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Welcome to Dallara398.com

Welcome to our website.  We compete in the UK’s Monoposto Racing Club, which is intended to allow older single seater race cars to be used by ordinary folk at affordable prices. In 2007 we joined the club to begin our single seater racing career with a 1998 Reynard 883 Formula 3 car, and learnt very quickly that it’s not easy to become or remain competitive. With a part-season behind us we launched into 2008 with the Reynard, our sights set on championship victory in the Classic Class. Our goals acheived, we acquired a 1998 Dallara F398 with which to compete in 2009, and finished our ‘learning year’ in 3rd place, with a couple of wins and several fastest laps. Our hope is the 2010 is our championship year but, as ever in motorsport, you can never be sure of anything…

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Users: 2 Guests

Standings

1Jeremy TIMMS90
2Tristan CLIFFE66
3Malcolm SCOTT45
4Graham READ30
5Adrian HOLEY28
6Richard PURCELL27
7Anthony BISHOP25
8Neil HARRISON22

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Site Functions

Attempting to put up the awning...!

Work continues and a new development…

Monday, 14 June 2010

We’ve been working hard. Not very hard at updating the website (though I still tweet occasionally) I admit, but in the workshop we’ve been busy.

  • The floor has come off, been cleaned properly, slightly modified with a belt sander and refitted. The bulge seems to be better now.
  • The camera was tested, sent off and testing by DogCamSport, and is now back with us and working. All fitted and ready to go.
  • The silencer was inspected, and the new packing is holding up well. Hopefully no noise problems at Snetterton!
  • We have had a chat with Specialist Components (the ECU people) with datalogging and video evidence of the misfire, and we think it’s more likely a mapping issue – the fuelling going rich or lean at various points. So we’ve fitted a lambda sensor, and will be able to log the throttle, RPM and fuelling to see what happens. Hopefully this will help reduce any misfires. We’ll also make sure the battery is fully charged just in case battery voltage is the cause.
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Victory

Anglesey, Round 3/4 – May 2010

Monday, 14 June 2010

GarlandA 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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Anglesey Circuit Map

Anglesey Preview

Friday, 14 May 2010

Anglesey Circuit Map

In a week’s time we’ll be well on our way to Anglesey for the third and fourth round of the 2010 Monoposto championship. Last time we ventured that far west for racing was in 2008 with the Reynard 883 during our championship challenge, and we came away with two class wins, two class poles and two class fastest laps.  We missed 2009 because it was too far to go with a new car and no championship ambitions, but 2010 demands it. Of course, I hope to repeat my class domination of 2008, but Jeremy is never easy to beat, and so far this year we’ve not make life easy for ourselves either, whether it be a ‘technical’ failure (Brands) or a ‘driver’ failure (Thruxton).

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AUTOSPORT 2010-05-13 Race Report

Autosport Mentions…

Thursday, 13 May 2010

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)

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.

Thruxton Overtake courtesy of SnappyRacers.com

Thruxton, Round 2 – May 2010

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

Thruxton mapThruxton 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.

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Thruxton Track Map

Thruxton Preview

Tuesday, 27 April 2010

Just 11 days separate us from Round 2 of the 2010 Monoposto Racing Club championship at Thruxton on May 8th.  After a fairly disastrous meeting at Brands (pole position, but failure to start), Team Omicron are eager to get their season off the starting blocks and onto the scoreboard.

Thruxton Track MapWe have never competed at Thruxton, and I have never even visited the circuit, so the learning curve will be very steep – not least because the circuit is one of the fastest in the UK.  Indeed, top speeds will be higher here than anywhere despite the fact that Snetterton has the longest straight. This means that Thruxton has several very high speed corners, which will tax my bravery and commitment, as well as my ability to set up the car correctly.

Edit: Weather forecast is suggesting rain and drizzle – which could be wonderful!!!

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Next Races

 

Please offer your support to the team's efforts by donating towards our budget. Any donations received will be used solely within the racing budget, and go towards making us quicker, and not squandered on luxuries in the paddock or on the car!


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