Winter race series at Manfeild 5th of August

LilRay.Sun · Post by **LilRay.Sun** » Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:49 pm

Hi all,

One of the subscribers to MX-5 Club facebook page has mentioned this race series:

"MX5 Racing NZ had their second round of the 4 part Winter series at Manfeild on the weekend. 6 cars took to the track, and put on a great show. Next round of the series is August 5th at Manfeild. We welcome all MX5 owners to come and watch the cars racing. Here is the link to the racing facebook page."

http://www.facebook.com/MX5RNZ

Have attached the programme for the day, the MX's will have 4 events (rounds) starting at 9:35am, would be great if anyone's able to go along and support.

MN · Post by MN » Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:22 pm

As with the July round 6 cup cars were on track last weekend. The fast guys are doing 1 min 26-27 secs and a newcomer to the class getting into the low 1.30s. In the July round one was down to 1.25's and in the 50 min enduro he got into the high 1.24s (same guy couldn't get the car to run cleanly this round and was struggling to get in the 1.29s) so the guys are starting to motor as they learn how to tweak the car not that the regs allow much to tweak.

For those that know Manfield the top cup cars are braking just after the 50m board at the end of the front straight and would be nudging 170 kph at that point. My road car (fully carpeted, air con and radio) is doing about 155 and I brake just before the 50m board. The cup cars can really pull out of the corners, the effect of the lower weight I suppose but I'm cornering at a similar speed to the slower cup drivers.

They certainly look good on track, an open sportscar always does of course, and when they catch me in the handicap races they look to be handling very well. I understand that there could be or has been some discussion with the RX7 guys about running with them as they can hold the mid to tail end of the RX7s and have raced with them already.

Anyone in the vicinity of the Taupo and Manfield tracks their respective winter race series are excellent introductions to racing, a huge amount of fun which dual sprints just don't match in my experience.

MN · Post by MN » Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:05 pm

Its not 5th of August this year (actually 3rd of August) but 2 years on and at the first round of the 2014 Manawatu CC's Fielding Auto Electrical Winter Series at Manfield there were 15 cars in the MX5 cup making up over half the field in the SF (SF = Slightly Faster) Cup class in which they run. The quick guys are running at the sharp end of that field too. Quite impressive. Generally in the 1 min 25-29 sec range. And I'm still plodding around in the RS (RS= Really Slow) Cup.

built4speed · Post by **built4speed** » Mon Jun 16, 2014 10:14 pm

Was a good first round, i managed 2nd overall with a 2nd, 7th and 4th. Racing is very tight, 1 missed gear and you loose 3 places as i found out

The handicap races involved a fair bit of panel damage for some!

BRM · Post by **BRM** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:03 am

Where do you find the rules & regulations for this class?

built4speed · Post by **built4speed** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:46 am

I believe they have been taken down as they are under review. Engine has to be factory from afm to end of the headers. Head shaving is free. Open or viscous lsd, factory diff ratio, 960kg min weight, 15x7 rims, 205/50/15 r888s, there is a specific roll cage design, any single adjustable shocks, factory swaybars, have to run with an open top, probably other stuff I've missed.

SkilletKid · Post by **SkilletKid** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 12:37 pm

I assume no cutting/modification of the body panels are allowed?

Do you guys get issues with cooling? Most I've seen are still using the stock radiator.

built4speed · Post by **built4speed** » Tue Jun 17, 2014 1:26 pm

You can remove any brackets that aren't used and strip the loom back to save weight. Body panels have to be factory. You can add a r package lip and fibreglass headlight vent. Rear spoiler is also free. Your not allowed to bridge panel gaps with tape.
Cooling wise my standard radiator is fine in winter, the fan doesn't come on till I'm back in the pits. The engine is a fresh rebuild and the original radiator has been professionally flushed. The factory under tray is a must to guide the air through. Summer is yet to be tested on the new setup.

I had a pritty frustrating weekend, had to run my new engine in on Saturday in testing, ended up blowing the rear diff. Managed to scrounge a knackered 250,000km diff off a fellow competitor. Put 80kms on the engine so was near enough to being run in.

Here's a video of the first race, as above we race with the sf cup but are our own separate class. I qualified 5th out of the 15 mx5s, finished 2nd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_-8N2l2jn8

Winter race series at Manfeild 5th of August

Winter race series at Manfeild 5th of August

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