KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Chat away, Classic Porsche related or otherwise

Moderators: hot66, Miggs, 58A - 71E, impmad2000, drummerboytom, Barry, Helen, Viv_Surby, Derek, KS, abm914, Mike Usiskin

User avatar
KS
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 14918
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 3:12 pm
Location: Cornwall

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by KS »

Well, here we are again, back at Wiscombe for the Wildlife Motorsports Sunday event on 14th May. Wit the engine seemingly oil tight, I was hoping for a good day, especially as the weather forecast was promising a (mostly) dry (mostly) sunny day after what seemed like months of rain. Saturday's event run by Torbay MC had been hot and sunny, so fingers were firmly crossed for Sunday. I left home at just before 6.00am and almost immediately drove into thick fog, which persisted most of the way to Exeter, a journey of around 70 miles, before clearing to reveal light cloud. The car ran well – all I had done since sorting out the oil leak was to install an external battery cut-off switch. I didn't need one in the class I run in, but felt it was a worthwhile addition. However, I didn't want to drill any holes in the bodywork, so decided to remove the small grill above the battery and replace it with a piece of black acrylic, into which I mounted the cut-off. As the car has an alternator, this needed to be wired into the positive battery lead, with the alternator output directed through a resistor to earth when the main switch was operated – this stops the engine running on when the battery is isolated thanks to the alternator continuing to 'feed' the ignition circuit. It took me most of a day to sort out the wiring and routing of the internal pull cable, but it all works just fine.

Image

And so to Wiscombe. It was a full field, with about 120 cars and loads of motorbikes. I don't actually like mixed meetings too much as the two disciplines don't really mix that well and it always seems inevitable that you get more 'red flag' events on two wheels than four, slowing proceedings while the marshalls sweep the course of dust and bits of motorcycle… Anyway, it was great to be back especially as the sun was shining for once.

Image

Wiscombe has been resurfaced from start to finish, so everyone was expecting great things. It sure was grippy compared to past outings, as jwhillracer will attest. This was to be my first proper go with the car now with its roll bar and door bars to brace the shell, the quick rack and rebushed front end. I was amazed on the first run how tighter the car felt, and how sticky the track was compared to last year (the previous outing at the hill this year had been pre-resurfacing and in the damp). I was a little disappointed with the practice time – 51.17 secs – as I had my heart set on a sub-50. But hey ho, it was early days. (As it runs out, this was my fifth fastest time ever in the car at this venue).

The next run was far better, with my short-shifting into 3rd up through the Esses to take advantage of the engine's impressive mid-range torque. Although messy the run put a smile on my face as I achieved my goal by 1/100th of a second! 49.99 secs was fine by me... :)

Image

After what seemed like an eternity as lunch break and red flags slowed things down, it was time for what was to be the final run... I attacked the infamous Bunny's Leap with a little more gusto, entered the Gate slightly quicker than usual and almost paid the price as the car understeered rather violently, which I put down to lower track temp now that the sun had disappeared behind the gathering clouds. And my inexperience... Up through the Esses where I took some rather conservative lines, lost momentum going into Sawbench and staggered up the final hill – Castle Straight – before braking hard for Martini. The inside rear wheel lost traction and that was that. Or so I thought. The timing board showed 49.77 secs, so I'd got another PB and finally achieved my back-to-back sub-50s I'd so longed for. I was like a Cheshire cat with a constant smile on my face all the way back down the hill and into the paddock. Then came the seemingly interminable wait while the marshalls cleared up another 'off' before the inevitable announcement came that we wouldn't be doing any more timed runs... The upside of that was I could head to the bar and have a celebratory drink!
:occasion5:

Here's a video of the final run – not very impressive but I learned a lot this weekend:

https://youtu.be/McvFUW_8k74

Next stop St Goueno in Brittany...
Keith Seume
Follow on Instagram @orange914
My YouTube channel
914-6
DDK rules my life!
Posts: 1049
Joined: Mon Dec 01, 2003 8:13 pm
Location: Andover

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by 914-6 »

Well done Keith, watching that video brought back a bunch of memories.
may i suggest that you lift later, or not at all for bunnies----then we can see how big your balls actually are. !!!

enjoy St.Geuno it's a fabulous, but longer climb than anything in uk
the Simcas will show you how fast it can be.
have fun.
Ian
formula vee-
'60 356b rhd CONVERTED TO "A"
'67 912 rhd SOLD
'69 914 Crayford RHD
'71 914 Crayford RHD
'69 911s lhd
'71 914/6 race car
Marcos SOLD
66 CHEVY pick-up
57 CHEVY Pickup
Porsche Tractor
2 X PORSCHE PINBALL M/C
rhd racer
DDK 1st, 2nd and 3rd for me!
Posts: 2030
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2004 9:47 pm
Location: Nottinghamshire

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by rhd racer »

Excellent, well done Keith
93 964 C2
99 Boxster 2.5 > 2.7 hill climber

71 914/6 3.0 - gone

'You see Paul, hill climbing is like making love to a beautiful woman. You get your motor running, check your fluids, hang on tight and WHOA..30 seconds later it's all over!' Swiss Tony
User avatar
KS
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 14918
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 3:12 pm
Location: Cornwall

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by KS »

914-6 wrote: Mon May 15, 2023 6:59 pm Well done Keith, watching that video brought back a bunch of memories.
may i suggest that you lift later, or not at all for bunnies----then we can see how big your balls actually are. !!!

enjoy St.Geuno it's a fabulous, but longer climb than anything in uk
the Simcas will show you how fast it can be.
have fun.
Ian
Compared to yours, I'm sure my balls are quite tiny! :lol:

Adrian Crawford keeps telling me to keep it flat over Bunnie's Leap, but I can't quite bring myself to do it (yet). I also need to get on the power earlier when exiting Wis Corner, and though the Esses. How the hell the quickest single-seaters can do the course 20+ seconds quicker beats me.
Keith Seume
Follow on Instagram @orange914
My YouTube channel
User avatar
KS
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 14918
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 3:12 pm
Location: Cornwall

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by KS »

Great pic from Nigel Cole, Wiscombe's resident photog.

Image
Keith Seume
Follow on Instagram @orange914
My YouTube channel
User avatar
hashman
DDK forever
Posts: 551
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 12:46 am
Location: Midlands

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by hashman »

Wow the acceleration of your car in the video seems impressive Keith. Usually when you watch these sorts of video clips, I think gosh the reality of it doesn't really show.
Plus of course your driving skills look equally impressive.....
Keep getting faster.

Karl
Keep the Outlaw Faith
User avatar
KS
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 14918
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 3:12 pm
Location: Cornwall

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by KS »

Well, St Gouéno Masters hillclimb... If you'd told me two years ago that I would be competing in an event in Brittany, I'd never have believed you. But here we are, just back from one of the most amazing experiences of my life. If you've never been to, competed in or spectated at a French motorsport event, then you're missing out. In a previous life, I drag raced in France on a few occasions, and always came away amazed at how enthusiastic everyone is, spectators and officials alike. St Gouéno Masters is a Brit/Irish event run by a British team led by John Lloyd, and piggybacks on the back of a round of the French hillclimb championship. Essentially, as long as you held an MSUK licence (even just an RS Interclub UK-only licence), and your car and safety gears meets MSUK standards, then you're good to go.

We (wife Sarah and I) drove the 914 to Plymouth to catch the overnight ferry to Roscoff, joining a whole hoard of Brits heading out to the event in a variety of vehicles, including about a dozen Triumph TRs going out to support one of their own. There were five other Porsches in our group, including Richard Williams' in his monster GT3 Cup car (ex-Peter Turnbull), who went on to win his class.

Signing on and scrutineering were casual, jovial affairs, on Friday afternoon, followed by an evening's entertainment and food in the local village – all laid on by the organisers. There were also 'navettes' (shuttle buses) laid on to take you back to your chosen accommodation (again, organised on your behalf by the team) – to summon your shuttle, just post on a closed WhatsApp group and a few minutes later along came the minibus. Amazing. Our gite was owned and run by a lovely couple from Guernsey, Yvonne the hostess happy to drive us to and from the track each morning and evening, a distance of about three miles. Wonderful service!

The startline was a two mile drive from the paddock, so each group was called to a 'pre-grill' where cars were lined in order and then led to the start by the course car. There followed a lengthy wait while the previous group finished running, and then it was our turn, cars being set off at 30 second intervals. The video gives you a good idea of what the course is like and, at 3.2 kilometres, is three times the length of many (most?) UK hillclimb courses. The road surface was superb (the event is run on closed public roads...), narrow in parts, twisty but with fast sections that saw me get into fourth gear for the first time ever on an event! Being a newbie, it was pretty much impossible to memorise the course in its entirety – I did drive on a recce with Adrian Crawford on Friday evening, which was useful as Adrian's done the event three times before and is blessed with an amazing memory for braking points, lines through bends etc. Sadly I forgot most of his advice, although I did remember the flags and the third tree on the left on one long bend, markers as where to start applying the power.

https://youtu.be/FtQnDbpf5cQ

I won't go through each run as they were all much of a muchness, apart from the first one on Saturday, which was messy as I tried to find my way up the hill, and the first run Sunday when I was, er, hungover from the festivities the night before... :drunken:
I managed to knock eight seconds off my time by the end of the weekend, good enough to mean that I didn't finish last in class but over 20 seconds slower than the class winner... Oh well.

Image
Image

The car behaved itself other than a sticky throttle which made it difficult to apply throttle in a more progressive way when exiting several of the long bends. The brakes are superb, considering they are stock other than a 19mm master cylinder and a set of RC6 pads all round. Yes, I could do with more power to be competitive (and better driving skills) but overall the 914 acquitted itself reasonably well. It was the only one at the event and seemed to attract interest among the local spectators, many of whom were very knowledgeable. What I did enjoy was being able to drive the car far enough and in such conditions that I could get the tyres hot – the level of grip offered by the Toyo R888Rs is very impressive, and I was able to drive the car harder than I expected, enjoying the feedback as the tyres began to reach their limits of adhesion.

Sunday evening's wind down buffet was fairly riotous and I tried my best not to over indulge... :drunken:

Overall it was a fantastic event, and a great weekend break – it would have been even more enjoyable had we not got news as we were about to leave that Sarah's 90 year old mother fell and broke her hip, necessitating a trip to hospital and a lengthy op. :cry:

So, that's St Gouéno - I'm sure Neil will have his story to tell. His was the only 356 there and looked great in the never-ending sunshine.

ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
ImageImage
Image
Keith Seume
Follow on Instagram @orange914
My YouTube channel
rhd racer
DDK 1st, 2nd and 3rd for me!
Posts: 2030
Joined: Wed Jun 23, 2004 9:47 pm
Location: Nottinghamshire

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by rhd racer »

Great write up and pics Keith, thanks for posting.

Glad you enjoyed it - sounds like a fabulous event.
93 964 C2
99 Boxster 2.5 > 2.7 hill climber

71 914/6 3.0 - gone

'You see Paul, hill climbing is like making love to a beautiful woman. You get your motor running, check your fluids, hang on tight and WHOA..30 seconds later it's all over!' Swiss Tony
Lightweight_911
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 16794
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2003 10:48 pm
Location: Worcs/W Mids border

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by Lightweight_911 »

.

Agreed - sounds like a great event !

.
Andy

“Adding power makes you faster on the straights;
- subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere”
911hillclimber
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 18857
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: West Midlands

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by 911hillclimber »

Just as several had told me about this event, so very very exciting.
Nice report, thank you in many ways, but now I want to do it!

It clashed with a big Championship meeting for me at Shelsley Walsh so that was that; I'm very focused on a Class win for the year.

However, after 32 years of doing the British hills I really would like to do something like this before it is time to finish.

I think Harewood is the UK's longest hill, about a mile, but could be wrong.

I would like to talk about the French event with you, esp the logistics, ie Tow car with Trailer (costs) and ease of parking up in the event and accommodation.
I would go by Chunnel.

Not sure my wife would be up for it!

How would you think the Lola would fit in?
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
neilbardsley
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 7690
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:31 pm

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by neilbardsley »

Great write up. I'm going to submit an article to the 356 magazine do you mind if I use some of your photos?

Sent from my 22011119UY using Tapatalk

“A REMINDER. I would be grateful if those members who have borrowed bits from me in emergencies (e.g starter motor, oil cooler, etc) would return them and/or contact me”. – Chris Turner RIP
neilbardsley
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 7690
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:31 pm

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by neilbardsley »

911hillclimber wrote:Just as several had told me about this event, so very very exciting.
Nice report, thank you in many ways, but now I want to do it!

It clashed with a big Championship meeting for me at Shelsley Walsh so that was that; I'm very focused on a Class win for the year.

However, after 32 years of doing the British hills I really would like to do something like this before it is time to finish.

I think Harewood is the UK's longest hill, about a mile, but could be wrong.

I would like to talk about the French event with you, esp the logistics, ie Tow car with Trailer (costs) and ease of parking up in the event and accommodation.
I would go by Chunnel.

Not sure my wife would be up for it!

How would you think the Lola would fit in?
Yes and Yes. Lots of trailers there. Probably better to Ferry to Malo and you only have a short drive on the otherside. Easier to get to Portsmouth on ourside too (avoid the M25). Having another car will allow you to get around and just leave the Lola at the paddock. I'm sure John will be keen to have you. The evening entertainment can make it wife friendly. We stopped by Dinan on the way from Malo (Malo is also very pretty but super busy) for a meal / canal cruise.

Sent from my 22011119UY using Tapatalk


“A REMINDER. I would be grateful if those members who have borrowed bits from me in emergencies (e.g starter motor, oil cooler, etc) would return them and/or contact me”. – Chris Turner RIP
User avatar
Bootsy
Site admin and the Boss
Posts: 23844
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 6:09 pm
Location: Norwich
Contact:

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by Bootsy »

Great stuff Keith and thanks for spending the time writing it all up
1972 911T | 1994 993 Carrera | 1999 986 Boxster | 1990 T25 Camper

Vintage Heuer, Omega, Zenith and other vintage watches - http://www.heuerheritage.co.uk
911hillclimber
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 18857
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: West Midlands

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by 911hillclimber »

Thanks Keith.
Need to work on Mrs Hillclimber over the Ferry trip, though down to Dover is a pain in anything.

Just one more favor please, email address to contact the organizers please?
73T 911 Coupe, road/hillclimber 3.2L
Lola t 492 / 3.2 hillclimb racer
Boxster 987 Gen II 2.9
neilbardsley
Nurse, I think I need some assistance
Posts: 7690
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 4:31 pm

Re: KS's hillclimbing odyssey

Post by neilbardsley »

info@hillclimbfrance.co.uk

Sent from my 22011119UY using Tapatalk

“A REMINDER. I would be grateful if those members who have borrowed bits from me in emergencies (e.g starter motor, oil cooler, etc) would return them and/or contact me”. – Chris Turner RIP
Post Reply