Swindon Winter Series RD2 16/10/2022

With nothing on at Mendip or Cardiff this weekend, the itch to give the B6.4 a taste of Astro, needed scratching.

Not having been to Swindon before, I thought I’d have the ideal excuse if I couldn’t get the car working right!

Heat 1, Let’s just say, didn’t quite go to plan.

It does say in the manual to threadlock the front axle retainer screw in place. I didn’t. Oh dear.

Heat 2 had to be a safe banker having lost the track time in Heat 1. Steady on a still sopping wet track, but it was giving good feedback about what it wanted.

Heat 3 and off came the chassis brace to get the battery seated further back, Dialled in an extra 1/2 degree of toe in at the back (3.5deg) Found I was running yellows on the front when I should have been running greens. Time to get the hammer down.

Much better, and looking at the laps, there was a 12 in the car, just not me 🙂

Heat 4 was pretty much the same as 3, but I think I shaved a second off my best lap.

The finals were excellent fun. I have no-one to blame but my self for the first, I got of the line nicely, but misjudged the second corner and beached my self on a corner hose relegating muggins to last for a short period. After that, I settled in nicely for most of the race. A lap and a half to go and all the acceleration and top end went out of the car. I’d backed off the slipper clutch a bit too much, and it over heated.

Finals – Round 1

Race 2 – 2wd – B Final

I just managed to drag it over the line to pick up a place from where I started. Cool!

There followed a frenetic extraction of the Diff for a tighten up; so that the Slipper could be tightened back up without wrecking the diff plates. And into the second final. And I think the result speaks for itself.

Finals – Round 2

Race 2 – 2wd – B Final

Chuffed to bits with that. 3 places in the bag and Alan had to drive like a demon for the last three laps to keep me off second place, less than a second in it at the line.

This car is going to be a beast on dry tracks 🙂

Thanks to Swindon for a great track and a superbly ran meeting, not to mention a nice warm welcome!