CAMS NSW Supersprints 2010

[Guest]

I'm entered in my fourth straight year in the CAMS NSW State supersprints (www.supersprints.com.au). We usually get 3 timed laps per session, 4-7 sessions per event day but need to wait about 1 hr between sessions.

Round 1 was held on 17 Jan at Oran Park Grand Prix circuit but my car was under prepared. I had to run:

• bad alignment
  
• Bendix heavy duty front brake pads (these are my normal road brake pads as the RB74 track pads only had 1mm thickness left)
  
• EBC Greenstuff rear brake pads
  
• old Falken RT215 195/55R15 front tyres (free from friend but now worn down to the indicators)
  
• Goodyear LS2000 205/55R15 rear tyres (cheap road tyres)
  
• old Castrol Super Dot 4 brake fluid

Best lap was 1:31.63 (slower than PB of 1:30.01 but Ok given the setup) in the sixth and last session ever at OPGP. Came fourth out of four entrants in Class 1B (results link). There were 125 entrants, higher than normal due to the circuit being closed forever and making way for a housing development.

It's a real shame that OPGP is closing as I started to work out more and more of the track. Eg Taking turn 1 off the straight in 5th and the dog leg flat out in 4th. Too bad I didn't have good tyres and brake pads... Here's a pic of the old RB74 against my Bendix roadies.

Things I'd like to do if I get enough time or money throughout the year:

• Exedy Heavy Duty clutch
  
• Redline RT90 or similar gearbox oil
  
• Castrol Super Dot brake fluid
  
• Road and Track braided brake lines
  
• Ferodo DS2500 or DS3000 front brake pads
  
• Dunlop DZ03G / Toyo R888 / Bridgestone RE55S semi-slick tyres
  
• Sparco Sprint V seat and harness
  
• Fireproof race suit

Don't know whether to buy in OZ or from the US

[Guest]

Round 3

Preparation - Got my Road and Track braided lines installed with the TRW-Lucas front pads. Plus I've got some nice new Toyo R888 semi's.

It was quite hot on the day and I could only manage 1:16.09 but that's 2nd in class and a PB.

The R888s seem like a worthwhile investment. Rear tyres aren't wearing on the outer edge with my stock sus. Probably should have lowered the psi. Tyres were good but the rears aren't wearing evenly, probably need more camber or toe. I wasn't too fused and managed quite a few 1:16's. I noticed I'm redlining much easier with the new tyres on most turns

Brakes held up but don't seem to stop as quickly. Pedal wasn't spongy, brakes just weren't stopping quick enough. There was a hint of a burnt smell at the end of each session but then the smell disappeared when I got back to the garage. Checked the fluid every session. No leaks. No smoke from the pads. Must be border line

[Guest]

Round 4

Arrived nice and early at Eastern Creek for round 4 and had to wait for the gates to open. Turns out there's fog at EC in the morning and there's a horrible smell that drifts over from the adjacent rubbish tip.

Swapped onto the Toyo R888 semi's on my spare rims and then prepared the essentials (Dorian timer, blue triangle sticker for battery, race numbers, and fire extinguisher). Contemplated whether it was worth removing the rear seats to save 13kg but was lazy and decided to check in for scrutineering.

When I finally hit the track after a few on track accidents/mishaps by other competitors, my previous PB 2:02.60 was beaten in the first session with two laps in the high 2:01's.

The next three sessions built up confidence in the semi-slick tyres to take turn 1 without braking (only foot off deceleration). This produced another two 2:01 laps and the eventual new PB of 2:01.07 (official CAMS/Dorian/Natsoft timing) whilst trying to over take a slower Civic. I'm pretty happy with that especially after another low 2:01 lap near the end of the day lapping a Subaru that decided to do a cool down one lap early.

Nokia N95 + Racechrono GPS lap timer exported into DANAS shows I'm pulling 188kph on the main straight

[SuperDave]

Things I'd like to do if I get enough time or money throughout the year:

• Exedy Heavy Duty clutch
  
• Redline RT90 or similar gearbox oil
  
• Castrol Super Dot brake fluid
  
• Road and Track braided brake lines
  
• Ferodo DS2500 or DS3000 front brake pads
  
• Dunlop DZ03G / Toyo R888 / Bridgestone RE55S semi-slick tyres
  
• Sparco Sprint V seat and harness
  
• Fireproof race suit

Don't know whether to buy in OZ or from the US

Good to see you still at it!

In my opinion skip the DS2500, the heat range is too low for what you want them to do. Go straight to the DS3000.

I'd skip the R888 and use the 03G or RE55S, or if you can get your hands on the new RE11S (haven't seen anyone run them yet so hopefully they don't turn out like the D02G).

[Guest]

I ended with some cheaper TRW Lucas pads up front. They seem to hold up ok (no fade) but don't stop as quick as the DS2500 or RB74's. Out of interest, how do you check your brake temps?

[SuperDave]

I just use an infrared gun on them back in the pits. Physics can help with back calculating to an approx temp before the cool down lap. But that doesn't give a temp reading of the 'flame front' so to speak. I just kept going up in heat rages with pads until they would stop glazing; I've used about 5 different pads.

[Guest]

Quick update on the last two rounds at Wakefield.

I had a day of ups and downs at Round 5. Being slow (ie slowest 25% of the 110+ entrants) and stuck in the White colour group meant that it was inevitable that an even slower lapped car could hinder fast laps. I was that car once so I didn't make too much of a fuss. Eventually, the faster cars re-ordered themselves to run first on the track and then my lap times dropped into the 1:15's. My new PB of 1:15.48 was disappointingly less than 2-hundredths of a second from 1st place (Ford Fiesta XR4) in Class 1B.

My Celica had moved up into the faster Blue Group for cars lapping under 1:16 for Round 6 at Wakefield. The rear seats were removed for the first time after coming very close to winning the class last round. However, the Ford Fiesta XR4 and Mazda MX5 NC were both one second faster early on. Turn 6 was proving to be a corner that I had to wrestle the steering wheel with and after some discussion to simply turn in early, the laps seemed to be much smoother. Together with much later braking into Turn 2 and greater speed out of Turn 3, I improved my PB by a massive 1.1 seconds from the last session of the day. The result was 1:14.3339 and an unexpected 2nd place in Class 1B.

[SuperDave]

Good stuff. Nothing beats improving on a PB.

[Guest]

Check out the Round 7 report I wrote for JSCC - http://jscc.asn.au

My Celica 2nd in Class 1B. Unfortunately, the only Toyota in the club

[e240]

Check out the Round 7 report I wrote for JSCC - http://jscc.asn.au

My Celica 2nd in Class 1B. Unfortunately, the only Toyota in the club

Nice going Tony

[Guest]

Leo! When are you coming back to the supersprints? Or have you moved into IPRA?

[Guest]

Just smashed my Eastern Creek record with a 1:57.7851 http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results....08/2010.EAST.S1

Still running stock engine with R888 semis and TRW Lucas pads.

I've posted up the latest event report that I write for the JSCC club http://jscc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_co...s&Itemid=50

[e240]

Very nice! Congrats.

I'm trying to get a foot into IPRA - Trying to save money to prep the "new" shell. :-p

[Guest]

Update on my supersprint (time trials) championship. Just got my trophy on the weekend to top the year off after a close championship between the top 3 in class and type.

There was also a motorkhana at the presentation held at Eastern Creek skidpan. I'll try to upload a video later

[e240]

Congrats Tony

[SuperDave]

Good stuff!