Circuit:	Oulton Park
Date:	September 22nd 2007
Championship:	Caterham Roadsports B Championship 2007

A 4.15 a.m. alarm call and by 5.00 a.m. car and trailer were hooked up and I was on my way, "up north".

Oulton Park is undoubtedly a favourite circuit with many racing drivers. Not only does it sit in a very pretty, wooded, lakeside setting, but its gentle undulations and combination of sweeping fast corners, slow chicanes and highly technical changes of direction and elevation make it a circuit that just about everyone looks forward to driving.

In the early morning drivers' briefing, the official made it clear that it was imperative to get three "banker" laps in, in order to qualify, otherwise one simply wasn't going to race. So, given the fact that qualifying was typically early in the day and the track was still a little greasy under the trees, I decided to make sure I had those three laps under my belt and took few risks, then started to up the pace. The first quicker lap felt ok although I was held up at one of the chicanes, likewise the second, then, flying out of Deer Leap ready to put in a confident lap, I was astonished to see the chequered flag ! It was all over already !

So once again, I felt I had let myself down in qualifying, by not fully taking on board that Oulton was an unusually long lap and with only a 15 min session and the need for the slower out and in laps, perhaps only 5 or 6 laps was going to be possible. Some of the cars that went out first in the session did manage to get 7 laps under their belt, the rest of us just 6 ……… and I had deliberately driven three slow laps !

Duncan Winner (car no. 17) unfortunately put a wheel or two on the damp grass coming out of only the second corner on the out lap and span off across the other side of the track. Although he was later able to put in the necessary qualifying laps to race, he would be starting from the back of the grid for the first race. I was to line up 16th on row 8.

However the car felt good and I believed that, had I adopted a better strategy in qualifying, I could have been higher up the grid. So I was confident of making up at least a few places in the race itself.

RACE 1 I had a good start and immediately made up places from Simon Naylor (car 9), Alex Monighan (car 50) and Steve Streets (car 69). Simon then managed to get by me again on the start/finish straight at the beginning of lap 2. Duncan subsequently flew past me going down the start/finish straight on the third lap (my car is still somewhat slow in a straight line but I feel holds its own through the corners) and I stuck close to him and then Steve Mansell (car 5) span coming out of Lodge corner, so I was up to 12th place.

For three laps Duncan, Simon and myself raced in fairly close proximity and indeed crossing the start finish line at the end of lap 5, just 0,6 secs separated all three cars.

There was no doubt my car would be caught on the straights but then I managed to pull yards back by later braking for corners etc.

Duncan and I continued to drive within a few yards of each other and I was conscious Ollie Boughton (car 21) was also closing in on us. Ollie has one of the quickest cars on the grid and I'm sure has the capability to be a front runner.

Going over the line at the beginning of lap 7, Duncan just managed to run down the inside of me and take the lead into Old Hall corner. However he had been forced to go up the inside making his turn for the right hand Old Hall very tight. I thought that if I took the normal line I would get a faster run coming out of the corner and sure enough came alongside him to the right going down the Avenue. But he slowly pulled ahead again as well as drifting towards me and by the time we were at the right kink before dropping down to the left hand Cascades corner, Duncan had forced me right over to the edge of the track. I remember thinking I mustn't put wheels on the grass because of the potential risks of differential traction. So I stuck to my line right on the edge of the rack. Duncan's car seemed to come closer and closer and we were literally a few inches apart, side by side at full chat down the hill towards Cascades. Then, dramatically, Duncan's car suddenly whipped round 90' to the right in front of me and I found myself pushing him sideways down the hill at some considerable speed.

The cars eventually released their grip of one another with Duncan spinning off onto the grass and I was relieved to see Duncan not go into the barriers when I looked in my mirrors. But equally I was convinced I'd have some front end damage which would slow me. I therefore braked cautiously into the Shell Oils hairpin after the fast straight but everything felt fine so I pushed on. By now Ollie was snapping at my heels and it was obvious he was faster in a straight line and would come by me, with me perhaps a little quicker through the corners.

Going over the line at the beginning of lap 8, Ollie and I were exactly neck and neck, not even a 1/1000th of a second separating us !

At Druids, I pulled off what I still think is the passing move of my short race career to date, flying up the inside of Ollie on the fast double apex right hander. He remarked in the paddock afterwards he didn't understand how I could get by there, in that way, at that speed. As expected, he passed me again going down the straight but I kept him within my sights and then, on the last lap, I outbraked Ollie going into the last corner, Lodge, to take the 11th place back.

Meanwhile Paul Storton (car 76) running in 3rd place and a Championship contender going into today's meeting, went off the circuit coming out of Lodge on the last lap, ahead of me and on rejoining, unfortunately broadsided Stuart Patterson (car 2) who was at the time running in 4th place. Stuart eventually managed to pull back on the circuit but had lost many places, Paul was too badly damaged though and was out of the race. The collision therefore gave me a further two places and I crossed the line in 9th, having made up a satisfying 7 places overall.

His first win of the season went to a very deserving Roelant de Waard (car 62), who had raced from pole to a win, with a fastest lap under his belt as well and finishing an easy 7 secs ahead of Championship leader Gareth Thomas (car 77), also driving an excellent race to finish a very comfortable 17 secs ahead of 3rd placed man, Andrew Thomas (car 10).

RACE 2

Lining up on the 5th row at the start of the second race, I was conscious of having some very quick drivers, who had finished behind me in the first race, lining up behind me, including Kevin Begley (car 6), Stuart Patterson (car 2), Duncan Winner (car 17) and Paul Storton (car 76) who was starting on the very back of the grid because of his non finish in race 1.

Kevin Begley had an excellent get away off the line and as I was baulked going into the first corner, Kevin swept by. As expected, Paul Storton also quickly came by, putting in the fastest first lap in the process. Then, coming round the fast left hander in the run up to the Shell Oils corner, I saw David Tansley (car 3) stranded in the middle of the rack facing the wrong way. Very dangerous position. I later learned that Paul had hit him and within a lap or so was forced to retire because of the damage. Paul must have been gutted, going into the weekend just 10 points behind the Championship leader and with an outside chance but coming away with two DNFs and therefore nil points.

I managed to hold 9th place for a couple of laps but was always under pressure down the straights. Then on lap 5, Mark Bowles (car 59) outbraked himself running down to Cascades corner and had an impressive meeting with some of the mid field circuit markers. He recovered to get back on the track but that had cost him a good 30 secs or so and had sent him towards the back of the pack.

Both Ollie and Stuart continued to "bite at my heels" for a couple of laps and then on lap 7, both flew past me running down the straight to the Shell Oils hairpin. I managed to get the place straight back from Stuart by nipping up the inside of him and outbraking him at the hairpin, a sequence of events repeated exactly again on the next and last lap.

I couldn't catch Ollie who was now 3 or 4 secs ahead of me and Stuart was again working overtime to pass me. As I turned right into the Knickerbrook Chicane, Stuart, on my left and just behind me, couldn't slow in time to make the right hand turn and therefore short-cut the complex, coming out just ahead of me. I was sure that Stuart would concede the place straightaway or he would risk a 10 sec stop/go penalty. However it was the last lap of the race and the Stewards were not able to act in time. So Stuart immediately put his hands up in the paddock after the race and the place was subsequently reversed in the post race analysis, so I therefore retained my 9th place.In the past race paddock chat, all agreed that Oulton had been a wonderful circuit to race, the weather had kept dry despite threats of rain.

I had had two very enjoyable races, probably the most enjoyable yet and considering the car is desperately in need of an engine rebuild to make it competitive, I felt it had performed well, making up 7 places in the first race and holding its own in the second.

Now can't wait for the last two races of the season at Brands Hatch, October 19th and 20th !!