NeilTrama Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 As the heading states, I am the engine builder and race engineer for Osborne Motorsport. I talked Colin into running 2 Renault Megane RS 275s in the Australian manufacturers Championship next year. They are undergoing a shakedown at Queensland Raceway this weekend. Do not expect too much as they are not yet developed and we have not yet fitted the Motec engine management and data system yet. I have high hopes for next year. Keep an eye out for the team and feel free to come and say g'day at the track from Eastern Creek onwards as I will not be with the team until then. Neil 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sneaky Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 The same Neil that built the Bates rally charade? good to see you working on renaults Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt205 Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Hi Neil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 7, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Yes same one. Working for the next generation now. Engines for Neal's son Harry as well as the Renaults. G'day Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOOOOK Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Sweet! Fancy rebuilding mine? It will give me an excuse to try extra hard to kill it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC90 Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Shame I'm out at work this week or I'd be out at QR (dad's racing FF). Looking forward to seeing how you progress Any more details regarding the cars setup? How much are you allowed to change for that class? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 7, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Production car racing is great for showcasing just how good or bad a car is because they are very close to stock. You are allowed to change: Brake rotors, calipers and pads. the RS275 brakes are awesome, so I think we will just change pads. Springs and shocks Exhaust after the first joint or turbo, must be standard diameter. Engine management. Boost must not exceed standard. Allowed to add instruments and data acquisition systems. Allowed to fit an LSD. We wioll find out if we like the RS275 one. Safety gear such as roll cage, harnesses, dry break fuelling. The engines must be standard, but blueprinting is of course allowed. Ours are not yet blueprinted but should be between seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbnut Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Welcome Neil. If you can find time it would be good see a write up pre, mid and post championship. Along for the ride kind of thing. Is Colin running both cars or running 1 but building 2? The Meg 3 does well in that series. Will good to see battles with the Network Clothing entry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterD Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Production car racing is great for showcasing just how good or bad a car is because they are very close to stock. You are allowed to change: Brake rotors, calipers and pads. the RS275 brakes are awesome, so I think we will just change pads. Springs and shocks Exhaust after the first joint or turbo, must be standard diameter. Engine management. Boost must not exceed standard. Allowed to add instruments and data acquisition systems. Allowed to fit an LSD. We wioll find out if we like the RS275 one. Safety gear such as roll cage, harnesses, dry break fuelling. The engines must be standard, but blueprinting is of course allowed. Ours are not yet blueprinted but should be between seasons. G'day Neil, are you allowed to undertake extreme weight reduction steps also. I'm surprised that boost can't be increased. I suppose the restrictions ensure a standard playing field and places focus on good technical driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 7, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Weight must be close to standard. I am not too worried about the relative lack of modifications. i have a huge amount of faith in the cars which is why I argued so hard to get Colin to replace the Mazdas with the Renaults. It might sound funny from a mid fifties engineer, but I am seriously excited about this new project. Colin ran both the cars today in free practice but will be running the car with the superior suspension components over the weekend. Please be patient, today is the very first time the cars have been driven in any sort of anger on the track. We are at the bottom of an extremely steep learning curve but I am confident in the team as we have won the Australian Production Car Championship outright twice (2005 and 2008) and have at least 6 class championship wins with 2 different manufacturers. Having said that, the P3 time today was 0.2 of a second faster than the Mazdas last year in P3 and the Mazdas have had 2 years development by the team including blueprinted engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R182 Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Welcome Neil. So what's your car of choice away from all of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 7, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Welcome Neil. So what's your car of choice away from all of this? Firstly I must say that the choice of cars to race is based on the most important thing - competitiveness. I reckon they are a great package. My own cars are: VW Passat R36 Wagon (Engine delivery and tow vehicle) BMW 328i sedan (wife's car) Lotus Excel SE (I also work on the Donut King Lotus Exige V6 Cup R in the Australian GT Championship and the last 2 Bathurst 12 Hour races) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsr Posted 7, August 2015 Report Share Posted 7, August 2015 Awesome good to see even more meganes out competing! Bring them to the nationals! And I assume if you're building these you could offer a local Canberra renault engine build options? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 12, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 12, August 2015 Julian, I would be happy to help locals with engine builds. Neil 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clixx-io Posted 13, August 2015 Report Share Posted 13, August 2015 Hi Neil, do you know how to do ITB conversions? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkie86 Posted 13, August 2015 Report Share Posted 13, August 2015 Welcome Neil! I've heard your name around Lotus circles attached to some potent set ups. Good to have you in the Renault family! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 13, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 13, August 2015 clixx-io The answer is yes and I have on many occasions, but it should be remembered that a well designed plenum intake can perform just as well as ITBs. A number of OEM manufacturers are really getting this right now. The beauty of ITBs is often that the original intake lengths and runner diameters are not specifically suited to the other specifications of the engine you are building. That is where an advanced engine simulation software package comes in handy. It helps to decide if a certain modification is optimum with regard to other components, budget etc. The very real downside to ITBs is often that you cannot achieve the optimum intake length in the space available. For example, I have been doing some consultancy to a Lotus team in Denmark and very quickly determined that whilst their ITB intake length, diameters etc. were OK, the volume of the airbox was far too small thus costing power and really upsetting drivability. Neil 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsdamo Posted 17, August 2015 Report Share Posted 17, August 2015 (edited) Hi Neil, I have been reliably informed that the red Lotus Elite / Excel? at Shannons Cars and Coffee was yours... You let my little boy have a sit in your lovely car, thank you... I think it made his day. http://ozrenaultsport.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/20791-damos-2004-clio-172/?p=504202 Edited 17, August 2015 by itsdamo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 17, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 17, August 2015 Yes, I was chatting with Julian and went looking for you again, but did not see you. I enjoy "sharing" my cars with the kids because they are potentially the future of our hobby. He seemed to enjoy himself and surprised me with his understanding of the car's controls. The Lotus was indeed an Excel. Neil 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosey Posted 27, August 2015 Report Share Posted 27, August 2015 Hi Neil, thanks for signing up and saying hello. Whereabouts are Colin's cars based? We have our ozrenaultsport.com National Event next weekend, with a track day at Wakefield Park on the Saturday, Would be great if you could join us on track Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilTrama Posted 28, August 2015 Author Report Share Posted 28, August 2015 Osborne Motorsport is based in Sydney I am based in Queanbeyan. If it is at all possible I will come to the Nationals Wakefield Park day but will bring my Lotus Excel. As a motorsport professional, I think it a good idea to engage with the brand enthusiasts, so will make every attempt to bring a car (for display only) to the Nationals in the future. The, still undeveloped, cars will be running at the Shannons Nationals at WP on the 16th to 18th of October 2015. I cannot show you around because I will be on a cruise between Hawaii and Sydney. I would rather be racing. Neil 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moosey Posted 17, September 2015 Report Share Posted 17, September 2015 Cheers Neil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommo Posted 28, May 2016 Report Share Posted 28, May 2016 3rd Place at the Island - nice one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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