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.

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.