Caterham at Mid Ohio

[jfgw]

Some footage I took in the NASA Great Lakes event at Mid Ohio on Aug 27, 28.

 

Really enjoyed the group and the overall event - well organized and safe.

 

Open passing allowed (point by recommended but not required), as well as ability to take passengers.

 

A two part video with my (brave) wife alongside, including a nice overtake with a howling 996 GT3 Cup

- Part one -

- Part two -

 

Another two part video with a good friend:

- Part one -

- Part two -

 

This is my youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZSU6ujuKo37ZcypFy7UUsQ

 

Hope you like the videos

 

James

[jimrankin]

Thanks for posting the videos. Looks like you were having some fun! Seems so hard to find a 7 on track out here in the west (where you would think the mild winter and sunny summer weather would make them more prevalent). Either West coast 7'er don't post video (I'm guilty of that :-(.) or East of the Rockies 7's are more active on track.

[Croc]

Hi James - I like the look of that circuit. What engine package are you running in your Caterham? You were making short work of that group of cars.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Jim - Lets face it, its a cruise only culture in CA! Why track a car when you can polish it! :troll:

[jimrankin]

I don't polish mine, just pick off the big pieces of melted rubber I pick up when I pass those pesky Corvettes and Porsches :driving:.

[jimrankin]

Speaking of west coast 7'er and track time the golden Gate Lotus Club is going to be running Buttonwillow Raceway in SoCal on October 3rd. Low car count, non-profit so dirt cheap, 30 min. on and 30 min. off track all day so mega track time and great for working on your set up or experimenting with braking etc. Also a really friendly group and we don't care what kind of car you bring as long as you enjoy driving and meeting other drivers for a good time. Step up SoCal ,the East Coast/Mid West is making us look bad LOL.

[BruceBe]

Up in the Pacific northWEST, we've been hitting the track all summer. We just completed a race weekend at Portland International Raceway with SOVREN - a local vintage race group. The finale for their race season is at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA on the weekend of September 24th. Last winter, we organized a trip in February to Thunderhill and Sonoma. We rented Thunderhill West, and plugged-in with HOD for the Sonoma day. I posted an invite to this forum, hoping some of the CA folks would join us - we had ONE taker. We'll likely do the same thing this winter - hopefully, more folks will join us.

 

I'll post a few videos of our race season.

 

Cheers,

-Bruce

[jfgw]

Mike - Focus SVT motor with different cam and lightened flywheel with Caterham 6 speed box. Was a little short on grunt down the straights, but the corners are where the car excels

 

Would love to super or turbocharge, or swap to hayabusa turbo for different world performance....

 

James

[Driven]

Hi Jim - Lets face it, its a cruise only culture in CA! Why track a car when you can polish it! :troll:

I dunno, there are a TON of track days for folks in SoCal, almost as many in NorCal.

 

If those in SoCal wish to travel a little, Vegas has a track about 60miles west that is the best track in the SouthWest (Spring Mountain), if not the West coast. Oddly enough, Porsche Club is having an event there this weekend (they allow all makes). Was hoping to have both the s1 and the nob out there, but the gf is working and won't be able to track the s1.

[jfgw]

Oddly enough, Porsche Club is having an event there this weekend (they allow all makes).

 

They used to allow the Caterham to run at Mid Ohio but recently changed their minds on that - that's why I needed to run with NASA. Very happy I did though, with the 'passenger rides' and open passing...

 

Any time on the track is to be cherished, though

[jimrankin]

I wanted to make your ThunderHill event last winter but was already committed elsewhere. TH West is about the best track in NorCal for 7's and other light well handling cars, my favorite in fact and I've run it several times.

I usually avoid running with HOD as they usually combine the west with the east tack and then bypass four of the best corners on the east side so the big high powered heavy cars don't have to turn. That sucks!!! Brought it up to David R. who runs HOD and he said most of the drivers ask for the bypass. (see drivens quote above LOL)

I'll try to make it this year if you do it again. Don't want to dampen you events chances but I'm going to be doing rain dances every day starting about November since I'm a bit tired of this drought.

[Croc]

 

They used to allow the Caterham to run at Mid Ohio but recently changed their minds on that - that's why I needed to run with NASA. Very happy I did though, with the 'passenger rides' and open passing...

 

 

May be best to keep it quiet but nationally PCA banned Caterhams and seven-derivatives from running in their events a few years back after Karl redecorated his car around Lime Rock at a PCA event. I guess the OH PCA recently discovered that ban and its a matter of time before it filters all the way to the west coast. It may not be a bad thing to avoid PCA events as their track day accident record is not the best as heard from a few PCA people who would know.

 

I am impressed by the performance for an SVT and with passenger. I guess it is twisty enough to change the balance of performance towards a Caterham. I would love to try that circuit one day.

[Driven]

They used to allow the Caterham to run at Mid Ohio but recently changed their minds on that - that's why I needed to run with NASA. Very happy I did though, with the 'passenger rides' and open passing...

NASA is a great org to run with, very professional and not often do they have incidents.

 

 

May be best to keep it quiet but nationally PCA banned Caterhams and seven-derivatives from running in their events a few years back after Karl redecorated his car around Lime Rock at a PCA event. I guess the OH PCA recently discovered that ban and its a matter of time before it filters all the way to the west coast. It may not be a bad thing to avoid PCA events as their track day accident record is not the best as heard from a few PCA people who would know.

I know the local PCA region banned "fenderless cars", as a friend with an Exocet found out the hard way (trailered car to track, was told to pack it back up). They let him install some fenders and run the next event though.

 

PCA is the only group that runs consistently at Spring Mountain, and routinely (an event every three months). I know PCA flat out stopped letting people have passengers, unless it's a student/instructor type of situation. This hurt our local region's participation. Hoping they don't continue with more restrictions or outright ban 7s.