Alan Bowler

Standard S3 exhaust manifold, 4-1 under the bonnet. Needs polishing, but no damage. £50.

Photos sent to Bill. NOTE: I checked the can, its 6" not 7". Original advert amended.

Hi Bill, will try and get pics taken tmrw. Martin - 2nd dibs - thanks.

No cat. Still interested?

K series long primary (outside the body) 4-1 S3 system, VGC, including large and very quiet 6" silencer in excellent condition. Includes neat modification to collector to raise the silencer up an inch to avoid grounding. Photos available shortly. < 95 dB on my 1.8K SuperSport. £375

Beautiful cherry wood circular table, 122cm diameter, plus 4 chairs. £400. Very good condition. House rejig means it apparently has to go. 2 drawer, 2 door pine sideboard. w84, d42, h86. A few marks, so £25. Photos available. Collect from Claygate, Surrey

From Powerspeed website, looks like they can supply can only which could work with existing primaries. Would think that would need them to have the car for precise measurements, especially if you want it mounted higher for clearance.

Its so loud the MOT tester can't get near enough to check properly

For MOT, assuming you can't find a "sympathetic" tester locally, and need a catalyst, I think Powerspeed can make you one in 6" or 7" with a cat, or supply a complete 4-2-1 system. You could also butcher the silencer from a standard 5" short primary system to make it fit with your long primaries (which a few speed championship competitors have done). Not very pretty but cheap and functional. The collector on my 4-1 system was modified to add a kink, to raise the silencer about an inch, because of ground clearance issues. Works with a standard Caterham silencer, plus I have the Meteor cat-in-can. (Possibly all for sale as those Powerspeed 4-2-1 systems do look nice and shiny...)

Hi Mintybacon - did you manage to get any pics/come up with a price? Thanks Alan

Have sent you a mail

looking for a cheap set of 6x13 ford fitment wheels. Anyone get a shiny new set for Christmas, and want to offload an old set? (sorted - got new minilites from midland wheels, with tyres, about 100 a corner!)

Embarrassing, its never happened to me before. Small rubber reset knob on Caterham branded speedo has disappeared, leaving a metal pin sticking out. Any ideas on something suitable to replace it with?

Sorry its a thesis. Sorry I bored you.

Limit it to events where there is an established dry record to beat for all classes? Keeps most of the benefits (i.e. wet events can count) Avoids the need and hassle for target times/formulas, and risk of disputes (agree we REALLY don't want that) Won't work well in first year if most or all records are reset, so defer it until 2017? Its only a suggestion for overall championship. The per class scoring system works well.

Deliberately so. It smooths out freak results, keeps the competition running longer (if last 4 events are wet, the championship isn't over, championship leader may need to defend their lead), rewards consistent record breaking, encourages people to compete in more events etc. etc. 10 points means you were the best Lotus 7 Club competitor at that event. Setting target times... thats where I got bogged down in the original proposal wording. Its do-able, either by a formula or an educated guess by someone trustworthy. Having the numbering system instead of percentage scoring irons out the issues if its not perfect. I think other championships use target times all the time - we only need them in exceptional circumstances.

Agree my championship scoring proposal is too wordy (as usual). Put another way: 1. Best time across all classes vs class record scores 10 points. Second gets 9 etc. 2. Top 7 scores counted 3. Class records can be reset if needed. If no established class record is available, use an agreed target time for the class based on dry conditions. Benefits: 1. All events can count towards the championship, regardless of bad weather, minor changes to layout, tyre warming, low class numbers etc. 2. Scheme is still based around beating or getting as close as possible to class records.

Playing Devils Advocat (a bit) on Class 4 power. For class 2/3, the most popular car is/was a 1.6K Supersport. This was rated 135BHP. The class limit is 150, so people find some or all of the "missing" 15bhp with head porting, bigger TB, verniers (or in some cases just drive well and prove 15bhp is insignificant). 150 is also about right for most Sigmas, some Zetecs and some Crossflows, and standard 1.8Ks. For class 4 the limit is currently 190. Given that many 175 bhp cars may have been fettled a little, 190 seems about right. Anyone with a 175bhp car has a suitable class. Increasing the class 4 limit to 210, but leaving 2/3 as is leaves too much of a gap for anyone with 175. So leave class 4 at 190 (UNLESS you want to raise the limit for class 3, which would then cause a problem if you later want to merge 2 & 3 when the tyre situation is clearer).

For classes 1-3, average entry per event, per class, was 7. Good competition. For classes 4-7, average entry per event, per class was 1.5. Broken. I don't have a solution for 4-7, but I don't think merging 2-3 on the basis of guessing future MSA tyre rules and manufaturer plans solves the main long term problem for the championship. Merge them later if necessary when the facts are known.

Not sure about trying to second guess what will be in List 1B in 2 or 3 years time. The manufacturers will still produce "sporty" tyres that fit the new regulations, and tyre technology constantly improves. There won't be much of a UK market left for 1C tyres. Mod prod cars will end up on slicks or 1Bs. My recollection of the Avon article in Low Flying was that they are focussed on 1B ZZS tyres long term, and ZZRs will be phased out. You also have the risk of a few lucky people being able to source the last of the 1C tyres. Not much good for anyone with a new set of 1Cs though. Also, going it alone on 1Cs discourages people who run in other championships. Plus use of 1Bs opens up new cars on OEM tyres being more competetive, which is a good thing. The championship scoring based on class record problem can be fixed. Will try and think of a better system for overall championship scoring. Something along the lines of biggest improvement over OR closest to previous 2 years average winning time or record gets 10 points, second gets 9 etc. which also takes into account poor weather at an event, minor layout changes, tyre warming restrictions, and doesn't need events to be longstanding/dry before they can be considered. Top 7 scores only. A few flaws in that but might be in the right direction. NB. Class 1 and 2 have had the best tyres come and go (Bridgestones? Stunners, AD08s) and not asked for the records to be reset each time

Time to finally retire my trusty SA2000 helmet and I'm also confused. Putting aside arguments on saftey benefits of FHRs vs. cost vs. number of necks/heads I have... I'm sure I read somewhere that the posts have to be fitted by an approved company, or was that just for SA2005 helmets? Do I just get a 2010 lid, and then get the posts later and screw them in to use with, say, a Simpson Hybrid FHR if I need one or decide I want a FHR? SA2015 helmets are available soon as well. Can of worms... If class 3 and above run on 1C tyres next year, and are then considered "mod prod", does that mean class 3 and above competitors MUST have a FHR? AB

https://www.msauk.org/assets/2016tyrelists1abc.pdf

Being disappointed at not setting PBs regularly is no fun. Chucking money at the car and going no faster is also annoying (been there, done that). Conditions are different every time, tyres degrade, etc. (there are lots of excuses to choose from). I get most enjoyment from the competition (banter/insults/general p1ss taking) and having a few people with similar cars/ability setting similar times to compare to. I don't look at my PB particularly, unless I think I've beaten it. I tend to leave each event happy (with one or two rare exceptions), and take a step back if I start taking things too seriously. If its not fun, its pointless. Have you considered the club speed championship?

Who won the trowel? I can only see one suspcious looking T2 time. Did Caterbram Junior have to walk home? (excellent times from Matt BTW!) AB

I'd get a reconn'ed 1.6 or 1.8 with some kind of guarantee or from a very reputable source if possible, and just swap over the Supersport cams and your sump, and grind off the block as needed to fit. 2001 was around the swapover date from Eu2 to EU3, so may need to check for that. I wouldn't get a VVC as I think the wiring would have to change. If your long term power ideal is that of a VVC (150?) - maybe, but if you want more, a standard 1.8 may be a better starting point. VVC Trophy engine (with the stronger pistons and 160 BHP) is another option, but if you have long term plans, they would probably involve forged pistons at some point anyway. [What I did when my 2001 1.6 popped was try and build up a new engine myself. Took ages, almost worked out, but ended up needing to go to an engine builder in the end, so cost more than planned. With hindhight, dropping in a reconn'ed 1.8 and swapping over the cams/sump would have been more cost effective]