Race Reports
Cadwell Park (15th-16th May 2010)
This was my first race of the 2010 season at yet another track which I had never driven. We set off from home at midday in glorious sunshine and drove the scenic route via Boston through flat Lincolnshire countryside, ending with rolling hills as we approached the circuit 3 hours later.
There was mayhem in the Paddock as the bikes prepared to leave and Nick Booth and I fitted a new brake balance cable with the car still on the trailer in a grassy parking area. I took advantage of the Test session on Saturday evening which began at 5.30pm with three 20 minute sessions. Quite a daunting circuit to learn with many ups and downs, tight corners, narrow track but quite pretty with some tree lined runs. The car performed well with no problems but could only do 3 laps in the final session due to a lot of oil on the track.
After the final session we strapped down our awning against the Williams' camp and headed into Louth to book into our B&B and headed into town for something to eat. All was going well until whilst reading a menu outside a hostelry we got accosted by Messrs Hackett and Williams and were led off for beers followed by a Chinese meal — a thoroughly entertaining evening.
The following morning we arrived back at the circuit at around 7.45. We sailed through scrutineering and were pleased to make use of the new Club tea and coffee table which has been put in place by Pink Peter.
The early arrival of the Avon lorry allowed me to get my new white wheels kitted out with tyres in time for Qualifying.
In Qualifying, I completed 7 laps , the fastest being lap 6 in 1'56.3s, some 18s off pole so I have a lot of room for improvement, but I felt more familiar after testing!! Nigel Lingwood qualified quickest; Liam McShane and Amanda Whittaker both had engine blows. Colin peeled back his floor and lost his nose cone.
The weather for the race was fine. I was slow to get off the grid at the start, but there were no dramas in the race and I ended up 3 seconds faster than in Qualifying, so I was well pleased with that!
Brands Hatch (6th June 2010)
Arrived at Brand's Hatch the night before the race and had the luxury of the garages which was a good job as we had a terrible storm during the night. The track was dry for Qualifying, however after a few laps the red flags were out to retrieve a car which had spun off. After Qualifying it was into the scrutineering bay for car and driver weighing and this was where the problems started...we were asked to demonstrate that our reverse gears were working. Unfortunately mine didn't (and never had), so the remaining two hours before the race were spent trying to sort out the gear linkage. The job was finally sorted 5 minutes before the race, the scrutineer was hastily summoned and I was in! Then it was a mad rush to get on the grid in time and after the 4th lap I was completely exhausted! I managed 1 second faster in the race from Qualifying so was quite pleased overall.
Snetterton (31st July-1st August 2010)
Arrived on Friday afternoon and set up camp for the weekend in sunny weather. Saturday morning woke up to the sound of rain beating down on the roof of the van. Signed on and sailed through scrutineering. Qualifying was very wet and I soon discovered that I had a brake problem - the front left was locking up, so the rest of the session was needless to say taken very carefully. I qualified last - 18 seconds behind the pole car, but pleased that the car was still in one piece. Come the race, the track was dry and the race was uneventful I finished last of the runners, but happy with how the car was running. That evening the club and the Formula Ford 2000s had a joint barbecue; it was a warm evening with lovely food and fab desserts! On Sunday morning, the weather was dry and we had an early race at 12.20. The race start was eventful; as I went off the grid I suddenly saw James Gowen's car stationary with its clutch gone and just managed to avoid him! By then the others were well away and I had quiet race. However my fastest lap was nearly 2 seconds quicker than the first race, so I was very pleased with that!
Rockingham (11th-12th September 2010)
During the interval between races I replaced both rear brake callipers with new.
Arrived at Rockingham just after lunch on Friday as Andy had negotiated a 1 hour test session for the Classic FF's at an affordable price which I decided was very much needed as I'd never been to the circuit before — not even as a spectator. The circuit is impressive with it's large Grandstands and massive spectator capacity — a bit over the top for our meeting! The track is very challenging...with no markers! It is mostly 2nd and 3rd gear driving with two hairpins and the only opportunity to get into 4th gear on the oval part of the circuit — anyway I was very glad to have done the test session! Qualifying the next day was dry but windy and I qualified second from last. In the race I made a steady start and actually enjoyed the drive finishing 15th out of 16 and was NOT LAPPED...so I was very happy with the result and that the car ran perfectly throughout the race. At last I feel that I am gaining confidence and seem to be making progress. I think that the new rear brake callipers have helped. Am looking forward to Mallory Park; the last race of the season.
This weekend I collected my 4 suspension rods from Ken Thorgood. They have been re-threaded, straightened and re-chromed so I will fit over the winter.