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.