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deekssteve911 · 5 years

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Classic Performance Engineering - shifting up a gear ...

It’s been a while since the last blog; that’s for sure. So much has happened, where to start? Well, let’s deal with the facts: we’ve lost 2019 from a racing perspective. And this is how it happened ...

Cue early 2019 - Haz, Mandela and I set sail for Belgium to collect and shakedown the ‘SC’. The Viking invested hundreds and hundreds of hours throughout 2018 building her, and I sunk in, (further), tens of thousands of ££, between us we imagined, (prayed), we would have a weapon with which to attack the front end of the ‘70′s Roadsports grid. Despite our best efforts, we were wrong.

Zolder’s historic Grand Prix circuit in Belgium was the venue for the 'SC’ to break cover - with an ambitious plan to test at Donington Park on RMA’s test day the day after. That would be quite a schedule, even for a professional ‘works’ team. For us it was a continent too far.

We were on the back foot from the moment we arrived, due to my kamikaze planning when it came to ferry schedules; it was a sleepy ‘Drakar Kapp’ squad who loaded the car on the morning of the Zolder test, and the late start inspired us to shoot for just the, (very expensive), PM test session.

The car ran, but, understandably, this was it’s first time bursting into life since the rebuild - there were issues. Brakes, gears, misfire - to summarise. The track is very fast, and ‘old school’ impressive - not that I really learnt it, I had my hands full of shaking down the 9-1-1. And I didn't do an especially great job.

From a driving perspective, I could’ve displayed more intelligence - the Viking instructed me, (strictly), to ‘take it steady’ - and for reason’s better known to anyone but me, I didn't. On the very first lap out I couldn't get the car slowed down enough - or get the correct gear hooked up for the chicane, and, unbelievably, I was rotating. Genius. And I did it several more times during the ten laps or so we ran. I probably don't have the intelligence to be a racing driver. As I was slewing backwards, I certainly began to ponder that possibility...

It was damn tricky - the brake pedal was rock hard, but with zero feel until the brakes locked, (the recommended master cylinder - calliper ratio was suspect), plus gears refused to select cleanly, the ‘loaded’ gate would attempt to engage 2nd from 5th, instead of 4th, and the car gradually spluttered to a stop, (unbeknown to us, the brand new fuel pump was failing). All normal-ish things that happen when you’ve just fully rebuilt a car from scratch. But when she did run ... the ‘SC’ felt pretty racey - very impressive.

Dwell on the positives - the fact the ‘SC’ ran AT ALL - and the balance from the chassis with the ‘KW’ suspension, it felt ‘tight’, and well sorted - straight out of the box. Experience - and subsequent brainstorming - now suggested we needed a dyno-run before the first track outing - expecting the 911 to run cleanly with zero issues was, singularly, unrealistic. Lesson learnt.

In the end, the fuel pump finished us completely for the day - the Viking valiantly went on a mission to find one and fit it, to keep us on course for the Donington test the day after. About 3.30-4 this was replaced, and the team loaded and made fast tracks for the 10PM Calais ferry. Which we subsequently missed ...

Night drive from the port was hard going, and a, by now, grizzled - and sleep-deprived - team assembled in the AM for the ‘sprint’ up to Donington Park. Once again, we managed ten or so laps before the misfire ended play, tho’ the impact of the brake and gear issues meant I SHOULD really have parked the car after Zolder. It’s never a good move to let your hunger to drive overrule the engineering realities. Nevertheless the couple of occasions when I did manage to select 4th for the Old Hairpin showed a glimpse of what this race car can be in the future - damn fast.

It’s taken me a while to take this reality check - I’m not planning on even entering another race until this car is fully sorted and lapping competitively, it’s the way I would’ve done it during my ‘modern’ career, and its the way I’m going to do it going forward in my ‘classic’ ‘career’, (sic). I owe this to the Viking, my team and myself.

Exhausted, to a man, we trailered the car to its new home at ‘Classic Performance Engineering’ where it - and I - have lived ever since.

But that is only part of the 2019 story. We don't give up that easy ...

To address the gearbox issues, we elected to source a ‘new’ SC gearbox - not, these days, an easy thing to do. Firstly there aren't any, and secondly the few that are out there, now cost a fortune. Thousands. For a crappy converted VW beetle box. That is ‘classic’ racing for you. We honed in on one in Belgium, I paid, and Stef., pulled out all the stops, fettled it, and brought it to England the day before a planned Silverstone test day. And this is where our season kind of unravelled for the second time. In splitting the engine and box, we drained the oil into a pan at ‘CPE’, and our collective blood ran cold. Pearlescent oil. Not good - disastrous, in-fact. We had reassembled and run the fresh engine for 20 laps with the same oil coolers and lines that had been fitted when the motor had suffered that catastrophic blow up in 2017. It simply hadn't occurred to us in the maelstrom of trying to get the car finished - that is the truth of our current situation. We took the crime scene evidence into CPE’s engine shop for the CPE ‘engine-meister’ ‘Mick’ to practice CPR on the oil filter. It was filled with shrapnel. Game’s up boys - she has to come apart again.

No Silverstone test, no money left to rebuild, no immediate prospects of anything. The drive back to Heathrow to drop the Viking off was long and hard, to find a future - or humour - in all of this was difficult, to say the least. But we will.

Classic Performance Engineering had been brilliant up to this point with their unstinting support, but here we moved the relationship up a gear. I stepped in to host the ‘Sunday Scrambles’, and CPE transported the motor back to Stef. in Belgium.

Which is where it has been ever since, the long-suffering Viking has steadily been going through the rebuild process - again - and I have been earning the ££ to pay for the parts. And now the engine is ready to be collected and returned to the race team shop, CPE are going to step in and fit it, and our team plan is to get out testing before the 2019 season comes to a close. In preparation for the season of our racing lives, 2020.

From a ‘working’ point of view, after a slow start, it has actually turned into an epic year for me - take the racing tour out of the equation and I have no complaints. I’ve been training the Nissan Nismo Performance dealers in the art of the 2019 GT-R, delivering ‘Present to Win’ for the Henry Ford Academy, then Master Trainer for the new Nissan Juke launch, presenting the Goodwood Member’s Meeting for Woodham Mortimer, the Silverstone F1 Grand Prix for Corinthian Sports and the Silverstone Classic for Goose. Brilliant shows and projects. But I want to race, that is why I work. To race.

Back to the HSCC schedule - we do have, of course, the ‘longblock’ engine, Well ... ‘did’ ... in the true spirit of this programme so far, the guy who sold it to me turned out to be just another conman - we sent the engine to my friend Phil Hindley’s crack ‘Tech9′ team to be stripped - and it is shite, scrap. It would never have run. Bastard. Karma will catch up with you.

It is interesting to me - I managed seventeen years of ‘modern’ racing pretty much without once been taken for a ride - in classic racing so far, I’ve experienced little else. Well, that is until I met Stef. the Viking, and Classic Performance Engineering, my luck’s just changed - and massively for the better.

CPE are the team I would’ve like to have assembled myself; fantastic guys, professional, knowledgable - and very helpful. They are the next part of this story - without the Viking, we wouldn't have got this far. Stef. and I have to work with people of this quality - and that is exactly what we are going to do moving forward.

In-fact, it is THE ONLY way forward - after five/six years of attempting to get the project finished, and ‘race-ready’, it’s now time to move things up a gear.

Lots of decisions to take, lot’s of money to find for 2020 - but it’s crystal clear to me now. It has to happen in 2020. That is MY key decision. I have to firmly ‘time limit’ this programme, for all kinds of reasons - principally I will never again be as fit and hungry again as I am today. That’s just physiology.

Plus, none of us know how long we have left on the planet.

That is purely reality - and I know it.

2020 - you are my year.

#hscc #classicperformanceengineering #schrothindiseat #alpinestars #puretriumphwellingborough #arai #cobraseats #classicandsportscar #amci #porsche911sc #Porsche911 #racingporsche #porscheclub #sartomenswear #deekssteve

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rajeshvaidya · 5 years

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Reposted from @marc_lemans - Porsche 917 Elford-Attwood in Espíritu de Montjuïc 2019. #porsche917 #917 #daytona #porsche #porscheclassic #porschemoment #917k #porscheracing #racingporsche #vintagecar #retrocar #retrocars #racing #vintagecars #racetrack #racecar #racecars #motorsport #lemans24 #porschelife #porscheclub #car #instacar #racingcars #nurburgring #racingcar #cars #carinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BwyW6lAlqgbzhXdZZ8iIyWFoNKOJLUI_Sr42ks0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=k9b2tqfxaeff

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neckbrakers · 4 years

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😱 On-board Porsche 917K Rodriguez-Kinnunen 1970 original car at Laguna Seca Follow @neckbrakers 🚨📸 #porsche #porscheclassic #porschemoment #classicporsche #porscheracing #racingporsche #vintagecar #retrocar #retrocars #racing #vintagecars #retrocars #racecar #racecars #motorsport #lemans #lemans24 #porschelife #porscheclub #car #instacar #racingcars #racingcar #cars #carinstagram #instagramcar #porschelove #porschefans #porschefan #porsche917 https://www.instagram.com/p/CEV7pGTjKuS/?igshid=ikeiwzhvvvs7

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monstermotorgirl · 7 years

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Passion Porsche painting #porsche #racingporsches #vintageracing #paintingdaily #carart #carartistcommunity #carart #vintageporsche #porsche356

#vintageporsche #carartistcommunity #vintageracing #carart #paintingdaily #porsche356 #racingporsches #porsche

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t00muchcaffeine · 4 years

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Repost @911racer with @get_repost ・・・ 🔵 Vintage aircooled Porsche masterpiece 🚗　1973 PORSCHE 911 S/RSR racecar 🏁 Faster than normal engine R34 35GTR and 993 turbo on circuits ☺ I am Nissan japan official instagramer 📷 I would like to thank everyone who has reposted my pictures. Including but not limited to Mercedes official, Citroën official, Nissan Japan official, mass media / tv, publishers, and car enthusiasts. Many requests from people all around the world. My official website is currently under construction, so please look forward to the release! I took all of these photos in Japan. I am crazy about cars, for more than 40 years. I've had more than 500 vehicles, that I shoot and drive. I'll post a few photo stocks to my Instagram. I can't count how many photos I have. I’ve driven in most of the car manufacturers from around the world. I love sports cars. Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus etc... Mostly, I own air cooled Porsches from 356 to 993 GT2 racing. of course, I've had most of the Japanese cars as well. like a Z, Skyline etc.. If you like my photos, Please share them on your account with my tag and credit. I am happy to see people appreciate Japanese car life all around the world. Please let me know if you have any questions about any car or a photo shoot in Japan. #porsche #porsche911 #911s #356 #911 #930 #964 #993 #classiccar #porscheclassic #porscheclassic #vintagecar #rsr #carporn #porscheclub #porschefan #racingporsche #porscheporn #carrera #vintageporsche #automotive #classicporsche #classicporsche #aircooledporsche #911carrera #automotivephotography #carrerars #carphotographer #911sc #racecar #oldcar #aircooled Suggested by @heyignacia https://www.instagram.com/p/B4rwkPtBaBt/?igshid=q48pvoyarnfx

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bonnetmagazine · 3 years

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On of the cooler looking @Porsche 911 GTs, thats for sure! Follow @bonnetmagazine on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr #bonnetmagazine Credits go to @pcartalk #porsche #porsche911 #porschecarrera #carrera #aircooled #flatsix #flat6 #porscheteam #racingporsche #porschelemans #classiccars #classicporsche (hier: Circuit Paul Ricard) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSztTyQi5eB/?utm_medium=tumblr

#bonnetmagazine #porsche #porsche911 #porschecarrera #carrera #aircooled #flatsix #flat6 #porscheteam #racingporsche #porschelemans #classiccars #classicporsche

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deekssteve911 · 6 years

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Armageddon ...

It’s been a roller-coaster ride - a week in which our tight little unit have been tested to the limit. And beyond. More of that in a moment.

Let’s talk about the build, baby. The Norseman has been ‘on fire’. Suspension first. When we tore the beetle apart, we very quickly realised that almost everything fitted to, or, more likely, ‘dumped’ on the car was JUNK. Like the exhaust - fresh out of the scrap bin. You cannot build a race car without the fundamentals being sound. Wheel control is critical. We pondered hard - discussed the limitations of the SC’s basic design - and finally concluded that we needed the best - despite the crushing outlay. Enter: ‘KW’. As a bonus we get adjustability for different tracks and changing weather conditions. The one time I drove the ‘original’ SC, briefly, in the wet, the rate of rotation was impossibly fast. I knew instinctively that this, ultimately, wouldn't be a quick configuration, we needed some way to work on generating more mechanical traction - ‘KW’ suspension will allow us to play with this parameter. Most excellent.

Weight saving up next. Glass? Very nice to see through, and drink out of - but damned heavy. It’s made of sand you know. Out go the 911′s windows - in comes the perspex. The Viking is handy with his axe - in one legendary carve up, the beetle sheds many valuable kilos - and I get yet more ‘genuine Porsche’ 'parts’ to dispose of via eBay. Epic.

Transportation department. Modification to our newly acquired trailer was the next task on the Viking’s never-ending agenda - the logistics theme for 2018 is ‘compact’, our trailer is, (just), 911 SC size, but we needed a rack on which to also transport our newly-aquirred ‘wets’. So the Viking drew one up - and built it. Yeah, just like that. That’s how we roll at Drakar Kapp.

Now, whilst all this frenetic development work has been going on, quietly, in the background, I’ve been on the trail of something rather special - and becoming impossibly rare to find - a second engine. Unbelievably, a couple of months ago, on my radar popped up a freshly rebuilt 3.0 SC ‘long-block’ - i.e, a 911 SC engine complete, but without exhaust, induction or ancillaries. Yep. The proverbial rocking horse’s sh*t. I made several offers, but was turned down flat every time. So I waited. And waited. One day, recently, the millionaire owner got bored, and took the decision to just ‘clear it out’. And a deal was struck. I got lucky. At Drakar Kapp we were VERY excited.

The Viking made plans to courier it to Belgium. And that, is where things started to spiral horribly out of control. The inept - and shabby - logistics company we engaged somehow ‘lost’ our engine. For ‘lost’, read ‘had stolen’. And, to add insult, delivered to Belgium a pallet that contained a shonky old Renault van gearbox - then blithely insisted that this crappy old transmission was what had been collected. What the...? When the courier told me to ‘relax’ and that ‘they were doing everything within their power, etc.’, that is the point at which I declared war. And a vicious conflict it was too - I was fully prepared to assemble a vigilante posse and conduct my own ‘private investigations’, indeed I was in the process of actioning this, when, fully two weeks after it had left for Belgium, the flat-six motor turned up, right back where its journey had started, Archer Motorsport. I had, from day one, explained to the recalcitrant logistics cowboys that ‘this will NEVER be over until I get my engine back - I will never give up. Never’

Something in my tone must have convinced the courier that there would not be a happy ending for them - or their subcontractors - ever. Indeed I think my relentless questioning, and continuous thinly veiled threats eventually annoyed them to the point that someone, somewhere, phoned somebody and said ‘this awful guy never gives up - return the damn thing, get him off our case’

Unbelievably, the day after I had made public my intention to stick a report into the police and trading standards, the engine, (code name DK02-FFE-VW), mysteriously returned to base - the exact location where it had started its adventure two weeks earlier.

For a few days there, it was touch and go. If we had accepted the motor was ‘lost’, it would have been lost - to us. Forever. The sharks were circling. But we never did. Not for a minute. Never will.

I think it will grow up to be a ******g fast engine :-)

#porsche911 #racingporsche #911sc #classicracecar #porscheuk #porscheclub #classicracing #kwsuspension #porschebelgium #silverstoneclassic #@DeeksSteve #design911 #cobraseats #haydenampliifiers #meters #seventiesracecar #heuer

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