Beefy

Personalised LED key ring made to order. Your choice of wing number and name. Only £5 + p&p https://pinkmonkeydesigns.com/collections/led-products/products/personalised-f1-stock-car-led-keyring

If you're thinking of ordering a fuel cell or fire suppression system, the StoxSafe website has been updated. www.stoxsafe.co.uk

Following a year of intensive testing, StoxSafe by SPA supplied fire suppression systems are the only ones approved for use in F1 Stock Cars. The PK 750 powder system, designed for fuel compartment deployment, is £330 + VAT The Big Brisca AFFF (aqueous film forming foam) system has multi nozzle applications (up to 4) and can cover any combination of engine, driver and fuel tank protection. The price is £680 + VAT Both systems come with thermally activated automatic/manual deployment units, so if you are unfortunate to be sat unconscious in a burning car, these will trigger automatically. Whilst they have been developed with F1 stock cars as the target market there is no reason why other formulae couldn't use them. On the prevention side, we also offer fully approved fuel cells for F1s in both laydown and upright styles. PM me for more details

Wow! Just WOW!

I read somewhere that Joey Sloof has major engine problems?

Ooh, it's like A1NOS and J4LMP all over again! Lol

If you can alienate Beaks, who is so often the calming voice of reason, then you truly are a master in the art of biting the hand that feeds you.

My 2012 Sprinter is up for sale. Could make a decent towing van if you fit a tow bar. 10 months MOT £5500 + VAT pm me if interested and I will send full details and photos

To avoid any confusion with hydrogen fuel cells, which are something totally different, I'm now calling my product Safety Fuel System. For further details call/text 07778 269954 or e-mail les_redford@hotmail.com

Fuel cell update. Fuel cell customers now include Will Hunter, Henry Hunter, Jordan Falding, Peter Falding, Paul Hines, Dan Johnson, Nigel Green, Daniel van Spijker, Ben Riley, Steve Reedman, Russell Cooper, Michael Scriven, James Bailey and Lee Fairhurst (Team GB NZ car and 2017 customer car.) Between them they have scored over 4,500 points in the 2016 season. Well done to all and thanks for the support. During the 2016 season, the average time from order to delivery was less than a week, which I will try to replicate during the 2017 season. If you are thinking of fitting a fuel cell to your new or refurbed car during the winter, please let me know as early as possible so I can order sufficient casings, bladders foam and fittings in good time. Due to a hike in the cost of raw materials I have had to increase the cost of the fuel cells. Both upright and laydown are now £725 + VAT. I am also now able to offer the following options For modification to -10 pick up and fittings add £85 + VAT For modification to NZ spec (Includes fuel return fitting - for use with electric pumps) add £75 + VAT Powder coated finish available POA Whilst they have been designed for use in F1 stock cars, there is no reason why they could not be used in V8 Hotstox or any other formula whose regulations they comply with regarding capacity and construction. Please feel free to message me for any further info. Thanks Les

Wrong thread

A contraflow system should help the tourist traffic a bit. Somebody suggested the problem might ease in August, personally I don't think that will be the case. IMO the disgruntled ex(?) Myferrylink staff will, in order to draw even more attention to their plight, take the opportunity to cause the maximum disruption at the most inconvenient time and that is during the school holidays. Also, the port of Calais has literally been ringfenced with double layer steel fencing, topped with razor wire, making it very difficult for the would be migrants to enter. The Eurotunnel operation has not yet been similarly protected. The UK government has however, said it will implement a safe area for trucks in the area by November. IMO the migrants see the next few months as possibly their last chance, hence the increase in recent attempts. It wouldn't surprise me if the strikers were actually in collusion with the migrants in order to cause the maximum disruption.

The great thing about the tunnel is the flexibility, if you turn up early (up to 2 hours) they will often get you away on an earlier train, and should you miss your booked train (again by up to 2 hours) they will get you away on the next available service. On that basis, if you can, I would allow plenty of time for any diversions and, if you do get there early, you might get an earlier train. (Just as an aside, on my way back this morning, there was 9 miles of artics queuing on the M20 for Dover which, at an average of 120 artics per mile equates to well over 1000 vehicles. That doesn't include the trucks queuing for the tunnel.)

Yes. The toll barriers that used to be there have now all been removed and it's all done by ANPR.

Where I have put "If you are a driver going to compete and you're likely to get put into Operation stack" by this I mean if you are in a truck/transporter and you are booked to go as freight. If you have a tourist ticket you should be able to avoid Operation Stack.

You don't join Operation Stack in a motor home but you will probably be delayed by any diversions. If you haven't booked your crossing yet if going by Eurotunnel there are only a few campervan slots available. If going by ferry from Dover I would book asap.

If you are thinking of going to Venray this year for the Gold Cup, and you haven't yet booked your method of crossing the channel, I would do so as soon as you can. My advice would be to consider Harwich/Hook of Holland as the best option. The port of Dover and Eurotunnel's operation are both having ongoing problems which, in my opinion, are not going to improve any time soon. The main reason for the problems is the decision by Myferrylink to cease trading with immediate effect from the 1st July, thereby leaving a capacity shortfall on the route. A lot of their passengers were transferred to Eurotunnel, which means that, with the seasonal increase of holiday traffic as well, a lot Eurotunnel services are sold out between now and September, particularly Wed/Thu/Fri/Sat services. The port of Dover is also struggling to cope with the demise of Myferrylink, particularly on the commercial side and, despite P&O putting on extra sailings, the port is not coping with the influx of vehicles. Typically, Operation Stack is implemented on the routes to Dover from Wednesdays onwards each week (well it has been for the last 4 weeks) making it a pain to get to Dover for all traffic, not just trucks. If you already have a booking, please make sure you leave ample time to get to your departure pointt; if you haven't, either book now or consider going on the KK Coach tour as organised by Adam K, (see Venray 2015 thread) If you are a driver going to compete and you're likely to get put into Operation stack, I would suggest you allow at least 5 hours for time lost. Please don't even think of trying to avoid Operation Stack by using a route other than the M20 - if you arrive at the port without the ticket you are given when you get to the head of the Stack queue, you will be turned around and sent to join the back of the Operation Stack queue! Sorry to have waffled on a bit but just trying to give out some advice based on the fact I do this route every week.

The BSCDA approved Premier fuel cells are now available for immediate delivery in both laydown and upright styles. £695 + VAT. PM me for details Les Redford RACIN'CARGO (Proud to be a BSCDA Diamond Jubilee partner)

Thanks Hary, and nice to hear about the gold bumpers.

The Premier fuel cells are made to order, they are not off the shelf. Potentially, there is a six week lead time from order to completion because 1) there is a lot of work involved in making a fuel cell and 2) as with any order, it has to be slotted in with their existing build schedule. Hence my original post. Just as an aside, the validity period starts from the date of manufacture, not the date of sale, so made to order could be beneficial in that respect. At the end of the day Jeremy, as you said in a PM to me some time ago on this subject, we both want the same thing and that is increased safety. Assuming ATL are/will be approved fuel cell suppliers then it is up to the drivers to weigh up the options and make their decision. I have never said other than that. To continue this bickering on here is serving no real purpose.

Exactly where Jeremy, do I say that Premier might not be able to supply? I will reiterate what I DID actually say before and that is "production can be geared up to cope." How you can insinuate I have said the opposite is beyond me.

No problem with that Chunder, hence the last sentence of my post.

Whilst ATL and Premier's products are both called fuel cells they are quite different in the way they achieve their aims. The ATL cell which Jeremy Heaver is trying to introduce was an off the shelf saver cell and is made from an injection moulded plastic alloy which makes a rigid structure. The shock absorbing qualities of a rigid structure are significantly less than a flexible cell. To fit the cell inside a metal casing would entail a bolted side as the cell does not deform. The ATL cell is certified for four years use and then has to be replaced. ATL recommend that any fuel cell involved in an accident is replaced. The shape and size of the ATL fuel cell that Rob Speak trialled meant it was necessary to take the back axle off the car to remove the cell. The Premier fuel cell is made from a very special rubberised fabric and is flexible enough to be screwed up into a ball with no side effects. This means it can be fitted inside a fully welded metal casing through a relatively small hole making for a stronger complete unit. The Premier fuel cell is validated for five years and, subject to testing can be re-validated for a further five years. A Premier representative has seen F1 stock car racing and is satisfied the fuel cells do not need replacing after every crash. In the event of a severe accident the scrutineers would be able to request a test to ensure the structure of the cell is still sound. The Premier fuel cell is offered in two shapes, a laydown and an upright, which closely resemble a lot of tanks currently in use. At the tail end of last season a delegation from the BSCDA, consisting of Guy Parker, Sophie Clark, Peter Falding and Danny Wainman, visited the premises of Premier and were shown the whole manufacturing process. This was prior to the AGM and the purpose was to ensure the committee knew exactly what the product was and what it was capable of before the meeting. At the AGM it was agreed that fuel cells could now be used in F1 stock cars providing they were approved by the BSCDA. The chairman went on to state that Premier cells were approved by the committee and everyone was briefed on the product. I take issue with Jeremy's quote that there are plenty of other suppliers of fuel cells. There are to my knowledge, less than 10 in the world and only two of them are in the UK. I do agree that drivers should consider their options and then choose which approved supplier they wish to go with.

If they were ever to become mandatory and assuming a sensible notice period, production can be geared up to cope. eg If they became mandatory as a result of an AGM ruling, then there would be sufficient time before the start of the following season.