Rob’s Blog: 11-12th April 2015
22, Apr, 2015
Rob’s Blog.
Phew! It was certainly an active week-end for Boss Racing and its customers.
It started the week before with five Caterhams and two TVRs to prepare for the Classic Sports Car Club’s season opener at the Snetterton 300 circuit. Meanwhile, our old mate and neighbour, Rod Birley, was bringing his famous Escort in for set-up checks before racing at our local track.
At Snett we had the new number 91 Boss Racing Caterham R300 to be driven by Colin Watson from Barnehurst, Kent. The 56 year-old paint sprayer normally shares the driving with me but the plan for this weekend was for Colin to do the 40-minute race single handed. As it was, our own car was the last to be prepped so problems with the dash display, flat shift and ECU meant it wasn’t ready until late on Thursday night.
Hugh Coulter from Esher was having his first race in his new R300, number 10, while Jersey-based Christian Pittard was in the number 45 car he’s campaigned for the past four seasons. Somerset’s Jonny Pittard, in number 81, has also been racing for four years. Our own number 93 car was again hired out to Mark Rider who was successful in a number of events last year.
Tim Davis from Orpington had his well-known silver number 22 TVR Tuscan. He was still on a high from his earlier win at Donnington Park, while Dean Cook was our second TVR runner with his red number 20 Segaris.
Just three before the start of the season, Dean brought the car into our workshop for a pre-season check when we discovered that one of the V8’s cylinder heads was cracked. But with some late night working – of course! – We managed to get the TVR running on Thursday afternoon. It meant that Dean missed the booking-in deadline and had to miss out on Snetterton.
The Friday test day saw Hugh, Christian and Colin out on the circuit with Fulvio Mussi on hand to provide driver tuition. Hugh’s car ran faultless all day and made steady lap time gains in each session. Christian’s car suffered a misfire at high RPM but once this was sorted his lap times were impressive. Colin’s car, though, was plagued with an electrical problem which side-lined it for the rest of the week-end.
Saturday was race day for Tim, Jonny and Mark. Tim was competing in the new Millennium series but in qualifying on a very wet track the best he could manage was seventh out of 13 runners. Pole position went to the rapid Randall/Randaccio Lotus Europa, of which more later.
The track had dried up by start-time. It looked like normal service was resumed as Tim stormed into the lead on the first lap. He stayed there until his pit stop on the seventh of this 19-lap 41-minute race which Tim had elected to drive solo.
Meanwhile, the Europa, which had stopped two laps earlier to change drivers, had established itself at the head of the field. Randaccio was lapping 10 seconds faster than Randall and five seconds better than Tim. By the time the field had sorted itself out after the stops Randaccio and Tim were first and second. Tim drove as hard as he usually does but was still 51 seconds behind Randaccio at the flag. But he won class A.
Jonny and Colin were competing in the Sports V Saloons 15-lapper. There was a mixed grid of 24 cars ranging from Caterhams to Jaguars and including the very fast pole-sitting Randall/Randaccio Europa.
Qualifying was wet and Jonny Pittard was a little rusty and struggling to get some grip from the CR500 tyres. Consequently, he could manage only 19th and last of the 11 Caterham runners. Colin, now in the 93 car, had a much better run to qualify seventh overall and fifth Caterham.
After a good start Colin moved up to fourth, which he held until lap four. He made his pit stop on lap seven of the 15-lap event and emerged tenth. By the time everything had settled down Colin was running sixth, but on lap 11 Colin come into the pits for a second time after a mix-up with a black flag which wasn’t for him. At the finish he was seventh and second in class. Jonny, meanwhile, had also made a good start. He pitted on lap nine and moved up to 14th and third in class.
Hugh Coulter, Christian Pittard, Jonny Pittard and Mark Rider were out for Sunday qualifying on a dry circuit. Christian’s was the fastest of the Boss cars and posted a lap in 2:02sec, just 0.238sec off the pole time of Danny Winstanley. Still, it was a time that put him third on the grid and third in class H. Mark posted 2:05.368 for ninth and second in class E.
Jonny did 2:07.609 to place 12th and third in class E, while Hugh recorded 2:08.626 to be 14th and second in class D. Other Caterham runners using Boss engines were Graham Charman (11th and first in class D), Richard Carter (13th and third in class G) and Paul Browes (16th and fifth in class E).
After a rolling start there was plenty of action at the first corner so much so that the safety car had to sort things out. Fincham and Oreilly failed to complete the lap. Christian’s right front wheel had made contact with something solid, knocking the tracking out and pushing him down to fifth. Mark slowed down for the safety car boards and waved yellow flags coming round Hamilton (the bend, not the driver) but in the excitement six drivers failed to see the yellows and overtook Mark, pushing him down to 15th.
Although he’d made a good start, moving up to ninth, Jonny was one of the errant drivers, as was Hugh who’d made it up to 12th. After the safety car pulled in at the start of the third lap Christian discovered driving a Caterham with the front wheels pointing in different directions isn’t that easy yet moved up to ninth by lap five.
Hugh, meanwhile, had overtaken Graham Charman at the restart to lead class D. The pit stops started on lap five and had been completed by lap nine with Christian in sixth, Mark seventh, Hugh 10th, Graham 12th and Richard Carter 14th. Christian
move up to fifth on lap16 and stayed there to the flag. Mark had an epic battle with Green for the last seven laps, the pair trading places every lap for class E honours and seventh overall. But Mark lost out on the last lap and had to settle for 8the, while Jonny was ninth – and third in class – just 5-sec behind the Green-Rider duel.
Hugh was holding the class lead until lap 11 when his car slowed and Graham passed him. In the pit lane it was discovered that Hugh’s alternator mounting had failed and, with loss of drive to the coolant pump the resulting overheating had prompted the ECU to go into safe mode and cut power. This left Graham Charman to take the class win.
Meanwhile there was plenty of action at Brands Hatch. In preparation for his outings in the two rounds of the Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship, Rod Birley had brought his all-concerning number 44 Ford Escort WRC into the workshop for four-wheel alignment and set-up.
It obviously paid off. In qualifying Rod took pole despite the wet conditions. Glen Rossiter’s number 7 Clio Cup car also made good use of set-up work in our shop to grab fifth and first in class D. Daniel Palmer, racing his number 8 Mitsubishi Evo for the first time, missed qualifying but Bernie Baxter put his number 39 Audi S3 on 15th slot and fourth in class C.
In the first race Rod had a turbo pipe problem, forcing him to settle for the runner-up spot with Ian Butler taking the win in his rapid Ford Focus. Glen crashed heavily on the opening lap and took no further part in the proceedings, while Bernie Baxter moved up to 12th overall and third in class. Although he started from the back of the grid in his first-ever race, Daniel Palmer took eighth overall and third in class.
The second race saw things back to normal with Rod pulling away from Butler to win. Despite a first lap spin, Daniel fought back to take sixth overall and class second, while Bernie’s Audi managed 13th and fifth in class.
So it was quite a weekend and I’d like to thank everyone who make it such a success. To them I say: there’s too many of you to list but you know who you are. Thanks for all the hard work, boys.
Boss racing results summary for the weekend
Snetterton
New Millennium Series: Tim Davis, 2nd overall and 1st class A
Sports V Saloons: Colin Watson, 7th overall and 2nd class H; Jonny Pittard, 14th overall and 3rd class H
Magnificent Sevens Group 2: Christian Pittard, 5th and 4th class H; Mark Rider, 8th and 2nd class E; Jonny Pittard, 9th and 3rd class E, Graham Charman, 11th and 1st class D, Richard Carter, 14th and 4th class G
Brands Hatch
Motorsport News Saloon Car Championship Race 1: Rod Birley 2nd overall; Daniel Palmer, 8th overall and 3rd in class; Bernie Baxter, 12th overall and 3rd in class
Race 2 Rod Birley, 1st overall; Daniel Palmer 6th overall and 2nd in class; Bernie Baxter, 13th overall and 5th in class.
Tags: caterham, Caterham C400, Christian Pittard, Classic Sports Car Club, colin watson, CSCC, Dean Cook, Fulvio Mussi, Hugh Coulter, Jonny Pittard, Mag 7 Series, Magnificent Sevens, Mark Rider, new millennium, Rod Birley, Snetterton, snetterton 300, Tim Davis, TVR
16, Apr, 2015
Rob’s Blog.
The arrival of the Easter week-end means the racing season has slipped into high gear. It also signals the start of a hectic time for us at Boss Racing. This week-end we were in Norfolk and Hampshire for two very different forms of motor racing.
On Saturday we were supporting Caterham Seven racer Peter Hargroves. Hampshire-based Peter owns a string of cycle shops as well running a very successful cyclo-cross team, all of which keeps him very busy. But when he wants a taste of something a little quicker he runs a 2-litre Duratec-powered Caterham.
He’s also having a BMW built so he can compete in a tin top championship. We’re looking forward to maintaining it for him. Peter runs the Caterham himself and we look after maintenance.
For the start of the season we changed the diff ratio in its final drive together with LSD loadings. We also overhauled the steering rack and, using our four-wheel alignment equipment, set it all up to optimise the diff and steering work. Finally, we fitted some aero parts, a race half-door and tonneau. Both were painted to a high standard in gloss black.
At Snetterton Peter had entered his Caterham for a couple of all-comers’ events. The first featured an 18-car grid. Talk about a mixed bag: seven Caterhams, a two BMWs and a couple of Crossle sports cars plus single examples of Jade, Nemesis, Westfield, Atom, Lotus Elise, Toyota MR2 and MGF VVS.
Not unexpectedly Martin James put his Atom on pole. Peter wasn’t able to get a really good qualifying run and started 12th and fourth fastest Caterham. As it happened, there were two starts for the first race as Merrick Linnett (also in a Boss-prepared Caterham) hit the pit straight wall. Malcolm Shaw was also having problems with his BMW and both failed to make the second start.
Tom Eden in his new Caterham CSR took the chequered flag with James second in the Atom and John Gray third in the Jade. After 15 minutes of racing on a drying track Peter came home sixth and third in the “Caterham Class.” After a good start he was eighth on the first lap, having made up several places. On lap seven he passed Mark Drain’s Caterham and a lap later, Stephen Pearson’s BMW.
By the time the second race started the track was drying. Peter made up two places from the start to finish fourth just behind Richard Green’s Caterham. James was the winner with Gray runner-up.
On Sunday another of our runners, Slade Green-based stockbroker and 2 litre hot rod driver Mark Crome, was busy at Aldershot. This is one of the hot rod classes I used to race in and I still have a passion for it.
I love the cars, which have a space-frame chassis. Bodywork is a mix of steel panels from a two-door hatchback – Corsas, Novas, Fiestas and Saxos are typical – with doors, boot lids, bonnets and bumpers of Kevlar. The cars have rear-wheel drive with power from a 2-litre Ford Pinto engine mated to a three-speed gearbox.
Circuits are usually quarter-mile Tarmac ovals and although most feature Armco crash barriers, wood and wire fencing is not uncommon. Race format comprises two 15-lap heats with results decided by a 30-lap final. Grids of up to 38 cars are not unknown but the norm is 20 to 25.
At the wheel of his Saxo look-alike with Boss Racing-prepared engine Mark had quite a good day. He was third in his first heat and won the second but he failed to finish the final.
I still can’t get over our amazing four-wheel alignment equipment. We used it on both Peter’s and Mark’s cars. Operating on such different cars certainly keeps us on our toes and our intention now is to try some different set-up disciplines.
Meanwhile, we’ll be racing again next week-end so there’ll be a lot more to report. It’s all happening now!
Tags: 2L Hotrod, Aldershot, caterham, Caterham CSR, Hotrod, oval circuit, Snetterton
Classic Sports Car Club Mag 7 Series 2015
13, Jan, 2015
Boss Racing is well versed when it comes to the CSCC Mag 7 Series. We have had four drivers in the series for the past two years, well as class and championship wins. This year is an exciting time for the team as we are expanding.
So, let’s meet our drivers…
Hugh Coulter #10
Hugh is the newest driver to join the Boss Racing Mag 7 team. From Surrey, Hugh will be driving his new Caterham duratec powered R300, and he will be competing in Class D. Hugh is experienced in the Mag 7 series, having competed for the past five years and he has a number of impressive class wins to his name.
Graham Charman #22
Graham will be racing his R4oo K series powered Caterham also in class D. He started racing back in 2013 with the CSCC, and within only 3 months he upgraded his race license to be able to race at our favourite track, Spa Francorchamps. At Spas Summer Classic a Graham took the class win and a he also has a number of other class wins from the past two years.
Rob Grant #34
Rob is new to the CSCC, having only competing in one round of the Mag 7 series last year, at Donnington Park. The Kent based driver found the 250bhp Duratec Caterham a little different to his motor bike powered RGB 750 race car that he was used to. However we have high hopes for Rob, and he will be racing in class G.
Christian Pittard #45
Christian has raced with Boss Racing, in the CSCC MAg 7 series for the past three years. He had a out right win in his first race at Snetterton in 2012 and was racing his 20L Vauxhall powered Caterham in class H in 2014. However 2015 brings some new changes for Christian, and this year he will remain in Class H, with his new CSR supercharged Caterham.
Julian Sage #66
Julian has raced his Caterham R500 Knseries on and off for many years, and last year he tried the CSCC Mag 7 series and enjoyed a couple of podium finishes. The Kent based driver will be competing in Class F this year.
Jonny Pittard #81
Jonny is the second Pittard brother we have here at Boss Racing. He has raced his 2oL powered K series Caterham in the series for the past two years., and in that time he has taken some class wins. This year Jonny will be racing in class E.
Colin Watson & Rob Singleton #92/ #91
Colin started his racing career in the National Hotrod Series, and since then has moved to, and now cannot imagine racing anything but Caterhams. Colin has raced in the CSCC for the past three years and in 2013 he took over all honours in the series and in 2014 also took the class E honours. The Kent based driver is expecting big things for the new year, and is looking to move up to class H for 2015.
Rob also has experience out of Caterhams, starting in 2L Nationals. Rob has also raced in the Mag 7 series for three years and has been runner up to Colin in bth 2013 and 2014 in class E. Rob also took an outright win at Anglesey and a podium at Spa Francorchamps in 2014.
Mark Rider #93
Mark started racing last year and had a very successful year, including a class E win in his second race with the CSCC. The Kent based driver is looking forward to another year with Boss Racing and will running again in class E for 2015.
Mark Simmons #93
Mark raced in the CSCC last year for the first time after 15 years away from racing. He quickly got back up to speed and took a class E win at Oulton Park in 2014. Hoping for another exciting season Mark is also running in class E.
Peter Hargroves #10
Peter has raced his 260bhp Caterham in other series and is looking to compete in the CSCC Mag 7 series this year at selected rounds. We look forward to having him onboard.
Tags: caterham, CSCC, Donington Park, Drivers, Mag 7 Series, Magnificent Sevens, Oulten Park, Racing, Snetterton
26, Nov, 2014
2015 looks like an exciting year for Boss Racing!
We have so much lined up! This website is due to launch on January 1st 2015, with that comes a monthly newsletter, as well as an exciting competition for you to enter! We have more full time customers joining Rob at the workshop for racing services, and they will be racing under the Boss Racing banner. The 2015 Racing season starts on April 11th at Snetterton and Colin and Rob have a title to defend, whilst looking to join the next class up. See here for the full CSCC 2015 dates.
We would love for all of you to get involved, to come and support us at meetings near you. As well as coming along to see us doing promotional work at big meetings. We will be posting to let you know where we will be and when, so you can pop along and see us, and maybe even the cars.We will also be keeping you updated on what we are up to at races, with the Caterhams and the TVRs, as well as what is happening a the workshop.
Here at Boss Racing we really do appreciate the support we get from you all and we look forward to seeing you all in 2015!
Tags: 2015, caterham, CSCC, Racing, Snetterton, support, TVR