1st Track Day

After a very wet start from home, we arrived at Bedford Autodrome in damp conditions. After the sighting lap, I drove the car relatively aggressively in the first session which also doubled up as the running in period. Having only 1 mile on the clock, the car was pushed harder than advised.

I then set about thrashing the car to within 9/10th's of its life for the rest of the day!

There was an assortment of cars on the day and I learnt a lot about the handling characteristics of the car and tyres, something that I thought I would not get by just driving it on the road.
Doing the test day highlighted a few things that I need to follow up on at Caterham.

Track Day Booked

21st November is the day we visit the Bedford Autodrome to test the car. John is my co-driver for the day where we will gently run in the car for 1, maybe 2 LAPS!

We will then check the car over, before increasing the speed in what is looking like very wet and slippery conditions. This however will aid the running in process because the drive shafts, prop shaft, gearbox and engine will not be under constant load due to the lack of grip on the track.

This is something we are both really looking forward to where, photo's and a video will be available next week.

For those wishing to attend, we will be there between 9am-4pm. Bring an umbrella and some warm clothes.

Provisional Calendar for 2010

17th February
ARDS Course Castle Combe race circuit (Wiltshire)

6th March
Set up morning, Caterham Midlands

27th March
Handling day, Silverstone (Northamptonshire)

14th April
Track day, Castle Combe race circuit (Wiltshire)

EVENTS

Sprints
24th April - Aintree (Liverpool)
15th May - Lydden (Kent)
12th June - Silverstone (Northamptonshire)

RACES (more to follow)
21/22 August - Brands Hatch, Indy Circuit (Kent)

New drive shaft fitted

John popped over today to fit the new drive shaft. Amazingly he did it within the Hour where Caterham suggested it would take up to 2 hours. Thank you John, we are now ready for the track day on 21st November!

Caterham Post Build Check

We arrived ahead of schedule and Caterham were waiting for the car and could accommodate an early start. Simon was our mechanic for the morning. I recently met him at the 2009 Academy race at Mallory Park. After a number of very non committal noises from Simon and a few long pauses, he confirmed that we had built the car to a very high standard. We had less than a page of recommended adjustments but this only referred to things like the tying of electric cables and a different way to tie the brake cable. We will make the recommended changes in the week ahead but they should not take long. We were of course delighted with his comments. Its safe to say that both John and I felt very pleased and proud of our achievement.

One disappointing part of the build check was however, confirmation from Simon of a faulty drive shaft nut and thread. This was faulty from the factory and something that we need to get replaced urgently. This has now been reordered under warranty where John will visit this week to fit the new part. Hopefully this can be done without further problems before our first test on 21st November.

Ready for the off

Friday 6th November was the day the car was being taken to Caterham Midlands for its post build check. It was the first time I had put the car on my recently acquired trailer so this was done with some apprehension. I knew it was going to fit but I did not know how well our family car was going to pull them. It also sounds silly but I didn't know how best to strap the car down. This would be essential during our 2 hour journey.

Everything went to plan, however I did have to stop at Huntingdon after the Jockey wheel lowered onto the M11 due to not clipping the handle to the shaft. This resulted in the handle unwinding and lowering onto the Motorway, where it dragged on the floor whilst I over took an articulated lorry. You live and learn!

First Drive

Today, 4th November 2009, the car was driven under its own steam.

It was a very proud moment and one that I will remember for sometime. I would like to thank John MacDonald for his hard work and efforts since the project started and I could not have done it without him.

First Engine Start

The car started and Joshua, my son, was the first one to do so - Well done Joshua!

Sidelines Support

Richard from Sidelines came over today to finish the brake assembly and offer some expert advice. Fortunately he has prepared many race cars in the past and supported me when racing Karts. We bled the brakes, filled and bled the clutch reservoir, checked the ride height, set the steering wheel positioning and set up the tracking.

My best mate Aaron also helped, where his previous experience and hands on attitude helped with many of the tasks today.

Richard and Aaron worked well together today (making fun of me).

Front Lights

John and I worked on the car together today. The lights now give the car some character, but John found it very tedious following the IVA requirements, which included rubber piping in the silliest places.

Rear Brakes assembled

The rear brakes are now assembled. John followed a combination of the Assembly guide and some pictures forwarded by the very useful chaps on the Caterham Forum. The brake lines need to be forced into place because they are pointing vertically. This will be done later on.

Exhaust on

Whilst at work, John fitted the exhaust pipe. It turned out to be a relatively straight forward job, but required some adjustment to the spring bracket. Caterham supply springs that are too short, there are no alternatives and you need to make the adjustments for it all to fit together.