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Castle Combe – 5th May 2008 A few weeks back I made the decision to not to contest the Castle Combe Championship for 2008. Instead I was going to concentrate on doing a few away races at the other great circuits within in the UK. Arriving at Combe on wet May morning I was feeling really relaxed and looking forward to the days racing ahead. I don’t know if I was feeling like this because there was no pressure to score championship points and I was just racing for fun. We are first out today which meant a really early start as qualifying was at 8.40am. It was still wet so we set the car up soft and added a bit of extra rear wing. Out on track it was apparent that there was very little grip however the car was feeling very neutral. After a lap or so I was getting used to the conditions, the Avon wets were working well and the car was great fun to drive. I spent the next 7 or so laps making all sorts of shapes going into, through and out of the corners always with a big grin on my face. I was also relieved to find that I had successfully fixed the braking problems I was having at the last meeting. Unfortunately a lot of competitors weren’t having as much fun in the wet conditions and there were bits of car all over the place. Coming out of Westway I was greeted with a number of Caterham parts over the track and a sick looking car on the inside. I took this as my queue to pull into the pits get ready for the race. To my surprise I had plonked myself 4th on the grid. Neils (Corinium Motorsport) new car, Radical SR3 with a 2.0 Duratech driven by Dave Williams, was on second so the Corinium Motorsport stickers were all over the front of the grid! Race time and the weather had improved some what and the track was dry. The car was set up for the dry and we were ready! The formation lap went with out a hitch and I was confident in the car. The lights go out and I get my signature start and rocket away from the line. Dave in the Duratech SR3 also got a great start so I tucked up behind him in second place up to Avon Rise. Glancing in the mirror and everyone else were "miles" behind. Up over the rise and Dave takes a wider line into Quarry…mistake Dave! I let the brakes off and slide up the inside. I lean on him a bit on the exit so he has to back off (we both trust each other as drivers so we know that we might be tough with each other but nothing more). I take the lead of the race and rocket off down to the Esses. I manage to put 4/10ths into Dave on the first lap, the second lap Dave pulls back a 10th and is on my tail going into Quarry. I miss a gear and come out of Quarry a gear higher than I wanted and Dave slips past. Now the race starts properly! I weld myself to the back of Dave’s car, remembering that he has over 100bhp more than me, I was having to use every trick in the book to stay with him. There are some parts of the track my car is working better than his, particularly from the Esses through to Bobbies. I try a number of times to get up the inside of him going into Tower but he obviously remembered the first lap and slams the door on me. I try again on the next few corners but I just can’t make it stick. My mirrors are suddenly full of orange, Shane in his new Jade (Class A, 350bhp!) is chasing me up Avon rise after a average start. I have no answer for the Nissan power and give him room at Quarry and I drop to 3rd. Shane is straight past Dave as well and disappears off into the distance. The gap between myself and Dave has been hovering around 4-5/10ths even with the back markers making life interesting. On lap 7 I get a great run out of Old Paddock and come along side Dave again into Tower, he gets sideways on the entry but still manages to chop my noise off. I get hard on the power and alongside him again into Bobbies. Again he comes right across my nose and I have to back out hard. This upset the rear and when I planted the loud pedal the car swapped ends! Arse!! (I had heard after the race there was oil on this part of the track but I am not convinced it was the cause). I have the car in first before its stopped and then I have to get off the wet grass. I loose the best part of 20 seconds on Dave and I’ve dropped down to 5th. Head down again and I start to make up the time I’ve lost. On lap 9 I pass Dave who has unfortunately had a incident with a back marker and its damaged the SR3. Good for me though as I am now upto 4th. Then I notice in the distance my old sparing partner Simon Tilling in his very bright orange SR3. I know Simon had some problems in qualifying and my first thought was he was a lap down. Then after a lap or so I realise that he is on the same lap as me…..the red mist settles and I aim for the orange car! I start pulling back the time of Simon negotiating the back markers along the way. By lap 14 I was on his tail and looking for a way around. But as we all know drivers don’t come much harder than Simon. I try my usual lunge at Quarry but that didn’t work. I lost half a second or so around back markers so it was going down to the last lap. I pulled him back going around Quarry and upto the Esses. You couldn’t get a fag paper between us going upto Tower, I try and out brake him here but he keeps the corner. I can’t do anything at Bobbies so its down to Camp, the last corner of the last lap! I get a brilliant run on Simon out of Bobbies and pull out of his slipstream at West Way. We both enter Camp side by side with me on the inside. I am not saying that we were close but we could have shaken hands! We are neck and neck at the apex both desperately trying to get on the power. I hit the bump of the apex which flicks my car sideways and I give Simon a bit of a "love tap". That is enough for Simon to pull a foot on me, we cross the line with just over 1/10th of a second between us. Well done Simon, fantastic racing. Same goes for Dave as the first part of the race was awesome! The both provided probably the best race I’ve had at Combe. It was a great way to end my time at Combe, however its times like these that reminds me why I race at this fantastic circuit so you never know…I might be back sooner than you think. Thanks to all my family as usual, Neil for the support even though he is running the opposition J . Justin for all his hard work in the paddock. Combe’s organisers and marshall’s and not forgetting the fantastic spectators!
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