Reports from the weekend:
Friday:
We went up to Anglesey on Thursday evening to setup ready for the weekend. We had an afternoon session booked so Friday morning was a leisurely time. The weather was great with bright sunshine. Tony took the first session just after lunch and we got the tyre pressures set and temperatures checked.
We have found in the past that Anglesey has a tendency to make some cars understeer. We ran on different tyres last year and the cars setup is totaly different so we couldn’t really compare. After his first run Tony said it was a little bit lazy to turn in to the slower corners. It wasn’t miles off so no major changes were needed. We adjusted the rear dampers and I went out in the 2nd session. I took it steady and concentrated on hitting all the turn in points and apexes. I had a slight problem with the brakes, they were getting a bit hot and I was getting a hard pedal. After the session we decided to fit a new set of pads as they were getting quite low. With 3 of us on the job it took less than 10 mins.
Tony took the start of the 3rd session to bed the pads in and then we did a simulated pitstop. The first time we had practiced the driver change proper. 20 seconds so quite a good stop. We did the same in the 4th session, Tony started and a practice pitstop. We planned for Tony to do the first stint in the race tomorrow. The car behaved itself, got better and better throughout the day and was quicker than last year. So a good day. We went for a stroll around the track and it was a lovely evening. Forecast for tomorrow is a little mixed though, fingers crossed for a dry track.
Saturday:
Overnight rain had dried by the time we woke for breakfast but the sky was very cloudy. It started to rain as we were signing on and attention turned to what tyres we were going to use. The forecast before the meeting had said to expect some showers so with that in mind we had bought some new pair of ‘wets’ as 2 of the ones we had were down to the wear markers. Adams and Page, the clubs tyre supplier, fitted them to our rims for us as me and Tony were stood on the pit wall trying to predict the weather. It was wet, still spitting but looked like it would dry as some clearer sky was coming. Our session was starting at 10am so we had to make the decision at 09:40 no later so we had time to swap the wheels. We went for the safe option and put the Michelin’s on. The session started and Tony went out first. The car was very quick on the still wet track and we were running P2 for the first 5 minuites or so. But as the circuit dried we fell further and further down the grid due to most other cars staying on their normal tyres. The times were still way off a full dry time but our car had turned into an understeering pig. As we knew it would. P11 was the final result but it was the safer option.
The weather brightened up very quickly after qualifying, so the rest of the day was warm and sunny. We switched back to the usual tyres, checked the car over and we were all set for the race. Tony took the first stint and our grid slot was on the inside nearest the pit wall. He got a great start, was up to 8th by the banking and 6th by halfway around the lap. Having to take a little avoiding action up at Rocket.
He gained another place on lap 3 to be 5th and was closing in on the Saxo and Puma ahead. 2 laps later and the Saxo made a move on the Puma at the top of the hill, Tony followed him through and had to go the long way around the first part of the corkscrew into 4th place. He set our fastest lap next time around and began a great battle with the Saxo. The thing was very quick down the straights but he got by entering the pit straight on lap 8 and we were now up to 3rd place.
The pit window opened on the following lap and the 2nd placed Integra made his stop. He also had to serve a 30 second success penalty for a previous race win so we were up to 2nd. Tony had a completely clear road for the next 5 laps and we pitted at the 19 minute mark on lap 14. It was a good stop, under 20 seconds and I rejoined the circuit still in 2nd. The leader pitted on lap 16 for a driver swap and success penalty and rejoined 12 seconds ahead of me. We had a 30 second lead over the Integra but he was catching at a rate of 3 seconds per lap! I was comfortable with my pace and didn’t want to push and make a mistake.
I got shown the pit board to confirm I was in 2nd. I couldn’t see anyone behind me but knew that if the Integra was still running he would be catching me. I had a pretty clear track and just tried to be consistent. 9 laps later the Integra was in my mirrors. I didn’t put up a fight, there was no point and he breezed by along the back straight. 3 laps later we took the chequered flag in 3rd. Our best ever finish.
At last a top 3 finish and some glassware. It was a great weekend. As a team we performed very well. The car was reliable and we didn’t loose any time due to driving, pitstop or strategy errors. We could of done a better job in qualifying but we made the decision to play it safe and it was fun to come through the field. 2nd wasn’t really a possibility, the car doesn’t have that kind of pace right now. But our fastest lap was 1.1 seconds quicker than last years race so we are making progress. Looking forward to Mallory, another circuit we performed well at last season.