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Those of us in the UK will probably be aware of AutoSergei* from the CompareTheMarket commercials, a robot who supposedly finds the best deals on insurance, etc.: It occurred to me that this club would be greatly, perhaps irreparably damaged if @Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary ever stepped away from the world of Westfields. We all know he’s got more knowledge on Westfields than anyone, including Kingswinford, and he’s always here, ready and willing. He’s a treasure, irreplaceable. I submit that, in order to take some of the load off Dave’s back, and in a collaboration between members, especially @ACW, @Chris King and @Quinten Uijldert - Webmaster, and those members clever with wiring like @Kit Car Electronics and others good with 3D printing, we can build an AutoGadgetman. This could be programmed with all the answers Dave has ever given here in the forums, just waiting to be asked. We could then use it when Dave’s on a well earned holiday or at Stoneleigh when demand is high for the talents of Dave Eastwood CBE (Can’t Be Everywhere). How about it? Anyone up for the challenge? * Frighteningly, “AutoSergei” was in my spell chicken...

whilst looking for an image for someone on lcb, i found this old photo from around 2008, i dont have any of all of them in one pic other than this one which i had forgotten about. the one that remains is the one on the left, his sister centre and the rescue far right. nice to find pics like that.

First of a couple of vids from me. Chasing Phil in @Mole's yellow Westy around a very busy Donny.

Taking place on Saturday, 3rd to Sunday, 4th July the Yorkshire area are having a weekend away in memory of @BugMan, Steve Pitt. We are taking over the White Horse Inn at Rosedale Abbey for the night. The day will start early meeting at 9AM to leave at 9:30 from Skelton Grange service station at J45, M1. The first stop will be at the NY 500 cafe near Pickering at 11:30 for a lunch break. After that, I'm not sure where. The route has been planned by @shutty1971, @marcusb, and @Rickyboy100 in a pub!! There is still a single room left if anyone is interested. And if anyone wants to join us on either Saturday or Sunday, please let us know so numbers can be arranged. Let's hope this is a fitting tribute to Steve.

found some pics circa 2012 , anyone see their car or perhaps own it now... geez my car has changed so much, lol... knott end knott end different angle two in the green man carpark also, i see stevel's old car, i would have sworn i never saw it in orange, just shows how your memory goes over time.

But... but... but... Oh never mind...

just had the heads up from the cap and booked in .

It was Simon. I get the feeling though as all days now are rammed full, quieter days will be few and far between. There were a few "experience" cars running too, which doesn't help with the traffic flow. Too may queues forming behind them. Second vid. Chasing after a BMW Z3 (is it?) as he bullies his way through the traffic, followed by a bit of Megablade Matt, (That could be his new username if he's reading this. 😉) and a lap or so of clearish track at the end.

As per Adam ill agree to disagree. But for large chunks of the population the above statement is simply false.

Yep agree with Andrew, generally a good day car going well but a lot of fast expensive cars but with drivers who don't know how to use their mirrors or just pig headed and don't want to move out the way.. Enjoyed the dry for most of the day and also had just over an hour full stint in the rain until the checkered flag! Was great fun and enjoyed a good question CK spin entering the back straight.. including a visit to the gravel but kept it going so back on track before the marshal could raise his flag! Only down side was another broken wing support just before lunch but managed to find a helpful blacksmith who migged it up! Good to see Andrew and Scotty plus the two non members!!

Indeed. There are stats to support the biggest nutter views and the views of the most risk averse if you look hard enough. One stat I would be actually intrigued to see (but impossible) is how many people have actually been killed by covid as the primary cause. I know that probably sounds morbid but anyone who dies of a heart attack but happens to have tested positive for covid 3 weeks earlier is recorded as a "covid" death. Which in my view gives a false impression. (I know this seems to be the accepted standard, but I fail to believe that all countries have reported on a level playing field)

A lad from work has been suffering badly with long covid for nearly 6 months apparently,funnily though after 6 months we go onto half pay, so his long covid has all of a sudden got better🙄😏🤬

What we see a lot of is something psychologists call ‘confirmation bias ‘People look for things that support their point of view, So Adam can a) pick a 2 week period in which 0.156% of the population caught it, b) state that it only kills 5% of people in the 70-85 group, c) use that data to conclude that it is a low risk thing that only kills 7.8 people per 100,000 in the most at risk group. Interesting approach, exclude almost all of the last 16 months, exclude the over 85’s, in which the case fatality rate is 28%, Ignore the fact that it has killed 200 people per 100,000 in our population as a whole? If you are looking for a comfort blanket that would work, the reality is quite far from that! I can paint a different picture if I want, 127,000 dead in the UK alone, the equivalent of 500 passenger jets (8 a week) leaving UK airports and crashing killing all on board. Holiday anyone? You see, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Thanks Robin!! I'll pass onto George

Just renewed my insurance with @A-Plan Insurance THATCHAM, same price as last year, and the year before, and the year before. Spoke to George, painless and quick, thank you

PS: I did manage to build a prototype Auto@Blatman but no matter how I programmed or adjusted it, all it ever said was “Have you done a search?”, so I gave up. 😛

There's no real counter discussion to be had though if your unable to see things from both sides? I was simply stating a fact that for huge numbers of people covid is not high risk. I know more people around my age group that have had covid with zero or minimal symptoms than those who have. Those who are at high risk have all been offered or had opportunity to be double vaccinated. Either you have faith in your vaccination program or you keep restrictions in place because you don't. We seem to be in a position in this country where we have both.

i picked up a virus back in december 2018, most likely a flu strain, i think i got it from next doors young kids as she looks after them during the day but thats really hard to prove, anyway the main part of the symptoms disappeared in a few days, all except for a constant cough and excess mucus, this is still with me today, and to many it sounds like long covid, i dont think it is, unless it was around in late 2018, but it hasnt shifted, anti biotics didnt help , so for those who do have it i sympathise greatly. i see both sides of the discussion so far and i fully get why folks hate the restrictions, so do i, as someone once said, you can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time - or words to that effect. same applies here.

Colds take a few days. Mumps a week or two. Measles/Rubella much the same. Same for flu, glandular fever (mono-nucleosis or EBV), viral tonsilitis... I could go on and apart from measles and flu, I have had all of them and recovered quickly as has EVERYONE I know. So no, ANY type of virus taking months to recover from is very wide of the mark. Long Covid, as I understand it, is where symptoms (shortness of breath loss of taste or smell, fatigue etc) are present longer than the expected 10 days or so that it takes the body to fight off the infection and return to homeo-stasis. But the same would be true for any viral infection where symptoms last longer than expected in the normal course of the infection.

A less groany one would be better

Anything under a 40i or a 35i is not worth looking at. Deffo You indeed need AT LEAST 326hp to overtake confortably and pull from stop lights quick as a lightning...

An OK day I reckon. The track seemed very busy at times, with a smattering of knobheads in the mix. my car ran OK mostly. Still got an annoying gear change problem.. will have to have yet another shot at fettling the gear extension. Got a good little session with @Mole, but unfortunately the gopro power supply let me down and it failed to record. Dammit! (Not really a GoPro issue, more to do with the crappy cig lighter socket power supply) However I had a session with Phil in the Molemobile which I have got and a session with the lad in the Megablade. (Non member and forgotten his name already 😞 ) As Scott says, rains came at about 4, wasn't going to swap wheels so got an early start home .. only to get stuck in a jam on the A1 for about an hour. Only took a handful of pics in the paddock.. Molemobile was too far away in a posh garage. 😉 Another Pinto! 😎 Scotty Fireblade Pintosaurus

...........and here is photographic evidence, just don't ask me for the route ask @Rickyboy100 😆

Virus' mutate all the time though. Just like the flu does every winter. We don't lockdown everytime a new flu strain appears? Also there has been no data published to say the Indian variant is any more deadly or any more harmful. Yes depending on which stat you believe its anywhere from 20 to 40% more transmissible. Again tho that's an estimate impossible to prove. And the government see fit to fill our stadiums for the euros. Cricket. Town centres have been bustling ever since the pubs have been allowed to open. The simple fact is this virus isn't going to go away. That's a fact. Indisputable. It will also mutate. We have protected the vulnerable population and a huge chunk of everyone else. At some point people are going to have to accept that and get on with their lives and the news outlets are going to have to stop scaremongering. I even saw something today saying this winter flu is going to be even more deadly than usual due to a drop in immunity. I mean come on. EVERYTHING in life is a risk and covid is just another thing to add to the list.

About 1 in 5 of the population have had Covid, 127,000 have died, nearly 400,000 have long Covid. Let us assume we didn’t lock down, those numbers become 500,000 deaths, and one or two million people spend months in hospital and go home with a debilitating illness. When you look at the harms of lockdown it is only fair to compare those with the potential harms of not locking down. Millions suffer the mental health consequences of losing siblings, parents and grandparents early in horrible circumstances. A million or two left with a debilitating illness that will shorten their lives and make them extremely unpleasant, nothing quite like struggling for breath! The other consequence of those numbers, letting it run its course, you get what we saw in Delhi recently. People that could have survived it don’t, there is no care available. Families witness their loved ones dying untreated in their beds, in taxis, in hospital car parks. Don’t underestimate what would have happened with no lockdowns, just because it didn't happen!

Hi all, My personal BMW 535D 313bhp 0-60 5.1 seconds and 50+mpg with 8 speed auto box, truly great daily car. 64k miles Not messed with, it's as it left BMW factory. Full BMW Service history - just had the "major" service 2 in May 21. New tyres and brake discs/pads all round in last 5k miles. 4 wheel alignment & geo suspension alignment completed. Car is as mint in real life as the pictures suggest. Black leather heated electric seats and professional (big screen) Nav. Digital cockpit - facelift LCI, very last of the F10 series. 360 surround camera - this is great! Heads up display HUD - projects sat nav and radio onto windscreen. 16 Speaker Harmon Kardon Premium sound option. Reverse cam/Front junction cams. Electric auto folding mirrors. Auto lights/auto wipers/cruise control etc. Internet connected with real time traffic and DAB 19" M sport wheels and M Sport brakes. Privacy sun glass 2 previous owners (I've owned last 2 years and 1 previous lease company from new) List price with options was £54k when new in Nov 2016, car just over 4.5 years old now. I've been offered £16,500 trade in value on my next car which is up to £1K-£2k below forecourt price for this car depending on location but if I make a cash sale I can negotiate harder on my next vehicle and thought I'd offer a car at trade in value to a fellow club member. Viewing Milton Keynes - more pictures on request. Cheers Pete

thanks, as i said yesterday, in the past i was quite selfish and keeping the dog alive for far too long, i am now not as reliant on a dog as i once was , so this will never happen again. also as at right now, i do not intend to replace this last one with another, thats fine to say whilst i still have one - quite how i will feel afterwards is another matter - but i would like to think i could do without one these days. plus this would allow me to join in with all the great road trips going on , on here which currently i cant attend as i live alone and will never leave a dog overnight unattened, i worry when i am away for a few hours never mind days, lol.. thanks for the post.

Shouldn't this be in the for sale section?