rojoracing

Welcome to the website of Robert Jongen

4-12-09
The body is now lifted from the pan. I started on the rear. All the urethane bushings are removed. The trailing arm gets a monoball and a uniball setup. I have to make the adapters my self because there is not much space. When the rear is finished the front is cut off and extended for 10cm. I also want to bend the front to get more caster. I will take some pictures from the progress in the next couple of day’s. I alsomade a update for the racedates from 2010

2-10-09
Sorry for the leak on info the last months. The last races Drachten 2 & 3 and Hockenheim is was al about trying to pass the finish on four wheels and not on the roof or sideway’s. The last few years all the focus was on the Engine and gearbox. The rest of the car was forgotten. All the moving parts from the suspension and steering need to be replaced .I also want to change the wheelbase of the car by 10cm. I hope that with these modifications the car will handle a lot better. The car will be completely stripped and the body has to be separated from the floor pan. This allow me to correct the misalignments easier. In the next weeks I start with the first steps.

23-06-09
Driving a beetle with 600Hp isn't a easy yob. Despite the almost 20 years of track experience you think you have everything under control. But the first run at Drachten 1 i was going to fast. With a ET 9.561 and about 230 km/h the car went unstable due to the hard wind. I loosed control and i was a passenger in my own car. The car made three 360's between the guardrails with my feet full on the brake. That braking protected me from flipping over. The only damage i had where flatspots on my brand new slicks. In the next two runs i was gently with the trottle. In the eliminations i was 0,008 of a second to fast and i was out. The good news is that the new clutch is working ok. I hope that Drachten 2 is going to be better than the first one.

16-06-09
just a few day's beforme Drachten I the first race for me in 2009. The Car is ready for racing. The engine is not opend this year but the gearbox had a big problem. The case was cracked and i had to find a new housing. This was a expensive rebuild. The Clutch was also in bad shape. I changed now from Tilton to Quarter master. So the first runs will be important to find quickely the right setting. Fingers crossed.

17-04-09
Finally we are back on the web. I switched to another provider and had some difficultys to come online. In the next day's i inform you about the status of the car.

15-11-08
The new racedates for 2009 are online. The Racecar is still in the corner. I a few weeks is start to put it appart.

14-09-08
Hockenheim was a great weekend. On Friday it started bad with rain. We thought that the hole day was lost but at the end of the day we had one qualification run. On Saturday we had two runs. And we ended on the sixth place in the qualification. The first elimination round was a great run 9,903. For the second round we changed the clutch setup to overcome the delay that is still in de car. Just before the second round started. The car in front of me got fire on the track. After cleaning up the track. It was my turn but when I got of the line the tires immediately spun and with a lot of smoke I drifted over the track. The race was over.
Before Drachten 3 I checked the clutch setup again and it should be ok now. But a nightmare was coming on the first day at Drachten. Three runs in a row the gearbox failed to shift up to the second gear. I decided to quit because to avoid more fatal damage.
The season is now over for me and we have the winter to find out the the problem in the gearbox.

13-07-08
We are in the middle of the season at Drachten 2 and its raining heavily. So I have the time to inform you what’s happening lately. I have a new house so most of the time is put in there. Still I managed to build up the car and was just ready before Drachten 1. I qualified second but in the first round I eliminate my self by deep staging. Staging and reaction time was always a problem so I build in a line lock and a faster launch switch. Now at Drachten 2 on the first day we only had three qualifying runs. I have a lot off problem to set up the clutch. I found out that I mounted this different as last year so all the data is lost and I have to find a new setup. For now we hope the rain stops today so we can make a few runs more. With only 3 runs on Friday and 2 on Saturday I managed again to qualified as second best. The first elimination round I had a bye run due to a too late appearance from the competitor. The second round it was close racing. We both where going under the index and I lost in a fraction of a thousand. During the weekend I discovered on the data logger that there is a 0.1 second delay between the release of the launch button and the actual movement of the car. This is the travel from the clutch. Before Hockenheim I try to solve this problem. But first I go on a holyday.

07-01-08
Best wishes for the new year to you all. The engine is almost ready for some dyno test work. Last thing is to weld some fittings for the new thermocouples in each exhaustpipe. After that the gearbox goes apart. I also put two new video’s on the site form Hockenheim and Bitburg last year.

16-11-07
Sorry for the post I didn’t made. Time is the main problem. I’ am very busy to release the new KMS software with the 3D functions. The last track time was at Bitburg (Das Drag Day #5). I did 6 runs. One bad (wrong settings). three 9,8 runs to test consistency for Super gas. and two 9,6 runs for fun. We only stayed one day there because my friend’s wife was close to give birth of a new crew member (see also Crew). So we had to pass the latest event at Bitburg.
Last week I put the engine apart. Everything looks fine. The heads and case are getting a resurfaced. This is necessary due to the high clamp force the steel gasket is cutting itself into the heads and case. The Clutch is in a amazing good shape after the extremely hard launch tests. After I build-up the engine I take the gearbox out for inspection. Video’s are still not refreshed on the site because a wrong cable for downloading it from the camera.

26-08-07
The Nitrolympx 2007 at Hockenheim is always a nice event with a lot of spectators. The only problem is the poor number of runs you can make there. And a lot of runs that what I need to adjust the new clutch system. We made one reasonable 9,93 run and the rest was bogging of the line or smoking the tires up. We qualified tenth form 31 car field. In the eliminations I made a stupid mistake. The car was not accelerating as fast as normal and after the finish line the car was losing speed very fast. First thoughts was that the gearbox was seizing up. But then I discovered that the handbrake was still on.
In a few days we going on a vacation. After that we going two times to Bitburg. Normally you can make a lots of runs there. I hope that we can find a good basic setup for the clutch. Then we are better prepared for next year. Photo’s and video’s are coming.

26-07-07
With no testing after the Main Event we where again at SantaPod raceway. This time we were invited to come over to the Bug Jam event. The mission was to be the first car in the nine second with a steel floor pan. We thought this is gone be a simple, but it turned to be a nightmare. The first two days it rained the hole day and we get to make one run. It cost us a few runs to sort out the problem with a defective waste gate controller valve. After that we had a lot of launching en traction problems. The new clutch control works but need a lot of runs to adjust it. Due to the defective valve we were not able to reduce the power at launching. Between the eliminations they letting us making some extra runs. The fastest run was a 10.05 at 140MPH. Thanks to the organisation and the members from the VWDRC for this unforgettable weekend.

29-05-07
It was great to be back at the Santa Pod Raceway after 5 years of absence. There was a huge difference in the pitting area. Everywhere was new tarmac. The only sad thing was the weather. Friday and Saturday was ok but Sunday it rained the hole day. So we decided to go a day earlier as planned. We made 6 qualification runs. The first two runs were lost due to a lose hose from the pop-off valve. So all the boost was gone. In the other runs we had problems to launch the car from the start line. The lighter flywheel is the main cause for this. I want to stay with this because the gearbox needs this for fast shifting. I hope we find a solution for a better launch method. More test runs will be needed. Maybe we are going one day to St Truiden in Belgium and make some runs.

17-05-07
The last weeks where very busy. The engine was finally on the dyno. It has now more torque and horsepower. The new liquid intercooler can handle up to 1000HP and make a major difference between the old one. To circulate enough water thru it I made a tank in front of the car. A pump is forcing the water fast thru the intercooler. All this stuff added a lot of weight to the car. I hope that the extra horsepower compensate this weight and left some power fore a better ET. The car is finally ready for his first race. Next week we are going to the Main event at Santa pod raceway. I hope the car performs well. We made a lot of changes and a few things are not ready yet. Time is always running out faster then you wishes.

03-03-07
There is al lot going on. In the past 3 months. The gearbox is back in to the car. When i dissembled the engine one piston has little traces above the top ring. The four pistons has lived now 5 years under high stresses. New pistons where ordered. To keep the cylinder wall as thick as possible. We took the smallest oversize 92,1mm from the latest spec pistons. This piston had one problem. It was 2mm lower than the old types. To compensate this we took a new steel crank with a longer stroke. The displacement is now going from 1994cc to 2105cc. Today we balanced everything and refreshed the heads. I hope to build-up the engine next weekend. After that the killing dyno is coming!!!

23-12-06
The problem in the gearbox was a dockring which was broken off the third gear. We try now to weld it back to the gear. We change also a sensor in the gearbox for an other type. When the gearbox is ready we start to stip the engine. The engine was running perfect but when something goes wrong it costs big money.
We wish you all a merry Christmas and healty and good 2007.

19-10-06
It was a short trip to Bitburg. On the first run when I shifted to the third gear I heard a big bang and there was no power to the wheels. I tried to select the third gear manually but there was noting. So I shifted quick to fourth and drove to the end of the track. We put the car on the trailer to prevent more damage to the gearbox. We looked a few runs from other cars and drove back home. In the coming weeks we will take the gearbox out of the car and put it apart. We hope the damage is not to fatal.

02-10-06
Before we are going to Bitburg. We checked the condition of the engine. A cylinder leakage test tolled us that the engine is ok. At Bitburg we want to test the reactiontimes at the lights. Also different damper setups we will be testing. We have not decided if we go two or one day. The weather forecast is of coarse the leading factor.

31-09-06
Hockenheim was a disappointment. Due to the weather we had only one qualifying run. I had a red light in the first round because I was rolling out of stage. The last chance to test some things is Bitburg at 14 and 15 October. Lets hope the weather is better than at Hockenheim. The bad weather was for one thing ok. To test the new trailer for leakage. There were some minor leaks at the bottom. We will fix this in the winter. Until Bitburg we take first a holiday to the sun.

09-08-06
Bad news the Goodridge Dutch Finals at Drachten is cancelled. The drag strip is destroyed by a regular cleaning job of the tarmac. The first idea was to go to Vandel in Denmark. But the time was to short to arrange everything. Now only Hockenheim is on the calendar. After this race we are going on a vacation. But there is a chance that were going to Bitburg in October for fun and testing.

We cleaned up the car and found also the problem for the slow reaction times at the start line. There was a electronic delay from 80ms to release the clutch. This is now gone and we mounted also a modified transbrake switch for faster activation. We will see the result at Hockenheim.
21-07-06
Again the weekend was perfect at Drachten. We made some minor changes, but the car still has troubles to put the power to the track. The track conditions where better then four weeks ago. We qualified eleventh but made is to the semi finals. There I was loosing again at the lights. This was not a shame because a loosed from the finalist of the event. So i was pretty happy to get on the podium for the third place. A few things has to be done for the next race again at Drachten. First we have to find a better “transbrake switch”. The switch that I am using now has to much delay for a good reaction time. The second thing is the ability to control the power (boost) on the start line. We are leaving the line whit to much power and than the tires loosing traction. Third is to clean the car. At Drachten we coming back over the grass. So everything is extremely dirty. In three weeks we are for the last time this year at Drachten for the Drachten finals.Lets hope we can repeat the success and clime even higher in the Championship.

23-06-06
We hat a good weekend at Drachten. In the two qualifying days we made eight runs. There where some problems with the boost pressure. It was loosing pressure during the runs. The reason was leaking gasket in the exhaustmanifold. There was no way to fix it at the track so we changed the boost controlling. We qualified fourth place and made it to the second round in the eliminations. In that round I was sleeping at the lights and hat to catch up, made a first finish but was going way to far under the index. So we where out. Nevertheless it was a perfect weekend and in four weeks we are back for the Drachten internationals.

20-05-06
Today the rollcage had a recertification. Everything was ok so i can make the car finally ready to race. Unfortunately there is now time left for test & tune sessions. In three weeks The first race at Drachten starts. This is now a three day event. Let's hope the wether is good.

15-04-06
Wenn i inspected te clutch before mounting to the flywheel there were some cracks in the disks. The floater plates are also warped. So i decided to replace the Tilton clutch completely. The engine is finally back in the car. At the first startup everything was ok. So i was going to make some test driving to test the shifting of the gears. After a few minutes i had to aboard the test driving because the oil pressure was dropped to zero. This was looking like a major problem but after further inspection the problem was a defective oil pressure sensor. Next week we will continue the testwork.

01-04-06
Today i torqued the cilinderheads with the new ARP studs. I hope with this studs the thread in the case will last longer. Tomorrow the four cams are put into place.

19-02-06
The gearbox is ready to go in the car. I have installed a different type of dockring witch has a more angled tooth. I hope that this one last longer. Yesterday I completely stripped the motor. At first site one sparkplug hole in the combustion chamber has a little damage. I think that this little part chipped off during the long dyno sessions. The bearings needs replacing but are not totally worn. The crank journals needs some lapping and is than ok. Further inspections on the engine parts have to be made next week.

28-01-06
Time is ticking. The engine and gearbox is out of the car. I have chosen to check the gearbox first. The last run at Bitburg the gearbox wasn’t shifting correctly from first to second. The dockrings are worn-out but the gears are ok. I Have to inspect all the other parts further and then rebuild it. The engine is still waiting for his rebuild.

17-11-05
A few race dates for 2006 are released. I put them on my site.
I drained the oil from the engine. Looking at the particles in the oil the bearings didn't survive 2005. Now i have to find some time to take it a part.

07-11-05
There are new video's added from Hockenheim and Bitburg. The photo's are still comming. I have some troubles to put them on the site. So be patient. Yesterday the engine ran for a last time to check the electronics. At Bitburg the motor started not so good. The reason was a bad crank sensor. I replaced the sensor and everything is ok now. The new headstuds have arrived. I never had problems with the heads and the sealing of it, but i don't want to wait for it. With the last rebuild i found that the thread in the case had sufferd from the many rebuilds. The ARP studs must cure this problem.

03-10-05
The wetter forecast was not so good for Saturday so the test session was planned on the Sunday. The last time I was at Bitburg was in 1998. The track was not sprayed so we thought o dear. But the first run right off the trailer was a ¼ ET 9.55 and a 60FT of 1.38. A new personal best time. The RPM drop at the starting line was less because off the wheel spin and resulting for a very smooth take off. We made a total of five runs and then the rain spoiled the fun. The planned test work on the damper setup was cancelled thru the soft launches on the track. There is a lot of work to do during the winter. The motor needs a rebuild and some modifications. The gearbox needs attention to because the last run it was not shifting correct from first to second. And many many other things. We keep you informed during the winter time. The video’s and photo’s are stil coming.

28-08-05
The Dutch finals at Drachten was a weekend to forget. The first problems started during the start up of the car. After Hockenheim we made some new modifications in the firmware from the motormanagment. There wasn’t time to test it. So we missed the first qualifying round. We decided to load the software without the changes and the engine ran ok. From other drivers that ran the first round we heard that the track was al little slippery. Thus we took out some power at the launch. This was a wrong decision the hooked up very hard and the engine stalled almost. For the second run we changed to the new rear-end springs and increased the launch power of the engine. In this run The car was going strait up in the sky and the engine was loosing his power. So the nose was slammed to the track leaving two holes in the track from the front axel. During the eliminations the run was also bad and we where out. For further test work we are planning to go to Bitburg in 1,2 October. Photo’s and video’s are coming soon.

22-08-05
It was a good weekend for us at Hockenheim. We had a new personal best time 9.643 at 227.18 km/h. We survived the first elimination round. But after that the rain spoiled the fun and the race was officially called rained out. We now must wait till next week for the Dutch finals at Drachten. Further test work on damper and launch setup will be made there.

14-08-05
RojoRacing is online. We are ready to go this week to Nitrolympix at Hockenheim.
We keep you informed.