Nissan Datsun 2009 National Meeting Warwick Qld

[petern]

Some pics from the datto boys

HERE

[V8 ETA]

just got home .. awsome weekend , chasing russ around the track watching the rear of the big 35 slide around on the wet runs is quite intense , never been there before but will definetly going back at the next chance i get , with respect to wrxkilla , i followed him all through round run and i did see the car moving around a bit but i have to say none of it looked like intentional drifting but other than the 1st round i cant vouch for him , only got 3 rounds in .. 1st round no power steering , missed second round while still fixing power steering (thanks for the tools mark and russ) , 3rd round 2 laps were wet and last round round of day 1 lap was wet but still managed a 3.34.?? on street tyres , still a good 12 seconds off the pace of the black monster but oh well , finished 3rd overall and 1st in class .

[Noddy]

I was just looking through your pics petern, there were some beautiful examples Datsun & Nissan brand there, or ditsuns as we were calling everything.

I had a bit of a crappy time at the sprints with an intercooler pipe popping off twice on what would have been pretty decent runs. Timing was fustrating as I and a few others had AIM systems in our cars will probably confirm. Boosted Z my best lap was 1.08:81 on the 2nd lap when u were following.

All the times here are straight out of my AIM MY-CHRON2

Run 1 for me was looking good, Standing lap, was my best for the weekend 1.11:71, at the startof the 2nd lap the hose to the wastgate cracked off, old and hard i guess, then with the over boosting an intercooler pipe popped off going down to the flip flop resulting in a lap of 1.11:34 and a NA lap @ 1.20:98. when the pipe came off it knocked the powerstear canister and spilt some fluid. It came back to haunt in the 3rd run.

Run 2 was a mess resulting in a DNF. I think that was the most angry I have ever been at any time in my life I knew my headspace was all kinds of messed up and left the track not compleating the run. My most sinceer appologies for any offence it may have caused anyone. Esp John P, sorry.

Run 3 John P was following and was going to be a ripper, but, that pipe popped off again. I then cleaned all surfaces with petrol not jus a rag as I did after run 1.

1.11.92, 1.08.81, 1.18.27

run 4 I got lost on the grid starting next to the Sureflow Zcar. Mate that thing is loud and off putting, I slotted 3rd to launch in... not a good plan. The Zcar made turn 1 first and waved me by going into Siberia. There was a light shower on this run making conditions pretty greasy.

1.12:48, 1.10:04, 1.10.14.

Run 5

John P and I had the front row and it was on for young and old for Turn 1....I lost of course, that thing has got grip and power to burn. It was fun to chase him down in the corners. The most bizzar sensation is seeing the slotcar on the picks into turn 1, gum tree, siberia or the flip flop pulling up for the turn while sill being hard on the loud peddal myself well into his braking area and closing hand over fist. All the while I hoping like hell he was going to get off the brakes and start accellerating so I didnt give him a friendly nudge. Very odd sensation. Also being pretty much under the wing of it comming on to the front straight for the end of the first lap, John obvoiusly nailed it just a fraction too early on the exit where there is a bump..... the on off on again power tank slapper was an eye oppener and sphincter clencher in 1. A very fun run and probably our quickest. My timing showed, 1.13:15 (I lifted off big time the tank slapper right in front), 1.09:52, 1.09:71.

At the dinner Mark took 1st outright with some thing in the 3.23's, John P with about 3.32ish and Brad B @ about 3.34ish. Will have to check the Zfourms for exact official times.

All in all a fun weekend meeting new ppl, catching up with other we haven't seen for a few years and getting to know otheres we have competed with regularly better. Looking forward to 2011 at Wakefield, we will probably have 2 cars to enter. Gotta beat that slotcar.

[gtr jason]

Here is a video clip of the DriftZ vs Slot Car.

Direct Link:

Not bad for the first time on the track (circuit racing), 2nd hand tyres, and we didn't get time to do the suspension bushes - which failed.

Thanks to Jason, John, Craig & Peter who got it back on the track for the showdown.

Unfortunately I spun on the cold tyres over the hill.

We were running on low boost and we were going to wind up the boost, but the day finished earlier than we expected and he couldn't run it again.

Cheers

Jason

[dat2kman]

I enjoyed the week end! well most of it.

Practice Friday went out on a set of 205/50/15 Ku36 road tyres and was doing consistant 1:14-1:16 laps latter in the day was having issues with power oversteer issues under the bridge and out of corner 5 i think it is the right hander going up to the T just could not get the power down.

So on with the slicks and managed to do 1:12 laps on my first practice. when i came in my dip stick had popped out. so I cleaned up all the oil and got the biggest zip tie i could and tied the dipstick down fueled it up and was ready for what would be the last run of the day and it was! my girlfriend timed my three flying laps at 3:33 with a 1:12, 1:10, 1:11 splits coming out of the T in to the flip flop a bit of smoke started from my left wheel thinking i had a tyre rubbing i backed off, while looking in the rear vision mirror to see what traffic was going to catch me seen a huge cloud of smoke billowing out the rear followed by through the dash and air vents. I'm on fire!!. I came to a stop on the side of the track and was able to put the fire out in one short blast of the extinguisher (very lucky for an oil fire around a turbo and manifold i could almost see through it was that red.

Saterday. Supacheap 9:00am $150 later and a mission in front of me.

between 10am- 2pm i stiped/ inspected and repaired my standard wiring loom and rewired my Power FC and AVCR sensor looms and both sides of the control gear for my spitfire coils . the fire had also melted the silcone and rubber hoses going to the oil catch can and the heater hoses for the incar heating. so i lost all my coolant as well.

was hoping for a test run at the drags but it was canned due to rain.

Sunday and first run out and reveled my fate. No boost control i was limited to the HKS auctuator's 12psi (lucky not a 8psi one) not my normal 17/18psi low boost or 21psi high

so was having trouble geting down below 1:13 flying laps and with a bogged start on nearly every session 1:18 standing my time was a 3:44/45 over and over (wish it was a regularity event)

so a bit dissapointed that i had the potentiol on friday to do 3:37.

Still had a heap of fun out there one of my least and fav runs was the one it started raining. I started along side an old bloke in a red 260z and the bugger got me off the line i then spent a lap and a half sitting behind him trying to find a gap but as he was the one touching panels in front of Marks run i didn't risk it and his was covering the inside line every were, eventually Russ and Brad were catching us i thought if I was to let Russ past he might have more luck. but the rain started and the officials would have loved it as the three of us coming on to the main staight all three of us were clocking up the lock to counter the drift train we were in trying to get a run on the 260z.

Thanks to Dat2Kman for the work you and your team put in to organsising the event.

OSR220, great writeup, hey the "Old Bloke" in the Red/Yellow 260Z was none other than John McKeon, driven in Biante super touring cars, and Group N Mustang touring cars, plenty of years under his wheels, you did very well, your best time over the 3 laps ( no individuals - it is all based on the three) was on 1st run at 3.45:19, so it looked like the Friday session was of some use to you!

Wasn't it a good thing we insisted on fire extinguishers fitted in cars, cos if not??????? Not good.

thanks for compliment, we hope to run another event like it, maybe next year, some feedback to the Zed car club website may help this along!!

[dat2kman]

unofficial times, fastest three lap, including standing start, with two flying, no individual lap times were taken by organisers.

Car 81 Mark Berry 3.22:41 (First outright)

Car 12 John Penlington 3.33:72 ( Second outright)

Car 82 Russell Newman 3.37:09 ( Third outright)

Car 79 Mike Whelan 3.37:22

Oh, and some really old model Datsun, built in 1968, a two door convertible, running all stock 1968 2 litre motor in atmo form did a time of 3.40:81, ( 3 second slower then Russell - not too shabby for a 42 y/o car, eh)

Official results to be published on Zed car Club Qld website soon?? hopefully

Hey guys, as stated, and we are still checking, so they are still un-official, but it looks like third outright was taken out by Brad Bottcher with a 3.34:72,

Two cars equal fourth 3.35:12 by Alan Fielding 240z, and, Stuart Borrows

Russell Newman,fifth on 3.37:09, and remember this car is competing in Targa tasmania next week so it was a cautious run time!

Sixth by Michael Whelan on 3.37:22, seventh John McKeon 240 z on 3.40:32, and seventh, Jason Lea Datsun Sports 2000 on 3.40:81

[giant]

good job guys! didnt think my time would have stuck there

watching brad get around was pretty awsome, loved it!

the v cam setup seems the goods too!!

[FineLine]

good job guys! didnt think my time would have stuck there

watching brad get around was pretty awsome, loved it!

the v cam setup seems the goods too!!

Wasnt it tho Russ. I couldnt believe how quickly that cement mixer he had for a turbo would spool.

The 34 is probably the quickest accelerating car I have seen outside a drag strip. That car is just brutal.

[PORTS]

Had a great weekend in Warwick, it was good to catch up with some old faces and meet plenty of new ones.

I really enjoyed Morgan Park, top track and I managed to win my class "club over 5000cc" with a 3.55.08.

[Boosted Zed]

Had a great weekend in Warwick, it was good to catch up with some old faces and meet plenty of new ones.

I really enjoyed Morgan Park, top track and I managed to win my class "club over 5000cc" with a 3.55.08.

Hey Noddy sorry if I messed up your time a bit in the end, I thought when the light went out you had to go. Car got sorted and I travelled a long way and it was my best chance to do a time.

[giant]

good write up stu!!

[V8 ETA]

Wasnt it tho Russ. I couldnt believe how quickly that cement mixer he had for a turbo would spool.

The 34 is probably the quickest accelerating car I have seen outside a drag strip. That car is just brutal.

yes brutal it was .. very brutal indeed .. time to build a serious 32 i think , getting dusted by 12 secs is not acceptable

[Noddy]

Hey Noddy sorry if I messed up your time a bit in the end, I thought when the light went out you had to go. Car got sorted and I travelled a long way and it was my best chance to do a time.

Not at all, it was fun to follow and see the machine at work. If any thing I should have read you better at the start and held back. It was an interesting experiance and lesson well learn't. Give me a heads up when there is a good opertunity to come down to wakefield so I can get a look at racing on your home track... instead if drifting it.

[wrxkilla]

yes brutal it was .. very brutal indeed .. time to build a serious 32 i think , getting dusted by 12 secs is not acceptable

now thats what I want to hear!!!

I'm with you, with my failure, improvments must be made!!!

[dat2kman]

Noddy , the guys from Grand Auto SA have just sent me a dvd of their footage from theie onboard, it includes a run by you, but the cam is positioned on it's side, so you either have to turn the monitor 90 deg, or get a bent neck, its a bit long 12 mins,, but if your on highspeed, maybe it might work? the first 8 mins is you sitting in pitlane, with cam recording, then your on with penno, then you get him after 1 lap.

pm me your email and I'll try and flick you the good bit ( 4 mins)

[Beer Baron]

I wouldn't care if the steward was michael bloody schumacher, if they can't tell the difference between unintentional power oversteer in a powerful (predominantly) rwd car, and intentional drifting, then they clearly need some motorsport re-education.

It's ludicrous to suggest that mark is TRYING to drift his R34. he has spent bundles of his own time and money making that car one of the finest CIRCUIT RACING cars in the country and spent a lot of effort to make it fast around a circuit, not sideways around a circuit. Michael too bought and tuned his GTR for circuit racing not drifting. there is a massive difference between driving a powerful rwd car that can be prone to some oversteer and actually drifting a car (in drifting the car is sideways BEFORE THE CORNER ENTRY, and carries that slide angle through and beyond the corner. I saw no evidence of that). I can't believe they think power oversteer is dangerous but that side by side grid starts with amateur drivers is safe... that's a good one.

perhaps they don't want cars moving around at all. in that case it should have been explained at the briefing that anyone who tries to drive fast will be asked to slow down or leave... great times...

[dazmo]

I wouldn't care if the steward was michael bloody schumacher, if they can't tell the difference between unintentional power oversteer in a powerful (predominantly) rwd car, and intentional drifting, then they clearly need some motorsport re-education.

It's ludicrous to suggest that mark is TRYING to drift his R34. he has spent bundles of his own time and money making that car one of the finest CIRCUIT RACING cars in the country and spent a lot of effort to make it fast around a circuit, not sideways around a circuit. Michael too bought and tuned his GTR for circuit racing not drifting. there is a massive difference between driving a powerful rwd car that can be prone to some oversteer and actually drifting a car (in drifting the car is sideways BEFORE THE CORNER ENTRY, and carries that slide angle through and beyond the corner. I saw no evidence of that). I can't believe they think power oversteer is dangerous but that side by side grid starts with amateur drivers is safe... that's a good one.

perhaps they don't want cars moving around at all. in that case it should have been explained at the briefing that anyone who tries to drive fast will be asked to slow down or leave... great times...

+1 could not have said it better myself. Funny how the fastest car followed by 3rd and 6th fastest cars of the event were warned off for "drifting" when it would seem that the way they were driving seemed to be that fastest way around the track. Last i heard drifting was not overly condusive to fast lap times

[dat2kman]

I wouldn't care if the steward was michael bloody schumacher, if they can't tell the difference between unintentional power oversteer in a powerful (predominantly) rwd car, and intentional drifting, then they clearly need some motorsport re-education.

It's ludicrous to suggest that mark is TRYING to drift his R34. he has spent bundles of his own time and money making that car one of the finest CIRCUIT RACING cars in the country and spent a lot of effort to make it fast around a circuit, not sideways around a circuit. Michael too bought and tuned his GTR for circuit racing not drifting. there is a massive difference between driving a powerful rwd car that can be prone to some oversteer and actually drifting a car (in drifting the car is sideways BEFORE THE CORNER ENTRY, and carries that slide angle through and beyond the corner. I saw no evidence of that). I can't believe they think power oversteer is dangerous but that side by side grid starts with amateur drivers is safe... that's a good one.

perhaps they don't want cars moving around at all. in that case it should have been explained at the briefing that anyone who tries to drive fast will be asked to slow down or leave... great times...

To let you know, and it has been covered a couple of pages ago, the flag marshall that radioed the slightly exuberant style was Jon Siddens, you may not know who he is, so just quietly ask around before you reply, the stewards had a job to do, and part of that was to respect the track owners wishes.

This I take it, was your first visit to this track, because if you had been there prevously you would be aware of the format and conduct of many of the events that are run here, in regard to your comment re two cars starting side by side etc, and amatuer drivers etc, All entrants are required to hold a minimum of a CAMS level 2 Speed licence, and to show a demonstrable ability of car control and capability. The event organisers are required to adhere to strict safety guidelines and provide and have in place set procedures for any incident, as that which did occur, and all went to plan.

I personally have been watching many of the drivers that competed at this event, for a number of years, (more than 12 in some cases) and the top guns that were there have also been around for some time doing this sort of stuff, and I am fully aware of their capabilties and their cars.. To call us "amatuers" is a bit rough and uncalled for, and I would say that most will agree with this my comment.

Re read this post, Mark berry was not drifting, in fact as event organiser, in my view, no-one was, however one competitor,

( not Mark) was a little exhuberant on entry/mid and exit corner. We have seen the footage.

How about you come out and have a run with us all next time?

We would welcome you very much, just like we welcome all the entrants to this event. It fosters the great interest for the Nissan Datsun marque of car, both very old and the very brand new.

Edited April 16, 2009 by dat2kman

[Noddy]

Johns radio commentry and the video posted dont realy match. That said, I would love to see all your footage with a beer having a laugh about the whole situation. lets face it, I dont mid a good slide and not immune to the pointy end of Mrs Campbells toung... like at the end of the last A sprint Round.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Noddy

[Strik3r]

i think we can put this one to bed lads. The guys involved have gotten over it, lets not spoil what was a really good event with little arguments. I'm sure that the feedback has reached the organizers and their concerns have reached the competitors. For the next event, perhaps both sides can take the others points of view into account and we can reach a happy medium that keeps everyone happy. I would love to get out to MP for some racing and hope that we can see some more events like this in the near future. I'm still cranky at myself that I wasn't there as a competitor, but there will be another oppertunity i'm sure.