2008
10-17  Brands Hatch
08-30  Donington
08-09  Silverstone
07-12  Oulton Park
06-22  Cadwell Park
05-26  Castle Combe
04-26  Croft

2007
10-19  Brands Hatch
09-22  Oulton Park
07-22  Rockingham
06-23  Castle Combe
06-23  Donington
04-14  Silverstone
04-01  Snetterton

2006
10-21  Brands Hatch
10-08  Silverstone
09-17  Mallory Park
08-28  Castle Combe

Given the horrible conditions that had afflicted most of England in the previous few days (typical “flaming June” weather !), we did at least have the fortune to go out in a dry session.

The car is certainly beginning to feel a little “tired” and is probably in need of some loving attention (aka an engine rebuild). This was particularly apparent on the straights, with cars quickly closing in on mine from behind and little I could do to stop them flying by. The car was slower than my fastest time when I was at Castle Combe in August last year and I didn’t have the benefit then of the stickier tyres which must in themselves be worth some 2 seconds a lap. So overall, I was probably 2 to 3 seconds or more a lap off the pace. This gave me a qualifying position of  15th out of some 20 starters. Somewhat disappointing.

RACE ONE

At the start I was conscious of a car at the front struggling to get away, backing up the cars behind and I took advantage to quickly get past a couple in the subsequent run up to Avon Rise. Quarry was “crowded” but I managed to get through cleanly and by the time I had come out, I had passed Alex Monighan (car 50),  Ollie Boughton (car 21), Shai Shammai (car 46), Stuart Patterson (car 2) and Mark Bowles (car 59), to get to 11th place.

However lack of my subsequent pace in the car saw both Stuart and Mark pass me again within a lap or two. Stuart soon just “disappeared into the sunset” and I did my best to hang onto Mark’s shirtsleeves but he just pulled further and further ahead on each lap. The gap behind me also seemed to be widening and it wasn’t long before I was just circulating on my own in the middle of the pack. I have to say it was actually boring !

Then on about lap 10, I passed Mark to take 11th place, as he had gone wide coming out of Bobbies and onto the grass.

The rest of the race was totally uneventful for me, with the pack in front way down the road and those behind a reasonable distance back. However I was conscious that a car was catching me fast. It was Mark making up ground again and the closing pace down the straight particularly, meant that it would only be a lap or two before he would catch and pass me. All I could do was hope that, as I came round Camp corner, I would see the chequered flag but unfortunately (for me) Mark had enough time left to pass me on the last lap and I therefore took 12th place, but still having made up three places from the start. I was however very disappointed with my overall pace.

RACE TWO

I started 12th on the grid from my first race finishing position. As the lights went out, I had a good start but then fluffed the 1st to 2nd gearchange, struggling for what seemed like ages to find 2nd gear. Everyone behind me just streamed past. I was actually last (20th !) going up to the first corner but passed Richard Duvall (car 49) over Avon Rise & then immediately took John Hoe (car 47) and Simon Roche (car 18) going round Quarry. Coming out of the Esses I just managed to get alongside Alex Monighan (car 50), then he lost control and gifted me the 16th place.

Shai Shammai (car 46) was just ahead of me, he too having had a good start making up some 3 or 4 places from the start. I passed him on lap 2 coming out of the Esses but realised I was really struggling to make headway and pull away. What I was gaining through the corners, I was then losing on the straights. Furthermore the pack in front were easily making ground and I had a real battle on my hands not only to make progress but to avoid the others I’d passed, coming back at me.

I managed to keep Shai behind me but on nearly every lap, he was able to take yards out of my lead down the straight past the pit lane and I then pulled away again from the Esses to Camp corner. It was a great battle and I was really enjoying it even though I realised I was way off the pace of the front runners.

In my mirrors I could see that Alex was recovering well and making up ground and when Shai then made a mistake, Alex took up the position behind me. I then had a great few laps chasing Steve Streets hard (car 69) and passed him on about lap 10. As I came out of Bobbies running up to Camp, I could then see Stuart Patterson’s car (2) limping towards the pitlane. Poor Stuart’s had a tough time in Roadsports B, a great racer but he suffered a big accident at Silverstone, then another at Donington and now it looked like mechanical failure had robbed him of yet another result. However it undoubtedly gifted me another place to take 12th and with my car struggling to keep pace, I have to say places are welcome whether they are won or gifted.

There then followed several laps of some of the best racing I’ve enjoyed since starting. First I chased down Ollie Boughton (car 21), passing him to take 11th place when he locked up bigtime under braking and went off at Quarry (a great overtaking corner and undoubtedly the best place for spectators at Castle Combe).

The pattern over the next few laps was similar. Steve Streets was right on my tail and I had to drive a defensive inside line to make up for the lack of pace in the car, forcing Steve to go round the outside at each of the key corners. Then in the straight, full chat run from the finishing line to Quarry, Steve would pull ahead (I just had no chance of defending down the straight) but I concentrated on keeping the inside line over Avon Rise and round Quarry and I would then take the lead again coming out of Quarry, which I would hold until coming out of Camp onto the straight, when Steve would pull ahead again but not by enough to take the inside line at Quarry etc etc.

However, driving so defensively had allowed Simon Roche to drive up behind us and I sensed he was just waiting “in the wings” ready to take the two places, should Steve and I make contact and go off.

On the very last lap, Steve came out of Camp behind me once again but this time just managed to pull far enough ahead down the straight by the time we got to Avon Rise, to take the all important inside line at Quarry and therefore take a place away from me. I stayed as close as I possibly could to him, had a better run out of the Esses than him, which allowed me to get the inside line in the run down to Tower. Braking later and forcing him to be on the outside of the corner, I gave Steve no chance but to concede the 11th place back to me and I then drove a hard defensive inside line all the way to the finishing line. Steve was undoubtedly in the faster car and crossing the line, was just a tenth or so of a second behind me.

Nevertheless I had thoroughly enjoyed the very close jousting with three or four guys and was very pleased that I’d managed to gain quite a few places from my fluffed start.

Not my best result since starting racing but definitely my best race, a view shared by Steve and Simon I think. Regardless of the lack of pace in the car, I had thoroughly enjoyed the race which made up for the “boredom” of the first race. My friends and supporters watching from the banking at Quarry had also said it was a very exciting race to watch, from the front pack all the way to the back, which of course is always pleasing to hear.