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"Weekend Racer" Alpine Back running!
- Thread starter spmdr
- Start date
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
Here is a wrap up of the SVRA weekend, with a bit more detail.
First, At Willow BBB, the track is Bumpy/washboard and the rear shocks have TOO thick oil and would tend to hop over the bumps,
Not a good thing when encountered in the middle of a Turn!
So I was concerned with how the Alpine would Like Fontana, Or...How I would like Driving it there!
I was thinking of changing the rear shock oil Saturday night, if needed.
Saturday.
I was QUITE happy with how the Alpine handled at Fontana!
The WR Alpine is MUCH more neutral handling than the "Love Bug" Alpine of Tom, that I ran at Fontana last time there.
The LB Alpine is your basic understeering car, VERY easy to drive!
The WR Alpine WILL oversteer with cold tires! Get the tires warmed up, BITCHEN!
One entertaining/interesting aspect was how different the Alpine ran from the morning to the afternoon.
Running the first group out in the cool morning, I could only pull about 5200 rpm in 4th.
Now, granted, I'm running Box stock carbs with 142 jets, and Rock catcher Filters.
Also, currently running the Box stock SV Head (with stiffer springs)!
In the very nice afternoon, it would pull to 5500 and pulled noticeably better, by the seat of the pants meter.
I pulled a solid 2 seconds off the morning lap time for the qualifying session (2:26.4), I was hoping for more time off.
I should add, NO wind effect, as far as I know, because it pulled the same RPM both different directions on the straights.
Sunday.
The weather was quite sketchy. The forecast was for Rain, 50%. It looked threatening ALL day but was NOT a problem!
As it turned out, the wind picked up in the afternoon.
I ran Race 1, about 2 hours later than the first Saturday morning session, but the weather was the same and the car ran the same, 5200.
I was grided behind 2 Formula Vs (1200cc) and in front of the GT6 (last car), 17 cars started.
I ran the WHOLE Race so close to the Vs it was hilarious!
Even with the V drivers doing Unspeakable things to the "Racing line", I couldn't gain on them and they could not shake me.
About the only tool I had was late braking and THAT gets a bit dicey with a neutral/oversteering handling car, I'm NOT going there, AND HARDLY worth it!
On the second from last lap, the track was getting a bit ragged with some cones out of place and in the middle of the track.
On the last lap, things got interesting.
The first problem, the Alpine jumped out of third gear JUST turning into the infield.
As I had pretty much had that turn down to about 9.8 out of 10, I was holding my breath the back end would NOT come around!
As it turned out, I changed my line a bit to give up the second (very close) turn and just lost a little on the V.
This gave me a chance to catch up to the V with some late braking!
By the middle of the infield I had caught the V just before the cone issue.
The V in front of me went to the outside of a cone and I went to the inside to gain on him.
We came out of the cones dead even, and I mean DEAD EVEN!!!
However, I had "The LINE".
The V started coming over on me and I didn't know if he didn't see me or was he trying to intimidate me.
I held my hard fought ground and HAD the V going into the braking zone for the next turn.
Then it popped out of third again!
Fortunately it happened early enough I could grab some extra brakes but it left me out of gear going into the turn.
I stuffed it back into gear and held it there and stayed in front of the V to the Checker.
My best lap time was still only 2:26.4, but it WAS .4 BETTER than both Vs!
I finished 12th! I LAPPED the GT6!
It was a 30 minute session, most sessions are only 20 minutes.
I decided NOT to run the last race, no need to RACE for last place! Plus the trans needs help.
The Trans followed one of my rules, "it's good, until it goes BAD".
And the wind would have been a killer, even though I decided before it came up.
The pisser is the GOPRO packed up only moments after starting, and for NO good reason!
I need to dig up the old race results to see how the two Alpines compare, even though the cars are WAY different.
During the LONG front straight (lap after LAP), I played around with the throttle to see if I could conclude anything about what it needed/wanted.
Clearly there was a problem, the top 1/4 of the throttle position made very little difference!
I could not conclude anything. I tried some suttle throttle pumping to see if the accelerator pump would add some extra gas.
But I later concluded the AP was beyond pumping range.
I am assuming the head is the big limiting factor and I will SOON switch that out.
Then come the WEBERS!
....OR trans, most likely will tend to that, first!
First, At Willow BBB, the track is Bumpy/washboard and the rear shocks have TOO thick oil and would tend to hop over the bumps,
Not a good thing when encountered in the middle of a Turn!
So I was concerned with how the Alpine would Like Fontana, Or...How I would like Driving it there!
I was thinking of changing the rear shock oil Saturday night, if needed.
Saturday.
I was QUITE happy with how the Alpine handled at Fontana!
The WR Alpine is MUCH more neutral handling than the "Love Bug" Alpine of Tom, that I ran at Fontana last time there.
The LB Alpine is your basic understeering car, VERY easy to drive!
The WR Alpine WILL oversteer with cold tires! Get the tires warmed up, BITCHEN!
One entertaining/interesting aspect was how different the Alpine ran from the morning to the afternoon.
Running the first group out in the cool morning, I could only pull about 5200 rpm in 4th.
Now, granted, I'm running Box stock carbs with 142 jets, and Rock catcher Filters.
Also, currently running the Box stock SV Head (with stiffer springs)!
In the very nice afternoon, it would pull to 5500 and pulled noticeably better, by the seat of the pants meter.
I pulled a solid 2 seconds off the morning lap time for the qualifying session (2:26.4), I was hoping for more time off.
I should add, NO wind effect, as far as I know, because it pulled the same RPM both different directions on the straights.
Sunday.
The weather was quite sketchy. The forecast was for Rain, 50%. It looked threatening ALL day but was NOT a problem!
As it turned out, the wind picked up in the afternoon.
I ran Race 1, about 2 hours later than the first Saturday morning session, but the weather was the same and the car ran the same, 5200.
I was grided behind 2 Formula Vs (1200cc) and in front of the GT6 (last car), 17 cars started.
I ran the WHOLE Race so close to the Vs it was hilarious!
Even with the V drivers doing Unspeakable things to the "Racing line", I couldn't gain on them and they could not shake me.
About the only tool I had was late braking and THAT gets a bit dicey with a neutral/oversteering handling car, I'm NOT going there, AND HARDLY worth it!
On the second from last lap, the track was getting a bit ragged with some cones out of place and in the middle of the track.
On the last lap, things got interesting.
The first problem, the Alpine jumped out of third gear JUST turning into the infield.
As I had pretty much had that turn down to about 9.8 out of 10, I was holding my breath the back end would NOT come around!
As it turned out, I changed my line a bit to give up the second (very close) turn and just lost a little on the V.
This gave me a chance to catch up to the V with some late braking!
By the middle of the infield I had caught the V just before the cone issue.
The V in front of me went to the outside of a cone and I went to the inside to gain on him.
We came out of the cones dead even, and I mean DEAD EVEN!!!
However, I had "The LINE".
The V started coming over on me and I didn't know if he didn't see me or was he trying to intimidate me.
I held my hard fought ground and HAD the V going into the braking zone for the next turn.
Then it popped out of third again!
Fortunately it happened early enough I could grab some extra brakes but it left me out of gear going into the turn.
I stuffed it back into gear and held it there and stayed in front of the V to the Checker.
My best lap time was still only 2:26.4, but it WAS .4 BETTER than both Vs!
I finished 12th! I LAPPED the GT6!
It was a 30 minute session, most sessions are only 20 minutes.
I decided NOT to run the last race, no need to RACE for last place! Plus the trans needs help.
The Trans followed one of my rules, "it's good, until it goes BAD".
And the wind would have been a killer, even though I decided before it came up.
The pisser is the GOPRO packed up only moments after starting, and for NO good reason!
I need to dig up the old race results to see how the two Alpines compare, even though the cars are WAY different.
During the LONG front straight (lap after LAP), I played around with the throttle to see if I could conclude anything about what it needed/wanted.
Clearly there was a problem, the top 1/4 of the throttle position made very little difference!
I could not conclude anything. I tried some suttle throttle pumping to see if the accelerator pump would add some extra gas.
But I later concluded the AP was beyond pumping range.
I am assuming the head is the big limiting factor and I will SOON switch that out.
Then come the WEBERS!
....OR trans, most likely will tend to that, first!
Last edited:
Jay Laifman
Platinum Level Sponsor
Bummer. Would have liked to see you there. We're now helping with Tech as we build up our Elva race car. Everything of course is on hold now.
Jay Laifman
Platinum Level Sponsor
BTW Dan, is there any chance you can get the WR video online? I watched it years ago, and would love my kids to see it.
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
Jay, I am in conversation with the guy who made the "Weekend Racers" movie.
The main goal is to get a better copy, and finding out how to make it more available.
Stay tuned.
Also, stay tuned for more WR Alpine activity!
The WR Alpine HAS been accepted to the 2020 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 13-16!.. Yaay!..
The main goal is to get a better copy, and finding out how to make it more available.
Stay tuned.
Also, stay tuned for more WR Alpine activity!
The WR Alpine HAS been accepted to the 2020 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 13-16!.. Yaay!..
jdoclogan
Platinum Level Sponsor
I will second Dan's comment! Tally the vote--- Dan wins the 2020 Champion for getting another historical racing Alpine on the track and sharing the saga. Congrats. I wasn't thinking of going to the Monterey event again this year, but, your efforts are certainly pulling me there.
belmateo
Gold Level Sponsor
Looks like fun!
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
As it turns out the 2020 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 13-16 is NOT going to happen.
After a fair bit of wrangling, the event has been canceled.
They are planning a "club type" event with no spectators, the weekend before.
I have not decided if I will go to that event, reg is due July 1.
After a fair bit of wrangling, the event has been canceled.
They are planning a "club type" event with no spectators, the weekend before.
I have not decided if I will go to that event, reg is due July 1.
Jay Laifman
Platinum Level Sponsor
Ironically, I'm not sure that it's because of the virus. I did hear that that SCRAMP volunteers have told the new organizers that they will not work for them.
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
The WR Alpine was called into service for the "Drivers Appreciation Weekend" at Laguna Seca.I didn't do as much to the car as I wanted, but I did change the Trans and installed an O2 bung to check the Carb mixture.
The trans checked out OK on the street test and the Wide Band O2 revealed the A/F mixture was leaning out above 4000 RPM.
Also the Carb fuel metering was all over the board, calling in question the Fuel pressure, needle and seat function and who knows what else.
I took a pair of 130 main jets and hand drilled them to .063" and took them in the spare parts box.
I would have drilled some more jets, but based on the O2 reported mixture wild numbers, the carb/fuel system needs other basic help first.
When I entered The Big event, I selected the slower mainly '50s small Bore production car group.
For this event THEY put me in the Faster '60s Small Bore group, not a big surprise.
In the first Session, It was clear I NEEDED the bigger jets, but I was Real happy with rest of the car.
The session was a mise mash of Yellow and full course Black flags, so no one really got great lap times.
I "Qualified" 23rd out of 30 cars running, 37 on the entry list.
The Trans was flawless!
In the afternoon Race, I had installed the BIG jets and the car responded nicely, clearly the best it has ever ran, so far.
I settled in and chased a couple of cars all Race, Life was good!
A least as good as it COULD be with the least Powered car in the group.
I finished 25th out of 31 cars, clearly others were having more issues than I.
Sunday morning was a new ball game!
With at least 6 cars behind me that could run faster lap times, it was shaping up to be SOMETHING.
On the Green flag, you would have thought this was a Money Race!
I was past left and right, close and tight!
By half lap I was dead last and watching them drive away!
The two cars I ran with yesterday had upped their game, I had nothing more.
After 3 laps, there were no cars in sight, so I brought the car in to save the ware and tear.
The good news, I didn't loose a starting position...
The afternoon Race was a repeat, without all the cars passing me at the start, I brought the car in early.
And again, didn't loose a Finish position...
Based on the Saturday afternoon video, My best lap time was 2:06.4
The Sunday afternoon results have my best lap time at 2:07.2
The MGA I ran with on Saturday had a best time of 2:03.4 (the sand bagger).
I finished 25th out of 26 cars entered.
The Trans is STILL flawless, and the rest of the car is quite good too!
It was a GREAT weekend away from the rest of the World BS.
Last edited:
alpine_64
Donation Time
Dan,
Thanks for the event report and glad the trans held together this run.
You have any news with getting a dcoe homologated yet ?
What front springs are you running? The car appears to have almost a stock ride height? Are you able to remove things like the hood boxes and other weighty items or you are keeping them for period correct?
Thanks for the event report and glad the trans held together this run.
You have any news with getting a dcoe homologated yet ?
What front springs are you running? The car appears to have almost a stock ride height? Are you able to remove things like the hood boxes and other weighty items or you are keeping them for period correct?
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
As far as the DCOE carb world, I think the strict groups don't allow them in the "Stock" class.
However, the worst they MAY do seems to be to move the offending car up a class, usually in the same run group.
So I'm not too concerned about giving the Webers a try.
As far as the Alpine "setup", I talked to John Coddington, the original owner,
he said he bought all of the "Special Tuning" parts From his local Rootes dealer.
It clearly has an over sized front swaybar and I think I concluded the front springs are stiffer as well.
The only things I have changed are the shocks. The front shocks are nothing special.
I'm VERY happy with the handling, considering I have done NOTHING to TUNE it up.
The biggest surprise is how well the rear is working.
I expected the rear to lift or lighten an inside rear tire and LOOSE traction, so far, NOT a problem.
I expect a problem WHEN I add more power.
However, the worst they MAY do seems to be to move the offending car up a class, usually in the same run group.
So I'm not too concerned about giving the Webers a try.
As far as the Alpine "setup", I talked to John Coddington, the original owner,
he said he bought all of the "Special Tuning" parts From his local Rootes dealer.
It clearly has an over sized front swaybar and I think I concluded the front springs are stiffer as well.
The only things I have changed are the shocks. The front shocks are nothing special.
I'm VERY happy with the handling, considering I have done NOTHING to TUNE it up.
The biggest surprise is how well the rear is working.
I expected the rear to lift or lighten an inside rear tire and LOOSE traction, so far, NOT a problem.
I expect a problem WHEN I add more power.
Last edited:
