A comfortable night in Blue Bell Barn B&B meant I felt comfortable arriving at the circuit in the morning - we'd even left the car and trailer there the night before so we were pretty much ready to go.
An oddity about the event here was that there were races planned for part of the program - we had to do our practice runs squeezed in among the race qualifying. As a result of this mixture, the organisation left a little to be desired... Cars were run out of order with really long waits in between. Ultimately, we got two runs with about 30 mins between each trip - and we couldn't get out of the cars...
Sadly, the afternoon (and the official timed runs) were a complete wash-out... Rain began just as we were about to head out and didn't let up for all the time we were in the cars - three runs taking about an hour. I can confirm it's not much fun sitting in an open top car in the pouring rain.
When I eventually set off, I immediately got distracted - a piece of tape I'd put across the top of the windscreen flew off and started flapping in my face. I tried to put it out of my mind and made it successfully round the first corner.
As the second corner approached, I chose an early braking point but had completely forgotten the advice I'd received to keep off the normal racing line in the wet. The tyres locked and despite my best attempts to keep it pointing the right way, the car spun off the outside of the corner. I had stalled and got the car re-started but as I set off along the straight (expecting to see red flags and not getting any) I realised my time was irrelevant as I'd had all four wheels off the circuit.
When I arrived at the Esses, I tried to get through quickly - it was effectively a practice run. Sadly, I found the limits of adhesion were somewhat lower than I had planned and I was off again. Rachel Horgan managed to catch me mid-spin for your viewing pleasure...
On returning to the pits, I found my car covered and full of mud - but I still had two runs to take...
My second timed run was just an opportunity to get round the circuit. It wasn't remotely competitive but at least I had a time. In the end, I ended up 13th. A disappointing day - but a massive learning experience.
Rick Wilson should be thanked for the top set of pics - Rach can be scowled at for getting the picture of me spinning. A link to her website can be found here and is well worth a look.
Another note on the day was that our friends Claire and Ian (as well as my Mum and Dad) joined myself and my ever-present wife. In suffering the wet for my cause, I thank all of them. For continuing to put up with the grumpy bloke in the driving seat, everyone should know I love my wife very much...!
Proof from this picture taken by my Dad...
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