I used to post on Locostbuilders many moons ago under the name “CaptainJosh”. I don’t have access to that account anymore and life has moved a lot recently on so why not get a fresh account to go with it?
Reintroduction's! Here is the short version of my Locost history...
I started building my car back in 2009. The chassis was based around book dimensions, but with front and rear independent suspension cooked up by my Dad. I had a gap year between high school and uni, and spent my time working and learning how to weld and fabricate.
Three years of Mechanical Engineering and one year of Industrial Placement in Formula 1 later and my car was down on wheels.
Throughout my final year of uni I spent a fair bit of my holidays painting and troubleshooting the car.
The plan had always been to keep it as a track day toy and never put it on the road. Once I had finished my degree I went back into Formula 1. Race cars were very much my obsession in my mid-twenties and I was in Silicone Valley of Motorsport.
After three and a half years of messing around with other cars, and working on the Locost whenever I could trek back to my parents house, I finally got to drive it on a proper race track. I trailered it to Snetterton one damp February and achieved a major life goal.
That was in 2017. Six months later I left Formula 1 incredibly burnt-out and in-search of something “a little more me”. Myself and my long suffering girlfriend moved to West Somerset, and after years (and years) of saving we bought our first house last year; garage and all. We also got two little puppies (the bane and love of our lives), and started putting each other first for a change.
I have moved into Robotics and I am enjoying it far more than Motorsport. It is the ultimate mix of engineering disciplines and surprisingly my Formula 1 experience has come to good use!
Now the Locost has a permanent home, I have friends, family and a life, I’m looking at things a little differently. Driving the little car on the road isn't looking like a bad idea. I don’t want or need a racecar anymore, so the little bit of added weight that lights etc would bring doesn’t cause me to keel over in fear. Imagine jumping in the sports car on a Sunday and going for a blat? Sounds like bliss.
So… I am back and ready to pick your minds about doing an IVA test! I have printed off the latest IVA booklet, started making many post-it note todo lists and I have started stripping the car down so I have access to its nooks and crannies. I will be redoing the wiring loom in the coming months while also rebuilding the engine (its already at the machine shop). I’m really looking forward to adding lights and giving it the tidy up it deserves.
However, I am not looking forward to adding a bunch of rubber trim etc, but it doesn’t seem anywhere near as daunting as it did in my early 20’s; just hoops to jump through and boxes to tick.
I’ll see you at Stoneleigh. I’ll be the guy with an arm full of mirrors and switches and lights! Feel free to say hi.
Cheers,
Josh
p.s. Now that I have a life outside of Formula 1 and I don’t just mess around with cars anymore, I am also an avid D&D player. You can check out our Tuesday night Twitch Stream at www.twitch.tv/DieRolling, watch old episodes on Youtube and follow us at https://twitter.com/DieRollingUK
[Edited on 16/3/19 by G13BLocost]
[Edited on 16/3/19 by G13BLocost]
