I'm not going to just rewrite all of this year's blogs cause that's boring and anyway, you can read them below.
I thought I'd sum up with my top ten lists of the year:
I'll start with the 10 worst moments (so that I can end on a positive!):
10 : Being disqualified at Brands for the reverse gear thing (I'm over it now, honestly!)
9 : General lacklustre performance at Brands in the dry.
8 : General lacklustre performace at Donington first meeting (eventually solved with a dash of oversteer)
7 : My very close shave when Colin S cut across me at Brands midway through Paddock Hill bend (it's all on video).
6 : First corner crash at Anglesey. A head ducking moment!
5 : Anglesey tie wrap failure in race 2. (just really annoying!)
4: Clutch failure at Silvertone in race 2 on a rare occassion when my friends came to watch (even more annoying).
3 : Spinning out at Brands in race 1 in the wet having been keeping pace with Al Boulton (the dissapointment that my talent ran out really hurts!).
2 : The emotional strain of having to nick Al Boulton's class win at Mallory (although in fairness, it didn't take me long to get over it!)
And the biggest, most embarrassing, top muppetry moment of the year...
1 : Messing up the chicane at Donington on the penultimate lap. Dave Watson got past because I thought it was the last lap (as Tim Gray had lapped me, and that is usually on the last lap), and I rather overdid the defensive driving on what I thought was the last corner. I know...I'm cringing with embarrasement as I write!).
Top 10 best moments of my season:
10 : Watching Tim Gray cut through the field from the back of the grid to win at Anglesey (even though I was watching from the infield having crashed out!).
9: Catching the pack following my spin at Brands in the wet.
8: Keeping up with Al Boulton for 2 laps at Brands in the wet following a storming start.
7: The whole of the Cadwell weekend, but especially beating Andy Grant fair and square.
6 : Catching and passing Steve Malyon at Donington following an off at the chicane at Donington (1st meeting).
5 : Passing Dave Watson into Redgate in Race 1 at Donington (2nd meeting) (even though I then messed it all up later - see no1 above!).
4 : Watching Dave Watson make for the hills at the Old Hairpin at Donington race 2. (particularly satisfying bearing in mind no 1 above!)
And my top 3 - rather predictably:
3 : Winning my first Class F trophy (3rd in class) at Donington.
2 : Winning 2nd in class at Mallory
1 : My first class WIN at Mallory.
By the way, I came 4th in class in the championship which was great bearing in mind the problems I've had during the year. However I can't help but think that I was only 1 point short of being 3rd. What if I hadn't messed up that Donington race? What if I hadn't been disqualified at Brands, or had that clutch problem at Silverstone...?
There's an old saying...if my aunt had bollocks she'd be my uncle.
It's interesting (to me anyway!) that, whilst I'm really chuffed to get the trophies, some of my most memorable races have been where I've been catching up after an off, or chasing and catching someone, whereas my class win race was actually relatively dull. It just shows, it not all about the silverware. (who am I kidding...of course it is really!!)
So that's it for another year. Thanks again to Tim Gray and the team for their help and guidance, and to all my fellow RGB'ers who make it all such fun. See you next year.
Monday, 12 November 2012
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Mallory Season closer, October 2012
So the season closer. Two races in one day. I'm 5th in class in the championship with only an outside chance of getting 4th but it would be amazing to gain a place if I could.
Nothing done to the car since Doni, no time for testing, I just turned up and was ready to go.
Well, qualifying was very busy and I wasn't convinced that I had managed a decent clear lap. As it happened, I did get 2 good laps 'cause I qualified 2nd in class in both races with a best lap of 49.74
My gob was well and truly smacked. This is my first time at Mallory in this car and I'm 2 seconds quicker than I was in the Westy. Wow!
Now sadly, in my moment of glory, and a bit of a rushed start for race 1, I forgot to switch the video on, so no action there I'm afraid, although Bob's video shows me for most of the race. It was actually a rather dull race. Having got ahead of Colin C on the first lap into Gerrards, he got me on the next lap and pulled away. After that it was a rather lonely drive. Bob kept me honest when he appeared large in my mirrors towards the end which woke me up a bit and I managed to stay ahead (although he's class R so no class battle there).
I missed all the action with DW, Austen and Steve Bell who between them managed to pull off the most dramatic accident ever with Dave ending up Austen's head. So that probably explains why they didn't catch me.
So the result on the track was 2nd in class. That alone would have been my best result ever, but bigger news was to come. Al Boulton, who won the class on the track, was pulled at post race scrutineering for failing the ride height test. He was disqualified. That made me 1st in class.
Well, what a conflict of emotion that was. I felt really sorry for Al, and it wouldn't be the way I would want to get my first class win, especially since it meant Al had no chance of winning the overall championship. But I got over that in about 2 seconds. I'll take it thanks!! (Al will still win the class F championship after all!).
(BTW, I was 8th on the track which is also my best result ever).
So, with Al having sorted his ride height, DW out, Colin S out, but Austen back in the runnning, it was onto race 2.
The video worked this time:
Again, not a particularly exciting race in the end, although a red flag and restart kept me working hard to maintain my start position. I had a moment towards the end when Tim lapped me and I got a bit off line (where it was damp) and the new chap in David Whale's old car got past me. Knowing that Austen was close behind, and he would inevitably catch me if I got stuck behind this car, I took a brave dive round the inside through Gerrards and got past him. That pretty much secured my second place. (9th overall this time).
So a first and a second in class in the same day. Two of my best results ever.
Oh, and this result put me 4th in class in the championship. Just 1 point short of Austen. Oh so close to a championship trophy. But hey, there's always next year.
I'll do a season review shortly, but suffice to say for now that, despite some low moment, overall this has been an amazing season for me. I think my driving has definitely moved up a notch and I've achieved some notable benchmarks like my first class trophies and my first class win, not to mention some lap times which should have Austen worried!
I can put a lot of this down to the brilliant guidance of Tim Gray who I thank very much, as well as congratulating him on a perfect full house season of 14 out of 14 wins and the overall RGB championship.
Off to the Birkett this weekend. Not a championship thing, just a bit of fun. Watch out for the report next week.
Cheers all.
Nothing done to the car since Doni, no time for testing, I just turned up and was ready to go.
Well, qualifying was very busy and I wasn't convinced that I had managed a decent clear lap. As it happened, I did get 2 good laps 'cause I qualified 2nd in class in both races with a best lap of 49.74
My gob was well and truly smacked. This is my first time at Mallory in this car and I'm 2 seconds quicker than I was in the Westy. Wow!
Now sadly, in my moment of glory, and a bit of a rushed start for race 1, I forgot to switch the video on, so no action there I'm afraid, although Bob's video shows me for most of the race. It was actually a rather dull race. Having got ahead of Colin C on the first lap into Gerrards, he got me on the next lap and pulled away. After that it was a rather lonely drive. Bob kept me honest when he appeared large in my mirrors towards the end which woke me up a bit and I managed to stay ahead (although he's class R so no class battle there).
I missed all the action with DW, Austen and Steve Bell who between them managed to pull off the most dramatic accident ever with Dave ending up Austen's head. So that probably explains why they didn't catch me.
So the result on the track was 2nd in class. That alone would have been my best result ever, but bigger news was to come. Al Boulton, who won the class on the track, was pulled at post race scrutineering for failing the ride height test. He was disqualified. That made me 1st in class.
Well, what a conflict of emotion that was. I felt really sorry for Al, and it wouldn't be the way I would want to get my first class win, especially since it meant Al had no chance of winning the overall championship. But I got over that in about 2 seconds. I'll take it thanks!! (Al will still win the class F championship after all!).
(BTW, I was 8th on the track which is also my best result ever).
So, with Al having sorted his ride height, DW out, Colin S out, but Austen back in the runnning, it was onto race 2.
The video worked this time:
Again, not a particularly exciting race in the end, although a red flag and restart kept me working hard to maintain my start position. I had a moment towards the end when Tim lapped me and I got a bit off line (where it was damp) and the new chap in David Whale's old car got past me. Knowing that Austen was close behind, and he would inevitably catch me if I got stuck behind this car, I took a brave dive round the inside through Gerrards and got past him. That pretty much secured my second place. (9th overall this time).
So a first and a second in class in the same day. Two of my best results ever.
Oh, and this result put me 4th in class in the championship. Just 1 point short of Austen. Oh so close to a championship trophy. But hey, there's always next year.
I'll do a season review shortly, but suffice to say for now that, despite some low moment, overall this has been an amazing season for me. I think my driving has definitely moved up a notch and I've achieved some notable benchmarks like my first class trophies and my first class win, not to mention some lap times which should have Austen worried!
I can put a lot of this down to the brilliant guidance of Tim Gray who I thank very much, as well as congratulating him on a perfect full house season of 14 out of 14 wins and the overall RGB championship.
Off to the Birkett this weekend. Not a championship thing, just a bit of fun. Watch out for the report next week.
Cheers all.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Donington 1/2nd Sept 12
I've been a bit slow getting round to updating the blog again I'm afraid which is odd in a way because I achieved a significant achievement for me: my first class F trophy. 3rd in Class.
Sorry for giving away the result straight away. I never was very good at building tension!
So last time out at Doni my results and times were, at best, mediocre. I managed a 1.18.62 at best but most of the time I was in the 1.19s which neither Tim nor I thought was representative of where I should be. So Tim looked at my videos and we decided that I had too much understeer. So Tim worked his magic (well, a couple of clicks stiffer on the rear dampers) and off I went.
Well, the car felt much better, although I still only managed a marginal shave off the time with a 1.18.56 in qualy putting me 6th in class. (Austen was doing 1.16.86, Dave Watson a 1.17.63 so well off the pace).
Nevertheless, the two races were really close battles and fantastic fun.
(If your watching the video the time is in brackets.)
Race 1:
My usual dire start dropped me behind Colin Spicer straight away, but a first lap spin by Colin and Steve Bell's demise gained me a couple of places before the 2nd lap. I even had Austen is sight for a while until he got past Dave Watson.
At (7.15) I catch DW and Chris Scopes in the MNR. At 8.10 Chris Scopes decides to abandon track going into Redgate (I understood later that his brakes had completely failed and he thought that was a good way of not ploughing straight into the barriers at Redgate). Somehow, despite a clumsy attempt to avoid being t-boned, I end up in front of DW, although he then get me back again straight away.
I chase for a lap or two and then pull a heroic move into Redgate (11.00) and make it stick this time.
Also see my moment at 12:40 into the Old Hairpin. Tim Gray was looming behind to lap me and I think I was starting to show off!
Anyway, I then do something that must qualify me for muppet of the year. Tim lapping me made me think that I was on the last lap (I wasn't.) I knew DW wasn't far behind and I thought he would probably try a mad move into the chicane in a last carner attempt to get past. Unfortunately I outbraked myself and cocked up the corner completely, resulting in DW sailing past like I was going backwards. Doh!!
So that was it. I was 4th in class. So near and yet so far from a trophy. Gutted, but also uplifted from having a very exciting race. Also managed a 1.17.52. Over a second quicker than I've ever done here before (and only 3 tenths off Austen's best lap which is an important benchmark for me).
Race 2:
So yet another poor start with Colin S rocketing past again. At the first chicane (1.32) DW gets caught up in someone else's spin and I get past him. I then have a bit of a tussle with Colin S, getting past at Redgate only for him to get me straight back, and then finally nailing him into the Old Hairpin.
DW then catches me (4.20) and gets past me at Redgate (5.40). I had Tim's words ringing in my ears 'hastle him'!!. So I did. After Scott Mittel and Matt H came through following their earlier incident, I get up with DW again (7:50) and make sure he knows I'm there. At (8.40) Dave takes to the grass on the outside of the Old Hairpin in a generous move presumably intended to let me past as easily as possible ;-). After that it's a race to the line. I catch Austen a bit, but I gather he was pacing himself so I was never going to get past him. Still, I was 3rd. Yesssss!! My first class F trophy!!
Just for the record, best time was a 1.17.77. Slightly slower than the last race but still no disgrace.
So very pleased with that. Thanks to the TGM team.
On to Mallory in October.
Sorry for giving away the result straight away. I never was very good at building tension!
So last time out at Doni my results and times were, at best, mediocre. I managed a 1.18.62 at best but most of the time I was in the 1.19s which neither Tim nor I thought was representative of where I should be. So Tim looked at my videos and we decided that I had too much understeer. So Tim worked his magic (well, a couple of clicks stiffer on the rear dampers) and off I went.
Well, the car felt much better, although I still only managed a marginal shave off the time with a 1.18.56 in qualy putting me 6th in class. (Austen was doing 1.16.86, Dave Watson a 1.17.63 so well off the pace).
Nevertheless, the two races were really close battles and fantastic fun.
(If your watching the video the time is in brackets.)
Race 1:
My usual dire start dropped me behind Colin Spicer straight away, but a first lap spin by Colin and Steve Bell's demise gained me a couple of places before the 2nd lap. I even had Austen is sight for a while until he got past Dave Watson.
At (7.15) I catch DW and Chris Scopes in the MNR. At 8.10 Chris Scopes decides to abandon track going into Redgate (I understood later that his brakes had completely failed and he thought that was a good way of not ploughing straight into the barriers at Redgate). Somehow, despite a clumsy attempt to avoid being t-boned, I end up in front of DW, although he then get me back again straight away.
I chase for a lap or two and then pull a heroic move into Redgate (11.00) and make it stick this time.
Also see my moment at 12:40 into the Old Hairpin. Tim Gray was looming behind to lap me and I think I was starting to show off!
Anyway, I then do something that must qualify me for muppet of the year. Tim lapping me made me think that I was on the last lap (I wasn't.) I knew DW wasn't far behind and I thought he would probably try a mad move into the chicane in a last carner attempt to get past. Unfortunately I outbraked myself and cocked up the corner completely, resulting in DW sailing past like I was going backwards. Doh!!
So that was it. I was 4th in class. So near and yet so far from a trophy. Gutted, but also uplifted from having a very exciting race. Also managed a 1.17.52. Over a second quicker than I've ever done here before (and only 3 tenths off Austen's best lap which is an important benchmark for me).
Race 2:
So yet another poor start with Colin S rocketing past again. At the first chicane (1.32) DW gets caught up in someone else's spin and I get past him. I then have a bit of a tussle with Colin S, getting past at Redgate only for him to get me straight back, and then finally nailing him into the Old Hairpin.
DW then catches me (4.20) and gets past me at Redgate (5.40). I had Tim's words ringing in my ears 'hastle him'!!. So I did. After Scott Mittel and Matt H came through following their earlier incident, I get up with DW again (7:50) and make sure he knows I'm there. At (8.40) Dave takes to the grass on the outside of the Old Hairpin in a generous move presumably intended to let me past as easily as possible ;-). After that it's a race to the line. I catch Austen a bit, but I gather he was pacing himself so I was never going to get past him. Still, I was 3rd. Yesssss!! My first class F trophy!!
Just for the record, best time was a 1.17.77. Slightly slower than the last race but still no disgrace.
So very pleased with that. Thanks to the TGM team.
On to Mallory in October.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Anglesey August 2012
So Anglesey then.
Never been there before. In fact it's been a while since I went to a circuit for the very first time so it promised to be interesting.
Sadly I didn't have time to do the test day on the Friday. We had tickets for the Olympic rowing for Friday morning (which was fantastic) and then I headed off mid afternoon for the long drag up to North Wales.
Not that I was sight seeing at the time...I was a bit busy.
The car felt pretty lively. I was getting loads of oversteer coming onto the start straight and the first corner but it felt good. It took me a few laps to start to test the braking point into Rocket which is a 110 degree left hander after a blind crest so pretty scary the first time out.
Anyway, I didn't disgrace myself too much. Ended up with a best time of 1.15.8 which put me 6th in class. Only 0.5s off Paul Rickers which I thought was pretty good for the first time out.
We decided to do nothing to the car set up wise. I was concerned that dialling out some of the oversteer would just mean I understeered through some of the faster corners and make it worse, so I opted to just try to drive it faster!
Well the race was, how can I put this...disastrous.
I got caught up in a first corner incident which, on post race analysis, went something like this. Dave Watson clips the back of Austen, Austen spins into Tim H (and hits him twice somehow!), David Whale dives to the right to avoid them, swipes my front end, bonnet comes right off, taking the throttle bodies with it. Ok and Paul Rickers was momentarily off as well. So I spent the race camped out at marshal post 4, along with Dave Watson.
As it happened, if I wasn't going to be in the race, I did at least have a cracking view of the race from there and was enthusiastically cheering for TG who managed to win the race from the back of the grid.
Here's my video.
So, on the positive side, i've learnt that if you see a big accident happening at the first corner, it's probably best to get out of there. And tie wraps aren't as strong as you might think!
Also, the Saturday night barbecue was great fun, and it can't go unmentioned that TG's performance in RGB, winning both races from the back of the grid, and getting a win and a second place in the bikesports in a mildly adapted RGB car, was amazing. It was almost worth being a spectator just for that.
I can also console myself with the knowledge that I didn't have the worst weekend of my esteemed racing colleagues. Austen's weekend was pretty bad, and whilst Bob had a good weekend on the track, I think a 14 hour journey with the AA on his way home must count as the worst weekend's journey ever.
Donington next. No excuses this time. I know the secret. Drive faster, don't crash. Simples.
Never been there before. In fact it's been a while since I went to a circuit for the very first time so it promised to be interesting.
Sadly I didn't have time to do the test day on the Friday. We had tickets for the Olympic rowing for Friday morning (which was fantastic) and then I headed off mid afternoon for the long drag up to North Wales.
I made pretty good time (5hrs) so was there unusually early for me. Time for some of JC's burgers!
So my first time out on this track ever was the RGB qualifying session.
It's a very interesting circuit and you're presented with a stunning view of the coast as you come round the back of the circuit :
The car felt pretty lively. I was getting loads of oversteer coming onto the start straight and the first corner but it felt good. It took me a few laps to start to test the braking point into Rocket which is a 110 degree left hander after a blind crest so pretty scary the first time out.
Anyway, I didn't disgrace myself too much. Ended up with a best time of 1.15.8 which put me 6th in class. Only 0.5s off Paul Rickers which I thought was pretty good for the first time out.
We decided to do nothing to the car set up wise. I was concerned that dialling out some of the oversteer would just mean I understeered through some of the faster corners and make it worse, so I opted to just try to drive it faster!
Well the race was, how can I put this...disastrous.
I got caught up in a first corner incident which, on post race analysis, went something like this. Dave Watson clips the back of Austen, Austen spins into Tim H (and hits him twice somehow!), David Whale dives to the right to avoid them, swipes my front end, bonnet comes right off, taking the throttle bodies with it. Ok and Paul Rickers was momentarily off as well. So I spent the race camped out at marshal post 4, along with Dave Watson.
As it happened, if I wasn't going to be in the race, I did at least have a cracking view of the race from there and was enthusiastically cheering for TG who managed to win the race from the back of the grid.
Here's my video.
So the damage was mainly fibreglass - easily fixable, although all the mounting points were broken so the solution was tie wraps.
Sadly, for me, Race 2 on the Sunday was curtailed early by the tie wraps failing and the bonnet coming off. Trying to take Rocket with no forward vision at all is a tad tricky so I came in before I did any more damage.
Bit of a bugger that. 10 hours travelling for about 3 minutes racing.(not to mention the cost). Hey ho. That's racing I suppose.
Also, the Saturday night barbecue was great fun, and it can't go unmentioned that TG's performance in RGB, winning both races from the back of the grid, and getting a win and a second place in the bikesports in a mildly adapted RGB car, was amazing. It was almost worth being a spectator just for that.
I can also console myself with the knowledge that I didn't have the worst weekend of my esteemed racing colleagues. Austen's weekend was pretty bad, and whilst Bob had a good weekend on the track, I think a 14 hour journey with the AA on his way home must count as the worst weekend's journey ever.
Donington next. No excuses this time. I know the secret. Drive faster, don't crash. Simples.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Donington 23/24th June 2012
Bit late with the update this month. Lots going on including my family holiday and my 'other hobbies' getting in the way (you know what I mean, Austen!)
It was a manic weekend for me as I'd entered the Bikesports races as well so I had 2 quali sessions, and 3 races on Saturday, and the 1 RGB race on the Sunday. My thinking was that, since I hadn't had any chance to test, and it was 2007 (I think) when I last raced here and even that was only a few laps before the old Westfield packed in, I'd use the Bikesports as extra track time.
I'm glad I did, as it happens, although I couldn't have done it without the TGM team looking after me (and reminding me that I was out again almost as soon as I came in between the RGB and Bikesport races).
Despite the practice, I only managed 1.19.2s in qualy putting me 7th and 6th in class on the grids.
Sadly my video didn't work for either of the RGB races so I can't show you my perspective, although Steve M's video captures Race 1 quite well :
After a reasonable start, having got past Colin Chapman and Dave Watson by Redgate (although later found out that Dave's harness had come undone which would certainly slow me down a bit!), I blew it all away in the chicane at the end of lap 1 when I outbraked myself and got all out of shape and then had Steve Robinson sideways across the track in front of me and had to go round him onto the gravel. I managed to avoid being bogged down completely in the gravel but I was well down the field when I got back on. I spent the rest of the race catching up with Steve and finally managed to get past him with a lap to go putting me in 6th in class.
Best time in race 1 was a 1.19.29 which was worse than qualy which was strange, esapecially since I was chasing for much of the race and really felt I was on it. Maybe the track was a bit slower, but Any Grant was doing 18.0s so I'm definitely well over a second off where I should be.
Race 2 was pretty uneventful. A poor start, but ended up 5th as Austen broke something and didn't finish. Times were even slower though at 1.19.85 so no idea what's going on there (although still about a second off Andy Grant).
Oh by the way, I had a great battle in the Bikesport races with one of their class C cars. Same engine as me but wings and slicks. Beat him in both races which rather amusingly put me second in class twice. I'm 3rd in class in their championship (LOL). Here's some video (the only time it worked!).
So all in all, a fun weekend. Bit dissapointed, if I'm honest, that my times weren't a bit closer to the pace given the track time I had. A bit of post race analysis with TG required before we go to Doni again. Ah well. Never going to get the prize for most talented newcomer am I!!
Anglesey next on 4th/5th August.
It was a manic weekend for me as I'd entered the Bikesports races as well so I had 2 quali sessions, and 3 races on Saturday, and the 1 RGB race on the Sunday. My thinking was that, since I hadn't had any chance to test, and it was 2007 (I think) when I last raced here and even that was only a few laps before the old Westfield packed in, I'd use the Bikesports as extra track time.
I'm glad I did, as it happens, although I couldn't have done it without the TGM team looking after me (and reminding me that I was out again almost as soon as I came in between the RGB and Bikesport races).
Despite the practice, I only managed 1.19.2s in qualy putting me 7th and 6th in class on the grids.
Sadly my video didn't work for either of the RGB races so I can't show you my perspective, although Steve M's video captures Race 1 quite well :
After a reasonable start, having got past Colin Chapman and Dave Watson by Redgate (although later found out that Dave's harness had come undone which would certainly slow me down a bit!), I blew it all away in the chicane at the end of lap 1 when I outbraked myself and got all out of shape and then had Steve Robinson sideways across the track in front of me and had to go round him onto the gravel. I managed to avoid being bogged down completely in the gravel but I was well down the field when I got back on. I spent the rest of the race catching up with Steve and finally managed to get past him with a lap to go putting me in 6th in class.
Best time in race 1 was a 1.19.29 which was worse than qualy which was strange, esapecially since I was chasing for much of the race and really felt I was on it. Maybe the track was a bit slower, but Any Grant was doing 18.0s so I'm definitely well over a second off where I should be.
Race 2 was pretty uneventful. A poor start, but ended up 5th as Austen broke something and didn't finish. Times were even slower though at 1.19.85 so no idea what's going on there (although still about a second off Andy Grant).
Oh by the way, I had a great battle in the Bikesport races with one of their class C cars. Same engine as me but wings and slicks. Beat him in both races which rather amusingly put me second in class twice. I'm 3rd in class in their championship (LOL). Here's some video (the only time it worked!).
So all in all, a fun weekend. Bit dissapointed, if I'm honest, that my times weren't a bit closer to the pace given the track time I had. A bit of post race analysis with TG required before we go to Doni again. Ah well. Never going to get the prize for most talented newcomer am I!!
Anglesey next on 4th/5th August.
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Cadwell Park, May 2012.
Well that was an amazing weekend in many ways, but mostly because Cadwell is such an exciting track.
I must admit that, reflecting on Brands, I was pleased with my performance in the wet, but in the dry I was a little dissapointed that I haven't taken a big leap forward and I was starting to wonder what I have to do to make that breakthrough into the sort of lap times that I should be doing by now (at least a second, if not 2 quicker).
Well I've come away from Cadwell with a big boost to my confidence in that respect. I'm not there yet but I took a huge chunk out of my past lap times here this weekend and I am, as they say, dead chuffed!
So the racing was eventful!
The story of race 1 was set at the start when, way back in 19th on the grid, there were two stallers ahead of me on the grid. I had no choice but to go left onto the grass, and by the time I got back on both Dan and Colin S had got ahead of me and the Austen / Steve Bell race was well out of range. So my race was firstly about getting past Dan, which I eventually managed to do through the fast left hander after the start straight. I then quickly caught up with Colin. Despite a couple of chances, which I messed up, Colin is very good at making his car very wide indeed and I just couldn;t make a move stick, despite both Scott Mittel and, on the last lap, Tim, managing to get past with relative ease.
I just need to be a little more aggressive I think, but I really didn't want to risk contact or worse. So I had to settle for a 5th in class (by a margin of a few tenths of a second!).
Here's the video:
Race 2's start was much better and I quickly got up with Austen and was even running 3rd ahead of Steve Bell for a while although that didn't last long. I was very keen to keep pace with Austen but at the same time I knew I had Steve Robinson and more crucially for class position, Andy Grant behind me. Austen did manage to pull away a bit mid race but I did some great laps later in the race and, coupled with Austen getting held up ahead of him, I was well within sight of him in the closing laps. On the very last lap Steve Robinson pulled a banzai move going into the Mountain, which was very brave of him. Still, as I crossed the finish, I was only 2 seconds behind Austen for a 4th in class. Oh and infront of Andy Grant!
Race 2 video:
So I have a lot to be pleased about there. I did a 1.37, which was 2 seconds quicker than last time out and than my qualifying time. Ok Austen went about half a second quicker that that, but on recent form, I'm very pleased to be that close given that I covet his third places and am determined to take at least one of them off him sometime this season, so I'm getting closer.
The other thing I'm dead chuffed about is beating Andy Grant on the track, fair and square. Sorry to rub it in Andy if you're reading this. I have enormous respect for you and I know you are a quick driver, which makes beating you all the more satisfying.
So, I needed some reaffirmation that I'm still able to improve my driving, and I got it this weekend.
Maybe some of the Tim Gray genius is rubbing off on me after all! (only a tiny bit, mind!).
See you at Donington.
I must admit that, reflecting on Brands, I was pleased with my performance in the wet, but in the dry I was a little dissapointed that I haven't taken a big leap forward and I was starting to wonder what I have to do to make that breakthrough into the sort of lap times that I should be doing by now (at least a second, if not 2 quicker).
Well I've come away from Cadwell with a big boost to my confidence in that respect. I'm not there yet but I took a huge chunk out of my past lap times here this weekend and I am, as they say, dead chuffed!
So the racing was eventful!
The story of race 1 was set at the start when, way back in 19th on the grid, there were two stallers ahead of me on the grid. I had no choice but to go left onto the grass, and by the time I got back on both Dan and Colin S had got ahead of me and the Austen / Steve Bell race was well out of range. So my race was firstly about getting past Dan, which I eventually managed to do through the fast left hander after the start straight. I then quickly caught up with Colin. Despite a couple of chances, which I messed up, Colin is very good at making his car very wide indeed and I just couldn;t make a move stick, despite both Scott Mittel and, on the last lap, Tim, managing to get past with relative ease.
I just need to be a little more aggressive I think, but I really didn't want to risk contact or worse. So I had to settle for a 5th in class (by a margin of a few tenths of a second!).
Here's the video:
Race 2's start was much better and I quickly got up with Austen and was even running 3rd ahead of Steve Bell for a while although that didn't last long. I was very keen to keep pace with Austen but at the same time I knew I had Steve Robinson and more crucially for class position, Andy Grant behind me. Austen did manage to pull away a bit mid race but I did some great laps later in the race and, coupled with Austen getting held up ahead of him, I was well within sight of him in the closing laps. On the very last lap Steve Robinson pulled a banzai move going into the Mountain, which was very brave of him. Still, as I crossed the finish, I was only 2 seconds behind Austen for a 4th in class. Oh and infront of Andy Grant!Race 2 video:
The other thing I'm dead chuffed about is beating Andy Grant on the track, fair and square. Sorry to rub it in Andy if you're reading this. I have enormous respect for you and I know you are a quick driver, which makes beating you all the more satisfying.
So, I needed some reaffirmation that I'm still able to improve my driving, and I got it this weekend.
Maybe some of the Tim Gray genius is rubbing off on me after all! (only a tiny bit, mind!).
See you at Donington.
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Brands Hatch, April 2012.
So second weekend of the season. Brands Hatch.
I had high hopes that I could do well here as it's the circuit I know best. The forecast was for rain all weekend though so anything could happen.
Sure enough, Saturday morning was wet. And cold. I know that 'cause after an hour in the scrutineering queue I couldn't feel my feet any more.
Qualifying was interesting. Here's some video (still a novelty for me this video lark!).
Let's see, two spins, several avoiding of other peoples spins, and lots of sideways moments, but I come through it with a reasonable 4th in class and 14th/13th on the grid for races 1 and 2. Quite pleased with that.
Nothing much to do to the car for the race other than one new tyre. I may not have bothered if it had been dry but the rain clearly wasn't going to stop so it made sense.
Race 1. 14th on the grid. I'm on the outside of the track and I remember from my last wet race here that the outside line around Paddock tends to be grippier in the wet than the inside.
I get an absolutely storming start getting past two rows off the line. Then round paddock and past some attrition straight away. I find myself up with Derek and Al going into Druids and stick with them. Going into Clearways I actually thought for one scary moment that I might even get past Al. This was like one of those parallel universes in quantum theory where everything is the same except,
in this world, James Walker is actually quite talented!
Anyway, this lasted a lap and a half. Going through Surtees for the second time and I caught some deep water and span, and span some more until I was on the grass on the outside of the track facing the wrong way and watching all of my esteemed competitors driving safely by... apart from Austen who had been right behind me and span in sympathy.
For a brief moment I thought I might actually be able to get back on the track before he did and stay ahead. Sadly the grass tends not to offer much grip in the wet and my attempts to get back to the tarmac were at least balletic, but slow. I would have been better off swapping to the Bongo at that point!
Anyway, I got back on eventually but behind just about everyone. What followed was, for me, one of the most exciting drives of my life. I was like a man possessed, determined to catch up. I did in fact manage to get back up to 4th in class, where I started.
Whilst I was pleased with that, and it must have been good to watch, I can't help thinking what might have been if my talent had not run out on lap 2. (to quote Jason Plato commenting on his own spin at Thruxton on the telly later, my little bag of talent wasn't quite as full as I thought it was!).
Enjoy the video highlights:
So that was Saturday. The rain didn't stop for a moment and I was very glad of the TGM motorhome. The evening was fun, spent mostly in the Spire camp for Steve Robinson's birthday celebrations, whilst the wind and rain tried to wash us all away.
Sunday's race was at 4pm so a slow morning was spent, mainly watching the BTCC on the telly. You can never have too much motoracing can you!
Race 2. Amazingly it actually stopped raining about an hour or so before the race so it was back to a dry set up. Whilst I was one position higher on the grid this time, it meant I was on the inside, nearest the pit wall. So there was no cruising around the outside this time.
As it happened my start was not great and I lost several places straight off. Colin Spicer got ahead of me into Druids and I spent the next couple of laps getting past him. Great racing, but it meant that I lost sight of Austen who was the length of the straight ahead of me by the time I got a ahead of Colin. The rest of the race was a lonely cruise home.
I finished 4th in class which was ok, but I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that my lap times where still in the 53s. I thought I should be a good second quicker than that by now. Maybe it was just being out on my own that knocked the edge off, although it felt at the time that I was pushing as hard as I could, at least for a few laps.
Here's the video highlights:
Anyway, I should't be too hard on myself. I was pleased with my performance in the wet, and race 2 was fun, if ultimately not exceptional. Note to self, must be braver into Paddock, must be braver into Paddock, must be.......
Just as a footnote, and I really don't want to sound like a grumpy old man (although I'm about to anyway!...). Race 2 ended with a slightly sour taste. The club decided that I did not deserve any points for that race because my reverse gear didn't work properly after the race. The regs say you should have an operable reverse gear. Well I can't deny that it didn't work when tested. My argument that it must have broken during the race was met with disdain and the comment that it was therefore not up to the job. I could appeal their decision if I paid £300 there and then. No opportunity to check the car to see what had broken.
So that was that. All points for that race deducted, and a warning that if I did it again I could have negative points or even be excluded from the championship.
I know the rules have to be enforced, but I thought it a bit harsh. Does everyone else realise that if your car suffers damage during the race, which means your car doesn't then comply with the regs, you can lose your points? What about damaged bodywork meaning your ride height is too low for example.
Ok rant over. To misquote a famous Hollywood interpration of William Wallace, they can take away my points, but they can't take away the fun!
Cadwell next...
I had high hopes that I could do well here as it's the circuit I know best. The forecast was for rain all weekend though so anything could happen.
Sure enough, Saturday morning was wet. And cold. I know that 'cause after an hour in the scrutineering queue I couldn't feel my feet any more.
Qualifying was interesting. Here's some video (still a novelty for me this video lark!).
Let's see, two spins, several avoiding of other peoples spins, and lots of sideways moments, but I come through it with a reasonable 4th in class and 14th/13th on the grid for races 1 and 2. Quite pleased with that.
Nothing much to do to the car for the race other than one new tyre. I may not have bothered if it had been dry but the rain clearly wasn't going to stop so it made sense.
Race 1. 14th on the grid. I'm on the outside of the track and I remember from my last wet race here that the outside line around Paddock tends to be grippier in the wet than the inside.
I get an absolutely storming start getting past two rows off the line. Then round paddock and past some attrition straight away. I find myself up with Derek and Al going into Druids and stick with them. Going into Clearways I actually thought for one scary moment that I might even get past Al. This was like one of those parallel universes in quantum theory where everything is the same except,
in this world, James Walker is actually quite talented!
Anyway, this lasted a lap and a half. Going through Surtees for the second time and I caught some deep water and span, and span some more until I was on the grass on the outside of the track facing the wrong way and watching all of my esteemed competitors driving safely by... apart from Austen who had been right behind me and span in sympathy.
For a brief moment I thought I might actually be able to get back on the track before he did and stay ahead. Sadly the grass tends not to offer much grip in the wet and my attempts to get back to the tarmac were at least balletic, but slow. I would have been better off swapping to the Bongo at that point!
Anyway, I got back on eventually but behind just about everyone. What followed was, for me, one of the most exciting drives of my life. I was like a man possessed, determined to catch up. I did in fact manage to get back up to 4th in class, where I started.
Whilst I was pleased with that, and it must have been good to watch, I can't help thinking what might have been if my talent had not run out on lap 2. (to quote Jason Plato commenting on his own spin at Thruxton on the telly later, my little bag of talent wasn't quite as full as I thought it was!).
Enjoy the video highlights:
So that was Saturday. The rain didn't stop for a moment and I was very glad of the TGM motorhome. The evening was fun, spent mostly in the Spire camp for Steve Robinson's birthday celebrations, whilst the wind and rain tried to wash us all away.
Sunday's race was at 4pm so a slow morning was spent, mainly watching the BTCC on the telly. You can never have too much motoracing can you!
Race 2. Amazingly it actually stopped raining about an hour or so before the race so it was back to a dry set up. Whilst I was one position higher on the grid this time, it meant I was on the inside, nearest the pit wall. So there was no cruising around the outside this time.
As it happened my start was not great and I lost several places straight off. Colin Spicer got ahead of me into Druids and I spent the next couple of laps getting past him. Great racing, but it meant that I lost sight of Austen who was the length of the straight ahead of me by the time I got a ahead of Colin. The rest of the race was a lonely cruise home.
I finished 4th in class which was ok, but I must admit that I was slightly disappointed that my lap times where still in the 53s. I thought I should be a good second quicker than that by now. Maybe it was just being out on my own that knocked the edge off, although it felt at the time that I was pushing as hard as I could, at least for a few laps.
Here's the video highlights:
Anyway, I should't be too hard on myself. I was pleased with my performance in the wet, and race 2 was fun, if ultimately not exceptional. Note to self, must be braver into Paddock, must be braver into Paddock, must be.......
Just as a footnote, and I really don't want to sound like a grumpy old man (although I'm about to anyway!...). Race 2 ended with a slightly sour taste. The club decided that I did not deserve any points for that race because my reverse gear didn't work properly after the race. The regs say you should have an operable reverse gear. Well I can't deny that it didn't work when tested. My argument that it must have broken during the race was met with disdain and the comment that it was therefore not up to the job. I could appeal their decision if I paid £300 there and then. No opportunity to check the car to see what had broken.
So that was that. All points for that race deducted, and a warning that if I did it again I could have negative points or even be excluded from the championship.
I know the rules have to be enforced, but I thought it a bit harsh. Does everyone else realise that if your car suffers damage during the race, which means your car doesn't then comply with the regs, you can lose your points? What about damaged bodywork meaning your ride height is too low for example.
Ok rant over. To misquote a famous Hollywood interpration of William Wallace, they can take away my points, but they can't take away the fun!
Cadwell next...
Thursday, 5 April 2012
Season opener - Silverstone, March 31st 2012
I had been thinking about posting something over the winter. Something along the lines of how I was filled with optimism about the coming season; that I should have some really close racing and if everything goes well I might even pick up a bit of silverware this year with some top 3 finishes, at least in class if not overall.
Well I'm glad I didn't 'cause I'd look a bit silly now.
The season opener was a bit of an eye opener to say the least. I'm feeling a little, how shall I put it...deflated!
There's more competition than ever this year. Obviously the class R cars are quicker anyway and all the talented drivers have gone off and built new ones over the winter. So even the quickest F cars are well down the grid. I qualified 18th (29 entrants).
This is all good for the series of course, but it does rather lower my expectations.
Mind you, on the positive side, my qualifying lap time was my quickest ever. 1.04.7. I was getting just under 1.07 last year in slightly damp conditions, which was about where I had been with the Westy in the dry.
I'm told that everyone was roughly 2s per lap quicker due to the resurfacing at the complex so that kind of makes sense. However, my current benchmark is Austen who has exactly the same R1 engine, and he was about 1.5s quicker. Doh!
Anyway, Saturday's race was just a little dissapointing for me. I was hoping to keep in the Austen / Colin (S) and Andy Grant pack but I was losing several car lengths down the back straight and just couldn't keep up.
I managed a 4th in class in the end by default as the new class F car of Steve Bell went out in a cloud of smoke (and he was subsequently commended for his bravery under fire), but my times were still stuck in the 1.04.7s compared to 1.03s for the pack I should be with.
I can't blame the car. It felt great, so it's not that. Watching Tim's video I think I may have worked out where I'm losing time. I need to be wider into Becketts and maybe a tad slower in but faster out which is where I'm convinced most of the time is.
I was out in the free practice on Sunday morning when I hoped to practice the Becketts thing but suffered a clutch failure after only 10 minutes leaving me spectating with the marshals for 20 minutes. The TGM team were quickly on it and thought they had it sorted for the race. I was all set to perform in front of my family and friends who were putting in a rare appearance, but the clutch failed by the first corner and I didn't even manage 1 lap.
Boy was I ****ed off!!
When I said I wanted to finish the race first, that's not quite what I meant!
Now, those that know me know that I'm a positive person. I'm quick to be philosophical about the ups and downs on racing, but my resolve was tested this weekend. But let's be honest. I'm lucky to be able to do this fantastic sport at all, and there are moments when I would not want to be anywhere else, so onwards and forwards!
Anyway, Tim reckons he knows what the problem was and has fixed it (if you want a full technical explanation of the problem, you're reading the wrong blog!). So I will be at Brands, with my optimistic head on. Don't take it easy just yet, Austen!
 |
| A rare shot of me at speed. (thanks to Afgan Dan for the pic) |
Well I'm glad I didn't 'cause I'd look a bit silly now.
The season opener was a bit of an eye opener to say the least. I'm feeling a little, how shall I put it...deflated!
There's more competition than ever this year. Obviously the class R cars are quicker anyway and all the talented drivers have gone off and built new ones over the winter. So even the quickest F cars are well down the grid. I qualified 18th (29 entrants).
This is all good for the series of course, but it does rather lower my expectations.
Mind you, on the positive side, my qualifying lap time was my quickest ever. 1.04.7. I was getting just under 1.07 last year in slightly damp conditions, which was about where I had been with the Westy in the dry.
I'm told that everyone was roughly 2s per lap quicker due to the resurfacing at the complex so that kind of makes sense. However, my current benchmark is Austen who has exactly the same R1 engine, and he was about 1.5s quicker. Doh!
Anyway, Saturday's race was just a little dissapointing for me. I was hoping to keep in the Austen / Colin (S) and Andy Grant pack but I was losing several car lengths down the back straight and just couldn't keep up.
I managed a 4th in class in the end by default as the new class F car of Steve Bell went out in a cloud of smoke (and he was subsequently commended for his bravery under fire), but my times were still stuck in the 1.04.7s compared to 1.03s for the pack I should be with.
I can't blame the car. It felt great, so it's not that. Watching Tim's video I think I may have worked out where I'm losing time. I need to be wider into Becketts and maybe a tad slower in but faster out which is where I'm convinced most of the time is.
I was out in the free practice on Sunday morning when I hoped to practice the Becketts thing but suffered a clutch failure after only 10 minutes leaving me spectating with the marshals for 20 minutes. The TGM team were quickly on it and thought they had it sorted for the race. I was all set to perform in front of my family and friends who were putting in a rare appearance, but the clutch failed by the first corner and I didn't even manage 1 lap.
Boy was I ****ed off!!
When I said I wanted to finish the race first, that's not quite what I meant!
Now, those that know me know that I'm a positive person. I'm quick to be philosophical about the ups and downs on racing, but my resolve was tested this weekend. But let's be honest. I'm lucky to be able to do this fantastic sport at all, and there are moments when I would not want to be anywhere else, so onwards and forwards!
Anyway, Tim reckons he knows what the problem was and has fixed it (if you want a full technical explanation of the problem, you're reading the wrong blog!). So I will be at Brands, with my optimistic head on. Don't take it easy just yet, Austen!
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