Simon Deaton's 2009 Wastegate chatter Feature
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| | THE 2009 LMA RACE EVO
Half way into my first year of the 2008 Time Attack Series season, myself and good friend and fellow racer/track sparring partner Andrew Harvey (Cannonballer on the MLR) decided to take our Ards tests and go for our race licences. After receiving our licences we got the real bug to start racing.
I was fortunate to have a Time Attack car, which, dare I mention in this magazine was a six hundred BHP; two door 22B bodied Subaru Impreaza. It had the expensive two-door body, along with the 22 B kit so it wasn’t the best choice to take door 2-door salon racing because like the saying goes ‘Rubbing is racing!’ So with that in mind I chose to use my track day Evo 5 car affectionately known as the ‘War Horse’. It had seen a lot of action when used in Japan and was originally brought over to the UK as a salvage car to be broken for parts along with other stock that myself and Dean [evodna on the MLR] and co owner of japdna.com who are an Evo and Japanese performance car breaking company. However, with it being such a trick car with good spec and potential even with all it dints and scars, I didn’t have the heart to break it and decided to use it for track days and racing as it was the better/cheaper choice for saloon car racing.
Towards the back end of the 2008 season armed with my Evo 5, I competed in my first races The Nippon Challenge and various B.A.R.C. events. Having moderate success with podium finishes and winning The Nippon Challenge round at Snetterton, this spurred me into thinking of competing in bigger events. After speaking to some friends who I made from racing, everybody seemed to be talking of the LMA Euro Saloons as the grid is made up of a really good mix of cars, from Nobles Subarus, Evos, Escort Cosworths, to ex-toca touring cars with full grids at most rounds.
I decided that this is where I wanted to be racing for the 2009 series filling in with Time Attack events in-between events as I still thoroughly enjoyed taking part in them and will continue to do so as I find them so much fun. I was also lucky in securing some good financial sponsorship from Sims Metal Management, one of the largest scrap metal recycling companies in the world. Thanks again to Paul Wright for his support in securing this, long may it continue. The road to 2009 racing was looking good; in fact it was looking Pink!
Back in May 2008 I made the purchase of the pink (more of this pink stuff later) H.K.S. Do luck wide-bodied Sumo Power Evo 8 to use for the 2009 Time Attack Series. As my heart was starting to lay with racing more and more with every passing event I had the car prepped with the LMA Championships in mind. The start of the 2009 series came and there were some last minute hitches with the Sumo car, as we could not get it ready for the first round of the LMA’s at Anglesey. At the last minute I decided to race the Subaru instead of the warhorse evo5, which turned out to be a bad decision. As the first race got underway I learnt first hand that rubbing definitely is racing! I had lots of contact with two different cars in two corners; I definitely had decided on the wrong car! Dohhh!
I finished the race in eighteenth place with a better second race with no contact. I managed a fourth overall, second in class with the Scooby looking rather sorry for itself. When my friends and I were loading the Subaru on the trailer in the paddock I thought to myself could I really put my new Do luck Evo 8 through this round after round? A new plan was needed, as I didn’t want to run the risk of more damage on such a fantastic car. Much as I like Graham @ Retford auto finishes and as good as he is at painting and bodywork I didn’t want the Evo there 24/7. So my Evo five was drafted back in for the job [with a fresh coat of pink]
I was having some successful finishes with the car including a 3rd @ Castle Combe in the GT class. A win at Donnington Park and a large and not so successful coming together at Castle Combe in Quarry Corner with Dave Cockel in the escort Cosworth [see you tube Cosworth Evo quarry crash]. So with the Subaru now successfully sold, this had given me more budget for racing and had me looking towards a possible re-shelling of the war horse’s tired shell and including fitting a welded roll cage instead of the NR FIA bolt in one it had. Possibly purchasing a better suspension and dog-box package, as the car had plenty of power it just needed a better handling set up.
After having a few conversations about the car with different people I knew this wouldn’t come cheap. So in a conversation, with Nick at NR Auto Sport and lee Broadhurst (Lee B on the MLR) I heard of an ex Mardi Gras Motor Sport built FQ 400 race car that had only covered 1200 miles from new was for sale at the right price. Knowing and trusting Nick at NR,(he had helped with the spec and some of the build on the car with the previous team). Upon seeing the car a deal was done. It’s never the cleverest thing to do, to change race cars half way into the season, but the car was just too good to be turned down and Nick at NR Auto Sport was up for the challenge with me.
So we set about changing the car with some of my parts from my Evo 5. Out came the FQ 400 engine that sold promptly on the MLR (thanks Darren and Michelle) the remains of the Evo 5 sold to Dean. In went my NR Auto Sport forged 2.0 Ltr Evo 9 engine along with a new TO4Z Turbo set up, some other bits and pieces and lots of tweaking, hard work, and late nights from Nick and the boys’ (thanks Johnny and Dave) at N.R. Auto Sport. A coat of pink paint again from Graham at Retford Auto Finishes, thanks again!
Quite a few people ask why pink Simon??? When I first brought the Do Luck car my first job was to paint it ASAP. But the more I looked @ it the more it grew on me. Plus what colour could I go for while still wanting to be different. Whites always look good, Lambo orange is a bit too fast and furious but I still wanted to go outside the box. Then I thought, hang on, nobodies got this colour, and unless Barbie and ken take up racing I should be the only car on the grid this colour so why change it? I’ve now fully adopted this as my racing colour, and if people don’t like it @ least it stands out!! And girls always seem to like having their photo taken with it @ events so its all good in my book!
With all this work done we were now ready for Silverstone, which marked the mid-way point in the season. Some teething problems arose at Silverstone, as it was one of the hottest days of the year. The cooling system that had been fitted to the car by the previous team for 2-hour Britcar races with a fp green turbo that along with the TO4Z and the day’s heat played havoc! Along with me going out with very low fuel (dam those ATL fuel cells, ha ha…) and ended with a near last place finish and a non-point score.
All was not lost as the next day we had the Time Attack round at Brands Hatch. Luckily it was a cooler day and we ended up with a sixth place finish. The car was starting to take shape but as anyone knows in the tuning game, your car is always a work in progress. Following this with a third at Rockingham and two thirds at Brands Hatch. I laid second in the championship in class A of the LMA Euro Saloons. My last round at Oulton Park looked like it was shaping up to be one of my best results to date, maybe I could repeat a win like I did at Donnington a couple of months previously.
A second place in qualifying putting me on P2 on the grid. Things were looking good the car felt unbelievably fast the best yet. As I knew I had the pace and more to come after the qualifying. Sadly it was not meant to be whilst running in a close second place three laps in and the dog-box broke with me stuck in fourth gear and no where to go but the pits and a early bath for me.
With Lyden Hill and Snetterton left in the Lma’s, a Time Attack round @ Snetterton, and a double header B.A.R.C @ Croft I can’t wait to get back into the car again. Knowing how good we have it now. The futures looking bright…the futures pink…
I would just like to thank my friends and sponsors for all their continued help and support. Especially Nick, Dave and Johnny at NR Auto Sport, Paul Wright at Sims Metal Management, Deatons Metal Centre, japdna.com, Paul Chance at Carbon Lorraine Brakes Graham @ Retford auto finishes and everyone who comes to races to support me.
Car spec
550/600 bhp LMA Euro Saloon Mitsubishi FQ400 ( 1,800 miles )
Engine :-
NR Autosport Fast Road 2.0 ltr long rod engine
NR Autosport Stage 1 Head
NR Autosport 272 cam kit
NR Autosport cam cover with -8 breather system
NR Baffled Sump inc Accusump
NR Autosport Oil Cooler Kit
Koyo Rad
Spal high flow rad fans
Ralliart thermostat
Ralliart Cooling panel
Turbo/Fuelling :-
T04Z ND Full Turbo kit
Tial external Waste gate
NR Autosport 4" Inlet
APS Intercooler
NR Autosport Hard pipe Kit
RC 1000cc injectors
Sard fuel pressure regulator
Walbro 255ltr fuel pump
NR Autosport Bosch 044 High flow pump kit
HKS high flow filter kit
Tial bov
3" Exhaust 98 db
ECU/Electronics :-
Autronic SM4 ECU
Autronic boost control
Defi Display
Defi Link II Controller
NR Battery Relocation
Brakes/Suspension :-
AP 330mm front brake kit
AP Racing Rear Brake Kit
Carbon Loraine RC8 pads
Goodridge Braided Hoses
Castrol SRF Racing Brake fluid
Tein Super Racing Coilovers
NR Race 4 wheel alignment
Cusco Front + Rear Anti Roll Bars
Transmission/Wheels+Tyres :-
Glebe dog box with modified gears
Exedy HD Twin Plate Clutch
None active front diff
RS rear diff
Hyper Zero 18" Wheels
Michelin slicks or Toyo R888
Interior :-
Momo mod 78 steering wheel
Momo Boss + Quick Release Boss
Cobaru Race seats
Sabelt light weight 7 point harnesses
Chassis :-
Mardi Gras motorsport prepped
Fully seam welded
Full MSA spec T45 weld in cage
Exterior :-
Pink Race car paint (Retford Auto Finishes )
Jap DNA Livery
Carbon Fibre Wing Mirrors
Carbon Fibre Rear Spoiler Blade
Quick release front + rear bumpers
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