UP DATE - Summary for 2010 08/11/2010
After racing with Jedi and Monoposto, We have now removed and sold our standard Yamaha R1 2003 Club class Engine. This was a great engine and served us well. We fully appreciate that we could still make up a bit more time (based on lap time data) with this set up. However the improvement would only be semi - rewarding as personal bests are not recognised unless they happen to be lap records. The best lap times achieved by this 03 machine would make it less likely a driver could podium finish in a mixed grid Monoposto 1000 race and in Formula Jedi Championship the classes are split by engine age, so any podium finish in a club car overall would not be recognised - it's not valid to cross reference classes. Classes do not mix on results sheets when comparing finishes. Whilst we appreciate Formula Jedi runs an age related Club class where cars are equal, we personally preferred racing in a bigger class in Monoposto 1000 with what was an underpowered car compared to some of the faster cars on the Mono grid. We had a fantastic experience at Rockingham with Formula Jedi, which we still say is " Highly recommended ". Formula Jedi Lap times are usually very fast in comparison, so we recognise a win in any class at Jedi, as a definite achievement. Even in club class at Jedi - the lap times of the cars with 03 engines and older are still very fast. So in our eyes Formula Jedi is definitely a drivers championship - Individual engineering is regulated and more controlled but these cars put out blistering lap record times, achieving outright records on some circuits making it the choice for drivers who really want to put their own ability to the test with all cars being very similar. Karl did finish third in his class with his first ever race. So Karl was happy as it was such a new experience. However in hind sight, Karl feels this is no great personal achievement. When comparing that result to the pace of the Formula Jedi Championship Class. It's only perhaps a good effort when comparing Karl's lack of experience to other drivers but.... Karl has always been a competent driver and rider. Karl would get more of a thrill from finishing in front of drivers in the more powerful cars with a less powerful club class car, which we considered to be more of a measure. However the interest is obviously to aim for top three finishes outright. So we decided to sell out 03 engine. Even if we find it hard to compete with the much faster drivers (given our experience) - it's good to know we have a better chance with a capable car, we have moved our bench mark. A good time in an 03 Jedi car at Silverstone is 58 sec's. A good Formula Jedi time at Silverstone in an 04-06 car is 55 sec's. So we need to beat 58's with our new engine to warrant running it. The closer we get to 55 sec's at Silverstone (Formula Jedi lap times) the more competitive we are. Generally you would need to finish with . 5 of a sec within the lap record to see a podium finish. So that's really going some! For the reasons above we have removed our good 03 engine - We have purchased a 04-06 Yamaha engine as it offers a slightly less expensive installation than up grading to the GSXR Conversion. The down side is we believe the newer R1 engine offers a bit less torque and less Midrange compared to the GSXR, which we predict will make the drive a bit more "two strokey" (less forgiving with gear changes) - hopefully we can learn to drive around this as this engine is still competitive in MONO 1000 and still does reasonably well in the ferocious Jedi's Championship class. We look to carry out the bulk of the installation over winter. So depending on Jedi's costings, we hope to still be eligible for the Formula Jedi Championship if the structural engine bay work is carried out at Jedi. We could carry out this work within the team and it's associates as Karl is a fully qualified mechanical & electrical engineer, having carried out hands on engineering projects for numerous companies over the years. Engineering work that has enabled development within R and D at the highest levels of motorsport satisfying standards and specification for some of the most demanding customers. So we already have contacts that include full time coded welders and machinists that have experience working for race companies. It is this that provides Karl with the potential to build his own race car in the future and holds back his engineering instincts in the Jedi championship - although Karl fully appreciates Formula Jedis reasons for such regulations. That's why Karl calls it a drivers championship. The upsides are not having to waste time/money researching properties of metals and heat treatment to develop drive shafts or find suppliers with that knowledge through trial and error. Although this is actually a process Karl has grown to enjoy since working in a project technical management role. For this reason we have contemplated selling the car, but at this stage... Our preference is still to keep the car standard and eligible with formula Jedi despite the fact we may race again with Monoposto. In 2011 we may only be able to get a couple race weekends in like in 2010 - with a couple of testing sessions to run in the new set up. However if we do less in 2011, we would hope to return to 2012 for a strong good years racing, especailly as we gain interest from Local businesses. So for now... Hope you all have a good Christmas and New Year! Thanks for your help and support everyone xxxx Add Comment | Click for Comments Above Topics!Please
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