Hexus Rally Car......RESULTS

[unrealrocks]

Aww - shame about the engine ... downloading the video now!

[Sair33]

Top marks to Sair for a well produced WMV

Thanks Shame there couldn't have been more footage, but never mind Hopefully next time....


First stage was a learning stage, and car was oversteering much more than the Skoda used to. Zak was confident, but it took Dave (driver) some getting used to....

Second stage was much faster and both came back grinning!! 23 seconds faster for same stage layout.

Third stage, car had started to get poorly... Was missing power from 5000 revs up and died on the finish line and had to be pushed back to the service area. No grins this time....

Car started once it had cooled down, and managed the fourth stage but didn't seem to have much power to me. Died again at the end of the stage, but this time, they couldn't bring it back to life....

Dave looked ok, but poor Zak was gutted. Am currently plying him with red wine and he seems to have cheered up,.... slightly... wants to get out and do it again asap though!

Zak's convinced suspension setting are fine for HIM to drive (he loves going sideways!!!), but the challenge is to set it up for Dave, who is potentially a faster tarmac driver overall.


Sad faces all round

[Knoxville]

Looks absoloutly brilliant from the vid

it'll be back stronger next time aswell

[TomWilko]

Despite what happened Zak33, that is seriously wicked and every1 involved should be extremely proud of themselves! I hope in a few years I would have the time to do things like that!! [me + Nick anyway ]

[Jiff Lemon]

Zak's convinced suspension setting are fine for HIM to drive (he loves going sideways!!!), but the challenge is to set it up for Dave, who is potentially a faster tarmac driver overall.

Zaks right! Leave that suspension alone! Its just a bit of right foor education needed!

Lift off oversteer is JUST what you need, its just learning when it does it. Get the boy out on the roads!

[Theo]

Unlucky dude, hope it fairs up a little better next time


....Just HEARD the video... what the HELL is that noise?? BEASSSTTT

[Crazy Cricket]

...what the HELL is that noise??...

Sounds like he is running a straight cut box.

Tis just teething troubles Zak, sometimes it's better to get the gremlins at the start, and have the chance to iron them all out. I am sure you will have a long happy life with said car once all is sorted

[TeePee]

Wow, you really aren't a midget! Nevermind, the car will work next time, and if you had fun, thats what it's all about. Oh, and winning!

[Russ]

Unlucky dude, hope it fairs up a little better next time


....Just HEARD the video... what the HELL is that noise?? BEASSSTTT

all the teeth in the gears are straight cut, lik reverse on a normal car. so when you reverse fast you gte the "verrrrrrrrrrrm" sound, he gets that whatever direction he goes

[Trash Man]

Just watched the vid, very impressed The car sounds great as well.

[Zak33]

MORNING GUYS


you lot are the most supportive and well informed people on the planet.....that christ I have you all to put my mind straight

cos I have had a crap nights sleep again, worrying about all the cars stuff.....and now a days work.

Motorsport huh? god I love it.

Sair did a blinding job on that vid......thing is tho.....it LOOKS speeded up but I promise you its not.....my first thought was "that looks damn fast, what have yo done to make it look so fast?" but she aint fiddled....

the irony of what Jiff said is that both he and I are wrong....lift off oversteer is fine..but

bloody hell....the bitch realy does oversteer.....in a hooooj way. A well placed injecting of low geared power and she slides....nicely wide and off we go.....but....its not good.

Its far too porominent. Best thing about being a co driver sometimes is the sensation of yaw......the car going broadside around a centre axis.....cos its more prominent with no steering wheel to hold onto !

I have a theory, and now so does the man who put our cage in.....and he's far advanced chassis man than I.

My thought: Michelin fronts rubber....and Colway rear. Nowt wrong with Colways but the tyre walls are so so soft...they are puncture proof ones, but they are only puncture proof BECAUSE the tyre walls can take a huge pinch when you clip a kerb or whack a brick.

but they do flex.......not what we want.

Other theory...we need much more camber on the rear wheels......ie the tops of the wheels need to point in and the bottoms point out.....much much more.

Lets put this into context.

1.6 Astra straight cut box, 106 bhp, hits 97 mph easily and then runs outta steam.

first stage.....8:45

Skoda road box, 84 bhp, struggles to get to 85 in 3rd, road box too tall.....

first stage....(very nervous driver) 8:40

We used that Skoda all last season, got a 1st in class at Longcross with it, and it has monster camber front and rear....huge amounts. It is divine, but slow.
ANd we were flying on the chicanes, and straights, but rallying is about accuracy in corners....and it wasn't easy to place....the arse was too loose.

Second stage we did the Skoda....we improved by 23 seconds, they improved by 3

but that is NOT enough.....not anywhere near......the Sunbeams and Civics Vtecs were ripping big holes in us....the 205's were only just ahead, and some behind.....guess which other car has a natural lift off oversteer trait? Yup.....205's. Suffering just like us.

Then the absolute bastard was....the power on the engine started to go....(realisitic guess, injectors aren't firing enough fuel cos a sensor has failed, and once care is stopped, there is NO voltage to injectors) ...anyway...er.....oh yeah....once power started to go, Dave could lift off, wait for arse to slide and then confidently re apply power to get front wide parrallel with rear.......there wasn't enough power......so the arse just kept coming...and coming.......

Sad for Sair too.....2 reasons.

1 She has to put up with months of building and me stressing....then defeated and misserable Zak who has to wait until another day to try again...plus....
2 Ministry of Defence places like Longcross dont let the spectators wander around...so her photo oportunietes were very low.....

I PRAY the official photographers who WERE out on the SNAKE (S bends that go up and down same time as left and right) got a few goodies......cos I'd love a broadside photo


righty.....on to work now.....thanks fellas....you're all very helpfull and supportive.

And THANKS TO DAVID here at Hexus, for understanding that it didnt go well straight away.


I'm gutted....

[Zak33]

minor addition: although it all feels depressing and sad...its not. The fact is as we went home for an early bath, so did 2 Sunbeams and lots of top cars like Celica 4x4s and Metro 6r4s

I want a reliable rally car...and except this one hiccup...I think it will be that. If so...we shall defeat....cos those cars ALWAYS break down......mine shant

I hope....

[TiG]

Oh matey, I feel for you I do - must be hard to end up not finishing the the pride and joy that you've had in that car for the last few months. The footage is Superb tho, and loads of respect to Sair because quite frankly getting most girlfriends to come and film a rally event quite frankly seems remote.

So considure yourself lucky mate, someone to console you after the ECU died too, and look you've now got another mission to sort out the car again, pour more time money blood sweat and tears into the beauty before the next race.

But last but not LEAST THE SOUND!!!!!!!, ohhhhhhhhhhh i want to hear with my own ears, let me know where the next public rally is because OMG do i want to see this myself.

The adrenaline is going like mad just watching the video, this i got to see in the flesh.

TiG

[Moby-Dick]

Top marks to Sair for a nice vid there !!

Commiserations to Matt , but you know its gonna be back - and this time its personal ;-)

(I've got a spare 200sx ECu if you want to hack it and overclock the astra )

[unrealrocks]

BTW - Was it all tarmac? Did you get out onto any gravel etc.?

[Zak33]

all tarmac and conceret on this one matey.

TiG...once its fixed I shall perosnally take you out in it and make you cry