My usual start took me forward a few rows and the car felt good, although still lacking power.
I was still in ‘safety’ mode so not trying anything daft, and I’d got myself into a pack of about nine cars, so that took a bit of restraint. I’d taken to dropping to third gear for Paddock as the engine seemed to handle the revs ok, and I was still getting that flat spot in fourth.
Neil Aldridge had an absolutely terrible lap and dropped right from the front of our pack and I had a great run on him into Paddock around the outside.
As I’d committed, Vaughn Jones cut from the outside line to the inside to make a move on the cars ahead, and spun on the inside of the corner just ahead of Neil.
I saw all of this and moved another cars width to the left so that I was right on the edge of the track and Neil had plenty of room to also move left as Vaughn’s spin took him across the track.
Unfortunately Vaughn either clipped Neil or he had to dive left more to avoid him, and I was directly alongside and going past.
Neil sideswiped me wheel to wheel, causing us both to spin with him now in the gravel.
I could hear his throttle fully open as he slammed into me again, his airborne rear wheel ripping a hole through the aluminium side panel inches from my head, this hard impact sending me off at a tangent across the track to the infield.
I was on the grass with the engine still running, looking very carefully at my right rear wheel where it felt like the main impact had been.
I knew the front would be bent, so wasn’t paying much attention to it as I eased the car forwards, and it was heading in a straightish line. I cruised up to Druids and was starting to think I could crawl around and pick up points, until I dabbed the brakes and the car slewed left and over the gravel.
I knew it was race over for me, and remembering how they’d red flagged qualifying when Bill Garner pulled off at that exact spot I was eager to get the car to a safe place where they wouldn’t stop the race.
I pointed left towards the marshal post and a group of marshals there were signalling crossing their hands in front of them in the ‘no’ gesture, so I pointed to the right, to the infield of the hairpin to a dirt road that would take me behind the barrier.
I should note that all this time I couldn’t see behind me, as the crest of the road meant all I could see was the top of Paddock Hill, 300+ metres away, so there was no way I could make out any cars. Everything else was hidden in the dip.
Still pointing to the infield, I looked at the marshals who were pointing repeatedly to the spot I was looking to go.
I gave a jab of throttle and crossed the track and into the refuge area – but as I ran up the curb on the infield I saw the pack stream past me in my mirrors. Close. VERY close.
I was fuming.
You can hear me, dripping with sarcastic rage, say “I don’t think they should have told me to do that!”, before getting out and stropping around a bit, moaning to the spectators about what had just happened.
A red flag came out for Neil and the marshals came over to help me.
I asked why they’d told me to cross the track when the leaders were that close and they told me they’d been saying “No – don’t go!” and were actually pointing to the approaching pack of cars and not telling me to go…
So we’d simply miscommunicated – not surprising as there are no pre-arranged hand signals between us, and, as demonstrated here, it could all be misinterpreted. I shouldn’t have used the marshals as my eyes when I couldn’t see – they already do a hard enough job and I shouldn’t have assumed we were on the same wave length.
It’s definitely not their fault, and do a brilliant job keeping us safe.
I also realise that this incident will look Very Bad to everyone, and on the TV coverage, so wanted to at least get my side of things across! Another lesson learned, and luckily no harm done.
I’ll do a separate damage report, but we do still hope to make Croft.
It was all a bit close to make it – but finally, on Thursday evening, Glenn fired up the Sheane and we knew we had a car to race on Saturday!
Of course there was still a lot of prep work left, and that meant getting up stupidly early on Saturday morning and heading up to Cheshire for a very rushed race day.
Rolling the car off the trailer, it was great to be back amongst the Formula Vee paddock. It’s a long Winter off-season, but as soon as you meet everyone again it’s as if you’ve never been away! And it was good to see some of the new drivers this season, as well as a few faces returning to Vee after a break.
After the mandatory new driver briefing, scrutineering, and getting signed on, I found I wasn’t feeling very nervous about it all.
We’d gone back to using the engine from early last year that we knew was good (albeit with the same internals as the other engine), so although we had confidence in having more power, we’d had no time to test anything – in fact only a few months ago I’d thought my racing was pretty much over as Glenn wouldn’t be able to work on the car or have any time for racing, due to sickness in the family.
With all that in mind, we were taking the reluctant but sensible approach of using the day as more of a shakedown run. The brief was to ease the car in, get a feel for driving again after the Winter break, and above all to keep everything safe and out of trouble. If that all went ok, then I’d see if I could pick up a few places by working on getting the power down earlier – but realistically, with so many having tested at the track the day before, we would treat anything inside the top 20 as a bonus.
This was a shame for me, as I’ve done maybe as many as 200 laps of Oulton on 600cc sportsbikes, and so know it better than any other track. And the reason I was there that much was because I absolutely love the track! Still, the last time I was there was about 7 years ago, and I didn’t know how that could be translated into driving the car…
Qualifying
The track was cold and damp as I rolled out of the pit lane, dropping down towards the familiar sight of Cascades. I steadily eased the throttle on from mid-corner and heard a popping sound, followed by rattles and tapping.
Worse still, the car didn’t slew out of the corner sideways under power, as I’d been provoking – I’d lost all power.
I couldn’t see smoke in my mirrors, and pressing the loud pedal didn’t seem to make anything worse, so I quickly eliminated the horror of a blown engine from my mind – my initial thought being I’d popped an air hose off, before I realised Vee’s don’t have any air hoses! Was it yet another snapped engine stud?
If you don’t do 3 laps of a circuit then you don’t qualify to race, and you’re going home. As I cruised around the rest of the lap listening and watching the car very carefully, I figured the problem wasn’t getting any worse, and so I’d try and crawl around to get the 3 laps in, and then bring it in and hope Glenn could work his magic in time to get us out for a race.
I spun once in the Hislops chicane as I tried to keep up some kind of speed as I followed the racing line – but realistically I didn’t have the power to learn anything at all from the track as I limped around on 3 cylinders trying to keep out of everyone’s way. I was locking up on the brakes everywhere, someone else had thrown oil over the track, and I had absolutely no feel for the car.
If the gate at Lodge had been open I might have just drove straight out and gone home. As I drove in through the pits and back towards the garage, the revs suddenly shot up and I quickly killed the engine before it blew completely. Another problem?
A quick look over the car found the left rear sparkplug had torn itself out, along with all the thread.
Glenn said it was fixable at the trackside if he could find someone with the tools, but making the first race in less than 2 hours was unlikely. Disaster.
As I embraced the depressing realisation, whilst seeing my name on the time sheets in 26th and 25th places for the races, Alan Harding and the AHS crew swarmed over to my car and got to work with helicoils and inserts, and before I knew it they’d done their thing and fixed the issue!
It never fails to amaze me how even rivals in the Vee paddock will jump to help you in your hour of need. For how fiercely competitive AHS are, they’re always willing to help save your day at a moments notice, and I owe them a huge thanks for that!
So it looked like we’d make the grid – however, we still didn’t know what cause the throttle to jam open, and it wasn’t happening again when we fired it back up. It was either fixed or it would happen again – looking to the skies we now had another problem…
Rain was pounding down from the black skies…
Race 1
As we’d found out absolutely nothing in qualifying, we were re-setting and using this as the shakedown run, hoping everything with the car was now ok. With nothing to lose, I went for a radical set up and softened the dampers more than I ever have before, as I like it pretty stiff.
With the monsoon it was unlikely we’d get a great deal from this session, either, but after Croft I have learned to love the rain. I wasn’t going to take any chances, but part of me had confidence that I could claw something back from the day. If I could stay out of the inevitable carnage that was about to happen, and keep it out of the barriers myself…
The start lights went out and I rocketed off the line despite the wet, angling for a narrow gap along the pit wall, and making up 3 or 4 rows before getting blocked in and having to brake well before the first turn.
Blinded by the spray, I stayed tight to the inside at Old Hall, aware of something happening to the left of me, but more concerned with finding my own way through .
I believe Steve Ough and Adam Macaulay touched wheels, causing all kinds of drama as Adam spun off to the outside, and an unlucky Rickard Rainbow, who’d already taken to the grass in avoidance, was a passenger as he t-boned Adam hard.
Both drivers were ok – the cars not so much so. They weren’t going to race any more today.
My heart sank a little as the marshals called everyone back past me to the original grid positions, but as the race restarted I made a carbon copy start, diving past everyone again along the pit wall.
I settled into a paced cruise that I normally use to feel out a new track, but seemed to still be passing people without trying.
Coming down towards the Hislops chicane I hit the brakes and it was so slippery the front wheels locked instantly, and despite frantic cadence braking I couldn’t find any grip to pull the car up. I bounced straight across the grass along with a few others who’d done the same, Darren Lomas spinning off in front of me just before Knickerbrook.
I carried on with what felt like a bit of a Sunday drive, still making really good progress on the treacherous track – I was loving every second!
Braking into Hislops again alongside Steve Ough, and I did the same again, with Steve alongside me bouncing over the grass. We both slithered around Knickerbrook and I was able to out-drag his Dominator up Clay Hill towards Church. In fact all through the session I was having to lift off the throttle behind people when I didn’t think I could make a safe, clean pass.
That second excursion had lost me a fair few places, and I assume it might be frowned upon to overshoot the same corner on 3 consecutive laps, so made sure I was braking stupidly early and gently for that one for the remaining laps.
Others were still having problems as conditions worsened, however, and David Leniewski spun to the inside at Shell as I caught Jamie Harrison and a 4 way battle with them, Mark Egan and Andrew Cooper.
Another mistake from Dave at Hislops let me through, as I chased down Jamie Harrison for 11th place, bearing down on him 2 seconds a lap faster on my charge, but unfortunately the chequered flag came out after only 4 laps.
Jamie, me and Dave were all covered by just 4 tenths of a second at the line!
I had absolutely no idea where I’d finished, but had enjoyed it all immensely. If I’d known Jamie was actually 3rd in class at the finish I’d have got more aggressive about things, but I had no idea how far up the grid I’d climbed! You can see on the video how much I was lifting off the throttle, still cruising, rather than stuffing it up the inside.
Don’t get me wrong – I was trying to go quickly, but I was still driving more as I would in qualifying. What I’m not sure of is if I was just naturally fast there because of my bike track days, or if the more relaxed approach brought the extra speed?
All I knew for sure is that I wanted more rain – the more the better – and then I’d show what I was capable of…
Race 2
Thankful of my blue iridium tinted visor, I rolled into the holding area under the burning sun, on the bone dry track, only 3 hours later. So THAT’S how it’s going to be, is it?
This would play directly into the hands of everyone who’d tested in the dry the day before, and I’d never been around a single corner in the dry in the Vee in my life, so for the second time that day had absolutely no idea where to brake, or how fast to take any corner on the circuit. Great.
Expecting everyone to just drive away from me as I struggled to learn the track, we once more opted to just bring it home safe, and get a feel of what the car was like in the dry.
Because I was so desperate for the rain, I even left tyre pressure and damper settings on the extra soft ones I’d used in the first race, still hoping the skies would open again to give me a chance.
For the third time in a row I blasted off the start and again tore past half the grid against the pit wall, having to hit the brakes behind John Hartin as he fluffed a gear change and I had nowhere to get by.
The problem now was that I was right in the mid pack, hammering down to Cascades, and not having an idea how fast I could go around the corner!
I chose the trusty technique of giving everyone a bit of room and then just braking when they did, then concentrated on getting on the power as early as I dared.
After following Hartin and returning Vee veteran Andrew Crighton around, slipping past Vaughn Jones and then Crighton just before Lodge, I got a good run and passed Hartin out of Lodge, then had a bit of a guess how fast I could get through Old Hall – straddling the curb precariously on the exit but managing to get it back on the black stuff still ahead.
I kept leaning steadily on the car – not getting out of shape and yet still seeming to carry a good pace. I bore down on David Leniewski who upped his own pace in return.
In hindsight we should have worked together more, but we did slow each other up a bit from there. Leniewski had the speed in the first chicane, whilst I was much faster in Island and the run up to Church. Unfortunately, sticking it up the inside in either of those places, especially as he defended, would likely have led to wheel contact and me cartwheeling off into trees and lakes.
Not the thing the way to end your first few dry laps in a car that was feeling good!
Despite slowing each other, we ripped into the gap to the next battle – Jamie Harrison and Neil Aldridge – and were soon swarming all over the back of them.
As we came out of lodge, Leniewski had a huge run on both of them, but I had an even better one on them all. Harrison jinked right to block, and I put two wheels on the grass, aiming to pass the lot of them on the green stuff down to Lodge, before my brain kicked back in and I abandoned the overtake.
Unfortunately, the chequered flag was out, and I didn’t get the chance to use my momentum… Again I had no idea where I’d finished as I came back in to the garages.
I went to speak to Harrison to tell him I would have had him, and was gobsmacked when I asked where he’d come in B Class and he said he’d won! I congratulated him and then suddenly realised that I must have been 2nd!
I was chuffed to bits to pick up my trophy (plus one for 6th in the Class B championship from last year), and I was actually half way home before Steve Bailey posted a Facebook message telling me I’d actually got the fastest lap in class for that race!
Not only that, but I was now 2nd in the B class championship and 11th in the overall standings!
I was buzzing about it for days afterwards – and what a present on my 40th birthday weekend?
So we’d gone from abject despair, barely getting around a damp track, to an amazing comeback drive in torrential rain, to an even better drive on a warm dry track – all in one day! My best results ever, and on my favourite track.
I was amazing to be back with the Vee crowd again, if the day was a bit rushed, and I can’t wait to get back out there on May 1st for the full GP track at Brands Hatch.
Brands is my least favourite circuit, so it should give us a good idea whether my Oulton track knowledge was what made me fast, or if we’ve got as good a car this year as I think.
I’ll also be announcing something else in a few days time, so watch this space!
Something I’d eaten the day before was not agreeing with me, and I worried that I wouldn’t survive the short journey to our closest track. I arrived at a damp and drizzly Mallory Park feeling very weak and wondering if I could get away with an open face helmet and Nomex Pampers!
Pushing the car up the hill to scrutineering I realised just how weak I was, with my heart nearly pounding out of my chest and sweat pouring off me.
Luckily, adrenalin works wonders for shutting down all of your bodies non-racing functions, and once I was strapped into the Sheane I felt much better!
Qualifying
The first few laps of qualifying were pretty much dry, which helped me learning the track. My previous bike trackday here wasn’t much of a help, as for that we used a chicane at the Esses and after the hairpin, but I at least knew to expect the blind crest on the exit of Gerrards.
I settled into the lines but was still struggling to find 2nd gear at the tight hairpin – getting around there was more trying to get a gear rather than any kind of technique to cornering.
I had a brief tussle with Andrew Cooper in his first ever race weekend (he’s going to be quick), and overtook him going into the very fast Gerrards corner on the inside. A faster car came up behind me as I made this pass, so I held my inside line exactly as we’re told to do.
Apparently the more experienced driver wanted me to disappear somewhere or drive off ‘his’ track, as he came up to me after the race being sarcastic about my mirrors working. When I pointed out I was trying to qualify as well, and asked what I should have done, he walked off. Pretty bad form – it’s all very well criticising a new driver but if you have no answer as to what they should do for next time, you don’t do yourself or the sport any favours!
Despite the bad taste this left in my mouth (and I don’t just mean the sickness returning as the adrenalin wore off again!), I was pleased with the qualifying session. We’d come 18th, but I knew there was lots more to come from just about everywhere on the track.
The Z-bar had stayed attached, confirming that it wasn’t breaking at Croft due to the changes we’d made lowering the rear of the car, and so we should be able to dial in some faster set-up again.
Race 1
The light rain faded as we lined up on a now wet track for the race. I made a decent start, picking up a few places but being very wary of the concertina into the hairpin.
A few cars had spins early on, and Jamie Harrison had a huge opposite lock slide around Gerrards right in front of me that looked very impressive – well held!
I could see Jake Hockley and Colin Gregory with a few others in front of me, but then after some more shoddy gear changes at the hairpin I fell off the back of the group, and a couple of the earlier spinners recovered and went by.
I had another brief battle with Andrew Cooper before he pulled away out of the hairpin. With the bit of space I had, I was then able to concentrate a little more on that problem, and by the second half of the race I’d finally found a way!
I found that going from 4th to 2nd just didn’t work at all, but if I went to 3rd and then had a brief pause before selecting 2nd gently, it liked it a lot better.
I’d found that I was pretty quick into and around the Esses, especially when I trail-braked in, and although still way off the leaders, I was ok going into Gerrards, and through it, but despite having my foot flat to the floor on the exit the cars just ahead were still pulling away from me.
The car wallowed quite a bit through Devils Elbow, and I had to lift there to bring the back around on the adverse camber or the front started dragging me wide and upsetting the rest of the car. I’d been warned off making the front too stiff, but now think I was heading in the right direction, and need to firm it up again. If we ever get a proper dry race again, anyway!
Coming home 5th in class and 18th overall wasn’t too shabby as a learning experience, and it seemed I was surviving the weakness of the food poisoning!
Race 2
Starting from the same grid position but this time in 17th place (eh?? I just went where they told me to!), I was hopeful of getting another good start on the again wet but rapidly drying track.
The lights went out and I dropped the clutch quickly, but the revs were the only thing going anywhere!
I slammed the lever from neutral into first, as the cars behind missed me and shot off into the distance.
It wasn’t red mist that descended over me as much as a very focused calm, knowing I had some recovering to do.
I picked a few off, then gained a couple more places when some mild carnage at the hairpin put some cars wide, my new-found 2nd gear abilities coming in handy, and then blasted up the inside of Tom Roper (another relative new driver who did have a few Vee races over 10 years ago, now returning in Peter Studers hire car) into the Esses. This seemed to wake him up a bit and he followed hard on my tail as I pushed up to another group of four battling cars – Colin Gregory, Jake Hockley, Jamie Harrison and Andrew Cooper.
I’d caught them quickly, but trying to get by a group of 6 cars fighting that closely wheel to wheel was easier said than done! It was 3 or 4 wide into every corner, and if you didn’t commit to a pass someone else would dive straight down the other side of you!
It’s the first time I’ve ever been with more than a couple of cars all lapping at the same pace, and it’s a Hell of a thing to experience!
Jake lost power coming out of the hairpin and fell off the group with a few laps to go, and I had few goes side-by-side in Gerrards with Andrew, both looking over at each other as we slid around trying not to take each other out but not giving an inch!
Tom came very close to my rear wheel as I backed out of a dive up the inside of Andrew – something I watched very carefully in my mirrors and was impressed he’d managed to avoid any contact as he also made a dive for it!
In the end I was about half a car length behind Andrew after a tense drag to the line – but sadly the result wasn’t to stand for me…
A number of cars in parc ferme after the race were taken apart for checks, and Dallas (in his 49th year scrutineering Formula Vee), found one of our restrictor plates was out of tolerance by a tiny margin. Despite the plate being stamped and certified, the rules are the rules, and this meant I’d be excluded from the race for a technical infringement.
This was a shame after what may have been one of my greatest driving performances – especially after racing so closely with a pack. If the part wasn’t to spec, then it’s much better that it’s been picked up now than if I’d have been missing out on a trophy. I could challenge the decision as I have no evidence that the tool used to check had been calibrated, but is it really worth the hassle? I’m going to put my trust in the 750 Motor Club, and if it were found that the tool wasn’t accurate I’m sure they’d sort something out retrospectively.
Both races were won outright by Paul Smith, and after James Harridge dropped out with engine problems in the first race, there was nobody else able to challenge him. That makes it 8 wins from 8 races this year for Paul! Pretty amazing stuff! Jack Wilkinson took both of the B class trophies on his return to Vee.
Next month will see a visit to the Anglesey Coastal circuit in North Wales – a circuit I’ve always liked the look of. If I can get on the pace straight away it could yield some good results for me!
