My Euro trip track videos (some technical content also)
09-06-2016, 11:27 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
My Euro trip track videos (some technical content also)
Hi guys. I did a road trip in Europe this summer. It was ca. 6000 km's alltogether. 996.1.GT3 with Manthey exhaust and setup is not the most comfortable companion on the road so it was quite weary at times.
This is a long read but anyway, here's how it went:
First took a ferry from Helsinki to Travemunde. Then to Nurburgring for few days for Touristenfahrten and a trackday. The weather wasn't the best so didn't do many serious laps there. It was a pity as we had hired Markus Palttala to coach us.
After that it was to Italy and Cortona. We (two families) had hired a lovely place for two weeks just a few km's from Cortona. Families flew to Rome and rented cars there.
http://www.cadesanticortona.com/
It was a 1200 km's drive from Nurburg to Cortona, Italy. It took me 13 hours.. Needless to say I was done when I finally reached Cortona.
After a few relaxing days by the pool it was time to do some driving again. So I went to Mugello, there was a Pistenclub trackday. (Pistenclub is a german trackday organizer, see http://www.pistenclub.de/en/)
What a challenging track Mugello is. Lots of elevation changes there. Beautifull scenery as well. I had hard time learning the track in just one day. I feel I didn't get anywhere near the limits. I think my fastest lap was 2.15 or so.
After a couple of days it was off to Imola. I have to say Imola was just fantastic! I knew the layout pretty well from PC sims I used to play. So it was easier to get into the groove. Quite hard track for a car but just magnificent to drive. Beautiful park inside the track and the Senna memorial of course. But no 98 octane fuel anywhere! Just 95, I was really surprised because of that. Anyway my fastest lap was 2.05.
Alltogether nicely organized trackdays as usual from Pistenclub. Street and race cars had their own sessions so you "had to" have some rest between them. I like it that way.
Finally it was time to start the journey back home. I visited Maranello and Ferrari museum on my way to north. Also spent a night just before St. Gotthard tunnel. Next morning I took it to the Alps. I did three passes; Gotthard, Furka and Grimsel. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and foggy so I really didn't see the breathtaking scenery up there.
From Switzerland it was back to Nurburg for some TF action for two days. After that I just "had" to go to Spa, to join a trackday in there. Beautiful weather for a change, not too many cars on a track so I got my expectations high. I had a clear vision going under 2.50 this time. I managed couple of sessions, laptimes tumbling down and feeling great.. And then the bloody clutch broke.(again) Yes, it did broke a year before as well and at Spa as well.. So I had to leave early. I managed just 2.52 for my fastest lap.
Car was drivable so I took it to Nurburg and had the workshop diagnose the problem. The main reason for the damage turned out to be a broken or worn bearings on the mainshaft of the gearbox. Too bad the (maybe already) failing bearing(s) wasn't noticed a year ago when the clutch went for first time.
Anyway, now the gearbox had to be fixed so I decided to fly home to Finland. It took just under two weeks when I got a call that the car is ready. I booked a flight and a Schnelleswaben trackday at the Ring and off I was.
So I drove the car out of the workshop and immediately thought the clutch didn't feel right. There was too much free movement at the top of the pedal so it kind of felt the clutch didn't engage fully. I was puzzled because gears weren't grinding or anything like that. Anyway, I was confirmed all is well.. it's just because everything is new.. blah blah. I drove some and still wasn't happy how the cluth pedal felt. So we bled the clutch to be sure there is no air. That didn't help.
So I decided to took it to a track day at the Ring anyway. I had some problems to adapt to the "new" clutch feeling so some of the gear changes didn't work out perfectly. It was a very enjoyable day nevertheless as the weather behaved well for a change. My best of the day was 7.41 BTG.
After that it was time to get back home, again. This time driving the car to Travemunde and with the ferry to Helsinki.
Technical content starts here:
Back home I placed the car on jack stands in my garage and started investigating. Turned out the problem was the shaft that holds the clutch fork wasn't properly installed. Plastic end cap for the outside bearing was missing so the shaft got to move laterally. That caused some of the bearing needles to escape from the bearing housing. And the failed bearing allowed the shaft to move in twisting action.. not straight as it should. So the fork didn't pull the release bearing arms evenly and the pressure plate didn't move fully..
So.. In the end I had to remove the transmission to get the other fork shaft bearing out of the bell housing. New bearing and the bloody plastic end cap installed and now it feels great and consistant. (installed new slave and clutch hose as well)
I am feeling relieved I found the problem soon enough. I am sure it wouldn't have taken long before the fork or release bearing would have failed.
I will contact the workshop owner and ask financial compensation for the work I did. Wish me luck...
This is a long read but anyway, here's how it went:
First took a ferry from Helsinki to Travemunde. Then to Nurburgring for few days for Touristenfahrten and a trackday. The weather wasn't the best so didn't do many serious laps there. It was a pity as we had hired Markus Palttala to coach us.
After that it was to Italy and Cortona. We (two families) had hired a lovely place for two weeks just a few km's from Cortona. Families flew to Rome and rented cars there.
http://www.cadesanticortona.com/
It was a 1200 km's drive from Nurburg to Cortona, Italy. It took me 13 hours.. Needless to say I was done when I finally reached Cortona.
After a few relaxing days by the pool it was time to do some driving again. So I went to Mugello, there was a Pistenclub trackday. (Pistenclub is a german trackday organizer, see http://www.pistenclub.de/en/)
What a challenging track Mugello is. Lots of elevation changes there. Beautifull scenery as well. I had hard time learning the track in just one day. I feel I didn't get anywhere near the limits. I think my fastest lap was 2.15 or so.
After a couple of days it was off to Imola. I have to say Imola was just fantastic! I knew the layout pretty well from PC sims I used to play. So it was easier to get into the groove. Quite hard track for a car but just magnificent to drive. Beautiful park inside the track and the Senna memorial of course. But no 98 octane fuel anywhere! Just 95, I was really surprised because of that. Anyway my fastest lap was 2.05.
Alltogether nicely organized trackdays as usual from Pistenclub. Street and race cars had their own sessions so you "had to" have some rest between them. I like it that way.
Finally it was time to start the journey back home. I visited Maranello and Ferrari museum on my way to north. Also spent a night just before St. Gotthard tunnel. Next morning I took it to the Alps. I did three passes; Gotthard, Furka and Grimsel. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and foggy so I really didn't see the breathtaking scenery up there.
From Switzerland it was back to Nurburg for some TF action for two days. After that I just "had" to go to Spa, to join a trackday in there. Beautiful weather for a change, not too many cars on a track so I got my expectations high. I had a clear vision going under 2.50 this time. I managed couple of sessions, laptimes tumbling down and feeling great.. And then the bloody clutch broke.(again) Yes, it did broke a year before as well and at Spa as well.. So I had to leave early. I managed just 2.52 for my fastest lap.
Car was drivable so I took it to Nurburg and had the workshop diagnose the problem. The main reason for the damage turned out to be a broken or worn bearings on the mainshaft of the gearbox. Too bad the (maybe already) failing bearing(s) wasn't noticed a year ago when the clutch went for first time.
Anyway, now the gearbox had to be fixed so I decided to fly home to Finland. It took just under two weeks when I got a call that the car is ready. I booked a flight and a Schnelleswaben trackday at the Ring and off I was.
So I drove the car out of the workshop and immediately thought the clutch didn't feel right. There was too much free movement at the top of the pedal so it kind of felt the clutch didn't engage fully. I was puzzled because gears weren't grinding or anything like that. Anyway, I was confirmed all is well.. it's just because everything is new.. blah blah. I drove some and still wasn't happy how the cluth pedal felt. So we bled the clutch to be sure there is no air. That didn't help.
So I decided to took it to a track day at the Ring anyway. I had some problems to adapt to the "new" clutch feeling so some of the gear changes didn't work out perfectly. It was a very enjoyable day nevertheless as the weather behaved well for a change. My best of the day was 7.41 BTG.
After that it was time to get back home, again. This time driving the car to Travemunde and with the ferry to Helsinki.
Technical content starts here:
Back home I placed the car on jack stands in my garage and started investigating. Turned out the problem was the shaft that holds the clutch fork wasn't properly installed. Plastic end cap for the outside bearing was missing so the shaft got to move laterally. That caused some of the bearing needles to escape from the bearing housing. And the failed bearing allowed the shaft to move in twisting action.. not straight as it should. So the fork didn't pull the release bearing arms evenly and the pressure plate didn't move fully..
So.. In the end I had to remove the transmission to get the other fork shaft bearing out of the bell housing.
New bearing and the bloody plastic end cap installed and now it feels great and consistant. (installed new slave and clutch hose as well) I am feeling relieved I found the problem soon enough. I am sure it wouldn't have taken long before the fork or release bearing would have failed.
I will contact the workshop owner and ask financial compensation for the work I did. Wish me luck...
09-06-2016, 02:31 PM
#2
Race Car
Stinks about the transmission issues however this seems like a really great trip and inspirational for most of us I'm sure.
That's also some really great driving. Isn't 7:41 @ the ring right about the time the Porsche factory drivers posted for the car when it was new?
That's also some really great driving. Isn't 7:41 @ the ring right about the time the Porsche factory drivers posted for the car when it was new?
09-06-2016, 11:30 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Wow...quite the trip.
09-08-2016, 09:41 AM
#6
Rennlist Member
Stinks about the transmission issues however this seems like a really great trip and inspirational for most of us I'm sure.
That's also some really great driving. Isn't 7:41 @ the ring right about the time the Porsche factory drivers posted for the car when it was new?
That's also some really great driving. Isn't 7:41 @ the ring right about the time the Porsche factory drivers posted for the car when it was new?
Either way, 7:41 BTG in a Mk1 is very, very good... My best so far has been 7:55 BTG, and I am beginning to struggle to find the extra time without running significantly bigger risks. Perhaps flugplatz can be taken flat now there is no hump at the top anymore?
09-08-2016, 01:07 PM
#7
Racer
Thread Starter
The Mk1 996GT3 was the first production car to break the mythical 8:00min barrier for a full lap. Walter Rorhl was driving and he did it in 7min 56sec. Jarmol did 7min 41sec BTG (Bridge To Gantry), which is slightly shorter than a full lap, which would then roughly equate to 8:05-ish for the full lap.
Either way, 7:41 BTG in a Mk1 is very, very good... My best so far has been 7:55 BTG, and I am beginning to struggle to find the extra time without running significantly bigger risks. Perhaps flugplatz can be taken flat now there is no hump at the top anymore?
Either way, 7:41 BTG in a Mk1 is very, very good... My best so far has been 7:55 BTG, and I am beginning to struggle to find the extra time without running significantly bigger risks. Perhaps flugplatz can be taken flat now there is no hump at the top anymore?
On the other hand I don't think he had to worry about the financial consequences if he had happened to crash the car. IMHO experience is the key at the Ring. You just have to build up your knowledge how fast you can take the corners. Problem is there are so many of them.. so it takes a lot of laps to get them all nailed.
I still have a lot to learn myself. 
This pic is from Imola. I hope to live to see the day I can push like that through every corner at the Ring.
Last edited by JarmoL; 09-08-2016 at 01:12 PM. Reason: Added a picture
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09-09-2016, 11:06 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
To be honest 7.41 BTG is ok time but certainly nothing magical. Walter did good job for sure.. my Cup2's are much better tires than what he had back then. Manthey ecu and exhaust help a little also. On the other hand I don't think he had to worry about the financial consequences if he had happened to crash the car.
IMHO experience is the key at the Ring. You just have to build up your knowledge how fast you can take the corners. Problem is there are so many of them.. so it takes a lot of laps to get them all nailed. I still have a lot to learn myself.
This pic is from Imola. I hope to live to see the day I can push like that through every corner at the Ring.
On the other hand I don't think he had to worry about the financial consequences if he had happened to crash the car. IMHO experience is the key at the Ring. You just have to build up your knowledge how fast you can take the corners. Problem is there are so many of them.. so it takes a lot of laps to get them all nailed.
I still have a lot to learn myself. This pic is from Imola. I hope to live to see the day I can push like that through every corner at the Ring.
I agree experience is key there - I have done a lot of laps and I know I can go quicker. Trouble is - when I bought the car I could afford to crash it. At the moment, despite the increase in value I cannot, simply because there is nothing out there to replace it.
Also, I am about to finish a pretty comprehensive rebuilt of a 944 Turbo Cup copy-cat, which was quicker once on boost than the GT3 before the rebuilt, and should be even more mental now. The 944 is a car, that I can afford to kill, so watch this space
As for the pic from Italy - beautiful and achieving this at the Ring would be special. Would love to get a pic of mine exiting Hocheichen into the drop with the left wheel slightly up in the air...
09-13-2016, 09:02 AM
#11
Race Car
Was his time posted on original cup's or regular pilot sports? Would have to look that up I suppose.
It's been a few years since I've run them but I always thought the original, true 18" cups were the fastest treaded tire I've ever experienced. They needed proper heat in them and needed to be fresh to perform to that level, and operated within a very limited operating temp and pressure window but when they were right they were magical.
It's been a few years since I've run them but I always thought the original, true 18" cups were the fastest treaded tire I've ever experienced. They needed proper heat in them and needed to be fresh to perform to that level, and operated within a very limited operating temp and pressure window but when they were right they were magical.
09-13-2016, 11:06 AM
#12
Instructor
Join Date: Feb 2004
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Awesome trip there!
7:56 was Porsche official Walter Röhrl time for 996 GT3 mk1 at the Ring, on pilot super sports.
7:54 was Sport Auto Supertest magazine time for 996 GT3 mk2 at the Ring, on regular pilot sports. (Usually the Sport Auto times are few seconds off from the official factory time as it cannot be 100% optimal lap).
Anyways those are crazy achievements for two reasons:
- This particular track has become A LOT faster during these past 10++ years, lots of new grippier tarmac, less bumps etc.....let's say easily 5sec++ off
- Just mount proper semislicks like the new ones have and take off almost 10 sec?
- Still, 996 at the limit is very difficult (but also enjoyable) vs. newer ones...
Btw. Agree your comment on the Cups, fresh MPSCups (not MPSC+ or MPSC2) were crazy grippy! MPSC2 today is superior with durability and wet conditions but somehow original MPSC felt like pure gold on dry...they felt more like a racing slick while MPSC2 feels more like a street tire.
Was his time posted on original cup's or regular pilot sports? Would have to look that up I suppose.
It's been a few years since I've run them but I always thought the original, true 18" cups were the fastest treaded tire I've ever experienced. They needed proper heat in them and needed to be fresh to perform to that level, and operated within a very limited operating temp and pressure window but when they were right they were magical.
It's been a few years since I've run them but I always thought the original, true 18" cups were the fastest treaded tire I've ever experienced. They needed proper heat in them and needed to be fresh to perform to that level, and operated within a very limited operating temp and pressure window but when they were right they were magical.
7:54 was Sport Auto Supertest magazine time for 996 GT3 mk2 at the Ring, on regular pilot sports. (Usually the Sport Auto times are few seconds off from the official factory time as it cannot be 100% optimal lap).
Anyways those are crazy achievements for two reasons:
- This particular track has become A LOT faster during these past 10++ years, lots of new grippier tarmac, less bumps etc.....let's say easily 5sec++ off
- Just mount proper semislicks like the new ones have and take off almost 10 sec?
- Still, 996 at the limit is very difficult (but also enjoyable) vs. newer ones...
Btw. Agree your comment on the Cups, fresh MPSCups (not MPSC+ or MPSC2) were crazy grippy! MPSC2 today is superior with durability and wet conditions but somehow original MPSC felt like pure gold on dry...they felt more like a racing slick while MPSC2 feels more like a street tire.