East Coast Sevens Track Event 2014 - SAVE THE DATE

[yellowss7]

For those of you planning to attend our 7’s gathering this July, we thought we’d give you a heads up as to what Safety and Mechanical requirement you should anticipate for our track day at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Safety is the number one priority for those of us who take our cars on track. You are responsible for the proper maintenance of your vehicle, to insure that it will perform as you intend it to on track. Here are a few recommended service items you should perform or check prior to taking your car on track.

This is not a complete list, but a starting point:

1) Check your brake pads and components to make sure that they are adequate and up to the job of stopping you.

2) If you haven’t done it recently, Change your Brake and Clutch fluids.

3) Check your tires to make sure they are safe and will last the two trackdays and your drive home. Bring spares if you can.

4) Do a complete Nut and Bolt check of your car. Suspension points, engine mounts, every bolt you can find.

5) For those with motors other than Crossflows, Make sure your car isn’t leaking any fluid. Check your hoses for cracks and change if necessary, tighten clamps, etc.

6) Change Oil and coolant as needed.

7) Check your clutch wear. Better to do it now versus having an issue on track.

8) Check your bearings for play. Replace or repack if needed.

9) Check and replace any belts as nessessary.

10) Tune it up if needed. Check throttle and clutch cables, fittings etc.

11) Inflate your tires and torque your lug nuts.

12) For those of you towing, remember to have your bearings checked, tires inflated properly, and that your trailer brakes and lights work.

 

The Safety stewards at NJMP will conduct a Tech of your car prior to being allowed on track. Do NOT assume that if they sign off on your car that it is safe. That is YOUR responsibility. Remember, Some of us will actually hit speeds in excess of 130 mph on the front straight, (not me) :smilielol5: and then have to get down to about 70mph for Turn 1. You don’t want mechanical issues to prevent you from making that turn.

The safety stewards will check :

1) That your positive battery terminal is covered. A piece of tape will suffice.

2) That your Roll Bar is secure.

3) That your Helmet is an SA 2005 or newer full face shield one.

4) That your Seat belts/Harnesses are in date. If your harnesses are outdated, replace them now.

5) That you have Arm restraints, which are required.

6) That your battery is securely mounted.

7) That there are no leaks.

8) That your Brake Lights Work.

9) That you have a Number on both sides of the car. (Painter Tape is fine)

10) That your tires don’t have cord showing.

11) They will check camera mounting to ensure it is secure.

There may be a few more checks but that is what they were looking for last season.

 

There is a nice General store on site that stocks, helmets, gloves, oil, tools, and various supplies, but it does not stock any parts, so bring anything that you have that might be needed. There is an Autozone in Millville, but again, I doubt they carry Caterham, or Birkin parts, The Stalker guys may be ok. There is a tire place in Millville that can mount tires, but you should plan on bringing along your own spares, as I know they don’t carry slicks or any assortment of 13 inch tires suitable for our Cars. Guys with Bigger rims or more standard tires might luck out but be forewarned, it is Millville, NJ.

 

As far as on track dress, as I said, an SA2005 or newer Full Face shield Helmet is required. Long sleeve shirts, and long pants are also required. Nomex gloves, suits, balaclavas, and shoes and socks are recommended but NOT required.

 

The Last item that we will need prior to the event, is a Driver Resume on each of you.

The Resume should include your name, any track experience you have, e.g. the name of the tracks you have driven on, and the number of days and level at those events, Which organizations you have driven with, e.g. SCCA, Porsche, BMW, club etc. Any certifications you have like a racing license, include the number and a copy of it.

This is usually done to prequalify non members for Passing run groups.

 

For those of you that have Zero experience on any track, we will arrange for you to have an instructor ride with you and one of us will show you the line at a nice pace that you can follow to learn the lines and get the feel of your car. We may also be able to get you into the Novice group as well if the timing of the run groups is right, that will allow you to learn without anyone passing during that session. There are a lot of good videos on YouTube of laps on NJMP's Lightning that are a good way to learn the general layout of the track. I highly recommend watching them, using the start finish line as your starting point. After about a half hour or so you will be able to anticipate the turns and recognize where on the track you are. Hint. There are only TWO left turns on the track. Turn 4 and turn 7. :cooldude: Every other turn is a right hand one.

 

We will expect that the track will ask for Payment around Late April, early May, and at that time we will require your commitment, check and Driver’s resume.

 

We will post a list of Lodging options shortly as I expect that rooms will book quickly as it is a Holiday weekend, and the track is only 35 to 40 minutes from the Jersey Shore. If you are planning on attending, you may want to book a room now as options will most likely be limited as we get closer to the event.

 

I’m sure we will have a few more additions to the list above, but we Just thought we’d give everyone plenty of time to get their cars ready and prevent any surprises at the track.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

Tom and Mike

Edited January 28, 2014 by yellowss7

[AndyB]

Arm restraints … will Caterham "doors" suffice?

[yellowss7]

Doubt, it Andy. I have an extra set or two that you are welcome to use.

 

Tom

[AndyB]

So what does an arm restraint look like, I've watched dozens of Caterham races and never noticed anything.

 

Edit. Just hit me they normally race with doors on so I would not see any device der!

[yellowss7]

Fits on the forearm, and attaches to the shoulder harness with a sliding loop.

Edited January 28, 2014 by yellowss7

[xcarguy]

Doubt, it Andy. I have an extra set or two that you are welcome to use.

 

Tom

 

I also have an extra set of arm restraints if needed.

[S1Steve]

Fits on the forearm, and attaches to the shoulder harness with a sliding loop.

 

That's the last thing that I need to get. Were did you get them.....

 

 

Thanks..

[xcarguy]

For those of you planning to attend our 7’s gathering this July, we thought we’d give you a heads up as to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I’m sure we will have a few more additions to the list above, but we Just thought we’d give everyone plenty of time to get their cars ready and prevent any surprises at the track.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

 

Tom and Mike

 

 

For those, such as me, who have NEVER :ack: attended one of the NJMP events, these are a couple of the things I’ve done thus far to better prepare for the event:

 

• Accommodations—I booked my stay at the Farefield Inn & Suites. The hotel is in a good area, is relatively close, is relatively new, has been used before by other event attendees, and received the Croc ‘thumbs up’ of approval:

 

 

Fairfield Inn & Suites Millville Vineland

301 Bluebird Ln, Millville, NJ ‎ 4.8 mi N

(856) 776-2400

 

 

• Videos—Croc has posted some very good 'training' videos pertaining to the Lightning course which are excellent for learning ‘the line’, passing zones, flag station locations, etc. These are some of my recommendations:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foHGIf1MjOg

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70HOeZNnHzw

 

 

This is a link to the track layout (thanks, Mike). If you study this track layout along with the videos, you can get a pretty good overall mental image of where the cars are located on-track in the videos as well as the locations of flag station locations, passing zones, track egress and ingress, start/finish line, etc:

 

http://www.njmp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Lightning-Classroom-Board-clean.pdf

 

Mike (Croc) and Tom (yellowss7) have been more than helpful in answering all of my questions, so if you have one, fire away. And don't worry about asking any stupid questions . . . . I'll take care of asking those. :jester:

[yellowss7]

Steve, check out summit racing, or any other place like, Pegasus, OG racing etc. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/sim-36000bk/overview/

 

Sparco USA has a good deal on them. http://www.sparcoracingusa.com/sparco-racing-arm-restraints.html?productid=1250

 

Tom

Edited January 29, 2014 by yellowss7

[wemtd]

How about those of us interested (if i can get away from work) in just hanging out and being able to see other sevens in person?

 

P.

[yellowss7]

Come on down and join us. Bring a folding chair and you're all set. I'll add you to the attending but not driving list.

 

Just remind us as we get closer if you want in on the breakfast and Lunch deal.

 

Tom

[Kitcat]

Paul:

 

It is often possible for observers to ''hitch" a ride with one of the on-track cars. It will give you a unique perspective of the track (and the car).

[bball7754]

Tom - Adding on to Mike's post above, are passengers allowed during the sessions? As I remember, the organization used for last years gathering didn't allow passengers.

 

Oh, and I'm not feeling the love from you for Crossflows.

 

Steve

[yellowss7]

Steve, you know I love the sound of your car. It's a classic. :jester:

 

NJMP has interpreted the rules layed out by the New Jersey state police to allow Instructors to ride along or take passengers out for instructional purposes. NJMP instituted an Instructor certification process and several of us have been granted Instructor status. So those of us who have that status are allowed to either ride with or have someone ride with us.

 

So, to answer your questions, technically, you can't have passengers, but Instructors can.

 

Crossflows RULE!!!:flag:

Tom

[bball7754]

Tom - I'm hoping you'll hear the Crossflow for more than 5 laps this year.

 

Sounds like that interpretation of the rules is for the track, regardless of the organization running the trackday.

 

Steve

[yellowss7]

That is what I've seen. If the group you are running with recognizes you as an instructor then they MAY allow you to take passengers.

 

I'm sure you will be a force to be feared on the track

the full weekend.:driving:

 

Looking forward to seeing your Brilliant shining Crossflow back out leading the pack again.

 

Tom:seeya:

[Poorichard]

Hey Guys, new Super Stalker owner here…….NJMP event looks great……I'll keep the date open!

[jlumba81]

Almost tempted to drive there to attend. Is this gonna be an annual event?

[Kitcat]

Poorichard:

 

Excellent first post! I look forward to seeing the Super Stalkers out in force at this event. My first "event" as a se7en owner was the 50TH anniversary party at the Tale of the Dragon the Slngsht and Al Navarro put together. I was blown away by the build quality of some of the Stalkers, and their phenomenal speed (as well as by Slingsht's in-car computer screen, and I wont even bring up Al running out of gas:)).

 

Yellow SS: this is turning into a THING

 

Jlumba: Do it! You will win the highly coveted: "He Drove the Furthest award," as well as the newly created: "He Took the Longest Ferry Ride Whilst Getting Here" award. There will be lots of other awards to go around including "Most Polished Se7en" award and the highly coveted "First to Break Down" award. Last year we had a guy sweep 3 awards but I know he wont feel bad if he loses those next time. There is the "Not that Bad" award for whoever shows up with the most drinkable wine. Plus whatever other "awards" I can dream up between now and then. For on-track cars, there is the "Most Agricultural" award that Croc and i have been battling over. And the "Most breakdowns award" tho some mite accuse me of setting that one up just to be sure I win at least one.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Kitcat

[yellowss7]

Almost tempted to drive there to attend. Is this gonna be an annual event?

 

This is actually our 4th annual get together. Started with 6, then 9, then 12, and this year is looking like 20+++. We MIGHT have to limit on track entries if it gets too much bigger. Otherwise we'd be like a Porsche club event with 60 cars on track at once. :cooldude:

 

Croc would crap if you drove his old sv all the way back East. :jester:

And yes we will do it again next year, and from past experience, Those who make it out, come back again and again. BBall7754 and KitCat are two of our founding members, that make the drive every year. And Boy does that CROSSFLOW sound great. :drool: Tom