Badgerwagen Wins Class again - 2nd overall

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Well... had a nights sleep so hopefully brains not so tired as it was yesterday.

Well, the end result was better than hoped, with another consecutive class B win and 2nd overall. This was'nt assured as during quali, I had 2 big moments when the car turned right on me under braking, once into quarry where I was pointing towards the infield, steering full left, into the right hander that is quarry... I planted the throttle to drive it out, but off boost not power, nothing happening. I hastily grabbed 2nd and wayhay loadsa boost, tiresmoke and a recovery amidst a cloud of smoke and exit quarry bemused as to why it had done that. continued thru the esses, old paddock, getting back up to speed and brake into tower, bugger me it did it to me again. Back end locked and turned me right. I had obviously used all my alloted talent on the previous half spin as there was no recovering from this one... foot hard on the brake and I stopped just off the track backwards to the direction I came from staring at the next cars 'on it'. Two class A cars passed and I recovered and continued again.... thinking wtf is going on with this car?

I had done some changes since last race, new rear beam bushes (prototype vibratechnic) and also drilled extra holes in the rear arb for additional stiffness, and replaced the front disks, but stupidly I had run out of new pads, so was running a used set of PF01 carbon metallics.. I only fitted them on saturday and been to the petrol station and back sunday, so not bedded in. things were running thru my mind, were the mods to beam bushes and arb causing this braking stability issue? The next coupld laps was me "feeling" my way back on the brakes, and they got better and more stable after a couple of laps, so could push on. I was fortunate to be 2nd car out, following keith murrays a4 quattro out onto the circuit, but he was going slow, which left me to go banzaii and try for an early hot lap before traffic became an issue. One half spin and one spin later, murray passed me as did someone else (memory fades who). Quali after the first few laps settled down into a car which was sliding around a lot it felt. At one point Russell Humphrey's came up behind me in his EVO VI and I expected him to breeze by, but instead he dropped back so I continued for another lap thinking he was taking a cooling lap... when his light came on I dawned on me he could'nt pass as I was pulling away from him down the straights & he could'nt keep up. He had traction out of the corners tho where I spin up so was faster out of the corners than me.. next lap, out of quarry I get off the loud pedal and indicate for him to pass which he does. On the final lap I pass the chequered flags and just as I cross the line the cars looses all boost and sounds suddenly very loud exhaust.. oh no, what can this be... I drive round on cool down lap fearing the worst..

Back in the paddock, I jump out and tell the team its lost boost, we open the bonnet and I look for boost pipe off somewhere... then we spot the wastegate actuator rod has snapped! weird failure.. time now was 11.45am and race was 17.20 start so we had plenty of time to do something. We wrestle pipes and bits n bobs out of the way to under the actuator brkt. effing hot car remember , just done quali... and remove the broken part. jump into the s8 and drive home to badger HQ to tig weld the offending actuator rod back together and hope it holds for the race. Once tig'd back together we drive back to combe and refit it onto a cool engine (much easier). all back together and only just after 2pm.. loadsa time.

Race time and we form in the paddock to go out onto grid positions. I am on row 3, P5 quali. Ahead on pole we had murray (a4), Wyatt (astra), humphreys (evo), squibb(evo), me, beachgood (focus), bird (leon), williams (corsa), thorne (focus rs), craig (m3)........

Greenflag lap, smoke the tyre off the line and weave a bit, on and off the brakes to try and get some temps up... form back onto grid slots and wait for all 38 cars to make their positions. 5 sec board, red lights go on, 1,2,3 revs climbe, 4,5 and they go out.... off we launch. Wheel spin in 1st, control throttle, hook up 2nd, more throttle, more wheelspin, glance to my right for the white car of beachgood, look ahead to see wyatts astra as I pass... excellent, class leading now, look left again for beachwoods white focus and see craigs white M3 now slightly ahead of me... blimey! We pass through folly, me still trying to contain wheelspin, but up into 3rd gear now... craig and I are what seems like microns apart.. (paint exchange system close!) I hold of full throttle as we slide thru folly, we dont touch so now I open the badgermobile up and pull away up into quarry. I take the middle/inside line to defend against craig who's m3 stops really well, and then concentrate on the 4wd boys squabbling up ahead. It all looks very "physical" between murray and humphreys... leaning/pushing etc... Hmmmm. Whilst they were dicing and blocking I could keep up which was good, whilst pulling away from craig and the chasing class B runners. I could'nt see wyatts astra which was the car to beat in my class. We round the first lap and I now see why, wyatt parked up on the outside of folly (he suspected broke clutch off the line he said afterwards). Back into quarry for 2nd lap and the 4wd squabble continued to be intense from my perspective.. murrays a4 leaning/pushing with humphreys evo.. Something from that contact maybe damaged murrays a4, as he lost pace then, and I had to swerve to avoid the slowing a4. Now P3 overall on lap board.... pulling away from the rest of class B and trying to hang on to the 4wd evo's of humphreys and squibb... Squibb also looked to be loosing pace... I could keep up... not the norm! He then slows and I pass him, as he once again suffers a mechanical retirement. Now P2 overall... and humphreys is clear of racing and defending and pulls away from me.

I pass the next laps looking at my lapboard P2, tony waving me on enthusiastically, counting down the laps to go. Seems a deja vous of previous race. Gap to guy ahead which I could'nt bridge and gap to chasing pack which was comfortable without pushing car... brain now in get car home mode.. hoping it all still hangs together.. "that tig weld...hope it holds.." brain brought into focus again from the meanderings when I brake into tower and pedal goes very long.... eak! miss apex badly, scrub speed on neutral throttle, on track but way off line... Jeez, whats up with the brakes???, bobbies, they were ok... into camp.. long pedal... up into avon rise and quarry, long pedal... damn... overheating.. on used pads? Change of driving style now, jabbing the brake pedal approaching all hard braking points with my left foot, fast enough to do something and not trigger the ecu to shut throttle on me.. (poxy dbw nannie ecu). that seemed to be ok to get me to the end.. Laps to go 1 as I pass.... go on ibiza, keep going... keep going... we can do this.. pass the chequered flags... and WOOHOOO we've done it again..

Class B win and 2nd overall.. nice.

Cool down lap... both me and car... its effing hot in there.. windows still no workie!, round to the start finish and meet the guys (tony, nigel, mark) who were helping me this weekend. I receive the garland, and briefly get interviewed on the tannoy.. say something like "wow thats hot in there, I was sorry to see wyatts astra parked up... never nice to dnf, but things break for all of us, as I know all too well.."

So many thanks again to Tony, nige, MrsB (jan), Custom Code, Forge, and everyone who came out and wished me well.

thanks folks..

much appreciated.

Bill

Bill any issues with the actuator we need to fix let me know , if you need spares let me know

just let me know

well done

Bill any issues with the actuator we need to fix let me know , if you need spares let me know

just let me know

well done

will do.. it was the actuator the red came with on it at the mo which broke.. the green ran with yours, but this setup is different clocking & comp housing.. will pop down with it at some point if I can so see what I can do to adapt my current brkt to a forge actuator.

Looks like all the hard work developing the car is starting to pay off, well done.

Well done Bill,another cracking result