Here's the Confirmation letter from Carrera Panamerica board.
The ARR has a car in the Carrara!
You can see a larger version of the letter by clicking on it.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
IT'S OFFICIAL!
Here's the Confirmation letter from Carrera Panamerica board.
The ARR has a car in the Carrara!
You can see a larger version of the letter by clicking on it.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
AAR South of the Border
Grab your goggles & your sombreros; We're going for margaritas!
The RetroRacing Team has partnered up with USA Team Iguana and Justin Braughton to enter the 2007 Carrera Panamericana. It's over 6 days of rough roads in Mexico and has an incredible tradition. The race is in Oct-Nov 2007. You can get the lowdown here...
www.panamrace.com
We all wish Frank & Barret, along with Team Iguana the best of luck.
Oz
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
RetroRacing’s Autocrossing the VW Bug and Karmann Ghia
Getting You Ready To Go Fast
It's no wonder people drive VW's hard. Racing is in the VW's DNA. The VW Type 1 Bug and Ghia front and rear suspension began life as a 1930's era Gran Prix race car, the Auto Union P-wagen. The "P" is for Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, who designed the car. VW owners felt (if just subconsciously) the built-in racing geometry and engineering, and added to that was the sportiness of the engine itself, an oversquare, short-stroke configuration required of all sports-racing powerplants.
But before we get into four wheel drifts and hand brake turns, we begin with the basics of seating, steering, and pedals.
SEATING: If you have to brace your leg against the door as you corner, if your torso muscles are flexing and straining to keep you upright as you zigzag through a slalom, you are losing time. The driver has to be seated firmly and comfortably. The seat belts must hold you in and down. The stock seats in your VW are too high and too soft, and your stock seat belts too narrow to help much in wild high-G gyrations. If they're all you have, live with them until you can get better. Your seating posture also matters. An actual set of racing harnesses will pin your shoulders to the seatback, so start getting used to driving with your back fully against the seat. Your arms should extend to the steering wheel with a comfortable bend at the elbows. Your feet should touch the pedals with a comfortable bend at the knees. Do not hunch forward and sit too close to the steering wheel, do not sit so far away so that you cannot comfortably push every pedal all the way down. And you should be able to reach down, and shift into 3rd without stretching.
STEERING: Driving gloves exist for a reason. Smooth plastic or even polished wood steering wheels get slippery if your palms sweat. Lace-on steering wheel covers help, but I've seen them loosen in hand-over-hand slapping as a driver frantically forces the wheel from one side to the other. Thick-rim steering wheels are as much for padding as grip, and you'll be surprised how much of a beating your hands will take from a steering wheel in a race. Driving gloves help. Steering wheel covers help if they're laced on tight. A nice padded wheel, in a small, but not too small a diameter for your leverage and comfort, and good gloves, is just right.
PEDALS: Notice that the VW pedal cluster is closely spaced. The bad news first. The brake and accelerator pedals are so close together that lots of people have to wear narrow shoes so as to not catch the edge of the right shoe on either pedal. The good news is the very closeness of the brake and accelerator make "heel and toe" maneuvers possible. That's when you control the gas with your (right foot) heel and the brake with your (right foot) toes … at the same time. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, just make sure the pedals have good rubber pads or bolt-on aluminum pads. It is actually possible to have your left foot slip off the clutch as your depress (read: stomp) it, and the clutch pedal spring back up and catch your ankle between the clutch and brake. Awkward. You don't need a pair of Piloti driving shoes yet, but do get a good pair of narrow sneakers with grippy rubber soles and a rounded heel.
RetroRacing’s Autocross Adjustment Prep
Lesson 4: Getting Adjusted
Remember, quick cars (as opposed to fast cars) have the advantage in autocrossing. That's because top speed and high-speed stability and braking don't matter. A hot autocross car is prepped to act and react suddenly. You want sudden acceleration, gear change, braking and steering.
Presuming you have an absolutely stock VW Ghia or Bug, and you recall our tips on tire pressures from last time, there are several key adjustments to be made.
Adjust your clutch so that you have a half-inch of pedal freeplay. You don't want too "loose" (the common street condition) a clutch, meaning too much pedal freeplay. You want the clutch to respond instantly, like a hair trigger on a pistol. Check your clutch pedal arm to see if its cracked (they do crack) or bent, and if the clutch pedal stop is working. Under stress, a cracked arm will cause enough play to keep your clutch from disengaging, especially when you are stomping it like you will be.
Adjust your accelerator cable clamping at the carburetor so that when your gas pedal is on the floor, you really have 100% throttle. Look at the throttle plate and make sure when you are depressing for full throttle, it is open, straight up and down, and not off to either side. When you check the cable connection, make sure the gas pedal hinge itself isn't bent so the pedal leans to one side, and the gas pedal roller lever under it isn't bent. VW accelerator pedal assemblies are infamous for bending over time.
Adjust your carburetor accelerator pump to give the best acceleration. The stock VW single Solex carbs have adjustable pump strokes. Generally speaking, slightly increasing your pump stroke will give you a bit more gas on takeoff, and that should mean better acceleration. Too much or too little stroke, and you'll create hesitation. It's a cut and try operation, but it's easy. You can help out the acceleration with a little timing advance over stock, too. But just a little, usually no more than 10° BTDC. And after the race, reset back to stock. Dual carb setups and different types of distributors can all benefit from this same advice, but you'll have to find your own sweet spot.
Adjust your brakes. For autocross, you want firm brakes, and instant response. Adjust the drums just so one or two more clicks tighter would cause scraping as you rotate the wheel. Since we don't adjust discs, on Ghia's the rear drum adjustment is how you set brake pedal feel. Note: For road racing, you back off the drum brake adjustment more than you would for autocross, to prevent brake lockup once the fluid is hot and some expansion has occurred. Luckily, autocross doesn't overheat your brakes.
Adjust your steering play. By the book, you're supposed to have about one inch of freeplay at the steering wheel with the tires in the straight-ahead position. Jack up the front of the car so both front tires are off the ground, and turn the steering wheel all the way to either side. Tighten the adjusting screw on the steering box only a fraction of a turn at a time, between freeplay checks. To check, spin the steering wheel back to straight ahead. Gently rock the steering wheel back and forth as you watch the wheels. If you have one inch of freeplay and no wheel movement, you should be okay. Test drive the car, turn a sharp corner and briefly let go of the steering wheel. It should swing back to straight ahead, or almost straight ahead. If it doesn't, you have it too tight.
Next time: Driving It
Remember, quick cars (as opposed to fast cars) have the advantage in autocrossing. That's because top speed and high-speed stability and braking don't matter. A hot autocross car is prepped to act and react suddenly. You want sudden acceleration, gear change, braking and steering.
Presuming you have an absolutely stock VW Ghia or Bug, and you recall our tips on tire pressures from last time, there are several key adjustments to be made.
Adjust your clutch so that you have a half-inch of pedal freeplay. You don't want too "loose" (the common street condition) a clutch, meaning too much pedal freeplay. You want the clutch to respond instantly, like a hair trigger on a pistol. Check your clutch pedal arm to see if its cracked (they do crack) or bent, and if the clutch pedal stop is working. Under stress, a cracked arm will cause enough play to keep your clutch from disengaging, especially when you are stomping it like you will be.
Adjust your accelerator cable clamping at the carburetor so that when your gas pedal is on the floor, you really have 100% throttle. Look at the throttle plate and make sure when you are depressing for full throttle, it is open, straight up and down, and not off to either side. When you check the cable connection, make sure the gas pedal hinge itself isn't bent so the pedal leans to one side, and the gas pedal roller lever under it isn't bent. VW accelerator pedal assemblies are infamous for bending over time.
Adjust your carburetor accelerator pump to give the best acceleration. The stock VW single Solex carbs have adjustable pump strokes. Generally speaking, slightly increasing your pump stroke will give you a bit more gas on takeoff, and that should mean better acceleration. Too much or too little stroke, and you'll create hesitation. It's a cut and try operation, but it's easy. You can help out the acceleration with a little timing advance over stock, too. But just a little, usually no more than 10° BTDC. And after the race, reset back to stock. Dual carb setups and different types of distributors can all benefit from this same advice, but you'll have to find your own sweet spot.
Adjust your brakes. For autocross, you want firm brakes, and instant response. Adjust the drums just so one or two more clicks tighter would cause scraping as you rotate the wheel. Since we don't adjust discs, on Ghia's the rear drum adjustment is how you set brake pedal feel. Note: For road racing, you back off the drum brake adjustment more than you would for autocross, to prevent brake lockup once the fluid is hot and some expansion has occurred. Luckily, autocross doesn't overheat your brakes.
Adjust your steering play. By the book, you're supposed to have about one inch of freeplay at the steering wheel with the tires in the straight-ahead position. Jack up the front of the car so both front tires are off the ground, and turn the steering wheel all the way to either side. Tighten the adjusting screw on the steering box only a fraction of a turn at a time, between freeplay checks. To check, spin the steering wheel back to straight ahead. Gently rock the steering wheel back and forth as you watch the wheels. If you have one inch of freeplay and no wheel movement, you should be okay. Test drive the car, turn a sharp corner and briefly let go of the steering wheel. It should swing back to straight ahead, or almost straight ahead. If it doesn't, you have it too tight.
Next time: Driving It
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