Now hold your breath, as the car was already to go i had a bit of spare time so ended up cutting back and polishing the bodywork! Apart from the cracked front from when she rolled of the corner scales back at Brands the body is still looking pretty fine, if i can keep out of trouble for a couple more races she will be looking good for the mechanex show (http://www.mechanex.info) at stoneleigh in September where the car is the centre piece for the Q20 oil stand! Its only 2 days after the Snetterton meet, so i really need to keep out of trouble there!!
I had entered the Allcomers race aswell as the single RGB race, so scruitineering was at 7.45am which meant an early start, especially as i had volunteered to join Amanda and Colin on their half marathon (8 laps) of the silverstone national circuit before hand, although i hadn't got time (or the fitness) to complete all 8 laps, so opted just to do a couple. If you want to sponsor Amanda and Colin in the forthcoming London Marathon, click here http://www.justgiving.com/amanda-chapman. The 2 laps managed to give me two huge blisters (i mustn't have done my trainers up properly) and have only just started to be able to walk properly again after filling my thighs with latic acid, that will teach me not to warm up or warm down!! My trips to the gym and quest to lose 10kg have now gone out of the window due to lack of time and moving jobs, but the short run (and my work trousers becoming tight again) has highlighted that i really need to get back on it!!!
Allcomers practice went ok, it was nice and dry and had a good clear track, although my lap times was down by almost a second from last year. After talking to a few people the track was seeming to be slower than last year, either down to the surface or head wind so wasn't too worried. The car did seem to be understeering a bit too much though so decided to go up a click on the rear dampers for RGB practice. I definitely need to stiffen up the rear springs a tad, as i was only 2 clicks off the hardest setting on the rear dampers, and really shouldn't be using the dampers to effect the spring rates this much. If i get chance i will get a set of 200lb rears to put on before snetts.
RGB practice went OK, qualified 3rd in class right behind Al and Colin on the grid. A good start was imperative!!!!
In the Allcomers race i had a great start and went past a few off the start line, but within a lap, everyone i had taken on the line was past me again, but that was always going to happen as they were 2 seconds a lap faster than me in practice. For the next 3 laps or so i had dan closing in down the 2 straights and was having to defend my line, his R1 powered fury is so much quicker down the straights than my old blade!! I managed to hold him off by taking the inside line and leaving the braking as late as possible coming into Brooklands!! I was managing to pull away from him on the corners, but every lap he would close in on the straights and we'd repeat the same manoeuvres, it was great fun!! Unfortunately Dan then dropped back and i was left on my own, i did actually contemplate slowing down so we could have a another go, but thought better of it!! So apart from a few back markers and couple of the front cars lapping me i had a pretty lonely second half of the race. At least i felt like i had learnt something about the lines and braking point going into Brooklands, ready for the RGB race!
So we waited round all day for the RGB race, slowly watching the lovely blue sky get blacker and blacker, until 10 minutes before our race when the heavens opened!! We were getting soaked in the assembly area and there was a mad dash by most to soften the suspension settings off. I'd not used the current setup in the wet, so wasn't sure what to do, the car is pretty soft anyway, but decided to drop 3 clicks off all the dampers and hoped for the best. As the track was now so wet we were given a green flag, which just confirmed the fact that there was no grip anywhere and lots of standing water!! It was the 2009 Birkett all over again! This was going to to be a slippy slippy race, and woodcote scares the crap out of me in the wet!!!!!!
In the end the race turned out to be lots and lots of fun, i had a cautious start, but didn't lose any places, and everyone made it round copse, maggots and becketts without incident. I managed to get a good line into and out of becketts and a good drag down the back straight, although this was terrifying as you could not see a thing due to the spray, the car was aqua planning and every time you up shifted the back wheels lost traction. I was alongside colin down the straight to Brooklands, he was on the left (either defending his line or just trying to find some visibility, and i managed to get a head of him on the brakes coming into brooklands. The next lap i was in a similar position with Tony at brooklands and we went round there and luffields side by side, excellent fun!!! Coming out of Woodcote, Colin got a great exit/line and looked to come down the inside so i moved over to defend, just to see him whizz up the outside of me and get past! For the next few laps we were tucked up together with Dave Wale, Daves cars
looked a real handful in the wet, and colin was all over the back of him with me too close for comfort sometimes!!! Colin managed to get past Dave out of Copse, but ended up having a small spin and Becketts which allowed me past and into 2nd in class. I thought that was 2nd place safe, but Colin pulled 3 excellent laps out (coupled with a 2 slightly slower ones by me) tp catch right up, and with a similar great exit from Woodcote he came up my inside at copse on the last lap and nipped past. I still had the back straight and brooklands to get the position back, Colin stayed far left up the straight, i slipstreamed him and pulled out to start going past him as we passed under the bridge, I left the braking as late as i dared as we came into Brooklands and actually had my nose in front, but colin must have let of the brakes slightly and we went round Brooklands and luffield side by side, i was on the inside at luffield and Colin managed to find slightly more traction to pull out into woodcote and beat me to the line.
It was a brilliantly exciting race (for me anyway) and i take my hat off to Colin for a great bit of driving and it just goes to prove i have a lot to learn before i can be as a wiley dog as him (i won't say old as he out ran me on the morning jog aswell!!) , its just a shame my forward facing camera packed in due to the rain!!!! New HD camera ordered in readiness for snetterton, and hopefully another exciting race!!!!
RGB Race Video:-
Photos:-
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