Kitcat

Amazing result! I know 2 people in Cincy who have spent a considerable amount of time & money and never come as close as you guys did to winning the whole thing. A top 10 is terrific, a top 3 almost hard to believe.

Apparently, rain has been a factor today. Looks like it might be tomorrow too.

Bump.

Nice car, very clean, good power but seems sort of plain. Maybe if it had clam fenders rather than cycle fenders it would add a little missing color?

And I had only a 40+ year dream of some day owning one:).

Lovely-the color scheme is classic 7. If you look at the group photo at the Dragon event last 7/707, that was a very popular color combo.

The 1/4 mile times do seem slow, tho the Nissan GT-R's time of 12.8 is about the same as those published by the car mags. Four wheel drive & launch control probably helped.

Back when I was auto-xing regularly w/the SCCA, top speed was supposed to be 60 mph. If I broke 50 mph in my Miata, I thot I'd done something. Our local 'Vette hot shoe was hitting mid-60's, maybe. No one ever got out of 1st-2nd gear. Amazing how thrilling slow speeds can be!

Didn't get enough runs? (You are so hooked!)

Buckeye Bottlebrush in the background. They will bloom in a few weeks and be spectacular for about a week. I will try to get a 2nd photo at that spot & post it for comparison. As a Cincy resident, you have probably seen them, tho they are somewhat rare. Do you know Cincy resident Stuart Phipps? He too is building an Ultralight, tho he is not a member here. I know him from my auto-x days a while back.

7evin got 14th in the 2nd session, 10th overall. Hopefully it will be dry for today's drag race-shd be very interesting.

Suspension setup = R compound tires. On a 55 second course, they are worth 2-5 seconds. However, no reason not to slide around on your no-names for awhile and get the hang of reading the cones and learning the car's strengths and weaknesses.

They are 12th and moving up. Racking up top 10 finishes against very stiff competition-car wise & driver wise. Keep it up guys! If the past is any guide, consistency is as important as finishing in the top 3 occasionally.

Thx Martin & Bruce. Martin, the asphalt photos were taken this morning from my office's fire escape, overlooking the parking lot-hence no shadow of me. The other photos were taken in my driveway at home this morning before I left for work. I am featured in the nose cone photo (My image as well as the side of my house is reflected there). Downloading the photos was an adventure for a Neanderthal like me. Several never made it. Slgshot's instructions in the "Help" section only got me part way. Then I just kept up a withering attack of key strokes until, one by one, the featured photos relented. The others would not yield. I never did understand what the magic keystroke formula was-I ran out of time and quit while I was ahead (translation-don't expect more photos anytime soon:)).

I am challenged by the Kodac Brownie camera so this whole digital thing has been beyond me. Until now: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/845583434_Special May 4, 2008 photos 001.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1121405584_Special May 4, 2008 photos 007.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/533536976_Special May 4, 2008 photos 004.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/852374456_Special May 4, 2008 photos 003.jpghttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/931430762_Special May 4, 2008 photos 002.jpg

Looks like the setup Al brought to the Dragon event last July.

It was 40 degrees here, sunny, no top, did have side curtains up. Definitely bracing. My 5 mile route to work includes a 3 mile stretch of 1930's parkway, semi tree-lined, slow speed split 4 lane into and thru a city park full of 90 degree turns, off camber S's, a one way down hill road with a panoramic view of the Ohio River with back to back 10-15 mph curves followed by a roundabout (aka "the Skid Pad") which, as suggested by its name, I go round about at least 1x, maybe more depending on traffic. Wheee!!! It's invigorating!

And there are lots of members here who don't own Sevens (like Al:)). I hung out here for almost a year before taking the plunge (Or was I pushed?). Anyhow its a great car to fantasize about (I did that for 45 years) and even greater to own. Mike

Enjoy: I bought an identical spec '97 Caterham here last year. Things I have done to make it better, in order of benefit produced: Tighten throttle cable (adjustment is in foot well-remove aluminum cover from engine bay). If it is loose, it will quickly fail, if it is tight (no play) it will not-I learned the hard way. Replace fossilized tires, get engine/Webers tuned, replace hydraulic clutch fluid (I was unable to shift), replace radiator hoses (they were cracked and leaking and shorting out the electrics) replace ALL fluids (diif, tranny, engine, radiator, brake), alignment, tighten every suspension bolt to spec. Remember, altho the car has very few miles, it's 18 years old and most of the stuff noted above is 18 years old too and needs to be updated. My car is 100% better, more enjoyable/reliable as a result of above. Many other optional upgrades too (5 point harness , FIA roll-over bar, etc.) . Mike

Robert: Others may be faster, but yours is the prettiest! Mike

Any time I am ever under the illusion that I know how to drive fast, I enter an autocross. Talk abt lesson in humility. (Damn those Honda Civics!) I once asked a mechanic tweaking my car if the changes would make me as fast as the front runners. He quickly replied that it would probably just eliminate one of my many excuses for not being as fast. Sad, but true! It has been interesting to discover that at track days & lapping days, the competition is far less talented than at auto-x's. Don't know why. At last weekend's trackday, I was lapping a Boxster 2x each 20' session. Very few other drivers in my "advanced" group could keep up with me. At an auto-X I feel fortunate to be mid-pack.

Stan: Do you use a tonneau cover with the Kirkeys? If so, did you modify it to accommodate the seat backs? I almost never use the top between May-October & just throw the tonneau on when parked to keep out rain, bird poop, etc. But the headrests on the stock Caterham seats are removable so they don't interfere with the tonneau. I guess I could cut holes in the tonneau for the fixed Kirkey seatbacks/headrests and fashion an insert to accommodate them. Mike

When (frequently) asked if it's a kit car, I say it's a hand built race car that I have gotten certified for road use. Then the other standards: How fast will it go (it will out run almost anything at the track) and how much did it cost (new ones can cost $70K, but I got mine used).I have found that telling the truth (100 mph & $22K) just produces way too much disapointment.

Just back from this event. Great weather, great event. Had a chance to chat with Jack Banker (Jbanker here), Stalker owner and good guy. So anyhow, the little underpowered Crossflow was pretty awesome. All of the little tweaks over the last year finally paid off and the car performed as advertised: it was one of the faster cars there. I ran away from a 500 hp Supra, lost a ZO6, and a BMW M3, etc. The car really stuck so while I was toast on the straight, I typically made up the distance lost by the 3rd or 4th turn. It was amazing to just keep the hammer down in turns where in my Evo and Miata I was braking. Ditto everyone else on the track. No reliability issues either. I am knockin on wood.

Yes, moving the snap is at the top of my list of things to do someday soon.