968 MFR is off to Spa!

On Monday 17th June 2013 I will be taking the Porsche 968 MFR out onto the world famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the home of the Formula One Belgium Grand Prix!

I am taking part in a track day being organised by the guys at RPM Porsche, where a group of Porsches (and other cars) will have a full day of driving this fabulous circuit, including of course the very famous Eau Rouge corner - flat out if you are brave enough!

Eau Rouge at Spa

I drove this circuit in a Caterham 7 and Lotus 2-Eleven a few years ago and loved it. Its a fast, sweeping circuit with plenty of changing gradients and high-speed corners. The only downside was that both cars lacked top-speed on the long straights. The 968 shouldn't have the same problem.

Caterham 7 and Lotus 2-Eleven

So I will be making the road trip, along with my Dad, in the Range Rover with the 968 on the trailer. Plan is to leave the UK on Sunday 16th, a full day of driving on the 17th and then return on the 18th June.

So while we wait for that date to arrive, I've been marveling at how fast the Jenson Button can drive around in his F1 car.

I'll let you know how we get on.

Ready for painting and details

The current patchwork quilt of white and purple body parts looks a bit of a message. So it is long overdue to get the paint scheme sorted out. The 968 will soon be going for a new base coat in purple and then a series of orange and white vinyl details to get it into racing trim.

Below is a mock-up. I'll take some photos once Marc @ RPM has worked his magic

Goodbye to the Golf GTI Mrk1

I haven't really spoken about my VW Golf GTI Mrk1 on here before and maybe that is part of the reason to say goodbye. I bought the Golf around 5 years ago after spotting it on a classic car website.

In stunning flame red paint and completely original condition, I fell in love with it. The guy I purchased it from had owned it for 20+ years, maintained it impeccably and kept every receipt. Given the demand for Mrk1 Golf's, this was truly an investment and a keeper! So I immediately bought it.

Then over the years the Golf sat on my driveway, where I would polish it occasionally and take it for a spin even less regularly. It was like a go-cart to drive, would always start first time and people would regularly talk to me when at traffic lights!

However, over the years with various house moves and less space to keep cars, it became relegated to the back of the RPM workshop, unloved and unused. I kept it maintained and on the road with grand plans to fully restore it which never materialised.

Then one day a customer of RPM spotted the car and offered me a sensible amount to give it a better home. I was assured that he would take care of it and keep it within his collection, so I agreed to sell it.

So it is with mixed emotions that I say goodbye to the Golf. The money will be very useful to complete the 968 MFR race car, but I will miss seeing its jolly little face.

Suspension fitted

Another major milestone was achieved this week as the Gaz Gold racing suspension was fitted to the Porsche 968 MFR race car by RPM.

There was long debates of which make and model and what other components within the suspension we change, all with widely varying costs. In the end we have done the basics for now, replacing the shocks, springs and fitted solid top-mounts.  I know I will need to return to do the bushes and control arms at a later date, but that expense can wait for another month.

The setup on the 968 will be very firm so ideal for the track. The solid top mounts have been a bit of an education for me, but apparently these will give a firmer ride and more steering feedback.

These photos were taken after installation, so there isn't really much to see, apart from the 968 sitting a bit lower.

Successful shakedown at Bedford autodrome

Despite the zero temperatures, snow and rain, it was a successful second shakedown of the 968 race car at Bedford autodrome.

On Friday evening I loaded up the 968 onto the trainer and brought it home, only to find that 35ft of Range Rover and trailer don't fit on to my driveaway so I nervously parked on a nearby street. Thankfully it was still there in the morning.

The drive over to Bedford autodrome took a bit longer as I wasn't happy with the balance of the trailer. I think I need to get more weight of the car further forward on the trailer. Will work on that next time.

Once at Bedford I unloaded, passed the mandatory noise test and went to the safety briefing. And then it started snowing!

The morning sessions was a bit miserable. It was freezing cold and it rained and snowed all morning. I put in around 20 nervous laps, which is the longest I have ever driven the car after sorting out the over-heating issues. The track was incredibly slippery with most of the cars getting into a spin at some point.

After lunch the track started to develop a dry line and my confidence with the 968 started to build and I did a further 20-odd laps and felt a lot better. So what did I learn;

• The driving position is excellent, sat low down in the car, with a 6-point harness holding me tight in the bucket seat
• Despite being on standard road suspension the handling was excellent, allowing me to power-slide round many corners without loosing control. The backend is a bit light, but that can be tweaked with suspension upgrades
• Performance was good and I managed to reach 130 mph on the long straight. The best performance from the VarioCam engine is between 3,000 and 6,500 rpm 
• Need to work on the electrics, as the heater controls and windows have all packed-up
• Getting in and out still isn't easy, but amusing for others to watch

So overall it was a very successful day.  Next job is suspension and paint scheme to stop the sniggering in the pits!

Twitter: Hopefully my banana skin will slow @matfinchuk down

RPMTechnik: Hopefully my banana skin will slow @matfinchuk down at #bedford #autodrome today! pic.twitter.com/gERFhZQM

Ready for Shakedown part 2

Off to Bedford Autodrome for the second shakedown bright and early tomorrow morning.

The 968 is loaded on the trailer, trailer is attached to the Range Rover and currently sitting outside my house. Well, not right outside my house, as I found out this evening that 35ft of Range Rover and trailer don't fit in the parking area outside my flat, so I've had to leave it in the car park across the road.

Similar format to that in October - I'll do as many laps in the 968 until it breaks or I get tired, and then doing a few laps in the Boxster S which I am taking along too.

Off to pack helmet, flask of coffee, gloves.... more updates tomorrow

Photoshoot with VROOMPHOTO

On Sunday morning John Rampton from VROOMPHOTO came to the garage to do a photo-shoot.

The photos were part of his Porsche Photography Project, where he aims to photograph every Porsche model from the Pre A 356 right up to and including the latest 991. He has a list of over 200 cars, so I was pleased I could help him out with 4 on the list.

As an added bonus I get some great photos for the blog! John was very keen to find some unique backdrops for the photos, as you can see below!

All the above photos belong to John Rampton of VROOMPHOTO

Shakedown Part 2 planned

After an encouraging first shakedown back in October, we have a 2nd session planed in early February to test out the recent snagging and improvements.

We will be taking the 968 MFR race car to Bedford Autodrome on the 9th Feb, as part of the RPM Track Day.  I am also planning to take along the Boxster MFR to run in the afternoon.

For those of you who haven't been to Bedford, it is a fantastic track for testing the limits of any car, with a 4-mile lap and plenty of run-off!  If anyone wants to come along too, then I believe there are still some last minute spaces so give the team at RPM a call.

Sadly the 968 won't have it's new livery, as this still needs a bit of work, so will still have its current patchwork of white and purple.

I'll update on how the day goes!

This is the plan... but sadly not for 9th Feb

Glad of the winter tyres!

Ready for a cold winter, back in November I had a set of Continental WinterContact tyres fitted to the Boxster 2.7, the first time I have ever purchased winter tyres. For the following 2 months the temperature then stayed stubbornly above 5-degrees making the winter tyres pretty useless!

However it seems my purchase has finally paid off as the UK was covered in a blanket of snow! In these conditions the winter tyres were excellent, having no issue getting up the snow covered hills. So the Boxster 2.7 remains usable, whereas the Boxster S just has to sit in the corner covered in snow :-(

Paint and livery for the 968 MFR

Happy New Year!

We are making steady progress with the 968 race car. The next (very important) job is to sort out the paint scheme and livery for the car. When I purchased the car a year ago it was in a striking purple colour called "Amaranth Violet" I believe.  However since then with all the body modifications including the lightweight bumpers and the replacement bonnet, its now a bit of a patch-work of colours. And clearly this will not do!

At the start of 2012...

... and by the end of 2012

So Marc Smiddy has been working on a few redesigns. As this is a race-only car, so will never sit discretely outside a pub again, it can afford to be quite bold and colourful.

It made sense to retain the purple as the base colour, given half the car is already that colour. I'm a big fan of the 1970's Gulf Oil sponsored cars with the blue and orange livery, so I suggested introducing the Gulf Oils orange as a secondary colour, with a few touches of white. Marc has also added the white blocks for the racing numbers. There will also be a few sponsor stickers added at later dates.

So here is a digital mock-up of what it could look like. Its certainly striking and I rather like it

All comments welcome....

MFR/83 is born

Ever race team needs a name! And as the 968 race car nears completion and I start to think about racing, it struck me that we don't yet have a name for my race team.

So after long deliberation, the team is to be called MFR/83 (Mat Finch Racing 1983). Simple really. And here is the logo: 

As you may have noticed, I have already re-branded the blog with this name and registered the new domain, MFR83.com - save to your favourites!   I'll also be using MFR as the model name for my custom car projects, which makes them a little more unique and personal. 

Hope to see many of you flying the MFR/83 flag at my first race! Details soon.

Trailer to the rescue!

The new trailer purchased in October was put to very good use this weekend performing a rescue recovery of the Black Boxster. After 12 years of enthusiastic driving the accelerator pedal completely given up and snapped off! On closer inspection the hinge on the accelerator is only made of plastic, so I'm not really surprised it has broken after constant use.

So off we went with the Range Rover and trailer in tow and loaded up the Boxster and took her back to RPM for the repair. Mission accomplished!

Radiator, fire extinguisher and rear-view mirror fitted

Work has continued at RPM to try to get as much done pre-Christmas. The refurbished radiator has now been fitted which has resolved the overheating problem experienced at the Bedford Track day in October.

A very dull photo of a radiator in a 968

Slightly more exciting is the fire extinguisher which has now been mounted into the passenger footwell. The internal and external switches still need to be mounted, but that's a fairly quick job which will be done in the next couple of weeks.

Also fitted is the very snazzy rearview mirror, which is fully adjustable so I can get it in the perfect position for my racing seat.

That's it for now. Hoping to get out on a track day in January. More updates in 2013!

Radiator and Suspension

Popped into RPM this chilly morning to see how work was getting on with the 968 MFR race car, as well as getting the winter tyres fitted to the Boxster! Most of the snagging list for the 968 has been done, but there are a couple of jobs still to do.

The first is to sort out the overheating. Seems the radiator has come to the end of its life (well its nearly 20 years old), so needs replacing. The guys have got their hands on a refurbed unit so that will be going in over the next week.

The next job is the suspension. This isn't a cheap job, but very essential if the car will be at all competitive. This will make the biggest difference in race pace, more than any tweaking of the engine or gearbox. There is potential of getting my hands on a KW kit by the way of a trade-in deal, which would keep the cost down and be ideal for the track. More updates soon.

968 MFR wrapped up for winter

Snagging before next run

After a very successful run at Bedford Autodrome last week, I've now devised a list of snagging work to get done before the next run.

Given I only managed short run on Saturday I'm thinking of maybe doing another track day before the end of the year so I can get more use to the car. So short list of work to do before next run;

1) Overheating - whether its a lack of air-vents in the bumper or a thermostat issue, it clearly needs to be resolved
2) Wiper rest position - move the wipers down as they are in my eye-line
3) Seat position - its not bad as it is, but could move forward just very slightly
4) Rear-view mirror - Needs fitting
5) Fit fire extinguisher and engine cut out switch need fitting
6) Wiring - Was getting my foot caught in wiring. Need to cut-out from wiring loom what is not necessary

So the guys at RPM Porsche will be working on that before the next track day. Thinking about entering the "How fast" event at Bedford Autodrome (#bedfordautodrome) on 15th December - would be good to get some timed laps.

Clearly there is a job of paintwork and suspension to do at some point, but those can wait for another day.

More updates soon

968 MFR 1st drive!

Saturday 27th October will be remember as a key date in the story of my "dream of becoming a racing driver". Today was the first time I have driven my 968 MFR race car!

The guys at RPM have been busy all week making the final touches to get it drivable  Its certainly not finished, but reached a point where it can be started up and run around a circuit.

Also this week I have had the tow bar fitted to the Range Rover. Another very dull purchase, but as it was so expensive, I am going to upload a picture here. I went for the proper Land Rover version with all the electrics connected to the car's computer so it knows it is pulling a trailer.

So at 6am this morning, the 968 was loaded up on to the trailer, trailer was connected to the Range Rover, and nervously I pulled out of the RPM car park!

We made the 1 hour drive over to Bedford Autodrome, a 4.3 mile circuit which I have driven many times before. Its a great circuit for testing cars as it has some long straights, fast and slow corners and importantly lots of run off areas!

I had my 968 Race Car and also my Boxster as a way of comparison. RPM also took along a selection of cars, including their critically acclaimed Boxster CSR, also their Boxster Race Car, the gold 944 Club Sport and their latest creation, a 997 CSR.

After the safety briefing I decided to start with my Boxster MFR to get in a few warm-up laps. Its the 4th time the Boxster has been to the circuit, but this was the first time I'd been out with the new geometry setup. This has improved the balance and the handling, but has resulted in a lot more powersliding!

My Boxster MFR next to RPM Boxster CSR

Boxster Race Car, 944 Track Car, and My Boxster MFR

After lunch I unloaded the 968 MRF race car and was ready for the maiden voyage. Strapped into the bucket seat, steering wheel fitted, helmet on, and I headed out on the circuit. I took the first couple of laps steady while I got use to driving the car - as I have never actually driven the 968 before! Ever! 

First impressions were very good. It was very noisy due to the lack of any sound-deadening or carpets. The engine was running smoothly and the 6-speed gearbox was good. I was sat low down in the car, and this along with the roll-cage, actually made the handling very good despite being on standard suspension. The pace was very good, able to keep up with most things on the circuit. I pushed it a little harder in the corners and that's when I spun in quite an impressive pirouette! 

I could have driven for many hours, but sadly the car started to over-heat and leak coolant so I had to retire to the pits. It could be either a lack of air-vents in the new front bumper or something wrong with the thermostat  But I wasn't disappointed as that is the point of doing the shakedown.

So a very successful day, and we now have a benchmark to now improve and tweak the car. There is still a lot to do (including paintwork), but I am pleased we have managed to get this far!

968 MFR, with RPM's 944 track car and Boxster Race Car

Boxster MFR and 968 MFR Race Car

968 MFR Race Car and Boxster MFR

A very nice brand new 991, next to RPM's 997 CSR

Heading home!