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fedezyl
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Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:45 pm
Location: Montevideo, Uruguay

RSR Spa Track day

Post by fedezyl »

Well folks I just wanted to share with you a wonderful experience I had yesterday at Spa.
I contacted RSR for the 75 experience programe many of you, specially Jim, have been doing for many years, and since I was going to be on vacations in Brussels at my brothers I said why not?
I booked my entry at the track day about 2 months ago, everything about the reservation went very smoothly, I got a 75 V6 wich is what I asked for.

The good:

Spa is an amazing circuit. I've raced before back home, in the Buenos Aires race track, and a few over back home, including a brand new and fast one, but it's nothing compared to Spa.
The RSR racing suspension setup must be, and with no exageration, the best handling package for the 116 chasis ever, the car was running semi slicks (yokohama Advan I think, Advan was the model) wich were almost new.
Needless to say that the kit inspires you a lot of confindence in the car, it just grips and grips and at the limit you just get some very mild understeer.
I was able to keep up with the lotuses at the twisty bits and faster than the Clio cup and a few track prepped Mini Cooper S (I was driving the hell out of the 75 though, but the car is just so confidence inspiring!).
I ended up taking the Raidillon/Eau Rouge curves in 4th at full throttle and exiting at about 175km/h, that was what I was amazed, I was taking curves at 195+ Km/h and the car just gripped and was sooo neutral!
The car was a 75 Qv, with the motronic engine, gear ratios were ok, but I guess with a TS gearbox it should be a bit better, I did was missing a bit more punch from the engine to go with how the car handled though, it definetely deserves at least 50 bhp more!
In the end, most of the cars at the track day were either 911 Gt3's or GT2Rs's, 4 Ferraris 458, including a couple with slick tires, Ferrari 430's, M3's, there was a Lotus Elan (the old one) that was going fast as hell, so the little 75 was the underdog over there.


The Bad:

Not much, I wish the 75 was looked after a bit more, at first I did a few laps with the car, getting to know the circuit and the radiuses, I did about 4 laps and came back in complaining about the brakes, I told them they probably need bleeding as I was having to pump the brakes before each braking point to get at least a bit of a firmer pedal.
The answer I got was not very satisfying as they told me it was just alfa brakes and that I was pushing them too hard (i'm no idiot, I've raced before and I know the difference between killing the brakes and having to bleed the brakes).
When I pulled in the pits I looked at the brake pads, to see how much was left, about 10mm.
Long story short, if you go for the braking points, you go through pads quickly, they really should have put new pads in the car in the first place, I ended up with no brakes at the end of the straight and barely braking thanks to the rear brakes and downshifting, not so nice.
Came back to the pits and the pads were totally shot, in my effort to brake and not end up hitting something, the brake caliper pistons almost made a hole in the brake pad metal (wich was braking against the disk as there was no more pad material). I made it back to the pits, lumping, damage to the disks was not so bad (although again, they should have put new disks and pads before the track day as they were well beyond used), so new pads in, bleed the brakes and of I went again, now with excellent pedal feel (thanks to the bleeding wich should have been done in the first place) and new pads, got them seated and now I had good braking.
But, in the end, I suffered the dreaded timing belt tensioner failure, at the end of the straight after eau rouge, 4th gear and about 6000 rpm's, the engine suddenly dies, I press the clutch inmediately and cruise off to the off the circuit zone right past the curve at the end.
I open up the bonnet and see a timing belt completely out of the pulleys with no damage.
This car had the new style belt tensioner and the old style square tooth pulleys (I changed to the 155 type on my V6 just for this reason) so was towed back to the pits and that was the end of my track day.

Out of the 8 hours of trackday time I got to drive about close to 6, not too bad, but still.
Most of the things that happened to me could have been prevented by just doing a little bit more maintenance, specially the brakes issue.
The car in general seemed to need a bit more attention, wich was fully given to the lotuses and Porsches I guess.
It's a shame, because the car is truly awesome.

Also, after this and seeing the way I drive the cars in a track (hard), i'm definetely doing a big brake upgrade.

Pictures coming up soon!


By the way, if anyone is nearby Belgium and want to meet up, i'm all for it, i'll be going to Holland for a visit these days too.



Well without further due, here are the pics!


The Italian stallion

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An interesting preview of the lineup for the trackday

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It's amazing how big an fast these nissan gt-r's are!!

Lunch time at the Pit Brasserie, lovely view and good food

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This is when the timing belt decided to let go, it's a the chicane at the end of the straight after Raidillon/Eau Rouge...

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Pit lineup

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There were three of these jags, they were driven the hell out of them, surprisingly quick for such an old car

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I know the one on the right is a Lotus, that went like lightning

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Weird track beetle

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