We're going to Time Attack 2023

The Time Attack championship.

The place known for some of the fastest cars in the country, sounds like the perfect territory to try your luck at proving yourself, especially as a car builder. For the last year I've been developing the Nissan 200SX S14a into such a machine, testing the car and what I've made regularly. The idea originally was simply to test ideas, concepts to gain new knowledge and hone new skills to better my work. Both amateur and professionally built cars enter this championship as it's not to get in front and stay there, it's to go as fast as you can and set the fastest time meaning both driver and car having to be in top form to do their best. If either falter, it'll show up in time attack more so than anywhere else.

I consider myself an amateur compared to the teams that compete there, my knowledge is new and limited. So to compete amongst them will be both challenging and rewarding

Carbon Fibre, Fibreglass and Bonnet pins

As the car developed, being different every time I took it out I learnt something, always and applied it. Even forgetting to do the bonnet pins up and losing my bonnet on the track taught me something valuable, and it wasn't to check my bonnet pins. I started to make parts from fibreglass and carbon fibre, completely new to all this, the S14 was the car to try it on, that's what it was for! A mould later, some carbon fibre and basic tools I'd made my first bonnet and shortly after front wings in fibreglass. Shedding some 20+kg off the front of the car, exactly what a competitive car needs. Track tested and they've held up, except the bonnet.. Left all but 1 pin undone and off it came at 40mph breaking a corner off and damaging the bonnet itself.. learnt alot about it's construction and just how tough carbon is. Got the opportunity to try and repair carbon too and it's been fine so far. Looks a little rough around the edges but it remains perfectly functional

Aerodynamics = Plywood + Black magic

I've been a chassis and suspension guy for years now, it's always been a genuine passion of mine and more recently I've wanted to include aerodynamics to the skillset. I can then apply that knowledge into chassis design itself. Starting some years back in the theoretical side of it when building the Micra chassis it's now time to try some practical experiments. Even going passed what the norms tell you not to do because understanding why rather than just doing what is accepted is important. My excessive diffuser angle for example way passed the 7-10 degrees I was told to put it.

Basic materials to begin with like plywood and steel I have plenty of, might well be heavy but its cheap and plentiful for the testing phase at least. Considering the battering the front splitter takes, plywood might have to remain the material of choice