slngsht

All, I dropped a line to Alumina regarding MichaelD's trailer and group pricing. I'll let you know when I hear back.

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/rofl.gif How true! Agreed - the scope here is only to define areas where sevens from mild to wild can run competitively within SCCA Solo II classes.

I totally agree with the pitchforks comment http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif That's the pickle we're in. As R1 mentioned on locostusa.com, it'd be ideal to fit in some prepared class, but honestly, who would want a bunch of Sevens ganging up on their class at the nationals? The alternative is a new class. I think everyone knows this is going to be an uphill battle (whether it's a reclassification or a new class), but if we don't even try, there won't be a better place for normal street sevens to run. We should work together to at least come up with a well worded sensible solution to present, with signatures behind it. I don't know how this process works. Perhaps someone with insight into dealing with SCCA can chime in.

does anyone sell bladders of various sizes without tanks? I have somewhat of an odd shaped tank that I will have to custom remake. It'd be nice to know what's out there.

Pics?

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/rofl.gif THAT's dedication http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/thumbsup.gif

Skip, sorry to hear about the health problems

If you build a locost as the ultimate no compromise autocrosser, D Mod is still there for the taking.

I don't think that's the case at all. The objective is to get the traditional sevens (including traditional locosts) a place where they can compete. Right now, a miata based locost is in the same class as a purpose built autox machine. Even if you want to run DOT tires, and the other guy is running slicks.

Today was a REALLY nice day. Unfortunately Franken7 is on 3 legs as I've taken the left front apart for some cleaning and fitting for cycle fender brackets http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/banghead.gif

I posted a link at californiaCaterhamClub... Hopefully we'll get some viewpoints and input from there also.

Welcome aboard! Post up some pics when you get a chance. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/cheers2.gif

If optional, then how about we don't have any rules for it. It doesn't make sense to allow windshields, and no windshield, but exclude these: http://members.rennlist.com/tweedt/s2khoodup.jpg

I think you're both saying the same thing. Clamshells OK, Fast and Furious, not OK http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/rofl.gif

To take this discussion further, we need to define a Seven (wish us luck...) I'm going to throw out some basic bullet items... If you guys don't agree, point them out. These would apply to a "stock" class. Mod and prepped classes would be something less. 1- Front-mid engined (engine block has to be 100% in front of the windshield mouting point?? 2- Rear drive 3- 2 Seater 4- No rear wing 5- Fenders... Rear: must be substantially round (follow contour of the tire. Front: Must be clamshell style, or cycle fender - again, follow contour of the tire only. 6- No front wing 7- Windshield?? this is an interesting one... there are full, half, or WCM style??? 8- Flat or open bottom between the front and rear centerlines?? any sevens not meet this? 9- Min and Max numbers for track, width, wheelbase, overall length? Please feel free to add and discuss.

Yup, that is a problem. In my case, Michael and I live 20 minutes away from each other... in the same county no less. I don't have to meet any requirements at all. No emissions inspections, no safety inspections. None. Not even when I buy or sell it. My car is street legal with historic tags. On the other hand, a newer Caterham has to pass all the safty and emissions requirements.

Well, as long as we're brainstorming, we might as well think about this issue. There are a few bike engined cars running around.

Item 3- it's pretty common to switch from clamshell to cycle fenders. How about allowing these 2 styles? Do you see any advantage in autox for cycle style? We'd have to limit it to be basically shaped to hug the tire. don't know the wording. I guess if the manufacturer offered both, it's safe? Any consideration for bike engined vs. car engined cars? if the scale is displacement / weight, bike engined cars may have an advantage (they typically have a higher output/displacement)? This is probably addressed elsewhere in SCCA - perhaps in CSR / DSR type cars?

Same is true on the vettes. C5 and C6 are superstock C4 is A Stock C2 and C3 are B Stock C1 is F Stock C6 Z06 and Callaway Corvettes are not eligable for stock categories. I don't know how this classification system is arrived at. I would think trying to stick a 7 in any existing category will have those people up in arms. It looks like we need a category with some rules to define stock, prep, and mod levels.

Yes, you can. You just gotta be flexible to get in and out with the top on. I don't even have a top for my car, so I'm not worried http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif.

What do you intend to do with the car at the track? Is it just for casual track days where you want to run the car for fun? or do you plan to compete in a SCCA class? Elise is a very capable car. I like "fiddlin" with cars, so the Seven is hard to beat. You can disassemble the car with simple tools, everything is easy to maintain, get to, etc... The Seven is significantly lighter, so it has a totally different feel to it. The advantages of the Elise are that you'll find many other very stock Elises to run with, and the car is more usable as a daily driver - can easily be driven in rain. You have to consider what you will do if you've prepaid for your track time, and it's going to rain (this just happened to me a couple of weeks ago, so I had to take another car). Some here drive their Sevens in rain, but it's not like a normal car where you just throw on the wipers and go on your merry way. The best advice I can give you is to hook up with a Caterham owner in your area and get a ride and then decide. You'll either fall in love with the car and have to have it, or decide it's too out of the mainstream.

Jim, let's not focus on the protest, flaming, etc... I'm sure when a protest happens, somebody gets bent out of shape - nature of life. The question that needs to be answered here is where do run-of-the-mill sevens run? Using your example above, the equivalent of what's happening in autox is a mass of people show up with basically stock cars to run the track, then someone shows up with with the car pictured above, and cleans the field. That type of difference in performance does not encourage more Sevens turning out for SCCA events. When I take my vette autocrossing, I have choices of running in stock, prepared, or modified classes, depending on what I've done with the car. It encourages every vette owner to come out and enjoy the autox, and have a reasonably competitive car. When I take my seven, whether it's on street tires, slicks, whatever, I get lumped in with everyone else in either Dmod or Emod. So, unless I'm willing to put alot of $ into the car, and hack it a little, I can't hope to have a competitive ride. Again, let's focus the discussion on a solution that benefits Seven owners, and encourages more turnout for Sevens, and not the particulars of last years' nationals. Anything that comes out of this discussion will not prevent anyone from entering their car in DMod or EMod. It just gives people who really don't have "Mod" cars a place to run.

Gert, One thing I like about the design of the Rotus is that the fuel tank is in front of the rear axle. Ofcourse mine was 26 years old, and developed a leak, and I replaced it with one in the rear for this driving season. This winter I'm going back to the original configuration. It's much safer, and opens up alot of luggage space.

I definitely can not put the power down (not even going straight, let alone coming out of turns). I just run R compound tires (225 50 R 15s). My car is 16xx lbs. I haven't run head to head with any sevens yet, but I'm sure my car has a long way to go. There is just one advantage to 375 ft.lbs of torque. I start in 2nd gear, and don't need to shift at all - even in 2nd, I have to launch part throttle at about 1500 - 2000 RPM to get decent traction. I don't think I have been able to crack the throttle 100% open in any autox yet, except maybe at the finish line, so the power is not usable with my tires. Rotus made Sevens with anything from 4 banger Toyotas to turbo rotory to Rover and small block chevy V8. The LS1 in my car wasn't around when Rotus went out of business. At what point do we propose the Seven is not a stock seven? Seems like a pretty clear line for the more mainstream Caterhams, Birkins, etc... No so clear for Rotus, or many variation of Locosts? Michael D has seen my car. It is a very stockish looking Seven (other than the exhaust sound http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/biggrin5.gif ). If anything, it looks like a massive car compared to a Caterham, which is not a good thing for autox. I can easily see my car not being considered a normal Seven, which is OK, since I basically autox for fun. I didn't build it for autocross. The big distinction here to me (this is all new to me) is not even the significance of the aero aids on that car. The underlying issue is that everyone is lumped into a "Mod" category, but many are viewing their cars as not-so-Mod, since you're basically not doing any drastic changes to it.

I guess at 5.7 Liters, I'll have to tow a sled behind my car http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif. Seriously though, I see the point about sevens as defined in Tom's post above having a place to run.