CarMan

Sent you an email. Yes we are going to do the ZETEC ! I hope I don't need it. But I could use a spare. I've had an issue before. Old engine.... High RPM...... BOOOOOM! Window on both sides of the block! Thanks

Great Pic !!! I raced at Watkins Glen against 5 cars that went to Laguna. Three of them beat me, but I was not embarassed by finishing 4th in that company. Great Picture. I hope you stay out front!

Hello I am interested in the Zetec as a backup engine for my 2000 caterham that I race. I would have to have it shipped to NY though. George

Oh Bugsy Please respond to me. I have a 2000 Caterham and maybe those wheels will fit my racing car. An Im not too far away in Saratoga NY George

My "Team" Me, Tom, a lawyer who knows how to "fix nothing"(his own words) Skip, a well meaning ex-MG mechanic who finds these modern contraptions "way too confusing" But They bring good bourbon and very nice cigars. So they are keepers for sure.

Dateline Sunday: Back at the track, and another round of qualifying, using the short NASCAR course. Qualified 2nd. but the Spec Racer Fords get to start in front of us by about 40 seconds(this will play out later) Same order as yesterday. With the Honda on pole. With more horsepower and a pissed off pro driver(he got razzed big time last nite by his "team" for losing to this unknown, driving an "old" car)I knew he was going to have his way on this speed course. Right after lunch we head out to grid. I boldly go down the line of starters and find that they want me to grid 3rd. This is actually better than being 2nd. I can follow the Honda into turn one, and maybe slip by. But silly me.... I didn't look at the sponsor on the #2 car. Same as the pole Honda. I had a good start and roared into the turn one braking area ready to follow the Honda around. But Noooooo. The second place FrankinMiata chopped me off big time! and it was "Game On!" It took me 3 laps to pass the Mazda with a smooth braking maneouver. And we were into lapped traffic already! I was lucky at some passing points and unlucky at others. I even passed a car "in the bus stop chicane!" I was making some inroads in the Honda's lead, but he could pull me on the straights(And now we had 3 really long ones and very few technical turns) So.... The "pass in the grass" you ask. I came upon a Spec Racer Ford in the chicane and followed him around the carousel turn. Making sure he saw me as I weaved from his right mirror to his left. As we exited on to NASCAR straight, I pulled aside him (my left front wheel to his right front wheel) and HE MOVED ME ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE TRACK to the point where I had to put My right side wheels on the grass............... At full throttle, in 5th gear! DIDN"T LIFT ! Was AFRAID to Lift! If I lifted, I was going to have the dreaded trailing throttle over steer. And I would crash into the blue Armco barriers. So....... I kept my foot in it! And passed the Spec Racer F--- anyway! So Dale Earnhardt and I have "pass in the grass" on our resume..... SWEET! I still couldn't catch the Honda. He won, and warmly greeted me in impound. I couldn't help smiling that I'd survived. And the Honda pilot could go back and say "I beat that unknown driver in the Old car!" All was finally right in the world of racing again. And we all lived happily ever after................ Or until we meet again at the next race! That is my story and I'm Sticking to it!

Wow! Just came back from the "Fun One" event at the Glen. This is an SCCA Event that is now 50 years old. The first day you run the "long" course and the second day you run the "short" Nascar course. Saturday Morning: Freakin Freezing cold and Raining cats and dogs!!! Group 3(that's us) has 57 cars in it for qualifying. Since the weather is so changeable here we put two rain tires on the right side, so we only have to change 2 just before we go out. We watch the doppler weather and decide with 5 minutes left..... Rains. Good choice because, right after the warm up lap.........rain. But driving in the rain is a blast. The rain line has good grip and although the lap times go from 2:11 in the dry, to 2:47 in the wet, you learn a lot out there about where to find grip and car control. After the session there were a lot of stories about lurid slides that suddenly and magically found grip, just before disaster(or a barrier) Qualified 2nd overall. And I was being careful. We only had about 35 cars try to qualify in the wet, as many choose to stay dry in their trailers. We Caterham types have to answer to our English drivers and not going out in the rain in an open car, is NOT an Option. The afternoon race was on a drying track in cold temps. Took the lead at turn one with an aggressive braking move and made it to the end of the long straight still in the lead. This is important as the second place car had about 75 more horses than I have. Going into the technical part of the course(The Boot) is where I can use the "Cat" to its real advantage. After three laps I began to see lap traffic coming into view. I was having a hard time keeping the second place car back on the long straights. He was able to pull me with his bigger motor and his aerodynamic advantage. The Cat is a Brick in that dept. But lap traffic was my shield. I was able to use them to my advantage. I was able to pass them at just the right time so as to not lose momentum. It was a thrill seeing my car # on the pylon at the top! And to get an official race result with my car at the head of a 57 car field! And later find out that the second place car was driven by a hired professional driver. Indeed a good day all in all. Time for a cigar!:driving: later................. The next day and "Dale Earnhardt has nothin on me.... I can pass in the grass tooo!"

Oh I need to address the weight thing. The SCCA says that my car must weigh 1460 lbs after the race. I cant even get close. The officials now joke "YOU Weigh ENOUGH! Ha Ha" I usually weigh in at #1510 and it is ALL my fat ass that gives me the 'Movable" weight advantage. Enjoying flying the CAT flag. and until the purses get better...... meaning if they EVER give something worth hurting myself for (NOT) I just want to enjoy the thrill of driving this Go-Kart

To be truthful, I am a bit concerned about my car being "old school" but I realize that there are very few of us out there flying the flag. On the other hand, having raced against the "most legally modified" Cat in the East and seeing that his car has some durability issues and even though he has "Many many hours behind the wheel of Caterhams" I was still able to drive with him and, in the end, prevail. In the real scheme of things. The SCCA regional races now give out a $.10 cent checkered flag for the Sunday race only(you get nothing for winning the Saturday race) and we are there to have fun and swap the lead a few times during the race. My mission is to unload the car, race the whole weekend, Not have to fix things on the car till midnite, and pack it all up and do it again the next week. Sure I want to win..... I'll fight like a demon to do it. But I will do it clean and I'll do it without putting myself or anyone else in danger. I kinda like my competitors to get out of their 2nd place cars and smile that we "Had A BLAST!!!" And look forward to racing with me again. I know that this seems like a fools dream, but I have been doing this for three years like this and I am enjoying the ride.

Veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery Innnnteresting! But Not Funny! I think the change is made because the ZETEC is getting a little hard to find. The origional ZETEC is getting long in the tooth. But I would like to see some bigger tires in this car. It looks a little goofy with the thirteen inch rubber

Thanks! I loved viewing these on youtube. Kyle Disque was the GTL racer that ran with me. The Frankenmazda and BMW Z3s are uber fast and they had VERY good drivers behind the wheels. This was my first Majors race and I was looking for the experience. I found the races to be FAST, Long and Competitive as hell. I LOVED it!!!! After the race I stopped in to see Kyle and we had a nice conversation. We both realize that we are racing for.... well ..... nothing but pride. So why not race clean and have a nice dice with someone and come away with a great story? Believe me, The other drivers in the race were also racing clean. When I came up to pass backmarkers, They gave me pointbys and were aware of when we there in the corners. Now its back to the Glen for the July Sprints this weekend. Kind of a social weekend as we are introducing about 15 people to auto racing. They have never attended an auto race in their lives! Poor Children. So we are giving them a chance to see some racing, drink some wine and eat at the Seneca Lodge. See you at the track! George

I have a Caterham 7 racing car and a 2000 Boxter S. The Boxter S is the car that we use all summer. After the Thrill ride that is the Caterham.......... The Boxter is civilized and safe. My car does not have heated seats or even power seats for that matter, the radio is an AM/FM/CD cheapo affair that I never use. I am a Dodge dealer in a Small town and I keep the Boxter in the "bat cave' until We blast out of town with it. Going to Cooperstown this weekend. I have owned this car for 10 years and it has given me no problems, other than when the battery went dead the first winter of storage and I could not get into the front trunk to jump the battery. had to have it towed to the shop and it took them forever to get it open. The Porsche dealer just said "It's a bitch" and "Good Luck" But all in all I enjoy the car, and even though it doesn't raise my heartbeat in the thrill ride dept. It is so easy to drive at the limit that I know we will see these in large # at the tracks soon as the prices start to fall enough for racers to strip them down to their fighting weight. Have Fun.

I kind of hijacked the thread in "looking for parts" and turned it into a Racing discussion. So I was hoping this would take over as a medium for racing discussion in the SCCA. Where the Caterham is "not competitive" in EP. But, we are competitive! I was a the the SCCA Majors race at Watkins Glen Last weekend and even though I finished 4th to the BMW Z3s and the Frankenmazda. I had a Blast! The Majors Weekend was extremely well run and the driving was super professional. The Speeds were Quick and I ran with a group of EP,FP,HP and GTL cars. As I came around to lap the slower cars they always held line and even gave pointbys! Amazing. I found the Caterham had Many admirers and the Winners in EP Had raced their own 7s in years past. They all remember the 7 as a real drivers car that was driven with the throttle and was "dirt tracked" around the place. There was even another 7 here. Driven by Joe Kelly from California. His Cat was Completely Orange. Everything Orange.. Fenders, roll cage, All the trim. He was a very nice guy and his mechanic was a real Caterham fan. His goal is to go to the Runoffs at Laguna this year. We started side by side in 5th and 6th place and were evenly matched in acceleration. As the FrankenMazda and BMWs slowly sepatated themselves on the high speed straights, I was able to put a gap on the Orange Crush. But after 5 laps he was gone. After the race I talked to Joe and he told me he was not about to stress the car keeping up with me, as I knew the track better. So, I finished 4th in EP in both races. Since I had never been to a Majors Race..... I was Pleased and felt I could drive with the Good Guys. next Up..... July Sprints at the Glen

It seems this word has gotten so much use these days...... Epic! Went to Lime Rock Park for the SCCA double header on June 19 and 20th. Rolled off the trailer and gingerly qualified the car in 2nd place for our group. And then things went from there. The first 2 races were Caterham dominence ! Weather was sunny and mild (75 degrees) and the 7 was just hummin along. But Saturday afternoon brought a new twist. GTL cars were added to our group and "the race was on" The Caterham is a fast dude in the turns and has a spurt of acceleration on the straights..... But the GTL cars are quick on the long flat out sections. It was a great battle for the entire race... swapping the lead as we used lapped traffic to our advantage. But the Nissan broke a valve spring with one lap remaining and I started to back off and coast to the finish. Big Mistake! As I took the white flag, I saw a gaggle of cars having a good old battle amongst themselves. I didn't want to get in trouble with that group and I thought They could use another lap to settle things. So I decided to follow them to the finish......... That was the mistake. While we were battling with the Nissan, I lost track of who was in second place. I thought is was a Mazda with a distinctive orange chin spoiler...... but he was passed by a fast Honda Civic with a very good driver behind the wheel. And suddenly, he was right on my tail, filling my mirrors with his grille. Time to Move! The cars we passed were very cooperative in holding line as we swept by. But, coming into the next to last turn there were 3 cars in line. They held station on the outside of the turn, and gave us room. But the Honda had a good run coming into the turn and I had a slow entry because of the traffic. I knew the Honda would slip by if I just maintained speed. So I slowed as I entered the corner and downshifted to 3rd and took off to the finish line. Winner Winner chicken dinner! The Honda driver was a man named Ian Prout. He is a driving instructor at Lime Rock park and he can wheel around that place! So I feel good about having a good go with him. Next Up.... Watkins Glen and the Majors tour. I am about to get my comuppance there as the first 5 place cars and drivers in E Production are signed up to be there. I'm gunning for a podium, but I won't be brokenhearted with a 4th. See you then. George

Thanks for the reply James I looked at Motorsports Registry a minute ago and saw that there is a Caterham registered in addition to mine. And this guy (Joe Kelly) is coming all the way from California to race at the Glen. WOW! Either he is Really Really good or he is on a Tour of the Great Tracks..... I'm thinking that he is really good. Plus there is the usual array of Honda S2000 and Mazda Miata's in the EP class There are even a couple of BMW Z3 with 6 cylinder engines. So the group will be thick with fast cars. Good luck in Texas and remember to HAVE FUN! Note to 7 Fans. Last week at the SCCA weekend at Lime Rock there was a sighting of a Super 7 in the parking area. A FAN was Watching! I appreciate the support..... Whoever you are. Thanks George Kline

Just think of how hard us guys with size 11 feet have to work to drive a Caterham. We are more than willing to suffer for our cause. Ha ha Ha

This is great to see. Hope you have a GREAT race! We are prepping the car for the Major event at Watkins Glen this July 4th. I am sure this will be a learning experience for me. I simply hope to podium in my class, EP. We just came back fro Lime Rock Park for a club race and it was AWSOME! But I am sure the Majors Race is much more intense. Just wanna have fun. Good Luck and Enjoy

Well We have the car together AGAIN and have given it a late nite shakedown in the abandoned Wal-Mark parking lot. It's in the trailer ready for the SCCA weekend (June 20&21) and I hope everything is ready. The next real test is the SCCA Majors weekend at Watkins Glen. I've raced in some National races before but this is the new Majors group. So I hope I can cut it with them. I'l keep you posted George

So here is the report from New Hampshire Speedway. RAIN RAIN RAIN So I bolted on the Rain Tires. Put on my old driving suit and stayed in the garage until the group went out on track each session. Having never been to this track, ever. My learning curve was doubly steep. But, by the third session in the rain, I learned where there was grip..... And where there was NOOOOOO grip. But the last few laps of the final session was the Monsoon deluge! The Caterham was the fastest closed wheel car on the track! I think I like rain racing. But the last race on Saturday was the first sign of a problem after a big winter rebuild. And the only issue was the proverbial $4 part. The clutch started to slip on the 3rd to last lap. I knew it was oil. Weekend done. And here is the only bitch I have about servicing the Caterham. You can't just pull the transmission out without pulling out the engine. After that process, we discovered the snap ring on the input bearing was covering the return hole for the oil. Lotta Work and a stupid mistake on our part. So we did win our class a NH. Because we were sooooooo far ahead by the time the clutch started to slip....... We crossed the Finish line at about 40mph and won by some strange reason. But.... a win is a win and the check of the time sheet shows us first. And years from now..... I will have forgotten the circumstances anyway. Now it's on to Lime Rock and Then to a full on National SCCA race at Watkins Glen on July 4th. We'll keep you posted

That is one Stinkin Nice Trailer! if you ever want to sell it on this site in the future.......... Send me a PM. I am already sold:) My car is sooooooooooooooooo jealous! You should be so proud! George

I hope that the SCCA likes the effort the Caterham 7 competitors have given them to make their Mazda show a little more interesting. This past winter we did the usual racing rebuild and wanted to upgrade some safety aspects of the car. We were mostly looking at the brakes. But Noooooooooooo. We can't change the rotors or calipers to a more modern and SAFE system. I had an especially hard time finding rear pads this go round. But all in all, my car is always welcome by the local officials, and visitors walking thru the paddock. Although at my last race, one competitor of mine said "If I knew you were coming, I might have stayed home. So I offered him a beer, and everything was all right. Good luck in EP. I know that the "real "people in the paddock will be happy to see you.

This Year is going to be a mismash of racing venues and competition. May 24 and 25 at NH Motorsports park June 20 And 21 at Lime Rock July 4th 5th and 6th Majors at Watkins Glen July 19th and 20th Club event at Watkins Glen And then we will take it from there. Boys Just wanna have fun. We'll keep you posted George Kline

Thanks for all your advice and help. This is a group of very good car guys and girls. Just got the shaft from Redline. Installed and ready to go racing.. Will keep you posted as to how well we are doing. Last 2 years this car was the NY State E production Champ.. Lets make it 3 George Kline

I have an interest in the SVT head. We are racing in SCCA E production and could always use a spare. Thanks George Kline