OBD2 scanner

My Exige has an OBD2 port just below the dash. I've been thinking about getting an OBD2 scanner to do some data acquisition. Here's a source for this type of equipment.

Trackdays in kart tracks / Portugal

Driver's Legion is a TD organizer in Portugal that specializes in kart tracks. I've done one of their events and I really liked it. Quite well organized.

Made to measure helmets

Safety i an important part of tracking and racing. Many of the discussions I have read on helmets claim that not all helmets fit every type of head. So why not get a custom made helmet from stand 21? If you drive a classic, you may be interested in one of these nice autostoria vintage helmets and racing gear (notice that helmets and some of the clothes on this site are not track safe).

Tuning the K-series engine

Now that I am getting an S1 for the track. I have been trying to learn all I can about it. In the process I found this great resource that provides a deep and thorough discussion of the tuning possibilities of the Rover K-Series engine that powers the car.

POI in Portugal

Looking for a good POI database for your GPS in Portugal? Try here. You can find POIs for most GPS systems. Restaurants, speed camermeras, ATMs, WiFi spots... everything is covered.

What happens when your Lotus is left alone?

Yahoo! Cars on the Elise 135R

"The picture is significantly brighter on the open road, where the Elise comes to life. It's hard to think of an appropriate analogy to convey just how much grip the car has, in the dry at least. Cornering speeds are determined more by courage than the chassis' capability; a complete recalibration of the mind is necessary to comprehend just how rapidly you can travel from A to B.
Roundabouts are more a question of the boundaries of your social conscience than a function of the radius and one has to be wary of the speed differential between you and other traffic. We continuously found ourselves exiting corners wishing we'd attacked so much harder due to how much the Elise still had in the tank."

Change to the car line-up (updated)

This first year with the exige really changed my orientation from a street driver to a track driver. The tructh is that while the Exige S is still on leasing and market values are high, I dare not use it as a track car, except in very controlled conditions. However, I really do want to build my track experience, especially because after the 7 I am planning to stick to full on race-cars.

I was looking at some catherham's but basically they are the same price of S1 Elises. So I'm getting one of those ASAP.

I've been struggling with that because I might have gotten that in the first place instead of the Exige and saved some money (only getting an exige later after having outgrown the S1). However, although I like the S1, I love the Exige and I am sure that once I get enough track experience under my belt, I will take the Exige to the track instead. I love the Exige as a fun street car. My ride in an S1 conbinced me that I would not have the same feeling in an S1, but it's a brilliant track slag.

This means that I am probably dropping the 7 off the list. It really does not make any sense owning one because the type of historical events that a roadgoing 7 can compete on are limited.

So, the new lineup is.

My baby: Exige S



Lotus Elise S1 111S



Lotus 51



Lotus 23B

BTW, instead I could get a caterham 7. I'm not doing it because I prefer finesse and subtelty to brute handling and holding a car by the scuff of the neck:

Blat today

I didn't get a chance to drive the Exige all of last week. To compensate, I took the top off and drove it to Tomar yesterday and did an hour-long blat through N238 and N237 today at dawn. Driving the car roofless is a blast. It feels like it lost 100 kgs and the connection with the road is much tighter. Of course, not a single problem and no perceptible change in performance. I enjoyed the medium turns and the long sweepers today, took them 10 to 20 km/h faster than usually and the car still felt planted. Still not having to much fun on tight corners though.