Alanapone's Red VTS. Caged, stripped, track toy. - Page 66 - Saxperience

Alanapone^p · 22nd August 2014, 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damo420

good thread good car , good luck with this , enjoyed the read pal =)

Cheers. Glad people still like to have a read through this thread.

Just back from Curborough... Brake issue sorted, Cv boot leaked but not too bad so the brakes weren't affected and I smashed my best lap time from the last visit meaning I'm no longer bottom in our class!! hehehe awesome day all round.

Had a few wet laps and a few dry laps. I got some tuition off one of the guys that has been racing for years and has done many laps of this track and owns an amazing Caterham R500 Superlight... which I had a passenger ride in!!

Been a great day but now beer and GoPro vids are calling. Better update soon.

vtectransplant · 22nd August 2014, 22:00

Sounds like a good day fuelled with dirty butty

Alanapone^p · 22nd August 2014, 22:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by vtectransplant

Sounds like a good day fuelled with dirty butty

Only the best dirty butty's in town will do though. Cliff rules.

It really was a good day. The lads that run the days and the guys that turn up have all been so friendly and helpful. I took out 2 guys for passenger rides and got tips off both that reduced my lap times! You could turn up to one of these days and just get rides in other cars all day and have as much fun as racing your own car.

Alanapone^p · 28th August 2014, 20:42

Had a bad start to the trackday but overall it was great... Again!

Met up with Sam and still had the brakes binding on! After some head scratching and thinking over a butty and a brew... And wondering what butter just beeped at us, we decided to back of the balance bar a bit. This freed the brakes and seems to have solved my issue! My own fault for trying to get a quicker feeling pedal! Doh

We got to Curborough to find the track pretty wet but it was okay because some nutters had turned up in a reliant kitten with a Saab twin turbo engine in the boot and was lighting up the tyres so much that a line quickly started to dry! Hehehe.

I had a pretty average day for a while time wise and couldn't seem to break my 1:36.9 of our previous visit. One of the regular guys has a lovely Caterham R500 superlight that I may have mentioned once or twice how I'd love a ride in... He obliged, complete with a great flying lap followed by some serious showboating! The owner, Nice, had been out with me and gave me some pointers but a quick lap in his car showed me exactly where I needed to be and how fast I should be taking corners. After the showing of my spirits were lifted, some fluids taken on board and a few more laps done... To no avail... We decided it was getting late and we needed to make a move to avoid the terrible traffic.

" One more lap"... The phrase heard right before an engine is blown, a car is rolled over or some other near fatal incident is experienced... Not this time... 1:34.9!! BOOM!! I had wanted to beat the 1:35 barrier as a few mx5's had done around that lap time. I was properly made up!

So I packed up and got the he'll out of there before I did something to ruin it! Hahaha

If you haven't already seen my video of that lap on YouTube then you can see it right here...

Curborough Sprint Circuit - GoPro - 22/08/14 - Ci…: http://youtu.be/_4w3maaJyIc

Feel free to subscribe and watch the other boring crap I post up.

Well, after all that... Tax and mot are due so, it's time to sorn it again and sort the rust in the boot and rear arches as well as service the beam! This damn car spend more time on axle stands than it does on the road! When it comes back it should have a few things done to make it a little more useable as I hardly get to drive the Bugger unless it's to a show, event or track!

Alanapone^p · 3rd September 2014, 18:17

Well, a quick update... Car is sorn'd again. Mainly due to wanting to see what this new tax system is like before shelling out a ton of cash on tax.

So....

While it's off the road, time to tackle the back end. The beam needs a service and check over, some rust in the rear arches needs sorting and the rear cage legs need sorting better. Also a little bit of weight removal might be carried out as well.

At the minute she looks like this:

I think I need a new back box too... This one is 4 years old!

Need to drop the beam and fuel tank off asap to get a good idea of the level and extent of the rust!

Prickle^p · 3rd September 2014, 18:45

Oh Alan that bbox

Track pics look great

Alanapone^p · 3rd September 2014, 19:22

Yeah, I know. I welded it all up but the bit of mild steel in between the box and that stainless coupling is shot! Think it's time to fit a full stainless system!

Yates · 4th September 2014, 15:48

them pics, youre driving balls out, with a cage and no helmet, why would you do that?

Alanapone^p · 4th September 2014, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yates

them pics, youre driving balls out, with a cage and no helmet, why would you do that?

Theirs no requirement at the day to have them so people don't. I guess it's not the cleverest thing in the world but at least I'm not in an open top car with no lid on.

Got me thinking now though.

Yates · 5th September 2014, 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alanapone

Theirs no requirement at the day to have them so people don't. I guess it's not the cleverest thing in the world but at least I'm not in an open top car with no lid on.

Got me thinking now though.

Don't matter about open top. This site has just seen a saxo roll on track mate. ask stew if he would like to do it with no helmet.

Alanapone^p · 5th September 2014, 18:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yates

Don't matter about open top. This site has just seen a saxo roll on track mate. ask stew if he would like to do it with no helmet.

To be totally honest mate, I never felt the need for it, even though we're on a track pushing the cars, I only hit just about 80mph over the finish line, most of the track is done lots less than that and I also don't think I'm pushing the car half as much as it could go as I'm still learning how it all handles.

I guess we're under an illusion that as the speeds are lower than normal motorway driving and their is a ton of grass run off with no gravel traps or thing to actually roll the car over we should be a bit lax with safety. I was planning on getting a race suit, gloves, boots full face helmet and a Hans device in the near future. Think I should bring those plans forward before I take the car out again.

Anyways, hoping to get the rear beam , exhaust and fuel tank off tomorrow and hopefully start chomping some rust out... If the whole of the fuel tank area isn't already fubar!

Alanapone^p · 28th September 2014, 17:56

Still not done anything... This was the last pic I got before covering her up.

We have a few big things in the pipeline at home so I will be waiting for a bit before starting the strip down... I might even just postpone it until after christmas!

106maxi · 28th September 2014, 21:15

Don't do that! Crack on before Xmas, not after.

MuZiZZle · 28th September 2014, 21:48

It's amazing where the time goes! I think mine's been on track once this year!

Alanapone^p · 29th September 2014, 20:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by 106maxi

Don't do that! Crack on before Xmas, not after.

Just trying to find the time at the minute mate. All the stuff is sat here ready to be used, chopped out and welded back in, Just need the little ones to stop being ill for 5 minutes and me not be on call as well. I'll see how things go this next week and crack on if I get the time to do it bit by bit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuZiZZle

It's amazing where the time goes! I think mine's been on track once this year!

I have managed a few trips this year. Cant wait to get out and hit the tarmac again soon and really looking forward to next years calendar already... Might even see if I can get something setup for a sax-p trackday!

MuZiZZle · 29th September 2014, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alanapone

Just trying to find the time at the minute mate. All the stuff is sat here ready to be used, chopped out and welded back in, Just need the little ones to stop being ill for 5 minutes and me not be on call as well. I'll see how things go this next week and crack on if I get the time to do it bit by bit.

I have managed a few trips this year. Cant wait to get out and hit the tarmac again soon and really looking forward to next years calendar already... Might even see if I can get something setup for a sax-p trackday!

That would be good, Bolton abbey needs more people, it was superb, and FCS, we need to be more social

Alanapone^p · 29th September 2014, 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuZiZZle

That would be good, Bolton abbey needs more people, it was superb, and FCS, we need to be more social

Yeah, I know what you mean mate. Bolton Abbey was ace this year. Next year I'm hoping to be back in the driving seat a bit more. This year has just been full of kids stuff and a few bits of meets here and there.

If we can set up something a bit more like B/A at FCS etc it would be awesome but people want to wander around and see the rest of the show rather than stay on the stand... It's the one downside to one day events. A lot of the VW show's we have been to this past few years are weekenders so people have time to have things going on at the club stands but members can get a bit of time away every now and then to go and look around the show as well. I like that format.. especially for a show the size of TRAX I think it's really crying out for it.

Just my two peneth any ways. Just have to see how it goes next year and try to get the longer serving members on here to try and instill some interest onto the "younger" members to try and get out and come to local, regional meets and the big shows.