Special getting closer...

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sun May 08, 2011 7:12 am

Ha!
Especially using just the one wheel with no connection to the 'driver'....

The large front clam body section has about a 100,000 cracks in it as the gell coat shattered all over. Going to glass over the entire front section with tissue mat to bond the shards on and re-body the car over Xmas.

Not pretty, but will have to do for now.

Have 2 weeks to get it together for the next Loton.

I should be getting the goKart finished for Silverstone classic

My 911 as the racer is looking very tempting again and sell this car!

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Tue May 10, 2011 8:20 pm

Big progress on the reapirs now.

The front body clip is repaired to match the rear and almost looks ok..
It will do till Xmas.

The rear upright is back from the pro shop who have fixed it. What a lovely job too.
On top of this they TIG welded my new radius arms with 2 x wall thickness of the 1970's march F2 units, so beefed-up.

I hope it is all dry paint tomorrow evening for the re-assembly of both sides.

Bad bit is the rear roll bar will not be ready for 3 weeks(!) so will drive the car without one.

Loton Park in 2 weekends time is looking ON!

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Thu May 12, 2011 7:05 am

Everything back together now!

Alignment all arranged for next week at McClurg Motorsport who did such a good job last time. Picking the Lola up next friday for the serious 2 day meeting at Loton Park.

A few slow runs to get confidence and vverrrroooommmm.....

Need to shave the tyres tonight which is a real chore and dust it down.

Spanners crossed all will be well.
It couldn't have been much worse.

This car needs to pay back soon or it will be for sale and I'll go back to the heavenly world of hillclimbing a road going 911.

But with a 3.5, turbo brakes, RSR body........ slicks....

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sat May 21, 2011 6:39 pm

Picked the lola up from Sean at McClurg Motorsport, the shop that did the aignment last year, yesterday.

Drove the car today at practice at Loton Park, 4 runs up my fav hill. Gave it death off the line as if it was to snap again best to happen while doing 10 mph...

No probs and all runs well. Engine and gearbox behaved perfectly and the car may be better than last year!

Just need to keep building the confidence up now.

Great to see the Porsche hillclimb Series boys there this weekend too, and Paul Howell's RSR replica is RATHER nice.....

Beam me up Scottie, I'm thinking 911's again!

I need to get to use the brakes far more on this car. They are off a F3000 so are 'large'. On my last run i stamped on them and promply hit the deck with the front chassis!

Need to tweek the damper to resist the dive.

Everything works now on the Lola Porsche, the driver needs TLC/brain change/ bigger b..lls or some other operation performing.

I have no excusses.

www.hdlcc.com

gridgway · Post by **gridgway** » Sun May 22, 2011 5:54 am

Great news. I do admire hillclimbing as I would never be any good at it.

It takes me half a race to get into the groove. So my normal form is to start in the middle, drop some places, get in the groove, catch up those places and get a couple more!

Good luck with the actual runs today!

Graham

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sun May 22, 2011 6:30 pm

Thanks!
Hillclimbing has to be delivered there and then, when the flag drops...you better be ready!

Irritating day today.

The car went up and down the hill 3 times but i just cannot get out of the lazy lazy 60 seconds.

My old 911 is faster. (220 bhp/1000 Kg road tyres V 270 bhp/620 Kg slicks) What am i doing?

The Lola did a 58 last year with a naff engine and an even naffer gearbox.

Beats me, and i am just confused by this. Deep thoughts needed.

Maybe this kind of car simply does not suit me and I've wasted a heap of time and a bank vault of money.

Old Skool, Modern School (he was 10 seconds faster too...)

Bruce M · Post by **Bruce M** » Sun May 22, 2011 9:25 pm

Sorry to hear that.

Where do you feel you are losing time?

If you had video footage of yourself and perhaps a faster competitor to see side by side playback, it may answer some questions (did this on f1 this morning and it was interesting to watch).

Are you restricted with aero in your class? It seems with the extra power you could handle the extra drag for faster cornering speeds.

Perhaps some track time (circuit) with longer runs would help you find out what the problems are.

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Sun May 22, 2011 9:29 pm

Bruce M wrote:Perhaps some track time (circuit) with longer runs would help you find out what the problems are.

Good advice, I'd wager your recent moment with this car (not to mention the persistent engine worries) will have knocked the edge off your confidence.

Get on the phone to Curborough and book a day, I'm sure we can find a few interested parties to split the cost with you

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Sun May 22, 2011 10:28 pm

I think I'm leaving time just about everywhere!

The starts are weak, a huge 2.2 secs to cover 64ft, the 911 does that easy.
I need to push a lot more in and through the corners, be they tight or 'open', fast or slow, and I'm driving the car like my 911 so hence the pace!

The Curb test day is def on. Done this several times before to good effect.

At Loton there is a fast uphill straight with a nasty kink in the middle. The 911 runs that flat out but never in this Lola. It just does not feel 'planted' and as I've been off there before last year to a wall there is that 'doubt' lingering.

Maybe it is just the time to get the confidence back and i'm too impatient for the result.

My 911 time was in the 59's, the Impreza did a low 57, and last year this car ran mid 58's.

I do not seem to get thepace from the better engine and above all a gearbox that now works well.

I have a break from the season next weekend before a dose of Shelsley Walsh...now, that will be interesting

.

Bruce M · Post by **Bruce M** » Mon May 23, 2011 12:05 am

I'll take a wild stab in the dark and guess you are braking too early for a start. If that's the case, it's not surprising for a number of reasons.

You havn't said the car is understeering or oversteering so I'm guessing it is well balanced in the middle phase of the corner. If you are raising your game and getting more agressive into and out of the bends, your shock settings will be critical.

Track time would be a great way to build up confidence on your braking points and test the limits of the current chassis setup, particularly when you are moving the weight around. Also a chance to get past the 911 style driving technique I'm guessing you are used to.

Good luck with it (and don't give up!)

(oh, btw, have you considered running a front splitter? You have a fair amount of air gap at the front. Even if it was flush with the bottom edge of the nose and projecting a few inch to stop air flow being pulled under. Just a thought.)

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Mon May 23, 2011 6:16 am

Thanks Bruce and everyone reading this saga.

Curborough sprint track is a very useful place for these things to be ironed out because the conditions are identical to a hillclimb, but flat!

The car is absolutly balanced, no over/under steer, hence my road driving manners I think.
Many have mentioned a simplt ply splitter, but I'm not sure aero is an issue yet with the speeds I'm managing, but 'every little helps'.

I spent 15 happy years hillclimbing my 911 driving there and back too, and the much faster Impreza was the same even though a bit time consuming to adapt to. The Lola can after a short return to the 911 has been a rough ride in many ways from the build to the two offs and the mechanical issues of the engine box.

Maybe I'm at the stating point again, but it/we did 58's last year. Tyres were new mind, but I'm not skidding anywhere or locking brakes etc so I'm not beyond their grip.

I guess I have to simply drive it harder everywhere and trust it.

Giving up is not an option unless another car takes my fancy then a change will happen.
Now, there was a startling ex Rally Cross VX200 with a supercharged 2.2 engine there last weekend...but that did 60's too!!

jwhillracer · Post by **jwhillracer** » Mon May 23, 2011 11:25 am

A simple way to improve your times - get to where you think the braking point is, count to 3, and then brake!!

More seriously, what about roping in someone like Richard Jones, who has both the Porsche knowledge and single seater and sports racer hillclimb set up experience, for a day at Curborough?

Don't give up Graham, what you need more than anything is more time in the driving seat.

Cheers!

JW

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Mon May 23, 2011 12:53 pm

Thanks to all.

I might get Sean McClurg up to help. He has offered. Sean is an ex hillclimber and has set the car up twice now. Runs Nick Thompson's cars etc professionally now.

I think a good long morning at Curb will do wonders to everything except the tyres..but especially me.

WHY did I manage several 58's last year and only consistent 60's all last weekend?

Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Mon May 23, 2011 1:17 pm

911hillclimber wrote: WHY did I manage several 58's last year and only consistent 60's all last weekend?

Last year you were not running slicks and your engine was down on power, so maybe it felt more familar (compared to the 911) and hence gave more confidence? (all other factors of the track being equal of course!)

gridgway · Post by **gridgway** » Mon May 23, 2011 1:22 pm

treaded tyres last year and slicks this year? Is it that the cold slicks are lower grip than the road tyres? Driving my Radical on cold slicks is like the proverbial driving on ice.
Graham