Kitcat

He was at the usa7s meet-up in July at NJMP, I suspect Tom or Croc can supply his contact info.

James: Isn't the proposed Sigma 1.6 liter engine less powerful than the currently approved 2.0 Zetec?

Busa: So far, all of our steering wheel failures have been at rest or while poking around the paddock or driveway. I think once the wheel goes on and clicks into place you are good to go. Since failures seem to happen on initial placement of the wheel, the car is typically idling. Certainly my start-up drill now includes a good tug to be sure the wheel is locked on.

Great photos, the photographer has a good eye. Good luck sorting out the niggles, it will all be right soon.

I put abt 15K on my RA1s on my X-flow Cat, including lots of track use combined with aggressive street use. I also had them on a dual track/street Miata and got maybe 5K from them. They were going strong when I sold my X-flow Cat, tho visible tread was gone, they were slicks.

I have run both on my Caterhams. Haven't noticed much difference. I think the R888 was meant to replace the RA1''s, but the RA1's had such a strong community of support, Toyo continued to make them. Basically, you cant go wrong with either. I think a full tread RA1 is a bit better in the rain than a R888. And RA1's never heat cycle out, they just keep getting better. Haven't put enough miles on my R888's to know abt their longevity.

If Coffee Break is right, what is happening to yours happened to his (and to mine, in part): the steering wheel is hitting the bulkhead before it can fully engage the locking mechanism. It is blocked from sliding forward enough to fully engage. I also have Alaskossie's issue: the front wheels better be pointed straight, otherwise finding the wide groove in the splined receiver to push the wheel onto can be a real PITA.

Mine malfunctioned because a little C-clip that held stuff in place in the q-release internals went missing. And the steering column was improperly mounted, so the wheel couldn't slide down far enough onto the splines to click on the the 2ndary lock (apparently there was a double lock and the wheel was just held in place by the 1st lock). Long story long: My '03 mechanism was no longer made. And the new one didn't fit the old splines. And the new splines were not sold separately from the steering column. So 1 missing c-clip = one new q-release mechanism with new column and new splines.

Wonder if prices include engine and car assembly? Likely not, right?

Amazing work on an amazing car.

Has anyone else seen the video of this racing tragedy? Essentially Stewart is racing in close quarters, makes contact with another driver who crashes. Then that driver is so ticked off he unbuckles climbs out onto the track and walks into traffic pointing and calling out Stewart, whose car then sideswipes and kills him. Unbelievable....

Nicest scratch built 7 I have seen to date. Which is saying something Love the diagonal door cut-outs, only Caterham and Birkin are faithful to that original detail. Engine is a Zetec?

Loved seeing the rearward shots. Whole new perspective on the track (well, except for those occasions when I have actually been pointed backwards there:)).

Martin: As always, good to hear from you. Great job on the GT6 Mk III!

Looks like a nice street tire set-up to me:). You have just enough tread that you can handle a bit of rain, the rest of the time the aggressive rubber will fit the car's personality. I ran Toyo RA1's on the street for years (205/50x15)putting over 12K miles on them.

Beautiful build. And, if loose carpet is your big problem, you have nailed the build.

I agree about the waiver protection, better to have than not, but unclear how much real protection it offers and I get to hire an attorney on my nickle to find out. Will take yr advice and call my agent. I have an "umbrella" plan that is supposed to cover all the loose ends.

Croc: Good question-what do I do if I run over someone at the track and I have no insurance? Hopefully the waiver that we all sign upon entering the facility wld cover me? What insurance protection is available to me? As you note, I can insure the car but that doesn't cover liability (running down a pedestrian while doing donuts in the paddock). Maybe my homeowners policy?

State Farm insured my Xflow Caterham for 5 years, ending in 2011,then my Birkin for 2 years, ending in 2013. Must be that state-to-state thing Croc was discussing. I dont have insurance on my current Caterham because it is, as they say, actually a race car. So never driven on the street. Cost was same as my other older cars. I got a price break because didn't (typically) drive over 5,000 miles a year.

I used this wrap on my X-Flow headers and out the exhaust pipe to the exhaust can without any apparent ill-effects to the engine. I put 12K miles on it after the wrap. I did a lot of track days and often mid-summer when weather was scorching.

For your use: You dont need LSD. You dont need a plumbed in fire system (doesn't hurt to have a portable fire extinguisher strapped in somewhere handy tho). Airfoils are not needed 5 sp is simpler to shift that 6 sp & has overdrive. Mite be nice to have 6 sp with 1600 engine to maximize minimal power. I'd add the track day rollover bar-it is much stouter than the little standard bar. Also works with full weather kit. Having sat in both cloth and leather Caterham seats, I prefer the (cheaper and lighter) cloth seats. Owner vs professional build. It depends. I had a professionally built Birkin that had to be disassembled and totally rebuilt from the ground up-so dismal was the "workmanship". Private owners who build their own cars tend to lavish time and attention to detail that a professional couldn't afford to do and still make a profit. Maybe consider a used vehicle? Don't overlook the Stalkers-a whole lotta car for the $.

Tom: top speed so far?

MichaelD. I had a similar problem: car wldnt make any power, had to go a gear lower everywhere. My 21 gallon fuel tank(car was built as an endurance racer) was near empty so I added 10 gallons of 100 octane race fuel and performance/power came right back (Only $12/gallon!).

I am running a Toyo R888 13x185x60 on the front of my car as a rain tire and backup track day tire. Wonderful tire: Doesn't give up a whole lot to the tiny little slick I usually run at the track. Performed admirably in the monsoon that we had at the se7ens event at NJMP 2 weeks ago.

Excellent car control/save on the fastest, scariest turn on the track, IMHO. So easy to try to jerk back to the right and, around we go...., where we stop.....???