A new thread for anyone entering Bagheeras in Motorsport (in the hope that others will take up the challenge!)
We did our first event last Sunday, March 22nd, in Aldershot, Hampshire. It was an "AutoSolo" organised by the Farnborough District Motor Club (FDMC), the first of 4 they will do this year. Because my "competition car" Baggy Joe is still not back from Custom Cages (see the other thread for an update on preparation) I was given permission to use "Charlie's" Baggy Grey, the righthand drive Bagheera S we bought new in 1978.
AutoSolos are intended for standard road cars and must be insured, tested and taxed for the road. Indeed they must come to the event on the road and not on a trailer. There were 55 entrants in a wide variety of cars the oldest being Austin Healy Sprites, a new Ford Fiesta ST and a Toyota Celica dressed up as a WRC contender. There were Lotus 7s and Westfields, Renault Clio Sports and everything in between. They changed the rules this time maybe to allow the Bagheera into the "Historic" class. 1980 is now the "youngest" car in Historics. There is no sub-division in Historics and this puts 1275cc Sprites, 1442cc Bagheeras and MGBV8s all together.
The course is about 1.2km long on a level, tarmac, military parade ground where traffic cones mark out the route you must follow. Most upright cones have another smaller cone beside them showing which side of the cone you must pass. You get a chance to walk around the course and decide how to drive it. In a Bagheera this means deciding that you are not going to brake (ever) and where you may allow the engine to stop revving its heart out. I never got out of first gear and the handbrake is not required. There are no fancy spin turns or reversing to do so the strain on the car is much less than on "AutoTests".
Getting lost on the course means that you get a penalty and hitting a cone also earns another penalty. I got lost once (inadequate study by me of the course before the start) but I didn't hit any cones. This is bad news in one way as it showed that I was not trying hard enough! One BMW had the whole cone below the car at one point and we had a real struggle to get it out!
The weather was beautiful sunshine although with a cold wind, ideal motoring conditions!
The Results:- Overall I came 52nd out of 55 entrants beating a Clan Crusader (with a Hillman Imp Engine), a rather timid lady driving her husband's company car (A Vectra 1900cc Diesel!) and a 17year old in a Peugeot 106 who has not yet passed his driving test! Predictably I came 8th out of 8 in the Historic Class although in the fourth round I did come 6th beating a Midget and an MGB.
See
www.farnboroughdmc.org.uk and go to March Solo results
Next time? You bet!! What will I do differently? I followed my reading of the rules and did not fit my "special" Yokohama tyres believing that "Historic" meant having suitably vintage tyres. In consequence not only were my tyres of an old design (XAS and XVS) but they were original (30+ years old, 155 /R13 wide spare wheels from two of our Baggys on the front - hard as nails but with lots of tread) and just legal XVS on the back equally old and hard on wider 13" rims. Lack of grip at the front made Baggy Grey go straight on in corners (chronic understeer!) and the only way to bring him back on track was to lift off the throttle and cause oversteer. Untidy and slow but great fun!
Getting very close to the cones, but not touching them seems to be a big benefit and this is how I beat the two MGs in the last round. Experience takes a while to acquire!
The next event I have entered is a "Sprint" on April 19th. A longer course, also on hard surfaces, but with fewer changes of direction. Average speeds will be higher but maybe Baggy's good roadholding will be a benefit. There is no "Historic" class in this event and I will be in with much more modern cars. All good experience.
Watch this space.
Andy