Snetterton Race Report - WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

On the startline for the race I had a nice clear view in front. Just 3 class A cars would start in front of me. I got a goodish start, holding my position in class but Paul Haynes (class A) had a really good start from behind me and was in front before the first corner. I kept on his tail for the first 2 laps, making use of his tow but being held up through the corners. My car seems to be really good now on the start of the each race. I think I need to analyse that a little, maybe adding in a little compromise to aid pace towards the end.


Paul Rogers overtook at the back straight on lap 3 and we ran together for just over a lap until he missed a gear on the down changes into the Esses and I passed between there and the bomb hole as he was in 4th not 2nd. That short time with Paul actually seemed much longer, I had to look at the final results listing to see the positions on each lap, strange. Dad has an excellent picture of me and Paul running very close through Corum, Paul slightly off the apex by just over a cars width. I will upload this later but for now here is a low quality version from my camera. We are traveling at over 100mph and fully committed (a way of describing being at or more likely just over the limit of grip in an unstable state of control without freaking out loved ones!) From the picture you can see that I had a clear view though the corner on the inside of Paul and I actually looked at going up the inside but the thought of taking Paul out and the wrath of his wife made me air on the side of sensible for once. After Paul slipped back John Cutmore was less than half a second behind me, making good use of the slipstream, a very good engine and longer gearing to just walk up to my tail and two laps later he was past on the back straight. For the next four laps we ran nice and close, again with me dropping back a little on the straight (I was on the limiter for a good 4 or 5 seconds at the end of the back straight as John pulled away) and then I just about managed to reduce the subsequence gap back up through the corners. In fact on lap 7 I managed a 1:18.09, my fastest lap at Snetterton ever with the aid of some concentration to keep it smooth and a nice tow from John. Coming around Corum and into Russells on lap 9, John and I found Judi mid corner running at a rather slower pace. John headed for the inside of the corner, flying over the off track dirt and I just had to wait for Judi to get on the power as she was right on the second apex as I arrived. This knocked a good 1.5seconds off our lap and John Goodwin made the most of it. Our slower run out onto the start/finish straight meant that John could just drive straight past John Cutmore and I into turn 1.


And then there were three. For the next four laps we ran in a pack having lots of fun. Not quite as manic as the race here earlier in the season when there were five of us and it was very hard for me to run in front for any length due to running out of revs each lap. I decided to sit behind the two Johns and wait till later in the race for my attack. I learnt back in April when we first came to Snetterton that you just need to be in the front pack and then it all comes down to the last lap. In fact by this time and probably because I had put in some very quick laps tucked in behind John Cutmore, my engine was rather hot. All I could see on the main display of the DigiDash was the warning for Oil temperature, in fact the water temp was close to the warning point as well. The fact that I had to keep in the slipstream to keep up with the two Johns was not helping much but I did reduce the temperature a bit by short-shifting. Looking back at the race I think it was more physiological for me though as the telemetry does not show much of a drop off in the revs! Lap 13 and it was getting rather heated between the two Johns, there was tyre smoke, dust and some rather interesting lines / slides. Sometimes you just get the impression something strange this way comes. Low and behold going into Turn 1, John Goodwin is on the inside and gets the first Apex, while John Cutmore ran on the outside at what looks like an unaltered pace for which you need to be on the right line. John C gets a slide as he continues to brake into the corner and heads nose first towards the apex of the corner, 90degs to the direction of travel and straight into the side of Mr Goodwin. They both at this point head out of view of my in-car video as they fly across the grass on the inside. John Goodwin getting some serious air man.

His landing unfortunately makes a real mess of his bonnet and ends his race whilst John Cutmore continues on. At this point with waved Yellows everywhere I think to myself, can I pass John as he recovers or not? So I wait for him to get back up to speed and anticipating his lack of grip after being off track, I just let him spin on the next corner and off I go. Unfortunately by this time I had lost almost 4 seconds. So 2 laps to go and there is less than a second back to a fast charging Chris Seaman. Oh did I mention my front tyres were well past it and giving me understeer through the bomb-hole and Corum? I really should have swapped onto the other set before the race. So with Chris catching up quickly I need a little lift on entry for Corum each lap to setup the cars attitude to reduce understeer, not normal behavior for such a fast corner. Penultimate lap was not too bad but by the end of the last lap I was in need of some defending so I went in careful and slow to the last run through Russells to make sure that Chris could not get back on the throttle before I did and it was then just a straight drag race up to the line. After 21 and a half minutes I had won my 2nd official race of 2006. Yeeee Haaaaa.

What I had not mentioned before was that I just needed to get 2nd place or higher finished in the race to get third place in class C in the championship. Now that was not part of the plan for the year I can tell you. Just as much a surprise to me was that I also came away with 4th place overall in the championship.

Sorry for the length of this post but I am writing it sat on a 10hour transatlantic flight so there is plenty of time! Its actually been quite a good flight, what with the opportunity to sit back and think about an excellent way to finish the season, my first season. I have also enjoyed some good music, ranging from TBC, though Spring Harvest 2000, a few podcasts, The Kaiser Chiefs and even some of Joaquin Phoenix from the Soundtrack ‘Walk the Line’. Interspersed of course with some articles from Evo and Car magazine, of specific interest are the reviews of the new Lotus Europa and many thanks from Paul over the road for the opportunity to see the car in the flesh (or should that be Ali and GRP) just before it was delivered to Mr Clarkson! I also had the chance to start reading Rob Lacey’s ‘the Liberator’; a paraphrased modern language of Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels version in the style of a novel with some ‘Don’t Like This?” commentary and chat show type interviews with key people. I’m only a few chapters in but if you have never read the bible before, read it so many times it has become a little dry for you or just don’t ‘get’ the language then give this a go, you won’t regret it.

Season Finale : Snetterton Qualify

A home race for the last of the season. A track that I know very well although every time I go there I come away thinking I need to improve through Russells and this would be no exception. Last time out I managed pole in class for both races, a 5th after a spin trying to get the lead and in the second race a win which was to be disallowed after the reverse gearbox failed to work. My aid for this race, well that’s simple, repeat of the last time (well qualify and 2nd race anyway!) without being disqualified. My racing has definitely improved since we were at Snetterton last, which amazing to think back now was only my 2nd and 3rd ever race. Unfortunately I have not had a successful test at Snetterton since then, with a couple of aborted ones due to mechanical issues or work commitments. In addition to that the rest of the top drivers have improved and the car at Donington was definitely not on the pace of the others. I think I had sorted out the top end with the refitting of the airbox seals but with no opportunity to test it, all would become evident in qualifying.

We turned up to Snetterton with an OK’ish forecast (you can see the sky in the phot at the top of this post) and a few missing from the normal front group. Mike would not be running due to the rather large accident with Paul Haynes at Donington and Tim would sit out the race as he tried to sell his car which was sporting a very shiny new skin of purple. A welcome return however would be Chris Seaman, back from his model jet flying, and ready to put us under pressure if last years end to the season would show us.

I decided to run the normal set of fronts just in case the race turned wet, kept the suspension as per normal (have not changed this since Pembrey last I think!) and headed out right behind Paul. As per my normal style, straight on it and passed a few on the first lap. A couple of laps later and I had some clear space and worked on refreshing my mind on the lines and understanding the current grip levels, oh and tweaking the brake bias to suite the heavy breaking into the Essess. I like that corner! Balance felt good, as long as I got the drain for the bombhole and I was able to run a nice tight line, full throttle in 5th through Corum. The first couple of laps focused my attention a little through there as the exit strip appeared a little quicker than I remembered but after a while you learn to focus on the entrance to Russells and no the edge of the track. In the race this is even easier as you just focus through the corner and to the inside of any other cars, that way hiding the left edge of the circuit completely. Self preservation comes in many themes, denial being one of them! Oh and some added pressure in the form of my parents watching. No big accidents today please Derek.
As I said, the car was feeling good and although it was much much better than Donington, it was still not pulling the top end of 6th cleanly and I was a fail few mph down on my previous. Anyway I put in some very low 1:20’s which was at least somewhere near the front but then I always do my fast laps right at the end so I was not too worried. Then a very interesting and nice surprise happened when Paul caught me up and power past. Excellent I thought so I grabbed into the tow and off we went, Pauls lines improved a little as the laps went on, or more like as his confidence grew and the times came down. Paul was obviously quicker down the straight and I was a little quicker through the corners so the gap grew down the straight, although I kept most the slipstreaming effect and then I reduced the gap through the corners. I have to say at this point that I was very impressed and loved every minute of running nose to tail with Paul. He is the main reason why I went race this year, well maybe not reason but more the main reason why I did not say to myself this is a stupid, expensive idea that I will not be any good at. He won’t like me saying this in public I am sure but he has a very smooth style just lacks that lunatic side I have for running over the limit all the time! With some new found confidence in the car balance after running stiffer spring he is now making big strides in performance. Excellent fun as I said. Penultimate lap of qualifying, 1:19.44 and the last, well a 1:18.56 to take pole in class and 6th overall.

In between the qualify session and the race, which was to be a 18min and thankfully we remembered to add some fuel to the normal amounts, I swapped over to an ECU specific to the RRV I now have installed. It would seem that there was a chance between the RRV and the RRW that I was running before and Andy prediction was that this might have a different top end map to better the suite the changes that Mr Honda made in the different models. We would see.