Thursday, October 11, 2018 10:59 PM
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Just over a Year of Track Stuff.
Got this car running for it's first track shake down early September 17. Shake being the operative word. Behaved smoothly on normal road driving but as soon as the brakes got even half hot on Queensland Raceway it would nearly shake my hands off the steering wheel. Moment I would touch the pedal it was hopeless. So brand new front RDA 582 discs and genuine Toyota pads.
Few other adjustments and about two weeks later I set off to Adelaide for the Nationals and a track day at Mallala Raceway.
Brakes behaved quite well and really enjoyed the whole experience. Even had a couple of blokes brave /dumb enough to get in for a few laps. Participated in the Nationals then headed up into the Flinders Ranges. Those that don't know this is very much in the outback but most beautiful wild area. Lovely scenery but kangaroos and emus dead and alive everywhere.
Did about 6,000 km. for the trip. One rear tyre failed internally probably at Mallala Raceway as it gradually distorted on the trip home to Brisbane.
Worked on fixing a few bits and bobs all over the car. 2018. Began taking it to Morgan Park Raceway for their midweek practise days. I have now done about twelve or fourteen of these and have the car running very much to my liking.
Stuka flew up to show me how to drive the car a couple of months ago and we had a great couple of days. Once he started to find his way round the new track following me in my other SW20 he then blew me sideways and disappeared into the distance.
His comment was that it needs proper sticky front tyres to go any better as it was understeering whereas I can't get it to understeer. Just possible I can't drive for s##t but he didn't say that being a thorough Irishman. He drove the car for about 900 km. that day and reckons it to be stable and quite predictable on both road and track.
I did experience brake fade while using the Toyota pads in the front so changed to QFM. A.1.RM. Had been using Bendix DB1260GCT pads in the rear but they appeared to have maybe glazed the new discs that I originally fitted. Was never totally convinced they were quite right for the track work. I had the rear discs bead blasted to try to remove any glazing and fitted a set of QFM. HP-X pads. Just bedded them at the track a couple of days go. Then got stuck into em.
Foggy out through the Lockyer Valley but at the top of Cunninghams Gap it cleared to blue sky. Bloody ripper !