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Brands Hatch- Oct 19 - (Race 17
LAST RACE OF THE SEASON.) |
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Well the final race at Brands Hatch
was going to decide who came 2, 3, 4,
5 and 6th in the championship. 5 out
of the top 6 places were not safe. I
could loose 2nd to Aaran or Kaz.
I had worked out that if I finished
third in the race, regardless of what
anyone else did, that would secure 2nd
in the overall championship.
Therefore, I knew what I must do.
Testing went very well. I was
actually the quickest person during
testing with a 50.57 lap. This was the
quickest I had ever gone around Brands
Hatch and was less then 0.01 off the
lap record. The only thing that went
wrong in testing was that the gear
lever snapped in my hand. Again, lucky
it happened in testing and not the
race. That is what testing is for.
Onto Friday and qualifying. There
were 17 starters in our race, so
qualifying was very busy. Brands is a
small track and it was hard to get in
three laps without coming across a
back marker. I therefore struggled to
get into a rhythm. However, I went
quicker than in testing with a 50.4.
This broke the lap record and I
though that would get me near the
front.
When qualifying finished, the top
five were covered by 0.2 of a second.
I had qualified 5th. The top six had
all beaten the lap record from last
year!. Damiam secured his first pole
of the year, followed by Hideto, Kaz,
Aaran, Me and Ben making up the top
six. It was going to be a very tight
race!
With Damiam taking the point for
pole this meant Kaz could no longer
get second off me. Aaran needed to win
the race and me finish 4th for Aaran
to steel 2nd. However, Aaran had
qualified 4th, just in front of me, so
my plan for the race was simple. Just
stick close to Aaran, if he made a
move, I would. I was going to take no
risks and push to the front, I wanted
to secure 2nd in the championship, so
to do this I had to work my way up to
third, or stay one position behind
Aaran. So I knew what I was going to
do.
The weather was excellent on
Saturday for the race, so everyone was
looking forward to a tight race. The
race was only 10 laps, so there was
very little time to get to the front.
So when the green lights came on I
got a good start and tucked in behind
Aaran. Aaran was desperate to move up
the field. Kaz was in 2nd in the race
so could take third off him (in the
championship) and he also wanted to
get 2nd off me. Therefore, he pushed Hideto hard for the first couple of
laps and made it past him on the 4th
lap. I therefore, also pressured
Hideto and made it past him on about
lap 5 and resumed my position right
behind Aaran (I was now in 4th), thus
securing 2nd in the championship. The
top 5 were nose to tail until lap 8.
Kaz and Damiam battle hard the entire
race for 1st and 2nd. Damiam came out
the eventual winner of that battle.
Aaran, on lap 8 had tucked up behind
Kaz with me following right behind.
Aaran then made a mistake on the last
corner and spun. I could not believe
it I thought I was going to hit him
again!. However, I managed to swerve
out of the way. This now meant I was
3rd with a lap to go. Damiam and Kaz
had pulled open a lead, because I had
to break and swerve to miss Aaran. I
therefore, settle for third and
cruised the last lap ensuring I made
no mistakes.
I was very pleased with the result.
I achieved what I set out to do in the
race. Keeping it simple, and being
patient paid off.
Damiam secured his first win of the
season. Driving brilliantly from
the front and defending at all times,
it was a super and very determined
drive to finish the season for Damiam.
Kaz came second, myself was third,
Jonny Potts forth, Hideto fifth with
Aaran making up the top six.
This meant I secured, 2nd and Kaz
piped Aaran to 3rd in the
Championship.
Overall I have exceeded my goals
for this year. With this year being my
first ever year in any form of circuit
racing I am very pleased. I achieved
11 podium finishes (more than anyone
else in our championship), three wins,
three fastest laps, two pole
positions, and learnt
so much.
I am very confident for the future
and look forward to next season, what
every I may be racing!
I must say a big thank you to
everyone that has been coming to watch
this year. Your support has been much
appreciated. You were definitely the
loudest!!!!
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Silverstone Sept 15 (Race
16) |
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Firstly,
congratulations must go to Hideto who
secured the BRDC Championship at the
weekend with one race to go. Hideto
has driven well all season and I wish
him best for the future.
Well the weekend for me was another
bad one. My luck in the last quarter
of the season has been very bad and it
certainly continued at Silverstone.
Qualifying went well and I qualified
4th with a 1 minute 2.59. Jonny Potts
was 3rd, with Hideto second and Aaran
on pole with a 1 minute 2.2. I was
only .2 seconds off the pace and was
confident I could have won the race.
Kaz had car problems and had to join
the grid in last place behind all the
Zeus cars. Damiem was 5th followed by
Rob, Chris and Ben Elliot.
My tactics for the race was to get
past Jonny as soon as possible and
then see what developed between Aaran
and Hideto up front. However the plan
was destroyed, literally on lap one.
I got a good start and sat behind
Jonny. Going up the back straight
approaching Brooklands I was very
close to Jonny who was close to Hideto.
Hideto had got a good exit from the
second corner, got a tow off Aaran and
pulled along side Aaran. Aaran must
not have seen Hideto and he edged
across the circuit squeezing Hideto.
Hideto eased off but as he did clipped
Aarans back left wheel. Aarans car
veered right and hit the concrete wall
just 1 metre to the right. The impact
was immense, he must have hit the wall
at over 115mph. Aarans car span back
on the track with debris and car parts
flying everywhere. Hideto made it
through and Jonny was hit on the
helmet by a flying wheel but managed
to carry on. I was doing over 115mph
and all I could see was car parts and
debris everywhere. I just kept my foot
on the accelerator and hoped I could
drive through. However, I don't know
what it was, something hit my car (it
felt like a massive impact), the car
suddenly span and then something hit
my helmet. I went spinning out of
control with no front left corner of
the car and ended up in the gravel
trap. Behind me Rob could not avoid
Aarans spinning car and hit him flat
out whilst the rest of the pack had
slowed down enough to avoid the
accident.
I found my self in the car with the
fire extinguisher going off. I turned
the engine off, jumped out and was
greeted by a marshal who helped me to
the tyre wall. Rob was on the wall as
well with a damaged ankle and Aaran
had made it out of his car but
collapsed.
When the race restarted I had know
idea what went on. I had to go to the
medical centre and be observed for
half an hour. This was because my
helmet was dented and they wanted to
monitor me for concussion.
Aaran and Rob were not as lucky. Rob
had to go to hospital for X-rays on
his ankle. Luckily I have heard that
it was just badly bruised. Aaran had
very bad concussion and had to spend
the night in hospital and has also
badly bruised his knee. I have spoken
to his Dad today and he is well and
said he wants to get back racing.
Both Rob and Aarans cars were write
offs and mine needs a hell of amount
of work.
With regards to the race, Kaz won it
driving from the back off the pack
beating Damiem who finished second
with Jonny Potts in third (borrowing a
helmet following the first crash
because his helmet was written off as
well).
I am very disappointed about the race
but happy no one was more seriously
injured. I am a bit annoyed that I now
need to buy a new helmet!
What does all this mean. Well Hideto
has secured the win, but second can
still be taken by me, Aaran or even
now Kaz!.
On to the Formula Ford Festival at
Brands Hatch on the 19 October for the
last round of the season. I am glad
Silverstone was not the last round
because to finish with a crash like
that would have been disappointing.
On Monday, every bone and muscle in my
body ached from the impact. I did not
know I had so many muscles in my body,
but I can feel everyone at the moment!
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Snetterton Sep 7/8 (Race 14
& 15) |
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Snetterton at the weekend was a
story of two recovery drives following
poor qualifying sessions.
Qualifying for round 14 and the race
was on Saturday and qualifying and the
race for round 15 was on the Sunday.
Saturday was Sunny, Sunday was heavy
rain.
Qualifying for Saturday began well,
but on lap three, all of the drive
belts disintegrated on my car meaning
that the oil pump stopped working. I
noticed and eased the car to the pits
but by the time I had got back to the
pits the engine was scrap. Shame
because this engine had only done one
race. This left me in trouble, I had
to sit out the rest of qualifying and
I had not put in a flying lap at all.
In the end I qualified 8th, with Kaz,
Hideto and Aaran making up the top
three.
The mechanics then had a mad rush on
to replace my engine before the race.
Thankfully they finished with
literally a minute to go. Well done to
them all for working so well under
pressure.
So onto Saturdays race. Following the
warm up lap, we formed on the grid
only for the start to be delayed due
to an engine oil leak from Hidetos
car. He had to be pushed off the grid
and could not race. So I now only had
six people to overtake in order to
win! When the race started I got a
reasonable start, but did not gain any
places. I then went for it like a bat
out of hell. By lap three I was in
fifth and approaching Damien. By lap
four I was past into forth and then
third on the same lap. On lap five I
began to close in on Kaz in second. By
this time Aaran had had a great start,
taken the lead into the first corner
and was about three seconds ahead of
Kaz. On lap five I begun to get real
close to Kaz and we were also closing
in on Aaran. I was going to get past
Kaz but then the race was red flagged
due to a stranded car on the back
straight. The race was not restarted
and finished on lap 6. I had to settle
for third. Third was all I could of
hoped for at the start but if it had
gone the distance you never know what
would have happened (I also got
fastest lap of the race after a big
tow down the back straight by two cars
in front of me).
Sunday was a similar story. I had a
nightmare in qualifying. Just as
qualifying was about to begin the
heavens opened. This is what I wanted
because I fancied a wet race. I don't
know why because I have never raced in
a wet race and boy was it a shock.
Anyway, in qualifying by the second
corner my helmet had completely fogged
up and I could hardly see a thing.
And then, when I came to adjust my
brakes down the back straight in order
to cope with the wet conditions, I
found that my brake adjuster was
jammed all the way forward so that all
my brake bias was at the front. Two
fundamental errors on my behalf, not
ensuring that my helmet would be okay
for wet racing and then not checking
the brake adjuster prior to a wet
qualifying session. Anyway, I was
about 8 seconds off the pace and once
again had to settle for 8th on the
grid (the front three were made up of
Hideto, Damian and Kaz).
Prior to the race we tapped my helmet
open just enough to let air in so that
it would not fog up and ensured that
the mechanics had overhauled my brake
adjuster - and what a difference
having brakes adjusted correctly makes
in the wet. Again it was raining hard
when the race began. When the green
light came on, seven cars in front of
me went for it and it was incredible.
It was like having a bucket of water
thrown in your face constantly. I
could not see a thing. I eased my self
into the first corner only to catch a
glimpse of three spinning cars going
off the track. I could make out one or
two cars in front of me but did not
know my position. Before the first lap
was up the red flags were out and the
race had to be restarted due to the
1st corner crash. Unfortunately, you
line back up in your original grid
positions, this was a shame because I
was actually in forth following the
crash. The only person not to make it
out of the gravel was Chris Ware. This
was a real shame because he was doing
really well in the wet during
qualifying and had hopes of a good
race. Aaran, Chris and a Zeus driver
were involved in the crash. Aaran made
it back to the starting grid along
with the Zeus driver.
So the second restart and the race now
would only be 9 laps - It was still
raining! The green lights came on and
again I was soaked by the cars in
front. We all eased round the first
corner and then the racing began. It
was so hard to overtake because when
you got close to the car in front you
just could not see anything but spray.
For the first lap I just got used to
seeing very little and then up the
finishing straight on lap one I made
my first overtaking manoeuvre. I don't
know who I overtook because I could
hardly see the car. This built my
confidence up and I then went for
the rest of the pack. By mid way I was
up into forth. I could see Kaz and
Damien in second and third and Hideto
had pulled open a big lead from those
two chasing. Aaran had had a slow
puncture following the crash at the
beginning and was by now limping
around at the back of the pack, trying
to finish to get a point. He did a
good job, because he did finish in
10th (not last) even with a puncture
in the wet. On lap seven I span coming
out of the first corner, however I did
a 360, kept my foot on the gas and did
not loose a place and lost only 1/2 a
second on Kaz and Damien (it would
have looked very impressive, but I can
assure you there was a lot of luck
because when I span I had no control
and I just ended up pointing in the
right direction by shear luck alone).
In the final laps I closed on Kaz, by
this time Damien was doing really well
and began to pull away in second.
However with just two laps to go,
Damien made a mistake and span at
Sear, thus letting me and Kaz through.
I tried for the final laps to get past
Kaz, but thought that third was a very
good result from 8th in the wet and
decided not to take any chances. So I
crossed the line in third just 1/2
second behind Kaz with Hideto some 8
seconds in front of us.
Overall the weekend was about
consistency. Two thirds for me, a win
an no finish for Hideto and a win and
10th place for Aaran keeps the
championship open. For me or Aaran to
win it now, one of us would have to
win the remaining two races with
Hideto not finishing. However, you
never know in motorsport. Kaz scored
his forth 2nd place in a row and has
moved up to pressure for third and
second, so by the end of the season
you never know what the table will
look like.
So its Silverstone next and then Brands Hatch for
the last race of the season in
October.
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team e-know
