exhaust is back from Altiss, as are the 550mm long pushrods. These will need spraying, and I'll replace the 530mm pushrod on the near side front so the rod ends screw in 10mm further which will make it safer to drive on. The exhaust now points up and outwards, so the gas is no longer flowing directly over the bottom wishbone. I'm still waiting for a another length of 3" pipe, with a flared end, that will then be added to the pipe to extend it further upwards. As soon as it arrives I'll return the pipes to Altiss to have them welded.
Other jobs remaining: Cut the nose cone so it fits over the front wing; paint the nose cone black; repair the body work that sits behind the near side front suspension, and refit; change the calibration for the front tyre sizes, which are taller than the Avons they replace; recalibrate the gear position sensor; reroute the offside rear brake hose to run on the lower suspension arm; fit protection to the front wing end plates.
