One last time ...

Last race of the season, Portimao in the Algarve. A manic day on Wednesday at work, with several client meetings, then it was off to Gatwick for my easyJet flight... And it all started to go a bit awry ... Our flight was delayed but they were very poor at giving out information, so we all stood around the boards waiting for news, flight time came and went, the board still said 'wait in lounge' ... An hour after takeoff time it changed straight to 'Last Call' prompting a stampede, all a bit unnecessary I'd have thought. The upshot was arrival in Faro some 1hr and 40mins after scheduled time, so it was 2300 before I was picking up my hire car ...

Lancia have built some great cars in their history, and for many the Integrale is one of the best cars of all time, I have one and love it! So I was initially interested to try one of their latest offering ... What an awful motorcar, quite the worst thing I've driven (well modern thing anyway), horrible driving position, awful steering, a decent gust will have the car switch lanes on the motorway, lots of wind/road noise, and completely gutless ... There are no real mountains on the motorway from Faro to Portimao, and yet I'm having to change down on the hills; I'd have to do that in our 4 tonne Motorhome but surely not one-up with light luggage in this .... Grrr.

These things come in threes don't they ...

Found the Algarve Casino Hotel about 0030 and checked in, or tried to ... "Mr Owen, you're not arriving till tomorrow". Me: "it is tomorrow...". That apparently wasn't the point. It also seems they think I'm turning up with a friend, a Mr James Bulkeley, this is as much of a surprise to me as I imagine it would be to the other chap ... I've never heard of him, and wasn't really expecting to share a room with some random new 'friend'. It's the middle of the night, and I want some sleep, little point in arguing, I hand over a credit card to pay for a room for tonight and I am told I'll have to check out again in the morning, then check in again later with 'my friend'. I wander off to bed down. The hotel is free for us, part of the deal, so a quick email gets sent to the organisers before I actually get to sleep.

Tomorrow is another day... We'll sort it out then.

Jerez - Race Two

With our race on Sunday not until about midday I had the luxury of waiting until after daybreak before checking out of the hotel and heading for the track. Unfortunately two of our team of 5 FJs were now hors de combat, Iain's newly rebuilt engine has wavering oil pressure and he doesn't want to risk it, whilst Peter Anstiss found a loose gear tooth attached to the magnetic filler plug of his gearbox - investigation showed it to be a tooth off the crownwheel, so Peter was also out not wanting to risk further damage. Seemingly all was well with the remaining three of us....

Our start got delayed a bit and we were quite relaxed, but every now and again a spanner goes into the works ... We'd warmed the car up earlier on, but I actually strapped in quite late and now a little flustered (and nervous as always!) only to find the starter wouldn't work ... Why now? Why does it pick these moments ... Why not do it in free practice? Of course this had happened on the grid of Race One at Hockenheim, so this is a fairly new starter motor. The boys get a jumper battery, but
it makes no difference, as the cars pull out up the pitlane the boys have to give me a push start, and suggest that I don't stall it ...

Helped by an empty space in front of me on the grid following Iain's withdrawal I get a reasonable start again ... My aim is just to keep out of trouble, completing merely a couple of laps will be sufficient to be classified on aggregate, and the third place this weekend will practically guarantee third overall in the Championship. Things don't always work out like that though, and we are racing drivers after all, so I arrive at the first corner in a bunch, and we stay quite close together ducking and diving! Late on lap one Andrea Guarino spins in front of my gaggle, and some frantic avoidance has me bouncing wide out over the kerbs, in my mirrors I see Andrew Tart even wider out ... Must have been close to gravel ... Unfortunately a little further back, Gil Duffy is unlucky to lose the second of the two Bonds and spins backwards into the tyres all avoiding Andrea's Lotus. Andrea gets gong again, but the Bond has damaged bodywork and rear suspension. On the following lap I see a cloud of dust as I negotiate the climbing right-hander onto the back straight, and as I crest the rise I see Roberto Tonetti's Brabham, which had been second in Race 1, in the barriers too; he's climbing out so he's clearly ok.

The dice continues with Andrew Tart and Larry Kinch in particular, but after 2-3 laps I get past both of them and pull out a small gap, but there's no comfort zone, a couple of times I just eased back slightly only to find them filling my mirrors all over again. Later on the invitation F3 car, (the generation that followed the demise of FJ are sometimes invited to come out to play if we don't have an oversubscribed grid, this is a French Tecno), starts crawling all over my tail, and looking a touch wild, he's a invitation car, so I decide that if he wants it that much he can have the position, I don't want him taking me out! Then having got ahead he does it to himself, running very wide at Turn One and driving through the gravel, he gets out, but he's dropped back and recovers onto the track in the midst of the gaggle that we'd both pulled away from! At least he's going to cause me no further concern.

Despite being new just two events ago my tyres are now well past their best, and I'm quite enjoying drifting the car around, even if it isn't always the quickest way round.

As I cross the line with less than two minutes to go I see David Methley's wife hanging out his pitboard, so clearly the car that has hoved into view 150m back is Dave, that will mean that this is the last lap. Dave catches me on the back straight. He is awesome to watch, he really hangs it out with superb car control on the limit, unchallenged here I guess he's not trying 100%, so I reckon if I put in a special effort I can stay with him for the last half lap, enjoy the view and maybe learn something, although he eases away of course, I'm still in touch until the chicane - fun! So that just leaves the last corner ... And I turn from Graham Hill to Benny Hill .... I've been getting quite leery through this nearly 180degree corner on previous laps, with some lurid slides, now inspired by half a lap of Dave Methley's 'tuition' I reckon I can manage a bigger drift into the straight for a glamourous finish .... I can't ...I end up spinning, for a brief moment I'm heading for the start of the pitwall, but we come to rest just before it, partly off the track, and facing back into the pitlane entrance ... Oops! ... Not sure if the car will start, but it does, and faced with a precarious rejoin I elect to 'do a Schumacher' (who am I kidding?) and finish in the pitlane, this means I have a 30mph crawl to the finish line, waving embarrassedly at those people on the pitwall who've seen what happened, whilst confusing those who haven't. With the chequered flag now out the pitlane exit is closed, so a marshal with a big red flag tries to stop me, but before the finish line, after a couple of seconds of mad gesticulation another official appears and waves me on the 10m I need to cross the line. Comedy...!

Obviously I've lost a bunch of places in this race, but still third in class, that has most probably guaranteed my third place overall in the championship - delighted!

If you're looking at the results and see that I finished two laps down on my class competitors, the fact is that I got lapped late in each race this weekend, whereas they didn't, I wasn't as far behind them as it might look - no honestly!

Prize-giving (I get a trophy for 3rd in Class - at least they had the decency not to put 'Last' on it!), lunch, shower, thank yous and goodbyes, and it's into the hire car for the drive to Malaga airport. Having lived in Andalucia I love the scenery down here and decide not to take the autopista, but to go across country, taking a wrong turn near Ronda I trip over 40kms of spectacular road, climbing into a mountainous area and then a real switchback for mile after mile, Ronda to Marbella, highly recommended if you're in the region!

Flight delayed slightly, I am on the 0050 Gatwick Express, and bedding down in London at 0145, sadly the alarm is set for 0600 to get into the office...

Jerez - Race Two summary

This will be just a brief update as I'm sitting at Malaga Airport on the way home typing this on my iPhone, so I have a limit before cramp will set into my thumbs!! It was quite a fun race two,  so I will put up a fuller report when I get the chance.

Race Two this morning brought no changes in status quo; the boys assured me that they had found me 5secs improvement in the car overnight, but if they did I wasn't good enough to take advantage of it!

The fuller report will include the amusing finish to my race, but you'll have to wait! Suffice it to say I finished third in class, that gives me 4 points for the weekend, which whilst my poorest return from any round so far, it is good enough to secure 3rd overall in the Championship, mathematically there remains one rival who could tie with me on 44 points, but that's highly improbable; the chances of me improving my own position in the Algarve next weekend are no less improbable.

Delighted to have achieved a podium position overall, even if this weekend has seen me somewhat off the pace. Very grateful to Iain and the boys for getting me to the chequered flag in every race of the championship, even if it has been touch-and-go a couple of times.

More later ...

Jerez - Saturday

Our qualifying session was the first track action of the day at 0900, that meant that we had the cars fired up in the pitlane in the dark before the sun had actually come up, a little bizarre!

Qualifying proved one thing at least.. The timings we'd taken on the pitwall yesterday weren't wrong, I am indeed off the pace... I improved my own best down to a 2:14.8, partly helped no doubt by the cooler early morning air, it felt a lot better, and I reckon there was more to be had as I didn't have a single lap without a minor delay, mostly caused by other traffic, but at least one decent lap was ruined by being unable to get 2nd gear at a critical moment. The very low sun was an issue at times too, particularly on the very fast left hander heading out the back. Kim and John Delane have improved too; now I'm clutching at straws again, but they've improved by less than me, so maybe there's hope! My time has me 19th on the grid, John is 13th on 2:09.2 and Kim alongside him on 2:09.9 which is impressive. I really feel that I've 'pushed' hard so to remain that far off them is dispiriting. Andrew Tart is alongside me in the Bond, which being front-wheel drive rarely gets off the line well.

After tribulations yesterday Iain's car is sorted again, but having had no track time here he's only qualified just ahead of me ... Which will be interesting, as there are concerns about him getting off the line. We agree that he'll line up to the right of his grid box, and I'll go to the left of mine, giving me a better chance of avoidance if he doesn't get away.

Race time is midday-ish. Bit of chaos in the paddock and assembly area, but it gets sorted and we line up. Lights go out, not a bad start, Iain does get away, so does Andrew Tart, but the first lap is messy and very tight, at some point I get ahead of Iain, can't remember how and the video footage is corrupted! Things settle down a bit after the first lap, it's clear that I can do nothing to pressure either Andrew Tart or John Delane, so top of my agenda now is just to finish both races and take the 4 points available, which will go a long way in securing third place overall in the Championship. I do have a bit of a fun dice with Larry Kinch, but having had a couple of slidy moments as the tyres start to go off I decide that it doesn't matter if he goes by me. I finish in 19th, where I started, 3rd (last, if you must!) in class. Iain has faltering oil pressure and pulls off late to preserve his freshly built engine. David Methley cruises to victory at the front, a full 17secs back is Roberto Tonetti, who we haven't seen all year. John Fyda comes home third having prevailed in a race-long multi-car dice with 3-4 others. Most interesting is that Kim beats John Delane by 5secs, that's a great result for Kim, who is going very well here. Andrew Tart duly wins the front-engine class, so his crew are delighted with Kim beating John Delane! If that's repeated on aggregate after tomorrow's race then Andrew Tart will be in the box seats for the overall Championship.

I'm still very disappointed to be so far off the pace, and I don't fully understand why to be honest ... Some  people are saying that this circuit suits an aggressive driving style, well that's certainly not me for sure, I think i'm a fairly smooth style! I'm hanging it out as much as i'm comfortable with, hitting relatively consistent sector times and receiving compliments on my driving from some people who I respect, so maybe this circuit really just doesn't me and my car... No point in getting too glum, I'm here at circuit that I enjoy driving despite my results, racing with people I like, in hot sun and in a place I like ... Shouldn't be complaining too much now should I?!

Jerez - Friday

Alternatively titled: Houston, we have a problem ...


It's still dark when I leave the hotel this morning, have I really got the time difference the right way round ...?

Our first session on track is the second session of the day at 0945, so cars are warmed up and we get our kit on ready to head out when the Historic F1 cars have had their turn. Quite a few cars on track, it's quite busy, but we sort ourselves out and get some clearish laps in. The session comes to a slightly early end when portuguese driver JP beaches his Lola Mk5 at turn 9 and is stuck deep in the gravel. My best is a 2:18:4, don't have times of other people to compare with, but it didn't feel like a great run. The gearing could be better, 4th is too tall, 2nd is too short! The brakes need a tweak. And I had a lot of oversteer, so was that due to the heat here, have the rear tyres overheated ...? They're only at 20lbs pressure so hard to believe they've overheated...

A chat with Iain and we decide to change the gearing, so the boys start dismantling the car and gearbox. We don't have much time and several of Iain's cars have been out and need administering too before the next session in 90 minutes. The boys get it all back together and tweak the brakes, but there's an issue, the box is stuck engaged in two gears at the same time, it'll have to come to pieces again. With time running out and other punters needing to go out, I go up to race control and swap the session I've paid for until later in the day. I get back to find Iain has in fact sorted the issue, but too late now... And I'd planned an hour at the hotel pool this afternoon ... Blast!

Iain and John Delane are among the session I'm missing, I head for the pitwall and put the watch on them... Best I see for John is 2:11:2, whilst Kim improves rapidly and runs what looks like a very impressive 2:10:8. This is going to be interesting ...

A couple of hours later, and it's even hotter, but now my turn to run again ... First couple or three laps are blighted by the traffic sorting itself out, but it clears and we pick up the pace. The new gears seem to be an improvement, the brakes are good and overall it all feels much better... But as Iain's car has failed in the it lane the boys are working on that and so there is nobody with a watch on me ...

Session is red-flagged again after an FJ drops a serious trail of oil round most of the last 3rd of the track... Grrr, had only run about seven laps.

With no watch on me I have to download the camera and then play it back to get a time ... It looks much better ... But the best was just a 2:17.7... Well that's no good ....! Clutching at straws a bit, but i reckon the track temperature is up as is the ambient, and the track might be a touch slippy too, with some oil down, but that doesn't account for all of the difference to class competitors Kim and John. Sadly I'm thinking that this circuit plays to the strengths of them and their cars, so I might be relegated to 'also-ran' this weekend. Obviously we'll put in the effort, but I seem to be outclassed here... We'll see tomorrow of course, but I that really is tha gap between us then there's nothing I'll be able to do about it!

Scrutineering, briefing, car prep, take Iain to supermarket, etc., I  eventually make it back to the hotel about 1930, in time to call the kids at home before bedtime.

Couple of beers, followed by pleasant tapas dinner with Aussies Kim and Marie and the Scottish contingent.

Tomorrow's another day ... No sense in dwelling on it ... We'll try again in quali at 0900, and we'll see what happens!

Jerez - Thursday

I pulled out of the well-lit Malaga Airport car hire area, into the well-lit airport road about 2130 last night, about 5 minutes later I find myself on the unlit motorway desperately trying to find the light switch on the hire car, before either I crash it because I can't see or somebody crashes into my stealth black Seat Leon because they can't see me ... Doh! Note to self, check you know where the switches are before driving off in your hire car!

An hour or so to the south-west down to Algeciras, then a turn to the west towards Jerez, another hour and I was in the centre of Jerez at midnight. 

The organisers have given us hotel accommodation here, well some of it anyway, very good of them! Most of the racers are in one or other of two hotels, and there was a concerted effort to get the Formula Junior crowd into the same hotel, so it should be pretty social.

The circuit is 20mins away, and I got out there about 1000 this morning, Iain and the boys were still en route, but not far away, so I walked the circuit. Beautiful day, warm sun, barely a cloud. I've never been here before, but have seen plenty of racing from here over the years, well the tv doesn't show you the undulation, the first corner in particular is really quite uphill. The kerbs look useable, even for me, and my car doesn't really like much kerb... But the circuit looks quite technical, fortunately there are quite a lot of features trackside to help you learn your braking points, turn-in, etc., one climbing turn runs into the long back straight, and that corner looks critical to the lap time, so I hope we can get the gearing right for that one! At the end of the straight is where Schumacher tried to take out Villeneuve in 1997.

Iain arrived, with Martin and Josh in the van behind him, we unload the seven cars, although two aren't racing here, but only next week end. Kim is here, and more and more people arrive through the day. Mike Bell has also arrived with his big rig bringing three cars. More Aussies, Don and Jeanette Thallon, with a pair of cars in their van and trailer, all brought over from Oz for the summer, so still driving round on Aussie plates, I imagine people must do a double-take when they clock that!

Later in the day I manage to halve my lap-time ... By running the circuit with Iain, still pretty warm, must have sweated a kg or so ... I'm hoping that I might be able to psyche out the Bond crew and driver Andrew Tart, who've pitched camp alongside us ... But they don't seem fazed!!

On track for free (not free!) practice fairly early in the morning, will let you know how it goes.

Right - the final push ...

On Wednesday evening easyJet will whisk me off to Malaga, for Round 6 of the Championship at Jerez in southern Spain. Exactly one week later easyJet will have the pleasure of my company again, this time to Faro, for the final round at Portimao in the Algarve. So it's worth a little round-up of how we stand ...

Two rounds of 7 left to go, I've scored 40 points so far with a nice consistent 8 points in each round. The final score is the best 6 results of the 7. The two guys that I am tied with on 40 points each have 'perfect' scores of 10 points from each of 4 rounds. With one score dropped, effectively they can score at each of the remaining rounds, whereas I can only add to my score at one of the remaining rounds. They are in the box seats to be honest, especially as they are both highly experienced racers, driving well-prepared cars - it is frankly unlikely that either of them will be beaten by anyone in their respective classes. John Delane runs his Lotus 18 in my class C2, and Andrew Tart runs the front-wheel-drive, front-engined Bond in class B2. Add into the mix that the grids, whilst well subscribed overall, are a bit short in both Classes C2 and B2, which will mean that full points aren't available for any of us, unless some others cars pitch up at the last minute! It's not surprising that grids are down a bit, it's a long season, and this will be an expensive far-flung jaunt, so a number of drivers have hung up their boots for the winter. But assuming I take a few points from either of the remaining rounds then I should be able to stay ahead of the guys behind us, so I am flying out aiming to secure third overall in the Championship; 2nd in my class in already secure.

Iain has re-prepped the car again after Goodwood, and he's just called from Portsmouth about to board the ferry for the long-drive to southern Spain. I'll meet him at the circuit on Thursday morning. He's got 6 cars in the truck and trailer, so he's going to have a busy time. He'll stay out after Jerez and just take the short drive to Portimao for the following weekend, I think a lot of the competitors will be staying out too, making the most of the autumn sunshine. Wish I could do the same but I need to come back to work in London, it's my busy season at work.

I used to go to University at Cordoba in Andalucia, just a couple of hours from the Jerez circuit, but I've never been there, and in fact I've never raced in Spain at all, and I love the region, so I'm really looking for to it. It's one of the modern breed of Formula One type circuit of course, whereas I prefer the older-style circuits, but it'll be good to race in Spain, and the forecast is for a temperature in the high 20s and bright sunshine, so that'll be a welcome change from foggy London.

It's a big meeting being run by Masters, http://www.circuitodejerez.com/index.php?id=29&no_cache=1&L=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=221&cHash=a728b9c687c95ade468d7fc86dc00e4f and http://www.themastersseries.com/news/item/5-news-jerez

If you want a last look at the championship table whilst I'm still at the top, look here! http://www.fia.com/championship/lurani-trophy-formula-junior-cars/2013/classifications I've printed it out as it looks now, will add it to the scrapbook for the grandchildren!