Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Following on from the 2018 event http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11929-A-return-visit-to-Sp-Francorchamps-in-a-Caterham&highlight=Donington So I am back to Spa for some days on track. This time I brought JBH (Jeff) and rnr (Rahul) from this forum plus a few other friends. Yesterday was the museum to see the rotating car displays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Some freebies from when I bought my UK Caterham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Jeff is running a Ginetta today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 Thanks for sharing! Very cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Rahul is running the Golf R32 with a few track mods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 My trusty beastie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Sun is out in pit lane here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d15b7 Posted March 24, 2019 Share Posted March 24, 2019 that looks amazing! have fun and show them what that Cat can do!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 24, 2019 Author Share Posted March 24, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 We all survived day 1, albeit a little tired and sore. There is a fair amount of G forces on the body around this track and that adds up over the course of the day. Day 2 begins in 5 hours. Weather forecast is looking iffy - sleet and rain. May be a day to take it gentle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted March 25, 2019 Share Posted March 25, 2019 Rain is bad, sleet is worse! Suddenly the enclosed cars make a lot of sense. At least the G-forces will be modest! Have fun tippy-toeing around the track. You will be soaked. What is your non-track car whilst there(I assume you are renting something and not using your Caterham as you mode of transport, or are you....?). How did the Cat stack up against all those exotics and the more modest Ginetti? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 Yes that is a Ferrari 275 GTB. Yes he took it out in the rain and snow. Yes he did spin it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 My rental car for this trip was something really unusual. Who of you has heard of a manufacturer called “DS”? So I had a DS7. It’s part of Peugeot/Citroen group but is a unique vehicle line. It was mostly well equipped - no power seats or rear vision camera. It was really quite nice to drive except...it had a 1.5L diesel. No turbo. It was sadly lacking in the engine ferret department. Glaciers have moved quicker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 So we all survived day 2. Rahul managed a safe spin at Pouhon. The Bookatrack mechanics took to calling Jeff’s Ginetta, the “Love Nest”. Why? Well he and his significant other were spending a lot of time in the small enclosed cabin (on track) that the Ginetta has. So late Sunday, when the Ginetta arrived in the pits with steamed up windows, the crew started laughing. Their laughter (and mine) increased once the instructor exited the passenger seat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted March 25, 2019 Author Share Posted March 25, 2019 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now