Still footling around, looking for wheel bolts. But when my new rims and studs come, then presumably this issue will go away.
In the meantime, last Friday night, we went up to the Dubai Autodrome for a Track Night on the Club Circuit. Usually track events are held in the evenings as the temperatures are lower (and the tracks are floodlit) but right now, it's cold for Dubai, and ambient temperature was around 13c... I was colder than I have ever been in Dubai...
Anyway, we gathered an electic collection of cars: a Maserati GT, an M5, a V6S Jaguar F type, a couple of GT86s (one modified, one stock), a Hayabusa engined Radical, a MINI JCW GP2 on very sticky tyres, a box fresh Cayman GT4 and a 997.2 C4S. Amongst other stuff.
We had to run as novices as it was first time on the track. The sighting lap didn't go too well as most of the field didn't understand that the Autodrome Driver Experience TT was actually demonstrating the racing line... hey ho.
The track, as some of you may know, is a full FIA spec track with lots of run off in most places, and quite some elevation changes. in this configuration, the pit exit is at the end of the main straight, with a long right hand double apex corner down from a slight hill. Then there is a quick sequence of a 90 left, 90 right and an uphill hairpin with a tricky exit (you just drift off the circuit if you take it early), and a negative camber 90 right into the main straight. We could hit 215-220kmh before the 100m board - you just feel you have to brake early for the down hill corner, but it was still easy to outbrake people at this point.
We had 3x full 20 minute sessions, with overtaking allowed on the straights only (before the 50m boards). And that was great, as it wasn't too busy, as it's always fun to compare the 'high horsepower cars' with the 'fast-in-a-corner cars'. As such the GP2 could pretty much outbrake and outcorner everyone but there were a couple of all round quick cars. My first session was pretty lame as it was just about finding the line, and it was hard to get any front end bite until the last session, as it was so cold (the track wasn't heated by the sun at all that day, and it was pretty dusty - especially off line). No issues with traction in a 4S though. And braking was OK even though I was running some pretty knackered pads and discs (the Pagid RS29s are still in the cupboard, more fule me!). The instructors said it was like ice, and I have to agree: too much understeer, and a couple of corners were taken with the wheels straddling the rubbing strips...
I'd love to go back, on a warmer night, now that I've some idea which way the track goes. I suppose the good thing was that my new Michelins were fine, not chunked or worn. Unlike the guy in the GP2, who needs a new left front Nitto NT01! (He's my brother by the way).