Croc

To answer: 1) Its a regular Drivers Club member day. There are 5 sessioned run groups designated - Green (Beginner), White/Blue (Intermediate), Sevens (us - intermediate rules), Red (Advanced), and Open Wheel (usually break within 5 mins). Each group runs exclusively within their sessioned slot. You will be in a group sharing it with other sevens on track. You will not be on track with the big cars - that was the objective Tom and I wanted from the beginning. It can be intimidating being on track with some full size cars when passing so a sevens-only session has proven to be a really good thing. 2) Instructor cars - Tom and I are instructors with sevens. Tom will have his original yellow Caterham plus the cheeze doodle Caterham SV. We can find an instructor (Dom or Kevin possibly) to drive the extra if needed. Simon is also an instructor but we would not do that to your better half. John B on this forum is an instructor. With instructor wrist bands we can also go out in white/blue with a passenger if need be. I was planning to get the Mustang out anyway so that is another option. We have always been able to get everyone out for at least one session each day and quite frequently more. One other option I definitely encourage is to go out in the green group in the pace car with the Chief Instructor. Its an Audi RS4 these days and Pete Tremper is Chief Instructor for Porker Club of America so he must know how to drive I suppose? 3) For trailering, I would ping Wemted (Paul) or Seb as they rent trailers from recollection. Personally, given you are coming from Albany (I think), I would tow as the interstates are a haul in a seven. However, if you drive and you break down then I have a solution to get you (one way car rental from PHL airport) and your car (TJ to the rescue) home in the worst case.

NEW Lotus 7 S2 https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1965-lotus-seven-3/ REPEATS Stalker XL https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/super-seven/2277011.html Stalker https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/7/2167534.html Lotus 7 S1 https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1065332/1958-lotus-seven-for-sale-in-stratford-connecticut-06615 Caterham SV http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/201216-nos-caterham-sv-roadsport/ Caterham http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/2000-caterham/ Lotus 7 S2 and Lotus 7 S4 project http://taylormadeclassiccars.com/vehiclesforsale.html and here https://www.ebay.com/itm/1961-Lotus-Seven-Series-2/293125027298?hash=item443f9cf5e2:g:hSYAAOSwGVRdCDgO Super Seven Sportscar (Fejer) http://sodo-moto.com/listings/super-seven-2tg/ Birkin http://sodo-moto.com/listings/1991-birkin-seven/ Birkin http://sodo-moto.com/listings/1990-birkin-seven-so-cal/ and here https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/fullerton-1990-birkin-super-seven-lotus/6905895104.html Caterham SV Hayabusa http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other/1458694360/1458694360ss.htm Lotus 7 S2 http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1557321710/1557321710ss.htm Stalker http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1437589044/1437589044ss.htm Caterham SCCA https://www.wirewheel.com/2001-Caterham-race-car-for-sale.html Rotus 7 https://www.wirewheel.com/1994-Rotus-7-for-sale.html Caterham SV https://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/2013-caterham-seven-480/ Replica https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/d/hollywood-lotus-7-replica/6902046756.html Blakely 7 https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/d/miami-blakely-lotus-antique/6904149976.html Caterham https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/d/barrington-1989-lotus-caterham-super/6898592517.html Birkin https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/petaluma-lotus/6909365124.html CANADA Caterham https://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camions/sherbrooke-qc/caterham-super-7-sylver-jubilee-1982/1410777802?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Birkin https://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/laval-rive-nord/rare-birkin-s3-2002-lotus-super-7/1436724607?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Replica project https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1437955743 Westfield https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1436824430 MCC 7 Project https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1432118799 Wolf 7 https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1436702029

Its more about no weight in the front than the tires. Your driving technique needs to adjust for this in the first instance - left foot brake taps, quick lifts or full on brakes - get the weight back on the nose for tire grip to make the turn. Trail braking is an essential technique in these cars on track - somewhat irrelevant for for autocrossing though. Caterham autocrossers usually have wide tires. One driving relic on this forum that used to autocross had 10 inch wide tires. Not needed for circuit driving since the directional changes are not as abrupt and you can progress the weight balance change around the car to prevent bulk understeer. On a circuit you need to be 100mph plus before high speed understeer starts to reassert itself on the narrow tire cars although it is now like 120mph plus on the wider tire cars. A couple of things: 1) Corner weight - if it is driving better with a passenger than without then you probably need to revisit the set up or only do autocrossing with a passenger. Same rule applies on a circuit - you do feel the difference in set up (or at least I can) 2) Do an alignment - the fronts should have some toe out which makes direction changes easier. 3) Tire pressures - you discovered this but at 8/9psi you are risking to take a front tire off a rim one day. This is an area where people have lots of different beliefs. Most UK Caterham circuit racers swear by 18psi cold which equates to 25psi when hot on the Avon rubber Caterham specify. I would not drop below 14psi cold for anything on the Avons. If you are using the Yokohamas that some people on here do with the stiffer sidewalls then you can drop lower since thats the only way to get the tire sidewall to flex. More pressure at the rear will get the rear end (of the car) rotating better around a cone (as you noted) 4) 13 inch wheels versus the 15 inch wheels - Thicker rubber sidewall flexes more in corners and assists the direction changes. Less rotational mass of the smaller wheel has benefits too. 5) The good thing is that you will (re)acquire some driving skills that were not needed for modern cars. Finesse and delicacy will better assist weight transference around the car at speed and will get a lot of gains in overall car speed around a course. Sadly there is no real cure for high speed understeer other than left foot brake taps or a front wing (Stalkers particularly need this) but even then it may make sense to keep the foot hard down and let the front scrub to achieve the best overall lap time.

Nice digging Josh! Makes more sense than what I was thinking. :seeya: So to bring it back to the original question - the Wirewheel car was the #87 Woody Adams car and was not the Caterham that redecorated itself and a Miata with the wall,

This is the ad I was thinking of - car was represented verbally as being ex-SCCA 2009 Nationals and crashing http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?8030-SCCA-Zetec-Caterham-for-Sale&highlight=SCCA Mild searching finds the 2009 SCCA runoffs which were very wet and involved a black Caterham crash with another car 3 laps from the end. There is a yellow Caterham in the bottom third of the field on the video. The crash car was black - again not clear on number and driver - but damage looks consistent with what was evident on the Caterham I inspected. https://www.scca.com/videos/2026894 However, some searching finds this photo of a yellow Caterham in that race https://images.app.goo.gl/B8QjeL49dXHLB9Cp6 Driver is Jay Bonvouloir and not any name you referred to. Some comparison with the wirewheel car shows Carbotech sponsorship on both. Same cage. Same cut down race clams. Rear wings are different as stone guard is removed - likely replacement wings since the bonding lifts the clear coat when removed. Not fully persuasive but interestingly coincidental. Is the Wirewheel car this one? The old sale car from NJ had seen some extensive re-skinning because of the accident damage. A color change from black to yellow is not unrealistic in that instance. We may never really know the answer - its not as if great records were kept! You really need to inspect the Wirewheel car in person to see if it took a knock in an accident as that would really put your question to rest.

I dont know the number or name but I have seen, in person, the car represented to me as that crashed SCCA car. Used to be owned by a gent in central NJ - attended the NJMP HPDE event one/two years here, a long way back (5+/- years). It was purchased through the now closed classic car dealer in Hopewell, NJ - I did a pre-purchase inspection as a favor. Had obvious non-original welding repairs in the engine bay from a hybrid short/long front replacement (that is a big hit repair). Pedal box wore some scars that were explained by the hit. Steering rack was not original look. Was clearly repaired by a professional who knew what they were doing - it looked like a proper jig repair. I have suspected but ultimately do not believe the wirewheel car is that car but the photos were not good enough for me to confirm one way or the other. It was a full yellow paint car - the wirewheel car is partial. Cosmetics are far better on the car at Wirewheel in ways that I doubt someone would have remediated - would not have been economic. There were 2 sale ads on this forum - photos may still be around if you want to search.

The CSR is available by special order. Its chassis is built by Arch which makes it more expensive than the regular production line brazed chassis. I suspect that is why it is special order only. ....and for a completely gratuitous track video of a 2018 Caterham 420R with 5 speed...

That sounds better!

Safe travels Tom. I will be there from Thursday morning onwards if you or anybody else arrives early.

The secret to pointing by with arm restraints is: 1) Go faster 2) put them around your upper arm Pete the instructor loves to make fun of parts falling off cars but we all know its only Tom that has those issues...:jester:

Hmmm....so now the silicone lube has all new shear qualities!

More like a knockoff Locost methinks...

Its good to see that your seven confirms the old truth that sevens look better than their owners - at least for me anyway!

Eek...thats not good with rocks coming at you. Probably a good idea for helmets then in that situation to protect you.

NEW Replica https://www.ebay.com/itm/1970-Replica-Kit-Makes-Lotus-7-Caterham/192945878478?hash=item2cec7875ce:g:8zoAAOSwNaBc~lAa Westfield https://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-Lotus-Super-Seven/223549584305?hash=item340c97f3b1:g:pUIAAOSwGM5dAR9w REPEATS Stalker XL https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/super-seven/2277011.html Stalker https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/7/2167534.html Caterham https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/caterham/super-7/2267958.html Lotus 7 S1 https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1065332/1958-lotus-seven-for-sale-in-stratford-connecticut-06615 Caterham https://www.wirewheel.com/2001-Caterham-race-car-for-sale.html Rotus 7 https://www.wirewheel.com/1994-Rotus-7-for-sale.html Seven Sportscar (Fejer) http://sodo-moto.com/listings/super-seven-2tg/ Birkin http://sodo-moto.com/listings/1991-birkin-seven/ Birkin http://sodo-moto.com/listings/1990-birkin-seven-so-cal/ and here https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/fullerton-1990-birkin-super-seven-lotus/6905895104.html Lotus 7 S2 and Lotus 7 S4 project http://taylormadeclassiccars.com/vehiclesforsale.html Caterham SV Hayabusa http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other/1458694360/1458694360ss.htm Lotus 7 S2 http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1557321710/1557321710ss.htm Stalker http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/lotus/1437589044/1437589044ss.htm Caterham SV https://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/2013-caterham-seven-480/ Caterham SV http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/201216-nos-caterham-sv-roadsport/ Caterham http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/2000-caterham/ Caterham https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/d/barrington-1989-lotus-caterham-super/6898592517.html Birkin https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/petaluma-lotus/6909365124.html Replica https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/d/hollywood-lotus-7-replica/6902046756.html Blakely 7 https://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/d/miami-blakely-lotus-antique/6904149976.html Stalker https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d/littleton-1959-lotus-super-seven/6895453482.html CANADA Replica https://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-RESERVE-Lotus-Seven-replica-w-Toyota-Ae86-engine-and-driveline/273882627679?hash=item3fc4ad3e5f:g:qPUAAOSwkM9c~U3G Caterham https://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camions/sherbrooke-qc/caterham-super-7-sylver-jubilee-1982/1410777802?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Birkin https://www.kijiji.ca/v-voiture-collection/laval-rive-nord/rare-birkin-s3-2002-lotus-super-7/1436724607?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Wolf 7 https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/mississauga-peel-region/1992-wolf-racing-lotus-super-7/1436702029?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true MCC 7 Project https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/mississauga-peel-region/the-last-mcc-7/1432118799?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Westfield https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1436824430 Replica Project https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1437955743

The CSR is a fantastic track package - I love mine and would not swap it for a 620R. On the road nothing is quicker point point since the IRS makes it feel like a bigger car. The difference to the regular S3/SV chassis with its de dion is extraordinary. However, unless Josh has one in stock or a reserved factory slot then the production line wait is approaching 1.5 - 2 years based on my understanding. I bet Josh has one hiding in his back pocket......such a flirt! 220hp and above can make for some amazing lap times on track. Keep in mind that in the Evo article has the 420R on Avon ZZR. That is a dry road/track day rubber. You will not be using that but rather the Avon ZZS for better on road all weather performance. The ZZR should not be used in the wet. That will allow a more progressive breakaway on the limit similar to how they describe it for the 270/360. I always run the Avon ZZS on my 420R even though it is solely for track days as it needs to be able to handle rain on track from time to time during a day (who would have thought the UK rains?). I tested both ZZR and ZZS tires back to back on my 420R at Donington. Same 13 inch Caterham wheels. In the dry, the ZZR were 2 seconds a lap quicker than the ZZS (GP circuit). In the rain the ZZR would have me into a fence. So the article needs some context. You would want Avon ZZS for your road driving and odd track day. Don't think you lose out on track by having ZZS tires - they are really quite good. I got my 420R down to 2.48 lap times at Spa this year on ZZS tires with plenty of promise of more time to come as I get better on the circuit.

I have to admit I am partial to silver sevens, owning two myself. I think we need more photos plus a driving video. :seeya: Oh I would not worry about getting too old for this - grow old disgracefully - works for me all the time

Could be Bruce, I thought they were eye glasses like I wear but maybe they are safety glasses and I just need a new pair of glasses myself!

A number of people I know use the same diff with more hp - it should be sufficient. They were built really tough. I have heard and seen Subaru viscous diffs overheating on track (in a 300hp Subie) and then losing drive as you describe but they all come back normal feeling after cooling down. Did yours come back or is it still feeling wrong? One other idea, change the diff oil and try again. You may have overheated the lube and it has broken down at a molecular level so that it no longer provides the right lube qualities for the diff to lock properly. I have seen that happen in a GTR.

That looks fun! Nice looking Caterham. Big grins evident! I don't know how you do it as I found at speed I needed eye protection of some kind since the air speeding past irritated the eyes - ended up using goggles to give me some vision back. Whats happening with your headlights? They look black head on but there does not look to be any cover over them side on? Are these some special day light running ones? Will you be taking the next step to full on track days?

Having driven the full range of Caterhams over the years, the sweet road/track spot is the 420. It has enough power for the track without being boring and not too much power on the road to be stupid. Any more hp cannot be used on the road without blue flashing lights turning up behind you. Part of that assessment is the type of track you are likely to find yourself on in your part of CA. In the USA they are fairly open, long straights, designed for higher hp cars. So you need a fair amount of hp to deal with that track. If this question was being asked in the UK, you would likely get a different, lower HP (310/360) answer since the tracks are more twisty and less long straights. For options, a couple to consider: - Try all the seats out - leather S type, tillets, etc - and see which is most comfortable. If you need for your bum to be closest to floor since you sre tall then consider a professionally done resin bead seat. Leather S type is probably the next best for sitting as close to the floorpan. Lowered floors are a great option if you are 5'10 and above. - Ask for the captive nut option to be installed to allow easy switches from aero screen to windscreen and vice versa. The transition to having an aero screen on track is dramatic - well worth it. I used to drive my Caterham to the track and switch over to aero screen once there. - What rear end ratio and gearbox choice will be important. The 6 speed has a 1:1 final drive but really does show the car's performance off beautifully at the cost of running too high rpm when on the interstate or high speed runs. It also makes a huge difference on track as the 6 speed makes the car accelerate faster. However, if your purpose is road mostly then the 5 speed (I think it is a Mazda box?) is a good choice for backroads with an overdue for the high speed runs along an interstate home. Whatever your choice you should consider it in tandem with the differential final drive. Look at something like gear calc on line where you can plot roadspeed against rpm in all gears to assess the outcomes. I have a 5 speed in my UK track 420R - depending on the track it will work or it will not. At Spa its overdrive was needed to get higher top speeds. At Donington/Croft/Anglesey/Brands/etc, I never use 5th so the 6 speed box option would be better there. If I ever got my act together it would be a switch to the 6 speed but the changeover cost is not cheap. However, if I was spending more time on the road then I would keep the 5 speed as it is nicer to live with on the road. Paul picked it - This will be your most critical choice after HP. - Weather package - do you drive in the rain? Likely no. So no roof needed. Then look at an emergency roof like a SBFS top or Oxted Trimming version and supplement it with a mesh screen across the roll bar. Quick and easy to put on and keeps you dry to get home - Weather doors - yes these are good. Cold crisp sunny day, doors are on and you are comfy inside out of the wind but the sun still reaches you. Nice arm rest for comfort. No buffeting. I did a lot of back road cruising like this. - Heater - in the North East I would say yes. In CA - likely no. Personal choice. - Wheels - If you can make the ground clearance work for the road then 13 inch wheels are better on track. Less rotational mass allows much quicker getting out of corners. In a 420R the 7 wide fronts and 9 wide backs are best option even though they are staggered sizing. If you were going less hp then I would recommend a square wheel size choice front and rear. However, this then brings up the question of a spare. I would delete spare and carry some of that tire gunk that gets you home with a puncture. A good break down service like AAA Gold with 200 mile range to get you carted home is worth it as the back up plan. - With 13 inch wheels then comes need for a sump guard. - If you are tall then consider a removable steering wheel to get in and out easier.

Pretty sure with your driving ability and engine hp that won’t happen but I had fun poking a bear!!!!

John - nothing stopping you other than no mirrors. How will you know everyone is lined up behind you waiting for a point by? :-p

Given you are swapping sevens at a high rate, this will not be your last. What will you be buying 4 weeks from now?

Most people have more issues with motion sickness when they are being a passenger. Unusual in that yours is the other way around.