So, for the first time in almost 9 months I climbed into a legend (three actually) last Thursday and went for a drive.
Aly hasn't decided who's driving what this year so we got a shot in a number of cars to see what we thought of them. First off was the ex David Thorburn #70 which I didn't drive too hard as I wanted to ease back into the way of the cars. Just as well I did as it's a very tail-happy car with a lot of oversteer. Next was the Stevie Coull #37 - very nice car, does what you want it to and doesn't have too much of a mind of it's own. The steering column is a lot further forward than any car I'd driven before so I found I had to stretch too much to try to go too fast as I wasn't all that comfortable.
For my last two sessions of the day I got to go out in the #68 - yup, the car I first drove in the Legends Experience in 2006 and which Carol Brown drove to the Championship last year. It's a little rocketship on rails - feels brilliant and goes like lightning, shame about the driver in this case. One thing I noticed was that the seat was very tight and I was pinned very much in place, I'd never thought much about that before but it made for a much more confident driving position so something I'll have to remember, as obvious as it might seem now I know!
So now there's nothing to do but wait to find out which car I'm driving this year and for the first of my races - SMRC Round 1 on the 26th of April. Can't come soon enough.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Unexpected - maybe, welcome - definitely!
So, despite being pretty sure that I was unlikely to be back in a legend in 2009, things have taken quite a change for the better... having had a chat with Aly Hunter it seems I'm back on for this year and I currently plan to run at the first round of the SMRC Championship on April 26th, the round supporting the British GT Championship on the 13th/14th of June and (most excited by) the double-header round supporting the BTCC in August. That'll be brilliant fun as it was a blast in 2007. If possible (money willing, basically) I'd like to add the double header that's supporting the GT Cup in September but that'll have to wait. Now I just have to wait for the next 7 weeks to the first round to get out of the way!
The official legends test day is the 12th of March so I'll be heading down in the afternoon after work to get reaquainted with a legend - haven't sat in one since the accident last August!
The official legends test day is the 12th of March so I'll be heading down in the afternoon after work to get reaquainted with a legend - haven't sat in one since the accident last August!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Seeing The Season Out
Forgot to write about the last meeting of the year then wandered off to the States for 3 weeks and forgot to write about it when I got back, so here's a much belated update to finish the season out!
The last round was in mid October and Gordon duly lined up in the car, the three of us pretty determined to have the team finish what had been a very busy year. With Rory having got through the September meeting in one piece, we were hoping for a calm end to the season with no-one doing anything too daft through the field after the chaos the two previous meetings had seen.
Gordon hadn't been in the car for quite a while but still put in a surprise 10th quickest of of the 23 cars on show in the morning familiarisation, though he elected to start in the "gentleman's grid" which starts behind the main field of pros but ahead of the rookies. The weather was very tricky and through the day the rain came and went with it being very cold and windy indeed, making conditions difficult. As it happened, the field was well behaved this time and the races mostly passed without incident, Gordon finishing 21st in the first heat after having to avoid a wild Mervyn Wilson with a stuck throttle then a late spin and 20th in both the second heat and the final. He was then awarded the Driver Of The Day trophy as the driver from the gentleman's grid to have scored the most points. As it turned out these maths were a bit flawed but by then it was a bit late and the trophy was his!
So there you have it. The "Class Of '07" team made it through the year even though it took two cars to manage! We hit the highs with Rory's race win and Gordon's trophy and the lows with the original car being destroyed and my trip to hospital. All told it was a lot of fun despite the down points and the fact we were all still talking to each other at the end of the season can only be a plus! I'll more likely than not write up a story about the year for ScottishClubRacing.co.uk and Wheelspin Magazine at some point in the next few weeks too seeing as the 2007 article proved fairly popular.
The 2009 season looks like being a quiet one for me on financial grounds - I'm sure it's a story everyone's familiar with for their own reasons in the current economic situation. Add to that I'm not 100% sure what's happening with my current job beyond the winter. I'm going to renew my racing licence though so maybe I'll try to get out in one of Aly's cars once or twice depending on various factors. Supporting the BTCC and Brtitish GT Championships in the last few years was fun so maybe I'll try for that. I believe Rory and Gordon will be looking to carry on in some way too.
Couple of shots to finish up for now - Gordon at the last meeting (the light was awful as you can see) and a pic taken of me with the car in August just prior to the very race it was wrecked.
See you in '09.
The last round was in mid October and Gordon duly lined up in the car, the three of us pretty determined to have the team finish what had been a very busy year. With Rory having got through the September meeting in one piece, we were hoping for a calm end to the season with no-one doing anything too daft through the field after the chaos the two previous meetings had seen.
Gordon hadn't been in the car for quite a while but still put in a surprise 10th quickest of of the 23 cars on show in the morning familiarisation, though he elected to start in the "gentleman's grid" which starts behind the main field of pros but ahead of the rookies. The weather was very tricky and through the day the rain came and went with it being very cold and windy indeed, making conditions difficult. As it happened, the field was well behaved this time and the races mostly passed without incident, Gordon finishing 21st in the first heat after having to avoid a wild Mervyn Wilson with a stuck throttle then a late spin and 20th in both the second heat and the final. He was then awarded the Driver Of The Day trophy as the driver from the gentleman's grid to have scored the most points. As it turned out these maths were a bit flawed but by then it was a bit late and the trophy was his!
So there you have it. The "Class Of '07" team made it through the year even though it took two cars to manage! We hit the highs with Rory's race win and Gordon's trophy and the lows with the original car being destroyed and my trip to hospital. All told it was a lot of fun despite the down points and the fact we were all still talking to each other at the end of the season can only be a plus! I'll more likely than not write up a story about the year for ScottishClubRacing.co.uk and Wheelspin Magazine at some point in the next few weeks too seeing as the 2007 article proved fairly popular.
The 2009 season looks like being a quiet one for me on financial grounds - I'm sure it's a story everyone's familiar with for their own reasons in the current economic situation. Add to that I'm not 100% sure what's happening with my current job beyond the winter. I'm going to renew my racing licence though so maybe I'll try to get out in one of Aly's cars once or twice depending on various factors. Supporting the BTCC and Brtitish GT Championships in the last few years was fun so maybe I'll try for that. I believe Rory and Gordon will be looking to carry on in some way too.
Couple of shots to finish up for now - Gordon at the last meeting (the light was awful as you can see) and a pic taken of me with the car in August just prior to the very race it was wrecked.
See you in '09.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Mark II hits the track.
First things first, here's the video of the crash in August:
I warn you, it's not pretty. That said, they do gloss over the fact three of us were injured pretty much entirely in that kind of "All's ok!" way club motorsport tends to cling to. Bad things don't happen. And if they do, try not to mention them too much.
Anyway, as far as I'm aware, there was little left of the old car to make into a new one but with it being one of Aly's track cars - we broke it, so we bought it and a new one has been built. It was completed and hit the track for a shakedown this Friday just prior to the next round of the Championship and as Rory was determined to keep going, he hit the track. He did well, especially in the first race where he actually led for a while before dropping back while he got used to the car. Still, three solid results were had and most importantly given recent events he brought it back with no dings... Here's a couple of pics of the new incarnation:
I dunno if I'm expecting too much when I say once again there was a lot of trouble in the races. A gentleman's grid was introduced to have drivers who aren't on the pace of the big boys start in a grid of their own at the back ahead of the newcomers and this saw the potential for slower guys bunching the field reduced. The slower guys are generally the scapegoat even though those standing at Duffus on any given raceday would tell you the problem at the moment is more the aggressive and occasionally kamikaze driving style sometimes on show. Indeed, there were two red flag incidents with Ali Thom's day ending backwards in the wall off the main straight with the roof ripped off and big rear end damage, and Sanford Imrie being flipped onto his roof at Clark. Frank Hynds received a bump on the arm after a big pileup at Clark which saw a number of cars damaged while Rich Crozier had the left side wheels ripped off his car in another first lap crash at the bottom of Duffus. Even father and son Marshall took each other off the road! If you add the national series crash at the BTCC meeting that saw Derek Pierce and another car rolling bigtime, that's massive accidents in the last three outings of Legends at the 'Hill. Hope we have a quiet finale in October.
Last but not least, well done to Carol Brown on winning the Championship with a round to go - great stuff!
I warn you, it's not pretty. That said, they do gloss over the fact three of us were injured pretty much entirely in that kind of "All's ok!" way club motorsport tends to cling to. Bad things don't happen. And if they do, try not to mention them too much.
Anyway, as far as I'm aware, there was little left of the old car to make into a new one but with it being one of Aly's track cars - we broke it, so we bought it and a new one has been built. It was completed and hit the track for a shakedown this Friday just prior to the next round of the Championship and as Rory was determined to keep going, he hit the track. He did well, especially in the first race where he actually led for a while before dropping back while he got used to the car. Still, three solid results were had and most importantly given recent events he brought it back with no dings... Here's a couple of pics of the new incarnation:
I dunno if I'm expecting too much when I say once again there was a lot of trouble in the races. A gentleman's grid was introduced to have drivers who aren't on the pace of the big boys start in a grid of their own at the back ahead of the newcomers and this saw the potential for slower guys bunching the field reduced. The slower guys are generally the scapegoat even though those standing at Duffus on any given raceday would tell you the problem at the moment is more the aggressive and occasionally kamikaze driving style sometimes on show. Indeed, there were two red flag incidents with Ali Thom's day ending backwards in the wall off the main straight with the roof ripped off and big rear end damage, and Sanford Imrie being flipped onto his roof at Clark. Frank Hynds received a bump on the arm after a big pileup at Clark which saw a number of cars damaged while Rich Crozier had the left side wheels ripped off his car in another first lap crash at the bottom of Duffus. Even father and son Marshall took each other off the road! If you add the national series crash at the BTCC meeting that saw Derek Pierce and another car rolling bigtime, that's massive accidents in the last three outings of Legends at the 'Hill. Hope we have a quiet finale in October.
Last but not least, well done to Carol Brown on winning the Championship with a round to go - great stuff!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Fleeting moment of notoriety.
Recovered from the aches and pains now, the week after the crash wasn't much fun. Went back to work a week later (couldn't really afford much downtime) which was uncomfortable but ok. Still waiting to hear from Aly about the car, that said he had a lot of repairwork to trackday cars to do and preparations to run some cars at the BTCC meeting last week so the wreck is probably still in the corner of the garage awaiting salvage. Really not looking forward to the bill (neither is Rory) as the car was totally fecked what with the rollcage being cut through to recover my remains so it's going to be a big one.
Here are my moments of fame in Autosport and Motorsport News the week after (click for readable versions):
Here are my moments of fame in Autosport and Motorsport News the week after (click for readable versions):
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Going out the wrong way...
In true Hollywood "Police Chief retiring in 2 weeks" style, my last race weekend for the time being ended in disaster. I'll post more thoughts later but the traffic stats for this blog have shown quite a few people have looked at it in the last couple of days so I've copy & pasted the forum post I made at SCR.co.uk and I'll post more thoughts a bit later when I feel up to it.
--------------------------------
Couple of days on and I'm going to be feeling it for a while but nothing lasting it seems which is a relief - my neck, back, shoulders, arms, finger joints and right ankle are all very sore though and I'm getting a selection of pretty bruises too!
As Mike Strong says, the car's clearly a gonner but given that they had no option but to take the roof off while I sat there muttering about back pain and elephants being orange that's not a surprise. I recall the initial incident in that when we reached Duffus Andrew Donald was turned across the front of my car and we ended up going very slowly off to the left of the track, at which point (due to a further accident taking place behind us) Sasha had to dive left and slammed straight into the back of me at full pelt. I got a brief word with her at the hospital as I was leaving and she says she saw me with about 10 feet to go so could barely do anything about it.
When she hit the world just exploded around me - it was utterly brutal. I recall more impacts (one of which being Alex Knight as he was sent into three rolls, so I'm told) as my car pinballed across the track to where it ended up on the outside of Leslie's in the gravel but I lose 2 or 3 minutes at this point as the next thing I really remember is the roof being removed and being surprised at how many other cars there were sitting in the gravel around me. F1 driver time as I'm lifted out on the board with blankets held up and up to the medical centre, my lower back really starting to hurt so it's off to hospital when another ambulance arrives (Sasha having been taken away in the one already at the track.) After all the tests and so on I get the all clear for any bad injuries at which point I foolishly demanded that my parents drop me off at the track so I can let everyone know I'm ok and so I can see the Legends Final and pick up my roadcar. Once the adrenaline started to drain though I really started to hurt but did manage to do all this and now I'm at home for a few days, sore but at least with everything still attached.
I can't tell all the marshalls and rescue guys on here just how grateful I am for all the work they do now that I've been at the (very) sharp end of their work - I know lots of you read the forum so PLEASE let your fellows know just how much I appreciate all they do - you're the real heroes out there, drivers be damned.
Just so that my thanks list covers (hopefully) everyone, here's the post I made at the SMRC forum:
-----------------------
"Just a quick note to thank all those involved in the rescue work and marshalling at Knockhill on Sunday with regards to the big legends crash - my recollection of events is still on the hazy side but I do recall all the concerned faces throughout and hope thanks can be passed on to all the fantastic marshalls and rescue crew at the circuit along with the medical staff I encountered en route to and at the hospital. They all made a very unpleasant situation as easy-going as could be expected. Thanks as well to Nick Clarke, Ian Forrest and anyone else who stopped by before I was taken from the circuit. Nothing broken in the end but I'll be feeling every joint and muscle for the next while, that much I do know. Aly Hunter builds quality cars and for that I'll always be grateful given the impact involved.
Also, thanks to the SMRC and Knockhill staff who gave my parents information and guidance as best they could too straight after the accident. Your help was much appreciated."
--------------------------------
Couple of days on and I'm going to be feeling it for a while but nothing lasting it seems which is a relief - my neck, back, shoulders, arms, finger joints and right ankle are all very sore though and I'm getting a selection of pretty bruises too!
As Mike Strong says, the car's clearly a gonner but given that they had no option but to take the roof off while I sat there muttering about back pain and elephants being orange that's not a surprise. I recall the initial incident in that when we reached Duffus Andrew Donald was turned across the front of my car and we ended up going very slowly off to the left of the track, at which point (due to a further accident taking place behind us) Sasha had to dive left and slammed straight into the back of me at full pelt. I got a brief word with her at the hospital as I was leaving and she says she saw me with about 10 feet to go so could barely do anything about it.
When she hit the world just exploded around me - it was utterly brutal. I recall more impacts (one of which being Alex Knight as he was sent into three rolls, so I'm told) as my car pinballed across the track to where it ended up on the outside of Leslie's in the gravel but I lose 2 or 3 minutes at this point as the next thing I really remember is the roof being removed and being surprised at how many other cars there were sitting in the gravel around me. F1 driver time as I'm lifted out on the board with blankets held up and up to the medical centre, my lower back really starting to hurt so it's off to hospital when another ambulance arrives (Sasha having been taken away in the one already at the track.) After all the tests and so on I get the all clear for any bad injuries at which point I foolishly demanded that my parents drop me off at the track so I can let everyone know I'm ok and so I can see the Legends Final and pick up my roadcar. Once the adrenaline started to drain though I really started to hurt but did manage to do all this and now I'm at home for a few days, sore but at least with everything still attached.
I can't tell all the marshalls and rescue guys on here just how grateful I am for all the work they do now that I've been at the (very) sharp end of their work - I know lots of you read the forum so PLEASE let your fellows know just how much I appreciate all they do - you're the real heroes out there, drivers be damned.
Just so that my thanks list covers (hopefully) everyone, here's the post I made at the SMRC forum:
-----------------------
"Just a quick note to thank all those involved in the rescue work and marshalling at Knockhill on Sunday with regards to the big legends crash - my recollection of events is still on the hazy side but I do recall all the concerned faces throughout and hope thanks can be passed on to all the fantastic marshalls and rescue crew at the circuit along with the medical staff I encountered en route to and at the hospital. They all made a very unpleasant situation as easy-going as could be expected. Thanks as well to Nick Clarke, Ian Forrest and anyone else who stopped by before I was taken from the circuit. Nothing broken in the end but I'll be feeling every joint and muscle for the next while, that much I do know. Aly Hunter builds quality cars and for that I'll always be grateful given the impact involved.
Also, thanks to the SMRC and Knockhill staff who gave my parents information and guidance as best they could too straight after the accident. Your help was much appreciated."
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Farewell To Arms
My last race weekend of 2008 got underway today with two practice sessions in the legend. The first session was on a sodden track coated in oil so I couldn't really learn anything but the second was in the dry and the car felt good. Aly Hunter seemed to think I was doing ok too so that gives me some confidence for tomorrow if we get some dry running.
Fingers crossed for a good day!
Fingers crossed for a good day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
