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2006 Season Review: |
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2006 has been a great year in many
different ways. First of all, I mustn't loose sight of the fact that I was
still very much a rookie at the start of this years' TVR challenge. In my
first year, I only did 6 races and literally only removed the rookie cross
at the end of the last race of the Season at Snetterton. In addition, my
knowledge and experience of different circuits was limited given that 4 of
those 6 races were at Castle Combe. This year was quite a contrast having had the opportunity of racing at six circuits that I'd not raced at before, including Rockingham and Mallory Park where I'd never even been to the circuits previously and had to use the qualifying session to learn them; And although I was unable to attend all of the TVR Challenge races this year (missing the double header at Pembrey) we still had 10 races, all of which I finished at and with 5 podiums along the way. What also pleased me, is that at every circuit we raced at this year, I markedly improved my personal best times compared with last year, either race or test times, with only one exception to this, Brands Hatch. The weather at Brands wasn't really comparable with last year and although my qualifying time was only 0.5 seconds off, I'm sure it was the conditions which stopped me from bettering it here too. The race itself was also a huge learning experience, handling the car on wet tyres with a surface that dried out very quickly, was like driving with all the tyres punctured. I really felt I had a better understanding of how the Tuscan handles after that. As with all sports, confidence is one of the most important factors and as I've learned, it's easy to knock it and very much harder to build it up. This year has seen a big change in my attitude which has become more aggressive at each race meeting. I've still got a very long way to go and huge amounts to learn but I feel much more confident in both my own ability and what the Tuscan is capable of doing. Our final race this year at Oulton Park was a good example. The wet, slippery conditions for qualifying, which I tackled with slick tyres on, could have been treacherous. I had one very big moment in particular, coming up the pit straight I flawed it having just selected fourth gear. The surface was worse than I thought and the back end lost all grip, stepping sharply out to the right at about a 50 degree angle. I caught it and gradually corrected it to keep the car balanced, almost being thrown onto the grass verge on the left in the process. In the past, that would have spooked me big time, whereas this time, whilst relieved that I got away with it, it spurred me on all the more.
It was also a great experience to race in the EERC V8 Supercars this year.
Not only were we mixing it with some pretty special cars and sophisticated
Teams to back them but with 30 minute races. An extra 10 minutes may not
sound a lot but in sprint racing it makes a big difference. At Donington
Park, the weather was scorching hot and we were all exhausted by the end
of it, including my Tuscan which had mysteriously consumed four litres of
water! The V8 race at Snetterton earlier in the year also added to my
experience. With vastly changeable weather conditions leading to our first
ever tyre changes during the race, my first ever Safety Car periods and
the first time I had to lead everyone out on circuit for a rolling start
to the race - and only the second time I'd ever done one of those! |
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