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OK, I can look into using some older tyres. That's is something new I have learned today.
The alignment is OK at the moment but the competition is a few weeks away so anything might happen before then. I could get the alignment checked in the week before the event, just to be sure.
Fuel consumption will be measured by filling the car at the start, sealing the filler cap, then filling again at the end to see how much fuel is used. The filling procedure is to fill then jack up the wheel closest to the filler cap and top up.
Driving behaviour will be monitored visually but exactly what they will look for is something I still have to check.
I think speed selection will be key. The road book will show a lot of information. It is only issued shortly before the start but I think it will be good to go through that to work out where speed will be limited by low speed limits, junctions etc and how long those sections will take. Then see how much time will be available for the sections on the open road and determine the average speed I will need to do on those sections. A lot of work but important.
Good call about ditching excess weight. There is no spare wheel in the car but I usually carry jack, tools etc that can be removed. There isn't much else I can get rid of though. Maybe the back seat.
One thing I am wondering about is how to avoid driving with a cold engine. I intend to drive immediately before fuel filling at the start so the engine will be as warm as possible at the start, but I don't know how long the car will stand between filling and starting on the route. There will also be a 20 minute break during the event (the route is 250 Km) so the engine could cool down during that period. Would it help to cover the engine at these times to reduce heat loss? Even just an aluminium foil blanket or something similar might help?
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