So after a couple of testing sessions over the winter Rob and I embarked on a season of campaigning Darth Vader. Starting at Donington with the CSCC Tin Tops in March. Quali was not ideal with the throttle body failing soon after I went out to start my stint which left us starting 3rd in class and 18th on the grid.
I started the race, this being Rob's first race at Donington and managed to make up a few places at the start and slowly made a few more during the first half of the race before pitting in 6th place to hand over to Rob. He held station during the final part of the race and we finally finished 2nd in class which was a great start to the season for us.
Racing as the sun goes down is never easy at Donington as the sun is on your eyes on the start finish straight!
The following month we returned to Donington to try again. This time with MSVR in the Trackday Trophy.
Qualifying was average. We were having issues with the brakes that would later become more of an issue. We qualified 16th on the grid but a disappointing 7th in class. Definitely some work to do.
But it wasn't to be. I had us up to 9th before pitting but the race was plagued by safety cars and then with about 5 laps to go the brakes gave up entirely and Rob had a lucky escape coming into the final chicane, running over the gravel and subsequently rolling straight into the pits with flames coming out of the front wheels!
subsequent investigation revealed that the front calipers were mounted upside down, causing the wedge shaped pads that we extracted after the failure.
Then in May with brakes fixed we headed to Brands Hatch GP with MSVR again. One of my favourite tracks and sadly not one we get a chance to do often.
Qualifying went better this time although I was hampered with a safety car during my stint and didn't really get into the groove, rob had done enough to put us 14th on the grid and 3rd in class.
Rob started this one and had a tough start and then a time stuck behind slightly slower cars, finally pitting in 20th. So, with work to do I took the reins and ended up in a battle with a young lad in a Gen4 Clio. And 10 laps later we crossed the line on his bumper in 4th place, just missing out on a podium but having the best race in a while. The video is quite entertaining in places.
June brought us to Snetterton with the 750MC Roadsports Series.. A favourite for both of us and we spent an evening testing there a few days before the race.
The Roadsports have some super quick cars in their class A with the likes of TCR cars and the Parkin Brothers from Darkside Developments in their diesel monsters. We weren't expecting great things overall but entries in our class looked similar to us and in a power to weight class system we should have had a chance.
In testing we had managed a 2:15 which, had we done that in qualifying would have put us on pole for the class. However, for whatever reason we couldn't quite hook up a lap and ended up 6th in class with a 2:17. Work to do. (again!)
Following quali we were called to the scrutineers to have a power test. The organisers often do random checks to make sure everyone is complying to the regs and falling into the correct class.
A nervous half an hour ensued while they weighed and power tested the car!
Fortunately we passed and were able to race inthe class C that we had entered in.
So with a decent start I completed my stint first, bringing us up 6th places before pitting during a safety car. All Rob had to do was to hold station for a podium finish... Which he did! A P2 in class and reminder why we love this track.
After another day of testing at Snetterton we returned to Snetterton in July for the BRSCC Clubsport Trophy.
However, a strange noise from the gearbox didn't bode well as we went into qualifying and sure enough 2 laps into my stint after taking over fromRob the clutch failed. However I had managed 1 hot lap that put us 3rd in class on the grid.
Rob was about to throw in the towel but I persuaded him that a clutch change was worth a try as we had about 3 hours before the race. So, John, our trusty pit b**ch headed into Norwich to buy a clutch kit while Rob and I began to remove the gearbox.
And as we were called into the assembly area we got the car back on the ground and headed out. No lunch that day!
And the race went well. Again slightly spoilt by a safety car but a solid race by us both and a strong P2 in class to finish.
We decided to return to Snetterton for a 3rd time in August with the MSVR Trackday Trophy again.
Demonstrating that there is no substitute for seat time and track time, I managed to put us on Pole in class (P10 on the grid) on my last lap in qualifying, pipping the ProAm boys in their super tidy Clio by 2/100ths of a second! It was going to be close.
With me starting the race, a couple of great battles ensued, one ending when Evans and Hart Civic had a coming together with a backmarker in a poorly judged maneuver that put them out of the race
And then another battle with a Ginetta G40 that I couldn't keep behind me. But I pitted in 5th place on the road and 3rd in class for Rob to take over into a safety car, leaving him with a one lap dash to the finish line that he absolutely nailed! Passing P2 at the end of the Bentley Straigh and finishing less than a second behind the ProAm boys.
Another great result
And as it was treamed by MSVR on Youtube, a slightly more interesting video here!
Our fortunes changed at the next meet in September though.....
