jbanker

Hey Mazda, The side pods on the red Stalker and black Stalker are for three purposes according to Jim from Sugar Grove Racing. (1) act as a cone kicker for auto-x events to save the rear wings, (2) a nifty number plate such as 185 and 592, (3) plans are to add a bottom plate and top hinged and padded cover to provide some storage for rain gear, maps, ect. The addition was well excecuted by the assemblers Jim, Ron and Mike of Sugar Grove Racing. Jack

Shoe size might be another issue. I wear a size 8-1/2 to 9 regular shoe but my Puma Speed cats are a size 8 US. I am not comfortable wearing a street shoe or running shoe while driving the car. The foot well in these cars are pretty small. Jack

Everybody who was in the group photo at Fontana is in the magazine. Even my mother-in-law was able to spot us and she is half blind. We loved the article...However, I didn't think we were all that weird. Jack

I have the 0-600 lb Speedway Hydraulic-Wheel-Load-Checker and it works fantastic. Good investment for $160. Jack

I am adding a photo of Glen and Scott Minehart's SuperStalker. The son, Scott, earned a 5th place trophy this year in E/M. Dad, Glen the co-driver, is sitting in the car in this photo. Scott tagged the car "Street Driven Underdog". Jack http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1437422828_2007SuperStalkerSoloNats.jpg

Okay, Okay!! I auto-cross on Hoosiers but my street tires are Falkens....picky, picky, picky. Jack in Indy

I let a former Caterham owner drive my Stalker in an auto-x earlier this season. He had sold his Caterham this Spring and purchased an Elise. Phil W. is an excellent Autocrosser and often got FTD. at all of our Indy Region Events. He jumped at the opportunity to co-drive with me. Set FTD for all fendered cars in My Stalker while I was 0.900 sec behind him. Bottom line...I learned that my car was fast with the right person behind the wheel. I considered the experience a very good one. Gave me confidence that I have a good car. Phil's comment was that my Stalker was "Wicked fast and extremely well balanced". Now I have to work on my own driving skills and forget about "Go Fast" parts...That just means that I would hit a cone or DNF sooner!!! Jack

I am using Polycarbonate with Supercoat. It does not scratch. Has been on the car for over 16000 miles. Got it from www.racingshields.com. Kind of spendy but it does work. Down stroke is that the flat sheet is only 3/16" thick. I have a slight curvature at the base at the skuttle which helps a ton. With your Ultralight and the curved windscreens that would not be a problem. NJ inspection might be another issue that I am not aware of. Jack

The Lotus Owner's Gathering for 2008 will be in Indianapolis July 31-Aug 4th. I have been working on this with the local Lotus Ltd. chapter (Club House for Indy Lotus Lovers) CHILL. Check out our web site www.IndyLotus.com Go to LOG28 and see what we have put together. Don't forget to watch the video as well. I will be bringing you more about this event later. Penny and I went to LOG25 in St. Louis in 2005 and had a great time. Bring your Lotus and/or LSISC and have a great time in Indy. Jack B

Several Stalker owners are pilots; At least three of them corporate commercial pilots. I know that there are several Stalker owners that have built or currently own RV series aircraft. Dennis B. has a glider rating. Another common passion shared with Se7ens owners is sailing. Jack

Hey Mazda, cbanker690 is my son who lives in New Mexico and is building a locost. I'll make sure he sees your message. Jack Banker yellow Stalker V6 Carmel, IN

My wife really likes the car and suggest we take it whenever we get ready to go somewhere; out to eat, grocery (yes, I can pack groceries around her) or a drive in general. We have made several trips to TOTD prior to 7-7-7. We took it to LOG 25 in St. Louis in 2005. After getting back from 7-7-7 and the Stalker Ambush in Helen, GA, we made a 170 mile day trip jaunt to Brown County, Indiana the next weekend after getting home. She does not drive the car because she claims that it has a serious design flaw...The drivers seat and pedals are fixed and do not move!! If they were adjustable, I know she would drive it. She goes to many auto-x, cruise in and Lotus Ltd events with me and enjoys the friendships that we have made because of the car. Life is good in Carmel, Indiana Jack 2003 yellow Stalker V6

Al, The photo quality is excelent!! Prints nicely on glossy photo paper and ready to frame. Thanks again for making these available. Jack

Kitkat, The web site address for The rent a Stalker at VIR is http://www.rent-a-racecar.net/ Jack

I have no problem in making the group photo public. I agree with Rob and Mazda...Spread the fun factor!! Jack

Al and All, What we experienced at 777 is exactly the type of reaction I received just after I completed my Stalker build in 2003. I was contacted by an Indianapolis Birkin owner and asked to participate in the annual Gathering of the Sevens on the Saturday afternoon and evening prior to the 2003 USGP. In 2005 the Gathering became all inclusive for all LSiS and Lotus marques of all types. With some reluctance, I joined Lotus Ltd and we attended attended LOG 25 in St. Louis. Once again we were well received and won a second place trophy in the Concourse in the Replica class. In 2006 we joined the Indianapolis Lotus Ltd CHILL group (Club House for Indy Lotus Lovers) and I became Secretary for the group this year. This is a very active group which consist of Esprit, Exige, Elise, Orignial Seven, Caterham, Birkin, Locost and Ultralite owners. Every first Thursday of the month we meet at a local resturant for dinner and an ice cream drive. Many of the Elise and Sevens owners now participate in the Indy Region SCCA Autocross events. This year we average 7-9 Lotus type cars at each event. We consider the SCCA activities an extension of our CHILL group. Life is good when you drive a Lotus or LSiS car. Jack Banker Stalker V6 Indianapolis

Al, Thanks for the nice comments. All of the Super Stalkers are 3.8L Supercharged GM products. There were a few in attendence that are running the 3.4L normally aspirated GM motors. I am running the lowly 2.8L S-10 pickup truck motor that has been warmed up. I have chassis number 10 and is based upon Dennis' original concept of the 2.8L. He is begging me to convert it to a Super Stalker but I am resisting for nostalgia's sake. Thanks again for doing a superb job in pulling the 7-7-7 event together. Jack

At the request of Soldier Boy, I will post some photos of the Stalker Ambush that took place in Helen, GA that began July 9th and ran through the 14th. We had a total of 15 Stalker owners with 13 bringing their cars. The north Georgia Mountain roads are just as nice as those in the Deals Gap/Tapoco area.

Penny and I just returned home from a fantastic ten days of Se7en fun!! Al and Mazda are to be commended on a job well done. I know you had some excellent help from a small group of people to make the event run very smoothly. THE NEXT ONE WILL HAVE A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW!!! The very first folks that we met at the Fontana Lodge were Norm B and Michael D, two very competitive and well respected, nationally known auto crossers that I have read about over the last three years. What a pleasure to begin the event with a highlight. It was great to see old friends again and make many new ones in the Se7ens community! Prior to this, I thought that having seven Se7ens at our annual Lotus USGP F1 party in Indy was really something. That does not pale to being in the company of over 50 Se7ens in one location. After leaving the Fontana Village/Tapoco Lodge area we drove on down to Helen, GA for a week of driving around the north Georgia Mountains. We met with 13 Stalker owners, some had also done the 7-7-7 event as well and all had praise for the USA7s group. Thanks again for a job well done!! Jack and Penny Banker. Carmel, IN

Paul, The car looks fantastic!! Hopefully the weather will start cooperating and you and Jan and Penny and I can do some blats together. Nice job, neighbor. a real head turner in person. Jack

Yep, that is Paul Whittle from Atlanta in his very fine 3.8L V6 Super Charged SuperStalker. Full roll cage was just added for NASA events. Jack

Stan, I thought I did a pretty good job at the stop signs. Good thing the guy could not read my speedo and see the posted speed limits !! Jack

Andy, I built chassis #10 in 2003 and love it. You will not be disappointed. If you want to take a "pretend" ride you can check out my You Tube video. It's about 10 minutes long and not professional but it was fun to do. Jack Banker, Indianapolis

Thanks Jerry. The Brookies are always a hit when I put them on. Gives the Stalker a pretty classie look. Penny likes them too. I'm blind in both eyes so I guess I just have to wear my nerdy glasses. However, I do have a pretty snazzy driving cap. Rob: I made up a Brooklands mount using a strip of 1/8" thick by 2" wide piece of aluminum. The Brookies mount to the aluminum strip. I can remove my standard windshield and stanchions and mount the Brooklands assembly using the same windshield mounting holes. It works great. I got the idea from Dick Brink who does the same thing with his Birkin. The transformation takes about 6 minutes. Proper eyewear or a full face helmet is recommended if you are going very far. Jack

This is my 2.8L Chevy powered Stalker V6. It was built to be street driven only in 2003. In 2005 I was bitten by the auto-x bug. Now I race it on Sunday and drive it to the office on Monday. I am not real serious about auto-x...As you can see I love to take the ladies for a ride. http://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070125_050641_MC101506-497.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/forum/uploads/20070125_070500_aeroscreens01.s.jpgjbanker2007-01-25 07:05:56