Croc

THe Octopus or Jersey Devil is a real problem. I have tried the wide line for a slingshot out and I have tried my inside run line. The higher horsepower cars take the wide line as they can try to put the power down with a wider radius corner. The Elise/Exige/Miata brigade all believe in the inside lines. Not convinced it works really well either way also although the lap timer shows me quicker in that segment if I use the inside line - so I use the inside line.

That is about as much good news as you can extract from this situation.

I had the car out on track on Saturday at NJMP. I gave a work colleague an experience as a passenger on track. He is a big boy - bigger than me! So there was 500 pound of driver and passenger loaded up in a 1300 pound car. Luckily my Ford Ranger engine...errrrr....Cosworth 2.3 Duratec has plenty of torque to keep up. Still cost me 15 mph in top speed on the front straight and maybe 10mph on the back straight. Track was cold - temps in the 40s and the grip was not great as you can see I run wide of the apex twice. I can also see I fell into bad habits - my steering hands are acting like I am in a road racing car instead of a Seven. I was getting pad knock-off and so was pumping brakes well before the corner to make sure I could stop. I would normally use braking marker 3 but on the day I was using marker 5 plus the gears to slow me down to give me some margin for a problem. Camera was a Go Pro HD 2 with a little powered ATR Technica mic mounted in the boot under the tonneau. I also was experimenting with a polarising filter on the camera to get better colors. It is in full 1080 HD on Youtube if you want to watch the quality. The sound is the best I have ever had on a track day yet - so turn up that volume. Data came from the Racechrono and only begins (and stops at the start finish line where there was a full lap.

Lime Rock is an historic circuit built for another age. It has a lovely layout but it have little run off areas, quite bumpy and is never forgiving of mistakes. Boxologist of this wise forum once cautioned me about driving there and after checking it out in an Infiniti sedan I decided I would keep away as I do not trust myself that much. At the point where Karl decided to exit stage right, the track actually grades across down left to right. That would have been a factor as the cars get light over the hump the driver side rear would have more traction than the passenger side rear. Combine with cold fronts and the engine coming on cam at that point of the hump sadly made for a bad mix that caught Karl out. Given the speed of how it happened I doubt many people on this forum could have caught and saved the car once it snapped right. I dont believe I could have. Karl - if you need a body to help out let me know? I am a useless mechanic but I do know how to dispense beer, margaritas, and other useful drinks in a situation like this.

Oh I would not worry about being a bonehead - I am just thankful that my crashes were done in an era when there was no go pro to memorialize the many cock-ups I displayed in a vehicle. Lots of good drivers have gone before you.

Oh shit Karl! My stomach just dropped through the floor seeing that picture of your car. The good thing is that tires are softer than jersey barriers or armco or even earth embankments. I suspect you will be a little sore today. While Lime Rock is a lovely circuit it does have a lot less run off if you have a problem. If it is any consolation, even the best drivers have a set back with an accident now and then. I certainly "redecorated" my cars when I was in my teens/20s and still racing. The best thing is the chassis seems undamaged - a good strip down hopefully confirms that. She can be rebuilt better than new (Bionic Seven?).

I can correct this misimpression. I have the leather loungers in my car. I also have the six point belts and use them on track. They are designed by Caterham to come out over the top of the seat base (between the backrest and the rear of the seat base). It then does up tightly without the lower seat cushion being part of the belt system. I agree that if you are tracking go for the full six point harness as anything else is not as safe. I used the SV sized Tillet (B2?) on a track day last year and like it for locating me in the car on the track but I hated it for long distances. The leather loungers are much nicer for touring. There is also new Caterham GT sports seat which looks like a new compromise between the old leather seat and Tillets. Have not tried them myself. http://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/img/p/4815-5117-large.jpg Blubarisax has a set of the SV sized Tillets to try out in his car. They are bigger than the standard S3 sized seats but will give you a taste of whether they are right for you.

I think you will like the range of cars - I visited that place 3 years ago and was doing well until I did the math on how expensive the cars are. Amazingly all cars are 1 owner, previously a little lady shiekh, low mileage, dust abrasion wear on the paintwork, and very little maintenance.

But I did not let him drive the car on the track! :rofl: I have to say it was just gorgeous sunshine yesterday and I have a bright red face to prove it. Cyberbug provided great entertainment value himself yesterday. Running in the no passing group behind the pace car, at one point he and the pace car were a quarter of the track and out of sight of the remaining cars who could not keep up. Later in the classroom there was a memorable meltdown from a 911 GT2 driver who could not handle that he could not keep up with Cyberbug's Miata. Cue the hissy fit/meltdown/tears/flouncing out of the room from the 911 driver. That became the talk of the pits at happy hour starting 5.30pm - Porsche drivers lined up against everyone else! :D:D Sadly I will probably only get 3 sessions in today before I hit the wear bars on the tires. Then it is the 2 hour drive home up I-95.

Track day videos are always fun when someone suffers the misfortune of an off - preferably in front of a car with a camera!

It sort of reminds me with the Bathurst races I used to watch as a kid. Racecam was first introduced globally in 1979 at the Bathurst Races on the Peter Williamson Toyota Celica. Thousands of little boys (like 9yo me) were introduced to the delights of steering a sofa around a racetrack. I just love the way he chokes back an expletive at a slower car in front! [/url]

Enjoy the skid pad! I learned a long time ago how messy a seven and its driver can get on wet oiled concrete. Like taking a bath with your car in baby oil! Really hard to wash off. :svengo: Really awesome fun though! :jester: Sadly, I will be in Europe at that time so will have to miss out.

Move over where? Into the parking lot with you?

I stopped by the track late in the afternoon to see Karl grid up and then watch 2 of the afternoon sessions. It was bitterly cold there - tires would have big trouble getting any grip. When I arrived I had the surprise of watching a Mustang destroy itself at Turn 1 and get towed back in bleeding fluids. End of the weekend for that student. The cheese wedge cars were certainly gutless - they moved slower than a Craftsman ride on mower - good learning experience though. Karl you should have tried one of these for cutting the grass when you went off spinning? :willy_nilly: Your lines looked pretty good though - but I always thought that anyway - especially compared to Tom's.

Yeah but it is also turbo charged. Interesting engine photo with the installation. I am a little puzzled with the different photos showing standard cat and muffler then later a straight through pipe. That will be an interesting registration hurdle for someone. I think I recall this coming up for sale once before in Florida about 18-24 months back. Looks like it found a turbo in the mean time. Ad also reads as if it is the dealers car? At 2800 miles I wonder if it has been fully sorted yet in the engine department?

Congratulations on the move and getting your car finished. Like me you will be heading north and west for your seven driving. Hudson River valley has lots of nice roads for sevens. In your area, apart from Bruce (Budlite) with his Birkin there is also Bryce (Bster) who has a Stalker and Andy (Pinballking) who has 2 Westfields and a Locost at last count.

Wow, all the good cars are coming out for sale. I have always thought the color combination of this one was great. Lots of spec in an SV for a really exceptionally good price. What is your next car project Brad?

I think it was the 135 FWHP version. If you bring on 300+ hp version turbo or supercharged, I would still love to see the Corvette (or Porsche or whatever) driver's face. He would not know what hit him! :rofl:

Do not underestimate NJ registration. :banghead: Too many people have the scars of not being able to register here. It can be done just there are a bunch of obstacles to overcome based on engine age. The rules are self-defined during the inspection by the special inspection stations in Morristown, Asbury Park, etc. As for whether you buy new to the spec you want or buy used and then upgrade, I think the cost probably ends up roughly the same. The issue is one of whether you can find the right chassis that you want. I have only seen 2 CSRs come up for sale in something like 4 years. Not a problem if you want an S3 chassis since they come up fairly frequently as you have discovered. The Stack dash on the R500 can be installed on any seven with the flat dash. The CSR can come in traditional flat panel dash (a la R500 or Roadsport) or in curvy tubular dash like mine. If you get the curvy tubular dash in the CSR then you cannot mount a stack dash like an R500.

That is funny - I can relate to that. The NJMP Sevens track day in June 2011 was like that. We crawled over the asses of 911s, Corvettes, Cocksters, a Caddy CTS-V, Camaro, etc . None of them wanted to give us point bys until middle of the day when they realized they were better off to let us go. Definitely some bruised egos especially when one Corvette driver found out Kitcat was running a Crossflow :rofl:

All the traction of a kitten in a wet bathtub comes to mind.....

What model have you installed the bikini on and can I take it for a test ride? :jester:

Honestly they are all great cars. I am also a fan of the Ultralites and the Birkins and have seen some very nice ones I would be proud to own. All are giant killer cars when dialed in and set up. I think MoPho neatly summed up the differences between S3 and the S5 (SV/CSR) chassis'. It is a very personal thing that you have to decide on based on seeing a lot of cars and exploring the options list really well. Every car turns out as individual as its owner - never seen two alike before. The difficult thing is that there are no demo cars out there so it is not like going to the local dealer to test drive the latest Kia Lunchbox-model. Hope we can sort out a time for you to check out the NJ metro area cars - everyone on the USA7s forum loves helping someone spend their money! :rofl: So when is the next post on helping you decide on engine spec? That is always a fun one!

Its about right by the time you load up the average doofus seven owner who is 40-60, balding, 200-250+ pounds and a fat wallet as the car will settle down on its rear springs quite nicely and the gap looks normal. At least thats how the cars look when driving. The alternative really does not bear thinking about. I dont think I would want to drive around in a car with a rear end that looks like a dog with worms dragging its bum along the ground.

This thread just turned REALLY interesting! :lurk: