January 2009 Preview

LOTUS 211 GT4WE TRACK TEST THE LATEST LOTUS & IT’S A KTM KILLER

JANUARY 2009/ISSUE 57/£3.99

NEW!CLASSIFIED

RACE CARS FOR SALETIN TOPS, SINGLE SEATERS, SPORTSCARS, PARTS & MORE… RALLY RIDE

RIDING SHOTGUN WITH MOTO GP STAR LORIS CAPIROSSI

TECHRACING SECRETS BEHIND SPHERICAL BEARINGS

FRESH GEARTHE LATEST NEW PRODUCTS TESTED

TECHNIQUELEARN HOW TO HEEL & TOE LIKE A PRO

TRACK DAYSTHE LATEST TRACK & TEST DIARY DATES

THE ESSENTIAL MOTORSPORT MONTHLY - WRITTEN BY THE RACERS FOR THE RACERS

NEW YEARNEW LOOK

TAKE A TOUR…

SPORT

TRACK

12 ROUGH GUIDEOur series of quick fire guides to kick starting a motor sport hobby continues. This month: Karting

14 LOTUS 211 GT4Behind the wheel of the car KTM and its X-Bow have nightmares about: the rapid Lotus 211 GT4.

21 BIRKETT RELAYJohn Hayman reports back on the relay race with a difference and describes how not to arrive in style…

28 SWIFT SPORT CUPRiding shotgun with Loris Capirossi in a Suzuki Swift Cup rally car while chatting about drifting. Bizarre?

35 MARSHAL LAWThe Editor spends the day enthusiastically waving flags with the Castle Combe Circuit marshals

95 CLASSIFIEDPick up a bargain inside the all-new classified section. Single seaters, tin tops, sports and saloons plus more

CONTENTS / JANUARY 200914

21

35

TECH

TEACH

4 TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JANUARY 2009

7 NEWSAll the latest paddock gossip

55 TRACK PREPARE……A Mazda MX-5 on a budget

85 TRACK & TEST DAY DIARYAll the latest track and test dates

55 SPHERICAL JOINTSImprove steering wheel feedback

70 NISSAN 200SX BUILDOur new track day hack explained

76 NEW PRODUCTSTesting the latest gear

41 HEEL & TOETop driving tips from the experts

45 POSITIVE, MENTAL…Mentally prepare before racing

50 SNETTERTON GUIDE Part two of our circuit guide

Visit us online for updates on what’s coming up in the next issue:

www.trcmagazine.com

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WELCOME TO / TRC MAGAZINE

H ello and welcome to a fresh new year. As you can see it clearly states in the top left hand corner of this spread that it is officially 2009… Well almost. As ever this edition will hopefully see you in good health over the Christmas - sorry - Festive Holidays. I hope Mr Christmas brings you everything you want.

As you may have noticed we have decided to give the magazine a facelift for the exciting season ahead and introduced a few new features along the way, too. From now on the magazine is broken up into four main categories, Sport - for motorsport - Track - for track days - Tech - for, erm, technical stories - and Teach - for the section we hope lends a helping hand for you to develop as a driver.

We’ve also extended our New Product pages to include more of the stuff you like, which seems to be testing them to destruction. Throughout the year we’ll certainly try our best. Another story you must keep an eye out for every month is our track day preparation guides on the key cars we can all afford. We kick start the series on the wonderfully cheap Mazda MX-5 over on page 55. Enjoy.

Keith Wood

Editor

ISSUE 57

Roberto GiordanelliEuro Correspondent

New Year Resolution?

To blag that Lamborghini Trofeo drive (and to not forget to invite the Editor while doing so ~ Ed)

Andrew BrownPhotographer

New Year Resolution?

To not buy another Alfa Romeo until the others have rusted away to a small pile of dust (won’t be long… ~ JH)

John HaymanSpecial Correspondent

New Year Resolution?

To squeeze into that blasted FreeM race suit I managed to shrink by putting it in the tumble dryer for a tad too long

Tom SaundersAd Manager

New Year Resolution?

To jump in more passenger seats of the cars we feature (reluctant after watching Hayman drive? ~ AB)

TEAM TRC

PublishingFounding Directors: Keith Wood, Andrew Brown

Printing & Distribution: Warners Group Publications Plc, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH

Special thanks to: Matt and the gang at Bruntingthorpe for putting up with the Punto (and now another one too)

for far longer than Keith originally promised…

EnquiriesEditorial: P1 Media Ltd,

194a Upper Richmond Road West, London, SW14 8ANTelephone: 020 8296 5467 Fax: 020 8240 8901

Email: [email protected] Website: www.trcmagazine.com

Editorial Assistant: Michael Wood

AdvertisingAdvertising Manager: Tom Saunders

Telephone: 020 8395 2653Email: [email protected]

SubscriptionsTelephone: 01778 392481

Online: www.trcmagazine.com

Pit Stop© 2008 P1 Media Ltd ISSN:1742193

Track & Race Cars Magazine is published twelve times a year by P1 Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written consent of the publishers is strictly prohibited. While every effort is made in compiling Track & Race Cars, the publishers

cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. All prices correct at time of going to press but subject to

change. The publishers can not accept responsibility for any unsolicited materials. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such

as the internet, are in the public domain. However, since such images are passed freely between sources such as websites, the original source is not always possible to

trace. It is possible that copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain as a result. If you

see a graphic or image in this publication which is not public domain please contact P1 Media Ltd. Readers are advised to pay by Credit Card when ordering goods off

the advertising and editorial pages as they are regulated under Consumer Credit Act 1974, unlike debit or

chargecards which are not.

Independence Track & Race Cars Magazine is lovingly published every

month by P1 Media Ltd for all owners, drivers and enthusiasts of track and race cars.

It is entirely independent. And we speak as we find… The opinions of our contributors are not connected with

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5JANUARY 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

123

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE…When you’re next online take a trip over to: www.trcmagazine.com and surf our webzine

Click on the Back Issues tab and order any issues you may have missed over the last year

Alternatively click the Subscribe tab and securely purchase a one or even two year subscription

14

SPORT / Lotus 211 GT4

Above: We were the first magazine to test the GT4 spoe Lotus 211 and although the weather conditions were cold and wet, the experience was still awe inspiring

When the FIA finally acknowledged light weight sports cars to be included among the frantic fight for European GT4 honours it looked as though KTM’s X-Bow was the only challenger for the title. Until Lotus arrived…

Dver since a Caterham

won its class at

the legendary

Nürburgring 24-hour

race back in 2002, the

small light weight sports car category

has predominantly been banned from

any of the major racing events across

the globe and forced to create their

own one-make formulas. But although

these creations have been booted off the

world stage it has done little to stunt the

continued growth and development of

these wonderful creations that swamp

our track days here in the UK.

So when news filtered from the

FIA that the 2008 FIA European GT4

Championship (effectively a Group

N road legal sports car class) would

also welcome a ‘light’ category it was

welcomed with open arms, even if it did

surprisingly coincide with the launch

of the KTM X-Bow… Tongue in cheek

maybe but this meant that not only did

KTM have a world stage to promote

its all-new four-wheel venture onto, it

also opened the door for other, more

established manufacturers.

The inaugural Sports Light race would

take place at Silverstone and although

a private entry Lotus 211 did make an

appearance it didn’t take the start of

either of the races and duly handed the

first ever victory to the pair of X-Bow

cars entered by Reiter Engineering.

In fact it wasn’t until rounds seven to

nine at Oschersleben that the Sports

Light category actually started to take

shape. Before then it was just two KTMs

following each other around. Until Lotus

bravely took on the challenge and

wheeled out its cost effective GT4 Sports

Light competitor; the 211.

Pronounced two eleven - for those who

may not have read TRC’s previous track

tests on the car before - the wild road

legal open topped sports car first burst

onto the scene in the shape of the

KTMKILLER

TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JANUARY 2009

Photography: Andrew Brown

15

LOTUS 211

‘Circuit Car’, a concept built in just 11

weeks to celebrate the centenary of

the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb in 2005. It

then eventually launched after much

anticipation early in 2007 and utilised

its engine partnership with Toyota by

using the supercharged 1.8-litre 2ZZ-GE

engine. Weighing an emaciated 745kg

with a power figure of 252bhp the 211

was, as you may have expected, quick.

Fast and slow turn in was razor sharp,

the accelerator pedal was beautifully

weighted for pin sharp accuracy

(particularly handy as our day was wet)

and the driving aids (traction control

and launch control) a worthy addition

rather than an annoying hindrance. After

my drive alongside my fellow motoring

hacks on the launch at the Lotus HQ in

Hethel I was suitably impressed and I

wasn’t alone. Extra laps were requested

by us all, in fact I’ve never seen a bunch

of Journos slurp fine cups of coffee

quicker or skip chocolate digestives in a

bid to jump the queue.

Even though a track day special kit

(without lights, catalytic converter etc)

JANUARY 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

Above: Even though this is an International GT4 Super Light challenger it still uses the majority of components off the road car

28

SPORT / Suzuki Swift Cup

Above: The Ed gets a taste of rallying from a MotoGP rider who rubs shoulders with the GOAT, aka: Valentino Rossi. It doesn’t get much better than this…

It takes quite a driver to

massage my nerves and

coaxes me into the passenger

seat but when I got the call

from Suzuki with the invitation

to ride shotgun with Loris Capirossi

how could I say no? As well as the

associated perks of sampling Suzuki’s

Swift Sport Cup - the only car that

competes within a manufacturer backed

UK rally championship - I wasn’t going

to miss the chance to sit alongside a

three times motorcycle World Champion

even if the rally stage at the Bill Gwynne

International Rallyschool (www.

billgwynne.com) was edging on the

verge of freezing.

For Loris Capirossi it could have

been colder and you still would have

still struggled to chisel off his smile.

Comparing him to an excitable puppy

probably isn’t exactly a charming

comparison but he certainly didn’t

repress his display of eagerness when

it came to testing the Swift Sport Cup

car he and Craig Thorley was to share

in South of England’s Tempest Rally.

I managed to grab a few words with

him before he stepped foot onto the

Turweston rally stage and discovered his

love of two wheels crosses over to four.

As I was one of the first journalists

to arrive I managed to jump in with

probably the most used question of the

day; ‘have you done much on four-wheels

before?’ It may seem simple enough but

I wanted to know if Loris had a passion

for bikes and bikes only or if this PR

stunt would be a serious outing? The

reply was rather interesting, “I have a car

back home that my brother built and I

have used it for tarmac rallies but mostly

drifting and having fun” Loris responded.

I wanted to know what car he had, “It’s

a specially converted Lancia Delta

Integrale within a lengthened wheelbase,

which makes it perfect for driving

sideways” he beamed back to me.

TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JANUARY 2009

RIDERIDEHOT

29

SWIFT CUP

Keith Wood rides shotgun with MotoGP star Loris Capirossi aboard a Suzuki Swift Sport Cup car as he prepared for the 2008 Tempest Rally…

JANUARY 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM

Photography: Andrew Brown

35

MARSHALS

Above: Keith and the a small group of the many friendly Castle Combe marshals crew. Dave Weston, your author for the day is situated at the far end of this group. Give us a wave Dave!

Which ever race

event you may

have attended

in the last five

years only

recently would you have - without a

doubt - noticed the once large number

of marshals is significantly lower than it

was only a few years ago. The reason? As

an active marshal I can probably shine a

more direct spotlight over the key areas

affecting our numbers and even if it’s

particularly difficult to actually pin-point

a direct cause I can reveal it’s probably

down to the increased fuel costs;

family commitments; and the growing

alternative social activities sweeping our

country.

Amazingly its the drivers that could

If the credit crunch is putting a squeeze on your racing budget but you still crave the adrenaline rush that circuit racing delivers, then why not become a marshal? Dave Weston explains how…

BehIndLife:tHe BARRieR

help our numbers while benefiting

‘themselves’ by participating. You may

not know this but some championships

award extra points (useful if you’re a

couple of places away from the sharp

end of the grid) and if you’re new to

motor racing and need to lose that black

cross off quickly then a day marshaling

and the resulting signature will certainly

help. But if nothing more, it certainly

opens up the eyes of the drivers and

demonstrates first hand exactly what

marshals do and just how close they get

to the action.

It’s probably best to speak to your

championship co-ordinator to see if they

partake in such schemes which award

points for marshaling but it’s good to

know that even the MSA has recognised

a problem could be on the horizon,

especially if they don’t act now. In a bid to

tackle this it has launched its ‘Volunteers

in Motorsport’ scheme which provides a

career ladder through marshaling (www.

volunteersinmotorsport.co.uk). So to

celebrate I thought it would be a good

idea to get the editor along to Castle

Combe for the day to see what the first

rung of this ladder feels like…

SHReDDeD WHeAtIt’s eight on a Saturday morning in

October. It is not an ideal day to be

standing outside, especially in the South

West of england - light rain and strong

winds seem to be the order of the

day - and yet all around the Wiltshire

circuit this morning there are pockets of

JAnuArY 2009 - TrCMAGAZIne.COM

Pho

togr

aphy

: And

rew

Bro

wn

We all want to learn the secrets of lapping quickly and the sure fire way to accomplish this is to master the perfect racing line. Offering a fresh approach to achieving this crucial goal, Keith Wood introduces you to Snetterton.

WELCOME ToSNETTERTON

50

PART 2

Our recent circuit guide for Brands Hatch seemed to be absorbed rather well by you, our beloved reader. It seems our insightful images

in full HD certainly bridged the narrow gap often created by, sometimes, too much written information. If I’m being honest I could write

a book about the various lines and techniques required to lap well around most of the UK circuits… But there is a limit to what we can all

absorb (and stay awake through) and I believe by splitting these guides into three smaller easier to digest features is a far easier way to

master the basic lines of the UK’s race circuits. Judging by your well received response we’re going to continue this format for Snetterton.

Norfolk’s former bomber base has certainly come a long way since the days of B-17s blasting down the runways courtesy of MotorSport Vision,

although one thing that certainly hasn’t been banished to black and white pictures are the adverse weather conditions. Of all the former bomber-base

tracks Snetterton has managed to retain its ‘windy’ status and along with the blustery gales you can often be ‘treated’ to wonderful sunshine, treacherous

rain, painful hail and even mushy snow - all in the course of a single day. But adverse weather conditions aside it is one very captivating layout, one that

can generate some truly fantastic motor racing and still stands as one of this countries quickest layouts. Although it has a relatively simple looking don’t

be fooled into thinking it’s simple to master.With corners such as the infamous Bomb Hole, sweeping Coram Curve and essentially tricky Russell Bend it

demands your upmost attention and commitment…

TEACH / Snetterton Track Guide

TRCMAGAZINE.COM - JANUARY 2009

51

Above: At the end of the Revett Straight it greets you with a very tempting run off. Approach with caution and turn in where we positioned the red star. Below: You’re aiming for the green star on your turn in so bear in mind this will be quite a way around the corner and will be blind. You’ll also need to think about downshifting so don’t go in too hot or you’ll scrap around looking for a gear and end up either fluffing the gear change ruining the right hander or simply fly off the track. Build up pace as you gain confidence

★

Everybody shifts over to the right for the perfect run down to the Esses

After travelling flat out the entire

length of the Revett Straight

comes the challenging part of

slowing down and attempting to tuck

yourself in for the often overshot Esses.

An escape road could add another few

hundred meters onto Revett Straight (and

does for some unfortunate drivers) but

don’t fall into the alluring trap of trying

to carry too much speed because of it.

Instead you need to adjust the speed

perfectly so you can position yourself

over to the left as much as possible for

the upcoming ninety degree right which

fires you off towards the Bomb Hole.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? In reality it’s

probably one of the trickiest curves to

conquer. If you go in too quick you’ll be

forever trying to slow the car down while

fighting to position yourself left before

quickly switching back to right hand

lock. For front-wheel drive cars this can

cause major lift-off oversteer.

So adjust your speed wisely so you

★

REVETT STRAIGHTTHE ESSES&

CIRCUIT GUIDE

JANUARY 2009 - TRCMAGAZINE.COM