Macca

Just a heads up everyone:

April 28 RSG Private Track Day is now fully subscribed at 30 participants! yes you read that right!

2016 South Island Track Tour is now fully subscribed at 12 participants (a record short amount of time for booking). We will create a "reserve list" for this event as I hope to get another spot or two allocated for us....

RSG membership is now at 49 with 35+ regular active members. Its become a very successful little group and become a great little community of like minded folk. Long may it continue....

Macca

A few pictures from yesterday evenings ultralight flight above Oaxaca coastline & Puerto Escondido...

John McM

One of the things to learn about racing is that it's mostly waiting. Playday definitely offers more consistent track time and the arrive and drive format is absolute nirvana. Great to see a place is being kept for those that are less hardcore. We need to retain an entry format and that provides it.

mbramkamp

Anyone in Asia Pacific that wants to sell 993 Hardback sport seats in classic gray? I am looking for a pair for my 993 Vesuvio with X51. Thanks rgds Matthias

gt38088

sounds like great experience John.
gonna have to fix the water temp. everyone will want to maximize driving time if you have made the effort to get to the track especially if an away meet.

Thesnowman

Have already received a large box from www.allzim.com and a new OBX manifold (going on tomorrow and then find someone to do the cam belt in the next 2 weeks)

Remove stone guards which are aged and cracked
Rear spolier in black (currently white, may plasti dip it for now)
Black part of mirrors or new ones (have over spray, maybe plasti dip or bumper paint?)
Drivers floor mat (find OEM one or new set)
Cam belt and balance shaft kit, front seals and accessory belts
Exhaust manifold, OEM ones cracked and welded. OBX one ordered.
Tidy engine bay, loom tape and paint bits
Acquire coil overs and convert rear to coil overs (find out about cert requirements)
Drivers seat switches (missing, replace)
Recover seats in real leather, front and rear or delete rear seats and just do the fronts for now
Polish and detail, re paint in the future once i have a garage for it(new window seals/door seals at same time)
New boot lock seal
New boot struts
Get boot pop working
Period correct tape player
Strip and powder coat wheels in OEM colour

John McM

Graeme, a few discussions going on in the background. Assuming the new pump is ok that leaves a cracked block as everything else has been done.

Agree on getting it right, especially when it's an away meet. With one car each and losing only 15 minutes driving, it wasn't too bad for me. Walter had no issues. A long day, not getting home until 8:30 then a couple of hours with the family and back up at 3am to get to Sydney. I have some time to research options. One thing for sure it that is isn't going back to the mechanic.

996tnz

Absolutely - even enjoyed the drive down in BB2. Saturday was a bit of a bitser, with the first 2K practice session canned as they were running behind schedule and the other two only about 4 or 5 laps long. Still good to get a feel for Taupo in the dry after waterskiing it with the Turbo last NITT (a couple of seconds faster than with the Integra in the dry).

Pick of the other cars running was a Juno (think small open sports prototype). Only one other car turned up for their formula and that Reynard lost its wing so the Juno was wap-wap-wapping it's way around solo for a while. Awesome to watch but I'd rather be running against a full grid. We were sharing practice sessions with the much modified Honda Cup cars which were slicing and dicing us every which way on their race tyres. But cool to see to see the difference up close.

Matt Burton more than earned his MVP for sorting out the Grinch's VTEC problem and offering us a place to crash for the night, before coming out and getting his hands dirty the next day again as support crew and providing some pointers on driving the short track layout. Thanks again Matt and looking forward to seeing you out driving in these things sometime too.

Sunday was just awesome. Lined up early and got away with the first few cars for qualifying and moved up near the middle of the medium grid for the races. For those following the results, I was the 'fast John' all weekend but only by a smidge as we were only 4 places apart on the grid. I did tell the timekeeper it was me in the car but they had more on their mind. Here's a shot of me making it 2 places on lap one of the second race (working my way up through the reverse grid). Took quite a few more laps to eventually get John at that same hairpin later though.



Most drivers weren't too keen on it being a short track (back loop cut out for Sunday) before starting, but most loved it once they'd had a run. Slithering through the high speed chicane on the cut through was a real buzz. I was running it shallower than most and was held up each time though.

Towards the end of that reverse grid, a few of the faster guys got me but I made them work for it. Starting in 10th and finishing in 10th doesn't sound exciting but the reverse grid meant I'd passed a good number and a good number got by me so plenty of close racing was had.

These 33 minute races are technically considered enduros by MSNZ. Time flew but on a scorcher of a day at Taupo, I wasn't too disappointed to see that chequered flag come out. It's hot in the paddock, hotter gearing up, hotter on the dummy grid then hottest in the race - but so worth it! Even John's car felt the heat and he retired it as a precaution about a third of the way into the last race when the coolant hit 100C at the top hose. BB2 just trucked on happily.

Most reckoned that the short track was designed to handicap the Integras a bit, and maybe there was something in that as the fast group reverse grid saw a 2L Peugeot 205 take it from a Mazda Lantis, followed by a Toyota Trueno then a gaggle of Integras that had likely made their way up from the back.

Honda cup cars aside, I never felt undergunned, though I do reckon the Direzza Star Specs have an edge on the Bridgestone Adrenalins in the dry.

Just a brilliant weekend and all the better for John and Matt's company.

996tnz

John, I've put some ideas forward over at RSG. Wish we'd remembered to compare the block temps after Race 1. They'd have brought much peace of mind if they were similar. Check it out properly but I reckon it's not a major. Colder thermostat ($50), running at least 80% water and upping the alert to 105C might be all it takes if it's just that the Grinch's radiator is a bit less efficient than BB2's.

I researched cooling pretty deeply in the context of boosted 996 Turbos... ;-)

John McM

Replied on that site Walter.

Btw I would love to have some performance data on the other cars. I sense that there are some hot engines out there to get the times the fast cars are doing. There's a big gap back to us and it has to be more than driver. I saw that at HD where the main straight V max was about 15km/hr faster than Us.

I was also thinking about consumables. I might invest in a personal set of rims and front pads to take the guess work out of consumable consumption.

cliffjumper

looks like a blast at the 2k cup, and you shareholders must be proud to have the grinch feature on the homepage of http://2kcup.com/

Great, looks like a fun project. If you need a second set of hands for some of the jobs give me a PM. I'd be interested to see what the shop-set belt tensions are like compared to mine. I bought a kriket tensioner tool, but it's a pretty cheap and nasty product with lots of room for operator error.

996tnz

I think only one car narrowly squeezed under 1:25 in qualifying, and my best lap was a 1:29 something so the gap's not crazy considering it was my first proper race and first dry Taupo track. A lot of the fast guys have at least a season and a half of 2Kcup behind them, plus some with decades of varied race experience. I had some Integras out drag me on the straighter sections too, but the JDM SiRs have an extra 10 hp. Doesn't sound like much to Porsche ears but that's a telling extra 6 percent in Hondaville. Nor are we the slimmest guys out there.

If I had to guess, I'd say there's maybe a second in car spec (heavy sunroof and aircon on BB2 for instance + road vs race rims), a second in car setup (tyre models and pressures - we could test to sort this) and a couple of seconds in driver experience and training/talent. With hardware limited in 2Kcup, that last would be the hardest to bridge...

kiwi 911

Awesome write up Walt

John McM

The fact that it was the first proper race for both of us shouldn't be forgotten. The organised chaos of 26 cars going into turn one is an eye opener. We were told that we faced a meeting ban if we caused an accident on the first lap. Somehow it all worked out with no touches that I heard of. I have it on my GoPro, but can't view it until I get back home.

The next three rounds are:

Round 5 – 11/12 April Taupo

Round 6 – 2/3 May Hampton Downs

800km Enduro - 4/5 July Hampton Downs

I will likely NOT go to the next Taupo round as my work requires that I travel to be at work on the Monday morning and I'm due in Samoa on 13/4.

Ranfurly

Hi

I thought I'd get brave as a 928 owner and post a 'hello note' to you guys - time for a photo of a 928!

I've been reading the posts here and haven't seen too many comments from 928 owners, love what you guys do with your 911's. I've seen a couple of cars about with the RSG banner/sticker in the city/Port/Wellesley St area.

I'm mostly on the 928 board reading up on tech as you need to do with a 928, but pop in here to see what is happening locally.

I've owned several P cars in recent years, always a good reason to sell for the next project... I seem to have a habit of spending money to get a car into shape only to flick it... and have lots of sellers regrets later.

My old Arena Red 993 Tip is now owned, I think, by 'Spokes' down in Queenstown, I've read a couple of his posts. Spent a small fortune on that car, now discovering how to spend money on a 928.

Cheers
Richard