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.