NEWS
SuperTrucks Nov 2010
Things did not go to plan thanks to someone not liking being overtaken by a Fiesta. Apart from lots of panel damage from the 4 deliberate hits, the spider gears in the LSD were shattered and everything came to a halt early in race 2 when it locked up and bits of crown wheel came out the side of the gearbox..
The Mocal 19 row oil cooler has fixed the overheating problems.
National Championships 16 Oct
The engine changes really made a difference with a qualifying time of 1.06.9871 min for 16th outright and 3rd U2L. After a full weekend of racing we finished in exactly the same position.
The car went well except for the oil getting too hot and in the 20 lap final a plug lead came loose on lap 7 of 20 laps but it made no diference to the result. We did not have quite the same speed as the top two but were very close until the lead came off.
A bigger oil cooler has been fitted and it should cure the overheating problem. The Quaife gearkit wont be installed until after the final event of 2010 - the SuperTruck meeting at Wanneroo in November. Having gearing better suited to the circuit should make a difference of about 0.5 seconds which will make us very competitive with the leading cars.
Oct 10
We hand ported the exhaust ports without the aid of a flow bench (ie best guess) and made a slight change to the header diameter at the manifold. On the dyno we were able to reduce fueling by about 10% and it now pulls 192hp. There are still a few more ideas kicking around and we will try those in the next few months. It would have been nice to break through the 200 barrier in time for next weekend's National Championship at Wanneroo but it is not to be. Fuel consumption with the E85 and a 21 lap final race in the Nationals means we have to somehow increase fuel capacity in the next 2 days ?????
Reliability issues related to the gearbox that also caused engine damge from over-revs have plagued us recently but the problem has been now been found. The gear set should have been changed to a Quaife SC synchro set by now but they sent the wrong crown wheel and it will have to wait to the end of the season now. To avoid problems in the future the snchros will be changed at the end of each season.
Apr 10
Unfortunately the E85 proved to be our undoing. Despite everything appearing to be okay on the dyno, it was a different matter on the racetrack. Fuel starvation causing the engine to lean out at each corner and by Lap 6 of Race 1 the engine cut out just as the clutch was released on a 5th to 2nd downshift and the friction plate was destroyed. We packed up and went home to try again. After replacing the clutch we have found that 2nd gear was also shredded so we are desperately searching for parts to be ready in time for the Collie meeting on May 16.
Ford dont make available the replacement parts needed so we had to buy a s/h 1600 box that has different ratios and swap the bearings over so they fit it the XR4 housing.
Collie didn't go well as the repaired box locked in 3rd gear during qualifying. It did come out later and we could get every gear except 1st so we started each race at the rear of the grid. More gearbox woes and still fueling/reversion problems to fix!
Mar 10
The racing went well and we are now 4th outright in the championship and 2nd in U2L. Raceday was very humid and this caused the engine to run lean in qualifying. We remapped the fuel after each race and it improved each time but lap times were still slow because of the tyres being 18 mths old. During the next 4 weeks the car will be converted to run on E85 ethanol/unleaded fuel blend. E85 has much higher octane than the current fuel and will let us make use of the engines compression and ignition advance which has been very restricted until now. Maybe E85 is the missing link ???????
It appears that the cams have slipped or been adjusted away from the optimum position. These have been re-timed and power has come back up to 176hp with bigger gains in the mid-range but until vernier cam gears are fitted we wont do any more tuning. The cams will be keyed so that they cant slip but it will have to wait until after the 13 March meeting. An attempt to drill and pin them failed to even scratch the surface of the cam gear - they are extremely hard!
Feb 10
The first event of 2010 went pretty well. We set our fastest short circuit lap of 57.3586 in qualifying and Race 1 went well finishing in 2nd behind Colin Harper in the beautifully prepared BTCC Honda Integra.The clutch failed in Race 2 due to contamination and excess heat in the fluid caused by changes to the extractors but we still managed to finish. New fluid and some strategically placed pieces of Coke can as heat shields got us through Race 3 and into 3rd place U2L. Thanks to the crew and all the other drivers for a great meeting.
Just before this meeting we lengthened the exhaust headers to 26" but it made little difference to the power curve, probably because of the compromised intake manifold (and the cams having slipped - see above).
Nov 09
Phillip Island National Titles. The first qualifying session in wet conditions put us 4th outright in our group but we were pushed back to 20th after the second group had a slightly drier session. In our 2nd qualifying session we went out on low fuel to try to get the best time possible but miscalculated and suffered fuel surge that sent us plummeting to 70th.
Race 1 - started 36th and finished 29th in dry conditions. Dry doesnt suit the Fiesta on a high speed circuit like PI as we lack top speed (especially now with cam timing problems and using the fuel sold at the track).
Race 2 - started about 37th and got to 16th when the battery failed at Turn 10 of the last lap.
Race 3 - started about 40th and finished 17th in the wet. What a hoot! That would rate as the most enjoyable race I have ever had.
Repercharge - Started 9th in the wet and finished 3rd to claim position 49 on the last row of the grid for the Final.
Final - Started 49th, finished 31st outright and 4th U2L. The rain let us down in our 12 laps of need but it was still good to be out there and passing 18 competitors isn't too shoddy.
Phillip Island National Titles. The first qualifying session in wet conditions put us 4th outright in our group but we were pushed back to 20th after the second group had a slightly drier session. In our 2nd qualifying session we went out on low fuel to try to get the best time possible but miscalculated and suffered fuel surge that sent us plummeting to 70th.
Race 1 - started 36th and finished 29th in dry conditions. Dry doesnt suit the Fiesta on a high speed circuit like PI as we lack top speed (especially now with cam timing problems and using the fuel sold at the track).
Race 2 - started about 37th and got to 16th when the battery failed at Turn 10 of the last lap.
Race 3 - started about 40th and finished 17th in the wet. What a hoot! That would rate as the most enjoyable race I have ever had.
Repercharge - Started 9th in the wet and finished 3rd to claim position 49 on the last row of the grid for the Final.
Final - Started 49th, finished 31st outright and 4th U2L. The rain let us down in our 12 laps of need but it was still good to be out there and passing 18 competitors isn't too shoddy.
What a great weekend. Thanks to Wayne and all the WA guys for their support and encouragement.
Sep 2009
Our first race meeting in months was a mixed bag of results. The weather varied between bad and horrendous. The first race was very difficult with diesel from the SuperTrucks and the rain making the track very slippery, plus, the left front spring was loose and causing massive understeer. Race 2 was going well, in 3rd position, until the last corner of the race and we were pushed off the circuit. A win in Race 3 under torrential rain was agood comeback. Overall we finished 2nd in class.
The engine is back in the car. The alternator is now mounted at the front for better access and less components (ie. weight). The Quad TBs fit without having to cut away the radiator support panel, but power is still only 175hp. There is a hole in the power curve that we now think is caused by cam timing so the car will soon be back on the dyno to try to solve it.
Aug 2009
Just received Cosworth bearings that have fixed the Main Bearing clearance problems but we had to use Clevite Big End bearings as the Cosworth ones were not right.
The brake package has arrived and seems to be great gear. If we were using standard rims it would have been a bolt on fit.
We have entered the National Championship to be run at Phillip Island, Vic. in November.
Jul 2009
The new donor engine was fitted with an undersize crank at the factory and therefore the bearing clearances are far too large.
A new front brake package is on its way consisting of 6pot forged calipers, 2 piece 286mm rotors and braided lines.
May 2009
Piper Cams UK have designed and delivered new camshafts specifically for this engine and they look much more promising than the Cosworth offerings. Bunbury Precision Engineering has modified the inlet manifold so that we can use the Quad TBs and stay within the rules. We have also lightened the crank and flywheel and found about 6 kgs of plastic and 1 wiper blade that we dont need. The Fiesta now has 1 wiper that does the whole windscreen; maybe Mr Ford wants to know how to do it ????
The engine internals have been balanced by Nathan at Ron Bell Engine Reconditioning in Mandurah (dont trust anyone else!) and have been ceramic coated and cryogenic treated.
Apr 2009
New pistons, rods, camshafts, etc have been sourced and now have to make everything work as a package. As well as the engine build we are trying to reduce weight as the car currently weighs in at 1040kg. 2 Piece rotors will be used with 6 pot front calipers and should save about 10kg. That was easy but every other kg is going to take a lot of work.
Mar 2009
The engine remains showed that the oil pressure relief had failed leading to bearing seizure and then rod failure. The Welsh plug that holds the oil pressure relief spring in the oil pump had pushed out of the housing. The new engine will have it pinned and wired. None of the internal engine parts can be re-used so we have decided to pull out of the 2009 Championship and concentrate on building a much better race car for next year.
Feb 2009
Bathurst did not go to plan with an engine seizure on Lap 1 Race1. However, before this happened the data logger recorded a 2.41.8 lap in Qualifying but it was not credited as the session was red flagged 0.4sec before crossing the timing line. That's 7 sec faster than last year plus a top speed of 259Kmh at 8500rpm on Conrod Straight.
Jan 2009
We are currently preparing for another attack on Mt Panorama, Bathurst. This is in the IPRA support races for the WPS 12hour Production Car event. A new Cosworth intake and throttle body have been fitted but we have LOST 6HP and up to 20HP in the midrange.
New cams are ordered and work has started on a new manifold so we can fit the quad throttle bodies again.
Nov 23, 2008
Among several other minor problems we found a valve retaining collett broken in half (luckily the valve didn't drop). Honda VTEC colletts are identical.
Had a good day at the Collie Motorplex giving sponsors a taste of what the Fiesta is capable of. We hope they enjoyed it.
Nov 15, 2008 Barbagallo Nightmasters
The short circuit definitely suited the Fiesta, especially with changes to the rear suspension that improved the balance. Unfortunately, a fault in qualifying meant starting from the rear of the grid in race 1. The car was storming through the field only to run short of fuel and fail to finish. Races 2 & 3 were hard fought but with good pace and enough points earned to claim the 2008 IPRAWA U2L Championship.
Oct 26, 2008 Barbagallo
Fouled plugs just before qualifying limited us to 4 laps but we still managed a 67.76s lap for P2. That is the car's fastest lap to date and 0.5s faster than the previous best. Probably due to the stress induced adrenaline rush !
Racing was congested and busy. In race 1 there was real and repeated concern of a collision due to another driver's actions and so 2nd was a respectable result. 2nd in the reverse grid race 2 was rewarding and this was followed by a win in Race 3. A good result - but as always, there is more to be done before the next race. Results
----
ABS Fiestas dont have pressure limiters in the rear brake lines so with the abs inactive there is too much rear bias. The left rear lockup we have had was due to the excessive bias and the rear springs being slightly out of adjustment.
5 hours on the dyno playing with cam timing has dramatically improved torque and mid-range power.
----
Sep 21, 2008 Barbagallo
We got pole position from a wet qualifying session and finished a very close second to Jim Gellan in Race 1 with the car getting better every lap. Races 2 & 3 were dry and the superior power of Jim's Cosworth powered Escort and Laurie D'Allessio's Honda dropped us back to third. The best lap time improved 1.7 sec from the last meeting.
-----
Sep 2008:
4.25:1 Crown wheel from a 1.6l fitted to the gearbox to overcome the problem of 2nd gear being too low and 3rd too tall for cornering at Barbagallo. Unfortunately the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears from the 1.6l cant be grafted onto the XR4 input shaft to create a cheap CR box. This means that 1st and 2nd will now probably just cause clouds of tyre smoke at the starts !! oh well!
Engine upgraded to Cosworth 260hp cams and valve springs, 13:1 pistons and Farndon Rods along with ARP bolts to hold it all together. As the induction is far from ideal due to limited space, it took a lot of dyno work to optimise it but web got about 175hp after allowing for lower readings due to the gearing change.
The thermostat has been modified to lower the engine temp as it was constantly running at 95C with the std 'stat and it now peaks around 85C on the dyno.
----
Jul 21, 2008: Barbagallo Raceway
Had the TPS fitted back to front and only qualified 2nd last. Spun in race 1 trying to make up positions so started races 2 and 3 from ROF. Still managed to finish the meeting leading the championship with 185pts to Jim Gellan's 142pts in a Cosworth YB powered Mk1 Escort.
----
Jul 2008:
Bigger injectors and quad throttle bodies fitted for only a 5HP increase on 98ULP pump fuel, (bugger!), but 14HP on 98ULP racing fuel. That makes it 149HP at the wheels.
Sep 2009
Our first race meeting in months was a mixed bag of results. The weather varied between bad and horrendous. The first race was very difficult with diesel from the SuperTrucks and the rain making the track very slippery, plus, the left front spring was loose and causing massive understeer. Race 2 was going well, in 3rd position, until the last corner of the race and we were pushed off the circuit. A win in Race 3 under torrential rain was agood comeback. Overall we finished 2nd in class.
The engine is back in the car. The alternator is now mounted at the front for better access and less components (ie. weight). The Quad TBs fit without having to cut away the radiator support panel, but power is still only 175hp. There is a hole in the power curve that we now think is caused by cam timing so the car will soon be back on the dyno to try to solve it.
Aug 2009
Just received Cosworth bearings that have fixed the Main Bearing clearance problems but we had to use Clevite Big End bearings as the Cosworth ones were not right.
The brake package has arrived and seems to be great gear. If we were using standard rims it would have been a bolt on fit.
We have entered the National Championship to be run at Phillip Island, Vic. in November.
Jul 2009
The new donor engine was fitted with an undersize crank at the factory and therefore the bearing clearances are far too large.
A new front brake package is on its way consisting of 6pot forged calipers, 2 piece 286mm rotors and braided lines.
May 2009
Piper Cams UK have designed and delivered new camshafts specifically for this engine and they look much more promising than the Cosworth offerings. Bunbury Precision Engineering has modified the inlet manifold so that we can use the Quad TBs and stay within the rules. We have also lightened the crank and flywheel and found about 6 kgs of plastic and 1 wiper blade that we dont need. The Fiesta now has 1 wiper that does the whole windscreen; maybe Mr Ford wants to know how to do it ????
The engine internals have been balanced by Nathan at Ron Bell Engine Reconditioning in Mandurah (dont trust anyone else!) and have been ceramic coated and cryogenic treated.
Apr 2009
New pistons, rods, camshafts, etc have been sourced and now have to make everything work as a package. As well as the engine build we are trying to reduce weight as the car currently weighs in at 1040kg. 2 Piece rotors will be used with 6 pot front calipers and should save about 10kg. That was easy but every other kg is going to take a lot of work.
Mar 2009
The engine remains showed that the oil pressure relief had failed leading to bearing seizure and then rod failure. The Welsh plug that holds the oil pressure relief spring in the oil pump had pushed out of the housing. The new engine will have it pinned and wired. None of the internal engine parts can be re-used so we have decided to pull out of the 2009 Championship and concentrate on building a much better race car for next year.
Feb 2009
Bathurst did not go to plan with an engine seizure on Lap 1 Race1. However, before this happened the data logger recorded a 2.41.8 lap in Qualifying but it was not credited as the session was red flagged 0.4sec before crossing the timing line. That's 7 sec faster than last year plus a top speed of 259Kmh at 8500rpm on Conrod Straight.
Jan 2009
We are currently preparing for another attack on Mt Panorama, Bathurst. This is in the IPRA support races for the WPS 12hour Production Car event. A new Cosworth intake and throttle body have been fitted but we have LOST 6HP and up to 20HP in the midrange.
New cams are ordered and work has started on a new manifold so we can fit the quad throttle bodies again.
Nov 23, 2008
Among several other minor problems we found a valve retaining collett broken in half (luckily the valve didn't drop). Honda VTEC colletts are identical.
Had a good day at the Collie Motorplex giving sponsors a taste of what the Fiesta is capable of. We hope they enjoyed it.
Nov 15, 2008 Barbagallo Nightmasters
The short circuit definitely suited the Fiesta, especially with changes to the rear suspension that improved the balance. Unfortunately, a fault in qualifying meant starting from the rear of the grid in race 1. The car was storming through the field only to run short of fuel and fail to finish. Races 2 & 3 were hard fought but with good pace and enough points earned to claim the 2008 IPRAWA U2L Championship.
Oct 26, 2008 Barbagallo
Fouled plugs just before qualifying limited us to 4 laps but we still managed a 67.76s lap for P2. That is the car's fastest lap to date and 0.5s faster than the previous best. Probably due to the stress induced adrenaline rush !
Racing was congested and busy. In race 1 there was real and repeated concern of a collision due to another driver's actions and so 2nd was a respectable result. 2nd in the reverse grid race 2 was rewarding and this was followed by a win in Race 3. A good result - but as always, there is more to be done before the next race. Results
----
ABS Fiestas dont have pressure limiters in the rear brake lines so with the abs inactive there is too much rear bias. The left rear lockup we have had was due to the excessive bias and the rear springs being slightly out of adjustment.
5 hours on the dyno playing with cam timing has dramatically improved torque and mid-range power.
----
Sep 21, 2008 Barbagallo
We got pole position from a wet qualifying session and finished a very close second to Jim Gellan in Race 1 with the car getting better every lap. Races 2 & 3 were dry and the superior power of Jim's Cosworth powered Escort and Laurie D'Allessio's Honda dropped us back to third. The best lap time improved 1.7 sec from the last meeting.
-----
Sep 2008:
4.25:1 Crown wheel from a 1.6l fitted to the gearbox to overcome the problem of 2nd gear being too low and 3rd too tall for cornering at Barbagallo. Unfortunately the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears from the 1.6l cant be grafted onto the XR4 input shaft to create a cheap CR box. This means that 1st and 2nd will now probably just cause clouds of tyre smoke at the starts !! oh well!
Engine upgraded to Cosworth 260hp cams and valve springs, 13:1 pistons and Farndon Rods along with ARP bolts to hold it all together. As the induction is far from ideal due to limited space, it took a lot of dyno work to optimise it but web got about 175hp after allowing for lower readings due to the gearing change.
The thermostat has been modified to lower the engine temp as it was constantly running at 95C with the std 'stat and it now peaks around 85C on the dyno.
----
Jul 21, 2008: Barbagallo Raceway
Had the TPS fitted back to front and only qualified 2nd last. Spun in race 1 trying to make up positions so started races 2 and 3 from ROF. Still managed to finish the meeting leading the championship with 185pts to Jim Gellan's 142pts in a Cosworth YB powered Mk1 Escort.
----
Jul 2008:
Bigger injectors and quad throttle bodies fitted for only a 5HP increase on 98ULP pump fuel, (bugger!), but 14HP on 98ULP racing fuel. That makes it 149HP at the wheels.
THE HORSEPOWER HUNT
132HP Miltek Exhaust, Cosworth KK3720/1 cams, bigger TB.
137HP Jenvey Quad TBs, big injectors
148HP ET98 race fuel
151HP KK3722/3724 cams, Omega Pistons, Farndon Rods
161HP Tuned ramport length
172HP Cams re-timed away from Cosworth recommendations
166HP Cosworth KK3240 intake manifold and D-Power (should that be DePower?) throttle body.
192HP Supertech Pistons, Carillo Rods, Fabricated quad inlet manifold and Piper camshafts. E85 fuel, ported head and bigger header diameter
NEXT EVENT
Collie Motorplex
2012
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