700newtons

Yes, that was my first L7 track day, and I really enjoyed it. The coaching came in very useful - I didn't realise what could be done. It was also kind of Millwood Caterham to provide a very good lunch too. Many thanks to the track day team for the considerable task in organising it. Simon

Looks nice...There was an interesting article in the Guardian a few days ago about a driving holiday in Norway. link Simon

They have a pretty roaring trade going! We crossed over the pass in drizzle, after a long hot spell and it was slightly greasy. The road condition and grip didn't seem that great compared to some of the other excellent Scottish roads.

Hello Derek, We did think about getting the ferry from the mainland to Skye, and then returning via the bridge. However, in the end we decided to take the bridge both ways (and this meant we could have another go at the famous Applecross pass once more ) regards Simon

Thanks Derek, Enjoy your NC run - hopefully the good weather will keep up for you. Cheers Simon.

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We are recently back from a very good trip to the Outer Hebrides. The area offers an excellent tour for small groups of Sevens. We had excellent sunny weather, which made for a very pleasant trip. The Outer Hebrides are sparsely populated and parts of them feel very remote. Many times we found ourselves virtually alone on beautiful sandy white beaches. The tourist season is short, and caters mostly for cyclists and walkers. The flora and fauna is rich and varied, and the roads are pretty empty and well maintained. Overtaking is easy. Our favourite Isles were Harris and Barra. The restaurant prices are fairly high, but we found that the service was cheerful and the seafood is really very good. Here is a brief account, which maybe of use to others... Our first night was in the Inveraray Inn – a good stopover with cheap Sunday night dinner deals. The next day we drove to Oban to catch the ferry to Castlebay, Barra (at the southern end of the Hebrides). Oban is an interesting town and certainly worth a look around as you wait for the ferry. Head for the Oban Chocolate company for tasty cake and coffee (and chocolate). We stayed in the Barra Beach Hotel – which was comfortable, clean and friendly. It is also right next to a beautiful and isolated beach. We tried our hand at surfing on the hotels kayaks – and loved it. We also visited Barra Beach Airport – which is only used when the tide it out. They have a good cafe where you can watch the incoming aircraft whist you munch on cake and coffee. We also climbed the tallest hill, Heaval; a short but steep walk with great views. Next we caught the ferry from Ardmhor to Eriskay and stayed at the Polochar Inn. Polochar is a comfortable, no nonsense, type of place right on the seafront. We had good food (like everywhere we stayed). We drove to Benbecula and on the way we picked up hot smoked Salmon from Salar Smokehouse for lunch. We also took a short hike up Rueval to take in the views. The following day we blatted onto North Uist (via Hebridean smokehouse). We had a quick scout around the RSPB reserve and were harassed by Arctic Turn – it seems the bird population of the Western Isles is not keen on visitors. This was not an isolated event. We then went to a huge, beautiful and deserted beach on the North end of Berneray. Our next island was an unexpected highlight. The Isle of Harris is mountainous and beautiful. We headed to the east of the island after arriving at the Leverburgh ferry port (and it looked like a complicated navigation for the ferry captain from Berneray). The eastern road is also called the ‘Golden Road’. It was virtually empty and twisted and turned through the hillsides – ideal and for a Seven.We then did the faster Harris road (A859), and this was good too. Harris is a nice place. After a quick look in Gin Distillery in Tarbert (thank you for soup and toilets). We headed off to look at Scalpay bridge. This is worth doing for the excellent blatting roads and views. Our accommodation for the next few nights was in Seacroft, Aird Uig (we stayed in the Seapods on the cliffedge). Aird Uig must be one of the remotest places in the UK, and the site of a dilapidated radar RAF station from the cold war. The hosts were welcoming and it was a lot of fun (and great seafood). Aird Uig is beautiful place but it is slightly alternative – I loved it (although I also like Zombie films). It is good – go there. We then the Northern end of Lewis, including the Butt of Lewis and the ancient Callanish Standing Stones. It was OK, and it completed our journey, but it could not compare to what we had seen on the the other islands.We caught the ferry from Stornaway to Ullapool and stayed in Ardvreck B&B. Word got though to the local bird population that we were visiting, and they also decided to let us know their thoughts while we tucked into fish and chips (b*****ds). Finally on route back we decided to have a look around Skye (and stayed in Seafar). Unfortunately we missed the best of this island (due to low cloud and drizzle), but we had fun on the excellent mountain road B885 across from Portree to the western side and popped into the Talisker Distillery. This was probably our favourite tour of recent years (and quite a long one at 2100 miles). The excellent roads, weather, remote and beautiful scenery, great seafood and company really made it. Simon (and also Alice, Rob and Sally)

Hello Bob, Sounds like your on a shopping spree after the tour (battery/mirrors). My car had convex racetech mirrors. They are much better than the Caterham ones, but once vehicles loom up in them, they are rather close. Simon

I'm not bringing any guests either (so you would be welcome). However, I didn't see any guest passes in the final instructions emailed on. Should I be expecting something through the post? Simon

Thank you!

Yes, many thanks for your work With the t shirts, handbook etc. Rockingham was a good start to the season. Interesting track surface! Simon

Good luck with the sale. I'm sure that you will miss it. Simon

Hello Rob, count me in too, Simon

The weird thing is that for general road use the car was still pretty agile without the turbo. Where is was lacking was 'pedal to metal' acceleration for overtaking etc.

My thanks to Chris and all the other volunteers that helped with the large amount of work involved in organising the championship - not least our own Curborough events. Thank you to Northampton Motorsport for their sponsorship too. Well done to the class winners. Simon

I look forward to hearing about your developments with the replacement mass airflow sensor.

Dear all, It has been suggested that I start a post in the tech talk section about the 160 turbo. With the new Supersprint there might be some interesting developments... Mine recently failed, but this was due to a split silicone air pipe (one of the thin ones). The split was around the circumference and hidden under the turbo outlet. I think that the pressure from the turbo just released through the split. I have sorted the problem by shortening the pipe and now it is back to normal. These pipes perhaps lose their suppleness because of the high temperature (?). I have been told that Demon Tweaks sell replacement pipes with shielding but I have not looked into this yet. For reference details about the turbo can be found on on my blog here Simon

In the spring of 2017 I noticed that my turbo was making a slightly unusual noise, but I thought nothing much of it (it went away). I have done five sprints this year. It was my first full year of sprinting, although I did the Curborough 8 in 2016. I thought that I did a better job as a driver, but I noticed that my times were slower. Also my speed over the finish line was about 64mph, last year it was 77mph! And come to think of it, I can't hear the waste gate 'tshh' anymore. The 160 is still fairly swift on the road,, but I'm clearly down on power. I think that I just might have completed a sprint season without a turbo... I decided to investigate. I sprayed the bolts on the unit with Halfords 'shock and unlock'. I understand that the turbo bolts can break if you are not careful (high temperatures, rust etc). The next day I took the cover off successfully. The inside of the turbo looks like this To my untrained eye, I think that the rotation is not a free as it should be... Update 30 September 2017 I have since found that the fault was a split pipe (one of the thin silicone pipes that feed into, and around, the turbo). Once reassembled the car was back to normal; there was a significant increase in power, and the usual turbo noise could be heard. The following might be useful, if anyone does have turbo problems in future. The part number is HT06 VZ57 18 76JB1 (made by Hitachi) A replacement turbo might take a bit of effort to find - so treat it kindly! However, I understand from other posts (Neil Allen) that a fairly high mileage can be expected before turbo problems. Turbotechnics will inspect a turbo for free and can refurbish turbos for £200-£400 within a few days. I never used them, but my local Suzuki garage recommended them (and so did The_Ash) The Suzuki Cappuccino owners club maybe a useful source of information. (Same engine and drive train as a 160). Again, thanks to Neil Allen. Power Torque supply/prepare 160 engines for Caterham. They maybe worth contacting in the event of problems.

Ah that's sad. I quite enjoyed that one. Simon

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Our Visit to Ireland August 2017 Rob J, Sally, Alice and I took our Sevens to South West Ireland for an enjoyable holiday. Here are some of the details of the best places to sleep, eat and blat. Hopefully it might be useful to others... We took Irish Ferries from Pembroke to Rosslare. We then drove 25 minutes to Kilmore Quay and stayed at the Quay House B&B. Kilmore Quay is a very pretty fishing harbour. The B&B did a good breakfast, offered friendly service and was perfectly fine. There is plenty of space for parking. We ate that evening at the Silver Fox, which is within walking distance of the B&B. The food is good, although perhaps a little expensive. Other options (like fish and chips) are available. The next day we then drove on to Killarney and stayed in the excellent Old Weir Lodge. This is a very comfortable place to stay, with large well furnished rooms, and offers a very good breakfast. Stay here! The B&B is within walking distance of the town and there is discrete parking around the back. Particular highlights of Killarney were: Quinlans Sea food bar – we loved this (great crab claws!). Killarney Brewery – 200 yards from the Old Weir Lodge (good real ales and pizza – we liked the stout). Cronins – pretty good food here. There is a pub across the road and along from the Old Weir Lodge – it was OK but you could do better. We stayed in Killarney for 4 nights and went for excellent blats around the surrounding area. The book ‘Back Roads of Ireland’ gives excellent driving routes and the recommendations for food and bars seem reliable. We enjoyed driving Ballaghbeama Gap (below), Molls Gap, Tim Healy Pass, Valentia Island, Pass of Caherconree, Connor Pass – all worth going over (and many more). If you do the Ring of Kerry (best clockwise – to avoid the trail of tour buses), then a great place for lunch is O’Neills The Point. You can watch the ferry shuttle back and forth as you have your meal. Also look out for Skellig Michael – the island used in Star Wars, The Force Awakens. The roads are narrow and there is some traffic, and so overtaking can be ‘sporting’. Some of the roads are also rough. Both our cars grounded out a few times – we have lowered floors. If your car is very low then you should consider doing something to protect it. We then moved onto Galway and stayed in the Nest Boutique Hostel. This is clean, chic and very friendly. However, it is not posh. If you are not a fan of youth hostels, then this is perhaps not for you. However, we quite liked it, and it is near the centre. Parking is limited, but they kindly reserved a space for us. The Sevens caused a huge reaction wherever we went – they aren’t common in Ireland. The best food of our trip was Kai in Galway (within walking distance of the Nest). This is certainly worth a visit. We had an excellent lunch and evening meal. We took the Sevens out and drove sections of the Wild Atlantic Way, which is well sign posted. The weather was variable but it didn’t really matter. We also took a detour to Father Ted’s House. Should you go to Dingle, then Ashes Bar does pretty good grub. A visit to Roundstone is well worth a visit for the views. O’Dowds Seafood Bar won’t let you down with excellent seafood. South West Ireland is an excellent destination for a driving holiday. The roads can be rough and bumpy and you need to keep your wits about you. The food is excellent, and the scenery is wonderful, less so the weather. Petrol stations are frequent (you won’t need a jerry can). There was a lot of interest in our cars, but we had no problems with security. We hope that this is useful! Simon (700Newtons)

Are the disposable earplugs somehow not up to the job? I use the Silicone 'Christmas tree' type and they seem OK. Simon

Yes, very many thanks to the marshals, timekeepers and organisers.

Great to read your blog; keep going. I think that too much grease on the ball joints can make them hard to get in. I made this mistake. Once I removed some, they slid in with less resistance.

Yes, it is a delicate balancing act... you need to give them enough to do to prevent them getting bored, but not so much that they can't handle it, and become frustrated.