Dave Lindemann
Lifetime Supporter
Nice little write-up in the August issue of Kit Car Builder on page 25 too!
Nemesis testing report.
- Thread starter gt40fran
- Start date
Fran summed up the day pretty well…
As we did a fastener check, the other cars/drivers were rolling in, was nice to see a huge variety. Despite the presence of a Ford GT, few track prepped Porsches, mr2’s, srt4’s, and so on, it was quickly apparent that all eyes were on us.
After the drivers meeting, I saw the ‘conga line’ (instructor drove slow laps demonstrating the correct line, with the drivers following in their own cars) forming. Knowing this would be the perfect time to get the car up to speed with out worrying about traffic/egos/act , so I hopped in, strapped down, and pulled up at the back of the line. This was the first time I’d ever driven the car…the butterflies in my stomach felt the size of giant vampire bats. First gear engages with a slight clunk, a bit of clutch slip and I’m off and running. The first thing I noticed was how easy the car is to shift, both up and down, and how tall and narrow all the other cars looked from this perspective. The next is I have no idea how fast I was going. Without a working speedometer (simpler = better for shake down) it felt like I could have gotten out and walked faster…then I noticed the (stock) e46 m3 ahead of me was rolling quite a bit in the bends…
First session, the giant vampire bats flying around in my stomach, are now the size of taridactals. After a half a dozen or so laps of driving around, way off line, short shifting (at 7,000), riding the brakes down the straights (bed the pads), making extremely abrupt steering inputs, and so on, I notice a Porsche 993 in the mirrors. A lap later, he’s on my tail so I wave him by. As he passes I realize he’s pushing his car pretty hard… The throttle pedal was developing a sticky spot about ¼ the way down, so I pulled in. A shot of lube on the throttle linkage and everything is tip top. The cherry has been popped, and it was painless. So far I haven’t been able to get the car to behave badly.
By now I’m starting to get comfortable with the car, so I pick up the pace a bit. After a couple laps of warm up, I start *trying* to get the car to behave badly. Mid way through a 180deg 2nd gear sweeper, I mash the gas expecting the front end to push wide………I feel the rear start drifting out slowly. I was able to stay on the gas, and counter steer out. When I say the rear end came out slowly, think driving a pickup truck in the snow. At this point I’m thinking, light car on big sticky tires…the slide will be short, which it was, but the recovery is going to be a herky jerky tank slapping mess. I was wrong. The recovery was just as gradual as the breakaway. By now I’m really starting to dig the shifter paddles. Rolling off the gas, while giving the paddle a smooth, firm pull results in an incredibly smooth, and fast up shift. So smooth that shifting mid corner doesn’t upset the car. Down shifting quickly is easy, too easy. The old problem of “do I leave it in gear, and hit the limiter before the brake point, or do I up shift, only to down shift .5 seconds later is gone. With such little internal inertia the big busa engine provides little, if any noticeable engine breaking even at high revs…..
For the next session, we took a bit of the damping out (compression and rebound an equal amount), and it transformed the car. I didn’t even notice the bumps that were upsetting the chassis in the prior session. Standing on the gas in the same gear, at the same spot, in the same corner, that had me in a powerslide, now has the car hook’en-en-booken. Sitting that low, in an open cockpit and open wheeled car, it felt like 140mph. However, I was leaving so much time at every corner, my rational half started telling myself I’m doing more like 40mph….then I came up FAST on a Porsche 911 sc. Again, I was not pushing the car, or myself hard what so ever. I was driving about as hard as I do when I’m late to work. A white ford GT enters my mirrors.
As we did a fastener check, the other cars/drivers were rolling in, was nice to see a huge variety. Despite the presence of a Ford GT, few track prepped Porsches, mr2’s, srt4’s, and so on, it was quickly apparent that all eyes were on us.
After the drivers meeting, I saw the ‘conga line’ (instructor drove slow laps demonstrating the correct line, with the drivers following in their own cars) forming. Knowing this would be the perfect time to get the car up to speed with out worrying about traffic/egos/act , so I hopped in, strapped down, and pulled up at the back of the line. This was the first time I’d ever driven the car…the butterflies in my stomach felt the size of giant vampire bats. First gear engages with a slight clunk, a bit of clutch slip and I’m off and running. The first thing I noticed was how easy the car is to shift, both up and down, and how tall and narrow all the other cars looked from this perspective. The next is I have no idea how fast I was going. Without a working speedometer (simpler = better for shake down) it felt like I could have gotten out and walked faster…then I noticed the (stock) e46 m3 ahead of me was rolling quite a bit in the bends…
First session, the giant vampire bats flying around in my stomach, are now the size of taridactals. After a half a dozen or so laps of driving around, way off line, short shifting (at 7,000), riding the brakes down the straights (bed the pads), making extremely abrupt steering inputs, and so on, I notice a Porsche 993 in the mirrors. A lap later, he’s on my tail so I wave him by. As he passes I realize he’s pushing his car pretty hard… The throttle pedal was developing a sticky spot about ¼ the way down, so I pulled in. A shot of lube on the throttle linkage and everything is tip top. The cherry has been popped, and it was painless. So far I haven’t been able to get the car to behave badly.
By now I’m starting to get comfortable with the car, so I pick up the pace a bit. After a couple laps of warm up, I start *trying* to get the car to behave badly. Mid way through a 180deg 2nd gear sweeper, I mash the gas expecting the front end to push wide………I feel the rear start drifting out slowly. I was able to stay on the gas, and counter steer out. When I say the rear end came out slowly, think driving a pickup truck in the snow. At this point I’m thinking, light car on big sticky tires…the slide will be short, which it was, but the recovery is going to be a herky jerky tank slapping mess. I was wrong. The recovery was just as gradual as the breakaway. By now I’m really starting to dig the shifter paddles. Rolling off the gas, while giving the paddle a smooth, firm pull results in an incredibly smooth, and fast up shift. So smooth that shifting mid corner doesn’t upset the car. Down shifting quickly is easy, too easy. The old problem of “do I leave it in gear, and hit the limiter before the brake point, or do I up shift, only to down shift .5 seconds later is gone. With such little internal inertia the big busa engine provides little, if any noticeable engine breaking even at high revs…..
For the next session, we took a bit of the damping out (compression and rebound an equal amount), and it transformed the car. I didn’t even notice the bumps that were upsetting the chassis in the prior session. Standing on the gas in the same gear, at the same spot, in the same corner, that had me in a powerslide, now has the car hook’en-en-booken. Sitting that low, in an open cockpit and open wheeled car, it felt like 140mph. However, I was leaving so much time at every corner, my rational half started telling myself I’m doing more like 40mph….then I came up FAST on a Porsche 911 sc. Again, I was not pushing the car, or myself hard what so ever. I was driving about as hard as I do when I’m late to work. A white ford GT enters my mirrors.
Exactly. Now I'm going to be checking back all day.
Brian Hamilton
I'm on the verge of touching myself inappropriatel
No...we send you the car as a "turn key minus " for 20k plus shipping/handling and you install your engine, your harness and your dash
I don't think Fran - or anyone else in their right mind - wants to get into the automobile manufacturing business.
My understanding of the rules is that if he starts shipping cars - a roller w/tranny & motor and thus ready to go - then he is now manufacturing cars. He would then have to run crash tests, EPA certifications, etc.
So he - wisely IMHO - sells kits to let hobbyists build their own cars.
Besides, Fran has worked himself into a position that it appears he is really good at: innovating. That is something that I - and I think a large cohort of the market - appreciate.
my $.02
Sorry to keep you guys hanging 
A few turns later he’s on my tail, I wave him past. I match his pace keeping a safe distance back. I am driving at about 60% keeping up with a new and I still have no idea where the limits of the Nemesis are. This is where I realize how good the Nemesis really is. After a couple laps he gets sick of seeing a brand new 25k American made car in his mirror and lets me by. I start stretching Nemesis’ legs, GT quickly disappears. Confidance is growing, I’m starting to use the full width of the track, doing a little trail breaking, I put a wheel on the rumble strip, the car doesn’t bat an eye. As I pass the start/finish line I see a waving checker flag.
Next session I decide the car has had a solid hour of track time, we have got some decent photos and videos, I know the track…it’s time to turn kick it up a couple knotchs. After a couple warm up laps, I stand on the gas at the apex exiting a 90deg right corner, the rear breaks loose…I keep my foot in it, and counter steer the car comes back slowly, again I’m reminded of driving a pickup truck with a posi in snow. By now I’m revving to redline, using the full track, the tires and breaks are up too temp, the is sticking HARD everywhere with no noticeable body roll, dive, or squat. I’m passing everything in site, everything. The video speaks for it’s self. I rip off 10 or so fast laps, the air and oil temps are holding steady, tires aren’t getting greasy, the brake pedal is still rock hard, that Collin Chapman was onto something….As I slow the car on the back straight, I downshift through the gears, just as I would in my previous track car, a mazda rx-7. coming out of the turn, I notice the car’s down on power, and it’s got a slightly deeper , intake/exhaust note, then…POOOOOOOOOOOFF….I push the clutch in, the engine instantly stalls, I smell burning. The instant the car comes to a stop, I’m engulfed in a huge cloud of smoke, and engine oil rolls forward toward my feet, next thing I know I’m looking at the car from 20 yards away, I don’t even remember getting out of the car. Looking at it, the car’s not actually on fire, but there is a lot of white/blue smoke. I figured I just blew an oil cooler line (been there, done that) since I didn’t hear any knocks, bangs, or anything from the engine… The tow truck pulls me back to the pits, we pull the side pods, engine covers, and find a massive hole in the block.
I learned the $-hard-$ way, don’t drive a bike engined car the same way you would drive a standard car. The engine is there to make the car go, not slow it down. However what I did is extremely common for new bike engine car owners. Based on what I’ve read, wait until the last possible instant before you turn in to drop down to the gear you will need to be as you exit the corner, just like a current f1 car.
A few turns later he’s on my tail, I wave him past. I match his pace keeping a safe distance back. I am driving at about 60% keeping up with a new and I still have no idea where the limits of the Nemesis are. This is where I realize how good the Nemesis really is. After a couple laps he gets sick of seeing a brand new 25k American made car in his mirror and lets me by. I start stretching Nemesis’ legs, GT quickly disappears. Confidance is growing, I’m starting to use the full width of the track, doing a little trail breaking, I put a wheel on the rumble strip, the car doesn’t bat an eye. As I pass the start/finish line I see a waving checker flag.
Next session I decide the car has had a solid hour of track time, we have got some decent photos and videos, I know the track…it’s time to turn kick it up a couple knotchs. After a couple warm up laps, I stand on the gas at the apex exiting a 90deg right corner, the rear breaks loose…I keep my foot in it, and counter steer the car comes back slowly, again I’m reminded of driving a pickup truck with a posi in snow. By now I’m revving to redline, using the full track, the tires and breaks are up too temp, the is sticking HARD everywhere with no noticeable body roll, dive, or squat. I’m passing everything in site, everything. The video speaks for it’s self. I rip off 10 or so fast laps, the air and oil temps are holding steady, tires aren’t getting greasy, the brake pedal is still rock hard, that Collin Chapman was onto something….As I slow the car on the back straight, I downshift through the gears, just as I would in my previous track car, a mazda rx-7. coming out of the turn, I notice the car’s down on power, and it’s got a slightly deeper , intake/exhaust note, then…POOOOOOOOOOOFF….I push the clutch in, the engine instantly stalls, I smell burning. The instant the car comes to a stop, I’m engulfed in a huge cloud of smoke, and engine oil rolls forward toward my feet, next thing I know I’m looking at the car from 20 yards away, I don’t even remember getting out of the car. Looking at it, the car’s not actually on fire, but there is a lot of white/blue smoke. I figured I just blew an oil cooler line (been there, done that) since I didn’t hear any knocks, bangs, or anything from the engine… The tow truck pulls me back to the pits, we pull the side pods, engine covers, and find a massive hole in the block.
I learned the $-hard-$ way, don’t drive a bike engined car the same way you would drive a standard car. The engine is there to make the car go, not slow it down. However what I did is extremely common for new bike engine car owners. Based on what I’ve read, wait until the last possible instant before you turn in to drop down to the gear you will need to be as you exit the corner, just like a current f1 car.
Brian Hamilton
I'm on the verge of touching myself inappropriatel
Awesome Mark. How close are you guys to finalizing that awesome video you were talking about? Man, I wish you guys were closer, I'd be following you guys around like a puppy to the track events. LOL
Cool write up.
The suggestion seems to be to not use engine braking when running a bike engined car as it's not good for the engine with all that grip.
Did this Hayabusa engine have a slipper clutch (I don't know if they ever didn't or when they started introducing it)? If it didn't do you think a slipper clutch would help soften the engine braking force through it and perhaps help save it a bit more?
Most supersports bikes use them nowadays, never experienced one myself.
The suggestion seems to be to not use engine braking when running a bike engined car as it's not good for the engine with all that grip.
Did this Hayabusa engine have a slipper clutch (I don't know if they ever didn't or when they started introducing it)? If it didn't do you think a slipper clutch would help soften the engine braking force through it and perhaps help save it a bit more?
Most supersports bikes use them nowadays, never experienced one myself.
We were not running times...this was shakedown testing not intended for out and out performance..
Thats next time...
Thats next time...
That's not true at all in the case of the Nemesis. He's said numerous times that he has no plans for a street legal kit. He can sell all the perfectly drivable race cars that he wants...it's just street cars where the EPA and other stuff comes up.
I see no reason why Fran couldn't offer a ready-to-run Nemesis as a track car. The only thing he'd HAVE to do is make sure buyers know about the issue of trying to use engine braking as that IS a significant problem with this kind of weight and those engines. But as long as people are told, if they are blowing up their new engines, well, that's what happens.
The hard part is sourcing "new" engines to sell people. That's where things get cloudy. But I, for one, think it would be a great idea for Fran to sell a Nemesis that's ready to hit the track.
--Donnie
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