Winter Overhaul

We've spent roughly a day per month over the off season sorting the car out.  Here's the run down on most of it.  

First up was to repair the damage from the last round of 2015 at Silverstone.  This required a new front wing and door to be sourced.  Luckily I got used panels in really good condition and in the right colour so we just had to unbolt and swap them over.

The remainder of the damage had to be done by a processional body shop.  I used Lemass_Automotive in Buckinghamshire who pulled the lower sill dent out, resprayed my spare front bumper and fixed and painted the door dents on the drivers side.   The rear quarters could not be straightened without a lot of painting, so were left as-is and are hardly noticeable. 

Secondly we drained the coolant and refilled with the correct mix of anti freeze.  It just got filled with water in a hurry at Silverstone so needed to be sorted to ensure the engine didn't freeze over the winter.

Next we had the oil flushed and replenished with Millers 10/50 nanotech and had to top up the power steering fluid again - as the top had come loose. (No leaks though!)

On the inside of the car we stripped all of the remaining wiring in the inner doors and replaced the big clunky door check straps with light weight fabric ones.  Its small beer, but a 2kg weight saving is still a saving.

We then partially stripped some of the excess wiring from the main loom. Starting with the relay board in the boot forwards to the front of the car.  There is a huge amount of wring still to come out, but this will have to wait until we have more time to remove the dashboard.  

We should have done this when the car was first converted - but we just didn't have the gumption and experience to go all out race car back then.

The third big job was to replace the exhaust again.  The cheap Chinese made one we ran last year had disintegrated internally.  It was rattling and overly noisy, risking us failing more noise tests. 

The replacement is fairly stock in terms of loudness and much better made from Top Gear exhausts. 

The penultimate job was to turn our attention to the braking system.  A flush through with new Castrol SRF racing fluid, bleeding any air out of the system.  We use a simple pressure bleeder which runs off the tyre pressure to saving pumping the pedal manually.  

A new set of rear brake pads were also fitted.  Once they get more than half worn (<5mm) they tend to overheat quickly and braking performance reduces.  The wear also gets progressiveness quicker, so the last 3-4mm can go in a race or two.

The last piece of weight saving has been removing the handbrake.  This entailed removing the rear discs, to release the handbrake cables and remove the now  superfluous brake shoes.  In the car the handbrake lever, mounting and cable adjuster goes too.  This is another 5kgs gone. 

The final job was to fit an additional MSA LED brake light in the centre of the rear bumper.  Whilst we have happily used the two std rear fog lights to meet the regulations, some racers have had issues with scrutineers. The series regulations now state we have to run this regardless.

2015 Best Bits

As we get close to starting the 2016 race season, I compiled the best bits of action from our on-board camera.   Lots of very close racing, overtakes, spins (not me), and a few offs. 

Ice Mode Brakes

When you jump on the brakes, the pedal goes rock solid hard, you cannot add braking pressure and there is no noticeable braking effect.  

This is what the Internet community describes as "Ice Mode" and it's a pretty hair-raising experience when it occurs. 

This has happened to me a couple of times, when braking on a slippery surface on track. 

Each time caused me a visit to the gravel trap, a DNF result in each race, and most recently some damage to the car.  So I wanted to understand how to fix it or rather as I've found out... avoid and manage it.

There is a lot of talk on Internet forums; not limited to Porsche, of the infamous ice mode. Much of it is interspersed with comments from people having brake fade, over heating or other braking issues.  Ice mode is entirely different though.

The general consensus is that modern Bosch road ABS isn't designed for the extremes of the track.  In a small no. of scenarios the system can be overwhelmed or act irrationally based on the signals from its sensors.  

Ice mode seems to happen when the ABS system is running at its maximum to prevent any particular wheel from locking-up.  It is venting pressure to allow some wheel rotation, but at the same time trying to apply pressure many times per second.  This deadlock scenario results in virtually no braking effect.

The finger seems to point to the ABS controller, which is unable to meet the demands of all the sensors and inputs, some needing braking force applied others released.  These sensors include, brake switch, pedal, accelerometers, yaw sensors and wheel speed sensors.  When the system is working so hard to prevent locking of multiple wheels, it doesn't permit enough force to be applied to the remaining wheels to have any affect in slowing the car.  The ABS is simply at the limit of its design in these situations.

If the car has PSM (Porsche stability management) this adds another input and seems to increase the chance of ice mode.  

The ultimate fix is to buy a Porsche 911 Cup car which is designed for the track from the off. Bosch also do a retro fit racing ABS system. However this is out of the question for most on cost grounds, and probably race regulations for the different series.  It is also far easier to mitigate the issue.  

The main cause for me has been jumping on the brakes hard and fast when the track surface is slippery. 

My racing style was to brake very hard and very late into corners, using ABS everywhere. There seem to be other contributing factors too, such as running non-factory wheel sizes or overly sticky tyres which would increase the demand on the ABS system which can also increase the likelihood of ice mode occurring.


Once you experience ice mode - there is only one way to get out of it.  Lift of the brakes and re-apply. Good old fashioned non ABS braking techniques.  
This works - but you've probably lost at least half your braking distance - so it might not ultimately help make the corner. 


Avoidance or minimising the few situations when ice mode might occur is a better strategy. This means applying braking force quickly but more gently, before going harder onto the brakes. The ABS is still likely to come on under hard braking, when it does it makes sense to modulate the braking force, rather than keep your foot in and let it become overloaded.

This technique is more mechanically sympathetic, and it also has a less destabilising affect on the car at turn in and corner entry, allowing for higher speeds to be carried through the turns.  It should make you a smoother and faster driver, regardless. 

Silverstone Season Finale

Arriving early Saturday morning I found our section of the paddock was already full, with the many Caterham series having the luxury of the F1 pit garages. I had to get some drivers out of their motor home beds to help create space to squeeze us in, which was taken in good spirits!  

Once we unloaded the car, I had it safety scrutineered, which went fine and we got ready for qualifying. I had my first shock of the weekend when at the pre-track noise test, the tester announced I was way over the limit and would NOT be racing. The car in front had the same issue and we scratched our heads in disbelief (the Boxsters are very quiet compared to other cars). 

Without my knowledge the other cars then passed on re-testing (miraculously registering half the noise level previously measured). I had to battle my way passed the queue of Caterhams, missing half of qualifying before I too passed and headed out into track. 

With just two hot laps put in I was happy with a 1s improvement over last year and 8th place. 

Race 1 was after lunch and went well. I lost out a couple of places in the early laps but then gained them back. The balance of over and understeer was good and new front discs and brake pads (fitted after qualifying) along with a switch to our newer tyres were giving me great stopping power into the corners.

Track limits continued to be a problem with warning boards, for other drivers, posted by race control almost every lap.  Whilst I finished 8th on track a number of 5 and 10 second penalties elevated me to a great result of 6th. 

Race 2 was on Sunday lunchtime. It had rained overnight and whilst the temperature was rising through the morning there was still moisture in the air and clouds overhead. 

Watching the last Caterham race before lunch, a dry line was just appearing and I was hopeful for our race after the break. That was dashed when it started to rain consistently with a few minutes left and so we retreated to our pit to convert to a fully wet setup. 

Two green flag warm up laps let me assess which line to take through the corners (racing or an alternative wide line) on the way to the grid. The track was very wet, although it had just about stopped raining. 

I had a great start off the line, avoiding wheel spin; almost too good in fact, as I nearly hit the car in front and had to brake.  That lost me a few places, but the car felt very stable and over the next two laps I repassed several cars and was feeling very confident as I gained on the top 5. 

Coming into Vale on the 3rd lap I had my second big shock of the weekend when it hit the brake pedal and it locked solid without warning. I'd taken the same line and braking point as the previous laps.  Cars in front were spinning and taking avoiding action too, and I was approaching the corner way too fast. Reapplying the brakes I skewed the car around the corner, brakes now squealing loudly and tried and avoid the gravel, using the extra Tarmac run off.  I ended up a meter or so too far over and ploughed into the gravel catching the rear corner of the earlier spinner who was now lodged in the gravel.   Steam from the front radiator was the sign my race; and my season was over with the added embarrassment of causing the safety car to come out. 

Returning under tow to the pits a crowd gathered looking at the damage and we resigned ourselves to going home.

Drivers and other teams however quickly persuaded us to attempt the repair and multiple offers of help arrived. 

To the onlookers disbelief, and ours a patched up car rolled out for the final race just 2 hours later.  A huge effort all round and we are massively grateful to those who helped get the repairs done in record time. It didn't look pretty with an odd wing and tape masking a huge hole the broken bumpe. 

Race 3. 

We finished bleeding the coolant system as I drove up to the assembly area. 

Starting 13th, last in class I held back a little, wanting to avoid any shenanigans caused by the reverse grid and once it settled down I was able to gain several places with overtake moves and drivers making mistakes under pressure.  My hastily applied dry setup with stiff roll bars and suspension all round was working well and giving me a lot of confidence.  

I got up to a mighty battle for 4th-6th place with a 987 spec boxster.  The more powerful car stretching out a lead down the long hangar straight and me closing and attempting to pass into the slower corners.  I was faster overall, and after a few attempts managed to get alongside and nose in front, but couldn't hold it.  It got a bit hairy in the closing laps as rain started so settled for another 6th place. 

Whilst on lap times I could have managed 4th, 6th was a amazing, and a absolute high to end the season on. 

Donington & Brands Hatch Race TV

We have some good coverage at Donington and Brands Hatch which are now available on YouTube.

Brands Hatch Race Event

The iconic Brands Hatch circuit is always a favourite with drivers on the calendar.  Despite being the shortest track it is technically challenging to get the balance of the car and your technique right to get a smooth fast lap.   

We tested here earlier in the year and had a session of tuition, which resulted in some definite gains and more changes to my driving style to work on.

We arrived at 8 AM Saturday and the paddock was rammed to bursting, with over 250 different cars competing across various championships over the weekend.  We bagged a small patch of space within our allocated zone and set-up the awning which proved to be a godsend over the weekend.  

Photo: Chris Valentine

Qualifying was a bit of an unknown since we recently upgraded the lower front suspension arms to GT3 spec, widening the track width and increasing camber to -3 degrees. Despite the glorious sunshine on Saturday, heavy rain was forecast on Sunday so we elected to use qualifying to scrub in a new set of tyres.  The session was red flagged for oil when a Porsche 924 engine exploded after a couple of laps.  It was absolutely boiling inside the car as we waited in the pit lane to restart.   I set a reasonable time fairly quickly but thereafter could not improve due to traffic qualifying 8th overall. 

Race 1 was not until 5pm that day so we had plenty of time to prepare, switching the wheels back to our dry (worn) set of Toyo 888s.  We stiffened the front suspension to offset a little too much over steer and reduced the amount of toe out as we were tearing up the insides of the front tyres a little.  

Photo: Jasmine PorschaLink

So feeling confident I got a good start, electing for the outside line around paddock hill.  I managed to avoid a spinning car in front and jumped two places almost immediately.  

After defending my position for a lap, I edged a slight gap and went faster than in qualifying. With the car feeling great I pushed harder to close the gap to the front 4, but overshot through the left/right of Surtees dropping back to 6th again.  I quickly caught and pressurised the car In front as I was significantly faster under braking round the Druids hairpin and the final corner Clark Curve, but never quite close enough to get alongside.  The race was unfortunately red flagged at 2/3 distance due to more oil and a car stuck in the gravel.

On Sunday a large band of rain swept across the country giving all the drivers a huge "wet or dry" dilemma.  The track was soaking, but the rain had slowed as we headed over to the holding area.  

Definitely Wet

Photo: Jasmine PorschaLink

I had gambled on a dry setup, but used my new tyres with good tread depth.  I found it difficult to maintain grip in the first few laps and fell back from the front pack to 8th, but was comfortably ahead of the remaining boxsters and 924's.  As it dried my times were amongst the fastest, but I was too far back and we now had 924's to lap. I finished 6th again courtesy of some DNFs. 

Photo: Jasmine PorschaLink

Another encouraging weekend running. No incidents, damage or issues.  

A real shame we didn't get two dry races to have a go at running nearer the front as my pace in the dry race was only 0.3s off the leaders - my closest ever.  Looking forwards to Silverstone International in October which is the season finale triple header.