Real Life Action @ Zwartkops Raceway

  • Thread starter ViXeN
  • 33 comments
  • 1,621 views
ViXeN

ViXeN

622
Off Topic: If this needs to be moved, please do so because I had no idea where to post this, but I figured a lot of GT4 fans would like this read.

So most of you know that IRL I race an RX2 Capella... What most of you don't know is that last weekend (Firday Night) I finished it's MAJOR facelift... Outside and inside...

The car started off as this:
11B 1100cc Rotary with a 13B Big Carburetta on it. It was ported and gas flowed and had a HUGE 60mm Pipe running front to back with 1 silencer. It ran completely street legal as that's the class I was competing in... It weighed just over 1.2 tons and sported 14" steel rims with 175 "trick rubber" road legal tyres on it. It had the STD 4 speed transmission. Basically it was a road car, modified to race.

What the car is now:
My little RX2 no sports a 13B 1300cc Rotary with the same 13B carb, a T4 turbo has also been added to the mix and all the bits and pieces modified to acomodate it. The bonnet, boot, Front and Rear wheel arches are now all light weight carbon fibre. The pipe is now a 70mm straight through pipe that protrudes just to the right of my ear under the drivers door. The rims are now 16" 245 front and 275 rear full racing slicks. A body kit including front splitters and a rather large rear wing have been added for downforce. The wheel arches are wider to accomodate the huge slicks. The glass windows have been replaced with lighter perspex windows. The transmission was replaced and fitted of the same year model RX7, so now it's 5 speed.

So basically this has happened:
Before:
Engine: 11B Rotary 13B Carb
Tyres: 13" Street tyres 175mm wide
Power: 130kw power
Weight: 1.2 tons
400M: 15s
Top Speed: 250km/h

After:
Engine: 13B Rotary 13B Carb T4 Turbo
Tyres: 16" 245 Front 275 Rear racing slicks
Power: 260kw (double oddly)
Weight: 850kg or 0.85 tons
400M: 11.3
Top speed: just short of 300km/h

Basically what happened here is that I used to race in a street legal class, and have now moved into a fully modified class...

I'm racing my first race meet this weekend at a local track, if this kind of write up is allowed and if you guys would like to read it, I'll post up the happenings on Monday. ;)

ViX
 
Hehe I still remember watching some chap, I think it was Kosie Swanepoel, spinning his private yellow early model 3-series into a tyrewall on the exit to the right hander after the pit straight there in a SATCAR race. We were there to watch the local debut of the Alfa 155 touring car! That was some time ago. He was spectacular in that BM, sideways everywhere. Looked like he was having a lot of fun.

I believe the track has been remodelled since then, I don't know what its like now.

Have fun in the race!
 
ViXeN
Off Topic: If this needs to be moved, please do so because I had no idea where to post this, but I figured a lot of GT4 fans would like this read.
Click to expand...

I think so too.. I just have no idea where to put it ;) If you think of something you can do so yourself with the admin tools in the lower right corner...

Sounds like an AWESOME car you've got there.. And to join the choir :

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES.. :mad:

Ohh.. Nice avatar btw. ;)

[Edit] Is this an RX2 Capella ?.. Seriously mate . That is WTFLOLBBQ kinda awesome !.. I love the idea of 250 Bhp living in a shed like that.. 👍 - Especially with the fat slicks you mentioned !..

[Edit2] - Check page 2 of the RX2 page I linked to - Nice 230Bhp AE86 - And very clean to boot !...
 
Flerbizky, that's a Capella... Mine was white, Now it's kinda ugly white and black as I just finished rebuilding it last week for this weekends race, so it has no paint on it yet. YUK, lol...

Alfaholic, I remember Kosie, didn't know him so well though... You must be South Arfican if you remember SATCAR, that's old school. lol... I used to race Ultimoil Silver Cup, now it's Ultimoil Super Cup for me...

The race went OK, I raced in A class because it's a rotary and came 5th in B class and 6th over all. (damn B class car in there that should be an A class came 5th over all, Man he was fast). The guy that won was also in a Capella and second went to an old Datsun SSS.

Pics will come as soon as I have the paint job done, I think it's elegal to post naked pics in public forums, even if they're naked cars.. lol..

I had issues with the motor which is to be expected from a newly built race car, I got them fixed but she was still miss firing a lot... Will work on her this week and hopefully be good for Kyalami at the end of the month. ;)
 
ViXeN
Flerbizky, that's a Capella...
Click to expand...
Sweet... That's an awesome sleeper !....

Pics will come as soon as I have the paint job done, I think it's elegal to post naked pics in public forums, even if they're naked cars.. lol..
Click to expand...
What ?... Camaroboy69 does it all the time :lol:
 
Vixen,

Do you find GT4 useful for practicing your racing skill? Do you practice racing techniques in GT4 which might be too tricky in real life?
 
De Bolle
Vixen,

Do you find GT4 useful for practicing your racing skill? Do you practice racing techniques in GT4 which might be too tricky in real life?
Click to expand...

Techniques to tricky in real life..... wallriding and lawnmowing? I'd love to see someone try those out on a real track :lol:

ViXeN, didn't the Ultimoil Cup once feature a red twin turbo GTV6 (that's the old RWD Alfetta version for those of you that may be thinking of the current FWD pretender offered in GT4) driven by a ginger haired chap whose name escapes me, and claimed to be (at the time) the fastest Alfa in Africa? Or was that a different series? I saw that thing racing at the old Zwartkops too. Was murdering the opposition until a turbo failed. Reduced to effectively 3 cylinders, he came second :cool:

Can't remember if that was the same day I saw Kosie there, but I can't have gone there more than twice in my life. Kyalami was closer so I've been there a lot. Saw Villeneuve testing the Williams there, and the first BAR. Was in the MAN tent one year when the trucks raced there for the first time. Spent more time getting dizzy on the oddly shaped Kyalami skidpan than I care to remember. Hell, my old and greatly missed Alfa even did 4 laps of Kyalami, in the hands of a friend of mine. Unfortunately the alternator rectifier failed before I got a chance to drive. Alfas..... :rolleyes:
 
Alfaholic
Techniques to tricky in real life..... wallriding and lawnmowing? I'd love to see someone try those out on a real track :lol:

ViXeN, didn't the Ultimoil Cup once feature a red twin turbo GTV6 (that's the old RWD Alfetta version for those of you that may be thinking of the current FWD pretender offered in GT4) driven by a ginger haired chap whose name escapes me, and claimed to be (at the time) the fastest Alfa in Africa? Or was that a different series? I saw that thing racing at the old Zwartkops too. Was murdering the opposition until a turbo failed. Reduced to effectively 3 cylinders, he came second :cool:

Can't remember if that was the same day I saw Kosie there, but I can't have gone there more than twice in my life. Kyalami was closer so I've been there a lot. Saw Villeneuve testing the Williams there, and the first BAR. Was in the MAN tent one year when the trucks raced there for the first time. Spent more time getting dizzy on the oddly shaped Kyalami skidpan than I care to remember. Hell, my old and greatly missed Alfa even did 4 laps of Kyalami, in the hands of a friend of mine. Unfortunately the alternator rectifier failed before I got a chance to drive. Alfas..... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I remember the GTV yes, but it raced before my time... I only been going three years.. And yes, it was in Ultimoil Super Cup, where I've just upgraded to. It was a 3L twin turbo and pushed out over 200kw on the rear wheels... And yes, at that time, it was the fastest... I raced an Alfa Juilietta before I got the RX2, That's an awesome car.. The rear gearbox balances it out so nicely...

De Bolle, It's actually the other way around, My IRL experience makes me better @ GT4.. lol...

GT4 and IRL have 2 major things that make them VERY different.

1. What I call the Fear Factor: When you're barroling down a straight @ 200km/h+ and a 2nd gear hairpin is at the other end that 100m breaking point starts to look way to close for comfort... You start wanting to break @ 200m... You have to hold tight and wait until the last second to break, and that's VERY scary... In GT4 you'll happily trubdle down @ 320 on Tokyo's main straight and break @ 150m for the tight right hander... Try that IRL, hehe.. *err, change of underwear please* lol..

2. G Force: This is perhaps one of the most physically challenging forces in nature... So much so that when you take a 3rd gear sweep @ 140km/h your blood all runs to one side of your head and you actually start feeling light headed and dizzy... Try going through a chicane like on Laguna Seca IRL, you'll be bouncing all over the place, (Unless you have a bucket racing seat like me, then it's you insides that bounce through your pody... I actually wear a kidney belt when I race to help with that sort of thing...

Hope this answers your Q.
 
De Bolle
It sure does. Interesting to read that real life racing experience can make you better at GT4. 👍
Click to expand...
Yeah it does, and it won't really work the other way around... Unless you're fearless and immune to G Force... lol
 
ViXeN
Yeah it does, and it won't really work the other way around... Unless you're fearless and immune to G Force... lol
Click to expand...

No racing experience here, but it must be awesome to do IRL. Is it an expensive hobby?
 
It's coming back to me now... It was the Glenwood Motors GTV.

I agree the transaxle really does balance the Alfetta family (which includes the Guiliettas and the 75s) very nicely. I think it's part of why the steering is so delicate and sensitive on these cars. It's direct and full of feel (no power steering) and yet it's lighter than that in some hatchbacks I've driven with tyres only 3/4ths of the size. I've never experienced steering that good before or since the Alfettas. Everything else has been like sensory deprivation. The Guilias came close, though GT4 cannot even hope to replicate that in the GTA and Spider. In the game you miss what was special about those cars, and to be honest its understandable.

Anyway the funny thing was once you start turbocharging the V6 motors the transaxle can't handle the power, and gear ratios aren't freely available to match to the power. The cars will redline in top gear as standard, in typical Italian fashion. Common fix used (as in the Glenwood car) was to bolt a new gearbox and clutch assembly directly to the back of the engine. On the road cars a BMW box was popular for this. This meant that the car no longer had a diff, and so an Alfa Six diff would be installed where the transaxle used to be. I think the propshaft then needed shortening too. Oh, and bits of the body had to be cut away near the new gearbox, and under the rear seat, to accept the new bits.

I never drove one of these so I don't know what it did to the handling, but I do know those turbo V6 cars were faaaaaaaaast! I know a white one won some "fastest car in SA" competition at least once, beating a few 911s while it was at it around a track as well as in a straight line.

Anyway back to topic: Congrats for the decent finishes in the races!
 
pSI civic
finaly a chick that can work on cars and none of us stands a chance with her... what a cruel world we live in...
Click to expand...
hehe... Where's that "pwn3d" smilie when you need it ;)
 
De Bolle
Is it an expensive hobby?
Click to expand...
Depends. I know people who race in the local series with about 40k to 100+k cars(from Civic to Porsche :) with still pretty equal races) and they mostly are sponsored. That's probably what I will do in about 1 or 2 years 👍

 
gt_masta
Depends. I know people who race in the local series with about 40k to 100+k cars(from Civic to Porsche :) with still pretty equal races) and they mostly are sponsored. That's probably what I will do in about 1 or 2 years 👍

Click to expand...

OK firstly, the biggest problem with racing cars is not the capital outlay on the car... The main problem is the running costs..., I'll list them for you:

1. Tyres: Slick tyres need to be every 5 or so races on Hard tyres, if you race the softer compounds you may need to replace ever 2 or 3 races... And slicks are roughly 2x normal tyre price.
2. Maintenance: Racing engines need to be retuned and reworked on almost every race depending on your class... Before I modified my car I never worked on the engine as it was basically stock, now I've done one race, and it needs tweaking.
3. Bodywork: Depending on how aggressively you race (VERY in my case) you'll be panel beating your bodywork alot...
4. Fuel, if you use racing fuel in your car it can cost alot.
5. Spares: When something break (which is often on a racing car) it needs to be replaced.

So yeah, buying the car is one thing, maintaining it is another. ;)
 
gt_masta
Depends. I know people who race in the local series with about 40k to 100+k cars(from Civic to Porsche :) with still pretty equal races) and they mostly are sponsored. That's probably what I will do in about 1 or 2 years 👍

Click to expand...

The biggest problem is not the capital outlay on buying the car, it's maintaining it.

Tyres, Services, tuning, spares, bodywork repairs etc.

That's what costs money in the long run...
 
Yeah, it slows many people down, I'm not too phased about it because my GF's dad owns a panel shop, so I spend time there fixing it if I need to...
 
If you want to test the waters it is quite cheap to take your road car on 'track days'. That is when they let road registered cars on the track. There is no racing (overtaking is limited to a long straights) and all you need is to buy a helmet. If you join a car club there is a good chance that they will participate in events like that.

I have been doing that for 2 1/2 years and it only cost me reduced life on the tires and brake pads(as far as the car is concerned). I go once a month when I can but most of the time is more like once every two months. I'd say it costs me about $3k AUD/ year. That is cheap compared with my previous hobby (PaintBall) which used to cost me about $200/weekend when I was really into it.

But you should be warned that they don't call it the 'go fast crack pipe' for nothing! You will want to go back all the time and will eventually end up like me saving up for a race car ;-). So far I have worked out that a Formula Ford will run me about $20- 40k AUD per year (plus buying the car and towing vehicle) depending on how competitive I want to be. I could lease one but that is between $3k- $5k per race depending on how little grunt work i wanna do...

There is always the option of doing one of the production or modified production classes but the prospect of constant panelbeating is not that appealing to me (FFord is open wheel - a lot less contact). That, and it would only cost a little less from what I have been able to gather.
 
Good place to start Mr Slow, Formula ford is a nice way to get racing... I tried it once, I've also tried 250cc GP Carts but Saloon car racing is where it's at for me... :)

What about Aussie Touring Cars? don't they race those hectic V8 Holdens and stuff?
 
They pretty much race anything with four wheels!

V8 sedans, V8 utes (the aussie pickup truck), midget cars, Aussie Touring Cars (Aussie version of midget cars), clubmas, production, modified production, Carrera cup, Ferrari Challenge, Elise Cup, Honda Challenge, you name it , they race it here!
 
Lotus Cup would be awesome... the other one I'd love to race in is the Clio Cup with the V6's... That'd be so cool.
 
Yeah, the way they got the Elise cup organized here is like this:

1. Pay $115k to enter.
2. Pay a 'community' fund bond of $5k
3. If you total the car you get a brand new one paid for by the community fund (everybody has to pay again). If you total it again they kick you out of the comp.
4. They sell you spares at discounted prices
5. You get an allotment of x number of sets of tires
6. They transport and store the car for you. All you have to do is show up
7. You get to keep the car at the end of season. That is a Lotus Exige (road registerable) that is priced at $110k at the dealership!


Problem is coming up with the $115k... :-)
 

Latest Posts

Back