Skyline GTR breaks Sandown Marque Lap Record

[GTRgeoff]

Ben from Racepace in melbourne has posted a lap record for the Marque class in his White R33 GTR with a time of 1:16.8. This compares well with other slick tyred classes as Ben was driving on street legal rubber. The V8SC record is 1:10.8 by Craig Lowndes in qualifying! Bens car is quiet too, with none of the loud exhaust you expect from most hard tuned Skylines.

The day was organised by the Maserati Club, with a great showing of Skylines, even outnumbering the Porsches, but unfortunately no masers.

Snowman posted a 1:28 in his R34 GTR with semi comp rubber as well, and discovered the joys of Sandown after a light sprinkle but managed to stay on the black stuff all the same.

My efforts were hampered by my speed cut defender dying and limiting me to 195kmh at about 2/3 straight on both straights, leaving a paltry 1:36.1 as my best.

I also had a set of rear pads that disintegrated from their half worn state to metal on metal for the drive home. Time to visit racebrakes.com for a set of matching rears as the fronts were superb. The ZR rubber I was running also did it's best to imitate Snowman with their own version of "I'm melting" and proved thay are no match for good semi-comps.

We also had another member from the forum on track and hopefully he will post up his pictures of a very crunched Ferrari 360.

[Jamezilla]

Holy cow - that's great work Benno!

It certainly looked fast - but breaking a record... top stuff!

No good photos of track-work or the 360... but here's one for you:

[Sydneykid]

Well done Ben, a 1-16.8 is seriously quick on R Tyres, we haven't gotten under a 1-20. Back at Sandown next weekend for the first time for 4 years, so we have a target.

[meshmesh]

Back at Sandown next weekend for the first time for 4 years, so we have a target.

Let us know when you're out there Gary, so we an cheer you on.

[meshmesh]

Gotta be happy with that... No wonder the GTR was banned. Geez seeing those pics posted by jamesof the garage, takes me back to my work experience days when I worked for Mobil 1 racing Brock/Jones in the Seirra Cosworths and they raced at the Sandown 500 ....~1988 I think.

I remember freak'n out to one of the crew about the camber on the R31~ nissan race car. Good time's... I was rapped as hell, my job was to hold up the lap board as the drivers came down the straight. Brad was the biggest sook ever! complaining why peter car went quicker than his, so they decide to swap peter motor into brads and put the spare into peter's.... "Brad was still slower".

Some of the best days.. geeez I feel old now .

[Duncan]

Well done ben its good to hear of skylines taking over the world

meshmesh, amazing to hear of brad jones complaining :bahaha:

[Sydneykid]

Let us know when you're out there Gary, so we an cheer you on.

I'll be the worried team manager, the Nationals are the following weekend at Philip Island. So no breakages allowed at Sandown.

If I remember rightly that GTR of Ben's is pretty serious, 3 litre, Carillos, Harrop brakes, dog box, Ohlins, Motec etc etc. A bit over 600 rwhp from a big Garrett single, can't be any change left out of $100K I'd reckon.

[GTRgeoff]

Hmmmmm or maybe 250K.

What day is it on Gary? We have a cruise Saturday, but I'm all for Sunday to watch some more.

We need pics of the crumped 360 tho......

[benm]

Damnit I wanna drive my car around Sandown

[Snowman]

Yes Bens car is simply amazing. I had the pleasure of being on track with him and the speed in which he comes up behind you is amazing. That car flys and he has the driving skills to bring the best out of it. Seriously great effort especially since the morning was nice and wet too. That was my first experience on a wet track and I lasted 2 laps in the rain before I chickened out and pulled off after 3 near offs! (The next lap around was when the nice pretty red ferrari decided to hello to Mr Wall!)

Was great to see so many skylines on the track yesterday. It seems track work isnt that popular here with Vic members but that seems to be slowly changing.

[Laurence]

Good to see some Skylines turning corners... All this drag racing was depressing me.

I hate to be a wet blanket but I doubt that Ben's car is eligible for Marque Sports...

The time is still awesome though...

[funkymonkey]

to be a Marque Sports class competitor you gotta have a Group 2B or 2F car innit? According to the 2003 CAMS handbook a skyline's not mentioned in it. The nizpro 200sx and a nissan 200sx are tho.

[Sydneykid]

Hi guys, Skylines are FIA Touring Cars, so they are CAMS Group 3E (Series Production) or 3J (Improved Production).

[funkymonkey]

does that mean its a Marque record eligible car?

When do you huys arrive in melb , and would u guys wanna join us on sat for the road trip to the vinyards? would begood to have a yak to you.

hehe completely forgot skylines are GT cars

[Sydneykid]

does that mean its a Marque record eligible car?

I assume by "Marque Record" they mean "Skyline Record", as in Nissan Skyline is a marque (brand) of car.

[funkymonkey]

yeah, are skylines able to win make specific records, like porche's for example

[RPMZ]

I'll be the worried team manager, the Nationals are the following weekend at Philip Island.   So no breakages allowed at Sandown.  

If I remember rightly that GTR of Ben's is pretty serious, 3 litre, Carillos, Harrop brakes, dog box, Ohlins, Motec etc etc.  A bit over 600 rwhp from a big Garrett single, can't be any change left out of $100K I'd reckon.

Sydneykid ...... no dog box, just OS gear set. Car makes bit over 500rwkw on pulp.

Ben was saying he was doing over 280km/h on the back straight ............ crazy ....

[NRB]

Ben was saying he was doing over 280km/h on the back straight

Oh my God.

I need to take the GTR out for another track day... pity I've only got standard brakes that won't last more than a couple of laps. I might have to bed in my track pads this week...

[Sydneykid]

Sydneykid ...... no dog box, just OS gear set.  Car makes bit over 500rwkw on pulp.

Ben was saying he was doing over 280km/h on the back straight ............ crazy ....

Last I heard he had broken a few gear sets and was looking at a Pfitzner or a Modena dog box. It's the usual 3 litre problems, once you get over a 800 newtons, they can't handle the torque, and if I remember rightly that car was over 1,000 newtons. OK on 500 rwkw, last time I saw a dyno sheet it was 450 'ish. So development continues.

The back straight at Sandown is pretty long, but a bit uphill. The Mirage was doing 215 'ish, so 280 is certainly stretching it legs. I'll have to dig out the data log for the V8dinosaur, I think it was around that on a 1.12 lap.

Is Ben still running the Dunlop Formula R's?

[Sydneykid]

Oh my God.

I need to take the GTR out for another track day... pity I've only got standard brakes that won't last more than a couple of laps. I might have to bed in my track pads this week...

It's easy NRB, get the corner speed up and you won't need to use the brakes so much. We use DBA slotted rotors with Hawke pads in the Blue compound, still able to lock the wheels at the end of a 12 lapper. Tyres are the limit of our braking not the brakes themselves.

You gotta get out there and get the adrenalin happening, it's good for the soul.