The weather forecast said wet.This time they got it right. We fitted the wets before we left and drove to Wales in sunshine!We were not let down though because as we entered the circuit gates the rainrops fell. This was on the Friday for testing as I hadn't seen the circuit before. Two wet sessions later and I had seen all the puddles. The third session was so wet that I abandoned and returned to the paddock. One or two beers in the bar that evening with the other drivers and all was well.
Qualifying was on a damp track and all went well. Despite the forecast of wall to wall rain the clouds lifted and by race time the surface was dry or so we thought. On went the slicks. I was ninth on the grid. A good placing just four tenths behind class D leader Simon Taylor and what a start. Simon got caught out at the lights and I hit the first corner ahead of him. The first corner is a hairpin and suprise, suprise there was a large puddle in the middle of it. Total effort for the first lap and into the second. Here's the next suprise with Alvin Powell's Mondeo facing the barriers clouded in tyre smoke. Around again and out of the hairpin and into a tight right hander. Oh dear! Slippy bits and grass here we come. Quickly back on circuit but Simon is through.Hang on to any place I can and trundle along until the race gets red flagged when a Clio and Mondeo come together. Finishing position is 12th. Second in class again so still up there.
Sunday dawned gray and wet and got wetter. If super wet tyres existed they would have been on. We assembled on the grid and off we went on our rolling start. Visibility was now zero. Rather than punt another car off I drove the first lap right around the edge of the track. By the end of the first lap I was back in 20th place 34 seconds slower than Nick Williamson's Cosworth and twenty three seconds slower than Simon Taylor. By lap three a tennis ball size hole had cleared on the screen and I began to move up through the field. 15th on lap 4 and then 14th on lap 5.By lap 6 I was 11th and then up to 8th on lap 8. 6th on lap 9 became 5th on lap 10. That's where the race ended with a red flag. What a result for class D.Places 1,2 and 3 went to class A cars then 4th,5th and 6th went to class D. So was it a success for me? Well I went from 20th to 5th overall, set a lap time over a second faster than the class D winner and only the three class A cars finished in front of us. A missed opportunity maybe but a great race.
Now to dry out in time for Cadwell Park!
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Qualifying was on a damp track and all went well. Despite the forecast of wall to wall rain the clouds lifted and by race time the surface was dry or so we thought. On went the slicks. I was ninth on the grid. A good placing just four tenths behind class D leader Simon Taylor and what a start. Simon got caught out at the lights and I hit the first corner ahead of him. The first corner is a hairpin and suprise, suprise there was a large puddle in the middle of it. Total effort for the first lap and into the second. Here's the next suprise with Alvin Powell's Mondeo facing the barriers clouded in tyre smoke. Around again and out of the hairpin and into a tight right hander. Oh dear! Slippy bits and grass here we come. Quickly back on circuit but Simon is through.Hang on to any place I can and trundle along until the race gets red flagged when a Clio and Mondeo come together. Finishing position is 12th. Second in class again so still up there.
Sunday dawned gray and wet and got wetter. If super wet tyres existed they would have been on. We assembled on the grid and off we went on our rolling start. Visibility was now zero. Rather than punt another car off I drove the first lap right around the edge of the track. By the end of the first lap I was back in 20th place 34 seconds slower than Nick Williamson's Cosworth and twenty three seconds slower than Simon Taylor. By lap three a tennis ball size hole had cleared on the screen and I began to move up through the field. 15th on lap 4 and then 14th on lap 5.By lap 6 I was 11th and then up to 8th on lap 8. 6th on lap 9 became 5th on lap 10. That's where the race ended with a red flag. What a result for class D.Places 1,2 and 3 went to class A cars then 4th,5th and 6th went to class D. So was it a success for me? Well I went from 20th to 5th overall, set a lap time over a second faster than the class D winner and only the three class A cars finished in front of us. A missed opportunity maybe but a great race.
Now to dry out in time for Cadwell Park!