DB Trackside

DB Trackside Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from DB Trackside, Cars, Benaraby.

DB Trackside is for me to share all my car/motorsport content weather its track official content, competition updates and content, spectating race events, car modification.

So methanol worked out pretty well. Learning to warm the car up is a bit of a thing along with remembering to top the fu...
21/06/2026

So methanol worked out pretty well. Learning to warm the car up is a bit of a thing along with remembering to top the fuel cell up. The post race weekend procedure is a little more involved than the zero I would previously do but is all part of it. As you can see it is oh so close to being back in the 10's. And we are only down 7mph from the old 347 set up. Which is pretty stout. As it cools off and dries out going into winter I wouldn't be surprised if we get there.


Thanks again to Benaraby Dragway and all the volunteers that make these events possible and some nice photos.

So the Gulf Western oil Winternationals didn't go quite as smoothly as I had hoped. But I learnt a thing or two, and am ...
07/06/2026

So the Gulf Western oil Winternationals didn't go quite as smoothly as I had hoped. But I learnt a thing or two, and am determined to do it again next year.

After a fair effort to rebuild the spare motor and get it in the car so we could go racing. The first qualifier was always at risk of drama and it was. The didn't want to warm the tires up and didn't like the launch and certainly did not want to go down the track. Sputtering and carrying on. Got back to the pits and thought it was something top end related. So I whipped the valve covers off to check valve lash. A couple of minor adjustments in there but nothing suspicious.

While I had been busy with that Brett MacGyver'd a piston stop from a dead spark plug and a bolt. And we re checked TDC. Again nothing there.
Threw a new set of plugs in because they are the existing set from the old motor. And Brett went to double check the timing with my light and it was causing a double image so he switched that and got his light.

Turns out I just tried to make a pass with locked dizzy on basically zero timing. So Brett adjusted that back to around 35degrees and I tested the car up on the two step in the pits. Amazing, it actually revs up to the two step without carrying on. Now for Q 2.

Qualifying 2. Car did a burnout ✓ car left off the transbrake and 2-step ✓. I do the dumbest thing and short shift 1-2 by alot. Other than my mistake the run went well.

Qualifying 3. Much better run still a little early on the 1-2 shift but the Mazda went 11.72 pretty happy with that.

I commit the cardinal sin. Don't change anything between Q3 and R1. It's winters, it's eliminations, it's a big field of good racers. I checked the data log and the car was a little lean through the run for Q3 so a small jet change to help protect the car and well boy did it like it. 11.59 on an 11.72 dial on and to make things worse the other lane spun the launch so all I had to do was lift. So 2 winters appearances, 2 elimination by breakout.

Just to ice the cake the pump for our shower popped it's top on Wednesday night. So took a trip Thursday afternoon to buy a new pump. The trucks on board 80lts of water somehow disappeared twice. The new step for the trailer broke. I also forgot to pack the gas bottle for the hot water system

Small wins the new tow rig is a great. And the Mazda went mid 11's on shed rebuilt stock bottom 302w. Thanks Gulf Western Oil Pty Ltd for the racer equivalent lolly drop

27/05/2026

So. It's been a wild few weeks. After much prodding from a couple of people. And a lot of help from Cam and Brett. The is still going to the Winternationals. Albeit a few cubes short of its name sake. With the rings of the 347 passing more oil than the strait of Hormuz, the spare has been called into service so a rebuilt stock 5 litre/302w bottom end paired with my AFR top end and A fun little 236/244 cam. We are going completely untested with this combo so it's going to be a ride to see how it goes.

Still need to service the tow car, redo the floor covering in the trailer. Replace the tie down system in the trailer.

One week to go.

How long until Winter nationals? Just going to send it
04/05/2026

How long until Winter nationals? Just going to send it

Unfortunately I have withdrawn the smoke show/mosquito fogging/diesel powered 347Mazda but I'll still be trackside to ch...
30/04/2026

Unfortunately I have withdrawn the smoke show/mosquito fogging/diesel powered 347Mazda but I'll still be trackside to check out the action.

Always something with one of them.. oh wait no it's always the Mazda. Subaru freshly service
20/04/2026

Always something with one of them.. oh wait no it's always the Mazda. Subaru freshly service

The family Fairlane survived Rockynats 06. Couple of little things to sort out before next year. It would be nice to get...
19/04/2026

The family Fairlane survived Rockynats 06. Couple of little things to sort out before next year. It would be nice to get the factory AC working. The coolant temperature and fuel level have no idea what's going so that was fun and I have picked up a pretty full on front end squeak, so it might be time to throw the Whiteline catalogue at the front end. Finally, and I think you will all agree, It needs some adjustability to the ride height because it's clearly not low enough

Slowing things down in the family cruiser for Rockynats 06
16/04/2026

Slowing things down in the family cruiser for Rockynats 06

It wasn't a great start to the weekend. Rocker stud came unscrewed and broke the tip off a rocker fortunately it didn't ...
12/04/2026

It wasn't a great start to the weekend. Rocker stud came unscrewed and broke the tip off a rocker fortunately it didn't do any damage to the new heads. Thanks to Des Pimm for the lend of a replacement. Unfortunately all the effort to replace the top end of the motor seems to have failed to rectify the Mazda's smoking habit. I am kind of at a loss of where to take it from here I guess it's time for a new short block as well. I won't have that done before the Winter nationals unfortunately but I am still undecided if I want to take the Mazda as it is.

The car ran well enough that I made the finals, though in my eagerness I let the button go a little too early, but that's no reason not to send it. As you can see it was close at the stripe didn't matter because it was lost at the tree. (Ignore the win label on live1320)

Not all terrible news. The new tow rig set up goes well (sorry no photo of that one). A couple of set up tweaks and it will be awesome.

Keep it shiny side up and off the walls and I'll see you Trackside,
DB

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