Re: 356 Race Car
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:26 am
Self preservation is a wonderful thing. Every living thing on the planet has it in some measure. As you get older that bit of your brain that sings when peril and danger present themselves only gets louder, so switching it off or at the very least ignoring it takes something. Especially when the circuit of Spa Francorchamps does present real danger - plenty of racers have died there and it still presents mortal risks despite having been sanitised over the years. Three corners makes it especially so: Eau Rouge which is well known as the wild dip at the bottom of the old straight and is tricky as you're trying to corner as the suspension is fully compressed while doing almost 100mph. But it's the next corner that is the difficult one and often confused as Eau Rouge. Raidillon is the hill straight after, sweeping away in a blind, uphill, off-camber corner that has a tightening radius to it - just about everything that makes a corner challenging. Add to this the fact that you have to take your hand off the steering wheel to change gear while trying to keep the rear-engine from swapping ends using the swing axle suspension and it is without a doubt the most challenging corner I've ever experienced. Oh, and it's blindingly fast. But you have to take it as fast as you can as it's damn steep - you can't cycle up it and to walk it requires you to lean into it just to balance. You have to attack it with all the courage that you can muster as the long, long straight afterwards is uphill and hesitation can cost you at least 10mph down they straight. The other corner that makes Spa is Blanchimont, the double apex, left hander that is ultra fast. Modern F1 cars are flat out here - in the 356 we're at 6,000rpm in fourth, doing well into three figures as we've swept down the hill on the back of the circuit. It's blind and surprisingly narrow, but both Ian and I learn that we can have confidence in the 356 here. Foot welded firmly to the front bulkhead, engine screaming, the car in a beautifully balanced four wheel drift at about 120mph. Others may not, but we have to lift for the second apex, before burying the accelerator again to the floor in the race up to the Bus Stop chicane. It's fair to say that both Ian and I are properly nervous every time we're venture out on the circuit....
Uncharacteristically we extended our race weekend to include testing on the Thursday. Even with our cavalier and 'go in at the deep end' approach we decided to practice first before tackling qualifying on the Friday. Unsurprisingly it proves a good move. Even in the wet we learn that the tyres get hammered and their temperatures soar, especially the fronts. It's also great to experience the famous Spa weather. Here we're getting ready to leave the old pits which plunges down the hill to Eau Rouge.
As usual the car requires nothing but a polish and pre-race checks. I know the guy does this for a living, but Mr Clark's ability to screw together a car and motor that just seems to revel in being punished race after race is quite something. During the race we use 7,500rpm every shift and 8,000rpm on occasions.
It's worth mentioning the support of Alex and Mav at this point too. You can't race alone, well I wouldn't want to. For me it's as much about having fun with your mates as it is dashing around in small circles on tarmac. What's great is that they are both hugely experienced in crewing and simply get on with everything required to get the car (and driver!) out on the circuit. They're also certified petrolheads so it's great to spend time away from the car enjoying the atmosphere, looking at other cars and formulating plans for our own projects. Look carefully and you can see the petrol station in the background - yes refuelling for the Six Hour race takes place at a Total service station situated on the circuit. Fun and games when it comes to the heat of racing!
Here a wonderful Cobra Daytona Coupe in bare ally fills up prior to the race.
The big boys refuel for this race every hour. We reckon after this weekend that we could play a tortoise and hare strategy given our large fuel tank and fuel efficient small capacity engine, but that's for another year….
Qualifying is on a damp track which makes it particularly tricky: the racing line is dry but off that it's really slippery, which makes for a no mistake effort! Between testing, qualifying and racing however we manage to take 10 seconds a lap out of our best times: our fastest time (albeit in the wet) in practice is a 3.42, and then I think normality is restored by me being marginally faster than Ian by posting a 3:32 in qualifying in the dry. In the race however Ian does a 3:23.4, better by three seconds over what I can manage.
Frustratingly we test the stinger and find it provides a significant improvement to mid-range punch, ideal for Spa, but just trips us over the decibel limit of 105db for the race. I have to report to the Clerk of the Course in testing to confirm that our 106db car will be quieter next time it takes to the circuit…. That will be a job for the winter - quietening the stinger to gain more hp.
We get a huge amount of support over the weekend - a posse from DDK showed up which was great. Even the men in uniform took an interest…
And so to the race. The grid is small (just 16 cars) but comprises some wonderful cars: Ferrari 250 SWB, AC Cobra, Aston Martin BD4, Jaguar E-Types, and then further down the field Lotus Elite's. The only other car in our class (1,301cc to 2 litres) is a Morgan +4 Supersport but unfortunately it never makes the start line, rather ambitiously having done the Six Hour race the night before. If you were cynical you might say any class win isn't real, but Porsche's first class victory at Le Mans, much lauded and pivotal in their ascendency, was also won with no-one else entered in their class simply by virtue of finishing a gruelling race on a mighty circuit.
Unfortunately it's dry, which means we really do have our work cut out in staying with the bigger cars. We line up at the back for a rolling start, along with the other two drum braked cars, an Aston Martin DB2/4 Lightweight (car 121) and a delightful Alfa Romeo Giulietta owned by Andrew Lawley. The Alfa has wonderful period competition history having been raced all over Europe for two seasons in international GT races in 1958 and '59. The car ran in the Coppa Inter Europa at Monza, Grand Prix support race at Spa, Silverstone, Brands and Goodwood among others so it must be wonderful to own something like that and retrace the early footsteps of your cars life again.
The grid bunches as we come into the hairpin between the two pit straights, La Source. I almost ram the Aston Martin trying to keep with the pack and have to change down to regain the lost momentum, but manage to get inside the Aston as we exit the hairpin.
A drag race down the old straight presents a game of chicken: who will lift first before Eau Rouge as we won't go through side by side! He lifts and I slot in behind the Alfa for Raidillon. We blast up the straight, surprisingly gaining on the white E-Type with red stripes.
Drafting behind the Alfa on the straight allows me to overtake him and I manage to get the Aston on the next corner too.
I decide not to lift through Blanchimont and run out of talent, a lurid slide accompanied by a sharp intake of breath that takes me over the rumble strip and into the asphalt run-off costing me momentum and time. The Aston gets in front and we repeat the battle we had at Donington last year, him pulling away on the straights and me catching him through the wiggly bits. As we come up Radillion though I use a few more revs and again tuck in right behind him, drafting to gain more momentum. I pull out and draw past, giving him a cheeky smile and a wave as we hammer down the straight. I can't maintain the lead though and he out-drags me to the chicane. All the while the Alfa is crawling all over the back of the 356 trying to get past, my mirrors full of the lovely Italian car. On a couple of occasions when I look in the mirror I can't even see the front of the Alfa, all I can see is it's windscreen and Andrew's face!
I manage to sneak up the inside of the Aston at the Bus Stop chicane as he's slowed by the E-Type. I can't get past the E-type though - he's making that lovely lithe car as wide as he can on the corners and I haven't got the horsepower to overtake him on the straights.
The Aston takes advantage of me being slowed slightly and I have to take defensive lines to keep him from getting past for the next two laps - he finally gets me on the main straight. I then spend the remaining four laps in one of the most epic battles for last place that has ever taken place! The Giulietta and I trade places, both of us dicing inches a part. As we come into Pouhon, a tricky left hander, I lose him in the mirrors and assume he's gone down the inside (the left). As I drift out towards the kerb on the right I realise he's trying to go round the outside of me and I'm inadvertently forcing him onto the grass! The bollards at the end of the kerb are rapidly looming but I'm completely committed to my line - I manage to tighten it just enough that Andrew misses them by inches but we're so close I can see the instruments on his dash. Andrew later remarks that had we swapped paint it wouldn't have mattered as both cars are the same colour!
We all come in to pit at the same time but uncharacteristically we fluff ours, taking 35 seconds, and the Aston manages to stay in front after the driver change. We had banked on being out before them as we're usually quicker but in this instance they swap with lightening speed. The Alfa gets got out before us too with a substantial lead, so Ian has a real task on his hands. He begins to hunt down the Alfa, taking one or two seconds a lap out of his lead. Each lap is quicker, Ian reducing his lap time by a second each time. But will it be enough? On the penultimate lap the Alfa still comes through in front, with Ian a few car lengths behind him. On the pit wall we think it's all over but Ian has different ideas. He closes the gap through the hairpin and then gets alongside the Alfa on the run down to Eau Rouge. The in-car footage of this is just heroic, with Ian slowly overhauling him as Eau Rouge looms, the hill up Raidillon rapidly filling the windscreen like an aircraft cockpit just before impact into the ground.
As Ian comes through the Bus Stop, finally in front, we erupt in celebration and Ian punches the air. Looking at us you would think we had won the race! In fact the race is won not by the pole setting Cottingham E-Type which is blisteringly quick and resplendent in its beautiful burgundy paint, because it appears to lose a wheel at Blanchimont. It's a rare failure from an often winning car and driver which allows the AC Cobra to take a much deserved overall win. At the other end of the field to have raced side by side for an hour and beat the Alfa by less than a second shows you how close it was. The fact that it was for last place makes not a jot of difference to any of us, and what's interesting is that at the prize-giving the banter, laughter and animation at the 'drum brake' table makes it obvious who had the most fun. We've have had the best of the battles, thoroughly enjoyed some close racing, and enjoyed a level of commorarderie that is truly in the spirit of racing as it was in period.
So Spa proved to be as good as friends said it would be. An epic circuit, life changing actually, because once you've faced fear and beaten it your perspective changes. This was our last race of the season and next year is uncertain unfortunately. I can't afford to complete the build of the Okrasa Special and race all next year so we will do a couple of races and focus on finishing the Special. I do hope this years race reports have entertained and inspired you. If you've have a desire to race then I can wholeheartedly recommend the 356. They aren't the quickest car but they can be made to run competitively and are a rare sight on the race track. If they are screwed together well then they are also bulletproof. Plus they are hugely entertaining and really take something to get the best from them, so you feel like you've been an integral part of whatever success you've achieved, rather than just pointing a big and dumb V8 through a corner and putting your foot down. Swap channels next week to the Okrasa Special to see progress we've made there….
Uncharacteristically we extended our race weekend to include testing on the Thursday. Even with our cavalier and 'go in at the deep end' approach we decided to practice first before tackling qualifying on the Friday. Unsurprisingly it proves a good move. Even in the wet we learn that the tyres get hammered and their temperatures soar, especially the fronts. It's also great to experience the famous Spa weather. Here we're getting ready to leave the old pits which plunges down the hill to Eau Rouge.
As usual the car requires nothing but a polish and pre-race checks. I know the guy does this for a living, but Mr Clark's ability to screw together a car and motor that just seems to revel in being punished race after race is quite something. During the race we use 7,500rpm every shift and 8,000rpm on occasions.
It's worth mentioning the support of Alex and Mav at this point too. You can't race alone, well I wouldn't want to. For me it's as much about having fun with your mates as it is dashing around in small circles on tarmac. What's great is that they are both hugely experienced in crewing and simply get on with everything required to get the car (and driver!) out on the circuit. They're also certified petrolheads so it's great to spend time away from the car enjoying the atmosphere, looking at other cars and formulating plans for our own projects. Look carefully and you can see the petrol station in the background - yes refuelling for the Six Hour race takes place at a Total service station situated on the circuit. Fun and games when it comes to the heat of racing!
Here a wonderful Cobra Daytona Coupe in bare ally fills up prior to the race.
The big boys refuel for this race every hour. We reckon after this weekend that we could play a tortoise and hare strategy given our large fuel tank and fuel efficient small capacity engine, but that's for another year….
Qualifying is on a damp track which makes it particularly tricky: the racing line is dry but off that it's really slippery, which makes for a no mistake effort! Between testing, qualifying and racing however we manage to take 10 seconds a lap out of our best times: our fastest time (albeit in the wet) in practice is a 3.42, and then I think normality is restored by me being marginally faster than Ian by posting a 3:32 in qualifying in the dry. In the race however Ian does a 3:23.4, better by three seconds over what I can manage.
Frustratingly we test the stinger and find it provides a significant improvement to mid-range punch, ideal for Spa, but just trips us over the decibel limit of 105db for the race. I have to report to the Clerk of the Course in testing to confirm that our 106db car will be quieter next time it takes to the circuit…. That will be a job for the winter - quietening the stinger to gain more hp.
We get a huge amount of support over the weekend - a posse from DDK showed up which was great. Even the men in uniform took an interest…
And so to the race. The grid is small (just 16 cars) but comprises some wonderful cars: Ferrari 250 SWB, AC Cobra, Aston Martin BD4, Jaguar E-Types, and then further down the field Lotus Elite's. The only other car in our class (1,301cc to 2 litres) is a Morgan +4 Supersport but unfortunately it never makes the start line, rather ambitiously having done the Six Hour race the night before. If you were cynical you might say any class win isn't real, but Porsche's first class victory at Le Mans, much lauded and pivotal in their ascendency, was also won with no-one else entered in their class simply by virtue of finishing a gruelling race on a mighty circuit.
Unfortunately it's dry, which means we really do have our work cut out in staying with the bigger cars. We line up at the back for a rolling start, along with the other two drum braked cars, an Aston Martin DB2/4 Lightweight (car 121) and a delightful Alfa Romeo Giulietta owned by Andrew Lawley. The Alfa has wonderful period competition history having been raced all over Europe for two seasons in international GT races in 1958 and '59. The car ran in the Coppa Inter Europa at Monza, Grand Prix support race at Spa, Silverstone, Brands and Goodwood among others so it must be wonderful to own something like that and retrace the early footsteps of your cars life again.
The grid bunches as we come into the hairpin between the two pit straights, La Source. I almost ram the Aston Martin trying to keep with the pack and have to change down to regain the lost momentum, but manage to get inside the Aston as we exit the hairpin.
A drag race down the old straight presents a game of chicken: who will lift first before Eau Rouge as we won't go through side by side! He lifts and I slot in behind the Alfa for Raidillon. We blast up the straight, surprisingly gaining on the white E-Type with red stripes.
Drafting behind the Alfa on the straight allows me to overtake him and I manage to get the Aston on the next corner too.
I decide not to lift through Blanchimont and run out of talent, a lurid slide accompanied by a sharp intake of breath that takes me over the rumble strip and into the asphalt run-off costing me momentum and time. The Aston gets in front and we repeat the battle we had at Donington last year, him pulling away on the straights and me catching him through the wiggly bits. As we come up Radillion though I use a few more revs and again tuck in right behind him, drafting to gain more momentum. I pull out and draw past, giving him a cheeky smile and a wave as we hammer down the straight. I can't maintain the lead though and he out-drags me to the chicane. All the while the Alfa is crawling all over the back of the 356 trying to get past, my mirrors full of the lovely Italian car. On a couple of occasions when I look in the mirror I can't even see the front of the Alfa, all I can see is it's windscreen and Andrew's face!
I manage to sneak up the inside of the Aston at the Bus Stop chicane as he's slowed by the E-Type. I can't get past the E-type though - he's making that lovely lithe car as wide as he can on the corners and I haven't got the horsepower to overtake him on the straights.
The Aston takes advantage of me being slowed slightly and I have to take defensive lines to keep him from getting past for the next two laps - he finally gets me on the main straight. I then spend the remaining four laps in one of the most epic battles for last place that has ever taken place! The Giulietta and I trade places, both of us dicing inches a part. As we come into Pouhon, a tricky left hander, I lose him in the mirrors and assume he's gone down the inside (the left). As I drift out towards the kerb on the right I realise he's trying to go round the outside of me and I'm inadvertently forcing him onto the grass! The bollards at the end of the kerb are rapidly looming but I'm completely committed to my line - I manage to tighten it just enough that Andrew misses them by inches but we're so close I can see the instruments on his dash. Andrew later remarks that had we swapped paint it wouldn't have mattered as both cars are the same colour!
We all come in to pit at the same time but uncharacteristically we fluff ours, taking 35 seconds, and the Aston manages to stay in front after the driver change. We had banked on being out before them as we're usually quicker but in this instance they swap with lightening speed. The Alfa gets got out before us too with a substantial lead, so Ian has a real task on his hands. He begins to hunt down the Alfa, taking one or two seconds a lap out of his lead. Each lap is quicker, Ian reducing his lap time by a second each time. But will it be enough? On the penultimate lap the Alfa still comes through in front, with Ian a few car lengths behind him. On the pit wall we think it's all over but Ian has different ideas. He closes the gap through the hairpin and then gets alongside the Alfa on the run down to Eau Rouge. The in-car footage of this is just heroic, with Ian slowly overhauling him as Eau Rouge looms, the hill up Raidillon rapidly filling the windscreen like an aircraft cockpit just before impact into the ground.
As Ian comes through the Bus Stop, finally in front, we erupt in celebration and Ian punches the air. Looking at us you would think we had won the race! In fact the race is won not by the pole setting Cottingham E-Type which is blisteringly quick and resplendent in its beautiful burgundy paint, because it appears to lose a wheel at Blanchimont. It's a rare failure from an often winning car and driver which allows the AC Cobra to take a much deserved overall win. At the other end of the field to have raced side by side for an hour and beat the Alfa by less than a second shows you how close it was. The fact that it was for last place makes not a jot of difference to any of us, and what's interesting is that at the prize-giving the banter, laughter and animation at the 'drum brake' table makes it obvious who had the most fun. We've have had the best of the battles, thoroughly enjoyed some close racing, and enjoyed a level of commorarderie that is truly in the spirit of racing as it was in period.
So Spa proved to be as good as friends said it would be. An epic circuit, life changing actually, because once you've faced fear and beaten it your perspective changes. This was our last race of the season and next year is uncertain unfortunately. I can't afford to complete the build of the Okrasa Special and race all next year so we will do a couple of races and focus on finishing the Special. I do hope this years race reports have entertained and inspired you. If you've have a desire to race then I can wholeheartedly recommend the 356. They aren't the quickest car but they can be made to run competitively and are a rare sight on the race track. If they are screwed together well then they are also bulletproof. Plus they are hugely entertaining and really take something to get the best from them, so you feel like you've been an integral part of whatever success you've achieved, rather than just pointing a big and dumb V8 through a corner and putting your foot down. Swap channels next week to the Okrasa Special to see progress we've made there….
