That’s because the new pre-trackday inspection includes an exhaust noise test – a matter of vital importance for UK trackdays where limits of 95 to 98 decibels are increasingly commonplace. Why experience the frustration and inconvenience of not being allowed trackside, when Torque Developments can provide advance warning of any exhaust noise issues? To that end, the Torque Developments pre-trackday inspection includes the following procedures:

• A Rototest hub mounted chassis dyno run with data logging to provide a print out of DIN corrected power and torque and air/fuel ratio.

• Roll out geometry check on the latest John Bean Arago machine to provide a print out of chassis straightness and all geometry angles.

• A full 26 point vehicle inspection by Torque Development’s ATA certified technicians.

• Exhaust noise level test.

Having successfully validated a revised ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry package for the Vanquish S, Torque Developments was commissioned by an enthusiastic Aston Martin Vantage V8 owner to assess whether similar improvements could be made to the 380bhp, 175mph baby supercar.

Happily, TDi’s Technical team, lead by Sam Borgman, was able to undertake a detailed analysis of the suspension settings using its state of the art John Bean 38-angle optical chassis dynamics rig.

This revealed dynamic shortcomings, much like those discovered on the Vanquish S, so a similar prescription of ‘Fast Road’ suspension geometry settings was administered. What was the result on the Aston Martin Vantage V8? Well, we will let the owner speak on our behalf:-

“The geometry revisions are simply sensational!! To say I’m pleased with the work is a massive understatement…My feedback: 

• Steering wheel now centred
• Much sharper turn in
• Far more accuracy on cornering, especially the initial turn in, which is now far easier to judge
• Greater feel through the steering wheel
• Car feels like a single unit now – was rather “disjointed” before
• The ride seems more compliant, with less shimmying over bumps
• Massively improved stability during hard braking

Sam was pleased to take me through this fix in detail (and the geo’ changes) which was an added bonus.”

Not only does the Torque Developments ‘Fast Road’ improve the dynamic qualities of the Aston Martin Vantage V8, the reduction in scrub will promote longer tyre life, making it a ‘win-win’ for owners.

The Aston Martin Vantage V8  ‘Fast Road’ geometry set up is available now from TDi-plc, by appointment only, with prices starting from £99.87 depending on the suspension condition of the individual vehicle.

Sharpening the Aston Martin Vanquish S It’s probably a fair question to ask – ‘why does a 520bhp supercar like the 6.0-litre V12 Aston Martin need sharpening?’ Well, surprising as it seems, many Vanquish S drivers report a lack of consistency in the chassis feedback during spirited driving, with a feeling that the car will lurch into oversteer, particularly over challenging terrain. “It’s an odd combination of float, nervousness and poor disturbance rejection on bad roads,” says TDi’s Sam Borgman, “plus a tendency for the braking based stability program to activate very early on.”

Forensic analysis of the chassis settings by TDi’s technicians using its state of the art John Bean 38-angle optical chassis dynamics rig revealed severely compromised geometry, with large amounts of preload. “This has two negative effects, firstly it causes significant tyre scrub, which overworks the rubber and is a big problem for tyre longevity. Secondly, it encourages the tyre to reach its grip limit quickly, which forces the traction and stability programs to intervene at a very early stage to stabilise the car.”

Having reviewed the situation, TDi were able to fine tune the Vanquish’s suspension geometry to ‘Fast Road’ specification, making the car feel more relaxed and predictable nearer to its grip limits, with a consistent, linear response to steering and throttle inputs. This has increased driver confidence, enabling Aston Martin Vanquish S owners exploit the performance of their cars with a greater degree of safety. “I’m extremely satisfied with the end result, as it’s a night and day improvement,” says TDi’s Sam Borgman. “We’ve engineered a nice blend of driving characteristics, so the Aston Martin feels keen but very predictable, so you can now ‘hustle’ the Vanquish S in confidence without troubling the traction control systems. Plus, your tyres will last longer, so it’s a win-win situation.”

The Aston Martin Vanquish S ‘Fast Road’ geometry set up is available now from TDi-plc, by appointment only, with prices starting from £99.87 depending on the suspension condition of the individual vehicle.

Our Thurrock technical centre was packed with high power TVR’s on Saturday 12th December, as ten owner’s of Blackpool’s finest enjoyed in depth performance analysis on TDi’s super accurate Rototest VPA-R hub dynomometer.

Despite the chilly conditions, a good day was enjoyed by all, with all proceeds going to Great Ormond Street Hospital. You can view the results by clicking onto this YouTube link:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYJPjpdZq3s

TDi-plc and Hofmann’s enjoyed a successful Class 2 debut outing in the prestigious ‘double header’ GT Cup meeting at Silverstone on the 10th October with their Lotus Europa racecar.

Seemingly underpowered against a 40 strong field dominated by Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and Dodge Viper runners, testing on the Friday revealed that the Hoffman’s / TDi-plc Lotus Europa was capable of lapping within 5 seconds of the leading Viper, enabling the 400bhp 2.0-litre 4 cylinder turbocharged car to be promoted to Class 1, against the might of the giant 6 and 8-litre V12 and V10 engined machines.

But the Lotus Europa was to prove a worthy David against these Goliaths, as following set up improvements the Hoffman’s / TDi-plc car was capable of lapping just 2.0 seconds off the pace of the leading Viper.

Saturday Qualifying proved a fraught affair, as a soaking track meant wet tyres were a must for the Lotus Europa. Unfortunately Pirelli were unable to supply a suitable front tyre for the Lotus, forcing Chris Randall to qualify the car with ‘wets’ on the rear wheels and intermediates on the fronts.

This upset the previously superb chassis balance on the Europa, leading to a disappointing 12th place grid slot for both forthcoming races.

With nothing to loose from such a lowly grid slot Hofmann’s and TDi-plc decided to substitute the Europa’s front 16 inch wheels for 17 inch items, at the same time installing a set of wider rear 17 inch rims. A radical, last minute change, but as TDi’s Technical Director Sam Borgman said “We hate changing fundamental things like this during a race weekend but we decided we was “all in” time!”

Borgman’s & Randall calculated gamble paid off right from the start of race one, with Chris Randall scything through the field to finish the first lap in 7th place. Then, to the astonishment of many of the regular GT Cup runners, the Lotus Europa began picking the front running Class 1 cars off one by one, ending up in a spectacular 2nd place overall. Indeed when the chequered flag was waved, the Hofmann’s / TDi-plc Lotus Europa was lapping faster than the lead Dodge Viper on its way to a very solid podium finish.

Following the success in race one, race two was held in the afternoon, with mounting expectations for another high placing from the Hofmann’s / TDi-plc Lotus Europa racecar. GT Cup rules dictate the carrying of mandatory success ballast, so the Lotus would hit the grid for race two with a hefty 40 kilos handicap, equivalent to 5% of the total weight of the car. “We were worried from the outset that this extra weight might prove to be a problem, because the car was already marginal on cooling,” says TDi-plc’s Sam Borgman.

Unfortunately Borgman’s worries were well founded, because despite repeating his superb overtaking moves to progress through the field at race leading lap pace, the Europa’s water and oil temperatures hit the critical point, leading TDi’s Sam Borgman to suggest to the driver that we sensibly retire the car early, resulting in a DNF. “After the race we analyzed the data and as we suspected it was the elongated rpm ramps caused by the extra weight that lead to the cooling over load, which was a lesson learned the hard way,” he says.

Still, with a second place overall in the bag, plus the knowledge of pace setting lap times in the car – even with success ballast – the weekend was a massively successful event for Hofmann’s of Henley and TDi-plc. “It was proof that with clever engineering and the right group of people a £50,000 motorsport set-up can thrash a pit lane full of million pound GT Cup cars!” Borgman says.

As for 2010, it looks like Hofmann’s and TDi-plc’s Lotus Europa will be set fair to cause plenty more worries for the GT Cup’s regular runners.

Torque Developments International has released a video of the initial dyno evaluation which can be seen on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWj0i-JWr20