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2010 Season Stock Hatch 1st Meeting 13th / 14th Match Snetterton 2010 competion will be in Stock Hatch, Ford Series and Guest Races 8 2010 meetings to be televised Autosport International Show 16th / 17th Jan 2009 Season
June 2009 Competing at Brands Hatch in rounds 8 & 9 of the 750mc Stock Hatch Championship a season best finish of 6th finish was achieved a feat that Jenson Button could only match at the British Grand Prix. In Saturday’s race a great start moved me to 4th from 8th on the grid by the end of lap 2, however the race was red flagged due to a car rolling at the notorious Paddock Hill bend. On the restart a steady start saw consolidation of 8th position before performing a couple over taking manoeuvres at the down hill Graham Hill bend moving him up to 6th by the end of the race. During the race I posted the 3rd fastest lap of the race just 0.4 secs outside the existing lap record. Race 2 saw a starting position further back on the grid in 12th place, so a top 10 finish was the target one that was achieved. Another good start moved me to 11th on lap 1 before moving up to 10th with a great overtaking move around the outside at paddock Hill. The last 4 laps saw close battles and passing two other cars before losing a place back on the last corner as running wide attempting another overtaking manoeuvre, before taking 9th at the chequered flag. May 2009 Cadwell Park Following a promising race at Castle Combe, the next race was at the Lincolnshire Cadwell Park. The circuit well deserving its nickname of mini-Nurburgring and being regarded as the most challenging in the UK. Race 1 - a good start saw progression from 22nd on the grid, and by lap 5 was up in 2nd in class. However all this was ruined when the oil warning light came on and retired on the side of caution. Following overnight engine checks the car was fine for the 2nd race. However at the start a poor start was made due to being unsighted of the lights. A mutli car accident on the first lap allowed a number of cars to be caught and passed before 15th place was consolidated - 5th in class. April 2009 Much to my surprise the car was ready for the next meeting at Castle Combe. The only signs of the roll at Snetterton being a new grey roof and a couple of extra dents on the rear panel. Easter saw wonderful weather, full grids and frantic action. In qualifying despite knowing the circuit I was very careful thus starting the race in 32rd of 42 starters. A good start in the race was ruined when forced to a near stop on the first lap to avoid 2 spun cars. The remainder of the race was great fun catching and over taking slower cars eventually finishing 25th (12th in class). March 2009 Snetterton The first race of the 2009 season. This year its even tougher than ever despite my developments we are really up against it - there are no less than 32 saxos. The car seemed to be going well in qualifying but the lap times didn't seem to reflect this, then my last lap despite traffic was 1min 29sec 0.7 secs quicker than the next best. The first race saw me start 11th - 4th in class. At the first corner a number of cars spun on cold tyres - moving me up 2 places as I managed to go in between 2 cars. By the end of the race I was classified 11th and 4th in class - my best result. The 2nd race however saw me make a cardinal sin - I managed to lose the backend of the car on cold tyres. As the car ran wide on to the grass 2 wheels dug in on the mud. This caused the car to roll 3 times finishing on its roof. Thankfully after a trip to the medical centre I was fine but not the car. February 2009 All the development with the exception of new suspension completed and the engine is run in on a trackday at Mallory Park October 2008 List of development is underway - loss weight (50 kilos), engine rebuild, new rear suspension, test new tyres September 2008 We have made the decision to miss Oulton Park to start development for the 2009 season August 2008 Silverstone How much rain are we going to have in 2008 - we were racing on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend. Saturday saw racing in perfect condictions but as the weather men predicted Sunday started wet but it took a couple of hours longer for the sun to show itself. I qualified in session a on a damp circuit - the car handled well but lacked the straight line speed and left me 25th of the 40 starters in the heat. I expected a good finish and a place in the final however as I tried to turn in at the first corner the car was all over the place and it was all I could do not to spin and again at the 2nd corner. The car was undrivable so I retired and then with steam coming out of the car it became apparent a hose had split and was pouring water on to the front wheels. Thruxton I’m sure a couple of years ago we were being warned of long hot dry summers due to global warming – ever since that message our summer has consisted of 2 dry weeks in May with the odd sunny day in June, July and August (a far cry from the summer of 76). Last weekend we had the rare opportunity to race at Thruxton (5 miles from Andover) – the circuit guide summary said Thruxton is a ballsy circuit and it certainly was. The circuit is the fastest in the UK at 2.3 miles long with 2 heavy braking points, but generally flat out corners waiting to catch out anybody off line. True to form the sun had been replaced by cloud and rain on Saturday morning. Qualifying conditions were awful with spray making visibility terrible and wet kerbs making racing lines hard to take – my plan to go out after most of the cars backfired as I was held up by a couple of slower cars and when I did find space the session finished. Due to tight noise restrictions and being a supporting category (to the European Trucks) the heat started at 9am Sunday - despite this there was already a reasonable crowd. My ambition in the heat was just to get through to the midday final without any damage. The initial grey but dry weather changed mid race when the threatening clouds opened - thankfully though I achieved my target of getting into the final. Again it was wet for the final and after avoiding a 5 car incident on the 1st lap I enjoyed a battle with another XR2i for the duration of the race – I finished 28th of the 60, 11th in class. Overall it was a good weekend, 2 races with reasonable finishes at a great challenging circuit in front of large crowds. However it has become obvious that the engine in the XR2i is in need of a rebuild – despite carrying more speed through the corners, I couldn’t compete on the straights. July 2008 Donnington Park - the new home of the British Grand Prix We returned early from holidaying in Spain for this meeting - and yes we had rain there as well. Qualifying was disappointing - and I'd start 30th. However before we even made it onto the grid matters got worse as the heavens opened with no time to change the car from its dry setting. When we got on to the grid some how the marshalls managed to mess the grid up and I ended up starting back in 36th. I made another good start which together with some fun and games at the first corner allowed me to be 15th by the end of the lap. However my good work was ruined on the 2nd lap as I put two wheels on the kerbs and spun thankfully to the left of the track out of the way. The remainder of the race was quiet but the engine seemed well down on power |
