So a bit of a post Brands Hatch update / brain dump. For those that were there, the 3 and a bit hour closure (inc. lunch, so 2 and a bit hours of lost track time) was very frustrating. Bloody twat in the RX8 'race car' ignoring the marshals and dumping oil all around the circuit from a cracked block. Still a good day though.
Car ran faultlessly all day, albeit covering fewer miles than I would have liked. I did Brands this time 2 years ago in an mx-5 and it was definitely a lot easier in the FWD Saxo. Quicker too, I'm sure, simply due to driver confidence. It is fun sliding around in RWD, but can be annoying when you want to be going forwards! In terms of pace, passed way more mx-5s then passed me and it was about 50:50 on RX8s... So competent TD pace from the little Sax. A largely Mazda day, hence the benchmarks. Quite pleasing really as I was in a quick group at Goodwood, so had no real ideal of pace - 911s, M3s, etc. will always be faster. Way faster.
Check engine light came on again, but it didn't impact engine running so I'll assume that it is just being French. I have a fault reader / clearer so will investigate, but I'm not too fussed.
Maybe I'm being a prick with the check engine light, but it is only an issue when it is getting a razzing on track - fault never returns in road use. Based on the last lot of codes, following Goodwood, potentially the issue was in and around the ignition system. Depending on my mood and advice I may refresh all of that, but others have done the same (coils to plugs) and found no change.
Headroom is marginal, so the sunroof is definitely on the delete list, probably with a simple glued and riveted plate.
Harness bar would be nice too... But with no more TDs planned, just yet, I'm in no rush.
Anything else to mention - driving position is great. The seat / dished wheel combo really works for me. The brakes, despite changing nothing since Goodwood, felt much better. Maybe the pads settled once fully cooled (Yellowstuff), maybe I didn't work them as hard in the cold, damp conditions?
Car is definitely fun though. Rear a little flighty into Paddock, kept in check with just a little corrective action - just an eighth of a turn of lock and barely noticeable on film. The rest of the time it was just a case of managing the front grip. Didn't understeer badly unless I was a dick, just a case of not overloading the fronts. The video is a bit dull compared to RWD ones, but felt good at the wheel.
Retaining all wipers, heating and stereo was a good call.
Does the car feel lighter on its feet since the strip? Maybe, but I'm not convinced. The whole stripped and caged car felt better though - better held in place, able to use the wheel for steering and not bracing myself against in corners, the reassurance of the cage (no excuse for being a dick though) and ultimately a lot more confidence that nothing is going to fall off... Which was one of my concerns at Goodwood!
I'll post up a photo or two later, but I've not bothered uploading the video to YouTube. I placed the camera in a poor position - too much interior, rear view mirror in the middle of the shot, etc. - but ultimately nothing much exciting happened from a casual viewer perspective - a whole quarter lock represented the biggest moment. No one bailed off in front of me. The lines worked in the conditions, but look wrong (go where the grip is, not the dry racing line) so basically I can't be arsed uploading as they serve no purpose! Other than perhaps indicating where NOT to place a camera.
Oh, and I sorted a little tea station for the 15 or so of us. We had more mugs, obviously... But they were all in use at this time. Absolute genius. If it is good enough for Guy Martin...
