(Sorry it's late) Silverstone Round #10 2009 Elise Trophy: My first-ever race weekend: view from Car #56

OK OK i'm sorry this is late (as in 7 months late). I started this whole blogging thing to share what is the unique experience of going acing for the first time and ended up with an epic FAIL. So here's my pledge: all future major updates to the car and race reports will go up here. I promise ;0p

Silverstone Round #10: My first-ever race weekend: view from Car #56

Race #1 Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlfJ5cOhLYw

Race #1 Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd64VJXSD0k


Race 2 part 1 & 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TZPUTsGDdA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRISts0e5Eo

Race 3, Part 1 & 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA2YdF953YM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqAgKVdXO6k

OK so here’s the review of my first ever race-weekend. Being new to this malarky please excuse me for not coming up with a 1-paragraph review full of side-splittingly sarcastic repartee about my antics I’ve spent 12 hard months getting to the grid and I guess like nearly everyone else on the grid I’ve had no end of problems with the car, so much so the longest it’s lasted without breaking this year has been 6 laps on an evening trackday in August ! Never driven in the wet either (excuse #1) It was an ambition of mine to race and I’m just so elated to have completed my first race weekend.
Before I go further i need to extend huge, un-repayable gratitude to Rob Beves and Ben Pitch (and respective wives) for helping me out through the weekend. I really did not know what was involved about getting a car ready – and keeping it prepped between races – until yesterday. Boys – I’ll spanner for you any time.

Pre-race

Arrived @circuit c7am to get in the queue early for more rubber. There seemed so much to do: fuel, car up on the axle stands, wheels off, overalls ready for scrutineering, drink fluids. Just so glad car was in garage overnight! 15 minutes before qually and the tyres still haven’t come back and Ben discovered a knackered M8 bolt securing the top-end of the NSR Nitron damper. Thanks to Hoffmann’s for replenishing the bolt. Normally at this point I’d have been cacking it about not getting out but, the tipping-point passed and I just thought if i don’t make it out for qually, starting @the back of the grid would be fun. In the end I was out in ample time due to some awesome pit-work from the Pitch-Beves pairing with the words of “just beat Humphrey” ringing in my ears off i went. New tyres, greasy circuit, first time out in qually: yes please. Loved the greasy lines and knew i’d banked a decnt lap one-from-the end despite having to lift for waved yellows @Copse.
Back into pits and pleased to hear i’d quallied 20th from 37(?)

Race 1: Qualy 20th, finished 14th

Green flag: practice start (cack) check out the greasy spots (pretty much everywhere),
brakes> tyres> grid> Hans ahead of me: check....David Alexander to my right: Check. Trundle up to grid slot:1st gear: check. WHAT? Be banished ye random-thought scoundrels and take your devious flummery elsewhere!

Red lights.....revs.....GO! Not enough revs....NOT GO! *only* one-down by Copse > into Maggots...uh-oh what's this? Oh....a car is flying up into the air (poor old Andrew Napier i think - who i was sharing a garage with) avoid_avoid_avoid...Treasure up the inside on the grass....blocked by all-and-sundry (novice mistake #1)...Kell on inside...make a *little room*...round the outside @Island, Kell has a moment> lift> more cars past...6 places down WHO CARES I AM RACING...yes i am actually doing this!

Right settle down dude....if you out-quallied-them you'll *likely* be able to catch them Catch #67 Kell.....dice for a few laps and register my virgin overtaking account by sticking it up the inside at Bridge...Dad would be proud. Push>push>push....concentrate... Catch, catch catch car ahead...who is it? #41 Kirkbride. Looks like there an opportunity through Bridge_Priory_Luffield. But....oh..good run out of Island...down the outside into Abbey....yes? ...Yes! I'm through! Am I? ....NO!
Hans is in the gravel...did i see yellows? Not sure...Wave Kirkbride back-through on exit of Abbey just in-case (novice mistake #2) Go go go go...go? what? 3rd gear? 2k revs? Bogged-down.....go go go.....What's this? Hans is out of the gravel and up my arse on the run out of Abbey. Defend, defend, defend into Bridge>Priory>Luffield. Catch Kirkbride again....where can i get by? CAN i get by? Mmmm priory/Luffield I think....
Having been foolhardy and promised team #56 i'd take the Heidfeld line round Luffield.....why not try it whilst the track is still like baby-oil? 2nd overtake: done.
Push push push...few more fun bits. Lap Jake Humphrey on the final lap and then an entirely unexpected involuntary ejaculation of emotion over the finish line , wave to marshalls effusively. race #1: done (I’m never taking the pi55 out of Lewis Hamilton for whooping on the radio ever. Again. Period).
Wife-and-kids-and friends envelope pit-garage and get hugs from sweaty race-novice. Super-pleased with 14th given the quality on the grid. Review classification and am reminded just how much more talent i need when looking @ top 10’s lap times. Someone said to me Donnelly was *only 2.9 seconds* faster but that didn’t make me feel much better. Looking back, I enjoyed the slippery-er conditions more than the dry...building up through Bridge and Copse whilst it was greasy during race conditions was just....uniquely fun. Mr Golding; please please please can we race there again?

Race #2: Finished 14th (in class)

A Ben Pitch-inspired camber change on the rear of the car transformed the handling in race #2. A very kind scrutineer told me to raise the ride-height by 1mm so that all done and full of confidence after keeping #56's nose clean in race #1, here I am on the grid: Kirbride to my left: check. Cliff Fox (modified) ahead: check. Red lights: Go! Good start: past Cliff Fox...YES!
....2nd gear where are you? Whilst simultaneously registering the unique sound of a Rover VVC engine hitting 8,500 RPM out-of-gear i glance in the mirror to see poor old Matt Bartlett nearly rear-ending me. Not finished yet though with my stupendous display of gear-changing wizardry.....3rd gear where are you? Damn you devious quickshifter weasels! Ayres, Kell, Treasure, Price, Bartlett all past by Copse uuuurgh. Then more on the run to Maggotts. x8 places down FFS this is Minardi-safety-car-esque descending of the order!

Find myself in the battle between Noble, Vitthal, Kell, Bartlett...some sort of James Bond tactics from Noble through Bridge_i_hope_it's_not_oil_else_we'll end up in Warwickshire but kept the foot-in anyway. #33 past @Priory, big tangle @Brooklands: x3 places back. Chasing Vitthal and Kell I run wide @Copse Gary Broad gets past with his arse hanging off (presumably from earlier contact with #??) ...COME ON FFS get a grip.
Faster than Vitthal but not a 'kin chance on the straights.
Maggotts: oil/coolant WTF...oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiit...correct./..oppo oppo.....kink...stay left for braking...oh FFS more oil/coolant......shiiiiiiiit.
Keep battling, up and through some dude into Priory (i love that corner), Kell, Vitthal, Bartlett now out of sight. Closed them down in under a lap as they were slowing each other up and having a group-hug into Abbey. Nearly did Vitthal into Priory and Luffield until that pesky Honda power saw him off into the distance again. Push push push catch Kelll and Bartlett again who are fighting into Abbey...an opportunity I spy....wide entry, cut back...yes I’ll ‘ave him only for Kell to miss a gear on the exit – we are both buried into the exit kerb - no option but to get out of it completely and watch another Silver S1 (not sure who) sail by on the run up to Bridge. Finished up behind Andrew. That’s racing! Pleased to make it back in one piece again.

Race 3: Finished 25th

After about 93 cups of tea with the family-and friends like the rest managed to muster some adrenaline for race #3. Must confess at this point my overriding mindset was to bring this little shed home in one piece given the amount of cash spunked on the thing through the year.
After another shocking start and daisy-esque entry to copse, find myself fighting with Bartlett and Ayres. More diversion tactics from Noble through Bridge. Next lap, Cliff Fox gets through on the run up from Abbey to Bridge under acceleration (I’ll have you back).
I end up having an amusing battle with Nigel, ending in me doing him up the inside into Brooklands. Sensible driving from the both of us – he gave me *just* enough room as you can see on the vid.
Next - catch and pass the black-and-orange S2 (Livesy?) in under a lap: up the inside into Priory. Not that it was intentionally there but as i found out later, the entire family + friends were watching @the BRDC stand and after cursing me for being such a girl on the opening laps at least there was some entertainment watching me re-pass a couple of folk (or so i told myself).
The only other highlight of the race was catching Mr Fox. I could make super-time into Island...then watching him disappear until I caught through Bridge and Priory. Finally he missed a cog exiting Island and i was past on the last lap.
Super elated coming into the pits – given some of the damage on the day i can’t hide relief i brought it home in one piece. Noble, Deacon, Malt, Kell were all @Abbey at this point. I’d have loved another lap or 2 to join that battle but not to be. My fault for getting stuck earlier in the race!

Looking back, x4 1min 39 laps at the end of the race give me encouragement if i can improve my starts i can hold my own in the midfield – which is where i quallied after-all!

Summary and thank you’s

Well I met quite a few folk this weekend: some for the first time, some for the second/third time: Peter Trott, Matt Bartlett, Hans, Gary Broad (top bloke), Adam Bewsey (another novice), Pat McBennett (also sharing a garage – well done mate!). Marcus Jewell, Greg Noble, Steve Williams, Nigel Ayres, Martin Roberts, Ken Savage (thanks for letting me use your garage on Friday).

Probably speaks volumes that despite fighting near the back of the grid I just had an EPIC weekend and i’m absolutely hooked. Paul and your crew: you have the formula for this series absolutely on-the-nose and i just cannot wait to get cracking again next year.

Ben, Rob: thank you so much for helping me this weekend. It simply would not have been possible without you. I owe you big-time!

WTF

Well, so much for blogging. I spent a year building a car and didn't even post up a race report for the first race (October 09). How special. Anyway.....winter refresh well under way (see below) and aiming for Silverstone in April......(2010) ;p

Brakes fixed: all-go for Silverstone on Saturday...

New brake master-cylinder, new heather matrix (the last one started pissing out coolant....thought it was the ((New rad)) oh no! but anyway replaced), new pads. All set.
Pic from when I picked the car up earlier this week. Big thanks for Steve and Dave @Guglielmi for turning it round so fast.

Three races on Saturday.
I'm finiding myself doing stupid little jobs which i started to list in March..like: measure out driver harnesses so the ridged rubber bits marry up with the HANS device; fit the new soft-top roof (well it's 2nd hand), take off the decals, etc etc.....10 months of preparation and it's come to this....

Nervous_energy....
Will post up qualy>thru race results as i go...

Stu

Brakes...not done. New master cylinder Sir?

OK...so I changed the pads @the weekend having earlier swapped the fluid and bled the system. It's clear the RS42's (pictured) were glazed; "yay" I thought.....brake-balance cured! Sadly....
'twas not to be....

Rather than sand-papering the RS42's (I'll leave that for another day) I wanted to get a new set on the car all-round so to reduce any scope for variance. So, with a new set of Carbone Lorraine's installed (pictured below) I set off on a hopeful test drive, expecting that magical feeling of front-end-bite to return.
Pads bedded-in, I go for a few hard-stops. It went like this:

Brake> rears lock > dab of oppo > Try again.
Brake > rears lock > dab of oppo > try again. Merde!



Net/Net....the "tiny job" I expected is the sting in the tail. Rad, clutch, rear main seal, toelinks, misfire, coilpack....and now I need a new brake master cylinder and/or a caliper refurb. All before silverstone. Super.

I reckon the cost per lap YTD is something like £1,000 ...presently. This is really rather not going to plan.

Rear main-seal: done

Picked the car up earlier this week. Rear main oil seal fixed, also fitted a new clutch. Hmmmm. Thanks to the boys @Guglielmi.
Only thing left to fix is the brakes.....the front-end bite is non existent and the rears are locking. Have bled the system and added new fluid....it's definitely not the master-cylinder as the pedal is hard-as-a-rock. It's highly unlikely it's sticky pistons as it's not grabbing. It can only be the old knackered RS42's on the front so.....they are coming off. Bought some rather super-looking Carbon Lorraine pads from Hofmann's and they're going on the car @the weekend. Then....out on the road for a test....it's critical as if the rears still lock, i have a major problem to sort before silverstone in 2 weeks........

Radiator: Done

And so it is finished. Ol' rusty bolts and c-clips replaced with shiny new ones....al' rusty washers ground-off to be all nice and shiny ...why not?

It all took a lot longer than i thought it would - of course - having not anticipated i'd have to replace so many other bits and pieces. Mounting the fan to the rad was a real pain-in-the-ass (rivets required plus had to get all the rust off the old fixing plates) but everthing else was relatively straight forwards: filled up the system with coolant/water mix, turned on the engine w/o coolant header cap on, topped it up as the system drew air in...bled it @ engine side. let it run up to 100 degrees before the fan came in and that immediately took it down to 90 degrees.
I have to say the pro-alloy rad is absolutely a fantastically well-made bit of kit.
Front clam on and wheelarches (PITA).
Left the car @Guglielmi to start work on taking out the gearbox to get at that rear main-seal.....

Rad change day #1

"I'll do as much spannering as I can to save money...."
....was *just one* of my justifications of going racing when I sold it to Mrs R earlier this year. Today presented itself as a persistent lessor of a loan extended to my often, over-eager tongue. It was time to pay-up or shutup.
So....it was a proper day of spannering - and an enjoyable one at that. I'd like to extend a BIG thanks to Steve Guglielmi for letting me spanner in his workshop all day. I've been using Steve and his fantastic team for over 3 years now - as a paying customer - and they've never let me down. Always hugely welcoming and they ALWAYS do what they say they'll do. Whilst I'm not expecting this to be a permanent arrangement (after all, how often do you get the chance to use a first-class workshop and call on first-class help when you want FoC) Anyway.,...the deal is I change the rad before handing over to Steve's team to do the rear-main-seal. Definitely not a job I'd have even the faintest about......

So...I'm working to some time pressure but.....I didn't*really* expect to finish the job 100% today. In many respects, not working to a specific time-deadline made the spannering a tad more enjoyable and certainly, less stressful.

Some pics below........

Clam off and coolant drain..........(3hrs due to some rather spiffingly rounded-off bolts on the pax side sill. Thank you Lotus).











...this is the bleed-off valve on the exit side of the rad. It was completely perished on the top-end - an additional turn tighter disintegrated the entire silicone and rubber extension - and the break-down is visible on the inside of the pipe.....










10-yr old Rad off. Removing the fan was really fun. I love rivets.










Coolant pipes under the front crash structure. removing - and subsequently fixing new silicone hoses - was absolutely joyous. The black bar is the uprated front anti-roll bar.












5pm: front clam off, old rad off, all the old narly bolts and rusty c-clips removed and replaced with shiny new items, NS silicone hose mounted and jubilee-clip-tightened, wheels back on, roll Naomi back into workshop.
(Naomi - whilst pretty damned good to look at and on paper - ultimately extremely unreliable, peaky, high-maintenance and on occasion, law-breakingly upsetting to live with). You dirty good for nothing has-been.....see you tomorrow.....

New radiator

I had *a* plan.
It was fairly simple: duck and dive to the end of the season - then change all the old stuff what needed changing - over the winter.
Her majesty was dripping fluid from both ends @Silverstone, one fix being somewhat easier than the other. Either way, if i have any hope of making it to the grid on 10th October @Silverstone, I need to be "making some fixes"...as a European F1 driver would say.

Fix #1 (DiY)

New radiator.
Turns out - as many S1 Elise drivers will testify - that the rather splendid design of the OEM rad - it being too thin combined with the fact that plastoc ends are crimped onto aluminium - means it's often the first thing to go. Well...it definitely has gone and I need to replace it with a full alloy version; so i'm going to fit one of these:
http://www.proalloy.co.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=det&pt=52_62_178&p=207&id=proalloy
........what's even more worrying is i'm going to try it myself.

Fix #2
....is a replacement rear main seal: gearbox out....definitely a job not for me so will be giving that to the chaps @Guglielmi Motorsport.

the view from Silverstone today

Yup....it's broken again. What you can't see is....

a) the coolant nicely dripping out of the front chassis-well and..b) The rather uniform coating of oil across the gearbox and undertray.....yup...that be the rear main seal alreet Worsel......gearbox out......mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I'm thinking of starting an online t-shirt company....the first design shall be a Elise race-car silouhette (after all, that's all that'll be left after i torch the weasel) with a sizeable red-coloured strike-through sign saying: "Race-cars....NO!"

engine "sorted"

So it appears the engine is sorted. Cylinder missing was caused by duff new ht leads! New cambelt as precaution. Need to find exact compression test figures as cylinder #4 was down c10% before we changed cambelt (which i am told is within accepted tolerance) but tests can vary according to how hot the engine is and whether throttle wide open or not.
Anyhoo...it's all fine apparently. Ready for trackday @silverstone next week....although i've only gone and torn my pere-neel tendon in my left calf....following a physio session yesterday i can barely walk at the moment so hoping it recovers at least 50% strength so i can operate the clutch! Thanks to the guys @Guglielmi.

The last 2 months...

MOG HANS Seat purchased > Mounts not right, sitting too high > fabricate custom mounts > seat fits > Can't reach the steering wheel > Steering wheel spacer fitted > New HANS belts > New geo > Trackday @ Silverstone > She works! > Get her home, off the trailer....oh...she's broken again!

Some pics to follow.....

She's still poorly....

New coil pack, new HT leads....we've still lost a cylinder.
This was the view of the engine as I left it last week....hoping a cam hasn's spun on a spindle or possibly the cambelt has lopped a tooth off the vernier...which may explain the blackened plug on cylinder #4....

Aiming for Silverstone in October now with work commitments all through September this is the first chance I'll get.

Donington: no-go

The title of this blog is becoming increasingly amusing....soon it will be "My novice year in motorsport...which never happened...."

Anyway...a House-move (yay) ....and ongoing issues (outlay) with the car means dony is a no-go this weekend :(

However the good news is Silverstone is *definitely* a go-er in October.
Elsie managed a evening trackday session @ Silverstone GP back 2 weeks ago...without breaking. However, she did voice her complete disgust at spending this time in working order and made a rather splendid noise in deciding that the coil pack has finally met it's maker when i got it off the trailer when we got home.

Hard luck Jason

Well, after years of preparation, Jason's car managed 1.5 laps of qualifying before the oil decided it was going to vomit itself out the dipstick. Good luck mate - hope you get it sorted.

Jason (friend of BRR) makes race-debut tomorrow (Sat 6th)

Close friend and honorary member of BRR Jason West is making his race debut tomorrow (wahey) in the Nippon Challenge in a 300bhp Nissan 200.

I've just spoken with Jason's press officer, and things are all on track for his international racing debut in the World Series Nippon Challenge race at Silverstone tomorrow. In fact they are so on track that Nick (Technical Director, Sh*tbox racing) spent x8 hours fitting a Quaiffe diff and has just discovered it won't fit. Nothing too major to sort out ahead of Qualifying at 11am tomorrow, then.

I'll be heading across to watch Jase's gearbox explode into smithereens on the out-lap_i_mean_ line up on the grid , so if anyone wants to accompany me/meet me there, would be good to give Jase some support. I'll have both of my little princesses with me as well, so if you're the only other member of Jibber-Monkey-sh itbox-racing fan club, you might even get roped into helping me change a nappy. Now there's an offer you can't refuse.

Oh, and it will be raining, very hard. Builder's tea will be order of the day.

More new stuff

Need new harnesses to fit the new HANS device (3in straps don't sit in the runners) as well as (MOG) CF seat. On order.

Fabricated up seat mounts, pick the car up soon then across to Guglielmi Motorsport (on the way back home from where the car is) to diagnose the issue with the steer-from-ze-rear suspension.

Costs this month:
- New Scroth 2in harnesses: £ 200
- MOG CF HANS seat: £800
- Relocation of harness bar £TBC

Still need to buy boots and gloves (present ones are karting gloves, not flameproof!)

Target: Donington in August

The car has been away for the last 2 weeks. Deposited at a small company called ATF engineering, who are doing some work for me on the seat mounts and the harness bar.

Plan is to recover the car sometime in the next 2 weeks, and sort out whatever is causing the chronic turn-in oversteer in the car (most liekly worn bushes or drive-flange methinks).

Trackday booked end of June, targeting Donington in August. Seems like an eterninty but I know the time will fly as we are moving house.

Those chrysanthemum's are nice, dear

OK so....it's May 3rd.

Just seen the results come in for the A1 Gp meet at Brands and top work to Mr Stanley and Mr Pitch for excellent drives (Ben especially). Equal sympathy to Chris Randall who after an astonishing winter-build had created a fantastic Europa race car, only for it to be punted into the barrier at Druids on it's 4th race outing - Chris here's hoping you can get the thing mended (pic below). Equal sympathy to friend/mate and now into his 2nd season - Mr Rob Beves who had to pull out of this weekend due to a bad case of tennis elbow. 4-6 weeks recovery time - ouch.


If it's any consolation, I know how you feel about having to miss a few races.

So here we are - I was planning to be on the grid in June at Snetterton but that's not going to happen now.
I'm £11k deep into the car (over and above purchase price) and nowhere near my nervous first green-flag lap.
Why? Well, leaving aside the deeply unsuitable timing of the credit-crunch and the impact on my sales bonus, I can't find a blasted seat which will sit me low-enough in the car, and secondly, there's still something major to sort out with the rear suspension.

Back to the seat issue, I've gone back to Elgan (Hot_Lap) to see if we can raise the harness bar by 20mm. At present levels, it's the perfect height for wearing without a HANS device - I can tighten the belts so tight I can hardly breathe - but adding the HANS device means the belts travel some 20mm-25mm higher over my shoulders. As the harness bar is so close to the shoulders in the Elise, it means there's a *little* too much pressure on my shoulders. So, Tuesday Elgan is due to call with a date (I hope) can get the car up to his to sort this out.

In the meantime I've been busy with a house-move (goodbye single garage, hello big double heated garage with electic door yay!) and mainly tending to a newer mahoosive garden (we haven't moved yet but these duties for the vacant property have already fallen to me).
So we had a beautiful day today cutting grass and planting vegetables at the new house; which has a stunning garden. The chrysanthemum's inparticular, are quite something.

PS: First race is now Donington on August 15th (damn you Mr C. Crunch)

Brands Hatch

The day before Brands:
- Pick up new trailer from Brian James: Check
- Pick up car from Steve Williams: check.

- Do "faff" stuff after picking up car. err......
....it's 1am and I'm packing up the car on the driveway having not left Steve Williams until c8ish. Home>work call> stuff food down me neck and then start packing the car. I've still not sat in the thing since the cage has been fitted. 4am reveille. Arrive at Brands for 7am. Unload car. Engine won't start - battery flat. Got a friendly caterham driver to push me off the trailer. THANK F**K i brought the battery charger - stick it into the mains, charge up before heading off to the briefing. Took a quick pic as I headed out of the pit garage:

I've finally got to a trackday! I think to myself. Nothing that new - tb as I did 15 of the things in the VX last year but this *feels* a completely new experience. I have no idea what to expect from the car. Whenever i've driven it on the road, it's been wet and cold and what with the toelinks and geo messed-up, it felt awful.

Back to garage, fire her up. It starts! wahey. Trundle out onto the track - after over 60 or 70 trackdays in my life, i've never actually driven here. The gradient changes out of paddock hill bend feel just like the 'ring. 2nd sighting lap, i start to accelerate out of paddock-hill. No power.

Gulp.

There's a rather spiffing tractor-type noise coming from the engine. Sounds like it's missing or only on 3 cylinders. Limp into pits. Spend an hour faffing with the car (see below) before calling Steve. Spark plug cover off - no water ingress. Nothing visible loose. Had a play with the coil pack leads - no0 use. Must be coil pack.

2 hours later, it's lunchtime and Steve has sent Andy down in the car with some spare HT leads, plugs, spare coil packs. An hour or so of faffing at it's sorted.

Straight out onto the track, banged in a 20 min session. The car feels great: the tyres are on their way out but aside from that, it feels good. Tangible difference in weight compared to the VX. This is most noticeable at Druids (turn #2) - where I would expect the VX to understeer on the way in and push understeer on thw way out under acceleration, the elise just noses itself in without any resistance and statys nailed to the line on the exit. I surprised even myself how quick the car is. I really don't miss the power of the VX.

Making use of the rest of the day, I hooked up about 3 more sessions. The car felt really great: the braking feel - compared to the VX - is on a different planet. I'd become used to servo-assisted brakes (not good) but with the Elise, the feel you get through the pedal means you can go in so so so late on the brakes; with the car being well setup, hard trail-braking into the turn doesn't seem to upset the car as badly as the VX did. Again - there's much more weight in the rear of the VX which would account for this. The car really does dive a lot under braking - the single-way damper valving and relatively soft springs (400/500) are accountable for this - but it's something to sort out next year after 10 or so race starts give me a better idea where I am.

As great as the car felt, it was very unnerving through paddock hill bend - regularly being completeley out-of-shape by the time i reached the clipping-point. I'd like to say this was down to my heroically fast skills but actually it had nothing to do with that. It almost felt as if the wheel was toeing out. Maybe it was the tyres, or the camber of the corner, but most likely knackered bushes or worn drive flanges. Either way, I want to try it again on a longer radius right-hand corner. If i was racing, this would be a great excuse for qualifying at the back .

In the last session, managed to tag onto x3 caterham academy guys who were giving it the full beans. We had a great race_I_mean_session. The cars were very evenly matched through all but paddock hill; where they seemed to be able to take completely different line to me: turning in much earlier and getting on the power earlier. Whenever I tried this the rear just stepped out. Entertatining but not fast.

We all had a good natter in the pits afterwards - the caterham guys have a really exciting season ahead and I can totally see why that series attracts so many new entrants every year. End of day: loaded the car up (see below)

Despite being a fantastic family car and daily runner for me (I do c25k per annum) the Skoda is not an ideal tow-car. As you can see from the pic, the rear of the car is really under a lot of load; which in-turn moves the weight off-of the front wheels. As it's FWD, it spins the wheels in 3rd even in the dry. it's very unnerving on the motorway. I can get the elise further back on the trailer to alleviate that to some extent but i really need a RWd or AWD car for more stability

Also being a manual box, manoevering the trailer in the paddock was a nightmare. I had to reverse up the hill into my parking space, riding the clutch all the way. Smelly clutch. As I found out - it's not a good idea to try and get out of the paddock at brands through the exit tunnel. It's NOT designed for trailers! As I apexed a left hand bend into the tunnel, a quick glance in the NS mirror showed there wasn't a chocolate-teapot's chance of the trailer clearing the apex. Cars were backed up behind me and in a split second I saw the scene which might have unfolded - trying to reverse the trailer, it jacknifing - having to take it off, re attach etc etc. It's very easy to panic in these situations and i did to a lesser extent. But by some miracle, i reversed it round the corner without changing the steering spip angle and tried again and it cleared by about 1mm. Thank f*ck for that!

Silverstone report and credit-cruch-impact-on-racing-plans-for-the-year report to follow......

Roll-cage: fitted

No posted since the first test day - so this is the post that should have happened a week or so before that.

Roll-cage: fitted.
Pics below were taken when job 50% complete.
As you can see, it's a quality fit and offers strong protection. We were worried about the harness bar fouling the extended bulkhead where the fuel hose travels to the fuel tank (behind driver's seat) but in the end it cleared no probs.