Race Calendar & Results

Spa - 6 Hour Race Meeting

 

The big event to finish off the season.  Once again disappointment that my MK11 Jaguar was still not ready to race, some 3 months after it was due!

 

However I had entered the E Type for the 6 hour headline race and in place of the MK11 in the Cloth Cap/Top Hat 1 Hour Race.  The V8 Aston was entered for second year in Barrie Sidery Smiths British Sprint & Saloon Car 1 Hour Race. 

 

On Thursday free practice was interesting with a real multitude of cars on the track. 

 

Spa is truly a splendid place to race.  The track is 7 kilometers long with 2 very fast straights (one of which actually has a bend in it) a new shape 'busstop' S bend and a couple of hairpin bends.  On top of that the track rises and falls significantly.  There are lots overtaking opportunities and even more places to get it wrong and leave the track for a hard barrier or a gravel trap.

 

The 6 Hour Race

 

Qualifying

was on Friday.  My co driver John Bussell went out first and achieved a time of which I did not better and so at the end of the session we found ourselves in 12th place on the grid, a creditable performance out of the 85 cars entered.

 

The Race

Our plan was for me to start, drive for 2 hours, hand over to John to refuel and drive for 2 hours, hand back to me to refuel for the second time, drive for an hour before handing back over to John for the final hour.

 

Like many plans it didn't happen like that!  As we came to the end of the green flag lap and the red lights went out to signify the start of the race everyone floored their accelerators.  Unfortunately at that moment my accelerator cable decided to break and I was left with an engine in tickover only.  Concious of 70 odd cars heading rapidly towards the back of my slowing car I pulled off the track pronto! 

 

The stewards insisted I leave the car or go outside the concrete barriers.  There I remained for 3 or 4 laps before I was allowed back to the car (without assistance) to try and get it going.   Fortunately I was able to increase the tickover enough to be able to pull away, uphill on the grass and get to the top/outside of La Source hairpin.  Here I waited for a gap in the traffic before attempting to cross to the inside of the track and enter the pits.  Even that was fraught as one competitor thought it a good idea to cut inside me at the last moment!

 

Once in the pits Ted and Paul set to in an effort to make and fit a replacement throttle cable.  By the time they had finished and I pulled out of the pits to begin our race we were 15 laps or some 45 minutes behind everyone else.  After 1 hour 45 minutes the in board was showing so in I came now up from 85th to 69th.  John took the car to refuel and then rejoined.  He pulled back another 10 places with some excellent laps.  By this time we heard the race (which had started late) was going to finish after 5 hours. 

 

This meant a recalculation of fuel used and needed.  We decided we did not need to refuel (hopefully) so John came in, now in the dark, and I took over for the final stint. 

 

My times in the dark were not as quick as the very consistent 3.07 and 3.08's I had done earlier, but nevertheless at the end of the race we had moved up another 10 places to 47th. 

 

All in all a reasonable result considering the problems at the start.  With the lost 15 laps it is possible we would have been in the top 10.  That would have been a result!! 

 

Along the way we learnt a lot about the car which I hope will make it more competitive next year.  Plus, it showed how important team work is and Roger Bennington's gang did an excellent job.  I would also thank the Cooke family manned the pit wall throughout, keeping tabs on times, signals and lots of other essentials.

 

Qualifying: 12th in 2.57.244

Result: 47th in 4.53.12.633

73 laps completed at an average of 104.626 kph and a best lap of 3.03.554 or 137.368kph

 

Top Hat/Cloth Cap

 

Qualifying

This was a 1 hour, 2 driver race run on period 'm' tyres.  I would drive the hour on my own.  We put an old set of m's on for qualifying and only intended to do the minimum, so as not to exhaust the car before the 6 hour race.  The tyres were not good and produced a lot of wheel wobble which meant a slow time, which resulted in qualifying 36th out of 75.

 

The Race

A rolling start without any problems but a couple of places gained.  At one stage I was up to 15th but the compulsory pit stop and a safety car.  Intervention meant a final place of 21st.

 

Qualifying: 36th in 3.20.959 @ 125.470kph

Result: 21st in 1.03.08.863, 17 laps

Best lap: 3.07.129 @ 134.743 kph

 

British Sports GT and Sallon Challenge

 

This race, organised by Barrie Sidery Smith, always attracts a strong field, this year some 75 cars.  2 years ago I finished 14th, last year 7th, so I had hopes of a podium finish.

 

Qualifying was on Saturday morning and as always a busy track.  It felt quite quick and indeed turned out to be so at 2.54.442 which put me in second place behind a Lister Jaguar.

 

The Race

Much pressure being on the front row!  The rolling srat went ok with the Lister Jaguar powering away from La Source into an early lead with me second and Roy Stephenson in Pete Foster's DB4 picking up one place from Ian McCallum's DB5.  The gap between the Lister Jag and I settled down and after a handful of laps the Foster DB4 fell back a bit. 

 

Just before half way the Lister Jag pulled out with engine problems.  The next excitement was a safety car so I dived into the pits for my compulsory stops (no driver change for me).  On returning to the track the safety car was still out and eventually they found me and the train fell in line astern.  This meant my substantial lead being reduced.  I could see Pete Foster's DB4 just 5 cars behind me. 

 

At the restart I managed to open up a little breathing space and whilst aware of a ram cobra reducing the gap I was confident (ish) I only had to keep going steadily to take my first win at Spa, and so it transpired. 

 

A thoroughly excellent way to end a great weekend.

 

Qualifying: 2nd in 2.54.442 @ 144.543kph

Result: 1st in 1.03.42.039

19 laps

Best lap: 2.53.596 @ 145.248kph