#TBT: Hellenic RX8 Club Trackday 2023

 

On our previous #TBT, we talked about our first ever serious trackday. Today, let's get back on our last one, the last as road-legal car and until today, the most exciting of all! 

Already from 2022's November, the car was getting prepared for 2023's February. Our main goals? Improved suspension and reinforcement of the chassis, points that kept us struggling already from the previous trackday. Also, as we were already using full-racing tyres (some old Silverstones S575, soft compound), we desperately needed more stability to get the advantages of the grip. On the other hand, the car was still road-legal and we needed more civilized solutions. 

Starting with the suspension, on the front we used Koni yellows (hardness adjustable) and on the back, KYB Ultra-SR (non-adjustable), all paired with Eibach springs (-5cm). Trying to prevent the (huge) body rolling, we used a front anti-roll bar from the 1.6 model (GTi), pairing it with the -already there from the car's purchase- rear anti-roll bar. The whole combination worked just fine, but more work was essential to achive our goal. 

As told before, chassis reinforcement was essential. But, instead of buying bolt-on solutions, we decided to custom-make some, based on our needs. On the front, a TRD-like upper strut bar was made, combined with a lower arm bar. On the rear, things were more simple, with an upper strut bar. Finally, the car was way more stable than before and ready for another year. 

The day arrived and, already from the first touch on the track, it was understandable that the car could achive many more than the expectations. Personally, I remember telling some friends between the sessions that I could change my racing line so easily and quickly, that the engine just couldn't keep up the pace and deliver the power I needed! Until of course, bad luck and disaster striked. 

Already, our PB was set to 1.42.080 and we were pushing for something in the 1.41's, which was a miracle for our build. A mix of slower drivers on traffic left us with repeating times near the PB but, some missed/wrong gears, with sounds of something broken and a cutted alternator/water pump belt stopped our race completely. The results, some mild engine overheating (not sure though if that can relate with the blown gasket later on summer) and a gearbox replacing. The craziest of all, was the unscrewing of the flywheel while on track, with bolts blocking the clutch on the way to the garage! FYI, they were screwed back on 2018 with the way Toyota recomments on the engine's manual, using also some nut-lock glue. 

[Photo Credits: Hunter Action Photography]