Michelin Cup - Gauteng

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Originally Posted by Mandarb

Also had fun, even though they didn't allocate me to a session, then I asked and put me in the C class, asked to change to A class, went out, and they lost my number again until I went and asked again.
I made a video as well:

Need to see if I can salvage anything from my wet lap recording. My insurance called me three times, "There has been harsh acceleration and sudden stops", each time while I am in the middle of a lap, which stopped the recording.

Thats great footage! Welldone on the driving!

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Round 2 2017 - Redstar Raceway

Some awesome pics of the 86's representing!

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Round 2 2017 - Redstar Raceway other random pics

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Michelin Cup 2017
Round 3 - 400m Drag Race

Date:
18th March 2017 08:00AM – Gates Open
Place:
Smile Raceway
(1441 Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng)

Cost:
Registered Cup Members – R300.
Non Cup Members – R350.
Please try to pay using EFT

Registrations: http://michelincup.co.za/Home/Registrations
Registrations Closes 16th February 12:00 AM

Clothing: Long sleeves and helmet.

Proceedings: For those of you who have not yet attended one of these events:

As you arrive at the venue, make your way to registrations.
There will be scrutineering to make sure your vehicle is in safe running condition for track use.
Once finished we will have a short drivers briefing to discuss rules and regulations for the day.
Cars will be split into their classes to line up on the day to try and run respective cars together.

For those who may have questions, please feel free to reply to this thread, PM me or drop a Facebook message to the Michelin Cup ZA for assistance.

Hope to see you there!

[Fish Eagle]

I must admit that I'm very disappointed with the Red Star event.

The timing fiasco was avoidable, and unforgivable.
There were known weaknesses and problems, known long before the time, and nothing was done about it...

The final screw-up that switched me off was with my own results. The result sheet above shows my time for session 1. My time for session 2 was printed out, and stuck up on the control room window, and it was correct - I checked it.

Despite that, some bozo managed to mess up something that was right, and transponder issues can't be blamed. And despite me having reported it, and the error being acknowledged, and the error being fixed in the series results (which are actually irrelevant to me), the above results were never amended.

I think I've participated in my last Michelin Cup event, unless there's some serious organisational changes.

It was pathetic, and most frustrating...

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Originally Posted by Fish Eagle

I must admit that I'm very disappointed with the Red Star event.

The timing fiasco was avoidable, and unforgivable.
There were known weaknesses and problems, known long before the time, and nothing was done about it...

The final screw-up that switched me off was with my own results. The result sheet above shows my time for session 1. My time for session 2 was printed out, and stuck up on the control room window, and it was correct - I checked it.

Despite that, some bozo managed to mess up something that was right, and transponder issues can't be blamed. And despite me having reported it, and the error being acknowledged, and the error being fixed in the series results (which are actually irrelevant to me), the above results were never amended.

I think I've participated in my last Michelin Cup event, unless there's some serious organisational changes.

It was pathetic, and most frustrating...

Hi Andy

Sorry to hear about yours and others timing issue,

With regards to the event as a whole, it was very sad to hear what happened on the day.


Feedback from the Michelin Cup Committee on the issue:

Red Star Raceway was approached and booked in Early January 2017.
We pay them to host us and to run the event.
There are additional bookings and payments made for timing.
We provide them with numbers that will be attending, and they do the rest.

The Thursday before the event, they contacted us and informed us that they had not been able to obtain enough Transponders for the Timing (They only managed to get 40), which would have required sharing of the Transponders.

They informed us that they have idea in mind to make it work, and that they would discount what they are charging us for Timing.

The Morning arrived and we attempted their plan, but unfortunately, the time it took to change over the Transponders caused a bit of a gridlock in the pit, with people trying to line up for the next session and those trying to exit the pits.
A few of the committee members went up to the timing box to assist Red Star in resolving the issue. We came up with an action plan, but had to deal with the Gridlock first, then identify who would run in what session. It was not ideal, but it was the best we could make of the situation.

The first round took some time, especially between sessions, as they needed to reallocate the transponders and change the details on their timing equipment to read the transponders.
However once the first round was out the way, we managed to become more efficient, and the event improved as the day went by.
The time lost though hurt the event as a whole.

The Venue owners were extremely embarrassed about how the day turned out (including the Michelin Cup Committee) and apologised profusely to us on a number of occasions, and have offer to not charge us for the Timing and sponsor the trophies for the next event we have there.

Please bear in mind that this is the first such mishap that we have experienced at Red Star, and previous events have all been a success.

That being said on behalf of the Committee we do apologies at how the event turned out, and are striving to learn from those mistakes, take lessons learnt and move forward to make future event a success.

What a few of the committee members are looking into, are seeing if we can get our own means of timing, but as you can imagine these items are not cheap, and that is why we generally rely on renting them from the venue. As for the transponders not reading, we have suggested that in future we will try see if we can monitor the times, and if a transponder is not working, then black flag the driver to come in for a change of equipment.

We will also welcome any suggestions from the competitors, and see what suggestions are feasible to implement.

[Fish Eagle]

Originally Posted by Fish Eagle

Michelin Cup - Zwartkops 28 Feb 2016.

@ft_86_SM_GT - You've seen these clips before, but this is just a reminder of how quick you actually are.

You're only about half a second off these lap times (mid 1:18's) and these drivers felt good enough about thier performance to put their videos on YouTube.

I chatted to the guy in the Stillen supercharged 350Z that day (Grant).
He was running same tyres as me - Bridgestone RE11S semis, 225/45R17.

Ferrari 360 Challenge Car, timed on the 100m mark before T5.
Must say that it sounds brilliant!!

Stillen supercharged Nissan 350Z, timed on the start line.

I’ve started thinking ahead to the Zwartkops Michelin Cup event end May.
I had a great result last year with a win in class T2, and 12th overall.

Looking back at these two videos which were part of my inspiration for last year's event, I've realised how far I've come since then.
Both those laps were mid 1m18's, and I got into the 1m15's last year, so no more inspiration to be found there...

I've studied my Zwartkops videos, and arrived at the following things to work on:

Turns 1 and 4 are all about getting the car well balanced on the way in, running fast and wide on the way out, and being brave.
They're both quite fast 4th gear turns.
Foot flat, close eyes, don't chicken out, and hope for the best

Turn 8 is all about getting good exit speed, which probably means jumping the kerb at the apex, running a bit wide on exit onto or over the yellow kerb, and being braver.

Out of these options, I reckon turn 4 is my biggest opportunity.
Any extra exit speed from T4 is carried all the way up the hill to T5.

So, it looks like I just need specific focus on these 3 turns and a big bottle of brave pills.

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Write up by Chris Wall:

For this third round of the 2017 Michelin Cup series, it was time for the competitors to attack the 400m stretch and try and post some respectable times. The event was initially going to take place at Odi, but too many people didn't like this idea, probably because Odi is located about 3 minutes from hell itself and those wanting to use the loo at any time during the event would hate themselves and invent new swear words. Organisers did some research and found that Smile Raceway (also known as Extreme Raceway) in Bronkhorstspruit was more than up to the task of hosting this leg of the series. The drive to the track is brilliant, main roads with smooth tar, no potholes and the drive gave a pretty decent breakfast run vibe. The track is a little narrow, but other than that it's actually a great venue. They also don't have permanent toilet facilities but made sure to have a pretty decent VIP toilet on hand. This, along with some cool food stalls means the track rates about 5000 times better than the other venue. The weather was hot - HOT! This saw some of the cars struggle to lay down the times they usually do, but it was hot for everyone so it was an equal playing field. By the time yours truly had left, the fastest cars on the day came from the Subaru camp with two of them in the 11-second bracket. That's insane, especially when you consider that the cars are mainly track-focussed builds. Our money for the fastest of the day was the red turbocharged Honda, we've seen it run quick times, but on this track it was struggling to get traction. A few runs even left black stripes along most of the quarter mile. Not ideal for times but great to see and hear for the spectators. Once again, it was a great day out for the Michelin Cup competitors and the way the event was run saw everyone getting in multiple runs, something that doesn't usually happen at events like this. The decision to use Smile Raceway was definitely a good one, and we're sure to see the track being used again in the future for events like this. Keep an eye on the Michelin Cup page for results from the event - we'll see you at Round 4.

Results:

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Some of the epic cars out competing

[FT_86_SM_GP]

My personal times were slower than last year on the 1/4mile,

Not sure if it was due to the exhaust leak I have or the damaged gearbox bushings I have after changing my clutch, but I battled to get traction even with Semi Slicks on.
Although I was the slowest 86 in SA that day
It was fun trying and fun day out at a new venue

[FT_86_SM_GP]

Write up by Chris Wall:

What must easily be the most popular event on the Michelin Cup calendar, the track sessions at Vereeniging Kart Circuit was once again a roaring success. Last year it was on the rough side of freezing, so most people dressed up warmly just in case. Luckily by 10:00am things were quite warm, unlike the action on track that was on fire. The guys were holding nothing back, evident by a few off road excursions that luckily yielded little to no damage for the unlucky guys. It seems many were determined to break their personal records on VKC, and if you check out the results, some managed that - and then some. A few of the bigger cars seen taking part in the series were missing, but no one really missed them because their spots were taken up by some welcome newcomers. Once again the Subarus dominated, posting some ridiculously quick times. Just after lunch the second session took place in the opposite direction and if you check out the results, the guys pushed to make things pretty equal, not something you will often see when a track is reversed. Great weather, great cars, great friends - that's what Michelin Cup is all about. We'll see you at the Round 5 that takes place at Zwartkops Raceway in a few weeks.

Results:

[FT_86_SM_GP]

For me personally, this is the best Michelin Cup event during the season,

What made it so much more special this year, was watching the best in SA motorsport battle it out, and watching the Epic Wayne Hay come out on top its just so satisfying watch a road legal car (Wayne's wrx sti) being competitive with Inland Championship(Devin Robertson) / BMW championship(Philip Smit) / Lotus Cup (Johan Nel) cars....
Dont get me wrong.... these guys can drive! but Wayne is just on another level

[FT_86_SM_GP]

My personal write up of the event:

This isn't the Nurburgring, it isn't 28km long, it doesn't have high speed corners.
This is Vereeniging Karting Circuit, its 1.2km long, has low speed corners, and the most casualties were a few bumpers at the Michelin Cup. RIP.

This is my favorite Michelin Cup event of the year.
There's something about this event that makes it special.
I think it's a combination of the intense corners; the smooth pase of how this event is run; the healthy competition from a crowd of like minded racers; and the fact that you are spending most of your day in the pursuit of that best lap time.
Mmmh that best lap time :-)
What does that mean for me?
It means... being in the Zone.
It's pure driving and everything else doesn't matter...

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxmDv5SPIvU"]Michelin Cup ZA 2017 - VKC - Toyota 86 clockwise - YouTube[/ame]

[FT_86_SM_GP]

This 5th round of the Michelin Cup series is one of the most anticipated. Zwartkops Raceway is one of the best venues in SA and the way events are run there is second to none.
The Michelin Cup competitors arrived bright and early, as usual, and made the most of the day on track. The field of competitors was good, not the biggest we've had, but it wasn't the smallest either.
There were many motoring related events happening throughout the day at many venues, like the Suzuki Swift Sessions at Red Star Raceway, the Jozi Kxlektive meet at Race in Kyalami and of course the big one, the SA Bike Festival at Kyalami Racetrack.
This meant there were a few familiar faces missing from the event, but the serious guys were serious and made sure to attend and rack up the points to make sure they place in prize giving at the year-end function.
As usual, it was a great event and a good time was had by all, even those that went farming on the day. We'll see you for Round 6 - keep an eye on the page for updates.

Resuts: