2011 Wessex Racing News
The supercharged Honda S2000 is nearing completion but sadly will not now be ready to compete this season although it should run on the rolling road and be tested before Christmas. This car has taken an absolute age to finish as it is a complete one off, there is nothing carried forward from any other car we have ever prepared before in either the engine, the transmission, the suspension, or even the wiring. This has taken its toll on the time we have had available and the whole build has proven to be not only quite complex but inevitably also quite costly for so simple a concept which was to make a car that was to be " Small and Nippy " which is all Toby had asked for from the outset.
The RWD Honda Civic saw its debut at the Lydden Hill meeting on August 29th, it would have been nice to report that it all worked perfectly out of the box but this was not the case. All the difficult bits, for example the engine, the electronics, and the transmission worked without fault but a slightly optimistic set of spring rates rendered the car less than pleasant to drive, proof if proof were needed that there is no substitute for testing a car under racing conditions.
The combination of the transaxle gearbox from Elite Racing Transmissions and the electronics that control the flat shift from Geartronics were as superb under racing conditions, as they were in testing. The modifications needed to the suspension are complete, although further changes will be needed over the winter to allow the car to run on 17" wheels, however we will be looking forward to the final round of the 2011 MSA British Rallycross Championship and the British Rallycross Grand Prix to be held at the Croft Circuit over the weekend of November 5th. and 6th. No doubt there is more to be learned but that is the joy of Motorsport!
Bruce Bamber
October 25th. 2011
