Race Ready for 2014

With our first race of 2014 less than than a week away the car needed some final checks, a good clean and the championship decals to be fitted.

The final setup included setting and checking the ride height using the adjustable spring perches on the GAZ Gold dampers and choosing our initial damper and roll-bar settings for the Silverstone International circuit.  Half a tank of fuel was also added so we can go straight out on track during testing.

We encountered a slight hitch initially when the car wouldn't start - despite a fully charged battery.  We traced this to a poor earth connection from the battery to the car chassis, and after cleaning the connection everything worked perfectly.

The mandatory in-car camera was checked.  We are using a BlackVue 12vpowered model which records constantly whilst the ignition is on.  Our LUKE safety harnesses were adjusted, before the car was given a thorough clean inside and out.  The amount of dirt and dust which accumulates inside is amazing.

The BRSCC Porsche Championship which we run in has a number of sponsors for 2014 (Toyo Tires / Jasmine PorschaLink / Fuchs Titan Race Fluids), whose logos must be displayed in the correct places.  In addition we need the race numbers on each door, windscreen and dashboard, plus the safety stickers for the towing loops, electrical cut-off and fire extinguisher.

Final Preparations for 2014

Finishing the Winter overhaul took a bit longer than planned.  

On replacing the leaking coolant hose, we found another leak, this time in a different hose. After this was replaced we were still dripping coolant, and this time we traced it to the water pump.

This is a time consuming job, since the front seat has to come out to get access through to the engine compartment.  The pump was replaced with an uprated OEM part as well as the thermostat (which you have to remove to get access) and new gaskets.  The thermostat is a low temperature version which is one way of limiting bore scoring in these Porsche engines.

In all we have refilled the coolant 3 times now - and hopefully that is the last time for a while.  We are far too familiar with the process of bleeding the system, which takes around 45mins each time!

Our front brakes were worn down to 2-3mm, so these have been changed along with new brake discs.  The pads are Mintex race pads, but the discs are OEM standard fit drilled and vented ones for a 3.2S Boxster.

  

A new sports exhaust has also been purchased and fitted, saving around 10KG's of weight.  This is significant, given the minimum weight limit is reduced this year by 20KG's.

The final servicing work was to replace the engine oil and filter.  We have used the last of our Mobil 1 15-50 Motorsport oil. This oil is no longer being produced so an alternative is needed for next time.  Whilst the oil was out we also changed a leaking seal on one of the camshaft chain tensioners.

The replacement front bumper has been resprayed and fitted, giving the front end of the car a nice shiny look, ready for the updated 2014 championship decals to be fitted.