Black Sun Racing are very proud to announce our latest sponsor – Schroth Racing, who have been introduced by existing partners, MSAR. The Profi II ASM incorporates Schroth’s legendary ASM (Anti-SubMarining) technology that is the only thing like it on the market. ASM is an extra fold of material sewn into the inboard shoulder belt that elongates at a different rate than the outboard belt. This allows your upper torso to twist slightly. On the rebound phase, your torso is planted firmly back in the seat rather than allowed to slide under the lap belt.
Having used the Scroth harness in a number of events now I have found it far easier to adjust, engage and release than my previous harness due to the superior design of the buckle mechanisms.
In 2014 at Snetterton the Mustang had the SLP loudmouth exhaust, which the noise scrutineer complained could be heard over the single seat racing cars when I was around the far side of the circuit! This year to avoid issues, I had the quieter BBK Varitune. Although this disappointingly didn’t give the full Mustang roar which the crowd love, it did have the side effect of providing much more low end torque, very important for accelerating out of the low speed corners.
Performance
The new RAM clutch was a revelation, it didn’t snatch and judder under hard gear changes as the previous Spec one did. I still have a problem with heel and toe as there is a massive flat spot in the throttle response, where significant throttle depression produces no increase in revs for a second or so. I need to see if this can be cured with an updated ECU tune.
In the practice runs I had several problems with the prehistoric Mustang gearbox that would not go into third or fourth gear at high revs. For the timed runs this left me with the dilemma of either changing conservatively at lower revs or whether to risk everything for maximum performance. I need to find more sponsorship to be able to afford to fit a Mustang GT500 gearbox or more modern Tremec TR6060 to help cure this problem.
Unusually Snetterton is an anti clockwise circuit, which suits the left hand drive Mustang as I am sitting on the inside of corners and have a better view of the curbs.
Throughout both days the weather was overcast and the track stayed cold, so I was unable to get much grip with the tyres. I was sliding around corners and will spinning on the exist, unable to use my power which might give me an advantage of the Porsches. The brakes had been significantly improved by Redlines changes to the master cylinder and servo, but were still not very effective. One observer in the crowd noted that my braking distances on the main straight were longer than the other cars in my class.
Results
Since I have started sprinting in the Mustang, I have mentally drawn up a list of my rivals to beat, all of whom have been faster and beaten me in the past. They made achievable targets to gradually pick off one by one as I got faster. At the time of the Snetterton event only two remained, Brian Winstone and Bill McKenna, both in Porsche 911 GT3s. At the start of the 2015 season Brian had purchased a lightweight Ferrari 458, but was having trouble getting to grips with it. This gave me the hope that I might be able to catch him. However, for Snetterton he had returned to his Porsche that he felt more comfortable with.
I made a very good start with little wheelspin, the 573BHP launching the car forward like a rocket in the first corner, Agostini. I hit second gear just before the apex but then have to feather the throttle slightly on the exit to avoid running wide at this tight hairpin. I change up into third before Hamilton corner, working hard to find the right turn in point to let me run over the inside curb. I brake as late as I dare and am really pleased as I pull off a perfect exit keeping the car surprisingly smooth as I apply the power and just avoiding the very bumpy outside curb.
I had learned last year that staying in third and avoiding a slow change on the very awkward Mustang gearbox was half a second quicker, despite sacrificing the extra kick of going down to second. As I accelerated on to Oggies corner carrying a lot of speed, I brake really heavily and the car feels very unstable as if the back is trying to overtake the front, so I dare not risk trying to trail brake around the corner. I nurse the car round the very tight bend an gingerly try to the power in second, but the rear wheels light up and the back end steps out sideways, I catch it quickly and accelerate up to third over the short straight into Williams corner. Again braking straight into another tight hairpin I pick a wide line just touching the inside apex and accelerate out as all hell breaks loose. A lot of dust left on the track by earlier cars cutting across the grass has made the track here very slippery and the car fishtails wildly, but I tame it and manage to get the power down and back into third for the long Palmer corner.
This decreases in radius so that you find although your entry speed may have been OK, as you get round the corner you find that you are running out of road – I just touch the end of the inside curb and accelerate out with the supercharger screaming as I pray that I will be able to find fourth gear this time. Fortunately it slams in and I power across the finish line and immediately have to stand on the brakes in order to make the pit exit lane, without colliding with the next car waiting on the start line. The end result was that I had achieved the goal I had set myself two and a half years before, by achieving second place in class I had managed to beat Brian Winstone’s Porsche 911 GT3 – he did not take it well. Why waste your money on a supercar when you can have a Mustang that is faster ?
Saturday Results
1st Bill McKenna
Porsche 911GT3 101.23 secs
2nd Alex Peters
Ford Mustang GT 106.79 secs
3rd Brian Winstone
Porsche 911GT3 108.09 secs
4th Nick Attridge
Aston Martin DB7 122.83 secs
Sunday results
I put in similar times on the second day, although I didn’t feel I drove so well. Brian picked up his performance massively, and I now have a new rival on my list – tim Simpson in his supercharged Honda S2000 – up a much lighter more agile car.
1st Bill McKenna
Porsche 911 GT3 99.06 secs
2nd Brian Winstone
Porsche 911 GT3 103.62 secs
3rd Tim Simpson
Honda S2000 supercharged 105.23 secs
Black Sun Racing mustang fastest lap of Lydden Hill
Before the event even started I was feeling media pressure – the All Circuit Sprint Championship publicity advertised the titanic battle between Kevin Lower’s Nissan Skyline and my Ford Mustang as the main attraction! This then exploded into a war of opinions on Facebook with people backing each one of us and offering a variety of opinions on the outcome. I have come to learn the value of putting psychological pressure on other drivers in sprint competitions, but this time I was feeling it myself with a great weight of expectation on my shoulders. Kevin Lower has a great reputation as a driver of great talent with amazing car control and absolutely no fear. As an example check out his lap of Goodwood a few weeks earlier…
My fearless rival Kevin Lower at Goodwood – so you can see what I was up against!
Build
The car featured a new RAM twin disc clutch, upgraded GT500 brake servo, lowered KW front suspension and a sorted problem with the high pressure fuel pump. A great thanks must go to Redline American Muscle who put in a lot of work to get the car ready. You can see more details of the work at the Mustang Upgrades blog post.
Performance
Despite the lowered front suspension, the front end of the car was still very unstable during braking, with a lot of roll. The brakes had improved significantly, but still softened under a long braking phase at the end of the straights. All of this meant that I wasn’t confident with the car and did not get the best possible performance. At the event I met Julian Spender of Balance Motorsport who has offered to help with the investigation into the suspension geometry and stability issues. In practice I continued to experience the usual gear selection problems going into third.
The winner despite the media pressure!
Results
I made a good start with only minimal wheelspin from the line, despite the slippery track surface. As I rounded the first apex of Paddock Bend I changed quickly from second to third, avoiding the rev limiter I that I had hit in practice. The power of the supercharger was finally unleashed thanks to the work that Redline had done on the fuel pump, with such great acceleration that I did not have the time to move across to the right of the track along the Canterbury Straight to get a better line into Chessons Drift corner. I normally take this corner very differently from other cars who brake in a straight line on entry and then hold a constant speed around the very long bend. Instead, because of the Mustangs poor cornering due to its weight and great acceleration, I trail brake much later and slow the car about a third of the way round the corner, running to the outer edge. This means that I complete the first part of the corner more quickly than other cars. However, by the middle of the corner I am traveling more slowly and turn the bend into a series of straight lines, finally running very wide at the exit so that I can open the throttle fully along the Dover Slope straight as early as possible. When I got this right, I experienced massive lateral G as I exited the final part of the curve, fortunately the Mustang gripped very well in this stable situation. Holding third gear almost the to the redline, I braked very hard and dropped into second for the Devil’s Elbow very tight left hand corner. Hitting a late apex and running over the rough kerb I eased the power on to avoid the rear of the car spinning out as I applied a tight lock on the steering. As I exited the corner I increased to full throttle and straightened out, running wide across the opening of the rallycross access road. I carefully changed into third to avoid the gear selection problem and picked up a lot of speed coming into the North Bend hairpin. As with Chesson’s Drift, I turned the racing line around the corner into a triangle, trail braking hard past the inner clipping point and running to the outer edge of the corner I turned the car in very tight to face down the hill. I eased the power on until the car was facing down the hill and then let rip. The acceleration form 575BHP was dizzying, I held it as long as I dared until braking very hard into paddock bend, taking a sharp turn back onto the main straight and a very late apex to avoid running wide into the gravel whilst accelerating down the straight as many of my competitors (including Kevin Lower) did.
With hindsight and more practice to build more confidence in the handling of the new power increased car, I could have driven the lap even faster. Getting a better line into Chesson’s drift would have allowed even later braking and I should have been in second gear coming out of the North Bend hairpin.
After each session many observers reported the amazing antics of Kevin Lower, how he was spectacularly sliding the car out of each corner, whilst my careful and sensitive style to balance the car on the limit of grip looked a lot slower. One person compared our driving styles to Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost – sad to say Kevin was Senna and I was Prost! I looked nervously at the results sheets but was surprised to find that on each session I had been faster than Kevin, with a margin that increased on each run. In the end, rather than succumbing to the psychological pressure myself, it may in fact have impacted Kevin as one person though that on his final run he had abandoned his normal wild driving style in a determined effort to beat me, but drove a much tidier and controlled lap. It did prove to be his fastest lap and was very close to my first timed run, but fortunately I managed to improve my time, particularly by staying as wide as I could on the exit of Chesson’s Drift enabling me to take full advantage of the Mustangs acceleration.
This was definitely the most challenging and enjoyable sprint of my career so far – thanks Kevin!
Following the clutch failure at the Rockingham sprint, Redline American Muscle carried out a lot of repair and upgrade work.
Clutch
Kev at Redline American Muscle fitting the RAM twin disc clutch
Following the failure of the Spec stage 3 clutch at Rockingham, which was meant to be good for 700BHP, but failed under the 573BHP generated by the Black Sun Racing Mustang. Steeda in the UK used their Mustang race experience with Steeda USA to recommend the RAM force 10.5 twin disc clutch, together with the RAM hydraulic bearing and braided hydraulic fluid line.
The clutch was expertly fitted by Kev and Mike at Redline American Muscle using micrometer gauges to ensure an absolutely perfect setup for race performance. Impressively, their setup was so good, the clutch was extremely driveable on the street with a medium to light action, very smooth engagement and no chatter noise. The operation was significantly more complex than on a standard mustang – due to the Steeda race engine mounts, the engine will not tilt and so the front cross member had to be removed and the whole assembly lowered, a great piece of work by Redline.
Ride height – KW suspension
Following the issue in 2014 with horrendous contact noise under braking which transpired to be the supercharger pulley, the suspension ride height had been raised at the front of the car, based on the incorrect assumption that the tyres were rubbing against the bodywork under braking. Following the excessive front end body roll experienced in the high speed corners at Rockingham, the opportunity has now been taken to lower the front ride height by 1.5 inches using the adjustable springs in the KW competition suspension.
Brake master cylinder and servo
The poor hydraulic performance of the brakes where the pedal was too soft and went even longer under high braking was traced to poor seals on a non-OEM master cylinder. Therefore Redline American Muscle fitted a genuine Ford master cylinder. Additionally they also fitted a Mustang GT500 brake servo. This provides 30% less assistance than the standard servo and gives a stiffer pedal feel. Overall Redline’s transformation of the car has been dramatic giving much greater braking confidence – I can’t wait to try it out on the track !
Mysterious power loss problem
At the Eelmoor sprint in October I noticed a problem where under wide open throttle there would be a sudden and complete loss of engine power. This problem happened only once on that day but has since dramatically reappeared. Redline used the SCT X3 programmer and SCT Livelink software to capture engine parameters under load when reproducing the problem. They discovered that the fuel pressure dropped to a very low value under fully open throttle. Initially they tried the obvious and simple fix of replacing the fuel filter in case it was clogged, but this was not the answer. Kev of Redline replacing the fuel filter
Further investigation showed that one of the two fuel pump regulators fitted in the boot of the car was damaged. Using impressive engineering skills they jury rigged an electrical repair on the component which fixed the problem and restored the massive performance of the Mustang. Equally impressively they were able to source a brand new replacement part only two days later.
Redline find the problem – temporary repair on the fuel regulator, shortly afterwards replaced with a new component.
As the second drive in Colin Spark’s Hyundai Coupe Evo F2, I was beginning to get more confident with the car. It was worlds away from the heavy rear wheel drive mustang and I was soon able to throw it into tight bends and keep the engine buzzing at high revs to get adequate torque coming out of corners. By the end of the day, I had still not fully explored the limits of the car but I was satisfied that I was getting closer. With more time in the car I could certainly have moved up one place to beat the BMW Z3, but overall 6th out of 10 cars gave some useful championship points.
Following the clutch failure at Rockingham, the Mustang wasn’t going to be repaired in time for the first Goodwood sprint of the season. So my friend Colin Spark very kindly allowed me to double drive his Hyundai Coupe Evo F2. It was a very steep learning curve as the car was front wheel drive which I am not used to. Having to jump straight into an unfamiliar car on the fastest circuit in the calendar with a very wet track was unlikely to produce a great result.
Performance
Because of my unfamiliarity with the car I was unable to accuractely feel what it was doing on the race track which made it very difficult for me to push the performance. This wasn’t helped by a very wet and slippery track during practice, where I spun off at Lavant corner as I tried to correct my line and bring the nose of the car tighter into the first apex. The rear of the car slid out and I span backwards over the curb, though thankfully no damage was done. The next few laps were taken very carefully with me braking before the apex of the high speed Fordwater corner, before I finally managed to get it together and push the car for the final lap. I finished 6th out of 10 in class but feel I could have gone faster with more familiarity and confidence in the car.
Results
1st James Silk
Honda Integra type R – 102.69 secs
2nd Hugh Mackey
Renault Clio cup 172 – 106.28 secs
3rd Paul Mackey
Renault Clio cup 172 – 108.02 secs
4th Iain Reynolds
MGF – 112.64 secs
5th Robin Mulcaire
MGF Trophy – 113.29 secs
6th Alex Peters
Hyundai Coupe Evo F2 – 118.48 secs
7th John Bryant
MG TF 118.81 secs
8th Howard Harman
MG PA – 127.87 secs
9th Colin Spark
Hyundai Coupe Evo F2 – 131.13 secs
Kevin See of Redline American Muscle installing the quieter (and torquier) BBK Varitune exhaust.
As the Rockingham track has a drive by noise sensor, I was forced to change the SLP Loudmouth exhaust for the BBK Varitune exhaust, otherwise I would have been disqualified. However, apart from the uninspiringly quieter sound, the BBK also loses top end power, which would be very useful at Rockingham.
The old straight through SLP Loudmouth exhausts
The previous front towing bracket was removed to make way for the intercooler radiator when the supercharger was fitted. Therefore Redline had to fabricate new parts to fit a new towing bracket to a different location on the chassis.
Mike Thompson of Redline fabricating the new front towing bracket.
Redline always carry out a complete check of the car before every race and they found that the oil seal on the differential was leaking, so they replaced this.
Kevin See of Redline changing the differential oil seal.
Performance
I was very surprised to find that although the BBK exhaust produced less high end power, it gave considerably more low end torque. Lack of low end torque has always been the bane of the Mustang 4.6 modular engine (unlike older traditional american V8s). The Supercharger had gone some way to improving this, but now the BBK exhaust made the car much more driveable, with better acceleration coming out of low speed bends.
However, a problem developed with the clutch slipping, which became significantly worse on each lap of the track – to the point where my initial practice lap was my fastest. On the video you can hear me fighting for power as the revs rapidly rise coming out of each corner as the clutch slips.
Another new problem I experienced was significant body roll coming into the tighter bends at high speed, resulting in fighting to control the car and making a poor exit from the corner. I suspect that this was due to the front suspension ride height being raised during the investigation of the supercharger pulley rubbing on the bonnet. Hopefully this can be lowered again by an inch with no more problems. One concern is that we found that by raising the front of the car relative to the rear and making the body more level than the traditional Mustang “nose down” stance, was that understeer into tight bends was considerably reduced. I just hope the change don’t reverse this improvement.
The other problem I had was the long term issue of the brakes being ineffective on long braking from high speed. The good news is that we have now identified the cause in a non-OEM master cylinder which allows fluid to leak past its seals, particularly under sustained pressure. The plan is to replace this along with a Mustang GT500 servo which provides 30% less assistance. This should produce a firmer pedal feel and inspire more confidence.
Results
Pulling away from the line I had to feather the throttle to avoid just sitting there with clutch slip, however I got a reasoable bit of traction and my 60 foot time was comparable with other cars in my class. I changed to 2nd gear just as I entered the chicane, but couldn’t be as aggressive as I was on the first practice lap where I rode both the left and right kerbs of the tight corner.
Pulling onto the banked section I am unable to use the full potential of the Mustang – you can hear the revs rise sharply as the clutch slip and then when it gets grip I am fighting for tyre traction and cannot put the full power down until the car is pointing straight. Once the car is lined up, speed rises rapidly and the Whipple supercharger is screaming down the straight as I head towards the kink in the banking. During practice I had to brake hard at this point to avoid carrying the massive speed out of the corner and colliding with the wall on the exit (which some other competitors did, with one completely wrecking their car). However, I have now mastered the line and just lift off the throttle, getting back on it as soon as I dare. The revs now hit the limiter in 4th gear as I exit the corner down the short final straight meaning I am now doing 140mph. I have learned in the past that it is quicker to stay on the limiter rather than try and change up to 5th which will take to long on the agricultural Tremec 3650 gearbox.
I then hit the brakes as late as I can as I approach the Deene hairpin, gritting my teeth as I can feel the loss of contact with the discs, due to the inefficient seals on the master cylinder. I have judged the distance well within the limits and I hold a good line (unlike in practice when I ran over the outside kerb trying to slow the car). As I line up on the straight I gently apply power and the car responds picking up speed towards Yentwood corner. I aim for a very late apex but the car is a real handful under braking with a lot of bodyroll due to the high front suspension settings. I manhandle the car round the corner keeping within the kerbs and put the power down one – two – three – four times I try before the clutch engages and I am already onto the Chapman curve. Another three times I have to try and coax the car forward into the Pif Paf chicane. The speed builds as I come onto the Steel Straight and come into Gracelands corner. The tight bend is very difficult for the Mustang with its current suspension setup, so I run wide to turn the corner into a triangle and put the power down as soon as I can get a straight line through to the exit. Fortunately the clutch grips first time and I accelerate across the finish line with a speed trap reading similar to my competitors.
Conclusions
I did some practice on the simulator which helped a great deal with track familiarity and racing lines on the day. However, the slipping clutch and body roll made the car almost undriveable and looking at the video, the lap looks pathetically slow, particularly on the infield section. I had hoped that the fast track at Rockingham would enable me to close the performance gap on long term rivals Gordon Peters and Bill McKenna. I managed to get up to 140mph on the banking (red lining in 4th gear), but could have gone considerably faster if the clutch hadn’t been slipping. The limitations of the brakes was understood before the event and I wasn’t surprised when I had to run wide, nearly leaving the track at the hairpin at the end of the main straight as I couldn’t scrub off enough speed on my first practice lap. After that I just had to brake earlier and more gently.
Overall, despite the mechanical problems I think I did quite well to beat some credible opposition. My only concern now is the time (and cost!) it will take to get the replacement parts and have them fitted. This is likely to mean the car will miss some events which will impact my championship chances after only the first event of the season.
Our sponsors MSAR (suppliers of race equipment) have kindly provided some improved padding for the roll cage.
Although the current padding was supplied by another motorsport supplier and is fireproof, it provides minimal protection in hard impacts. Furthermore its shape does not lend itself to easy fitment on a roll cage and has to be secured with tape which does not give a professional finish.
MSAR are great advocates for safety. Their biggest concern is for road use rather than racing, where passengers are not wearing protective helmets. Then even a minor head impact on a bar can be extremely dangerous if it is not adequately padded.
Compare the old and new padding side by side and the additional protection of the new MSAR padding can be seen – although it feels hard to the touch, it is still possible to squeeze it by hand. Meanwhile the old padding is very soft to the touch and will provide minimal protection in an impact.
The MSAR padding fitted the roll cage far better – its shape holds it in place well. It is further secured with adhesive and provide a much more professional fitted appearance.
The plastic winglets on the Steeda rear wing have been replaced with billet aluminium to provide greater rigidity. The end plates have been etched with the Steeda sponsor logo.
The Black Sun Racing team have appeared in two TV programme recordings recently giving good coverage for sponsors. In the Channel Classic Car show Series 1 episode 3 includes a feature on the Crystal Palace sprint where the Mustang has competed in 2013 and 2014. In the show a member of the presenting team has a go at his first motorsport event at Crystal Palace.
Following this, the Black Sun Racing was included in the filming of a TV show held at the Redline American Muscle workshops in Aylesford in Kent. Unfortunately details of the show are currently embargoed but will be released close to the on air date in April. The show makes a great use of the mighty roar of the 573 BHP supercharged V8 of the Mustang !
Black Sun Racing are very proud to announce our latest sponsor – Schroth Racing, who have been introduced by existing partners, MSAR. The Profi II ASM incorporates Schroth’s legendary ASM (Anti-SubMarining) technology that is the only thing like it on the market. ASM is an extra fold of material sewn into the inboard shoulder belt that elongates at a different rate than the outboard belt. This allows your upper torso to twist slightly. On the rebound phase, your torso is planted firmly back in the seat rather than allowed to slide under the lap belt. 
Redline find the problem – temporary repair on the fuel regulator, shortly afterwards replaced with a new component.
Black Sun Racing 