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Puma For Sprints And Hilclimbs Rate Topic: -----

#1 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 15 April 2013 - 06:22 AM

So....... Its a long story, but after my modified MR2 mk1 supercharger never really pushed the envelope of reliability I needed a new car with two weeks to go before the start of the season.

I ended up with a scruffy but relatively sound 1.7 Puma.

With no time to prep/build or repair anything, just enough time to put my 1b tyres on a 2nd set of wheels I went along to a shakedown event at rushmore arena. I was in good company, a 1400 rally puma was there and another 1.7.

I realised I didn't have the locking wheel nut key with the car, so was stuck on the ditchfinder tyres on the car. And my go-pro mount didn't pass scruitineering so no video.

The car is for roadgoing class, so will remain std in appearance but it will have some mods over time.

erm pictures say more than words Posted Image

Posted Image

Posted Image

After hammering a socket on, we got the 1b's on the front and as a shakedown was happy with the results and was 0.03s off the other puma, the rally one was a bit quicker :ok:

This post has been edited by cartledge: 30 August 2015 - 07:11 AM


#2 User is offline   AndyReact 

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Posted 15 April 2013 - 06:56 AM

What happened to the wheel?!

#3 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 15 April 2013 - 07:45 AM

Bet the Puma will be fun plus reliable, but that wheel! Was that the whack of the socket ;-)
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#4 User is offline   ally frp364 

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Posted 15 April 2013 - 10:18 AM

Try and be positive about the wheel mishaps....... Think less unsprung weight now! lol

To be going with a bog standard car and being able to compete with the others it shows you how good out the packet they are.

Good luck with the Puma I'm sure you will get alot of enjoyment for cheap rally in it.

Ally

#5 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 15 April 2013 - 11:57 AM

 happy-kat, on 15 April 2013 - 07:45 AM, said:

Bet the Puma will be fun plus reliable, but that wheel! Was that the whack of the socket ;-)



That was before we hammered the socket on :rolleyes:/>

I think the alloy may have had a knock in its life, I just finished it off. good job it was here with run off, as opposed to the hillclimbs where I would have been in a tree/ditch etc

#6 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 01 May 2013 - 10:31 PM

OOps, Late reply.

Sooo... after my slight incident as seen above, 2 new wishbones, droplnks, and rod ends went on the car. And some 280mm brakes jumped out of nowhere and found them selves on the car.

The clutch was slipping so a helix uprated unit got thrown on just in time then


So the start of my season properly. Wiscombe hillclimb was last weekend and my first time there.

Posted Image

My class was 1400-1800 and had some MG Zr's, lotus elan's, a Nova, mx5 and a few other cars. needless to say I got mugged. properly taken for a kipper due to the amount of power I was giving away, on some of the elans I was 100+bhp/Ton down so didnt stand a chance. After disconnecting the torque limiter I managed to pull in 2sec over the climb instantly. and managed to claw back into touch but the car needs power and fast!

I have some vidoe, but not sure about posting it yet as i'm not happy with the car.


Time (or lack of) is my big factor.

So a panel filter has gone in, as has a rear strutbrace. Werrington hillclimb this weekend, hopefully I can put some time into the car first!

This post has been edited by cartledge: 30 August 2015 - 07:13 AM


#7 User is offline   Dogsbody 

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Posted 02 May 2013 - 06:32 AM

Will you be at Gurston Down Hill climb at the end of the month?
26th I think, I will be there as a spectator :)
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#8 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 02 May 2013 - 11:37 AM

Not this month, I'm at gurston in June though. Maybe the 26th june?

Hopefully will have some power then too ;)

#9 User is offline   Turby 

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Posted 02 May 2013 - 12:20 PM

My guess is that you are running in class A2 ? This allows quite a bit of weight reduction which should be your first priority. You should be able to take some out for free, but after that it will start costing as you start using lightweight options :(

I'd look at replacing the seats fairly quickly, they weigh huge amounts compared to a race shell seat and proper ally seat brackets.

Ideally you'd loose at around 100 Kgs and still be legal. We run a 1.7 puma in class A3 in sprints in the south west (off to Goodwood in a few weeks), why A3 - its due to the engine having a big turbo nailed to it! "induction is free" says the blue book ;)
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#10 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 02 May 2013 - 05:18 PM

 Turby, on 02 May 2013 - 12:20 PM, said:

My guess is that you are running in class A2 ? This allows quite a bit of weight reduction which should be your first priority. You should be able to take some out for free, but after that it will start costing as you start using lightweight options Posted Image

I'd look at replacing the seats fairly quickly, they weigh huge amounts compared to a race shell seat and proper ally seat brackets.

Ideally you'd loose at around 100 Kgs and still be legal. We run a 1.7 puma in class A3 in sprints in the south west (off to Goodwood in a few weeks), why A3 - its due to the engine having a big turbo nailed to it! "induction is free" says the blue book Posted Image


Thanks for the reply Turby.

Yep A2, I aware about the weight and the car has been on a minor diet already, i'm not posting everything I do to the ar for obvious reasons Posted Image however my issue is time, I dont have any. I've only had the car just over 3weeks and i've been caught up in a big project at work and have zero time to work on the car and am getting sent away for the entire of May too. I havent even had time to change the oil :wacko:/>

I have a kevlar race seat in the old sprint car, so as soon as time allows thats going in and the ca is going on a big diet, I think I can probably get more than 100kg out by the time i'm finished, althogh a cage etc will weigh it back up. by the start of next season it will be more competitive.

Are you in ASWMC? I'm doing some of th esprints here and there so hopefully will catch you at one, which ones are you doing this year?

#11 User is offline   Dogsbody 

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Posted 02 May 2013 - 06:25 PM

It's a national race this month at Gurston Down.
http://www.gurstondown.org/calendar/
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R Reg 1.7 Puma
T Reg 1.7 Lux Puma
Now its Racing Puma 072

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#12 User is offline   Turby 

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Posted 03 May 2013 - 08:32 AM

 cartledge, on 02 May 2013 - 05:18 PM, said:

Are you in ASWMC? I'm doing some of the sprints here and there so hopefully will catch you at one, which ones are you doing this year?


Used to run in the ASWMC sprint championship for quite a few years, but the loss of venues such as Colerne and Chivenor and the fact we race means we don't get time to fit as many as we'd like into our calendar. We did the GWS sprint at combe on 23rd March (results at http://www.tsl-timin...2013/131281.pdf), Goodwood on 18th May, then Combe again on 22nd June.

We've only done one Hillclimb, which was a Prescott last year, Le Vie en Bleu - which was fantastic.

The only downside with class A2 is they tend to draw the Elises which makes a class win much more difficult - unless they get their own class ;)
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#13 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 24 May 2013 - 10:00 PM

Slightly delayed due to being aways with work. I've particiapted in werrington Hillclimb and the car is so underpowered for the class. The split points were well spread over the the 2 fast sections so you could see the times through the slow tight twisty section. I was quicker than most (including elsies) through the twisty section, but was losing out dramicaly where power was required. Still haven had time to work on the car due to being away with work, although I have found this photo fromt eh wiscombe hillclimb.

Thanks to Dave Battarbee for the photo

Posted Image

This post has been edited by cartledge: 30 August 2015 - 07:16 AM


#14 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 25 May 2013 - 07:37 PM

Great photo
searching is fruitful | I'm a sponge not a mechanic | please do try that if stuck with a Puma problem whilst waiting for a reply | For the Puma fan this read 'The Inside Story Book' is very nice to own sometimes still seen for sale

#15 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 06:22 AM

Two events back to back, a weekend at manor farm hillclimb in charmouth, dorset then Gurston Down on the 22Jun13.

There was a big class at manor (9cars) that saw in with the usual 3 elans, an elise, MR2 mk1, Nova and a few other cars, on the saturday it was dry and once again I just didn't have the pace to compete with the quick/light cars. However.............

On the sunday it was wet, very wet......... So wet that some of the people packed up after the practice runs as they were so far off the pace and didnt want to risk their cars. I spent the day fighting for the class lead with the Nova, sadly I missed out and only managed second in class in the end but my wet time was only ~0.8seconds off my dry time from the day before showing how underpowered the puma is. But still, the Puma's first pot :grin:

Gurston was a mixed bag, due to the class structure I went in with one of my championship classes, which resulted in me thrown in with kit cars, an M3 and supercharged cars (its very complicated why) and also theMG ZR that i'm fighting for th echampionship class win with. Weather was mixed, lots of showers to start with and I was gaining confidence and thinking I could hold my own with the big cars of the class however, it dried out and all the cars with more power just destroyed me. but I really enjoyed gurston.

One more championship event left, but thats not till september, hopefully I may even be able to service the car!

This year has been very much a learning curve with the hills, learning them and how to drive the Puma, next year will be a different story, I'm very happy with it so far apart from its just underpowered compared to the class. I think the car will see some mods over winter, but it depends on cash flow.

#16 User is offline   happy-kat 

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 06:47 AM

Great write up :-)
Would a 1.6 Puma lump allow you to be the class lower? Only in my club my FRP is destroyed as I fit in the over 1.6 class and that has Evos and the like in it so never stand a chance.
searching is fruitful | I'm a sponge not a mechanic | please do try that if stuck with a Puma problem whilst waiting for a reply | For the Puma fan this read 'The Inside Story Book' is very nice to own sometimes still seen for sale

#17 User is offline   Dogsbody 

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 07:36 AM

I was at Gurston about 3 weeks ago for a national event.
My first visit to a hill climb.

Some of the cars were sensational, the speed trap near the start line produced some surprising speeds.
137 MPH was the highest I heard :blink:

I did think about having a go with my FRP.
But miles for £ is not very appealing to me plus I can't use NOS, well not officially ;)
MK4 XR3i
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R Reg 1.7 Puma
T Reg 1.7 Lux Puma
Now its Racing Puma 072

Graham

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#18 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 24 June 2013 - 08:33 AM

The class's in hillclimbs and sprints are normally either 1400-1800 or 1400-2000. Depending on event, however turbo cars have capacity x1.4 so I avoid them. Its the early escorts and lotus that normally win.

Rally's are different and in that case the 1.4 or 1.6 would be a better option. That's one of my current thoughts, do I tune a 1.6 or a 1.7.
On this event they stick everyone from one if my champion shop together and keep the other classes for the big boys.

Will definitely do some work on the car, 200bhp would be a good start :roflmao:/>

This post has been edited by cartledge: 26 June 2013 - 05:52 AM


#19 User is offline   cartledge 

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 09:48 PM

So......

First update for a while. First event of the new season and the car now looks like this

Posted Image

There were a few other Puma's at wiscombe this weekend, in the wet I held my own, but the usual story, as it dried out I got beaten by the more powerful cars.

And a little video from this one

http://youtu.be/7rsqwlGIWdU

This post has been edited by cartledge: 30 August 2015 - 07:18 AM


#20 User is offline   Dogsbody 

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Posted 27 April 2014 - 09:54 PM

I will be at Gurston Down in July for a national event.
Will you be there?

I took a chap out with a 2.0SRI engined Lotus 7 at a trackday in the FRP.
I think he was suitably impressed by the handling :)
He will be at Gurston Down this year .
MK4 XR3i
Mk3 XR3i
R Reg 1.7 Puma
T Reg 1.7 Lux Puma
Now its Racing Puma 072

Graham

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