Brighton speed trials
On the 11th September we entered a Smart City Coupe Limited 1 in the Brighton speed trials. The event is one of the longest running in motor history and draws thousands of visitors and car from all over the world. A customer put it to us and we entered Lisa’s car. A 1999 Limited one with a tuned Roadster engine 698cc, custom intake and exhaust and remap giving just over 120bhp.
Smart Car in the Brighton Speed Trails.
The Idea
The idea of entering a Smart car in to the Brighton Speed trial started as all things do, in a conversation while with friends on a normal Wednesday night down Brighton and Hove Motor club, under the arches by Dukes mounds. “That is the first Smart car to enter that we know of.”
I was half way there as I was a member of the club and had a MSA Licence.
After number of conversations and months passed, the car we were going to use was Lisa Mooney’s car (She is Sasho’s girlfriend at the Smart car Specialist in Guildford), which is tweaked to 122bhp, I have known Sasho for a little while now, servicing my car previously. Once we agreed to use the car, had to get the paperwork sort to enter the car into the Trials.
The Organising before the Speed trials
Had to make sense of the inch thick MSA blue book for regulations for speed trials, a nightmare and mine field for a dyslexic.
As I was going to borrow the race gear, number of us found out, the regulations specs changed with helmet and race suits and gloves had to be worn as well for this year, so everyone was racing around for new equipment. So for myself I had to go to Silver race track to GPR Direct on my motor bike on the Thursday before the trials, they where great, and sort me out with a great deal get the Race gear.
Mean while Sasho at Smart car Specialist in Guildford was checking the car over and fitting the timing bar on the front of the car after getting the specs, many times it went through my mind 'have I crossed the t`s and dotted the i`s' and hoping to get it all done by the Friday before the speed trails
The Day of the Speed Trails
It was an early Start 05.30 wake up, Got down to the Brighton Speed trials on Madeira Drive for 0630, and found the number for the cars position and got them on and then had a much needed fry up breakfast ;-).
I signed on and all my paperwork inspected before 0730, it was all good but for one thing, still very concerned about that I had missed anything for car scrutinising, the guy inspected the car and the smart passed, feewwww a big relief.
The Run
The cars were called up in sections and then it was mine turn. Driving up to the start line there where all cars with numinous amount of horse power and prestige. With a 50`s retro stripped salt lake racer doing a burnout in front of me with the tyre rubber shred’s off bouncing off the windscreen and the sound of a loud V8 engine revving high, this made me excited and nervous. Then my turn, drove the Smart to the spot on the line with lasers indicted by arrows helped by marshals, then wait for green light, then foot flat to the floor accelerating and changing gear every 5500rpm and hearing the sound BCS valve discharging the manifold pressure each time and then almost too soon over the finish line, in 19.67 seconds, just over seventy miles an hour then gently slow down and turn in the waiting area for the others in our group to finish before we could all return en mass.
Mike and Sasho, our viewpoint:
We turned up to support Paul and saw him waiting in line, nervous but with a huge-huge smile on his face J excited and nervous as the cars there were impressive, some of the fastest cars in the country and Lisa’s little Smart too.
I had to smile to myself as behind Paul was an AMG ML63 (510bhp) and behind that AMG SLS63 (The new Merc Gull wing!) with 571 bhp too and our little smart sat before them in the queue.
Ferraris, Aston Martin, Audis, Ford GT40s as well as single seaters, one powered by two 1300cc Suzuki Hyabusa engines to make a 2.6 straight 8, it sounded awesome with just intake trumpets barking as he blipped the throttle.
Our Smart is an early model so getting away is leisurely at best but once in its stride the Smart made 5 gear changes to get to 72mph pulling 1.5 bar boost (thanks Tony for the custom mapping) on its Roadster engine.
Specifications. 1999 Limited one, 698cc Roadster engine, JSR raid induction kit, Forge Motorsport Silicone 4 ply Intercooler pipes and Tik air line kit and Roadster turbocharger and 1.5 bar custom remap (thanks to Tony ex Red Dot Racing now tune4performance.com) Custom made single exit exhaust with cat, all fitted by Sasho at our Guildford unit.
The recorded official time was 19.67 at 72 mph on the day, a very slow getaway but once on the move we were pleased, 5 gear changes but once moving the car pulls hard, at 174bhp per litre its awesome fun, spinning the rear tyres as it comes on boost in the wet..he he he.
A huge thanks to Paul for the idea and all the hassle of getting it ready, it was a wet windy day but a lot of fun and we can’t wait for next time - now we have something to beat! |
