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Set off this morning from Nantua to Langres approx 180 miles, lovely and cool this morning and a good start through some mountain ski resorts to our first coffee stop :-)

I've not actually looked at the car yet, job for Sunday or Monday. It looks like a big end has gone, the oil temp got really high and then no oil pressure with a nasty rattle. Used alot of oil too, the catch tank had some in it and the exhaust was very black/sooty. Got a feeling that the engine had a few issues, as seemed to lack a little oommph too. Got the spare engine lined up to be dropped in and then it will be back in action! Priced up swapping to a 'Busa engine today, need to remortgage! Great day none the less, enjoyed going sideways (alot) with Darve and meeting Bernie/Bob, cheers guys.

Link to entries and timetables for the weekend..... http://www.oultonparkgoldcup.com/media/192113/gold-cup-entry-lists-plus-timetable.pdf

Bit of an update been to look at a couple of cars,one being a Dax rush with a cossy in it,nice car and stupid fast but felt it wasnt what i wanted really set my heart on a westy,had a look at a couple of wide bodied wesfields and put a deposit on the second one i had a look at,SEIW with a duratec engine which is pretty much standard,didnt drive it but went for a ride and it went very well,looks to have been well looked after there is a couple of marks on the paintwork but nothing serious,i had no problem getting my big backside in and was surprised how much room there was,looking forward to picking it up next week,silly me was so excited forgot to take any photos so photos to follow.

My wife is waiting for ideas in the house as well

Started with a rev james rye, then an Italian boro something lager, then Amstel, then stowford press x2. My drinking partner had to go home to cook tea for his wife (a little late).. I was fancying a Guinness next! But had 20 miles to cycle home .

This is how you do it..

Just a fantastic adventure, very jealous indeed

Thanks. I don't know about the beam pattern as I've only had the car a few months and haven't ventured out in the dark yet. Soon have an opportunity though as the nights are drawing in fast!

Im in, started my diet already.....

The car will be fixed and I'll be there!

This is a great, classic wscc adventure. Well done, it all just sounds wonderful!

Bingo... Please award yourself a prize

Jesse from "The Fast Show" if I'm not mistaken. Oh.........and I am still on the rum I brought back form my holidays and it's just about getting me through the working day!

I cant argue with the fact that the cyclists crossing the bridge were wrong, but so are people who drive through red lights, park in disabled bays at shopping places, do donuts while I try to sleep at night, drive the wrong way up motorways, brake test you, pull out across you at a junction.............. I could list far more things car drivers do than cyclists. To be honest , tar and brush comes to mind with certain types on bikes and you have wiped a brush across me with the statement Ollie, which I find a little offensive. I pay over a grand in VED for the vehicles I use , yet I cycle to work , to save a car length for others, less enviromental damage, healthier option ( see new builds now getting free bikes) and I dont get wound up by monkeys in cars. With regards to the prat who killed the lady, I hope he goes down. I see no need for him on the streets on a bike that he shouldnt be riding. Sadly the courts are quite soft on this kind of offence and will probably give him a suspended sentence sadly.

Westies have done nearly 2000 miles and looking good

For the sake of doing it, I am keeping a log of my blood pressures and then graphing them – I can’t help it, I like graphs and spreadsheets. I'm a nerd... The problem is there are definite atypical spikes in the Systolic caused by running up the stairs, watching old episode of Baywatch, talking to Linda that are definitely skewing the average. So I want to drop the ‘outlying fliers’ off before getting the average, in my mind I can sort of see a Bell Curve with the average taken either side of the bell. So get the average, then only sample the figures within +/- 40% of the average. Problem is, I’m not familiar enough with all the fancy statistical terms in Excel. Any suggestions? Apart from "get a life"...

Left leg , head , A*** then right leg

I'll speak to Tolf but I suspect a few of us will be over again.

Brew Dog Dead Pony Club. Loads of flavour and only 4% - so nice and easy on the head! I used to drink lager but found that anything under 5% was just not to my liking. After rediscovering Ale, I can now find loads of very tasty brews that don't turn you into a dribbling fool (as quickly)

@Geoffrey (Buttercup) - North Yorkshire AO are you still looking for a reverse box theres one on locostbuilders

Thanks for the responses guys. I'm really looking forward to this event. See you there.

@BillyPee we are going for both days - will be there earlyish and scoot about 5:30pm. Racing is good and the WSCC stand is well placed for one of the best views over the circuit. Tend to get out from the circuit reasonably quick - they are well versed to clearing big crowds. Should be a straightforward run back for you.

Hi Bill the Wirral N/Wales WSCC club stand will be up and running Sunday/ Monday, gates open 7.30 Sun, 7.00 am Mon, not sure if you can get into the middle of the circuit after 10.30 am. Oulton Park do like cars on club stands to stay till at lest 16.00 but I think you can get out before then Jeff

@BillyPee it's a really good show with some excellent classic car racing You can leave when you want,just be a case of parking your car in the Westfield area where you are able to get it out .

Have a look at Lynx Avionics,(Google)they do aviation headsets for microlight aircraft with built in batteries and intercom. Great quality but very expensive. I have some if you would like to try. Also a company Derby area I think do similar items but a bit cheaper, Again Google "micro avionics" I am sure with the down turn in microlight they will be looking for new markets. Like Adam said what price hearing Jim

In answer to the second part of the question, heated seat pads and a massive blanket.

I've got some earplugs that I use when I'm using the shotgun, they do the trick when I don't want the doors on. I'm the same as you I get cold air in the ear and it is irritating. The only problem with the shotgun ones is you don't hear the popping and banging on over-run.

+1 for perspex wind deflectors with the screen. massive, massive difference. You can breathe above 60mph for a start.

I have an aero screen and had exactly the same problem, with right ear becoming painful after half an hour in the car. Bought the foam cheapy green ones 50 pairs for a 8 quid on eBay..... ones with good reviews job done. Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152104362904

Ear plugs are ok but you need to put them in properly....take your time to fit them. Roll them up small and put them in, giving enough time for them to expand properly in your ear... wind deflectors make a big difference and are well worth investing in. personally, I dislike half doors as they hamper driving and take away half the experience....but they do cut out wind and noise hugely. I am biased as I have a narrow and they really make it claustrophobic IMHO. one more thing with your better half......it is hugely more noisy on the exhaust side, so be careful not to put her off, at this early stage! Mart.

If you looking for comfort then can recommend in differant stages. Half doors, half doors and wind deflectors, full doors, hood and any doors/wind deflectors. Depends on what you going to do on the day.

Half doors and wind deflectors, I only get slight buffeting on the back of the neck over 60-70mph.

Personally I don't like ear buds, I'm supposed to wear them at work, but don't like things in my ears. I try to wear a hat with sunglasses over to help hold it down.

Just fit wind deflectors, you won't need to wear anything then.

I'm sure others will disagree but I also think that the perspex wind deflectors help a bit with the wind noise/turbulence.

As above - well worth the money. What price can you put on hearing?

Custom moulded earplugs. I got a set of moulds taken at Autosport international last year, and the plugs arrived about 3 weeks later. Brilliant bits of kit. Cost was £60 I think

I was looking for some tyre pressure info a while back and came across this on the Locost builders website. The background and pressures suggested are specific to the Toyo R888's, but the theory and what to change based on what you want to achieve from handling may be of some benefit in avoiding under steer in the first place. Bob SET UP ADVICE FOR THE TOYO PROXES R888 What I would like to do is to offer some advice on tyre temperatures and pressures and how to achieve the best from our tyres when taking part in either trackdays or racing. The R888 has a semi race construction (very stiff) and a race tread compound. The optimum tread temperature range is between 85C and 95C measured using a probe type pyrometer, and ideally a maximum difference across the tread of 9C. The maximum hot pressure we recommend is 40psi. Camber angles up to 5 degrees are permissible but the final setting will depend on tread temperatures. It is advisable to have as much positive castor as practical as castor induces a beneficial camber change during cornering. I recommend that the tyres be put through a heat cycle before hard use, this will scrub them in and remove any mold release agent. The pressures you use will initially depend on the weight of the car, too little pressure on a heavy car can lead to over deflection of the tyre and subsequent failure. Below are some basic settings: VEHICLE WEIGHT COLD PRESSURE HOT PRESSURE Very Light < 800kg 17 - 22 psi 22 - 29 psi Light 800kg - 1000kg 20 - 26 psi 24 - 32 psi Heavy 1000kg - 1400kg 23 - 27 psi 28 - 40 psi Very Heavy > 1400kg 27 - 35 psi 37 - 40 psi As a tyre gets hotter the pressure increases, this is due to the moisture in the air. The cold pressure you set to achieve a desired hot pressure will depend on the conditions on the day i.e. ambient and track temperature, wet or dry. If the day/track is cold you will need to start with a higher cold pressure as the tyre will not get as hot therefore the pressure increase will not be so great. Hot pressures must be balanced side to side. Once the tyres have cooled you will find that you will have a difference in pressure side to side, if you have been racing on a right hand track you will find the offside pressures will usually be higher than the nearside. Changing hot inflation pressures by small amounts can be used to fine tune handling. Reduce Oversteer Reduce rear pressures or increase front pressures Increase Oversteer Increase rear pressures or reduce front pressures Reduce Understeer Reduce front pressures or increase rear pressures Increase Understeer Increase front pressures or reduce rear pressures Achieving the required tread temperatures will depend again on the conditions on the day i.e. ambient and track temperature, wet or dry. You often here competitors saying “My tyres started to go of towards the end of the race”, this is usually due to the tread getting to hot. The tread temperatures are constantly changing through out a race, hotter when cornering and cooler when on the straights and cooling even more when you are slowing to come into the pits. Therefore the temps you record in the pits will be lower than those during the race. So if you record temperatures within the range given above the probability is the temps will be too high during the race. Increasing your tyre pressures will cause your tread temperatures to increase, more pressure stiffens the tyre’s casing which results in the tread having to do more work resulting in the tread getting hotter. Lowering your pressures will cause them to decrease. Inevitably changing one thing will affect other things, the whole set up of your car is a compromise between anything that is adjustable. Alan Meaker Technical and Motorsport Manager Toyo Tyres (UK) Ltd

Terminal, Terminal Kev. Oil pressure dropped to 6psi so he called it a day and attempted to drive home, engine let go a couple of miles from the track. Hopefully Rob will let us know the full SP.