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A couple of mine after 5 hours of machine polishing and waxing

I ran as course car on Craven Motor Club's Maharajah's Tour that took in 65 miles in south Oxfordshire (from Postcombe next to the M4O to Stoke Row that is between Wallingford and Reading) yesterday morning. I took the Entries Secretary of the event round with me and Bryan was mightily impressed with the Eleven a s a mode of transport on a sunny summer day. He is a very experienced rally co-driver but has not been in a car without a roof for many years. We had no issues with bottoming out along the way and all the potholes seemed to be concentrated in one, two mile long, section of road that the organisers had pointed out in the roadbook. Nearly 50 cars took part, from an Austin 7 saloon to a Ferrari Daytona. The run finished at the Stoke Row Motor Sport Club's annual car show where there were another 200 classic and sports cars in attendance, plus a good display of racing cars. There was another Eleven there - I had a good chat with Andrew, the owner of the Lotus liveried car ( a tribute to his racing hero, Jim Clark). To be parked next to a red BMW 2002Tii was a proper throwback to me as I used to stage rally such a vehicle 30 years ago It turned out to be a very hot day indeed so the shade of the refreshment tent was very welcome. I'll have to go over the Eleven and clean out al the road and showground dust ready for next weekend at Silverstone. Simon

The weekend started off on Thursday evening when I dragged the caravan across to Blyton and Dave Cleaver dragged the Westy there as he was double driving with me for the weekend, we got set up and then said hello to the others that had arrived early and were going to be taking part in the track day on the Friday. Friday morning came and it was very overcast and word of rain at home only 40 miles away so prayed it stayed away for the day. The plan was for Dave to get some time in the car and use his experience to make any changes that he thought would make improvement. We let the normal track day first hour rush pass then Dave headed out, three laps later he returned and I thought something was wrong “It’s fine we don’t need to change anything” so that was that, a few runs on track throughout the day to get our eye in for Saturday which was also being run on the outer layout and that was that a great day and a little more confidence into some of the areas of the track that I hadn’t previously had the confidence to attack. Friday night most of the other SS competitors arrived and we managed to sign on and get scrutineered so less of a rush on the Saturday morning. Saturday and the outer circuit, we set the tyre pressures and applied the sun cream, it was going to be hot. A very straight forward morning practice runs with Dave a second quicker than me, although I had already beat my PB by 2 seconds. We had lunch then set about trying to find a little more time. I went a little faster with a 71.1 so set about trying to get in the 70’s while Dave was on 70.3 aiming to get a sub 70 second time. The last run of the day and Dave did it 69.8, I over drove the car and in true spin to win fashion I came over the finish backwards. So Dave to the honors but showed me what the car was capable of once I had more seat time. On the Saturday evening at prize giving we were notified that the local farmer had ploughed through the main water pipe for the site and therefore there was no water on site at all. So we did what and good speed series competitor would do and cracked open a few cold one’s, we had earned it by having our over sized baby grows on all day. The water was fixed about 8pm and we could start using the showers. A great BBQ where you bring your own food was in full swing with a mix of Marshall's non speed series club members and the speed series competitors all together. Sunday and the more technical of the days using the eastern circuit. Again we got the car ready and applied the sun cream it was going to be even hotter today. We had P1 and everything was fine Dave then came in from P2 and said one of the rears was binding and under breaking pulling to the left. After investigation we had lost a pin to the hand break rod on the back axle meaning the tension had been taken up on the opposite side. We disconnected the other side as well and cable tied the full assembly up out the way. So a job to do before my next run out. It got hotter through the day and we though the track had past its best. Dave managed to put a 75.47 only 1 tenth of the class record I was currently down in the 77.3 area but still pleased to be 4 second faster than my previous best. Last run of the day and Dave was on a flyer coming down towards the last corner with what looked to be a very quick time but couldn’t get the car slowed down enough and went straight on and through the kitty litter and onto the grass. I lined up knowing that I could go quicker but would be happy to get in the 66’s. bang off the line 64ft of 2.35 and nailed the first technical section and was 1.3 second up in the first sector, I was then brave round curva Grande and managed to get the car turned into the wiggler 2nd,3rd,4th into bishops where I had been scrubbing some speed but carrying 4th through that corner all weekend and a down shift to 3rd and powered out of the corner down and round bunga bunga and flat to the finish managed to get the car slowed and turned in………….75.40......... 1.9 seconds quicker in one run and first in class by 7 one hundredths and only 3 one hundredths off the record. Great weekend great company. Special thanks to the @John Williams - WSCC Competition Secretary and his organisation team and thanks to @tkm_dave as without someone telling me that the car is setup well and then showing me what it was capable of I would never have pushed as hard as I did to make up the time. on the Outer I went 4 seconds faster than my PB and eastern I was 6 seconds faster than my PB of only 6 weeks ago at the longton event. Let’s do it all again next year.

From the sprint perceptive, very well run and efficient. Paddock planning was just about spot on. The evening gathering was a good idea to bond non sprinters / sprinters. I was pleased that at least one of our speed series sponsors came and joined in the weekend to show off their products and mingle with folk. The sprint was a few entries down on normal numbers but other reasons were to blame their such as events elsewhere on the same day etc. I am sure it will be well attended next year with some championship invites, advertising and calendar planning etc A big thank you for the BBQ chefs on Saturday night Well done John W and team

It just about fits in the garage. Phew

Well if we're doing cars in the gravel..

Yes we have, 12th July for track day, 13th and 14th for Sprint.

I could have done without that too - but many thanks to Trev (who gave blood in the cause!) and all who chipped in to get me on track for my maiden sprint. Really pleased that @Dave (OnliestSmeg) - Manchester AO Had an impact driver with him too! But to sum up the weekend was utterly brilliant and a credit to all involved. Only negative comment I’d make was how disheartening it was to see @Andy Banks - Chairman Cleaning up other people’s empties the day after the BBQ - he deserves our thanks and next year please help him!

great weekend Blog now posted

Here's my pics of the Westfields: @Tom (T3OMF) - Cotswolds AO @Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO No.31 No. 130 @tkm_dave @syman84 No.49 No.60 No.764 No.62 No. 105 No.109 no.123 no.126 No.96 no. 12X My camera transportation device:

Here's what I did: The dash is formed from aluminum with carbon-look 3M 1080 wrap. The gauges are VDOs. Some construction details here, here, here, and here. I used the Miata's stalks for most of the switches. There are some LEDs over the steering column for the idiot lights.

Oh, and if you want ultra slick runs, (provided the cars aren’t too spread out it has an approx 1200m range), the Blue Tooth intercom system that @IanK (Bagpuss) brought along for our France trip was absolutely superb, with the lead car and end car linked via two way headsets, then you can constantly balance the run as lead car to make sure those following are still with you. Equally, you can let the back of the convoy know when and where you’re turning, while the rear car can easily update the leader that everyone is through the junction/roundabout etc. The other thing we found out was that having matched sat navs, with identical way points in the front and tail cars again, reduced the “following” stress hugely, meaning you knew what was coming up, so could hold at what ever distance felt appropriate, rather than constantly having to keep the convoy tight.

Saw this at Blyton and it caught my eye. Its the first car I built..... I was hoping to catch up with the owner but they had gone when I went back.

Afternoon, The last cars are about to leave the line... and I will go and hibernate for a week or two; but we do want your feedback both +'ve and -'ve; if -'ve please suggest how I can fix it for next year. Booking for 2019 and it should be the weekend of 12th/13th/14th July 2019. Many thanks John

Will you lot stop congratulating him on his most excellent photos otherwise I’ll have to up the forum limits again!

you were mate, their just play the spin to win game

Best bit for me... we have never had someones other half left in lost property

No, it's a separate unit powered by the main battery. Its bl**** incredible. There's a terminal between the main unit and the extension pipe, and then another terminal between the pipe and the head. You can use it without turning the powered head on and it still works well, but press the powered head button and it's unbelievable. The boost button just gets silly!! Great on wood flooring.

Ouch @Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO you should punish that comment oh mighty one!

It would be great to see a 'popped sprint cherry' small piece in the next Westfield World!

Surely certain people should be given more space ;-)

Great Photos guys, thanks a lot

The Single Seaters: @BCF Barney

Giving rides at a car show:

Pretty little thing isn't it This is how you cross the finish line.

Late night cooking with @Ian Tolfree (tolf) - North London AO @Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO @Robin (Red Spider) - Yorkshire AO

Hi everyone joined the club earlier this week thought I would introduce myself! I used to own a westfield about 20 years ago, an SEi (I think) with a Vulcan 135bhp crossflow on twin dellortos, which was a pretty decent specification back then! Had the car a couple of years but ownership co-incided with a house move and subsequent renovation project which meant the car was barely used. I did quite a few bits to the car over the period I owned - upgraded the engine, added a brushed aluminium dashboard and new chrome toggle switches, chrome roll bar etc etc. Then sold it on to a guy from Germany. Have had quite a few nice cars over the years - a 911 Carrera 3.2 replaced the westfield, followed by a Ferrari 308, Alfa 3.0 GTV and 147GTA, then a Maserati 3200GT. Pretty sure most of those are now worth a lot more than I sold them for thats for sure! Other priorities meant I had to leave nice cars to one side for a while, and these days I have just an Abarth 500, which I think is a great little car. Have always felt that Westfield ownership was rather unfinished business as it wasnt used much, so have just agreed a deal for another. Though I like the look of the zetec and vauxhall specifications, I've decided to stick with what I know, and I owned a LOT of ford cars in the 80s and 90's, so the incoming car is an SE wide with 2.0 Pinto power, of course with twin carbs - webers this time. Really looking forward to collecting the car in about a week's time. In the meantime here are a couple of pictures of my previous Westfield - bit of a period piece with the swept wings and Ferrari style wheels!

We normally do this for Stoneleigh so why not for Blyton. I'll start us all off. I'm no David Bailey so apologies for the quality. I have a few of people attempting to cross the finish line.

well it was my first time sprinting this weekend at blyton, and i really enjoyed it great group of folks all very friendly, a nice bit of banter and very welcoming even thou i was not competing in a westfield i was giving my arion its first taste of competition first thing i realised is i had the wrong tyres , slicks but track compound not soft sprint compound , set up for track use is not ideal for sprinting , and getting the start right is the most important thing , still times came down every session both days , starts improved , i thnk its a bit like golf , you never feel you have cracked it, every run theres things to improve on but thats whats makes it great fun its just you against the clock i would like yo thank all those involed for running the 3 days , for the my fellow of class 3l for making me and mrs H welcome to terry for his advise and keeping a eye on me work diary permitting i hope to be out again some time this year

I spotted the following on an insurance/bike site, while grabbing a coffee this morning, had quite a bit of relevant info in. (Though do bear in mind it’s from an insurance related site, So approaches things from that angle.) Non the less, I thought, as we’ve not done it for a year or two, it might be handy to cover this sort of stuff again, for new members etc. Riding skills: Why can riding in groups be so dangerous? The link to the article is here Please do read it, it makes a lot of very useful points, even for Westfields. Its also something that both the leader and those in the group need to take on board. One of the key things, that is just as relevant for us as bikers, is that once you’ve got more than three, maybe four cars, you get exactly the same speeding up at the rear situation. It’s the opposite of that braking “shockwave” effect you see on the motorway, where someone at the front of a busy, packed lane, brakes mildy and a mile or two back, the last cars end up stopping! When leading a group with a decent number of cars in, remember, as you get closer to the back, every time you accelerate, they have to accelerate harder and longer to keep up. If you’re averaging 50mph on a twisty road, they might be averaging 60 mph, or more. With a dozen plus, it’s easily possible for cars at the rear to have to travel at both licence losing speeds, and in a manor that will get them more than just a speeding ticket if caught, if the lead car is pressing on. The other consideration, is that a group of that many single make cars is very obvious. So if the rear cars get pulled, EXPECT busybodies and “concerned citizens” to be stopping and helpfully telling the police that you were all driving like maniacs etc. You may just find the BiB at the scene deciding to charge everyone with racing and let the courts sort it out! Be careful, be aware of what and who is around you. There are several things that encourage the clustering of the group, one of the “worst”, is worrying about getting lost/left behind, not only does it encourage keeping up at all costs, including some very marginal and downright blatant traffic light abuse(!) It also causes anxiety and reduces enjoyment of those following. What can be done, not everyone wants to know the detailed route, but make sure everyone knows the destination, or if it’s a long run, add waypoints, where the group can stop and reform. The club always recommends the buddy ahead system. Quite simply, always make sure you have the car behind in site, (doesn’t necessarily have to be immediately behind you, nor visible every second, after all, you need to concentrate ahead, too.) If, you loose site of the car following you, slow, and allow them to catch up. If the convoy turns off the road you’ve been travelling on, try and wait either just before, or just after the turn, so that they will see you as they travel along. (It should go without saying, pick somewhere safe for both you and other traffic.) Once they catch up, carry on with the turn. The car ahead of you, should have seen you slow, so in turn, you slow the whole convoy ahead of you, untill you’ve all caught up. If the car behind doesn’t show up at all, try and hang on till the whole convoy has actually stopped, and the organiser sent a car back to find out what’s going on. Only then go looking for the missing person, they may have broken down, but they may have taken a wrong turning, in which case you can’t do much but carry on till the next way point. And that’s it. The simple system above, while not perfect, will cope well with most potential issues. The main places it falls down are in exceptionally heavy traffic, and going through bigger town/city centres. If a run makes these things unavoidable, and you have lots of vehicles. Consider breaking the whole group down into fours or so, and meeting up at waypoints either side of the problem areas. Make sure each group knows the intended route, but it’s not the end of the world if they have to skip bits, as long as they reach the waypoint. Overtaking (within the group).. A tricky one, on the whole, it’s not advisable, particularly if using the buddy in front system, as people loose track of which cars they should be seeing, even without the risks it can bring. However, as long as you’re sure the car ahead knows you’re going to pass, and there is lots of room, and you’re sure the cars around you know the route, then it can be OK. One point I would make though, is that to pretty much any bistander or other motorist, Westfields in a big group that’s traveling briskly, even if “legally”, that are also changing places a lot will look like racing! Im not aware of anyone ever getting a pull for that, but bear in mind if you do, the friends you overtook are likely to get pulled too, even if completely innocent. As said earlier, Bear in mind who else is around you when you decide to not just travel convoy style

Great weekend, many thanks to all for the hard work involved in organising such a splendid sprint and track day.

Many thanks everyone for the warm welcome, pics and impressions of the new car to follow in about a week!

Yea thats a good point, being I only have a few hundred miles under my belt in my WF I'm still very much learning the car, and would not really like to be at the back of a long train, as you pointed out things tend to "ripple" back in a convoy, which I used to see more on bikes what I was in my teens (long time ago)

If that were possible, maybe... Nice pics though! If you get a chance try and resize them down a little before uploading? I did recently also up the allowed image size, to increase quality as per a request by @Howsafe Workwear and Safety Equipment - so we now have better images, but equally, bigger file sizes per upload. I'll keep an eye on it though and we (t'committee) will always try and provide the best platform we can as far as is possible

I didn't realise their were so many people taking photos - well done folks, some nice shots

Good article I have set up and run many convoys for manufacturers running new car launch events - generally with up to 12 cars in the convoy (plus lead and tail cars) I would always recommend having a tail car that is in contact with the lead car so that stragglers can be safely and quickly rounded up Running a safe and enjoyable convoy is not that difficult if a little common sense prevails - never run a light to keep with the convoy, never take a chance at junctions / roundabouts to keep up with the car in front etc etc

Caption competition?

Nice shot of me in Steve's car at the start line

Big thanks to Mark from @carbon-nv... DRLs and side indicators will be re-fitted in the winter

Track day ...All positives Good briefing , quick sign on, siting laps for only the new trackdayers ...or those who wanted siting laps. Plenty of track time Not too crowded ...... I'm sure I was on my own at one point.. Evening event very good All well organised and a very enjoyable day. Thanks to @John Williams - WSCC Competition Secretary , @graham frankland... and anyone else I missed who helped... Thanks NEXT YEAR.....We just need to organise another hours spannering on Chris' car after the track closes next year. Without the alternator fixing diversion, I would drank all my beer before the pub.

All positive on the track day. But possibly something nice would be a members only shared photo bucket.

I can only comment from a trackday point of view. But I thought the trackday was great well run the briefing was much better short and to the point which enabled us to get out on track early. A great job done by everyone involved couldn't fault it

Sorry to read you had troubles, but I can see the issue in your photo. Durarecs don’t like Schweppes. Hope it’s sorted soon!

Regardless of what happened, I’d avoid posting about it on the internet tbh.

Welcome Robert, that looks in lovely condition from your photos! Oh, and all the best cars have swept wings!

Fitted when I bought the car - apparently its from PlaysKool. The finish isn't brilliant (could do with a Carbon-look hydro-dip), but the quality seems good - its quite solid

A few more pics taken last night Ignition off, lights off: Ignition off, lights on: Ignition ob light off, turn right on (flashes-with a longer on period than off to aid visibility): Ignition on, lights on: Ignition on, lights on, rear fog on (hopefully you can just make out the fog and light illumination is brighter than the others?) Ignition on, lights on (taken once it was dark)

I know set ups like mine can sometimes be a wee bit tricky to get your head round, so for anyone that does fancy having a go at something similar - and bear in mind you can use what ever type of momentary switches you fancy, not just the round billet type, (in fact, I still have toggle switches for main beam, indicators and the horn, all in the standard Westfield positions, it’s just mine work the FREEwheel). Do feel free to give me a call to talk it through, if that’s easier, for you. 07769 908575. (It’s my work phone number, so already “out there” in the world and the web!)

Ahh Chooo...