Just a quick note about the weekend with a full report to follow: it was a weekend not without incident (four of them to be honest) and on two separate occasions the car came back from the races needing repairs but the results weren't too bad. The first two races could have had Rory and the #07 on the podium but he had to settle for 5th and 12th and a potentially huge crash at the end of the pit-straight could have had dire consequences in the third race but we possibly were a little lucky despite not making the finish.
Full details to follow.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Various pre-season things.
So, just to finish the below post off completely, I'm driving at the 2nd, 4th and 7th rounds this year. That's the British GT Championship support round over the weekend of the 12th and 13th of April, the afternoon round at the double-header meeting on 27th April and the August 3rd round. All are at Knockhill of course. The reason for the first two being so close together is that Rory kindly swapped the British GT round for one of my standard events as he'd drawn both of the "Big" races.
To get a little more seat time, I'm going to try to make it down to the track for the test days before Gordon's rounds as he's only doing the race events this year. I've had a frankly rubbish 2008 so far so I can't wait to get back to Knockhill in the Spring and get the motorsport under way again!
I wrote a report for SCR covering my first year in racing and so forth, can be seen here.
And finally - a video of my brief stab at glory in the final race of 2007! - video
To get a little more seat time, I'm going to try to make it down to the track for the test days before Gordon's rounds as he's only doing the race events this year. I've had a frankly rubbish 2008 so far so I can't wait to get back to Knockhill in the Spring and get the motorsport under way again!
I wrote a report for SCR covering my first year in racing and so forth, can be seen here.
And finally - a video of my brief stab at glory in the final race of 2007! - video
Thursday, March 06, 2008
"I love it when a plan comes together."
Got down to the "official" Legends test day to see the car for '08. Myself and Gordon could only show up at the end of the day due to work but Rory was out on track in the car and set some pretty good times whilst bedding in the rebuilt engine. It's had a bit of a lick of paint to signify the "Class of '07" idea as you can see in the pic below. We've worked out who's racing when as well, I'll cover that shortly but I'm pleased to report I managed to get the support round on the British GT Championship bill in April which should be cool.
First round is on March 30th where Rory will be at the wheel with myself and Gordon in our "support" role. We're all showing up the day before to learn the basic stuff we need to learn to keep the car ticking over on racedays.
First round is on March 30th where Rory will be at the wheel with myself and Gordon in our "support" role. We're all showing up the day before to learn the basic stuff we need to learn to keep the car ticking over on racedays.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Quick vid.
Forgot to link to this video, it's quite amusing if you want to hear the TV commentators having a go at my amateurish attempts at racing. I've made my excuses for this several times already, it was very wet, I braked too late, locked the wheels and ploughed straight on like a numpty. Yeah, yeah - I know.
Link
Link
Sunday, January 20, 2008
2008
It's been a long off-season but we're approaching the end of January so we're starting to reel in Springtime, slowly but surely. SMRC events are due to start on March 30th this year, I'd assume the "official" test day will be a couple of weeks beforehand.
My plans for the year are falling into place bit by bit - last season was a lot of fun but extremely expensive (no-one ever said motorsport was cheap though so I've no complaints), I probably couldn't afford to run a full year again, though before I'd had much chance to think about it, Aly Hunter called the three scholarship drivers into a meeting at a cold and windswept Knockhill last month, just before Christmas. Given that all three scholars (myself, Rory Bryant and Gordon Mann) all probably couldn't afford to run ourselves, his proposal was that the three of us share a "team" car over the '08 season, each running at three rounds (should be a nine-round season again) and the other two drivers acting as "support staff" for the car when they aren't driving. To get the "Class of '07" concept going he (with some additional help from the SMRC) was able to offer us a pretty good deal in terms of finances so we should be good for the season. The "team" concept was taking off at the end of last season so there should be lots of cars with multiple drivers. The three of us worked out a deal with regard to how we'd decide who was running when, how damage costs would be paid etc etc and now it's just a case of agreeing the details with Aly and waiting for the season to arrive.
No British Touring Car support round this year sadly - seems the National Championship frankly stole the slot from us having seen how successful the Scottish Series was, but I guess it reflects well on us that we caught their attention. Still a shame to be binned like that. On the plus side, we've got a support slot at the British GT Championship (making a welcome return to Knockhill after a couple of years away) in April so whoever draws that particular round when the three of us get round to doing so will be getting the "prestige" event of the year!
Roll on March.
My plans for the year are falling into place bit by bit - last season was a lot of fun but extremely expensive (no-one ever said motorsport was cheap though so I've no complaints), I probably couldn't afford to run a full year again, though before I'd had much chance to think about it, Aly Hunter called the three scholarship drivers into a meeting at a cold and windswept Knockhill last month, just before Christmas. Given that all three scholars (myself, Rory Bryant and Gordon Mann) all probably couldn't afford to run ourselves, his proposal was that the three of us share a "team" car over the '08 season, each running at three rounds (should be a nine-round season again) and the other two drivers acting as "support staff" for the car when they aren't driving. To get the "Class of '07" concept going he (with some additional help from the SMRC) was able to offer us a pretty good deal in terms of finances so we should be good for the season. The "team" concept was taking off at the end of last season so there should be lots of cars with multiple drivers. The three of us worked out a deal with regard to how we'd decide who was running when, how damage costs would be paid etc etc and now it's just a case of agreeing the details with Aly and waiting for the season to arrive.
No British Touring Car support round this year sadly - seems the National Championship frankly stole the slot from us having seen how successful the Scottish Series was, but I guess it reflects well on us that we caught their attention. Still a shame to be binned like that. On the plus side, we've got a support slot at the British GT Championship (making a welcome return to Knockhill after a couple of years away) in April so whoever draws that particular round when the three of us get round to doing so will be getting the "prestige" event of the year!
Roll on March.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Last bow taken for 2007.
Taken a while to get round to updating this...
So, last week was the last meeting of the season. Like the September meeting, this was a double header again so a very busy day was in the offing.
For the first heat of the morning round, some low cloud had brought some light rain so I'd taken it pretty easy in the warm up. I (terrifyingly) drew pole for this one... When we got underway I mostly tippy-toed my way back through the field as the track was in greasy mode and it was very treacherous. With a handful of laps to go Murray Ford exacted revenge on me for the September crash which lost him a wheel by steaming into the side of me through McIntyres/Scotsman - totally accidental as he'd tried a move and just understeered wide into me. We banged wheels and both spun, me ending up in the gravel and Murray broadside on the track. We both got going again but I finished last having crawled to the finish in case of damage.
The second heat was mostly me checking that the car was ok (we'd had a look to check the rear half-shaft was ok and so on) and there were no heroics to speak of. Car felt fine though so I was ready for the final, which I was on pole for again!
The final wasn't my finest hour. I was down at the back from the fourth lap onwards and I just drifted backwards, well over a second a lap slower than the next cars. As Dave Newsham had taken off at the start of the race he had an easy run and set ten quick laps, lapping me on the last lap which gave me a kick in the head a bit to pick it up in the afternoon.
The first heat of the afternoon round wasn't anything much to write home about, though I did have a fun battle to the end with Sandford Imrie and Murray, actually managing what was apparently (I was told from trackside) a grandstand overtaking manouver on Murray at the hairpin. Turned out he had a few issues with his steering and so on but I claim the victory. :p Most important, in this race the track was finally bone-dry and so the line was fully available for quick laps. I finally got my 64 second lap in this race with a best of 64.624!
The second heat was fairly uneventful, after ending up towards the back again I had another fight with Murray, passing him before being repassed myself then we both got by Chris Hynds when he spun late on.
The final was the best race of the year by far as agreed by almost everyone. The entire field was involved in some sort of battle and the lead fight towards the end was apparently breathtaking (I'll have to wait for the Motors TV coverage to see it!)
For my own part, I was involved in a fantastic fight with five or six other cars for most of the race but I'll come to that after mentioning the start... I had finished lowest of the "regular" runners in the the first two heats so was on pole again alongside Mark Spiers who was back after a while away. Indeed, the really quick guys were quite far back. So when the lights went out to signal the start, I just thought "Last race to make an impression" and utterly went for it. Sure enough, I managed to get the inside line into Duffus and led down the hill! Mark jinked out to the right and got me into McIntyres but I floored it as best I could on the line and managed to get through the chicane (I think) in second - apparently the circuit commentator thought this was a really bizarre turn of events... By memory I think Jason Ogg got me into Clark with Ben Mason and Ali Gauld on the run down to and through the hairpin with Rory Bryant getting by on the pit straight but I finished the lap in 6th. Lost my nerve slightly on the next lap and lost a few spots to cross the line in 14th, followed by 16th the next time by. By this time the big fight I mentioned was underway - Chris Hynds and James Willis ahead of me, Frank Ogg, Scott Hynds, Rich Crozier, Imrie and Ford behind me. Hynds and Willis collided with James going off and I was slightly held up behind Chris as he blocked the line with his slightly damaged car, losing a handful of places myself. The group fought like tigers for the next few laps and although I ended up at the back of the bunch, it was amazing fun all the way.
Results
So it was a fantastic day's racing. Somewhat bizarrely it was probably the worst set of results I've had, despite being a good bit quicker! Think it shows the quality of the field in the series... After the presentations of race and Championship awards, Gordon Mann, Rory and myself all stepped forward to present Aly with a bottle of whisky with the label I've attached a picture of below to say thanks for the scholarship. Gordon had also written some comedy Burns-style poetry!
I'll write some final thoughts on my year here later, along with early predictions of what I may be doing next season!
So, last week was the last meeting of the season. Like the September meeting, this was a double header again so a very busy day was in the offing.
For the first heat of the morning round, some low cloud had brought some light rain so I'd taken it pretty easy in the warm up. I (terrifyingly) drew pole for this one... When we got underway I mostly tippy-toed my way back through the field as the track was in greasy mode and it was very treacherous. With a handful of laps to go Murray Ford exacted revenge on me for the September crash which lost him a wheel by steaming into the side of me through McIntyres/Scotsman - totally accidental as he'd tried a move and just understeered wide into me. We banged wheels and both spun, me ending up in the gravel and Murray broadside on the track. We both got going again but I finished last having crawled to the finish in case of damage.
The second heat was mostly me checking that the car was ok (we'd had a look to check the rear half-shaft was ok and so on) and there were no heroics to speak of. Car felt fine though so I was ready for the final, which I was on pole for again!
The final wasn't my finest hour. I was down at the back from the fourth lap onwards and I just drifted backwards, well over a second a lap slower than the next cars. As Dave Newsham had taken off at the start of the race he had an easy run and set ten quick laps, lapping me on the last lap which gave me a kick in the head a bit to pick it up in the afternoon.
The first heat of the afternoon round wasn't anything much to write home about, though I did have a fun battle to the end with Sandford Imrie and Murray, actually managing what was apparently (I was told from trackside) a grandstand overtaking manouver on Murray at the hairpin. Turned out he had a few issues with his steering and so on but I claim the victory. :p Most important, in this race the track was finally bone-dry and so the line was fully available for quick laps. I finally got my 64 second lap in this race with a best of 64.624!
The second heat was fairly uneventful, after ending up towards the back again I had another fight with Murray, passing him before being repassed myself then we both got by Chris Hynds when he spun late on.
The final was the best race of the year by far as agreed by almost everyone. The entire field was involved in some sort of battle and the lead fight towards the end was apparently breathtaking (I'll have to wait for the Motors TV coverage to see it!)
For my own part, I was involved in a fantastic fight with five or six other cars for most of the race but I'll come to that after mentioning the start... I had finished lowest of the "regular" runners in the the first two heats so was on pole again alongside Mark Spiers who was back after a while away. Indeed, the really quick guys were quite far back. So when the lights went out to signal the start, I just thought "Last race to make an impression" and utterly went for it. Sure enough, I managed to get the inside line into Duffus and led down the hill! Mark jinked out to the right and got me into McIntyres but I floored it as best I could on the line and managed to get through the chicane (I think) in second - apparently the circuit commentator thought this was a really bizarre turn of events... By memory I think Jason Ogg got me into Clark with Ben Mason and Ali Gauld on the run down to and through the hairpin with Rory Bryant getting by on the pit straight but I finished the lap in 6th. Lost my nerve slightly on the next lap and lost a few spots to cross the line in 14th, followed by 16th the next time by. By this time the big fight I mentioned was underway - Chris Hynds and James Willis ahead of me, Frank Ogg, Scott Hynds, Rich Crozier, Imrie and Ford behind me. Hynds and Willis collided with James going off and I was slightly held up behind Chris as he blocked the line with his slightly damaged car, losing a handful of places myself. The group fought like tigers for the next few laps and although I ended up at the back of the bunch, it was amazing fun all the way.
Results
So it was a fantastic day's racing. Somewhat bizarrely it was probably the worst set of results I've had, despite being a good bit quicker! Think it shows the quality of the field in the series... After the presentations of race and Championship awards, Gordon Mann, Rory and myself all stepped forward to present Aly with a bottle of whisky with the label I've attached a picture of below to say thanks for the scholarship. Gordon had also written some comedy Burns-style poetry!
I'll write some final thoughts on my year here later, along with early predictions of what I may be doing next season!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Testing, testing...
Had a good Saturday test - the car is 100% in the handling department again after the prang last time out and I was feeling very much end-of-term like in my pushing the limits even further than I have before and really enjoying the sessions. It was cloudy, dry and cool, perfect conditions for having a proper go and I felt pretty quick - there's still more time for me to be found through the corners.
Lost the clutch right at the end which was a lowlight but it's not too expensive to get sorted and it was well on the way to being fixed when I left the track. Hoping for a dry track tomorrow so I can have some fun during the six races rather than just fear for my life like in September! With the low 65 second laps being accomplished at the BTCC meeting, conditions should hopefully be right for me to get that 64.xxx lap I set myself as a target at the start of the season - a low 64 would be a great way to finish the year.
Lost the clutch right at the end which was a lowlight but it's not too expensive to get sorted and it was well on the way to being fixed when I left the track. Hoping for a dry track tomorrow so I can have some fun during the six races rather than just fear for my life like in September! With the low 65 second laps being accomplished at the BTCC meeting, conditions should hopefully be right for me to get that 64.xxx lap I set myself as a target at the start of the season - a low 64 would be a great way to finish the year.
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