Recently we’ve come to find more out about our car’s previous life. From British F3, where it was driven by people like Takuma Sato against people like Button, Burti, Pizzonia and The Stig (Ben Collins), to ARP (ClubF3) and now Monoposto. The results aren’t nicely formatted yet, but the detail is there if you want to see what our car has done in the past.
Archive for the ‘Newsflash’ Category
After the slight disappointment of Anglesey, we were keen to show our speed at Snetterton, our ‘home’ race. The misfire woes from earlier in the season were, we hoped, behind us, although we had fitted a lambda sensor to the datalogger to help us get around the problem should it recur.
However, all that didn’t go quite according to plan…
Saturday’s practice session was damp. There was, in places, a dry line, but the overall feeling was that wet tyres were the way to go. Most people felt the same, but a few remained on slicks due to lack of time and manpower. I went out and had to pick my way through the traffic to find some clear air, whilst Jeremy Timms went out last due to clutch problems. This meant he was immediately on a clear track and banged in a 1m19 second time. Then it started to rain…
MoreTags: misfire, pole, race, Snetterton, wet | Posted under Events, Events 2010, Newsflash | 
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Last Updated on Friday, 2 July 2010 01:49
A fortnight after the disappointment of Thruxton (where I cleverly turned pole position into a second place via 29th position and the lead, in the space of a dozen laps) we set off for Anglesey, the farthest track from us in the UK.
Another circuit that we haven’t been to with the Dallara that both Timms and Harrison have been to several times with theirs. Thus we arrived with a realistic frame of mind, hoping for a win but knowing that I would be very difficult to actually achieve. The usual preparation showed nothing that was unduly concerning, other than a slight bulge in the floor and plank possibly caused by the Thruxton kerb launching incident (although the bulge might have been there before and I just hadn’t noticed it!). We tried to rectify it as well as we could, but it’s still there, so we have to run a slightly higher ride height than we’d like.
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Last Updated on Friday, 2 July 2010 01:49
From Marcus Pye’s column (page 105 of May 13th 2010 copy of Autosport)
I’m certain I’ve not seen a better Monoposto field – flourishing on the MSVR package and split into two grids – from which Tristan Cliffe’s extraordinary 117mph lap in a 12-year-old F3 Dallara powered by a fuel-injected Toyota engine, annihilated the record. The old motto ‘Motor Racing in the Grand Prix Style for the Club Enthusiast’ has stretched imaginations since the Mono club’s foundation in 1958, but on this occasion is was bang on the money.
And from the race report (page 116 of the same copy)
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A huge Monoposto 2000/1400/1000 field was a splendid sight, but top qualifier Tristan Cliffe’s heart was in his mouth when he stalled at the start. Everybody in the stampede missed him, but the red Dallara was last away.
Having lapped seven seconds quicker than Jeremy Timms in the morning (slicks on the wet track proved ideal), Cliffe sliced through the field to 16th in a dramatic opening lap and was third (behind Arty Cameron’s adventurously-driven one-litre Yamaha R1-engined Jedi and ahead of defending champion Nick [sic] Harrison) within four laps.
Almost 14 seconds adrift of leader Timms’ ex-Peter Dumbreck Dallara et half-distance, Cliffe was more decisive during lappery and slashed a six-second deficit to 1.5s on the penultimate circuit! On Timms’ gearbox through church last time round, Cliffe popped out of his slipstream up Woodham Hill to no avail. An extraordinary manoeuvre round the outside into the chicane got Cliffe’s nose ahead though, but he couldn’t make the left hand element. As he clattered over the kerbs Timms dived back past for a memorable victory.
Tags: Thruxton | Posted under Events 2010, Media, Newsflash | Comments Off
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Last Updated on Friday, 2 July 2010 01:52
Thruxton was to be the start of my season, after the problems at Brands. Points had to be scored, preferably 16 of them (win plus fastest lap) to keep Jeremy Timms in sight in the championship. Being fast isn’t enough when your rival is happy to capitalise on any mistakes.
Practice
I had spend some time watching YouTube videos of Thruxton, as well as playing it on the PC with the rFactor game (I hesitate to use the term simulator, as it’s rubbish). Motorsport UK, on the television, also had some Thruxton racing from the BTCC meeting. I also ran the circuit on foot on the Friday evening. That was my whole experience of Thruxton until Saturday 8th May 2010.
MoreTags: misfire, race, Thruxton | Posted under Events 2010, Newsflash | Comments Off
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Last Updated on Friday, 2 July 2010 01:49
I was due to go to Mallory Park on the 14th April 2010 to assist Lenny Coleman, who purchased our championship winning Reynard 883 late last year, get used to his new steed, advising him on how to get the best out of the car, and to get the setup to his liking. Having someone on hand who knows the car, and how it reacts to various setup changes is a big help, and part of the Reynard sale deal was to be present at his first test.
However, as I was going, we decided that is wasn’t that much more effort or expense to take our Dallara with us and give it a brief shakedown test to make sure that the problems we suffered at Brands Hatch last month were cured. Leaving home at 5am was a bit of a drag, and confirmed for me why we now stay overnight at race circuits!!! The testing fee was also pretty reasonably, at £102, which made the decision is little easier to swallow…
MoreTags: Mallory Park, testing | Posted under Events, Newsflash | No Comments
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Last Updated on Friday, 2 July 2010 01:53
