BruceBe

From the legislation: "A motor vehicle engine (including all engine emission controls) from a motor vehicle that has been granted a certificate of conformity by the Administrator for the model year in which the motor vehicle is assembled, or an engine that has been granted an Executive order for the model year in which the motor vehicle is assembled subject to regulations promulgated by the California Air Resources Board, may be installed in an exempted specially produced motor vehicle, if..." That would imply that a Duratec-based engine/emissions package would not be legal for a 2016 motor vehicle, since the Duratec engine is not found on any current USA production automobile. Sigma-powered cars should be OK, assuming they are installed to be emissions compliant. -Bruce

Driven by the folks who pushed the legislation on the industry side, here in the USA. -Bruce

Sorry to somewhat cross-post, but the sound of crickets in the Pacific regional forum is deafening. We're trying to gauge interest on renting Buttonwillow and Willow Springs in mid-February. A group of us will be heading south to get out of the cold rain of the Pacific NW, and would welcome other Seven track enthusiasts to join us. Check it out here -Bruce

The silence is deafening :-)

Thanks - I'm having a dialog with them as well. I believe they have a day at Laguna on the 22nd, but it may be outside our travel window. Come on lurkers :-) Let's go to the track! Cheers, -Bruce

Loud and clear Mike. We also tune via an unlocked MBE 9A4 ECU, and have all the associated tools/etc. The standard ECU calibrations are *very* sensitive to initial roller-barrel/throttle-body position at idle, and associated TPS voltage. Fueling strategy is strictly Alpha-N for all but the smallest throttle angles. And the intuitive approach of simply adjusting the throttle "idle-stop" (or base roller-barrel aperture) to cure idle under-runs can really hurt off-idle throttle-response. -Bruce

Up here in sunny Seattle, we're in the planning stages of a mid-winter track tour to California in the month of February. Our goal is to bring as many willing Sevens as possible from the NW, and it would be great to meet-up with other Seven enthusiasts at the various tracks we hope to visit. Tentatively, this is our straw-man schedule: 2/5-2/6 - Thunderhill (3mi and 2mi respectively) 2/7 - Sonoma (HOD) 2/9 - 2/11 - Buttonwillow and Willow Springs 2/13-2/14 - Chuckwalla (NASA AZ, HPDE) ??? Currently, no clubs/organizations are booked at WS or Buttonwillow in the 2/9-2/11 timeframe. However, with enough aggregate, committed interest, renting both tracks could be feasible. It would be great for our group up here in the NW to meet fellow Seven owners in CA, sharing our passion for these cars at speed, on track. Any interest? Cheers, -Bruce

Yes - I had the opportunity to take the #8 car on-track a few weeks ago, after a quick pre-track inspection. The car ran flawlessly all day, with a leaking gas cap as the only glitch. The #8 car is a 5-speed, and I was easily able to top the car out at the end of the straight at The Ridge, in Shelton, WA. Excellent power, tight suspension, and *phenomenal* brakes. The AP Racing uprated master drastically reduces overall lash in the system, turning the brake pedal application into a purely pressure-modulated affair. The tires are hard-compound, all-season radials - a fine place to start for the Seven uninitiated. Of course, we can work with you to option the car however you'd like with regard to tire (or anything else). Winter is the magical time to scheme and plan for next track season :-) -Bruce

Originally manufactured to compete in a race series at the Bahrain International Circuit, Beachman Racing is now offering the complete 9-vehicle fleet of these purpose-built, pre-owned turn-key race cars for sale. ** It is important to note that these competition vehicles are NOT legal for street use. This is a legal restriction imposed by the EPA ** Built at the factory as a Caterham G7, these cars boast a unique combination of features from the factory: LHD SV DeDion Chassis (2005) Engine - 2.3L Cosworth/Duratec, rated at 200HP CSR dry sump External air-to-liquid oil-cooler Dual fan, CSR radiator 5sp and 6sp CR gearbox Limited-slip differential Motorsport dampers/springs AP Racing brake calipers Uprated AP master cylinder 15" Minilite wheels (15x6 front; 15x7 rear) Full motorsport roll-cage (Superlight) - MSI certified and eligible for SCCA-approval Remote cable-pull fire-suppression system Master disconnect switch on cowl 4-point FIA Caterham race harnesses (eligible through 2017) Composite race seats (installed in 2013) Fuel tank honeycomb panels Boot close-out panels SPA center and side mirrors Original Caterham-issued MSO To perform in the harsh environment of racing in 110F degree temperatures, these wide (SV) chassis race cars have all of the necessary race components for durability and performance on the race track, including full motorsport roll-cages, dry-sump oiling, uprated oil and water cooling systems, full onboard fire suppression, and a limited slip differential. The engine is based on the larger-displacement Duratec 2.3-liter, configured for a very durable 200HP. A truly unique and capable configuration, in a factory-built race-car. Utilized in the driving school at BIC, the cars have been professionally maintained, and will be thoroughly refreshed before customer delivery by Beachman Racing, an authorized Caterham Cars agent. Each car may be further optioned and customized at the buyer's request. An unbelievable value in a track-oriented Caterham Seven! Offered at $35,000 each. -Bruce Beachman Beachman Racing beachmanracing@mac.com 206-774-0852

If KitCat Mike has a taller tire, he has *less* effective wheel torque than you, everything else being equal. And KitCat has a substantial (for a Caterham) cage in that car. Truthfully, there are too many variables between these two cars to draw a conclusion. If it's still the engine we put in that car, KitCat's Seven will run 1:57s at Thunderhill, with bypass. Cheers, -Bruce

Looking through the spec, in addition to being hamstrung on power, the lack of a vented front rotor is a killer. Given the fact that EP is a slick tire class, this needs to be fixed. I find the comment about disallowing any Duratec-powered Caterham hypocritical, given that the Mazda MZR engine (aka Duratec), is specifically allowed for the MX5. -Bruce

This is standard Caterham. It was probably brutalized during initial assembly - haven't seen particular failures with it. Spade connectors will relax with time - this is a common problem with the connections on the keyed ignition switch as well. -Bruce

I'd like to reinforce the point regarding the MSO, which is issued by the manufacturer of the kit/roller. Without it, titling and registration can be immensely difficult. We pull LCL shipments of parts from the UK (Caterham), and it is neither cheap nor easy. On the originating end, paperwork must be in order, and now there are new Customs regulations that may result in upwards of US$5K fines, if paperwork is not filed in the U.S. *prior* to voyage (ISF form). Utilizing an experienced and proven Customs Broker is essential, and as mentioned, things can and will go wrong - the culprit being US Customs, the port, the shipper, the warehouse - the list goes on and on. Also, keep in mind that a "kit" does not necessarily mean that it is ready for transit via ocean container. Often, you will be contracting with a UK crating company ($$$), to package the "kit" for transport. Oh - and they charge VAT on crating, as the service/goods are provided in the UK. Cheers, -Bruce

Agreed, and, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation at all, if we had a specific SI unit name for Torque :-) Cheers, -Bruce

Indeed - vintage race groups allow safety equipment much closer to what was offered at the time of manufacturer. It was strange to be out there wheel-to-wheel with nothing more than a track-day roll-bar and arm-restraints. That was a first for me. SOVREN would like to see Caterham participation at their events, so I was solicited to round-up a few vehicles, and drivers with correct racing credentials. Myself and McClure have race licenses, but neither of the car owners did. So both of us were guest driving those cars. Peter Killefer also participated in his yellow CSR (he's featured for about 1.5 seconds, mid-pack). It was literally his first road-race, and I'm very proud of him for not being "that guy", and plugging-in to a race weekend with both grace and ability. Here in the NW, I would like to see SOVREN as a primary sanctioning body for competition Sevens. Having raced up and down both the amateur and pro-racing ranks, I find SOVREN very approachable, especially for infrequent racers who want to run a bit less risk of vehicle damage, and who want to have as much fun in the paddock as out on track. -Bruce

Thanks Tom - when you're invited over for the first time, you don't drink all the beer :-) -Bruce

In my view, the use of ft-lb as a unit of energy can tend to cause confusion, and potential errors in calculation. The use of ft-lb as a unit of energy, which is generally not a popular engineering convention, will tend to confuse a scalar (energy), for a vector (torque). While torque and energy can share units, that is where the similarity ends. From a units perspective, it is interesting to visualize torque as Joules/radian. And when it comes to brakes, we are both balancing *forces*, and converting kinetic *energy*. Definitely don't want to munge all of that together. Cheers, -Bruce

I thought this crowd would appreciate 11-minutes of a Caterham R500 and CSR260 mixing it up at a vintage race. The venue was Spokane Raceway Park, in Airway Heights, WA. The event was a SOVREN (vintage) event. We were invited to participate this year, as they've loosened their age-eligibility requirements, and allow forward-dating of a chassis. It is not often that we get professional TV production at an amateur event - the excerpt is part of a 55-minute program that aired on regional cable TV. It was a special treat to be filmed by multiple cameras, and continuous commentating. Enjoy! -Bruce

Respectfully, that is not the case. Torque, measured in ft-lbs (or Newton-meters, etc) is a measurement (or unit) of angular force. It needs to go through an angular displacement (e.g. 30-degrees, 20 radians, etc.) before that product may be equated to energy. Recalling your HS physics, Work (Energy) = Force x distance. In the angular case, torque must be applied through an angular *displacement* to do any work (energy). To simplify things, Puhn will incorporate "magic" coefficients here and there to keep the equations more intuitive, and sometimes to ease unit conversion. Cheers, -Bruce

Hi-strength Loctite on the PP bolts. I would bet that the PP bolts were backing-out, causing the flange of the PP to slip and work against the shank of the now-loose bolt. And, I know what you might be thinking - no, we did not install the clutch on that engine. The engine/gearbox came as an assembly from Caterham USA, and then installed in the car :-) Those bolts have a serrated flange, but high-strength Loctite is a must for track cars, especially those with Aluminum flywheels. Cheers, -Bruce

John - just noticed that your note has incorrect units for energy. Lb-ft is a measurement of torque, not energy. Not sure if you're pulling these formulas directly out of Puhn's book - could be a typo on his part. Cheers, -Bruce

In addition to Aluminum, Titanium retainers should also be considered a relatively high-frequency consumable. So, unless you're tearing down an engine each race season for an inspection/refresh, avoid both.

The older gearboxes are T-9, not T-5. The new gearboxes are a Mazda gearbox with a custom Caterham front section, to match the T-9 style bell housings, and undoubtedly to match the critical dims required by the clutch stacked height, slave cylinder, etc. -Bruce

Lighter cars typically have proportionally smaller brakes (calipers, pads, rotors). That simple fact needs to be considered when vendors provide sweeping statements about their compound being designed for X-thousand pound cars. And while the amount of work required to slow a car is proportional to the mass of the car, it is also proportional to the *square* of the velocity. Also - the performance characteristics of pads can vary immensely across vendors and compounds. Some vendor compounds require very little bedding for material transfer and out-gassing. Others are a PITA, where you're either wasting precious track-time, or becoming a menace on public roads. Many pads have a "green fade" during the bedding process - it is very discernible, and indicates that the bedding process is more-or-less complete. For mixed/street use, don't get a pad that is designed for high-temperature track use, as the performance of the pad will be poor/dangerous when touring the car. The BP-10 vs. BP-20 comment above is more directly related to temperature range, than weight of car. The BP-10 will perform better at a lower temperature. For motorsport use, at least one vendor provides factory-burnished pads that require no bedding. We have used these pads extensively in Grand Am Rolex GT, and several track/race Sevens under our care use them as well. These Sevens *all* have uprated calipers/rotors - the brakes are always ready to throw you through the windscreen at the first brake zone. And our clients don't waste an entire track session "bedding" the brakes. Lots of good discussion above. Cheers, -Bruce

We have a very enthusiastic Caterham CSR owner living in Salem, OR. I'm sure he would love to share his Caterham experiences with you. And his is a 300HP CSR with a Sadev sequential gearbox, full roll-cage, motorsport suspension...and a license plate. -Bruce