Race Calendar & Results

This was always going to be a busy weekend with the practice for the GT Cup and qualifying for the heritage on Friday.  Qualifying for the GT Cup and the first race for both series was on Saturday and then both second races on Sunday.  To add to the complications, on both Sat and Sun the 2 races were back to back so literally stop in the pit lane, exit the GT4 and run around the corner to get in the V8.

GT Cup

Free practice 1 - the first time in the GT4 since last autumn.  Left hand drive and modern - the brakes and steering especially being very different from the historics!  Over the winter Roger had even added air con!  My best time was 1.5 seconds behind Will Goff's identical car.  In second free practice I improved a bit and indeed was quicker than Will, but this proved illusory when qualification came around. 

On lap 2 I was punted off the track by a Ferrari - into the gravel and stuck - I thought my session was over and the back of the grid beckoned.  However they sent out the safety car so that I could be 'rescued' and thus got back to the pits.

All this lost much of the session, so I only managed a handful of quick laps - not enough to get used to the parellis - new for this years GT Cup.  The result was a poor qualifying time some 2.7 seconds behind Will's time. 

Race 1

My poor qualifying meant I started in 33rd place!  I made up one place on lap 2, then 2 on lap 3, and 2 more on lap 4.  The next 2 places took 3 laps where I stayed stuck behind a Ferrari and a Lotus until my last lap when I gained another 2 places.  All this meant I ended up 24th - 9 places gained but more importantly 2nd in class with the fastest lap in our class.  Will had started 8 places ahead of me but finished just 2 places ahead - progress was being made in our little competition!  Despite the 3rd member of the Stratton Motor Co. Equipe - Matt in his Lotus modifying my bodywork half way through the race! 

Race 2

In the GT Cup ones second best qualifying lap determines second race start position, so it was also a poor 30th.  The race itself was a non event.  Just 7 laps in total of which only the first, second and seventh were at race speed - 2 to 6 were under the safety car because of a high speed crash and a crash on the 7th lap in the same place caused the race to be red flagged.   There was no time to settle into any rhythm so in class terms I started 3rd and finished 3rd.

GT Cup

Practice 1: 24th in 1.42.024

Practice 2: 28th in 1.40.979

Qualifying: 33rd in 1.40.935 (137.1 kph)

Race 1: 24th in 17.00.059 - Best Lap: 1.38.486 (135.7 kph) 2nd in Class

Race 2: 28th in 15.44.393 - Best Lap: 1.41.282 (131.6 kph) 3rd in Class

Heritage

Qualifying on Friday was as always hectic.  Because of the back to back situation with my GT Cup Races I decided the 2 man 40 minute race on Sunday might be better if I had a co-driver, so I co-opted Boysie Thurtle - who knows the V8 and how to win!  In qualifying I managed 1.42.260 and Boysie bettered it with 1.41.704 on the last lap to keep us in 3rd place on the grid.

Race 1 - Single Driver

A rolling start and Andy led into Paddock Hill Bend, and I managed to sneak through behind him to take second from Boysie in the Camaro.  Normal service was however soon restored as Boysie powered past me down the back straight!

The front 2 were having a real ding dong battle and I had the best view from just astern!  On lap 4 the safety car boards appeared and then were withdrawn, as Andy led the field back towards Clearways he came up behind a slower tail end car - chaos then ensued.  The rules state no overtaking even if green flags are being waived until you cross the start line.  Andy therefore believed we all had to keep behind this car until we got to the start line, I think/thought he was correct.  As he slowed Boysie went to overtake, Andy waived his hand out of the window, Boysie thought he meant come by, so he did and then about half a dozen others followed!!  Andy and I stayed behind the slower car until we crossed  the line, both expecting all the others to end up with drive through penalties or disqualification. 

As we crossed the line and set off after the others Andy was 4th and I was 6th as John Dickson edged his Ram Cobra ahead of me over the line, but I held the line into Paddock so back to 5th.  A bit of work and I was past Alec Hammonds Camaro.  Andy spun on lap 9 which left Boysie leading with the very quick Talbot Sunbeam Lotus keeping me in 3rd place.  To add to his woes, Andy hit oil on the last lap and left the track at high speed, causing considerable damage to his car, but fortunately not to himself.

Race 2

As my GT Cup race was immediately before the Heritage Race we agreed Boysie would start.  A rolling start saw the Talbot Lotus take the lead with Boysie in the Aston on his tail.  After 8 laps Boysie came in from 2nd for our pit stop and after a very good driver change I emerged in 5th place.  On lap 2 (unknown to me) the Talbot expired and I found myself lapping back markers but no one quick in sight in front or behind - I wasn't sure where I was, but the exhortations from the pit wall indicated I should press on.  There was by now oil on the track so I adopted a slightly cautious approach as the clock ticked down.  On lap 23 I was pleasantly surprised to have the chequered flag waived at me!  Another win for the Aston.  Ever more pleasing was when I saw my best lap of the weekend was 1.40.008 and Boysies was 1.40.102.

Heritage

Qualifying: me in 1.42.260 (3rd)

Qualifying: Boysie in 1.41.407 (3rd)  131.1kph, top speed 212 kph

Race 1: 2nd in Class, 3rd overall in 18.25.566 (120.6 kph) 

Best Lap: 1.40.008 (133.3 kph)

Race 2: 1st in Class, 1st overall in 40.49.720 (125.2kph)

Best Lap: 1.40.102 (133.2kph)

+ Shortest pitstop in 42.345 seconds