30/05/2005 20:29:02 Cannonball Bob What a day! And the rain pretty much held off too. Tuition was £10 well spent even if it did consist mostly of Damon shouting "Off! Off! Off!" every time I so much as looked at the brake pedal. Even had some tread left at the end of the day, which is more than can be said for last year! Guess that's the benefit of blagging passenger seats first in a Caterham and then a ZT.....Tadpole to Killer Whale in one easy step.:D Great day, thanks all. A few photos already up.

31/05/2005 00:37:03 Mike Fantastic day, very well organised & a great (big!) circuit. Sod's law that I chose the best circuit to have 'offs' on to keep entirely on the hard stuff and almost always pointing the right way, which is more than could be said for some of the Elises ;-P Was worried that the ride in Tim's (awesome) Caterham was going to make the F feel a bit of a tank but no, there was more than enough entertainment to be had from sliding our sensible, practical everyday transport around :D The open pit lane worked well, I never had to queue & could stay out as long as my coffee-fuelled concentration allowed, and the marshals were very obliging with their blue flags heh heh! I'd recommend first timers to pay close attention on the sighting laps, there's a wide array of twists & turns but the absence of barriers or tyrewalls can make one look quite like another, kinda disorienting at first so maybe even worth passengering a few laps with someone else until you're reasonably confident about the layout. Or you can do what I did and go gung-ho into a bend only to find it's not the one you thought it was, that engraves it on the memory I find :rolleyes: But Jonathan Palmer seems to know his stuff, most of the likely overcooking spots have a generous margin for error so even my full-turn-of-opposite-lock moment didn't endanger a single blade of grass. The ?10 instruction was worth it just for the insight into the complex just before the long straight, I'd like to think I'd have arrived at the right line eventually by trial and error but probably at the cost of a set of tyres :o Subsequently finding myself outcornering & overtaking one or two TechSpeed stickers confirmed it had been a wise investment ;-) Bob, if it's any consolation I got the other end of the scale, he obviously didn't have as much faith in my brakes as I have. Can't wait for next year, and hats off to whoever is arranging the weather. Also looking forward to seeing the next chapter of Jonathan's video, although I suspect I didn't do a very professional job on my stint as camera car, hopefully he'll edit out the tut-tut bits (and the odd expletive might need bleeping too, sorry Jonathan!). Still cursing that I didn't get evidence of a certain green F going backwards, it doesn't happen very often... Looking forward to getting to grips with Cadwell Park, more of the same and HILLS too !! Must get an EPAS switch rigged up, thanks for the inspiration Rob. Neil, I hope the misfire has gone for good, Jenny's going to be demanding every last bhp now she's back on a mission... ________ [URL="http://arizona.dispensaries.org/"]Arizona Medical Marijuana Dispensary[/URL]

31/05/2005 08:39:21 Floyd_England [b]Another great Bedford day[/b] Once again a superb day at Bedford, :D hats off to the Lotus on track crowd for organising it, and to the MGs on track crowd for getting us some places. Only one major spin this year, even though the track seemed a bit less grippy than last year...... Must be learning something!!! :rolleyes: Forgot to set the trip, so haven't a clue how many track miles I managed :( [QUOTE=Mike H] I'd recommend first timers to pay close attention on the sighting laps, there's a wide array of twists & turns but the absence of barriers or tyrewalls can make one look quite like another, kinda disorienting at first so maybe even worth passengering a few laps with someone else until you're reasonably confident about the layout. [/QUOTE]I took a mate of mine with me who's a 4 wheel track day virgin. He drove the slow laps to start, then passengered me and blagged an Exige ride in the morning. By the afternoon he was fully aware of the circuit, braking zones, apexes etc, and had a great time driving my F. He asked me to send his thanks to MGOT and LOT for a superb day.

31/05/2005 09:43:11 Rob Bell Barnstorming day - had a terrific time. 163 track miles, and I was still wanting to do more! :D Bob, hope Kate didn't mind a bit of grass cutting! Overheating tyres, obviously ;) That ZT was pretty quick!!! Had a devil of a job trying to catch and pass it! Traffic was the only reason I got close enough to pass (only to depart stage left a few corners later ROFL) Weather was brilliant - now need to look into going to Cadwell...

31/05/2005 11:22:40 Cannonball Bob [QUOTE=Rob Bell] Bob, hope Kate didn't mind a bit of grass cutting! Overheating tyres, obviously ;) [/QUOTE] Errrmmmm yeah, what can I say..... "Tim's fast, Rob's pretty quick too.....:D " "And me?:( " "Oh....err.....yeah, well, you were ok too :rolleyes:"

31/05/2005 11:47:10 v8dave [QUOTE]Barnstorming day - had a terrific time. 163 track miles, and I was still wanting to do more![/QUOTE] Approx 160 miles on track and 60 litres of fuel used - but I still didn't kill the tyres. I was surprised how much the lotuses had to brake for the chicane at the end of the long straight, and also how fast I could get through it :eek: Lets hope the LoT guys invite us next year.

31/05/2005 13:53:57 Tony Crossley Good track Bedford, if a bit long. You only need to use half of it as a cool down lap :-) Shame I couldn't come down this time, would have been fun. If anyone is interested, and has the bandwidth, there is an in-car video here for you to compare against. The vid is a M3 CSL following a 911 GT3 RS, and the M3 CSL following me in a ZT260 (and no, I didn't have much tyre tread left) [url]http://www.justgofaster.com/gallery/gallery/justgofaster/public_videos/Bedford050325.wmv[/url]

31/05/2005 18:19:05 JP12 Tim, Is that your orange Caterham in the photo gallery? Very nice! Is it K series powered? Joe

31/05/2005 19:25:21 Rob Bell Going to answer for Tim - yes, that's his juicy Caterham - and it is powered by a 1.8 litre K-series with a pair of cheeky Piper 633 cams... Rather nippy, it must be said!

31/05/2005 19:31:04 Tim :D :D :D Mmmmmmmmm Rob, How many times did you spin in a single lap....? I counted at least 2 :)

31/05/2005 19:43:04 Cannonball Bob [QUOTE=Tim]How many times did you spin in a single lap....? I counted at least 2 [/QUOTE] Yeah forgot to add, although Kate said you were quick she added you were rubbish in the corners! ;)

31/05/2005 22:13:37 PHolley [b]Killer Whale of a time[/b] [QUOTE=Cannonball Bob]What a day! And the rain pretty much held off too. Tuition was £10 well spent even if it did consist mostly of Damon shouting "Off! Off! Off!" every time I so much as looked at the brake pedal. Even had some tread left at the end of the day, which is more than can be said for last year! Guess that's the benefit of blagging passenger seats first in a Caterham and then a ZT.....Tadpole to Killer Whale in one easy step.:D Great day, thanks all. A few photos already up.[/QUOTE] Glad you enjoyed the trip in the whale ... Karen was glad of the rest as she was getting quite tired clinging onto the grab handle. If only Rover's seats had anywhere near as much grip as a set of melting Bridgestones! 2nd trip to Bedford and first time on the full course. A fantastic venue, well organised and even the weather came out good for us. I'm glad the new engine didn't let me down (glad I got that warranty claim through before they folded!) ... just need to to wean myself off of the constant nervous oil checks now! ... well that and get it mapped to 190 tune. Still seemed that the fastest thing out there was the Midget. As my 'real' MG is a Midge I have to take my hat off to that class act. I have enough trouble getting mine to run smoothly let alone hastle the modded Lotus boys.

01/06/2005 09:18:11 SteveRat [b]Some photos here ...[/b] Some photos here [url="http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carsclasses.php?DIR=20050530_Bed_Lot_Web"]http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carsclasses.php?DIR=20050530_Bed_Lot_Web[/url]

01/06/2005 11:28:30 v8dave [QUOTE]Originally posted by [b]SteveRat[/b] Some photos here [url="http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carsclasses.php?DIR=20050530_Bed_Lot_Web"]http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carscla...530_Bed_Lot_Web[/url][/QUOTE] Worth a bit of study those photos. Look at the positioning of cars on the track and the 'attitude' of the car ( how much it rolls, tyre movement, wheel angles, etc.). If your car seems a hand full on track comparing it against other similar cars might give you some useful info about tyre pressures and suspension settings. Of course it is possible the other car was cooling its tyres and brakes when the photo was taken :confused: Dave [url="http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carsclasses.php?DIR=20050530_Bed_Lot_Web"][/url]

01/06/2005 16:27:14 Rob Bell [QUOTE=Tim]Rob, How many times did you spin in a single lap....? I counted at least 2 :)[/QUOTE] Nah - I spred the spins out a bit - can't have too much excitment in a single lap! ;)

01/06/2005 16:30:07 Rob Bell [QUOTE=v8dave]Worth a bit of study those photos. Look at the positioning of cars on the track and the 'attitude' of the car ( how much it rolls, tyre movement, wheel angles, etc.). If your car seems a hand full on track comparing it against other similar cars might give you some useful info about tyre pressures and suspension settings. Of course it is possible the other car was cooling its tyres and brakes when the photo was taken :confused: Dave [url="http://www.trackphoto.co.uk/carsclasses.php?DIR=20050530_Bed_Lot_Web"][/url][/QUOTE] Good advice there Dave - but sadly, the images shown were all taken on the "sighting lap" - hence no one is wearing their bone domes...

01/06/2005 22:55:50 Neil [QUOTE=Rob Bell]Good advice there Dave - but sadly, the images shown were all taken on the "sighting lap" - hence no one is wearing their bone domes...[/QUOTE] :confused: Rob, the front page is simply a shot of everyone's car. If you click on the image you get all the photos of each car during the day.

02/06/2005 09:13:32 v8dave [QUOTE]Originally posted by Neil :confused: Rob, the front page is simply a shot of everyone's car. If you click on the image you get all the photos of each car during the day.[/QUOTE] Nicely put Neil, although I'm sure it was a deliberate mistake of Rob's to see who was reading the posts ;). Dave

02/06/2005 09:28:11 Rob Bell [QUOTE=v8dave]Nicely put Neil, although I'm sure it was a deliberate mistake of Rob's to see who was reading the posts ;). Dave[/QUOTE] Ermmm.... yes.... exactly what I was doing there Dave.... Not! ;) Sorry, I hadn't looked beyond the first page: my elderly work PC had trouble loading up the first page, so I hadn't explored any further! :o I want a new computer!!! :rolleyes: Any other tools around I can blame?

03/06/2005 13:19:04 NeilT [font=Arial][size=2]Hi Guy's[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]I know I wasn't in an MG....or in my Rover, but an excelent day. I did 125 track miles in my Nissan Primera, and was surprised how well a 105k mile car could do against an Elise, while still running orginal suspension etc.[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]Only trouble is, the Rover 200 is unsuitable for tracks which require a helmet, I either have to have the seat reclined right back (i.e, crapped legs, stretched out arms), or have to tilt my head at 90 degrees as the helmet touches the roof.[/size][/font] Cheers

06/06/2005 10:08:37 Rob Bell Surely not a problem Neil? Take a sledge hammer and put a dome in the roof to clear the helmet! ;) Either that or invest in a race seat? Aren't the seats on the ZR height adjustable - and a direct swap for those in your Rover? Sorry didn't get to speak to you much Neil - but it was amuzing to see your Nissan worrying some Elises ;) LOL

06/06/2005 10:47:06 NeilT [QUOTE=Rob Bell]Aren't the seats on the ZR height adjustable - and a direct swap for those in your Rover? [/QUOTE] [font=Arial][size=2]Rob,[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]The 200 does have height adjustable sports seats already (its basically a 200Vi without VVC). In its lowest position my head just brushes the sunroof, in its highest position it feels like i'm driving an HGV.[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]The Primera is no doubt the better track car of the both anyway, and i'm still worried about the HG failures on the K-series seeing as i've suffered 2 already (218 and 416).[/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=2]The 218 probably will see the track, but probably only on an airfield days such as North Wield, in which car my wife and I can have a car each :-)[/size][/font]

06/06/2005 13:19:39 Rob Bell Two HGFs? Ouch... Touch wood, we've not had one yet - with experience with a Metro 114GTa 16v, Rover 214Si, Rover 75 2.0KV6 and of couse, my MGF 1.8i :) Our 214 didn't have the adjustable seats - pitty that the lowest setting is so high. The problem is the sunroof - I recall that my head was brushing it even without wearing a helmet! So the only solutions are: 1. fit a lower seat (cheap bucket perhaps?) 2. set seat to highest position and drive looking out of sunroof... ;)