Nurburgring - Race Two

Another fouled up start, just as happened at Dijon. This time the Lotus 22 of Serge Brison dumped a lot of oil during the green flag lap, as he is one of the more exuberant of slaloming tyre warmers weaving back and forth across the track he managed to leave a wide snaking trail of oil, down the hill into the fastest bend of the course, and back up to the chicane! Fortunately for him it turned out to be an oil hose letting go, and not something more serious. I, and others, tried to make the officials aware that something was up, but as we lined up I wasn't sure what was happening, but the Start Delayed board came out and we switched off, whilst the marshals put down some cement dust - phew!

A few minutes later we had another go, with the race now shortened by two laps. I got a great start, by no means a common occurrence for me! Getting past Kim and Ivo Geockmann in the Jolus on the run to Turn One, this was messy just as yesterday ... I saw just ahead of me John Delane, and he wasn't pulling away, in fact I was closing on him ... But it was brief, I suspect he didn't want to take a risk and get caught in a bit of a battle with some Class E cars, so he let them go, and then followed them, slowly but surely pulling away from me. As I came round the tight Turn 2 on lap 2 I found Ivo facing the wrong way and had to take avoiding action, this putting my adversaries of yesterday, Andrew Tart and Steve Futter right on my tail ... I held them off for a short while, but ahead of Kim was all that mattered, so when they finally got to use their greater horsepower I was happy enough to le them go, but stayed on their tails.

A couple of slightly off the pace laps in the middle, and then coming up to lap the first of the back markers at the chicane brought Kim back onto my tail ... Battle was joined! We were alongside each other several times, and eventually he made it stick using his extra grunt down the start straight, but then ran hot into Turn one, allowing me to duck back under him out of turn two, two laps later exactly the same thing happened again, but this time he managed to get better drive out of Turn Two and drew back alongside into 3 ... He'd done me! I thought about a late dive up the inside at the hairpin, but I had 45 seconds in hand on aggregate, so it wasn't worth it.  Chequered flag, another very enjoyable race, 3rd in Class (2nd on Aggregate), 19th overall. I was tired and hot, so was the car!

John Delane had cruised to the Class win of course, and Andrew Tart had similarly doubled up in Class B, so we are now in a 3-way tie for the Championship lead on 40 points each. Of course, they have scored theirs in 4 races each, whereas I have taken all 5 rounds to score mine, so once the discarded race is taken into account they 'll be clear leaders with me back in 3rd place overall in the Championship. Ivo recovered well to win Class D, Daniele Salodini took Class A and David Methley again took the race win from Michael Hibberd. All of which I think means that the 3 of us will have increased our points gap over 4th place and below.

Been a great weekend, I'd worried about the car being fresh out of rebuild, but it's never worked better, gave me greater confidence to push harder, which was in turn reflected in me competing with guys who are typically a little quicker than I most of the time. Very enjoyable.

The biggest issue I now had was this I had one big trophy for Saturday's 2nd place and one slightly smaller one for today's 3rd ... I have two kids who like to have my trophies, so some diplomacy may be required!

Long drive home, nice scenery, but heavy traffic around the Nurburgring (I can't believe how many people come out just to watch the action out on the Nordschliefe, the various parking areas are heaving - literally thousands of people - but there's no racing to watch, just paying punters out on their bikes or cars...). I so nearly ran the Motorhome out of fuel in Belgium, and then had to dive off into the unknown to find diesel (from a closed petrol station with an automated payment system that refused to take my first two cards, whilst the 'bus sat there with only fumes remaining - stress levels rising, but the 3rd card worked!). The traffic cleared a bit after Brussels and I floored it (relative term!) and scrambled onto my booked ferry - last on before they closed the doors! I eventually got home at 0130 this morning, fully 11 hours after leaving N'burg ... Pretty weary!

Next up Goodwood Revival

Nurburgring - Race One

Was feeling quite relaxed this morning, even sat in the sun for a short while reading a book! Then all of a sudden I remembered that Mike's race was going off before mine, and I'd promised to do the pitwall for him! I got into the circuit just as he was heading for the assembly area, but there was plenty of time. He was running his Morgan +4 in the 50minute 'Gentleman Drivers' race, and he had to include a 1 minute pitstop between 15 & 35 minutes through the race. When he did come in, although he was beneath the pitlane speed limit, he still did a great lairy full brake lock-up and skidded to a stop! He had a good race, and was rewarded with a trophy for second in his class, well done Mike!

As usual plenty of pre-race nerves for me, especially concerned about the first corner, as the very wide straight feeds into a fiddly Z bend, which is very tight, with the braking zone downhill it is very easy to lock-up the brakes and overshoot, on lap one in a tight gaggle of cars this could be an issue! As it happened, whilst it was all a bit of a squeeze we all got through without any contact, but there was some shuffling of places!

Andrew Tart in the front wheel drive Bond had not been here before which explains why he was behind me on the grid, as he is usually faster - he duly came by me, as did Steve Futter, with whom I've had some close racing with in the past, although typically he's quicker than me in his Class D Lotus but here I'd out qualified him by a whisker, but he beat me into turn one, then got squeezed himself, which blocked me and allowed Luc Deneve to go right round the outside of us both in Turn 2! Kim also ran wide at turn two and slotted in behind me... 

After lap one things settled down a bit, I got back past Luc, and was holding off Kim, whilst ahead of me Andrew Tart was trying to find a way around Steve Futter. Then Kim disappeared from my mirrors, leaving me in Class P2. I found out later that he'd spun, and subsequently did so a second time later! 

Pleased to say that my car was still going really well as it has all weekend. I'm gaining in confidence too, as evidenced by staying with Steve and Andrew who are normally quicker than me. Towards the end of the race Andrew finally found a way past Steve, and so did I under braking for the bottom hairpin on the last lap. 

Very pleased to finish second in class today, and for the car to be going so well again. John Delane won the class as anticipated, Andrew Tart won class B - so were these results to be repeated after tomorrow's race then the 3 of us would leave here tied on points! There's the small matter of another 25 minutes of racing before we can count any chickens though!

At the front there was a great race between David Methley and Michael Hibberd, who were very close together when they lapped me on the penultimate lap. No-one else lapped me at all, so they clearly outpaced all others. Class D was won by Ivo Geockmann in the Jolus, Class A by Daniele Salodini in the Taraschi.

We have a dinner organised tonight down in a local village, several of us are cycling, apparently it's downhill all the way ... Having run around here yesterday afternoon I well know that means it'll be uphill all the way home after dinner! Best not overindulge then ...!

Sent from my

Nurburgring - Qualifying

As you know, since the last round at Dijon my car had been completely restored, back to bare chassis, the engine has been refreshed, which will have given me back a couple of horsepower, I have new tyres on it, the chassis is stiffer after the cracks were repaired. The car is going very well, and my driving confidence is improving. To top it all off I am 5kgs lighter myself. So I am confidently expecting to go quicker than ever ... 

Yesterday my best in free practice was a 2:15.6 - 3 secs quicker than I ran last time I was here with the FJ. I had a look at the times that John Delane ran here last year and see he ran a 2:13.4, so I am getting closer...

In Quali very early this morning, i am delighted to run a 2:13.5, 2 secs quicker than yesterday. I don't think that I left much time out there .... Only 0.1 slower than John Delane's best here last year ... I am 0.3 behind Kim, and alongside him on the grid. Car going very well. Session got red-flagged with 7 minutes to go, but I didn't bother going out again, 7 minutes might have given me two more times laps, but I didn't really think I'd go any quicker than that.

But John has knocked a massive 4 secs off last year's best - there's not much more I can do! I am not allowed to fit a Ford engine in my BMC-powered car, so to be close to Kim's Lotus-Ford is pleasing. I am trying hard to take the competition to John, but I can't live with that!

There are 7 cars in my class here this weekend, out of a total grid in excess of 40 cars, I am 20th overall on the Grid, 3rd in class, there is a 5 secs gap back to next class competitor.

Weekend is going very well so far ... And it makes me nervous putting that in writing ...

Going to prep the car now for Race 1, then do the pitwall for Mike in his Morgan for his qualifying. After that I have a hilly 5 mile run planned, hoping that'll get me the half second to get Kim tomorrow ... Do you think if I did a second lap I could get up to John Delane...?! No, I don't reckon so either!

Nurburgring - Thursday

It was a long night ... Of course I'd missed the ferry I was booked on, the next one was scheduled just 70 minutes later, but then left late ... I got 40 minutes doze on board... All in all it was nearly 0100 French time when I hit the road in Calais. Sustained by the newly acquired Eddie Stobart Truckers' music compilation and the Eddie Stobart Truckers' diet (unofficial!) of biscuits, sweets, crisps and coke I drive straight through, with just one refuelling stop and two other 10minute breaks. Got to Nurburgring just before 0600 this morning.

Had 40 minutes sleep ... Then got sorted, met Iain and Mike and deposited the Motorhome on the sloping field they call the competitors campsite here.

Had a lot of small jobs to do on the car, plus documentation and scrutineering. Free practice sessions were available at extra cost, and I elected to do these having had merely a curtailed run at Mallory last week.

First run was at 1045. Now to be honest I've been pretty nervous that we'd taken a fully functioning car to pieces and would somehow have to suffer an attack of Murphy's law ... However so far (and I shall be keeping my fingers crossed until the chequered flag on Sunday) it's all going very well. New tyres on the car, so worked up to pace slowly in the first session; but no snags. Pushed on a bit harder in the second session, encouraged by the close proximity on track of Ford-powered class competitors John Delane and Kim Shearn. Despite threatening clouds and occasional light drizzle the track stayed dry today which was great for me. I didn't bother running the third session, I was tired myself and didn't want to chance my luck with the car!

Finally got scrutineered and popped back to to the Motorhome for 40 minutes sleep and a shower before drivers' briefing and then dinner in our favourite here: Pistenklaus. Clouds have lifted and we seem set fair for a nice weekend.

Now if you've added up those 40 minute sleeps you might realise why I'm a bit tired and as I am on track at 0840 in the morning, I'm going to bed - night night!

What does Google Maps know anyway...

Spent today at Brighton races courtesy of a hospitable client, sadly returning to the bookies what I won off them at the same event last year. 

Brighton's on the South Coast ... So's Dover, where my ferry sails from tonight ... Why on earth would I follow iPhone's directions and go up the M23, along the M25 (in rush hour) and then down to Dover ... Clearly a leisurely drive along the coast is what I'll do, saves 30 miles and we used to do this drive when we were kids going on family holidays via the Dover Ferries.

My naivety is writ large as I head down the hill in the port to see 'my ship' heading out - blast! The leisurely drive took hours ... Wasn't exactly leisurely either, far too much traffic, barely got the Motorhome out of third gear! Romney Marshes lived up to memories, although is somewhat overpopulated with wind farms. Bexhill (birth place of my Elva), Hastings, Winchelsea etc. probably lovely, but not when you're actually trying to get somewhere!

There's another ferry an hour later, and I was smart enough to splash out the extra £5 for a fully flexible ticket!

Going to be another long night, bag of Chocolate Eclairs, and For company I have just acquired the Eddie Stobart Truckers' Music compilation from the shop here - awesome, no chance of dozing off at the wheel ...

See you on the other side!

Testing at Mallory

Left home at the rather early hour of 5am on Wednesday morning, nice morning at home, and indeed until about 10 miles south of Mallory Park, where it started to drizzle ... I overclubbed the early departure, arriving at the circuit at 0715, unsurprisingly it was a bit quiet at that time, but at least it meant that I drove the 125 miles with very little traffic. On arrival I tried to doze off in the car, and was just getting there when some flash bloke arrives in by helicopter!

Wednesday mornings at Mallory is open testing, so anything can turn up, depending on whats there they run alternate 30 minute sessions for Closed Wheel and Single-Seaters. Real mixed bag of cars turned up, current BTCC Saloon, a pair of Ferrari 458 GTs (that'll be the bloke in the helicopter I reckon!), several Mazda MR2s, Mk2 Ford Escort, etc., then the single-seaters included a modern Formula Renault (Chris Middlehurst), some classic Formula Fords and a couple of Historic F1, a Lotus 18 being exercised by my old chum, Scotty Taylor from Oz, and a Cooper T45 being run by another Australian.

I was very excited to see my freshly restored car unloaded from the van, and looking splendid. We had to reset the seat belts and some stuff like that, plus refit the fire extinguisher. My first run was at 0930 ... by which time there was rain, only light, but persistent and a fully wet track ... not what I would have asked for. I ran about 10 laps quite gently, just checking it all out, keeping a good eye on the gauges etc., then brought it into the pits for Martin and Josh to give it a quick look over too. Then back out for a few more laps, a little quicker, except round the hairpin where a car had spun and stalled on the approach.

We needed to do a little more work to get me comfortable again, mainly moving the pedals and adjusting the belts (I'm a fair bit slimmer than when I was last in the car - seriously!).

Back out on track at 1030 again, but it's raining harder now, there is standing water in a lot of places, and a couple of rivers across the track; despite running at cautious speeds only I still had a lot of sliding around. After about 10-12 laps I decided that I wasn't really learning anything, and it was clear that the sun wasn't about to come out, so I brought the car in, and we called it a day, better than sticking it into the tyrewall.

It's a bit disappointing not to exercise it properly, especially considering the effort/cost to get up to Mallory - 250 mile round trip for me, 200 miles for the boys, all for less than 30 laps in the car! But we have achieved what we aimed to, which is to prove that it was all working, although we haven't really 'tested' it in anger running at these low speeds, low revs etc. It now goes back to Iain's workshop for a few other bits and pieces, and some brand new tyres, before heading out to the Nurburgring on Tuesday, I follow 24 hours later. We have some free practice available to us on the Thursday, so I plan to make use of that, hope it's dry ...

Thanks to Iain, Martin and Josh for all their hard work in restoring the car in this 6 week midseason break.

Resplendent in the new livery

At Mallory Park on Wednesday, before it started to rain heavier ...