356 Race Car

[john ruston]

Two class wins and fastest 356.

Beat a well driven 550s in 30 min sprint.

Lots of Tin Ware.

2 23 fastest lap

[one-two]

Great results John - well done to you and the team. Where are you guys out next? Are you at Oulton?

[KS]

Excellent!

PS - still looking forward to a drive in one of your Talbots (a propos, chat at Le Mans last year!)

[john ruston]

Next race will be Spa 6 hrs weekend in Pre 63 and Woodcote where we will have the American who built the car will be sharing the driving with Gareth Burnett who now race prepares it.

Talbots are still available Keith!

[john ruston]

Should have mentioned Mark Eskusche built car in States using a 54Pre A that had period history.

He is the leading 356 racing builder in the colonies .

Now does anyone want it ?

[neilbardsley]

Two class wins and fastest 356.

Beat a well driven 550s in 30 min sprint.

Lots of Tin Ware.

2 23 fastest lap

After some searching

http://www.avd.de/ogpracing/ergebnisse/ ... Result.pdf

All the results

http://www.avd.de/ogpracing/2013/rennen4.php

That is the best picture I could find with a porsche in it



hmm actually pretty crap effort!

[john ruston]

A crap effort by whom?!

[neilbardsley]

A crap effort by whom?!

My picture sourcing skills!!

[john ruston]

Have been asked who Gareth Burnett is!

He runs Pace Products in Suffolk and has prepared and built my race cars for the past twenty years.

Andy Prill still does my road 356's and some race/rally cars of mine such as 2 litre car and stuff .

Gareth fancied playing with the Pre A Coupe and as he's one of quickest drivers on the grid has had great results.He's going to have a go in 2 litre car at Spa.

Question answered?

[neilbardsley]

John have you ever raced a 912 in any historical races? I have it in the back of my mind to have a go one day in the distant future? It's seems like the lowest point of entry and where I wouldn't be too scared if I damaged the car. I'm guessing terms of competitiveness a 912 will run behind a 356 or 911 but probably just as much fun?

[john ruston]

Have a go but pick a safe series to start!

Try Mini Britannia Competition.Doesn't matter about type of car as remember Historic Racing is at the bottom of heap so no great drivers although a few has beens.

Lots of signaturers and chug round without being bothered by superstars.

I long ago stopped circuit racing as to old,slow,fat etc.etc.

Those reasons in any order.

[wilco]

Steve, have read this go to whoa. Sounds like you're learning a heap and having a ball. Good stuff.
Cheers,
Steve Wilks. Yes, that's right.

'74 914 3.0ltr
'68 911T

[steve wright]

Goodness gracious me. Mr Wilks, it's been a while (almost 25 years)! PM me and let's catch up.

Sorry it's been so quiet on the race car front - thanks for keeping the thread active John . Unfortunately many things have conspired to keep me away from racing over the past two months, the Snetterton Three Hour being our last race.

Just getting the car ready for the Oulton Park Cup, but thought we would begin the engine upgrade for the bus so we're not reduced to 45mph on the hills...



For the uninitiated this is about as good a collection of period VW hotrod as you'll ever find: a SPG 82mm roller bearing crank, Denzel repro front pulley, NOS EMPI 88mm slipper skirt pistons and Mahle aluminium barrels, Sig Erson 1.4:1 ratio rockers, Vertex magneto, GB cam (sorry forgot the spec), Race Trim deep sump and valve covers, 356 oil filter housing that will be modified to act as a breather box, NOS gaskets and pushrods. This little lot will be dropped into the existing motor (dual 42mm DCNF Weber's, CSP tuned 4 into 1 exhaust, all on a genuine VW magnesium case. Heads will be VW 044's ported by Ian. The crank has been apart, refurbished, welded, with modified oil holes for the bearings, and the magneto rebuilt. The motor has just 9,000 miles on it from new so should need nothing other than a freshen up. 82x88 = 1995cc and the SPG should let it rev like there's no tomorrow, so along with decent heads and the slipper skirt pistons it should make a hot little motor, although we will keep the compression sensible and put a decent cooler and fan on it. Certainly it should get the bus up hills at slightly more than 45mph...! I was hoping to have it in the bus for the Oulton Park weekend but Ian said it might take a wee bit longer to build than 5 days

[madasasnake]

I thought you might be interested in this photo -it was posted on the Oulton Park thread on 911UK by "toobusy"

[steve wright]

Thanks Madasasnake. I've been meaning to ask if anyone had action shots from the weekend. It was just Ian and I this weekend so we had no opportunity to take shots of the car on the circuit. The look of concentration is because this is the exact point I spun on a previous lap!

The event was a humdinger – it's fast becoming the Revival of the North, with its picturesque setting, hordes of historic cars and appreciative and enthusiastic crowd. The HSCC organised another great event too, with a jam-packed series of races.

The bus performed flawlessly on the journey up (and back) - a six hour haul but well worth it as it's a lovely event. We had a constant crowd of interested people looking at the bus and race car – I need to get a fact sheet organised as I spent ages answering questions about both cars. Lovely to be able to chat to genuine and interested people – I gave a brief ride to a few kids up and down the paddock, so hopefully I've added a couple of enthusiasts to the next generation!

Practice was as much about reminding ourselves about the circuit as anything, it being a year since we had raced there since testing the day before wasn't an option unfortunately. We qualified 34th out of 35, so at least not last, and within a second of the next four cars; three MGB's and a Triumph TR4, so not all pride was lost! We took the opportunity later that day to walk off dinner with Robert Barrie by wandering around the circuit. If you ever go to a race meet it's well worth waiting until the days racing has concluded and then walking the circuit - most allow it. It's hugely instructive to be able to physically see the undulations, gradients and changes in track surface, as well as see the corners without having to worry about everything else that's going on when you're at race speed. Perhaps more importantly it gave Ian and I the opportunity to quiz Robert about race craft and to learn some pointers about the circuit. It's one thing to see it on YouTube, from a distance or on a piece of paper, and another matter completely to stand on a track you've just driven on earlier in the day and realise you turned in for the apex 10 metres too early! I didn't realise until we spoke but Robert is now also offering race tuition – well worth improving your driving from someone with the expertise and experience to have won the HSCC Guards Trophy and Formula Junior Championships outright, both of which are hugely competitive race series. I hope he won't mind me saying that he's also a genuinely nice chap with a relaxed and jovial manner that puts you completely at ease. He can be contacted on 07775518337.

Anyway the race itself was fantastic – I knew the start would be crucial for us as the 356 is always so good off the line with its rear engine giving superior traction and because we're so underpowered relative to everyone else in the championship that overtaking is a rarity for us. Lights extinguished and I buried the clutch with about 5,000rpm on the tacho. Past the MBG beside me and another directly in front. Right up the chuff of the TR4 and pulling alongside… and then the gap closes and I have to back off otherwise I'll get panel bashed both sides! Dive up the other side and overtake another MGB and we all frantically rush into the first corner four abreast, all sliding at different drift angles hoping it all works out for the best. Last year was our only DNF so Oulton Park is unfinished business for us, so I'm mindful of just wanting to finish this fantastic race, but I'm also now swept up in the heat of racing. Last year I did a 2:24 which isn't fast, but for only our fourth race I was just pleased to get round the circuit. A 2:22 in practice meant I knew the car (and driver) was capable of more so I piled the pace on. A 2:19 was the result and I was having a right old ding dong with the TR4, who in previous races has just driven away from us. Into the first chicane I nearly ran up the back of him when he braked a lot harder than I anticipated. The brake pedal was beginning to get a bit spongy by this point and then at Lodge on the back section of the track I stood on the pedal and it went almost to the floor. Which is a bit of a bother as this is the fastest point on the circuit – I've no idea of the speed but it was probably close to 100mph. I turned into Lodge without a hope of getting round it, but the alternative was straight on into the gravel and out the race. The back inevitably stepped right out and the car spun in a huge pirouette and then touched the grass, going round again. A proper spin! Thankfully I hit nothing and had the presence of mind to dip the clutch and put it into first before we came to a standstill, so I was already spinning wheels off the wet grass as we came to point in the right direction. But I had lost all those precious places I made at the start.

Fortunately this was to be a race of attrition – an MGB expired on the next lap with a blown gearbox, then an Elan went bang at the same corner a lap later. An E-Type pulled into the pits with smoke pouring from it's underside and the 911 we had been chasing hard suddenly slowed – this was the car prepared by the factory for Richard Attwood et al to race at select events around Europe. It transpired that the entire gear lever had come off in the drivers hand, leaving him without any ability to change gear. We had a great chat with the Porsche mechanics as the car was parked next to us in the paddock – genuinely nice guys who appreciated old Porsches. Another MGB crashed out and we were inching up the order, although painfully slowly as I was nursing the car now – the brakes were shocking, not having come back from the "moment" at Lodge. You simply can't race hard if you don't have confidence in stopping! I handed over to Ian at halfway and he got on with the job of bringing the car home in one piece. Three laps in and he had hauled in another MGB, making his first overtaking manoeuvre in racing, and making it stick. I have to say when you overtake someone there is no better feeling of conquest! Then he almost threw it all away on the last corner of the last lap! Down the back straight to Lodge and he ran out of brakes in exactly the same way I had. A big spin, thankfully only once though, and with sufficient gap to not lose any places, meant we finished 24th, 6th in the B2 class although the result flatters us as this was a 40 minute race of attrition, with only 25 finishers from 35 starters. Not bad for a pint sized car and the only one on drum brakes though.

I'm not sure how much more racing we'll get in this year – we haven't done enough races to finish in the standings with the under-1600cc Guards GT class this year, and I think my time and money is probably better spent improving the two weak points we have: my driving through some in-car tuition, and testing the car with different set-ups to improve the braking!

PS - if anyone is genuinely interested in coming to events next year to take action photos then I can arrange tickets, credit with the magazine (and on DDK of course), and potentially some small contribution, again from the coffers of the magazine publisher. PM me if you're interested.