BOLLECKS to Castle Combe 27th May 2017

[lotusflasherman]

Hi-de-hi, Hello campers,
I've just booked Friday and Saturday too... and to go on track. Decided I'd regret it if I didn't...

Amazing co-incidences happening here, gave my name to the lady at Burton Hill and she said 'that's my name, I'm a Johnstone too' - so it's Lynn Johnstone and she's expecting more calls. She tells me drinking pub is 5 minutes walk, eating pub 7 mins.

Other co-incidence - Raced a 998cc Mini Miglia in the 70's but only went to ' Combe once - dug out some old papers last night and see it was 27th May 1974, Bank Holiday Monday Meeting that year. Bloody Hell, 43 years !
Combe was just 3 corners, Quarry, Tower, Camp, and a couple of curves, Folly, Avon, Old Paddock that were virtually flat so was all slip-streaming each other until 'every man for himself' at the corners. Going round in 1min 20, average of 82 mph.

Think I'll need Mike to advise what gears he uses and show me the way through the 'new' wiggly bits ... after 26 years he must have it right..
Mini Se7en Club Magazine from '74 had "Overheard in the paddock at Combe - "I'm in 2nd for Quarry, what are you in?" ... "I'm in a panic, usually"

Just hope the weather is good ...

[Saltire]

That's it, apologies for the finger trouble. She is indeed a very nice lady, used to moonlight as my mum's cleaner. And there are several good pubs in Malmesbury, not just the Dog. We live 3 miles north up the A429. I'll probably be travelling back from working in Leeds on the Friday afternoon, but love to meet up if there are plans.

[Rambo]

Well Jonathon, knowing the Pinkster as I do, he will be in the same place as me ie somewhere behind a beer font with food not too far away

And I suspect Flickerman Phil won't be too far away either And perhaps Muley, Spud and Sangria Geoff

Looking forward to it and putting more faces to names

[Dave Eds]

For your info Rambo, Spud doesn't drink anymore!

[Rambo]

Since when ?

On 09 May...

Looking forward to karting tomorrow with the pair of you and with Dee and Maxine.

Also to a few beers and some food with you all tonight. I'm in the the bar already

It's only 10th May today

[MPx]

Going round in 1min 20, average of 82 mph.

Think I'll need Mike to advise what gears he uses and show me the way through the 'new' wiggly bits ... after 26 years he must have it right..
Mini Se7en Club Magazine from '74 had "Overheard in the paddock at Combe - "I'm in 2nd for Quarry, what are you in?" ... "I'm in a panic, usually"

Just hope the weather is good ...

I wish! I know my way around, but there's plenty faster, including you if you can get round in 1:20 (albeit pre-chicanes). I'm in the 1:30s in the M100 even on a good lap! Its overtaking by consent only on the straights and on the right. Here's a vid of me a few years back but post chicanes and before they got sniffy about cameras.

I let an Exige 240 Cup past on the warm up lap expecting him to disappear - big mistake. The car was fast...but not the driver! I was all over him but he wouldn't let me pass. In the end I backed off.... then caught him up again - when at last he let me go.

[Dave Eds]

Since when ?

On 09 May...

Looking forward to karting tomorrow with the pair of you and with Dee and Maxine.

Also to a few beers and some food with you all tonight. I'm in the the bar already

It's only 10th May today

I don't drink any less either!

[Kathryn]

Do you guys (and girls ) track your cars at CC or just watch and do a bit of tyre kicking and banter ?

I don't track mine but I am a willing passenger!

I've done it before with my brother, twice - so I can't be that bad a passenger!

IMG_1227.JPG

IMG_1225.JPG

[lotusflasherman]

I let an Exige 240 Cup past on the warm up lap expecting him to disappear - big mistake. The car was fast...but not the driver! I was all over him but he wouldn't let me pass. In the end I backed off.... then caught him up again - when at last he let me go.

Thanks for the vid... See what you mean... a very rude overtake of the baby Elan at 1 min. 20 ... he runs past (uninvited?), misses the apex by miles and when turning in at 1.30 he's on the brakes again (FFS) leaving the baby Elan nowhere to go - No wonder it took to the escape road ! Do that racing and the following car will likely nudge you into a spin.

wrong.JPG

Then took a very long time to realise he was holding you up... he could have gone quicker if he used all the track..

Think a communication protocol of Right Indicator going = "I'd like to come past" & Left Indicator = "Come past now" might help avoid situations like that.

The 1 min 20 lap time was done in a race car that arrived on a trailer and I was prepared to take home as a wreck. Certainly not the case with my Elan !

In Mini Miglia some guys with 'split Webers' and supersprint race cams were talking about close to 100 bhp from the 998cc Mini with original 5 port head required by the Reg's but engines were very 'peaky'. I'd sold my Lotus 6 to go racing and built a more 'torquey' engine, copying some Holbay ideas, and lightened the Mini using Lotus 6 ideas - lots of holes in everything..

My Mini had so many holes the Brands Hatch Autosport correspondent wrote I 'sat on the front row in an Aertex Mini' ... got the piss taken out of me by competitors until we went to Mallory Park and used the weighbridge in the paddock - mine 9cwt, most others over 10 cwt, and I was skinny as a rake and only weighed 9 stone. Made for great racing, I'd outbrake them and lead down the straight till I ran out of puff, somebody slip-streaming me or with a more powerful engine would come past ... and I'd outbrake them into the corner if I got the chance etc, etc. So one way or another the Minis were approaching 200bhp/ton and an M100 with an Everest chip won't be far off that, and it's a more slippery shape !

The Mini is as aerodynamic as a breeze-block but 2 in line go much quicker and 3 even better. Was quite strange when somebody got a tow from you - revs would go up and back of car would sit down as other car filled the 'suction' hole.
This photo from Motoring News was in the race at ' Combe - you need to look closely to see the car slip-streaming me - still can't work out why his tyres don't show underneath me..

AS CCombe2.jpg

Have you noticed any difference between your M100 with hood up and hood down? - or is it hood up, track is wet, hood down, track dry??

[MPx]

Have you noticed any difference between your M100 with hood up and hood down? - or is it hood up, track is wet, hood down, track dry??

More if its actually raining hood up - otherwise hood down so that I don't bang my head on the frame. I'm not nearly good enough to notice a difference in the aero! I do notice that the M100 is much more competitive with the more track focussed (Exige etc) when its raining or damp, but otherwise I'm typically mid-pack in terms of pace.

Most of the drivers are much better behaved than that Exige. The fastest can be a bit impatient to pass, but I'm more than happy to get out of the way as soon as poss. The slowest are generally aware and jump out of the way pretty quick. The awkward ones are when they have the faster car so become reluctant to admit if you've caught them up then you must be faster and keeping you behind on a consent pass basis isn't actually proving that they are faster. I've a mate Dave with a baby Elan S2 who is one of the fastest (but in a relatively slow car) and he gets baulked a lot and can get a bit cross. Worth having a pax ride if you get the chance...

Nice going in the Mini. Not a fan of peaky motors myself, but maybe worth it for the top speed when racing, just really difficult to keep it in the sweet spot and a big penalty if you fall out of it and on the sudden transitions.

[dapinky]

I have just spoken to a very nice lady at Castle Combe.

They are happy for people to camp up at the circuit as there is nowt on on the Friday night.

Toilet blocks will be left unlocked, but the nearest pub is The White Hart in Castle Combe village (about a mile away).

That said, if there are a few of us, I'm happy to bring along a BBQ and there are plenty of supermarkets in Chippenham (3 miles away)........ or curry houses, pubs, restaurants etc. If it's a nice day, you can't really beat a good 'grub, beer and banter' evening round an open fire - but if it's a tad rainy, then a pub is a better bet.

No need to book as such, but they ask that you arrive towards the end of the day, and before it gets dark.

[dapinky]

I appreciate that I'm a bit late with the above, but I spent most of yesterday travelling the motorways of England and didn't get home until midnight.

As an adendum for those going on track, I know a couple of the instructors at the circuit, and (depending on who is there on the day), can point you in the direction of the ones I trust (even though they are all going to be pretty good, just that i am a tad out of touch since I don't go anywhere near as often as I used to)... they don't charge you for doing a few laps at this event and can help you enjoy your day out far more if you see times improving.

FYI, my best time (on the current circuit) is 1:27 in the Triumph, and 1:36 in the Elan...... but these days I just go out to enjoy myself as safely as possible. I blame it on old age creeping up on me (eyesight and arthritis) - but possibly just a couple of bits of my anatomy being nowhere as near as big as they used to be

[lotusflasherman]

I appreciate that I'm a bit late with the above, but I spent most of yesterday travelling the motorways of England and didn't get home until midnight.

As an adendum for those going on track, I know a couple of the instructors at the circuit, and (depending on who is there on the day), can point you in the direction of the ones I trust (even though they are all going to be pretty good, just that i am a tad out of touch since I don't go anywhere near as often as I used to)... they don't charge you for doing a few laps at this event and can help you enjoy your day out far more if you see times improving.

FYI, my best time (on the current circuit) is 1:27 in the Triumph, and 1:36 in the Elan...... but these days I just go out to enjoy myself as safely as possible. I blame it on old age creeping up on me (eyesight and arthritis) - but possibly just a couple of bits of my anatomy being nowhere as near as big as they used to be

Just a bit late, for some, and I admire your powers of persuasion with the lady ..

I saw Note 4 on Club Lotus Track Day General Information sheet that says "You aren't allowed to camp at the circuit on Friday or Saturday night" so booked at Burton Hill campsite. Non-refundable deposit of £10 paid but still £13 per night to pay for my tiny tent so the Circuit is looking favourite on the basis of cost, convenience and social gathering...

Rambo?

[lotusflasherman]

FYI, my best time (on the current circuit) is 1:27 in the Triumph, and 1:36 in the Elan...... but these days I just go out to enjoy myself as safely as possible. I blame it on old age creeping up on me (eyesight and arthritis) - but possibly just a couple of bits of my anatomy being nowhere as near as big as they used to be

1:27 in the Dolly sounds good. In '74 a 1600 Anglia 'Special Saloon' was going round in 1:17 according to the results sheet.

Found this on Youtube Mini Miglia Castle Combe 6/4/15 Interesting lines through Quarry..
Was feeling a bit inadequate when I checked their times from Quarry to Quarry each lap and saw they're doing 1:21, 1:19, 1:20 and that's with the 'wiggly bits' ! Then I looked up Mini Miglia Regs and see they are using 1293cc engines so pride was restored...

Yes, mine are probably smaller too, but 33% weight increase on the rest of the anatomy - it's all the food and beer I couldn't afford when all my money went on the race car... need to add lightness!

[MPx]

Good going in the Minis. Big difference between racing and just driving fast. There shouldn't be anyone waiting to jam it up the inside on the Lotus day so its safe to leave a gap! When I went round with an instructor in one of my first years there they were teaching classic lines using all of the track. David De Costa is the chief instructor (and sometimes the only one now on the Lotus day) and I've heard that they now teach sticking to the middle of the track on the approach to Quarry. Certainly all of the Minis took much narrower approach angles than I do especially at Quarry, Bobbies and the Esses. Looks much faster so I may try that....but I seem to need all the room I can get to get round without spinning!

[Rambo]

I appreciate that I'm a bit late with the above, but I spent most of yesterday travelling the motorways of England and didn't get home until midnight.

As an adendum for those going on track, I know a couple of the instructors at the circuit, and (depending on who is there on the day), can point you in the direction of the ones I trust (even though they are all going to be pretty good, just that i am a tad out of touch since I don't go anywhere near as often as I used to)... they don't charge you for doing a few laps at this event and can help you enjoy your day out far more if you see times improving.

FYI, my best time (on the current circuit) is 1:27 in the Triumph, and 1:36 in the Elan...... but these days I just go out to enjoy myself as safely as possible. I blame it on old age creeping up on me (eyesight and arthritis) - but possibly just a couple of bits of my anatomy being nowhere as near as big as they used to be

Just a bit late, for some, and I admire your powers of persuasion with the lady ..

I saw Note 4 on Club Lotus Track Day General Information sheet that says "You aren't allowed to camp at the circuit on Friday or Saturday night" so booked at Burton Hill campsite. Non-refundable deposit of £10 paid but still £13 per night to pay for my tiny tent so the Circuit is looking favourite on the basis of cost, convenience and social gathering...

Rambo?

I booked up on Monday at the campsite at Burton Hill. Panic mode as I found out it was a bank holiday w/e I too paid a tenner non returnable deposit so might just stay there after a 400 mile drive. I've heard the steak pie and ales are rather good at the Smoking Dug I might do a mini convoy of 1 on Sat and see you all at CC. Might even doss the night if there's any beefburgers and bottled beers left

[simonbuk]

@Lotusflashman - so your names Lynn Johnstone ?

Also - what era did you race Minis ? Did you ever know Brian Kippax ?

[Saltire]

I booked up on Monday at the campsite at Burton Hill. Panic mode as I found out it was a bank holiday w/e I too paid a tenner non returnable deposit so might just stay there after a 400 mile drive. I've heard the steak pie and ales are rather good at the Smoking Dug I might do a mini convoy of 1 on Sat and see you all at CC. Might even doss the night if there's any beefburgers and bottled beers left

If you let me know what time you're leaving - and it's not *too* early (I need to walk the dog), I'll happily make it a convoy of 2

[muley]

Hi

I'm booked in to Burton Hill.

Roll on the LECers!



Jim

[Rambo]

Looks like we can have a convoy of 3

Although CC opens at 0900 I'm sure I won't leave Burton Hill early

Are you arriving on Friday Jim ?