|
|
||
|
|||
|
|
||
|
Snetterton July 31st/August 1st 2010. Test day and qualifying. After a long break after Brands Hatch it was finally back on the circuit for Snetterton for the next two rounds. We went out in the first session and spent half of the first session running in the differential that had been replaced.Then we were back up to racing speed and making changes to find the optimum car set up. Before qualifying started it had been raining and the track was pretty wet. Prior to that there were some other cars that had gone out for qualifying and a dry line was slowly forming and we decided to got out on slicks and take the chance but the team were ready with wets in case the weather changed. I went out and set the second fastest lap within 10 minutes. I knew that I had to try and get pole position and going into turn 1 I went into the corner 10 miles an hour quicker than I had done previously. Unfortunately the left rear wheel hit a damp patch and it sent me sliding off the track and the car stopped in the infield and the engine stopped and I was unable to restart it therefore ending my qualifying session. In the next five minutes the track temperature warmed up enough for several drivers to improve on their times and the time that I had initially set plummeted down to 7th fastest for the first race and 8th fastest for the second race. Both races were to take place on the Sunday. Race 1 We did not make any changes to the race set up as we were happy with the way the car handled and performed. On the warm up lap I was trying to get some heat into the tyres, especially the rears, to help with my start . In doing this I unknowingly over heated the clutch and this caused it to slip so when the lights went out I dropped from my 7th position on the grid to 10th. It took half a lap for the clutch to cool and come back in and I was then able to go about getting positions back on the track. On each lap I managed to get a position back until I was up to fifth.I caught Jon Gray and it took a couple of laps to find a way past him. I was then chasing Mark Harrison who was in third place. Each lap I was getting closer and watching the Pit boards. Harrison was visibly getting closer and the gap came down to 1.5 seconds. Unfortunately Chris Willie had spun on the circuit and as his car was in a dangerous position the race was red flagged and stopped. I finished in fourth place. Race 2 I wanted to avoid the mistake I had made in the first race so warmed my tyres as best as I could without damaging the clutch. The lights went out and this time I managed to make one of my more characteristic fast starts and by the second corner I had moved up from 8th to 4th place. I was already trying to get on the back of Mark Harrison who was also hanging on to Chris Needham and Alex Craven. The four of us had opened up a small lead.About half way through the race I could see Alex side by side with Chris Needham at the end of the back straight and then side by side going through Bomb Hole. At that point Alex’s car speared off the track into the tyre wall and then Chris Needham’s car slowed down. Mark Harrison and I both went past him, promoting me to second place, following Mark Harrison who had taken the lead. Knowing I was now in second place I knew that I had to win and I spent the next three laps trying to find a way past Mark. Coming out of Sear Corner I got alongside him and we raced side by side at 150 mph until I managed to out brake him and take the lead. Unfortunately I was carrying too much speed for the next corner, went wide and Mark retook the lead and opened up a small gap. Half a lap later the Marshalls flagged that a pace car would be deployed thus slowing everyone down. This allowed me to close the gap to Mark and gave me another chance to try and take the lead from Mark again once the pace car went in. We had been behind the pace car for 3 laps when I noticed that Chris Needham was behind me so I then had two tasks - to try and manoeuvre into a passing position on Mark whilst defending my position against Chris Needham. The lights went out on the pace car and I was glued behind Mark Harrison prepared to make a move on him at the end of the straight when I noticed Needham coming alongside. I had to move out to defend my position and this took me off the racing line onto the dirty side of the track causing my car to spin off. I managed to keep the engine going and got back on the track. With only 2 laps to go until the race end this meant I finished the race in a very disappointing fifth place. After the race had finished I found out that Needham had been 5 laps down on Harrison and me and should not have been contending for my position. My defence manoeuvre that resulted in me dropping from 2nd to fifth had therefore been unnecessary and I had lost the opportunity to fight Harrison for a second race win this season. It was very frustrating to have lost this opportunity for a second win due to an illegal move made by another driver. Despite the disappointment I am looking forward to the next round at Rockingham on August 29th/30th and the opportunity to challenge for further race wins. |
|||
| HOME | BIO | BRSCC F3 Cardinus | NEWS | SPONSORS | PHOTO GALLERY | CONTACT | |||
| Tel No. 07870 272603 | Web design: Aone Scanning Bureau | ||
|
|
|
|