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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 17, 2014 15:58:58 GMT -5
In preparation for Round One of the 2014 GPd Garagista, the cars were each given a run-in test of 12 laps on the centre lane of Forest Hall Circuit this afternoon. The session was primarily to check if every car was ok and ran in the right direction. All the cars performed very well and there were no de-slots. I may have to take a close look at Charles Cooper, although I don't think it will be a problem, it may just need a few more laps to loosen it up. It must be said that not only do the cars look amazing this year, a number of them have been extremely well engineered and are very quick. This was an unofficial session. I'll run the proper qualifying prior to the event when all cars will be timed on each of the 3 lanes. Here are some photos from today's events at Forest Hall Circuit: Emergency vehicles on their way to take up vantage ppints around the circuit. The Brabham team receive service from the tyre suppliers prior to their informal practice runs. John Surtees gets his first taste of Forest Hall Circuit. Jochen Rindt awaits the all clear before taking to the track. Congestion in pit lanes as teams get to grips with todays action. Graham Hill en-route to achieving best time of the day. More photos from today's warm up will appear tomorrow.
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 18, 2014 1:16:47 GMT -5
More photos from yesterdays warm up activities at Forest Hall. Owen Racing Organisation had a reasonably successful warm up. Hill and Stewart recording 1st and 8th respectively Dan Gurney had a steady start to proceedings, but handling of the car was very good and there is more to come. Jack Brabham in full song down Stebbe Straight recording 5th fastest time of the day. Trevor Taylor accustomed himself well to Forest Hall, the Shannon handling very well in the warm up More photos to follow along with reports of initial driving impressions, handling and performance.
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Post by Aurora on Aug 18, 2014 2:19:42 GMT -5
The "Official" event hasn't even started, and I'm already blown away with how cool this is! Ok, I'll quit gushing now and let Dave and the photos do the talking...
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 18, 2014 13:37:48 GMT -5
A few more images of Sundays unofficial warm session from the Forest Hall press room, plus news of Honda Racings arrival today: The Tyre Service centre was kept busy most of the afternoon as teams busily prepared themselves in the changeable British weather conditions. Jochen Rindt and Trevor Taylor exchange notes during service. Jack Brabham lead the team in a successful afternoon of pre race warm up. Chris Amon headed the Ferrari team recording 10th fastest on Sunday afternoon. Today, Honda Racing wasted no time in making sure Surtees was ready for immediate track action. Surtees was straight on the pace recording a best time of 4.297 (placing him in 9th position within yesterdays unofficial session). Despite Honda Racing's altercations with British Customs, the team were happy with the RA300's initial performance. More photos of fellow competitors to follow soon.
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Post by David Mitcham on Aug 18, 2014 14:07:31 GMT -5
Many thanks for all these great photographs Dave. Matt's Honda looks wonderful and would seem to be quick too.
Best Regards
David
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Post by David Lawson on Aug 19, 2014 2:34:50 GMT -5
Magnificent progress report photos Dave.
The photographs, reports and the cars are excellent - there can't be a better setting for cars of this period although of course we know that John Prince's and Pete Shepherd's scenic tracks are also wonderful and the cars will be travelling to them later on during this event.
I know the published practice times are "unofficial" and it will be interesting to see what the official session to determine the grid will eventually be like but already we can see that as always Bryan King has built a quick car and as usual Taffy is on the pace. Having driven an excellent Phil Kalbfell proxy car in the past I am surprised to see him down the order and Charles's Cooper doesn't seem as competitive as last years car.
Personally I am not that surprised I'm a mid-fielder as my Cooper-BRM is untouched since last year's series and I was aware of its shortcomings then, can I ask you please Dave that before all practice sessions and heats that you clean the tyres with tape as the NSRs are a strange item and have inconsistent grip and taping the tyres helps a little.
I look forward to hearing how the battle for the grid unfolds.
David
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 19, 2014 15:15:55 GMT -5
The following pictures conclude coverage of last Sundays warm up. The teams and cars have since been locked away in their respective pit garages busy preparing for official practice, which will commence this weekend. The atmosphere around the circuit has been gathering momentum since the sound of Formula One shattered the tranquillity of Forest Hall surrounding country side and motor racing fans armed with their British weather proof camping gear have now begun arriving in their droves. Forest Hall paddock witnessed congested scenes last Sunday as teams and drivers prepared themselves in readiness for their first outings of the day. Surtees and Ginther in close company entering the fast Gerrards Bend. Bianchi and Brabham test one another's nerves exiting Gerrards Bend onto Stebbe Straight. Siffert completed a solid run and looks in good shape for official practice. Dan Gurney in the Eagle Weslake kept pace with the leaders in the early stages of warm up. Bianchi is shown the 'oil on track' flag. Jack Brabham arrives at Shaws hairpin in a hurry. Siffert just ahead of Ginther as they accelerate down Stebbe Straight. Graham Hill takes the GLTL 49B into 4th best time of the day. Gurney takes 7th best time of the day just ahead of Stewart's BRM. The Cooper Maserati of John Surtees arrived with a 'tight' engine, but the team remain confident of a good result on race day. Ginther's time of 4.508 placed him in very close company with several competitors. Richie powers into Gerrards Bend. The Gold Leaf Team in close formation chase Ginther and Bianchi up to Bridge. ...and then GH decides it's time for a break. Gurney and Siffert finish the day with a stop at their friendly service station. In the next few days I'll post more information about each car, its handling and performance on the track.
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Post by Mark Huber on Aug 19, 2014 15:20:34 GMT -5
I'm not going to comment on the preliminary times, because why would I want to depress myself? Dave, the pictures and coverage from Forest Hall just keep getting better and better. So, I'm going to be focusing on the big picture rather than how a certain Ferrari is peforming--or not as the case may be. And the coverage is outstanding. I think I've been transported back into the 1960s. Congratulations on a superb track and s great job as Forest Hall Race Steward (or would that be Race Marshall..I'm not up on my terminology right now).
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Post by old23 on Aug 19, 2014 18:06:57 GMT -5
Only mid-pack so far for my Ferrari, but I'm just happy to be in such a scenic paddock with such a great collection of cars. Looking forward to Qualy and the Race, and I will second the request by David Lawson about sticky-tape cleaning the tires before each session. The NSR tires lose their grip quickly with a bit of dust buildup.
Stewart
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 20, 2014 14:03:42 GMT -5
David/Stewart.
Please be reassured I will make sure the tyres on all cars are cleaned using adhesive tape before practice and the race. I'll also check and clean the braids and lubricate crown gears and pinions if required.
Dave
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Post by Dave Wisdom on Aug 20, 2014 14:20:11 GMT -5
The following driving impressions are subjective and based upon experiences on the Forest Hall Circuit. Handling and performance of cars may vary at different host circuits according to track design and surface.
Forest Hall Circuit is made from routed MDF and painted with 4 coats of quality matt grey emulsion. Grip levels are very good for most makes of tyre including Ortmann and NSR.
The circuit is specifically designed to run period classic racing cars and in view of this, is forgiving in its design and nature to ensure close, equal racing distances on all three lanes. The track is powered by a variable power supply and is set at 12V for the GPd.
First driving impressions of 2014 GPd entrants:
1967 Ferrari 312 (Stewart Harding) Excellent road holding capability; good top end speed; very good traction/speed on corners; good consistent brakes; minimal risk of de-slotting Weight: 70gms
1966 Ferrari 312 (Mark Huber) Good top end speed; rear tyres appear to compromise traction; general handling is good in and out of corners; good, consistent brakes; some risk of de-slotting. Weight: 75gms
1966 Honda RA273 (Nigel Mckeone) Good road holding; good traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 65gms
1966 Cooper –Maserati T81 (David Mitcham) Excellent road holding capability; excellent traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; good consistent brakes; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 85gms
1966 Eagle Climax (Chris Wright) Excellent road holding capability; very good traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; very good, consistent brakes; minimal risk of de-slotting. Car weight: 60gms
1968 Matra MS9 (Taffy) Exceptional road holding capability; exceptional traction/speed on corners; exceptional top end speed; excellent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 85gms
1966 Cooper-Maserati T81 (Charles Lawrence) Unpredictable traction in and out of corners; straight line traction is good; top end speed is ok; brakes unpredictable; risk of de-slotting reduced if driven with due care and attention. Weight: 80gms
1968 Cooper-BRM (David Lawson) Very good holding; good traction/speed on corners; top end speed very good; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 75gms
1966 Shannon SH1 (Phil Kalbfell) Very good road holding; good traction/speed on corners; top end speed is good; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 85gms
1967 Brabham BT24 (Thomas Menke) Excellent road holding; very good traction and speed on corners; top end speed very good; very good braking capability; minimal risk of de-slotting. Car weight: 80gms
1966 BRM P83 (Bryan King) Exceptional road holding; exceptional traction/speed on corners; exceptional top end speed; excellent braking capability; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 75gms
1967 BRM P83 (John Prince) Excellent road holding; very good traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Car weight: 80gms
1966 Brabham BT19 (Alan Stubbings/Stu Loader) Excellent road holding; very good traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 75gms
1967 Brabham BT20 (Mel Ault) Very good road holding; good traction on corners; some over-steer; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Car weight: 75gms
1968 Lotus 49 (Marc Abbott) Good road holding; good traction on corners; some over-steer; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 65gms
1968 Eagle TIG (Ric Woods) Excellent road holding capability; very good traction/speed on corners; very good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Car weight: 65gms
1968 Lotus 49B (Tony Condon) Very good road holding; very good traction/speed on corners; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 75gms
1968 Lotus 49B (Ross Trowman) Good road holding; good traction on corners; good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 65gms
1968 McLaren M7A (Dave Wisdom) Good road holding; good traction on corners; some over-steer; very good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 85gms
1967 Honda RA300 (Matt Ryder) Excellent road holding capability; excellent traction/speed on corners; very good top end speed; good consistent braking; minimal risk of de-slotting. Weight: 80gms
On this circuit, with the exception of one or two, the majority of cars feel evenly matched. Practice times will be very interesting.
This year’s standard of model making and precision fine detailing really is outstanding. To fully appreciate the fine work invested in each model they do have to be seen in the flesh. I have tried to illustrate each car as best as possible the on these pages, but in truth, the photographs fall way short of doing them justice. The bar has most certainly been set to an extremely high standard and it’s difficult to imagine how it could be raised further.
Not only do the cars look fantastic, they also have the performance to match and everyone should be congratulated at producing such a fine set of miniature reproductions representing a classic period in Grand Prix motor racing history.
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Post by f143 on Aug 20, 2014 22:46:33 GMT -5
The coverage of the event (without the racing) is first class, it gives a feeling of what fun you are having and keeps us in touch with how it is evolving. Regards Nigel
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abbo
John Love
Posts: 28
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Post by abbo on Aug 21, 2014 8:56:52 GMT -5
Oh Lord.... my nerves are shot to pieces already.... AND... I knew I should have gone for more power Excellent shots of the cars – even my one looks well built. Scenery around the circuit is top-notch too. Brilliant stuff. ABBO
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Post by Taffy on Aug 21, 2014 13:36:37 GMT -5
Wow! Jackie Stewart is so fast, that he couldn´t be catched by the camera! I like all the auxiliary cars of the Forest Hall Circuit, but shouldn´t the Mercedes fire engine better come home to Germany (i.e. in my garage)? Dave, what make is the Dunlop van and the BBC caravan? Could they be purchased anywhere?
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Post by slo on Aug 22, 2014 3:28:42 GMT -5
A very well done presentation Dave, simply stunning! Like Taffy's,it seems the #2 McLaren of yours is also too fast for the camera.
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