Bedford Autodrome / Roadsport race car / noise
Discussion
Does anyone know if this combination if likely to work?
I've been searching on blatchat, roadsports.co.uk and here and I can't seem to find anything that hints at whether my roadsport race car will be ok at Bedford Autodrome. People seem to be running all sorts of different exhausts on their road going Caterhams. I've just bought a totally standard roadsport race car, and want to take it to Bedford next Thursday, but am worried about noise. I could just take the Elise (the car I initially booked the track day for), but I'm keen to try my new toy!
Has anyone got any ideas?
I've been searching on blatchat, roadsports.co.uk and here and I can't seem to find anything that hints at whether my roadsport race car will be ok at Bedford Autodrome. People seem to be running all sorts of different exhausts on their road going Caterhams. I've just bought a totally standard roadsport race car, and want to take it to Bedford next Thursday, but am worried about noise. I could just take the Elise (the car I initially booked the track day for), but I'm keen to try my new toy!
Has anyone got any ideas?
dannylt said:
Take both? Nothing more annoying then only have a few minutes worth of a track day!
Yes, I was going to do that, but I don't want to get someone to tow my Caterham all the way from Reading to Bedford if I just do one lap in it! I just wondered what the chances of passing were.
It's a 'Roadsport', which I think is identical to what used to be 'Roadsport inter' (they now have Roadsport B and Roadsport). However, I would have thought it's the same engine, induction and exhaust as the academy/graduates etc - a 1.6 K series producing 120bhp.
To my own ear it sounds similar to the R300 I used to borrow from CC when my VVC was being serviced, minus the roller barrel throttle noise. I took the VVC to Bedford and that was fine, but Bedford told me on the phone on Monday that all 'R' Caterhams get chucked off when they try and run there...
What will be interesting is that the day is being attended by Radical, Ariel and Caterham and we all get to try their latest cars! I think I might get out in those early before they're chucked off!
To my own ear it sounds similar to the R300 I used to borrow from CC when my VVC was being serviced, minus the roller barrel throttle noise. I took the VVC to Bedford and that was fine, but Bedford told me on the phone on Monday that all 'R' Caterhams get chucked off when they try and run there...
What will be interesting is that the day is being attended by Radical, Ariel and Caterham and we all get to try their latest cars! I think I might get out in those early before they're chucked off!
Well, a friend who is a fully trained acoustics person has just been over with a noise meter and tested me. I was 98db static. The car isn't road legal, so sadly we couldn't do a drive by, but we paced out 20 metres and I got the car up between 6k and 7k, which produced about 75db. We tried different angles and it was always in the low to mid 70s. To get to the Bedford limit of 87 would mean a doubling in volume (10db), which I can't see happening even under load, so I'm sure I'll be ok.
My friend will tow the 7 to Bedford on Thursday and I'll follow in the Elise just in case I flagged off. Besides, I can say thank you to my friend with some passenger laps in the Elise
My friend will tow the 7 to Bedford on Thursday and I'll follow in the Elise just in case I flagged off. Besides, I can say thank you to my friend with some passenger laps in the Elise
The Radical has a themajor advantage of a high and centrally mounted airbox to effectively hide the induction noise, and central exhaust that doesn't point straight at a mike. Also, what can seem louder to people doesn't necessarily equate to higher meter readings. I got away with a lot more in my old SR3 than my Caterham 
I've been to bedford loads of times and only black flagged once (230bhp Duratec with bonnet cut out for airfilter).
I think there are only 2 (maybe 3) drive by microphones on the GT circuit. When you first go out take it easy and identify the location of the microphones. Once you've done that then you just need to do two things: stay as far away from them as you (i.e stick to the other side of the track when you pass) - make sure you don't pass them in a group of cars as you'll all get black flagged (which is the only time I've had a problem).
If you do get black flagged you'll get one chance to make a modification to your car and go out again, get black flagged again and you're on your way home!
I think there are only 2 (maybe 3) drive by microphones on the GT circuit. When you first go out take it easy and identify the location of the microphones. Once you've done that then you just need to do two things: stay as far away from them as you (i.e stick to the other side of the track when you pass) - make sure you don't pass them in a group of cars as you'll all get black flagged (which is the only time I've had a problem).
If you do get black flagged you'll get one chance to make a modification to your car and go out again, get black flagged again and you're on your way home!
mikee said:
I've been to bedford loads of times and only black flagged once (230bhp Duratec with bonnet cut out for airfilter).
I think there are only 2 (maybe 3) drive by microphones on the GT circuit. When you first go out take it easy and identify the location of the microphones. Once you've done that then you just need to do two things: stay as far away from them as you (i.e stick to the other side of the track when you pass) - make sure you don't pass them in a group of cars as you'll all get black flagged (which is the only time I've had a problem).
If you do get black flagged you'll get one chance to make a modification to your car and go out again, get black flagged again and you're on your way home!
There are 4 in allI think there are only 2 (maybe 3) drive by microphones on the GT circuit. When you first go out take it easy and identify the location of the microphones. Once you've done that then you just need to do two things: stay as far away from them as you (i.e stick to the other side of the track when you pass) - make sure you don't pass them in a group of cars as you'll all get black flagged (which is the only time I've had a problem).
If you do get black flagged you'll get one chance to make a modification to your car and go out again, get black flagged again and you're on your way home!
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