Hi Trig,
Glad you got home okay - and i bet you spent most of the trip listening for odd creaks, groan and rattles
Just to clarify - It wasn't MY Dolomite that tried to wipe out an elan to increase the residual values of those left behind (but maybe an option for the future....).
Mine would have been a small speck in the distance having overtaken the elan on the first straight bit
On a serious note, you were taking all the right lines and it all looked good until the understeer at Quarry Corner.....
...not being critical, but trying to understand the dynamics and reasons for it, her's my 2 pennorth (and i make these observations from sad experience of THIS particular circuit, not to try and say how brilliant a driver i am).
It looks to me that you were slightly off-line over Avon Rise, turning left to the entry to Quarry, all under braking....
....the car always goes light on the crest of the rise, and braking isn't as effective when the tyres aren't in good contact with the road, leading to a bit of instability.
You are still braking quite late into Quarry, and left the turn-in to a few yards past the cone (said to be the optimum position, but each to their own on that one!) - this put the car unstable into one of the worst known corners on the UK racing circuit, and needs a constant throttle through the corner to get it right - the elan suffers from lift-off oversteer, which will be exagerated on that particular set of circumstances.
I really don't think it has a lot to do with the suspension bushes
FYI I spoke to Martin, and from the engine noise of his car, I would say you were doing good speeds up until then, and he couldn't find a way past you, so had settled into a 'following position'......
He is an experienced hand on this circuit, and wouldn't have been that close if he didn't feel safe - luckilly he thought he could see it coming, and had already gone left to avoid you......
.....if it had been a moron (like me!) it could have been a whole lot worse than a scraped bumper
PS - The starter problem was a failed crimp conector on the lead from the battery to solenoid, but more importantly, the stereo is fine.
Next major job is to fix the cigarette lighter
and for anyone who knows the circuit, i was seeing 120 on the main straight, and lapping about 5 seconds quicker than i can in the elan.