Croc

Really? You had 180hp (thereabouts) and a standard clutch could not carry it? Flywheel should be ok, no? Your wear seems pretty extreme even by track standards - 50 track days at most. Did you have the correct street clutch to start with? Good idea to do it now though. Learned that lesson quite a few years back...

Diesel Slug? Sounds about right. It left snail trails behind it.

Yes he does look concerned as we head out for some initial laps. I laughed a lot at this pic.

This weeks collection found for sale NEW Lotus 7 S2 https://www.ebay.com/itm/1965-Lotus-Super-Seven/264254775896?hash=item3d86cfe258:g:jpcAAOSwMoZcmRab Caterham https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/d/barrington-1989-lotus-caterham-super/6853999060.html Locost Project https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d/north-attleboro-locost-7-replica/6851172214.html REPEATS Caterham http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/2000-caterham/ Caterham SV http://britauto.com/portfolio-view/201216-nos-caterham-sv-roadsport/ Super Seven Sportscar (Fejer) http://sodo-moto.com/listings/super-seven-2tg/ Caterham SCCA https://www.wirewheel.com/2001-Caterham-race-car-for-sale.html Caterham https://www.wirewheel.com/2014-Caterham-Seven-for-sale.html Stalker https://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-Stalker-Super-7/273749962571?hash=item3fbcc4ef4b:g:~XkAAOSwTOZcgZZ8 Caterham SV Hayabusa http://www.race-cars.com/carsales/other/1458694360/1458694360ss.htm Stalker https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/7/2167534.html Lotus 7 S1 https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/7/2099394.html Caterham SV http://vintageracecarsales.com/portfolio-view/2013-caterham-seven-480/ Lotus 7 S1 https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1065332/1958-lotus-seven-for-sale-in-stratford-connecticut-06615 Replica Project https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/d/lakeland-lotus-7-style-chassis-alfa/6834856461.html Westfield V8 https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/cto/d/starlight-1968-lotus-super-seven-8/6823280717.html Rotus 7 https://akroncanton.craigslist.org/cto/d/canton-1990-rotus-seven-kit-car/6845945786.html Lotus 7 S1 https://huntsville.craigslist.org/cto/d/1960-lotus-7-rare-early-series-one-with/6849679864.html Chevron 7 https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/d/tempe-lotus-super-7/6824784311.html Diva https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/763559547/overview/?aff=stempest&CMP=stempest CANADA Caterham https://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camions/sherbrooke-qc/caterham-super-7-sylver-jubilee-1982/1410777802?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true Locost project https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/oakville-halton-region/classic-cars/1424083411?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

No idea why I typed UK in my post - John is in CT as you say. Thanks for editing my brain farts! :seeya:

Heading towards Pouhan corner with the F1 pits in the distance Coming through Les Combes at the very top of the circuit

Trying to scare Anand, Rahul's cousin with some good laps. He was with me on my fastest lap around this track. There is a lot of elevation change between the different parts of the track La Source turn - turn 1 after the F1 start line My passenger Jeff (JBH on this forum) looks rather perturbed?

Some extra photos of the day Chasing a buddy Mike through Eau Rouge and up to Radillion. He rented from RSR Spa. A good outfit to rent from if you are looking for more car choice. In the esses at Les Combes This track is all about the corner - Eau Rouge

The Sadev is definitely better than the Caterham 6 speed for "snicketiness" in finding gears, which in itself is better than the 5 speed. I had a 620R in Spain/Portugal for a week and loved the gearbox. No fancy pansy paddleshifters like Tom's car. Just a regular gear lever that you blip back and forth. Video at Estoril is here to give you an idea In this installation, clutch only used to get moving. High rev changes with no clutch. Downshift is no clutch. Depending on who you talk to, you should rev match downshift. BAT was telling me dont both to rev match (heel & toe) but some private owners were saying they do. Either way I am mechnically sensitive enough to keep an eye on my revs to avoid a mistimed downshift and rear wheel lock up.

I think you are imagining things :seeya:

Not sure about the 6 speed. BAT originally had no problems up to around 2016/7 area but then started experiencing a consistent reliability issues and so stopped using it in favor of the 5 speed or upgrading to the Sadev 6 speed - both of which are reliable in BATs use of them. Quality downgraded to meet price pressures? What project are you talking about?

Yes day 2 was very cold with inconsistent grip - think snow, sleet, hail and rain during the day. I backed off a long way as it was just the type of day when I could end up in a wall if I pushed on. It was an ideal day for an all wheel drive car. The first day had better temps and was dry. Plenty of grip for me to push on. Unfortunately I got no video of my fastest session - the mic broke. The gearbox is a T-9 as the 6 speed box that used to be offerred are not as reliable now. Unfortunately it means the ratios as not as well placed and you are lugging the car around the circuit. I was generally going to 7K redline to change and it still was not great. It did not slow me down too much though I think. 124mph is about right for an 420R. An R300 is high teens mph speed at Spa. R500 is about 130-133mph area. 620R is getting well into the 135-140mph area. The striking thing about Spa is the sheer speed of it. So many 100mph+ corners. Average speed in a Caterham about 90mph. No wonder it is so thrilling for drivers. The data is from the GPS and internal altimeter. But for some reason it is always inconsistent at Spa. I think it is because of the high speeds and the 10khz refresh rates not always being quick enough.

British American Transfer (BAT) in FL usually has all those parts imported from the UK. THe T9 was used in the Ford Merkur here. Assuming you are not touching the non-standard(?) close ratio gearsets you may have then this should work. http://www.batinc.net/merkur.htm If you are thinking upgrading internals, ratios, etc then look at Burton Power in the UK (great catalog to print out and browse) https://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-fitment-type/parts-by-gearbox-all/ford-type-9-gearbox.html Tracsport offer upgraded T9 bits and ratios for motorsport applications. Depends on what you want to upgrade. They are very familiar with Caterhams so will know your Birkin needs well. https://www.tracsport.com/ If you want pure transmission specialists then Quantum Mechanics in the UK know their stuff and have rebuild kits plus ratio options and upgrades. http://www.quantumechanics.com/ UK contacts are happy to deal with us in the US. Just call them early morning our time to catch them with the time difference.

Oh dear...have you gotten into trouble with the wife again? What car did you buy this time?

The obligatory videos are now ready 1) The straight ahead cam with good sound and data 2) The 360 cam. Double click on the video to see it on the youtube page. Use your mouse/arrow key to pan the camera around. Lap 1 you can look back at Doofus waving at a friend after Radillion in the Focus RS or on lap 2 follow the Aston Martin DB2 as I (eventually) pass it on Kemmel Straight. Look down for the data overlaid on the headlight

Sean - me svelte? :rofl: :smilielol5::rofl: Aerodynamically rounded may be more accurate!

Actually my Caterham CSR is already in a registry. But honestly I am more interested in getting out and driving.

But still faster. And better looking. No faded yellow of course.

Bookatrack is my favorite track day operator. I have been running with them since 2011. They keep a Caterham 7 for me at Donington - so I just turn up and drive when I am in the UK too many times a year for work. The staff are very experienced but great attitude and friendly. They are very efficient. They are strict and will throw people who are misbehaving on track out but they also have a light touch for someone who makes a one-off mistake. There are a lot of repeat customers so the overall tone is quite respectful on track. At Spa there were 50 something cars and I knew about half of them. The passing policy of only passing on the left on straights works very well in practice. Donington can be crowded. For an open pit lane type of event, its the only one where I find you may have to line up to get on track. I would avoid those Bookatrack sessions where it is Academy or other Caterham race series practice events. They get quite aggressive as you would expect. Donington does reward the lower hp car. So if you dont get the R300 then seriously look at a 310R, 280R or Academy car. My last trip to Donington in May 2018 was in a 310R and it was huge fun - the link here talks about it http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11981-A-visit-to-Donington-Park-and-Silverstone-in-a-Caterham&highlight=donington I was planning my track dates earlier today. Let me know if you are going to see if our dates coincide. I usually day trip out of London unless it is a weekend like the Historics or I am headed to Oulton Park or Anglesey to make it a double header.

My CSR is formally a CSR Superlight on the factory order papers. It came with more carbon options than a regular CSR. Its also faster than these regular Superlights and Superlight Rs. So there!

Hi Rahul - It was great to have you part of the group. As Mike and I were discussing in Brussels airport last night (after an extended drive thanks to a particularly French GPS lady and 3 alpha males who would never think of stopping and asking for directions) the fun was over way too quickly. If you like warm weather then check out the Bookatrack Iberia trip in late-September. Its a very social week exploring 3 tracks - Jerez (Spain), Portimao (Portugal), and Ascari (Spain) - all open pit lane, max 40 cars and the Caterham SV rental would work well on those tracks. Hope to see you at another event.

Ferrari is post 15 of this thread, third photo. It’s the red thing.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tom has a fake?

A Caterham 420R is a pretty quick cat for Spa. I am still going through the data but the quickest lap I had was a 2min48.2. Lap record is 2min43 with equivalent race Caterham. An R300 lap record is 2min45. For a Focus RS, Renault Megane or Golf R32 then higher 2min50s was considered “good”. The Ginetta is relatively low powered say 145hp with around 1500lbs. Very nice handling and brakes. So it’s quick in the context of its power/weight ratio but will not compare to a 420R. 210hp at 1350lb. But it is a very nice track car as it is all purpose built. In the dry at Spa you want a Caterham. In the wet you want an all wheel drive car or a Caterham with proper track wets.

The weather was pretty rubbish. Snow, hail, sun, sleet, sun, rain, etc. We had all seasons in each hour every hour. So the Caterham on semi slick tires quite frankly sucked unless there was a dry line. Otherwise I was like a cat in a wet bathtub. The Focus RS Sport - 350hp, all wheel drive was a star. Perfect for the conditions. A number of cars had drivers that ran out of talent - BMW 5 series, a vw fun cup thing (guaranteed at these events), a Caterham.