Donington Park 31st July 2024.
It was hot. Bleurgh.
It was 30 degrees in the paddock with the sun beating down onto the black tarmac. I stupidly didn't pay for a garage either. Thankfully my mate James came in his VW Transporter and set us up a little shaded area which was a life saver. A cool bag with some frozen water bottles was the order of the day between sessions.
Track sessions were pretty short, as we were just turning into a sweaty mess inside the car!
I ran old MRFs all day (bought June 2022), they've done 2 x ring trips and numerous UK track days, whilst there's still a bit of rubber left in them, I think they're on the way out.
At the Ring back in April I'd had to soften off the rear dampers as the car was bouncing a bit in certain parts of the track. I hadn't touched them since, and I was suffering from a lot of understeer through McLean's and Coppice in the morning. Mid morning put the rear dampers back to full hard setting, and knocked off the fronts by 4 clicks which helped a little bit. I think the tyres are past their best though.
Despite the intense heat I'm pleased to report that:
- The car ran faultlessly all day. Coolant levels didn't drop, didn't use any oil, and the oil temps were 105-110c maximum even after kicking its head in.
- Gearbox survived. I think it's just my paranoia.
- Matt's supercharged car also ran well all day, and I can't keep up with him. I'll let him write his own update. I've got some videos to process when I can be arsed. It's LOUD. Got a naughty boy flag for noise limit.
- The 3D printed hose clamps didn't melt or deform, this is probably the toughest test they'll get given how hot it must have been under the bonnet.
Had these pictures sent to me by a lad who was roaming with his camera:
![image3-1.jpeg image3-1.jpeg](https://clio197.net/data/attachments/151/151199-493c19f8b037f183368b6025e225bbc6.jpg)