The R3gister - Race Rally Research (R3)

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As part of its efforts to encourage and develop grassroots motorsports and racing, R3 invited champions of last year’s R3TA (formerly known as SSO or Street ShootOut Series) and several special guests (myself included) to participate in a driver selection cum trial for this year’s Merdeka Millenium Race.

Autocross champions of their respective class in the R3TA comprising former rally drivers Ivan and Ian Khong, Hammond Lai, Ho Wai Kok, Mike Yap were joined by experienced R3 rally driver Sutan Mustafa, Proton H&T drivers – Zaid and Syamin.

Three specially-prepared R3 Satria 1600 cars (same ones used in last year’s A1GP Support Race) were strapped up with cameras for driver evaluation. Pit 18 and 19 bustled with activity early in the morning, as R3 technicians made last minute adjustments to the car and camera crew swarmed different areas of the pits.

A briefing was done by Head of R3, Tengku Djan Ley who reiterated that outright speed was not the selection criteria, but rather mechanical sympathy and consistency overall, the race proper being a 12-hour endurance race.

Drivers were given a 20-minute warm up with 120bhp, 900kgs race cars around the half North Circuit. For many of the autocrossers, this was their first ever attempt at the circuit whilst for me, first ever attempt at the half circuit.

I was allocated Car 3, together with Hammond and Mike, the three of us being the tallest amongst the drivers. I was the first driver out in Car 3. Strapped in snugly in the full bucket Motordrive seat, the car felt familiar, it being a Satria. The gearshift, thankfully did not come with a short shifter ala the Stage 3 Satria R3 which I drove during the recent R3TA Round 3. The deep dish Sparco rally steering felt fantastic. I felt almost like a real race driver!

Each of the race cars were tailed by instructors in Satria R3s – two being Stage 2 (one being my own, borrowed by R3) and the other, the menacing Stage 3. Different cars were observed closely behind by Tengku Djan, Faidzil Alang and Adian Yein Khalid, all accomplished and experienced race drivers.

Warm Up Laps
I took my out lap cautiously, with Faidzil on my tail. It was weird being chased by my own car! The race car was sensitive and twitchy although not overly so. It had massive grip despite running on old tires slicks. The un-servoed brakes needed getting used to however. Un-servoed brakes feel as if there is no bite if you don’t stomp on it initially. Unlike usual braking on road cars where we would apply initial pressure, then gradually increase, braking technique here is reversed. Hit it hard, then modulate.

Turns 1 to 5 were familiar and I had little problems getting round them, except adjusting to braking points, different to my road car. I found the need to brake earlier. Turn 6 was odd and different. Where on a full circuit it was a straight forward approach to Turns 7 and 8, Turn 6 on the short circuit had cones condoning off the rest of the circuit, and much trickier to negate. I braked on approach and downshifted. I felt the rear stepping out and countered but it was too late. I spun out.

I regained composure and continued towards Turn 7 back onto the main straight. The 120bhp car actually felt quite fast and I hit 170km/h on the straight, before braking hard at 100m. I found myself lifting off a little earlier, again not too confident with the brakes. While turning in on Turn 1, I spun out again! This is totally unprecedented! My first ever spin at Turn 1! Hah! Like they say, there will always be a first time in anything right?

The rest of my warm up laps were smooth thankfully, although I found myself constantly adjusting and trying out different braking and turning in points. The car felt very good and grippy. I braked as late as I felt comfortably so and downshifted as smooth as I could. Being in a sensitive car, I had to be much more aware on braking, weight transfer and steering input. I did a good 7 to 8 laps before being called in to pit. The other lanky driver Hammond, went out next.

To be continued in Part 2. Pics and full timed runs to come.

One of the key fundamental driving techniques, proper steering and shifting notwithstanding, is the “heel-and-toe” downshifting technique, so often seen by popular ‘Best Motoring’ drivers in their circuit duels. Surprisingly so, not many practice this, especially in grassroots motorsports events.

Downshifting without ‘heel-and-toe’ not only throws the balance of the car, but also risk unnecessary damage to the transmission and drivetrain. In any form of driving, be it competitive or otherwise, smoothness is key to faster times and preservation of the vehicle.

So what exactly is the ‘heel-and-toe’ downshift technique? For the benefit of beginners and those unclear of what it entails, read on.

‘Heel-and-toe’ isn’t really heel-and-toe literally. There are variations to the technique depending on individuals and applications. In general, however, the use of the right ball of the feet and heel to press down the brake and throttle/gas pedal sums up the technique. The idea here is to match the revolutions of the engine to your transmission in order to downshift smoothly without jerking.

A typical ‘heel-and-toe’ downshift process (for example from 3rd gear to 2nd) can be summed up in this sequence:

1. Ball of right foot on brake pedal. Press brake
2. Left foot press clutch pedal
3. Gear shift to neutral
4. With right foot still on brake pedal, swivel heel towards throttle pedal
5. Blip throttle
6. Shift to 2nd gear
7. Depress clutch pedal
8. Depress brake pedal
9. Right foot back on gas pedal

The whole sequence is completed in about half a second. Done correctly, as race drivers do, the process is smooth and seamless. In instances where you need to downshift two gears, the same succession of braking, shifting and blipping the throttle applies – from 4th to 3rd, then 3rd to 2nd.

This technique is especially important when downshifting in lower gears. In a competitive environment like a short-course autocross event, drivers may need to downshift from 2nd to first gear. It is extremely difficult (or perhaps even impossible) to downshift without ‘heel-and-toe’. Also, weight transfer and proper balance is essential for precision driving, therefore no jerk means a smoother drive and a smoother drive ultimately means faster times. The same values apply to circuit driving.

Don’t know where to start? Try practicing with your engine off. The placement of your foot, and the proper sequence. Practice makes perfect. As it becomes more natural, apply it to everyday driving. It isn’t a ‘race only’ technique, as many believe. Applying it to your everyday driving helps you become a smoother driver overall. When it becomes natural and part of your driving repertoire, you know you’re ‘re-engineered’.

Happy driving

For more technical articles on driving, including “Heel-and-toe”, visit TurnFast

Fast forward one year and seven months from its inception, the track-day special Satria R3 has evolved from its humble road-sensible Stage 1 beginnings to the much more powerful Stage 2 form it is today. True to its promise to deliver performance and nothing less, R3 has proven that they were indeed serious with their maiden project and subsequent performance upgrades (not limited to the Satria R3, no doubt).

The 140whp Stage 2 Satrias roaming the streets today are testament of their commitment, which evidently has silenced certain skeptics who were critical of R3 from the start. Not ones to rest on their laurels, R3’s small, hardworking team has been busy researching, prototyping, testing and developing more performance upgrade kits and parts.

As a result of outright passion and hardwork, yet another monster (not ugly in any sense of word, unlike other ‘monsters’!) has been unleashed from R3’s work stable.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome… The Super Satria : Stage 3 Satria R3!

As witnessed during the recently-concluded R3TA Round 3 at Shah Alam, the 180-bhp Super Satria demonstrated brutal power delivery and surefooted handling, certainly as experienced first-hand from my 90s demo drive, several notches above the Stage 2.

The exterior reveals little of its true potential. From the familiar Incognito Black paintjob and front splitter to the delicious bronze Advan RG wheels, almost nothing gives away the free-revving monstrosity that hides under the hood.

Strangely enough, the Super Satria’s extensive spec list almost fulfills the specs of my dream Satria R3 hot hatch, as posted on the R3gister some months ago – coined the Satria R3VO.

Courtesy of R3, here are some specs:

Engine
Engine model : 4G93P
Engine type : Inline 4-cylinder DOHC
Engine capacity : 1834cc

Cylinder head
The cylinder head is flushed, ported and polished, resurfaced to increase compression ratio. Combustion chamber and volumes of runners balanced. 272-degree intake and exhaust cams. New revised camshaft pulleys and recalibrated cam timing setup. NGK Iridium spark plugs. New gaskets, rings and seals.

Cylinder block
Block is flushed, rebored (undisclosed new capacity, but expected to be 1880cc, similar to SSO-spec). Oversized pistons. High grade con-rod, crankshaft and thrust bearings. Lightened and balanced flywheel and pulley. New gaskets, rings and seals, and oil filter.

Other

• Fully synthetic CASTROL RS engine oil.
• Mineral-based CASTROL transmission oil.
• New OEM timing belt.
• Optimized fuel pressure supply using FSE fuel pressure regulator.
• R3 Stage 2 Performance Plug Cables
• R3 Stage 3 Carbon Fibre Cold Air Intake System

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY:
Maximum brake horsepower*: 178.7bhp@6500rpm
Maximum torque*: 20.4kg-m@5500rpm (200Nm)
Power band range: 4700rpm to 7000rpm

Suspension
Height-adjustable coilovers with remote resevoir. Damping tuned by Tg. Djan. Spring rates 4.6kg-mm front/2.5kg-mm rear. R3 Bumpsteer kit and R3 Stage 2 bushes.

Drivetrain
Uprated Exedy performance clutch with Helix performance clutch kit. Modified exhaust system utilising the Stage 3 4-1 Competition Manifold mated to standard Stage 1 mid and rear sections.

Brakes
Stock cross-drilled discs front and rear with Mintex M1144.

Interior
Stock Recaro SR4 semi-buckets seats, R3 Stage 2 short shift kit, MOMO Tuner steering

Exterior
Incognito Black. R3 Stage 2 Front Splitter.

Summary
The Stage 3 Kit is officially only an engine performance upgrade package. Conversion may take up to one month to complete depending on vehicle and engine condition as well as other specifications requested by customer. To date, there is officially one Stage 3 Satria R3 on the road and needless to say, he is one proud owner.

For those with deep pockets and with a strong urge to upgrade your Satria R3 via NA tuning, this is THE way to go.

For the rest of us, prepare to eat dust!

by Don Terrill ©2004

In 1906, Vilfredo Pareto created a simple formula to describe the distribution of wealth in Italy. He found that 80% of the wealth was concentrated in 20% of the population. In the 1950s, Total Quality Management Guru J.M. Juran, applied the Pareto Principle to business and it’s since taken on a life of its own.

I first learned about the 80/20 rule while studying sales. It was said that 80% of sales would come from 20% of the sales force. The percentages may vary, but I think we can swipe our world with even a wider 80/20 Brush and say that 80% of all results will come from 20% of the citizens. From my own experience I’d say the percentage is more like 95/5, but who am I to disagree with an early 20th century Italian Economist.

So, let’s look at how we can apply this to the racing world. For example,

20% of efforts will produce 80% of results
20% of the drivers will win 80% of the races
20% of money spent will produce 80% of results

Let’s look at the 80/20 Principle applied to performance:

Porting your Heads (Good)
Buying Titanium Rods (Bad)

Porting your Carburetor (Good)
Buying Fuel Injection (Bad)

Buying Aluminum Heads (Good)
Buying an Aluminum Block (Bad)

Dyno Testing (Good)
Powder Coating external engine parts (Bad)

Track Testing (Good)
Buying the most impressive Tow Rig (Bad)

The Conclusione: Don’t waste your resources on tasks that net few results, work smart and only on those tasks that net the big payoffs.

Read Don Terrill’s Technical Racing Column at http://raceology.com.