Cadwell Park - BMW Trackday - May 13th

[Nick]

BMW Car Club On Track

Cadwell Park Circuit

13th May 2011

Exclusive booking
Open Pit Lane
Capped entry – I’m keeping this one down to just 60 cars.
Noisy (105db)
Very reasonable.. £169 members, £199 guests
Free ARDS instruction
Trophies and Raffle Prizes
Friendly club atmosphere
Everyone welcome.

Run to my usual high BMWCC standards

..on a Friday too.. no work the day after! - make a long weekend out of it

Our 30th year at Cadwell, it's going to be a good one!

I'm waiting for your call..

Nick Wright

[drjim]

I have paid my fee, arranged to borrow a truck to bring the slug on. Need to get some camping kit, oh and maybe get the slug out of the garage and make sure it still works!

Anyone else coming????

[e21-Mark]

Would have like to but it's 4 hours each way and it's Bimmerflex classic the weekend after.

[drjim]

About to set off. Oil changed etc, just need to get the truck loaded and I'm on my way.

[e21-Mark]

Rims arrived OK then?

[drjim]

Yep, they arrived safely and were promptly fitted onto the car. Changed engine and gearbox oil, reinstalled passenger seat, sorted stuff out and waited for Shaun to change the oil in his truck - which I was using for the trip to Cadwell.

Went and did nursery run, Kids bath and bed then went back to unit and loaded car onto truck. Set off for the 3 hour jurney at 8PM and truck broke down 1/2 mile down the road. He'd somehow jammed the choke open (old VW LT35 diesel van engines have chokes), and it had filled itself with fuel and wouldn't start.

Big set of jump leads on his car once he arrived, constant cranking and a bit of fiddling to fix the choke, engine fired up just as we were about to give up and tow it back to the yard. I set off after 10PM.

Arrived Cadwell 0200, pitched tent, got in sleeping bag, went to sleep eventually. Woke up 0430 need a pee and I'm freezing - ended up standing next to the hand dryer in the toilets blasting hot air down my shirt to stop shivering! Put on all the clothes I had, jeans, fleece etc got back in sleeping bag with towel and gore-tex jacket on top. Warm enough to go to sleep.

Woke up at 7AM to find Weather was warm and sunny!

Went out for sighting laps and my misfire was back. Soon as I got near 5000rpm it popped and banged. Limped back to paddock and fired up laptop etc, but no obvious explanation, although on thinking about it the ECU wasn't showing any changes in any parameters, whereas normally cranking increments the counts by one. Eventually OLE97P! appeared and saved the day by looking closely at the plug that connects onto the crank sensor, I had looked at the sensor and the wire, but he noticed that the metal connectors in one side of the plug had broken off. There was intermittent contact. A bodge with tape got the car going and I headed off for a noise test (at 11AM rather than 9AM!) and some laps. Bodge lasted 4 laps until misfire was back.

I knew the air temp sensor was dead, and it has the same connector so I chopped it off intending to solder the wires into the crank sensor leads and be back on track in no time. Sadly the reason the air sensor was dead was actually that the wiring in the plug was broken. So I cannibalised it for the connector bit inside, did a swift solder, and we were up and running.


Cadwell is a fantastic track, but starting to learn which way it goes when everyone else has been out there for a couple of hours is challenging, I did my best! Got through 40L of 99RON, and did 60 odd laps during the day. My alloy tank is way too small, being exhausted in about 30 miles or so, and the lack of any fuel gauge means it's only when you hear the feed pump chattering away like mad and the car starts to stutter coming out of corners as the swirl pot empties that you know fuel is low. I need a bigger tank with a sender in it.

Good bit of fun after lunch when a random BT van decided to park across the track (they were working on the site, but trying to drive across a live racetrack is pretty spectacular!), I was third out after the restart behind Ian Barford and OLE97P! in his 318ti. Had a good play with the compact, eventually he yielded and I set off after Barford in his 118D, it was only when I caught him that I saw it was a 118D, I assumed it was a 130i or something. Ian is a very good driver and was maintaining momentum round the circuit very well, he too was forced to yield eventually and I took the "lead" only to be completely blown away by an e36 M3 at the next straight. Good fun though.

Couple of extra fuel stops but then later on my misfire returned, having had so little sleep and with a 3-4 hour drive back in the truck I loaded up. Decided to stay for the raffle and debrief, and was rewarded with Timo Glocks hat as a raffle prize.

Left the circuit and got stuck behind a gritter - been in shirtsleeves all day and I was driving the truck with all windows open and sunglasses on, guess they were expecting it to be as cold again tonight as last!

Made it home after an uneventful trip, unloaded at the workshop and came home. Need to get this crank sensor situation sorted properly before Croft. I had also better go to sleep - up early tomorrow to go to Wembley for the Cup Final.

[e21-Mark]

Glad you had a good day and are happy with rims. Any pics?

[Jason_323i]

Glad it worked out this time Jim.

I think a bit of mot and tax might pay off so you can get it running on the road, and hopefully I will see you at croft.

Jason

[drjim]

Have you still got that crank sensor bracket?

MOT and tax is exactly what I was discussing with Dean, he has the same problem of no way to test the car without shelling out for a track day.

[OLE97P!]

Jim.....I let you past!

Ian Barf in the 118d admitted that he couldn't catch me on a previous session - the Compact was really singing that day and went very well. Not bad for a £60 scrapyard engine eh?

It was an excellent day, and i did 173 miles which is about 80 laps and a tank of fuel. I averaged 21 mpg.

[drjim]

Jim.....I let you past!

Just as well, you were braking so early everywhere I was worried I'd run into you!

[Nick]

Nice post Jim
Sorry I didn't get time to chat
See you at Croft
Nick

[drjim]

We were all busy - me trying to fix my car, get laps in or towards the end of the day stay awake! You were running a trackday. For Croft I shall do my utmost to arrive early on so I can come to Dinnerat the pub and discuss E21's etc.

Cracking day, I think the absence of the racing drivers and their cars levelled the playing field nicely. If I'd had a run in the morning I'd have been more up to speed in the afternoon and keeping more M3's at bay. Still figuring out who is faster than me! Might be an idea to arrange a similar schedule clash again.

[drjim]

quick google turned up this...

http://www.02again.com/?page_id=358

Should sort my crank trigger issues.