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Serial Vitesse racer
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JohnD's Achievements
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But last weekend was the best! Daughter and Son-in-law are both sportspeople, past Internationals in Rugby and Hockey. He still plays at County level at local Hockey club and No.1 Grandson is in their under twelves team (He's ten, nearly eleven). And yesterday at the County Championships his team won! The final went to a nil-all draw, five minutes of extra time and then a penalty shoot out! Nails bitten to the elbow! Both their team and the team they bat will go on the Regional Championships in April, so more excitement to come! John
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First Race of 2024 - CSCC Donington , March 23rd
JohnD replied to JohnD's topic in Events and Motorsports
Thanks to all! See you in the paddock, Steve! John -
Weekend before last, I was back on the Malcolm Wilson Rally. I used to be CMO, but on retiring handed that role on to an excellent successor, whose practice is (as mine was) to set off in advance of the rally cars, and drive through the stages to greet the Rescue and Recovery crews and ensure all was well with them. Sort of walking the floor. But the FIA didn't like that, they wanted the CMO to be in Rally HQ to interpret medical reports and liaise with Ambulance Control and hospitals, so I was invited back to be that Medical Liaison, AKA Deputy CMO. Colin's post above about electronics at the Glasgow velodrome reminded me of Mission Control at the MWR! There were a total of ten operators, plus a Mission Controller, using "SportTraxx" a system that uses responders in each competing car. That logs their position on GPS, then send that data to Rally HQ via the mobile network! This shows the position of each car on the screen, located on a stage map that may be outline, or Google Earth. Most importantly, each responder has two buttons, "OK" or "HELP!" to be pressed as asap if the car comes a halt. What a change from the not-so-old days? Then we would learn that a car, number so-and-so, had not emerged at stage finish, radio messages would be sent to ask where it had last been seen and marshals despatched from the last seen post as runners to find them. Well, almost what a change! GPS is pretty good, but mobile reception patchy and cars would appear to stop - and then travel at light speed to the next point where reception was re-established. John
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First race of the season will be Donington, Saturday March 23rd. I'm entered in the Swinging '60s Race 2, practice at 1055, Race at 1540, the gods willing. The meeting has an enormous entry list, over 400 cars in all classes, 42 in just my race alone! Apart from me there are two other Triumphs, TR6/250s with Graham Wilson and Roy Chamberlain, with Steve Adams in his Spitfire in Race 1. The weather forecast looks good, cold but dry, light winds. I have a three spare tickets, please PM me if you would like one. John
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Returning to the original question from m'learned friend. First of all, 'complete' may be verb, noun or adjective, while 'finished' may be the past tense of the verb 'finish' or an adjective, and in the latter use or noun form may refer to the surface detail of an object. This reflects the extreme flexibility and extraordinary richness of English, that confounds many who seek to learn it, but delights those lucky to be born into it. To seek a definitive discrimination between those words, one must first define your terms! Richness? French is a lovely, fluid language that I know a little of, but the OED contains six hundred thousand definitions of words in English usage, while the Dictionnaire de l’Académie Française, the official, state-sponsored guardian of French, contains sixty thousand words. John
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" a parade of chip shops and cafes there." So not enshittified, then? Just not very classy? John
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Bognor, Brighton or Blackpool, they're all buggered. Hence the "enshittification". Thank you, Nick for that new word!
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No disrespect to you, Zetec, but maybe take a look at what other Hill Climb events offer? The TRR don 't organise their own TR exclusive events, but ride with others. Their very first this year is with "Club Motul" (No, nor me neither) which seems to offer a varied collection of cars from three wheelers to Morgans to modern Beemers: https://www.clubmotul.co.uk/the-drum see pic top left. But if you want the widest possible selection of motor vehicles, from bikes to fire engines, then the Kop Hill Climb in September: https://kophillclimb.org.uk/ Their front page says it all, and doesn't even mention the fairground attractions and music that are there! And nowhere has a more open and friendly paddock! A King George V said in his last words, "Bugger Brighton!" John PS Small selection of what you might see at Kop:
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Did you go to compete, or spectate, Mark? Either way, lots of sprinting in the TR Register Speed Champs: https://www.tr-register.co.uk/motorsport. If you'd like some racing, see: https://www.classicsportscarclub.co.uk/_files/ugd/838e83_5cb4948470254f87b75262f76572c6c9.pdf Sveral Triumphs usually, including mine. John
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Impressive remote diagnosis, Phil! JOhn
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Re: Spin/tumble dryer - I may have told this before? - We replaced an old one, and to get it out took it apart. Inside it was full of fluff, but what was worrying was that where the wires to the heater elements ran through the fluff, that was CHARRED! Never run a dryer when you're not there. Re: Oil central heating. We have gas, and it has failed on a few occasions, twice because the pilot light has gone out. Would that apply to an oil burner? But also, being a 'condensing boiler' it has a drain pipe to remove the condensed water to an outside drain. Last winter the pipe's insulation was blown off by a gale and the pipe froze. Could that apply to yours, Phil?
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Over on Facebook, TSSC page, James Parker has posted about a Vitesse that will be scrapped if not bought. Looks OK, everything there, but I've no idea on condition. It needs saving! John
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The result of no MoTs in a population without the mechanical sympathy/knowledge in our classical community may be seen on YouTube on the "Just Rolled In" channel. In the US, individual states have their own "safety checks" which vary from strict to ' has it got all the wheels?' The result is vehicles held together with cable ties, or nothing at all! Yes, get your classic MoTed! John
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Much of the classic world is concerned with originality, so are in no danger of losing their exemption. But IMHO it is wise to have another mind and pair of eyes go over your pride 'n' joy, so this week I asked my local small garage owner, MoT inspector and friend to do just that on my Vitesse. Race prepared and used, but driven on the road, insured and registered. Good thing too! He flagged up several small items, most of which I should have spotted. But he also questioned if the mods to the car made it non-eligable for MoT exemption! So I looked it up, on the Gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/historic-classic-vehicles-mot-exemption-criteria/historic-classic-vehicles-mot-exemption-criteria#:~:text=mot-exemption-criteria-,Eligibility,rules apply to large vehicles. And it IS eligible! My mods are not substantial enough. But maybe others should consider what "substantial" mods do remove your eligability? See that page, a different engine, chassis, suspension or body are 'substantial'. The last are unlikely, unless you are making a kit car, but alternative engines, not Triumph, could be! I suggest that anyone considering Jag engine in their Spitfire (on Another Site, someone was doing so this week!) Should read that Gov.com page carefully! John
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Oh, there are better! Much better! Transit Owners website for instance. !Sorry - thread diversion! Back to Jaaaaaaaaaags