Mostly update Facebook these days so here’s some pictures of the 2016 season

Despite our best efforts, the accident damage sustained in race 3 at the August meeting was just too severe to fix. In addition to the rather obviously wrecked door and rear quarter panel, the outer and inner sills were bent, all front seat cross members were buckled, the floor pan was buckled and even the transmission tunnel had been shifted. So after seeing out the 2014 season in a borrowed car, it was time to spend 2015 building a replacement.
  The old girl in strip down

When I say spend 2015 building a replacement, I of course mean, spend the first 8 months planning a house move then realise with 1 week to go, you have a track day booked in August and passenger laps to give.

To the workshop we go!

 
 
Stripped shell ready for final prep prior to paint; removing various brackets / pieces of sound deadening / seam sealer, checking cage alignment with the new mounts, preparing the panels for primer etc.  

  
All in the new build took roughly a week and performed flawlessly straight out the box.

Stolen from near Peebles during the night (late at night 1st May or early morning 2nd).

Brand new Brian James RS3. No distinguishing features as it is brand new but tilt and electric winch is a fairly rare spec.

Picture is of the same trailer from Brian James’ website.

If anyone has any info please email mcnabracing@googlemail.com

Get the feeling this was stolen to order as it was at a house well secluded from the road. It was wheeled down the driveway before they cut a hole in a fence to take it in to an adjacent field where the racecar inside was dumped with the sheep and the trailer hitched up to be pulled away.

Always one for a misquote; we can rebuild them, we have the technology…

After both cars sustaining damage over the weekend, it’s back in the workshop and then in to the bodyshop.

Stephs car needs a new door after being clattered in race 2, then it got t-boned in race 3 so we’re having to pull the rear quarter out as well.

Mine, well, it took a bit of a bloody nose hit and needs a new chassis leg cup welded on along with a new bonnet, front panel and crash support.

So, after a brief shakedown on the road on Thursday, we needed to get the safety gear in before testing on Sunday. Effectively turning it from track car to racecar.

Created captive threads through the floor to secure the firex bottle’s cradle. Then installed the bottle and pull cables and plumbed in the nozzles. Needed a custom bracket to mount the interior pull cable.

Also wired in the electrical cut off and made a plate for the switches, mounted where the radio used to go.

Installed the door bars and added FIA approved padding, also changed the steering boss for a new one since the one off the donor racecar wasn’t the best.

First testing session on Sunday went excellent. The car was flawless and I battered in the laps to finish off running in the engine. With 82 miles on her at the start of the day I chose to drive it to the circuit to get another 40 on. Two 25 min sessions in the morning added another 50 miles allowing me near enough full revs in the afternoon’s 2 sessions.

Now we need to get her running on fully synthetic, tweek a few things and get a geometry set up on here before the next outing.