Re: grease - from Lithuania
Impressive stuff there . Keep us posted. Articles like yours keep the forum alive and the Alfa light burning (hopefully not like a std GTV headlight
Re: grease - from Lithuania
a short video of the race weekend in july.
http://www.vimeo.com/29625955
since then we've participated in 2 more races.. will write about them shortly.
http://www.vimeo.com/29625955
since then we've participated in 2 more races.. will write about them shortly.
Re: grease - from Lithuania
the race weekend in early september.
did not have time or money to get a competition gearbox, but we did have a very big stick shoved in our bottoms, which had "RACING" engraved all over it. It made sure its' presence is felt.
So we've decided to participate in another 1000km endurance race in Riga, Latvia.
Got 2 standard gearboxes, one for testing/qualification, another one purely for the raceday - we were very hoping it should last 1000km.
Testing/qually went great. No problems at all - the weather was great, the drivers got to know the track. Qualified 6th, although we used only about 10 minutes of the available hour of qually - the track was very abrasive, tires were being eaten very fast. So decided to save both the car and tires.
After the qually got to a shop to change the gearbox to a newly reassembled one, as planned. Changed it, went to sleep with good expectations of the race.
The race morning, whilst shinning the car for the start, we noticed oil leaking from the newly put gearbox! That was quite a shocker! Whe had 1,5 hours before the closing of pits - if we do not make it in time, we'd have to start from the pits. We'll not that big of a deal - it's an endurance race after all, we thought.
So, we jacked the nose of the car up, got ourselves underneath and changed the gearbox - the car drove out of the pits 30 seconds before they were closed. We tightened the last bumper nuts at the start line.. That was quite a rush!
The reason of the oil leak was that the guy who overhauled the gearbox for us forgot (wtf?!?) an o-ring on the primary (don't know the english term - i.e. the input) shaft. Well, at least he gave us a test on how quickly we can change a gearbox in the pits, with the car just jacked up from the ground.
The race started, everything looked great - climbed to 3rd place in 2.5 hours. The pace was great, everything looked promising.
But.. The driver told about some fumes inside the cabin. The car lost power, the temperatures were OK, oil pressure was OK, it was still sort of drivable. When the car limped to the pits and stopped, it immediately caught fire - fortunately we were ready for that with the fire extinguishers. The reason - rod bolts of one of the pistons broke - i.e. hole in the block and oil leaking from it. It soaked the exhaust wrap and caught fire when the car stopped.
So...
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUHL_EUS440&t=5m9s
Still, sort of a good race - at least experience-wise.
more pics of the race:
http://www.go4speed.lv/gallery/1000km-g ... lifikacija
http://www.go4speed.lv/gallery/1000km-grand-prix-riga
did not have time or money to get a competition gearbox, but we did have a very big stick shoved in our bottoms, which had "RACING" engraved all over it. It made sure its' presence is felt.
So we've decided to participate in another 1000km endurance race in Riga, Latvia.
Got 2 standard gearboxes, one for testing/qualification, another one purely for the raceday - we were very hoping it should last 1000km.
Testing/qually went great. No problems at all - the weather was great, the drivers got to know the track. Qualified 6th, although we used only about 10 minutes of the available hour of qually - the track was very abrasive, tires were being eaten very fast. So decided to save both the car and tires.
After the qually got to a shop to change the gearbox to a newly reassembled one, as planned. Changed it, went to sleep with good expectations of the race.
The race morning, whilst shinning the car for the start, we noticed oil leaking from the newly put gearbox! That was quite a shocker! Whe had 1,5 hours before the closing of pits - if we do not make it in time, we'd have to start from the pits. We'll not that big of a deal - it's an endurance race after all, we thought.
So, we jacked the nose of the car up, got ourselves underneath and changed the gearbox - the car drove out of the pits 30 seconds before they were closed. We tightened the last bumper nuts at the start line.. That was quite a rush!
The reason of the oil leak was that the guy who overhauled the gearbox for us forgot (wtf?!?) an o-ring on the primary (don't know the english term - i.e. the input) shaft. Well, at least he gave us a test on how quickly we can change a gearbox in the pits, with the car just jacked up from the ground.
The race started, everything looked great - climbed to 3rd place in 2.5 hours. The pace was great, everything looked promising.
But.. The driver told about some fumes inside the cabin. The car lost power, the temperatures were OK, oil pressure was OK, it was still sort of drivable. When the car limped to the pits and stopped, it immediately caught fire - fortunately we were ready for that with the fire extinguishers. The reason - rod bolts of one of the pistons broke - i.e. hole in the block and oil leaking from it. It soaked the exhaust wrap and caught fire when the car stopped.
So...
video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUHL_EUS440&t=5m9s
Still, sort of a good race - at least experience-wise.
more pics of the race:
http://www.go4speed.lv/gallery/1000km-g ... lifikacija
http://www.go4speed.lv/gallery/1000km-grand-prix-riga
Re: grease - from Lithuania
Great pics! that sucks about the rods really, did it make much more of a mess? need to get a new block I suppose...
Good time to get that Jim K book, and the THS rods my friend!
Good time to get that Jim K book, and the THS rods my friend!
Re: grease - from Lithuania
fortunately, the loose piston did not make any mess, the head is ok.fedezyl wrote:Great pics! that sucks about the rods really, did it make much more of a mess? need to get a new block I suppose...
Good time to get that Jim K book, and the THS rods my friend!
a new engine is already in the car - we used it a series of small races this weekend.
already got Jim K's book and THS are on their way
-
SydneyJules
- Verde
- Posts: 619
- Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 1:57 pm
- Location: Sydney
Re: grease - from Lithuania
hey folks!
It has been a looong off-season here, but finally we had our first race this year!
This was a 555km race - the first of 4 endurance races this season.
This is a completely new long distance championship here in the baltic states, organized basically by the participants themselves, thus only 10 cars appeared in the first event. But it's a start! We'll definately have more cars later on!
You can find more information here - http://www.balticendurance.eu
We've made some improvements during the off-season - moved the fuel cell further back, redone the exhaust, fiddled with the suspension, new front bumper, etc.
But the most important thing - we decided to use the 3.0 V6 instead of the 3.2 V6.
That is because we then go to A3000 class instead of A3000+ class where all of the turbo cars go. And the power/torque gains in the 3.2 V6 versus the 3.0 V6 are not that huge.
Now the car's looking good.
The race was a success. We had only one minor problem with a loose axle CV joint boot, but it was fixed in a few minutes. However, the gearbox "problem" is still there - the stock gearbox is the weakest point in the car as it cannot handle the power in a long race. We had to drive the car very carefully, use pratically no engine breaking, and be very gentle on each shift. In short, we sacrificed 1.5-2 secs a lap to make it to the finish. We are now in the process of somehow raising some funds to get a proper gearbox and to show the full potential of the car.
And the finish was actually great - P1 in class and P2 overall.
The winner - a 2 liter Civic - the team has good drivers and, most importantly, an unlimited budget... It is a really good car, purposely built for endurance racing. Their car has not had any reliability issues and finished in all (something like 15-20) endurance races they've entered.
Sadly, our friends in basically the same stable, the Alfa 155, were not so lucky - gearbox problems, which led to locked front wheels and not a very comfortable drive outside the track. But no major damage, so that's good.
my GTV6 project turned out to be sort of a hop-on hop-off project.
Still, during the winter I almost got it ready for replacing the few rusty spots and welding in the rollcage.
Also, I've visited RSR Nurburg - got all the suspension stuff. Ron and the whole RSR team are really nice guys.
They have quite a collection of cars there - it was not easy to keep my jaw up and not to drool.
Will keep you posted on this!
It has been a looong off-season here
, but finally we had our first race this year!This was a 555km race - the first of 4 endurance races this season.
This is a completely new long distance championship here in the baltic states, organized basically by the participants themselves, thus only 10 cars appeared in the first event. But it's a start! We'll definately have more cars later on!
You can find more information here - http://www.balticendurance.eu
We've made some improvements during the off-season - moved the fuel cell further back, redone the exhaust, fiddled with the suspension, new front bumper, etc.
But the most important thing - we decided to use the 3.0 V6 instead of the 3.2 V6.
That is because we then go to A3000 class instead of A3000+ class where all of the turbo cars go. And the power/torque gains in the 3.2 V6 versus the 3.0 V6 are not that huge.
Now the car's looking good.
The race was a success. We had only one minor problem with a loose axle CV joint boot, but it was fixed in a few minutes. However, the gearbox "problem" is still there - the stock gearbox is the weakest point in the car as it cannot handle the power in a long race. We had to drive the car very carefully, use pratically no engine breaking, and be very gentle on each shift. In short, we sacrificed 1.5-2 secs a lap to make it to the finish. We are now in the process of somehow raising some funds to get a proper gearbox and to show the full potential of the car.
And the finish was actually great - P1 in class and P2 overall.
The winner - a 2 liter Civic - the team has good drivers and, most importantly, an unlimited budget... It is a really good car, purposely built for endurance racing. Their car has not had any reliability issues and finished in all (something like 15-20) endurance races they've entered.
Sadly, our friends in basically the same stable, the Alfa 155, were not so lucky - gearbox problems, which led to locked front wheels and not a very comfortable drive outside the track. But no major damage, so that's good.
my GTV6 project turned out to be sort of a hop-on hop-off project.
Still, during the winter I almost got it ready for replacing the few rusty spots and welding in the rollcage.
Also, I've visited RSR Nurburg - got all the suspension stuff. Ron and the whole RSR team are really nice guys.
They have quite a collection of cars there - it was not easy to keep my jaw up and not to drool.
Will keep you posted on this!
Re: grease - from Lithuania
And I thought the transaxle was weak...
Maybe it needs a gearbox cooler?
I saw a video of the GTA in the Dutch series, he was racing a 75 3.2 and then the gearbox broke. I think he was engine braking because it broke approaching into a sharp turn.
Great car btw!
Maybe it needs a gearbox cooler?
I saw a video of the GTA in the Dutch series, he was racing a 75 3.2 and then the gearbox broke. I think he was engine braking because it broke approaching into a sharp turn.
Great car btw!
Dr. Alban
Re: grease - from Lithuania
yep, we added gearbox coolers to both cars.
the result is that the 155 still broke the gearbox, but the GT managed to save it most likely due to the careful driving, i.e. not pushing to the limit.
the drivers of the 155 are noticeably more "strict" to the car, so that was part of the reason also.
btw, the 155 is now racing for the 5th or 6th season, don't even remember exactly, but the problems with the gearbox only came up last year as a result of a bit more power from the engine and wider 18" instead of 17" slicks.
the result is that the 155 still broke the gearbox, but the GT managed to save it most likely due to the careful driving, i.e. not pushing to the limit.
the drivers of the 155 are noticeably more "strict" to the car, so that was part of the reason also.
btw, the 155 is now racing for the 5th or 6th season, don't even remember exactly, but the problems with the gearbox only came up last year as a result of a bit more power from the engine and wider 18" instead of 17" slicks.
Re: grease - from Lithuania
a video from the weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h62usP0FkDY
and some photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 551&type=1
and some photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 551&type=1
Re: grease - from Lithuania
haudy!
Just returned after a looong race weekend (I should probably say a week, since everything began on tuesday).
It was a 1000km endurance race.
Although our only target in this race was to reach the finish, we had a really intense pre-race preparation and the race itself was interesting, to put it mildly.
Passed the scrutineering no problems.
Had some wet free practices.
Qualified P20. once again had our fair share of gearbox problems. these fwd alfa gearboxes simply cannot handle 18" slicks being attacked by a ~310hp 3.0 V6.
So, changed the gearbox, and, as it is beginning to become a tradition, decided to sacrifice quick lap times in order to save the gearbox and just reach the finish.
The race started. Everything seemed to be great, except the goddamn box. The temperatures began climbing to 150+ degrees C. During the planned pitstop (driver change) we noticed that the gearbox oil cooler is exactly ambient temp - i.e. not working. We suspected a clogged filter on the piping to the oil pump - so we took it out and washed it.
Then, for a while, the temperature dropped to ~110-120 C, but after a few hours it climbed back to 150+ C. So we had to wash the filter again.
It is quite interesting to do it when everything you touch is at least 150 degrees C..
Both times the filter was full of metal chips from the gearbox.. So, our expectations of finishing the plummeted..
Anyway, the race moved on. We did not loose a lot of time during these stops, and 2 washing cycles, as it turned out later, were enough - the gearbox stayed within 120 C.
So, we marched on with "save the gearbox" mode turned on to maximum.
Then we got hit from behind - a beamer did not notice yellow caution flags and just drove into the back left wheel of the GT. Time to change a rod in the back suspension, bend back the wheel arch, cut off the broken bumper parts, etc..
Took us 12 minutes to do that. After this, the left rear shock was probably bent a little bit and the car was really jumpy in right hand corners.. Also, an "eyeball alignment" did not help either..
So we slowed down a bit and marched on..
After about 2 more hours, another beamer tried to overtake us aggressively and hit the GT in the exact same spot. It was completely uncalled for, he was quicker than us and could have easily overtaken us on the next straight. Anyways, another bent rod.. This time we did not have a spare one, so ~10 minutes of "hammer time", another "eyeball alignment"..
We managed to straighten the rod and let the car out. Two 1 hour stints were left..
At this point we were 2nd in class. But 2 hours was too long for the straightened rod. The track had two long and bumpy right hand corners and the left rear rod took a lot of pounding - it was bent again. Another unplanned pit stop with ~10 laps to go. We lost 2nd place, but the car was once again back on track. Last 2 laps the car drove sideways, leaving 4 tracks behind. But it crossed the finish line! Phew!
It was a hard race, but well worth it.
2 finished endurance races out of 2 this season - spirits are high!
The car suffered quite a bit of damage from every side possible - a lot of work before another 1000km race on the 1st of September in Riga, Latvia. But we will be there, no question about that!
Just returned after a looong race weekend (I should probably say a week, since everything began on tuesday).
It was a 1000km endurance race.
Although our only target in this race was to reach the finish, we had a really intense pre-race preparation and the race itself was interesting, to put it mildly.
Passed the scrutineering no problems.
Had some wet free practices.
Qualified P20. once again had our fair share of gearbox problems. these fwd alfa gearboxes simply cannot handle 18" slicks being attacked by a ~310hp 3.0 V6.
So, changed the gearbox, and, as it is beginning to become a tradition, decided to sacrifice quick lap times in order to save the gearbox and just reach the finish.
The race started. Everything seemed to be great, except the goddamn box. The temperatures began climbing to 150+ degrees C. During the planned pitstop (driver change) we noticed that the gearbox oil cooler is exactly ambient temp - i.e. not working. We suspected a clogged filter on the piping to the oil pump - so we took it out and washed it.
Then, for a while, the temperature dropped to ~110-120 C, but after a few hours it climbed back to 150+ C. So we had to wash the filter again.
It is quite interesting to do it when everything you touch is at least 150 degrees C..
Both times the filter was full of metal chips from the gearbox.. So, our expectations of finishing the plummeted..
Anyway, the race moved on. We did not loose a lot of time during these stops, and 2 washing cycles, as it turned out later, were enough - the gearbox stayed within 120 C.
So, we marched on with "save the gearbox" mode turned on to maximum.
Then we got hit from behind - a beamer did not notice yellow caution flags and just drove into the back left wheel of the GT. Time to change a rod in the back suspension, bend back the wheel arch, cut off the broken bumper parts, etc..
Took us 12 minutes to do that. After this, the left rear shock was probably bent a little bit and the car was really jumpy in right hand corners.. Also, an "eyeball alignment" did not help either..
So we slowed down a bit and marched on..
After about 2 more hours, another beamer tried to overtake us aggressively and hit the GT in the exact same spot. It was completely uncalled for, he was quicker than us and could have easily overtaken us on the next straight. Anyways, another bent rod.. This time we did not have a spare one, so ~10 minutes of "hammer time", another "eyeball alignment"..
We managed to straighten the rod and let the car out. Two 1 hour stints were left..
At this point we were 2nd in class. But 2 hours was too long for the straightened rod. The track had two long and bumpy right hand corners and the left rear rod took a lot of pounding - it was bent again. Another unplanned pit stop with ~10 laps to go. We lost 2nd place, but the car was once again back on track. Last 2 laps the car drove sideways, leaving 4 tracks behind. But it crossed the finish line! Phew!
It was a hard race, but well worth it.
2 finished endurance races out of 2 this season - spirits are high!
The car suffered quite a bit of damage from every side possible - a lot of work before another 1000km race on the 1st of September in Riga, Latvia. But we will be there, no question about that!
Re: grease - from Lithuania
Geez , if only Alfa head office in Turin knew what their loyal followers did to Fly the Alfa flag in Indurance Racing . Grease - you guys give a new meaning to " going racing "
Keep it up and us updated . Auto Italia should do a feature on that car !
Keep it up and us updated . Auto Italia should do a feature on that car !
Re: grease - from Lithuania
had a great sunday, although it was hot as hell - ~33-35 deg C.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwFgmjBQhOI
some photos -> http://automanas.lt/baltic-fast-alfa-fi ... cergineje/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwFgmjBQhOI
some photos -> http://automanas.lt/baltic-fast-alfa-fi ... cergineje/
Re: grease - from Lithuania
a "nice" shot of the first impact to the back of the GT..
