UKSaabs

Well both unproven cars managed to get down to our hotel just near the track. Both Stuart and me voiced our concerns of running our untested cars but in the spirit of 'those who dares wins' we retired to the bar and sank a few pints! Next morning the cars were frozen solid but the sky was clear and nice cold air is an added bonus to fast Saabs!
I was first to arrive for the noise test and were asked whether we were here for the trackday, 'yes' I replied, 'in this car?' was his response...... Sandra just muttered under her breath, 'No, we have a car in the boot!'
Stuart was behind and was expecting a similar comment but was totally taken aback and lost for words when they asked whether his car was a diesel!!
Not a good start but had us splitting our sides laughing.

First session I did was a bit of a mess trying to sort out the 2nd or 3rd gear corners and then one of my bucket seat brackets snapped followed by a unseen camera suction mount making an appearance from under my seat and getting under the accelerator pedal......doh!
The track has a new section recently built modifying a chicane that was right near the hairpin going onto the back straight....the new layout IMO is excellent once I got up to speed later in the day...

http://youtu.be/QlCAUQnWoqA

Next time out was with Blair who came down with Stuart. The cars starting to feel okay, down on boost but going well. We get a chance to compare car performances later on in the session as Stuart had spotted us out and slowed down until we caught up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlzc4cbWz08

Some good footage chasing Stuart, both of us getting up to speed...

http://youtu.be/5h7dcG4Yqkw

to be continued....

Don't keep us waiting Mark...
That was a nice little tustle with the 2 9000's
Pity Stu never had footage..
Middle video not working..

_________________
Always Win, If You Can't Win, Cheat

Saabocus
Astra GTC
4 x Saab 96
2 x C900
B5 Quattro

RX8 B204

Problems with uploads!
Middle vid now ok.....

As the morning session came to an end the weather conditions got damp and with the wind turned conditions baltic so we all vacated the paddock for lunch. Food in the canteen was pricy but really tasty!

Afternoon sessions got underway and by the time me and San got back Blair was blasting round the track and he looked to be really enjoying himself as he chased a newish Porsche Turbo and stayed with him for most of the laps. I offered Stuart a ride out but he refused saying Blair will be in soon....as Blair flew past at warp speed...so I jumped into a brand new M3 a mate had brought down for a few laps. He couldn't do any more because the brakes would start to fade badly. Anyway, on our out lap we see the yellow flags and as we get passed the new chicane I spot the recovery truck next to Stuarts car..oh, oh, not good...hope its something simple like no petrol, then wonder if the gearbox has gone??

Back in the pits and its really bad news as I'm shown the rod sticking through the block

Our first afternoon session, track is empty until my cooling down lap then a Porsche Turbo goes by....I was tempted!
Sorry, Radio 2 was on for the first lap...sacked the co-pilot!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twm0CSC ... e=youtu.be

Stu's session in my car.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDdDV74 ... e=youtu.be

Dont know why he took it easy and only did a few laps!! I mean, whats the chances of lightning striking twice

Ouch - leg out of bed

_________________
Project 9-3GT 484Bhp+ RWD
trackcar.

Last vid with Barry the new M3 owner as ballast...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWK8_ufOqSk

So my car ended up as the official tow car and it was only a short tow back to the hotel. Stuart then had to organise recovery, the lady on the phone wouldn't take his word that the car needed recovering and couldn't be fixed on the side of the road so a mechanic had to come out to check. However the guy phoned Stuart up before travelling and was convinced that a con rod thru the block was terminal and he could get a hire car to get home and then dropped the bombshell..... did he want his car picked up and scrapped as it was an old car with a wrecked engine and its a long way to recover back to Scotland!! it appears its a new thing the recovery companies now offer if the car value is deemed low against the cost of a long distant recovery.

However Stuart decided to keep his car and the next morning.



and he got a roadburning Astra 1.4GTi Twin Turbo supercharged with nitrous............................................okay made the performance stuff up!!





So to cap off a great track event, Stu got insulted by the marshal who did the noise test by asking if his car was a diesel, then by the RAC who asked if he wanted to scrap his car rather than recover it!!
Cannot wait for our next trackday!!!

Oh, my new tubular manifold turned up today....nice!! But my repaired one lasted and is now ok so it'll stay on the engine until it fails or I have to remove my engine out!

are these silver aeros jinxed?? Does it come in threes ??

_________________
holset vgt 469 whp @1.7 bar
Mighty turbone kitten warp factor 2 @1.9 bar

Well now you've jinxed it Dave....

Pity it wasn't a 2 day track session.. Stuart could have tracked the twin turbo hire car..

_________________
Always Win, If You Can't Win, Cheat

Saabocus
Astra GTC
4 x Saab 96
2 x C900
B5 Quattro

RX8 B204

what colour was Alanb's spectacular flaming torch at Castle Coombe? Think there was another flaming 9000 at Coombe a few years after that one too..........might have been green that one



to be fair, silver was quite a common colour for the 9000 too

_________________
Rich
Prefers driving over polishing or reading.

Yes Rich.... I got silver 1 to... oh and a blue 1....

_________________
Always Win, If You Can't Win, Cheat

Saabocus
Astra GTC
4 x Saab 96
2 x C900
B5 Quattro

RX8 B204

No2 conrod through block, bummer!

Ah well, at least the SOTW (shed of the week) concept at Bedford seemed alive and well.

'I was first to arrive for the noise test and were asked whether we were here for the trackday, 'yes' I replied, 'in this car?' was his response...... Sandra just muttered under her breath, 'No, we have a car in the boot!''

That made me giggle, can just imagine San's face.

Diesel indeed! My neighbour said the same of my 9-5.

'Bit noisy thing Kevin, is it a diesel?'
No Ian its a flippin high powered 500bhp saab petrol engine with a 3" exhaust- which is a shed load better than yer mingin Insignia!



..............I don't know. .........

Kev
SOULFIRER

_________________
'It's not that we become old and stop playing-
-more we stop playing and become old'
Stg 7+ 9-5AERO

Ouch, bugger!

I also smirked at Sandra's response to the numpty question - I bet the muttering involved more than is printed

_________________
S6 Avant 4.0 V8T 450bhp/550Nm
9-5 Aero ~600Nm FB3
Sonett III
96V4s

Had a busy few days since arriving home. Despite No2 Conrod exiting the block it was an enjoyable trip and half a track day .

Considering the lack of logging and mapping the car was surprisingly good to drive. No slam in the back just and endless wave of torque and power that would have continued well past 7000rpm, Although I was changing up most of time around 6500rpm. With power band higher up the rpm traction was much less of an issue and 4:45 box with the short 9000 5th fitted kept the car on boost.

So the positives, the gearbox was trouble free. The 4:45 is much better suited to track, all the gears and cwp came from a low mileage 9-3 box apart from 5th which came from my 9000 box. The turbo never felt laggy and even at 1.5bar made the car quick with a lot more to come.

So the downside, motorway cruising speed reduced to 61mph had to go faster than 60mph it made the the journey of 400 miles rather long. Brakes well with the increased speeds and after driving Mark's car maybe it's time to go larger with the brakes....

The negatives, the obvious Conrod through the block, but with hindsight that may have been preventable. The car had covered 161,000 miles with a fully documented history. I bought it 8 years ago, it has been well maintened by myself oil and filter changes every 6000 miles or less when doing track days. Giving the fitting of the big turbo it would have been wise to drop the sump inspect the big ends and mains probably even replace them, also the head had never been off the car so again fresh head gasket and new head bolts.

Plans, hopefully get new engine in within next few weeks before I go for shoulder op. Strip old engine see if I can find the cause of failure. Get back on track around end of May if my shoulder is ok.

Apologies for typo errors I have used my iPhone for this post.

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97 9000 aero Holset
08 Turbo X
08 Ttid aero vert
Clio dci


Talk is cheap! Torque is expensive!

Hope you have better luck with the shoulder Op than I'm having with mine Nearly a year on & looking like I might need another Op.

_________________
Project 9-3GT 484Bhp+ RWD
trackcar.

Hope you have better luck with the shoulder Op than I'm having with mine Nearly a year on & looking like I might need another Op.

_________________
Project 9-3GT 484Bhp+ RWD
trackcar.

Well someone had to do update this, since the culprit of said problem hasn't been seen since, dunno what Stu has done with him, guess he might turn up soon..
Wee trip out to Tilli to inspect the 9000..

R.I.P

Is this the end of R588 FSC

_________________
Always Win, If You Can't Win, Cheat

Saabocus
Astra GTC
4 x Saab 96
2 x C900
B5 Quattro

RX8 B204

Surely a new engine only job? Looked pretty quick up against Marks in those vids!

_________________
03 9-3ss Aero Noobtune Stg3
Heading (slowly) to Stage 5

MY96 9k Aero
MY95 9k 3.0CD Griffin