24Chromium

Brilliant, thank you!

Nizer

Looks like fun Savy. Sure hope the Brits are better at making cars than they are fish & chips....

savyboy

Otherworldly, and all good. The drive in via that tree-lined road is wild, they gave us the history of the track (was a private country estate). Everything is so f'ing green and lush and wet. Bit different from the high desert I am used to. My first drive was in the pouring rain, but it was great and did not suck and amazingly I stayed totally dry aside from my helmet visor which sheets water quite well as I discovered.

Second drive was no rain but everything still soaked of course, so I short shifted everywhere. Nevertheless, very grippy car and track surface. No drama on my drives but three of my throttle-greedy, hamfisted co-drivers managed to spin the poor car and one backed it into a tirewall causing some minor damage that finally ended our day at 4:40PM.

The track experience in general:
*What a cool layout with lots of elevation and camber change, complex, challenging turns. Very technical, although it doesn't look it from maps or video.
*Relatively narrow compared to what I'm used to.
*Aside from a handful of exceptions, no expensive cars running, all "hobby" type cars. Less than $10-20k I'd guess.
*MOG! The cafeteria! The food served! Holy Moley! Heaping calorie filled servings. Dang.
*I'd gladly spend a year there learning to drive that track well, it would be a LOT of fun. Really liked it.
*Several cars wrecked pretty good (unfortunately) while we were there.
*Open Track, no point-by, only one break- for lunch. Everyone drives whenever they want, pull to drivers right to allow passing. All very gentlemanly and civilized. No problems with cooperation.

Our two cars were driven 45 minutes on the public road, from Liverpool to Oulton Park to the track. Oli paced us in a lead Mono (the red one) on all our track driving but in a manner that still allowed us to drive as fast/aggressively as any of us wanted to. Neill Briggs told me he was a driving instructor there for many years, perhaps you met him there UR20v?

Pic below: More car-guy fantasy living. Full tour (4 hours) of the entire multi-building facility. Met and questions asked of the engineers/builders of our engines (same room where F1 engines were built last year).

savyboy

Oulton Park

savyboy

Bits/Pieces

Ur20v

Nice gear box- same as a bike with dog clutches, straight gears and gear change cassette/forks.

The elevation changes and off camber is what make it, yes very technical- especially through clay hill.

Sorry to hear some were ham fisted (footed?) it is a narrow track and not much run off before the tyres between clay hill and the start finish straight which also suffers from being under the trees (hold the damp and also loose leaves) also drivers who get carried away can back it into the barrier on the main straight after lifting wheels over the leap.

I think Oulton is a mini Ring, more so than Cadwell.

If you ever get the chance again get a session and Donington Park- more run off and a bit faster with some longer corners.Its another 'fun' Brit track.

I don't think I have met Neil but may well have done, spent 20 years 25 mnutes away and spent a LOT of time and money there.

Anyway glad you had a great experience and look forward to more photos of the Mono adventure...

savyboy

Prescient! 24Chromium for the win

1400 lbs wet final weight. Custom options:
Race Induction System + different ECU programming along with USA specific cat delete = 290+ NA HP.
MTM seat.
Alunox Inconel 625 / Stainless 325 exhaust w/Zircotec coating.
Surface Transforms Carbon-Silicon Carbide ceramic rotor discs with Pete specific (thanks Tom!) Movit hats/hardware.
Lithionics custom LiON battery.
AIM Smartycam GP HD integration.

Along with all the other cool stuff BAC built into the car (i.e. 300+ custom anodized billet pieces, 30+ carbon fiber pieces, on and on). The workmanship and quality of everything is on par with a 918 or P1 (no exaggeration). By the way, in that video, after the two drivers finished playing around for the camera they ran for time and the Mono was 7 seconds per lap quicker around Silverstone than the P1.

I can't speak more highly of the experience of working with Shinoo Mapleton and his team at Sector111 in Temecula CA (over the past 2.5 years ).

Nizer

Sweet. Get those AIM Smartycams firing and start posting video.

MaxLTV

Congrats!!!

Very interested in early impressions on the car, driving experience, and all the rest, including maintenance cost and availabilty of spares. Seriously thinking about one a couple years from now. What's the lead time now? Also what the total cost after the options and all said and done?

Thanks

modoz61

Congrats Pete
Enjoy the toy

Nizer

.......

24Chromium

Perfect timing! Bring it to Thunderhill for our private track day!!!

mooty

that's right mango tango here.
you NEED to get it to TH for me to chk out.
1/25 all you can drive and you can lap all of us five time per lap.

savyboy

Will do.

I've had three track drives in Monos and...it's a visceral experience in a wholly enveloping and immersive manner. The engine/trans are solid mounted to the chassis, there is no rubber in the suspension except at the a-arm bushings. There is no ABS/TC/PSM etc. The transmission whines loudly and makes other delicious rattling and clanking mechanical noises. The engine intake and exhaust are loud. You enter the cockpit with helmet on because there is not enough room to move your arms once seated to be able to secure the helmet strap It's glorious for a driver who enjoys those kinds of things.

Engine/trans parts/assemblys, tires and brake pads/rotors are off the shelf USA availability. Light weight = no stress = maybe a set of pads once a year with heavy track use and one set of tires? OE iron rotors should last forever? It's a relatively low redline engine, for the average use engine/trans rebuilds should be "never". BAC test mule car, the black one that is always used for photo sessions and tests (Top Gear, etc) has only had one set of pads replaced and the clutch just done due to the severe abuse that car has suffered. Body parts will be 4-6 weeks away if you are unfortunate enough to wreck it.

Lead time- Sector111 is the sole US distributor, Shinoo will give you an honest estimation. I'd suggest you place your deposit, send Shinoo money when he asks for it, and forget about it for a couple years and be happy if it is delivered sooner.

Last I saw base was still ~$200k. Again, Sector111 is the source for costs. And the "base" car is very well equipped. My car has options which at current pricing would add approx $60k to the base price. As I've mentioned before, someone who has not seen one of these in person and carefully reviewed the specs and details, has no basis on which to form a value opinion. In regards to build quality and details there is no comparison to a Caterham or Radical for example. The benchmark would be a Carrera GT/918/P1. My MTM finished seat below.

Thanks Mike, I will.

.. .. ...

I saw the thread, wish I could I'm locked into three consecutive Spring Mountain weekends. Soon my friend!

You guys are going to have a blast! I'll see you at the next one!

MirageJHU

Wow, congrats! It's been a long road, can't wait to read more of your driving impressions.