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Castle Combe Race Report – 1st May 2006 Two weeks have passed since the last race meeting on Easter Monday. The car has been running brilliantly but I’ve had one issue that I’ve been trying to resolve. And that is wind blast, going through Folly is really hard work for me because the combined g-force and 130mph+ wind blast was taking its toll on my endurance. For the April meeting we fitted a new carbon screen hoping this would make a difference, although it did make it a little better it was far from perfect. I had got a tip from one of the American Radical owners regarding adding a fly screen to the top of the carbon screen, the guy who did it said it made a big difference. So Sunday afternoon Justin and I set about designing a new fly screen for the car, after a hour or two of trial and error the car was sporting a fly screen. The extra screen stood about two inches higher than the carbon one so I was confident that it would at least help the wind blast problem. On the morning of the race meeting we arrive to a damp Castle Combe, it has been raining all night but the sky was starting to show the odd spot of blue. Fingers crossed that we were going to be in for a dry meeting. I don’t mind driving in the wet but I much prefer the dry, as do the spectators. The paddock is completely rammed with Porsche’s and Mini’s so we have to find a little corner to setup camp, unloading the car, gazebo etc I start to miss the sprinting days when I’d turn up in the car, kick the tyres and be ready. Anyway the team – Justin, Barry and myself – are getting pretty good at setting up and pretty soon Barry is sat on his chair, bacon buttie in hand admiring our handy work. As usual the car flies through scrutineering and we get prepped for qualifying, all fluids double checked, wheels nuts tightened etc. 10.50am and we are ushered onto the track for our qualifying session. The car is feeling pretty good but the lap times aren’t moving from mid 1.13’s for some reason, just as I feel like I am starting to get into a groove the red flags come out and our session gets stopped. With only 6 qualifying laps completed I end up 13th on the grid, Simon Tilling in the other Clubsport out qualified me again by half a second to take 12th. The good news is that the fly screen is working really well, I am getting no buffeting now and I’m feeling quite relaxed driving the car. Race time, as usual we have the rolling start. I try and keep everyone close but it’s a lot harder than it looks. As we come out of Bobbies I loose a bit of ground on the guys in front, and to compound this the leaders stood on their loud pedals as soon as the safety car pulled off. This mean I went into Camp with a 100yard gap between me and Simon. Up over Avon rise and into Quarry, I take it a bit steady as the tyres are still cold but I am keeping Simon in sight. The next 4 laps or so I concentrate on catching Simon, enjoying throwing the car around a bit and trying some slight different lines in the process. The fly screen is doing its job perfectly and I feel great in the car. I also get to experience proper high speed slipstreaming, chasing Simon through Folly and upto Avon Rise was great fun. Lap 5 and I am starting to get a lot closer to Simon up over Avon Rise and also into the Esses. On the exit I notice the MR2 in the distance which we are about to lap so I start to get a bit closer to Simon to try and take advantage of the MR2 being in the way. As we come into Tower I come along side Simon just to show him a wheel, the MR2 is just in front of us now. We both pass the it on the run into Bobbies, Simon gets a bit sideways mid corner and his is all I needed. I got a fantastic run out of Bobbies and pop out of his bubble just before braking into Camp, I get along side of Simon and with a bit of frantic braking and steering I get past. He sits on my tail up through to Avon Rise again. I was feeling pretty confident at this stage but I knew that Simon was going to get his own back at any moment. Into Bobbies and Simon is right up behind me, I exit Bobbies and glance in the mirror to see Simon “exiting stage left” into the infield. Part of me was happy because I was clear, but the other half was a disappointed because it was shaping up to be a great tussle between us. For the rest of the race my concentration was on a Radical SR4 that was gaining on me, the S4 is a far quicker car than mine so I was having to keep pushing to make sure it stayed behind. I managed to stave off his attack for the next 6 laps. It all got a bit interesting when the leaders passed me on lap 13 as the SR4 was able to get right up behind me. I just kept pushing past the back markers and keeping one eye on the mirror and crossed the finish line with him still behind me. I finished 10th overall but had a best class finish yet of 4th and I also put in constant 1.12’s laps with my best being 1.12.2 which is another 0.5second quicker than last time out. I had a great race, shame Simon span out but I am sure our battle isn’t over and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season battling with him. The fly screen worked perfectly and as a result I was driving a lot better. I need to get my starts sorted out so I am up at the sharp end from the start. Going over the car at the end of the meeting I’ve got my wheel bearing problem back again so I’ll be replacing them over the next couple of weeks before the next meeting on the 29th May. Thanks to everyone that came to support me on the day, and to Justin and Barry for their help.
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