impressive tool

One of the benefits of running datalogging on my bike during trackdays is the post match analysis... in the heat of the moment you can lose sight of what you're actually doing - so when you do something right it can be hard to know how, why, or how on earth to do it again. It's a tool that racers and teams have benefited from for a while now, I'm just lucky as a intermediate plodder to get some of that sweet sweet insight without laying out muchachos simoleons (I guess it's who you know :). Oh and it also settles who went faster on the day between you and your buddy *cough*.

The frankly awesome Circuit Tools now allows the data harvested by the Video VBOX to be expressed in multiple ways synchronised with the video playback so you can see exactly what's going on, compare laps and find those vital seconds (vital for bragging rights at the Dog & Hammer later on). Hopefully it'll also help me to keep the bugger upright and out of trouble for the next time.

This screenshot shows the point where I'm just about to take a gravelly excursion and the same moment on the previous lap where I managed to go round the corner without screwing up... the laps seem reasonably consistent, although on the wrong'un I'm slightly on the gas but mostly I got out of the brakes and then grabbed a gert handful - to the tune of 1.1g! Adding in trying to steer and that dog won't hunt monsignor, no sireebob. In fact on reflection I was lucky not to chuck it down the track in spectacular fashion, generous friends have suggested that this implies some measure of skill. More candid ones might suggest a skilled rider wouldn't make such a bollocks of it in the first place.

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For more on the awesomeness that is Circuit Tools check out this vid showing just what can be done... mmmmm techpron....

'71 Challenger

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70 Dodge Challenger on Autobahn

I don't have much info about this clip, but all you really need to know that is that it's a 1970 Dodge Challenger with the hammer down on the Autobahn. No info about how stock it is, but even taking into account an optimistic speedo an indicated 140mph must be pretty exciting in a 40 year old motor, from a time when handling was a little more, ah, lively. If its on OE running gear then the driver has got some balls.

Check out the sound, utterly fantastic, some V8s are at their best tearing towards the redline but I like this best in the low speed manoeuvres... gorgeous.

Silverstone Arena GP Circuit April 22nd 2010

With the new infield section Silverstone is now 3.66 miles making it one of the longest circuits about - it's also very bloody quick! They've moved the grandstands back quite a way and filled in the gap with FIA spec kerbs (nasty looking buggers) extra run-off tarmac and oodles of kitty litter. The spectators loss is our gain though, it means they can get rid of the annoying bus stop chicane before the pitlane - Copse comes up v. quick indeed!
The down side of such a long lap for trackdays is that an incident on track can take a long time to clear - getting everybody off track at red flag pace can take 5-7 minutes easily so a 20min session can get eaten into sharpish.
It's still Silverstone - flat, windswept, wide and featureless and very dusty off line whilst still under construction - it's a shame they didn't/couldn't put in some kind of elevation changes that would have made it absolutely belting... ho hum.

Your intrepid reporter was determined to sample the full range of new appointments at the circuit though, so in the spirit of vigilant investigation I took a trip into a new gravel trap to discover if they work properly... I am happy to report they do (see the end of the video). Luckily with a push from a helpful marshal (thanks fella) I was able to return on track without ruining too much of the session for everybody






In conclusion - its a belter! I look forward to more visits, learning the track, going faster and staying on the black stuff.

Here's a view from the pitwall showing the extra run-off and gravel

tower of power

The distaff representative of driverchris towers finds it almost impossible to pass by a museum or gallery, they exert a pull on her which is almost primal. This is fine I like a bit of high culture myself although I can start to fade a wee bit after the third or fourth in a day.

The way to preserve amity is to leaven the modern art and ethnographic artefacts with visits to stuff like the excellent tekniskamuseet in Stockholm - an amazing collection of technical engineering in a great location.

So what could be more exciting after some old masters then than a visit to a car storage plant?

Until recently the 'CarTowers' a storage device for up to 800 freshly made Volkswagens was not open to the public. All that has changed.

A special glass, panorama lift takes six guests through the same procedure as one of the 800 cars stored in the CarTowers.

Visitors are taken up 48 metres to the 20th storey by the car shuttle as if they were a regular car – for extra effect the car shuttle swings slowly to the right and then back to the left before safely depositing the glass lift in a specially designed slot on the observation deck.

How cool is that? One for the itinerary of the next European road trip.

pics

I try not to simply re-post cool pics found online, lord knows there's enough of that going on and if you follow a few sites you tend to see the same images again and again. Sure they're great pics but it kinda feels a little like a circle jerk too.

That said I'm off on holiday so fukkit check out cool is a color they have an eye.

and that 's why I drink

Life