I went out to Queensland Raceway (Clubman Circuit) yesterday for an impromptu track day. I went with my Uni car club (Even though I have graduate now)

Car performed pretty flawlessly, however the front left tyre didnt survive the last session. I felt it delam when I went out but still went hard and was only 4 tenths of a second off my PB. I got my value for money out of these tyres. They were completely bald. 


I managed to do a 1.03.42, which was a respectable time, however I know I can manage substantially better than that. 

In doing so i also set what I believe is the MR2 lap record on the clubman circuit, with the previous time being a 1.04.90

Video of my fastest lap and some big moments ;)


 
 

Some big moments indeed! Yes, true to form, that 'snap oversteer' is totally unavoidable when an SW gets out of shape…..
 
You must get some real funny looks from the V8 set when some old rice burner screams past them!

Dudeman
Some big moments indeed! Yes, true to form, that 'snap oversteer' is totally unavoidable when an SW gets out of shape…..
 
You must get some real funny looks from the V8 set when some old rice burner screams past them!

I have found that the snap only happens when you lift off. In those clips, I let the car get unsettled through backing off and the back came around. The solution is simply to apply more right foot and let the car do most of the steering into the slide. My setup will countersteer almost to the correct angle and I simply wind in a little more lock and let it straighten up. 


And yeah, poor V8's. Wakefield provided the best story however. 

I did the Trackschool the day before and was talking to a bloke in the pits. He asked what i drove and I said "Just an MR2, you?" He told me about his brand new V8 mustang he bought recently. 

I think he was suprised when I blew the doors off him on the straight. 

Great stuff Eric.
I can't imagine the Mustang coming back at you under brakes or cornering either.

Even i managed to be quicker than the Mustang, he was braking 50 metres earlier and was slow around the corners. I finally managed to get past him..

Gotta be pure talent Rick.

I've included some more videos below. My lines were a little bit all over the place, so there is some tidying up to do. 

In this clip I am trying to chase down my friend Jivan's Evo 7.



This video is from one of the other blokes, gave me an interesting perspective on my car.


 

Well that's a nice evo... ;-)

Wow no update since Feb... well time for some more. 

I had to put the brakes on the car as I ended up doing a 2 week tour of Japan in a Lexus ISF with fellow MR2 owner Nate. Too many highlights to list, However the top ones were going to Fuji Speedway, driving Mt Fuji and Mt Haruna (Mt Akina from Initial D) and catching up with some fellow MR2 owners in Japan.

Spotted this JGTC MR-S in a workshop near Tokyo




Made some friends at the famous Daikoku Futo parking area


 
Spotted a wild MR2 - 100% stock Rev3 Turbo hard top
 

 
Dinner with some MR2 Friends
 

 
The ISF after we tackled Mt Fuji
Mt Haruna (Akina) water tower/start line from Initial D



 
and finally, I got to see a 222D in the flesh. Impressive piece of kit!!
 
Anyway there was stacks more photos and adventures. It really was a car holiday.

But, now that I am back - onto the next lot of upgrades
 

So onto my car, I basically cooked my tyres and brakes last time. I decided to purchase a set of Kuhmo v70a's (also called the v700) which is basically a direct competitor to the A050, however nearly 700 dollars a set cheaper. 

I also bought a new set of rotors, however I got the DBA 4000 series rather than the standard rotors. To improve braking perfomance, I've opted for a set of Winmax 6.5 race pads for the front. The rears have stacks of life left so I will continue to use those for the moment. 
 
After I saw Admin doing all his aero mods, I was inspired. It's a relatively cheap exercise, just time consuming. 

The difficult part for me is the following;

-The car has to remain street legal on commuting to or from the race track\
-I do not want to make any permanent changes to the body.

So, this meant acquiring a spare boot lid and front guards.

Anyway, I found a cheap wing on facebook, however it didnt come with uprights or mounting brackets.


I used my pipe bender in an unconventional method and made some curved plates so I could weld up the mounts. 



I dont have any photos of the welding or grinding, but here is the end result. 




 

 

 
I might have gone a bit big on the end plates - but f*ck it. I also reinforced the boot skin to support the weight of the wing. I can comfortably jump on it now.

Anyway, wing angle is adjustable by turnbuckles. It's currently sitting at about the lowest angle of attack possible. If I find that this is too much, I can take the end plates off the wing, roughly halving its overall effectiveness. 

You can also see my front splitter too. I opted for marine plywood as it's waterproof, extremely durable and cheap. I made it in two pieces as there is a pretty good chance I will crack or destroy it at some point, and it's way easier to replace one half than the whole thing. Not pictured, but there is a metal frame that sits under the car which holds the splitter to the car. One day I might make it out of fiberglass, but this will do for now. 

Now I know what you're thinking "theres no way that this is legal to drive on the street"

And you would be correct. Luckily, I have a solution. And it's not a trailer. 


 

One of my mates is a pretty hand welder (moreso than me) so we made up this tyre rack which bolts on over the engine lid. Pretty sturdy piece of kit, so I can carry my track tyres to the track no worries. The wing also straps the the tyre on the end and sits over the roof like a surf board. 

I consulted an engineer and he said there is no mod plates or requirements for custom roof racks/ luggage racks if its a temporary fixture, so as long as its all strapped down and well built I should be good to go.