TEAM CAIMAN are Neil Scott & Oliver Dawson
TEAM CAIMAN will be competing in all the rounds of the SCA Scottish Championship in 2012 as well as a select number of non-championship rounds south of the border.
TEAM CAIMAN has successfully raced gravity carts at a number of gravity time trials and gravity races in the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Once again Team Caiman finished on the podium! This time with a highly modified original Team Caiman cart, now on it’s third incarnation (Team Caiman 0.3) and driven by Neil. The Cart, now with suspension all round and Spax adjustable springs/shocks on the rear was well suited to the wet n slippy track created for the Screwfix Go-cart challenge at Surf the Turf in Cumbria on 3rd September. With a great turnout of carts all shapes and sizes, drivers young and old it was a fantastic fun event. Even the relentless downpour didn’t dampen spirits, it even seemed to make it more fun the slippier it got! The trick was to keep the cart heading in the right direction, along with seeing where you were going through the flying mud. Evolution Tools and Screwfix have the chance to develop a great fun event, I hope they continue with this next year, a heat North of the border would be no bad thing either. So the cart is home in one piece and just needs a tidy up before the big finale in Perth at the RACMSA Rally of Scotland, the prize for 1st place this time is a VIP trip to Monte Carlo! So there is alot to play for on the weekend 7/9th October.
Team Caiman 11 piloted by Neil Scott had a successful weekend at Dalby Forest Soapbox Race on 20th/21st August taking home a great trophy for 3rd place. The cart handled the track very well with a slight 4 wheel drift through the final corner across the finish line. Once or twice when unable to scrub enough speed before the speed bump after the finish line Caiman 11 went airbourne at least 12” high and for about 6ft! There may be a trophy awarded next year for the longest/highest jump. A fairly relaxed weekend with a good competitive edge, blistering sunshine and some terrible fireside stories. I am sure everyone is looking forwards to returning to Dalby next year for another fantastic weekend.
Nice catch!
Neil Scott in TC-11-10 getting some opposite lock through the ‘Switch’ corner at this year’s CSEx2011
Photo reblogged from TEAM CAIMAN with 1 note
The competition at Cairngorm (CSEx2011) this year was fierce.
But apart from two big crashes, it was a fairly safe gravity race meeting.
Team Caiman finished 8th (N Scott in #11) and 12th (O W Dawson in #22) out of 36 starters and 32 finishers.
These results for our team may not seem like much but they are a huge step forward in only 12 months.
Team Caiman entered the Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme 2010 as Nitroscream with one tubular chassised body-less cart with Neil and Oliver taking it turns driving and only completing half the runs over the two days. Neil posted the fastest complete run time of 5m 17s with the speed gun recorded him at 32mph. The cart (D’T-02) suffered from 2 buckled wheels, 3 punctures and left binding brakes over the weekend.
But compare that with Team Caiman’s entry for the same competition a year later.
Neil Scott was clocked by the official speed gun in the fully enclosed TC-11-10 #11 at 64mph and the only timed run of the weekend resulted in a time of 3m 04s (compared with C12’s leading time of 2m 45s) and finally finishing 8th overall.
Oliver Dawson reached 56mph according to the gun in the open topped TC-22-17 #22 completing a single timed run of 3m 27s and ending up 12th overall on the Saturday.
Both carts were problem free and both drivers felt there was still much more speed and potential to be had from the two. The team didn’t even suffer a puncture all weekend.
Next year, we’ll be pushing all the way to the limit!
Source: teamcaimanprivate
Link with 1 note
Register for the Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme 2012 →
Book your cart in for next years CSEx2012 today.
Every year since the inaugural race in 2009, the number and quality of the competitors has increased, and you could take part in 2012.
Just click on the title above to go to the official SCA website.
But a word of advice, even if you already have a cart, or planning to build one from scratch, please look at the rules and the cart design regulations first.
Although these machines are called soapbox carties, they are not just 4 trolley wheels, a few planks of 2x4 and string, to compete, you’ve got to put safety first!
The design regulations are there for a reason…
…this year, the ‘Ginger Sheep’ number 9 cart crashed at approximately 55-60mph and driver Stephen Heap walked away with only bruising.
But don’t let the rules stop you trying!
It easy to get going and at the CSEx, there is a huge variety of carts and of participants.
Everybody is friendly and full of advice, so what are you waiting for?
Join in…
Register for CSEx2012!
TEAM CAIMAN at the Dalby Soapbox Derby…
…and beyond…
The better half of TEAM CAIMAN (Neil Scott in TC-11-10 number 11) will be seen next at the second running of the Dalby Forest event at the end of August (20th to be precise).
This will be the last event TEAM CAIMAN will be attending this year as both Neil and Oliver have big plans for the 2012 campaign.
Amongst these plans, TEAM CAIMAN will attend every round of the SCA Scottish Championship and hopefully contest for the crown.
Also, TEAM CAIMAN will camera up both carts and produce multi view onboard footage and some behind the scenes doco footage too. This is to not only promote the activities of Neil and Oliver’s carting adventures but more importantly, promote this up and coming Eco-friendly and exciting sport of downhill gravity cart racing.
And this is the place to see it all happen…
Photo reblogged from Oliver Dawson with 1 note
Morning Glory- the Caiman enjoying the sun before a big dinner in the evening.
Team Caiman 22
(TC-22-17)
Driver: O W Dawson
Source: oliverdawson
Photo reblogged from Oliver Dawson with 1 note
Gone Midnight- the Green house is finally finished. Bed then the drive to Aviemore. Note to self- must set an alarm!
Team Caiman 11
(TC-11-10)
Driver: Neil Scott
Source: oliverdawson
Photo reblogged from Oliver Dawson with 19 notes
Team Caiman will be competing at…
Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme 2011
Team Caiman (Neil Scott & Oliver Dawson) will be the only team entering two carts this year, following a trend set by Bentley Motors last year, although Bush Racing are entering a cart and a sidecar as well.
Both Team Caiman and Bush Racing are part of a 37 strong field of carts and gravity sidecars but sadly Bentley Motors won’t take part due to a massive crash during testing in Crewe. Luckily no-one was hurt in the accident but the cart is beyond repair for this year’s event.
Neil Scott will be piloting Number 11 (pictured above competing at Castle Forbes) and Oliver Dawson will be driving the open-topped Number 22 (which ran at the Dalby Time Trial last year).
With plenty of corners and close wheel to wheel action, spectators get right up close to the carts and sidecars as the fly passed at high speed, able to see the whites of the drivers eyes. Last year at the notorious Switchback Corner, the crowd witnessed some spectacular collisions and crashes. And although no-one plans to have an accident, it sometimes becomes inevitable when the machines, of completely different design, run so close in terms of speed and acceleration. They are all powered by gravity after all.
Come and join the hundreds of other spectators and marvel at the bravery of these men and women hurtling down at up to 70+mph on Britain’s longest and fastest gravity course on the 1st and 2nd of July.
(click on the image to go to the official Soapbox Extreme website for more details)
Source: oliverdawson
Page 1 of 2
