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30th May - Castle Combe, First Race!: |
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We left for Castle Combe on Sunday lunchtime in order to have plenty of time to set up the awning and have everything prepared ready for an early sign on at 7.30am Monday morning. Due to this early start we decided that it would be a good idea to get to sleep early... We didn't! A combination of an incredibly hot guest house bedroom, one of the most uncomfortable beds I've ever slept on, and the expectation of the events ahead kept me awake pretty much all night! |
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Next morning we got to the circuit bright and early with the sun shining and the track looking glorious. You could already sense the atmosphere and my nervous expectation was beginning to build. As this was my first ever race everything was unknown and felt rather foreign - somehow between 7.30am and 8.00am I would have to sign-on, attend a mandatory briefing for drivers who hadn't raced at Castle Combe before, and get the car to scrutineering. Qualification By 8.40am we were in the assembly area waiting to go on track for qualifying. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity we finally made our way out. |
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My aim for the session was to ensure that I avoided any incidents, re-acquaint myself with the circuit and put in a time that would leave me about 2/3 of the way back from the front of the grid. At 1min 16.1secs, we achieved exactly that, putting me on the tenth row of the grid for the first race. First Race My main objectives for the first race was to get off the line without stalling, ensure that I finished the race in one piece in order to get my first signature and with a bit of luck, get a time closer to my best time when I tested here a month ago. 2 out of 3 isn't bad but as the nerves got worse it was challenging enough just to remember how to drive the car! |
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On my 3rd lap, I had just completed a great overtaking manoeuvre coming into Quarry positioned the car on the perfect line and promptly missed my gear, selecting 5th not 3rd. S**t!!! - the car had virtually no traction and gracefully slid off the tarmac and performed a couple of perfect pirouettes on the grass before I was able to regain control. By the time I had got back on the track there was only one car left behind me. Frustrated and kicking myself for such a stupid mistake, I set out to try and catch up with as many cars as possible and in particular the Ferrari F335. |
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We finished 21st out of 31 and some 18 seconds ahead of the Ferrari, so not too disastrous for my first race but still disappointing that I didn't get my time out of the 1min 16secs area. Second Race The second race I was in the 11th row of the grid and although still nervous I felt much more at home than before. I was determined to improve on my first race but still very much with the aim of finishing the race without incident and getting my second signature. During the first couple of laps I kept looking at my side mirror for traffic, only to find it taped up on the advice of a seasoned Tuscan race driver (Thanks Uncle Rod!) this really helped me to focus on what was ahead and not worry about what was behind me. This led to a great battle between me and one of the other Tuscan drivers and we were nose to tail for pretty much the whole of the race. I did manage to create two overtaking opportunities, the first flying up Avon Rise and into Quarry. However, lacking the required bottle and experience I erred on the side of caution and missed my chance. The second occasion was two laps from the end, when I set it up perfectly to pull alongside him coming out of Camp corner and take him on the straight... Great plan, if only in the heat of the moment I hadn't missed my gear again. This time ending up in neutral and cruising through Camp with very little control at all! By the time I got it together again he was 200 metres up the straight. Still, it was a great race with me not only improving my PB time to 1min 13.1 seconds, finishing 17th out of 31, but also successfully acquiring my second signature. It could be days before the adrenaline stops flowing! My thanks to Andy (APM Automotive) for ensuring the car performed well and to Tony Pooles of A3(My one and only sponsor!) and Craig (Hants TVRCC) for all their support during the weekend. |
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