Author: TJTVEE

Well after the high of having two 3^rd position finishes in class at Brands Hatch in the previous rounds it was the small trip up to Leicestershire for the 3^rd & 4^th Rounds at Mallory Park for the Heritage Parts 2019 Formula Vee Championship.

I have never watched a race at Mallory Park never mind driven round the track (the fastest track the Vees race on it appears) so I was a little concerned.

After arriving early and waiting in a nice queue for the gates to be opened, we entered on to the track and headed into the paddock to get ourselves ready. A quick cup of tea and a track walk with Francis settled the nerves a little bit ready for the following days racing.

Qualifying

The weekend’s race format was a little strange and the paddock had mixed feelings but overall it looked like it could make an interesting event.

We had been separated into two groups for qualifying and this would then determine which Race group (A, B or C) we would be put into. I had been placed into Group 2 and would be qualifying with my teammate.

I headed out onto the track near the back of the group and immediately found myself in traffic and feeling I could go a little faster.  After a couple of laps the red flag came out for a stranded car and we gridded up again. Off we went again and this time I was determined to get clear of the traffic and set some reasonable lap times.

After a few more laps I found I was really enjoying the track and felt quite confident in all corners and could see my lap times were falling. I was a little disappointed when the chequered flag was waved but by then my arms were aching and I was ready for another cup of tea.

With a lap time of 53.34, that meant a pole position for the Group!!!! I was thrilled with that and 13^th in the combine times. Not too shabby for the first time around the track. Placed into Group A with a starting grid slot of 10^th in Race 1 and 9^th in Race 2.

Race 1 (C vs A)

So onto the grid for the first race. It was dry and warm so perfect.

It felt strange being so far up the grid but I liked it.

The lights went out and we were off………………………………

A good start, but by the end of ‘Gerrard’s’ I had already lost the main group and Phil Waterhouse (one of my closest rivals (and good friend) in Class B) was on my gearbox and he then managed to sneak into the inside of the hairpin and get the position. A bit harder driving was needed.

On the next lap the positions were reversed when Phil went wide into the ‘Esses’ and I managed to take back the position before entering the hairpin. I had a small gap to Phil and started to chase Maurice Gloucester and Steve Ough. I didn’t think I would have a chance to pass them but my overall aim was to get close to them or at least keep them in site and keep Phil behind.

After a few consistent laps I had managed to close the gap on Maurice and I had a good run on him into the ‘Esses’ and hairpin which closed the gap right down and for the next lap I was on his gearbox waiting for the right moment. It came entering ‘Gerrards’, I went to the inside at speed and managed to take the position (I was very pleased with my bravery). I increased my lead and saw a couple of cars ahead which I was getting closer too. I came up to the back marker and also a struggling Daniel Hands who I passed on the pit straight.

The final few laps my times increased as the grip levels reduced but I maintained my position comfortably and I finished 7^th overall and obtained a 2^nd in class. My best result yet.

Race 2 (A vs B)

After a slightly longer than usual wait in assembly due to a medical emergency for a spectator we headed out to the grid for the final race of the day. The weather had cooled significantly and the darkening clouds were looming. A few spots of moisture were seen on the visor but by the end of the green flag lap there was no sign of any rain.

The race started well but being on the inside of three cars going down the pit straight I thought backing off was the sensible plan. I stayed behind the group until the entry to the hairpin when Pete Belsey got past me and Colin Gregory. I lost the position to Phil Waterhouse who sneaked down the inside as I had to go around the outside of Colin who I believe was having gearbox issues.

The next lap I stayed behind Phil until I made a small mistake into the ‘Esses’ and I lost momentum and Colin Bell came past. On the approach to the hairpin I could see the yellow storm of my teammate Francis Twyman coming up the inside a little too hot. Luckily both Francis and I took evasive manoeuvres. He did a pirouette to avoid hitting me and I managed to steer away from him for a split second. For me I lost a millisecond but for Francis it lost him a number of places.

I managed to stay with Craig Bell and pass him at ‘Gerrards’ when he went wide and on to the dirty side losing grip. I tried to keep Phil in view up ahead in case he made a mistake and with about three laps remaining coming in to the ‘Esses’ whilst passing a back marker, Phil span and I inherited the position. I held on to this place until the chequered flag.

Another 7^th place and 2^nd in class.

Overall a fantastic day of racing with the best results I have had so far. Over the whole weekend I found myself driving consistent times which I was very delighted with especially being my first time around the track.

Well Anglesey is next (allegedly my local track – 5 hours away) and a track I really enjoyed in 2017 until my engine failed. Let this trophy winning season continue.

Preamble

There was a lot of preamble to this weekend. I collected the Scarab from AHS and was looking forward to driving the car after a 20 month break (mitigated by a generous lend of Francis’ Storm and rental of an AHS’ Challenger). There wasn’t a lot left of the old car so I had a half day test booked on the Friday to refamiliarise myself with the car and understand the changes made.

Testing – or more accurately working out what on earth is going on – was not confidence inspiring. I missed most of the first session as my race wheels fouled the new brake calipers and the time ebbed away as AHS kindly attacked the car with an angle grinder. Neither session was very good with me struggling for grip, trying to get the brakes to work whilst trying to stay out of the way of the incredibly quick F1000 cars which we shared testing with.

Okay, the car ran but I was driving like a muppet. Racing is about confidence and I didn’t have any!

Qualifying

In short, I qualified but I was so far back that I was almost in the next race. Driving rain and hailstones didn’t help the session and my “carefully” was at odds with those who pushed and had the occasional spin but got a couple of good laps in. I failed the strategy test….

The car felt no better.

Race 1

Now dry and with a sticky track, we seemed to have a chance.

I had a stonking start and immediately overtook several cars. Avoiding the corner accident meant I lost those places but, more importantly, the red flag meant a restart.

On for another good start, then. Well, no. A good leap away but selecting fourth instead of second bogged me down and I was dead last and with a few hundred yards to make up. On the up side, the car was now being predictable and I was actually driving it; making space on slower cars on Druids, Graham Hill, Surtees, and Clarke. Getting through Paddock Hill was still hard work as I was still backing off. It was good to finally pass a few cars.

Race 2

Similar to Race 1 and mixing in with some traffic. A slightly better start helped. I was keen to overcome the start issues for the restart and found myself between Alex Jones and the pit wall and defending my space looking for the advantage into Paddock Hill. Alex was unlucky to come up behind a stationary car and his front clipped mine. When I lifted off, his rear then ran over same front and snapped a ball joint pin. We were both a bit unlucky.

The pin was a simple 10 minute fix but without the spares at the circuit, the 10 minutes would be another day.

Summary

A pretty poor weekend but at least the Scarab is running again and there was a glimmer of hope for 5 minutes in race 1. Is this a sound enough foundation to build on? Let’s see.

First of all, so sorry this is 2 months late! August and September have been mares of months for myself. I’ll have to dig in the deep darkest depths of my memory to recount this one! I’ll keep it short but sweet.

I got to Silverstone massively early on Friday 10th August to bed myself in, take in some racing and ensure team TJT had a decent spot in the garages. And I’ve got to say, the garages are top notch – F1 standard and enough space to fit an entire team of Vees in one garage.

Practice

The weather was looking good for the weekend, a touch of rain was forecast for the Sunday but otherwise quite pleasant. The Vees rolled out for practice. With Vaughn in my mirrors heading through Abbey on lap 2, I lost concentration and spun out. Lot’s of run out so not too bad.

After rejoining, low and behold, the bloody engine started dying on me again. Just like at Croft. Stabbing the throttle was all I could do to try and keep her running. I took the decision to go through the pits with each lap in case of a breakdown, I really didn’t want to disrupt the session for the sake of the other drivers.

I did 4 slow laps in total and then decided to come into the garage…phew! That should be enough to barely qualify – a minimum 3 laps are required.

Race 1 position: 29 of 31

Race 2 position: At the very back!

Race 1

The fast sweeping nature of the Silverstone International circuit layout suits the Storm incredibly well! By the end of lap 1 I’d managed to climb 9 places up the order into 20th, things were going swimmingly.

As the race bedded in, lots of tussles ensued between my teammate Vaughn, Ed Lownes, Alex Jones and Neil Aldridge. Ed would eventually get the better of me, and I brought the car home 13 places higher than my starting position. Quite pleased overall.

Result: 16th of 24 finishers.

Race 2

The annual Silverstone BBQ event was marred with rain but that didn’t detract from the deliciousness of the sausages and burgers, huge thanks to the Vee Centre organisers for putting on a delicious spread as always.

We thought we were in for a wet race 2 due to the huge downpour the night before, thankfully the conditions looks ominous but stable. Heading out on the green flag lap we saw specks of rain, but nothing too serious, the track had a surprising amount of grip.

Starting from the back I had it all to do, just one place gained after the start meant things were going in the right direction, perhaps not quite quickly enough!

3 places were gained by the end of lap 1, and I had Peter Cann in the rather classic predator in my sights heading into Farm Curve.

Now….I managed to not spot the yellow flag being waved in the lead up to Village Corner, and by the time I was committed to overtake Peter in the braking zone, double yellows were waved on the apex. It was too late to back out at this point without causing a lockup of the brakes. Drama would ensue as a result of this, but I’ll get onto that later. Back to the race report!

Outbreaking Ian Rea into Stowe followed by a lunge down the inside of Mike Oldknow at Vale saw me climbing up the order.

I eventually caught up with my teammate Vaughn who was suffering from a slipping clutch in 4th gear, his car still had excellent drive out of the corners so he was by no means going at a snail’s pace. This set the stage for an interesting dynamic for 4 laps where I could catch Vaughn on the straights, but fail to make an impact trying to overtake through the corners.

A break from this stalemate came when Vaughn ran slightly wide whilst hunting down Neil Aldridge in the silver AHS Dominator. Myself and Jason Chatten took advantage and slipped past. I managed to pass Jason on the run-down into Vale, but he was filling my mirrors up for quite a while after that. After some dicing I manage to stay ahead and was eyeing up an opportunity to overtake Neil.

My intentions probably didn’t match my talent at that point, and I managed to completely outbrake myself at the crucial overtaking moment! The mistake meant the pack of cars behind me managed to stream past as I rejoined. Nevertheless, I was pleased with the way I drove and also how the car was feeling under me.

Result: 19th of 27 finishers.

Penalty

On the way back to the pits, I was beckoned to the scrutineering area by one of the marshals…Oh s**t I thought! I got out the car and was told to go upstairs and report to the clerk of the course.

On arrival, there was a fair few Formula Vee drivers awaiting to hear their fate aside from me. As I learned later, we were all there for the same reason. Either we were a victim of overtaking under waved yellow flags, or we were one of the perpetrators.

During my inquisition, we were asked to produce our video footage, and from this the clerks were able to ascertain I’d been a naughty boy and had overtaken Peter Cann under yellows. In my defence it did take several reviews of the footage for the clerks to come to this decision, something which a driver only has split seconds to notice at full racing speed.

Due to the infringement of overtaking under yellows I was reprimanded with:

• A disqualification from race 2
• My points from race 2 taken away
• 4 points on my race licence
• The threat of a 4 place grid penalty at the next race

This was by far the heaviest penalty dished out amongst the formula vee drivers, and all because I couldn’t spot this ‘apparently highly visible’ flag at race speed!

Oh well, I still had a cracking weekend, and was itching for more.

I’m really looking forward to coming back to Silverstone next year, hopefully I’ll have a clean run next time and end my bad luck at this circuit. My very first race was at Silverstone, and I managed to get into a DNF tangle with Ian Buxton, and this outing was my second time at the prestigious circuit which ended up in various penalties being sent my way.

But…Donington was just 3 weeks away – time to shut up, get over it, and move on!

So Silverstone went well apart from the slipping clutch. What would Donington be like if I had full power?!

So the small amount of time we had between Silverstone and Donington was eaten away by work and a week away in Pembrokeshire. This meant we only had a grand total of 4 days to take the gearbox off and see if there was a big issue with the clutch. Luckily no big concerns, the clutch was changed and the car put back together and back on the trailer all fuelled up ready for the trip to Donington.

We headed up nice and early and hoping to get to see a bit of racing on the Saturday. All our events were on the Sunday and the paddock we knew would be busy but we thought we would give it a go and see if a space was available. Well blow me down we managed to park up in a nice little area in the paddock, meet up with Francis, watch some racing and as the sun was out we had an ice cream!! A lazy start to the weekend was had.

After the MR2 cars had left the paddock we fully set ourselves up with our neighbours ‘Team Pork Pie’ and we settled in for the night.

So the day started off, we had to get the car through scrutineering then qualifying and after that a drivers briefing. All went well and I managed to qualify 19^th out of 34. The session was a bit messy and a red flag came out. On the restart I managed to get one good lap in which saw a good starting position for Race 1 but a few places lower for Race 2 in 23^rd.

Race 1

After a slight delay on the grid due to the organisers putting the reserve drivers on the grid rather than the pit lane we took our green flag lap then gridded up. The lights went out and I had another good start and made up a number of places. All was fine for the first lap until I came to the chicane where a couple of cars had spun. I eased off when arriving at the chicane and Mark Egan took to the inside. He couldn’t make the corner and went straight on through the gravel in front of me which meant I couldn’t turn for the chicane.

This then had the effect of me having to take to the area between the spun car of Colin Gregory, the curbs and gravel. This slowed me down when getting on the main straight which put me down a few places. I will say going over the curbs really does hurt when your backside is only 5cm above the ground.

I got my head back in the game and went after the cars that just past me. After a couple of laps I got behind Mark Egan, David Leniewski and Neil Aldridge. On lap 8 I managed to get past David at the chicane and then I gained on Neil and got on his gearbox until the final corner of the final lap when he out braked himself into the chicane. I thought I could have him but realised I had to ease off to avoid contact which meant David then passed both of us before the chequered flag. David will admit that his driving style was more ‘Rally Cross’ than Vee!!! A final position of 22^nd overall with 5^th in class. It was not what I wanted but I felt myself and the car was running really well and I also knocked 4 seconds off my fastest lap of last year. I was raring to go for Race 2.

Race 2

So with the light starting to fade it was the Vee’s second race. A green flag lap then turned into two. We were held on the grid for what seemed like ages so we were all up for a race. The lights went out and we were off. I had a reasonable start but got boxed in at the first corner and lost a couple of places but I then set out to get them back. On lap 2 I managed to pass Rik Lanyi and Mark Egan.  Passing Rik was a squeaky bum moment with four abreast down the start/finish straight.

I took Mark on the outside at the first corner which I was very pleased with and I headed off after the next car knowing I was in with a shout of a trophy. I caught up with David Leniewski and Rik Lanyi and started another battle. I managed to pass David coming out of the chicane and tried to keep pace with Rik. I found visibility was limited due to some fluid coming off Rik’s car but I kept up. The race was then red flagged due to a stranded car in the gravel. Confusion then occurred when a group of cars entered the pits. I will admit I was one of these cars as a marshal with a flag was at the entrance to the pits so we all believed they wanted us to enter the pits. It appears they didn’t. A small wait in the pits and they decided that that was it. Race over. A short race and a feeling of disappointment and frustration. I headed back to the paddock and after the usual 5 mins of struggles to get out of the car I was greeted with a possibility of 3^rd in class. We just had to wait to see if the results stood.

THEY DID!! 3^rd place in class and 15^th overall. Happy Vaughn.

So a good event was had and now a long wait till the final event at Snetterton. I am 5^th in the B class championship with a possibility to move up. I now want more trophies!!!!

Well the Blog is late and I apologise, I am sure everyone who reads these are waiting with bated breath,!!!!

So after a reasonably successful Croft event, no trophy but felt the car was working and I was starting to race (about time!!!), the next track time was going to be Silverstone, 11 weeks later, as we couldn’t make the Mondello trip due to work commitments. A few things done on the brakes as the rears kept giving me issues at Croft. Turns out it was a bad (new) master cylinder.

So we set off for a nice little drive down to the home of British Motor Racing (personally I would say Brands but what do I know). A new helmet had been purchased and after multiple attempts by JJC to deliver a dark visor we decided to pick one up from Merlin Motorsport instead. So a trip to Caste Combe it was and they were as helpful as ever. Big up for them.

We arrived at Silverstone to meet up with Francis and after the 30 mins drive from the main gate to the Wing Paddock we bagged a spot in the garage, unloaded and then watched the practice sessions. I had never been to Silverstone before and it was another track that would be a learning curve for me.

Qualifying went ok, I got 25^th out of 31 and no issues with the car which is a bonus so we were ready for Race 1.

Race 1

There I was sitting in assembly minding my own business when suddenly two faces appeared asking if they could put ‘this’ on my car. I politely said ‘yes not a problem feel free’.  Little did I know that it was a TV camera? Why pick me? Were they filming the sequel of ‘Driving Miss Daisy’? We went off to grid up and did the usual routine of waiting for the boards to go up and the lights to come on. Lights went out and we were off, by the first corner I made up 5 places and was behind Neil Aldridge. All was going well until arriving at Becketts corner leading on to Hangar Straight, Neil moved across (he didn’t see me) and that put me onto the grass, I had a little moment, caught it and then cracked on with the race with a bit of anger and fire in my belly now I had lost all my places I gained at the start.

So the race continued and I reeled in the people in front and started to pass some people. Then the red mist started to really appear when coming into Becketts corner Alex Jones came across me and with his engine smoking and oil pouring over me I got a little bit angry and started waving at the marshals for about a lap. Ok so not my finest hour but I am sure the TV Camera footage will be a laugh if they use the footage (Motorsport TV – Thursday 20^th Sept, 16:30 and Tuesday 25^th Sept, 05:30) but you can see my video on our TJT Racing channel. After a little while I stopped flapping my arms and concentrated on the race which saw me have a long long long battle with Richard Waddingham for 3^rd in B Class. I lost count the amount of times we changed places but I started to hear rattling noises and I started to take it a little easier but I finished 4^th in class right behind Richard. I was happy with the result but so close to a trophy!!!!

So back in the garage we tweaked the tappets and found a missing nut on the exhaust which was the rattling noise I heard. So all fixed for Race 2 and then it was time for the annual Vee BBQ. Great food was cooked (thanks chef’s!) and a good time had by all.

Race 2

So we got called to assembly early and then sat for 45 mins in assembly which as you know is not that comfortable in a single seater. Finally we headed to the track and the race was to begin. Rain! Well drizzle but was it going to get heavier? The lights went out and we were off. A solid start and I quickly settled into the race. All felt ok apart from when getting onto the straights my clutch started to slip so I was not getting full power meaning I got passed on the straights but I had people on the corners. I was having a nice battle with Francis, Neil and Jason Chatten with a few changes in position. I was really enjoying the racing and was pipped by Jason at the line and again finished 4^th in class!! With a slipping clutch I was happy with the result.

Overall a really good weekend and I came away with a list of jobs to do before Donington and a craving for that trophy.

Croft circuit near Darlington would be the setting for round 5 & 6 of the 2018 Formula Vee UK championship. Despite the 245 mile drive from London, I was really looking forward to driving at the circuit I’d heard so many good things about from other drivers. Fast sweeping sections, high speed chicanes, big braking points – the recipe for fast excitement.

The weather for practice was nigh on perfect, dry and not too hot. Perfect for the air cooled nature of the cars. I’d made some adjustments to the rear suspension to firm it up a bit more than it was at Brands (increased damper bump and rebound, fitted a new rear zero roll spring). The rest of my preparation focused on learning the circuit via PC race simulators which I can’t recommend enough – no funny surprises when you get there, and you already have an idea of braking points in your mind. Wunderbar.

Qualifying

Wowzers! The yellow Storm felt like a whole new beast compared to Brands Hatch! The small adjustments to rear suspension had made a hell of a difference, that sensation of accelerating off in a boat with the front lifting up (picture an old American Cadillac peeling away) had disappeared. The car felt well planted at the rear – I could feel what the tyres were doing through my buttocks (yep that’s a good thing) and overall I felt more connected with the car which brought me more confidence. The car also felt bitey in the braking zones.

Things were going very well until I experienced a sudden loss of power from the car; I can only describe it as what felt like a sudden loss of fuel – no choking or spurting however; the engine sounded fine (I had put fuel in it right?). It just slowly ground to a halt. I coasted it next to a marshalls post and watched the rest of qualifying come to an end.

Afterwards, the marshalls were about to radio in for a recovery truck when I thought ‘let me just try and start it up to see what happens’. Funnily enough she burst into life, and I drove back to the paddock – no problemo. Clearly there was a gremlin on board I had to exterminate before race 1.

I qualified 18th of 28 cars for race 1 and 20th for race 2 so things were definitely moving in the right direction post Brands.

Race 1

I gave the carburettor jets a good clean before race 1 hoping that would resolve the fuel delivery issue I had, however just 3 corners in the car died on me in the same manner as before. I just about managed to get it restarted so I could drive it to safety and out of the way. Many thanks to the ambulance crew at Croft for giving me a push!

Alas, I would just be a spectator for this race. I had an awesome view near the camera crew just at the hairpin before the pit straight. It was a great race to watch which gave me some comfort in spite of the DNF.

Fixing the Car!

Now what the hell was wrong with my car? Fuel lines? Fuel filters? The carburettor? The ignition coil? Who knows! From speaking to various people in the paddock the symptoms indicated any of those issues.

Now this is where I have to say a big thank you to everyone who gave me a hand and some excellent advice to get me back on the circuit for race 2. In no particular order:

• Glenn Hay
• Team Porkpie (Chris Wilsher, Sam Engineer, Martin Snarey)
• Tim Probert
• Caroline Jones, Vaughn Jones
• Alan Harding, Greg Wright, all of AHS!
• John Bowles (on an international phone call)

Formula Vee is definitely a friendly series with some great racing to boot. Thanks for all your help.

In the end we replaced all of the above suspected failure points. Only pushing the car around the track would reveal whether or not the problem had been resolved.

Race 2

I was apprehensive on the start line for race 2; wondering if she would fail on me as per qualifying and race 1, or work like she was built to.

I got an average start but lost quite a few places in traffic (something I need to work on), but my prayers were answered as the yellow Storm didn’t quit on me, in fact she never felt better!

As the race went on I started to gain more confidence, a great battle with Richard Rainbow #20 which lasted a few laps unfortunately ended in Richard spinning out at Hawthorn Bend which led me onto chasing Neil Aldridge #36, a quick dive down the inside just before Complex and I was past him, next target was Ian Rea #14 who I managed to catch just before the red flags were waved. Seems I switched on the pace towards latter stages of the race.

Overall I’m pleased that I know I have more to give, I just need to find a consistent way of unlocking that pace.

More bum in seat time required…

Next report – the iconic Silverstone!

After the not so successful Brands Hatch event with oil on the track (sorry track on the oil!) where my confidence was shot and I had a horrible spin in my second race, I was looking forward to travelling to Croft to a circuit that I really enjoyed last year (minus the brake failure in race 1). I was keen to prove to myself that I can race with people and not just do good starts and let people re-pass me.

The weather for the race weekend was perfect, not too hot which was great as I struggled with the heat at Brands, resulting in me looking like I had come off the set of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy after having to put a wet towel over my head before the second race!

Sadly Matt #47 was not able to make it to Croft due to his shiny new steering rack not being made, delivered and fitted on time, so it was down to myself and Francis #88 to represent TJT Racing.

After arriving at the paddock in good time on Friday, I decided to get through scrutineering. All was fine until the brand new rain light which, when tested at home worked fine, decided to blow a fuse for the scrutineers. After a few hours of working out what was wrong (shorting wire on the bracket), it was fixed that evening ready for a quick check by the scrutineers in the morning. The scrutineering ticket was given and racing was set. A big thanks to Sam Engineer for his big brain helping pin point the problem and to Chris Wilsher for some new connectors.

Qualifying

Well it started ok, I got on the track and remembered the layout which is good. I then recalled the bumpiness of the track and remembered I have an appointment with the dentist next month so hopefully the fillings and crown will remain in situ!

I found myself behind Dave Wallis #22 in his fully repaired ‘Petpals’ car for the majority of qualifying. Dave had a very big accident at Brands Hatch and the car has had a few new nuts and bolts between then and now!!

For the first couple of laps I went around the track trying to see if the car felt better than last year and build up my confidence. All felt good so I started to push but I found I got caught up behind some slower cars. I stupidly didn’t overtake and when I fell back to get a clear run I found even more cars, so when I got back to the paddock I was very angry with myself and saw the times were not what I wanted to see. 25^th for Race 1 and 23^rd for Race 2 (exactly the same lap times which at least proves I am consistent). I knew the car and myself could go faster around the track but the main thing was I was all set for the race. 

Race 1

I had a good start and managed to get past Richard Rainbow #20 and then passed Martin Snarey #31 coming into the chicane and I settled into the first lap behind Dave Wallis.

Realising that the whole point of this sport is to race I thought I best try, so I passed Dave coming into Tower and then headed off after the rest of the pack. I caught up with Neil Aldridge #36 and took him at Sunny In on the following lap and then started to chase down the next group.  

I caught up with Ian Rea #14 and passed him at Tower and then kept pushing until I was on the back of the group with Bill Garner #10, David Leniewski #62, Sam Engineer #28, Mark Egan #75 and James Cater #18. I kept on the back of the group for a couple of laps until, when braking for Sunny In my brakes seemed to fade. I was forced to ease into the braking for the last few laps coming into Cleraux, Tower & Sunny In which annoyed me as I watched the group in front drive off knowing that just a lap or two before I was matching them and I could’ve been in contention for a couple more places (well I could’ve you never know!). I knew I had to keep pushing to the end as I could see Ian Rea was in my mirrors and on the last lap I managed to finish in 17^th with a fastest lap of 1:42.28 which was 4 seconds faster than my qualifying.

At the end of the race I had a nice smile on my face and was pleased with my finish and drive but disappointed that a small technical issue had caused me to have to back off, but hey that’s racing on a budget!

Race 2

Well after a good race on the Saturday and a review of the data logger and videos overnight I went into the Sunday with a tweak of the brakes (so I now had some!) and a feeling of optimism.

I started 23^rd and had a good start. I managed to get past Martin Snarey and Francis Twyman #88 by the Chicane and followed Neil Aldridge towards Tower but then Dave Wallis passed me coming into Tower. At the Complex I saw Christian Goller #56 in my mirrors. I knew he was quick and above my league so I didn’t try and fight. I was wheel to wheel with Richard Rainbow #20 on the pit straight but as I was not too sure of the brakes, I braked early and he entered Cleraux first. I decided that the best place to see if the brakes worked would be at Tower, so after being happy with that, I started to increase the speed and get back to trying to race.

By the Complex I was on Richards Gearbox. I passed Christian at the Hairpin (he was having gearbox problems) and Richard on the straight so I was now chasing Neil and Ian again just like Race 1. Christian flew by me through the Esses but I managed to pass Neil at Sunny In. I was then behind Ian Rea and remained behind him going into Tower. I feigned left and then took him on the inside and started to chase down Sam. I passed Christian at the hairpin again due to his gearbox issue and managed to get behind Sam, but then just coming into the Complex the red flag appeared and the race was over.

I drove back to the paddock with a very big smile on my face. I finished in 16^th with a best lap of 1:41.27. I also felt like I was racing!!!

TJT Racing can’t make Mondello due to work and family commitments so the next race will be Silverstone. Let’s hope for a few more places.

After the limited running at Castle Combe, I was eager to get my fuel tank leak fixed and give it a good go at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. Being my local circuit – it would be criminal to miss the event; the fuel tank issues were resolved and I was a last minute payment and entry for Brands Hatch.

The weather for the race weekend was simply gorgeous, the kind of weather you just want to sit in the garden and have some beers along with a tasty BBQ. Slightly too warm for optimum Formula Vee engine running (the engines being air cooled in nature), and also not so nice when sitting in the collecting area with a full race suit on, helmet and gloves.

But hey, we suffer such minor inconveniences for the thrill of racing.

Qualifying

My plan for practice / qualifying was to ease myself into it seeing as this would be the first opportunity to really stretch the car’s legs since I last drove at Cadwell Park last year.

A series of red flags meant that the Vee pilots didn’t manage many laps at all, just 5 in my case; going harder and earlier was the correct strategy in this case!

I was off the pace, and quite a few seconds off my usual times around Brands.

I ended up qualifying 25th for race 1 and 26th for race 2 out of 29 cars.

The changes that were made to the car made a huge difference to the way it felt, I actually had working front and rear suspension which was a novelty! Also the car turned in more sharply, and didn’t have the tendency to under steer as it did before.

A huge thank you to Steve Glasswell and Graham Kiddy for helping me out with that.

Now the dampers actually had a job to do, I realised that the bump and rebound settings equated to a very soft setup after the weekend was over, something I’ll be looking to rectify for Croft in pre-race testing.

Race 1

A good start for race 1 saw me make take a few places up on the inside of Paddock Hill bend, things were going well until I managed to outbreak myself on the second trip to Paddock, taking a trip to the beach as they call it! The gravel ride put me in last place as I tried to recover the car back on the race track. As the tyres were covered in dust, they had zero grip. I quickly discovered this coming out of Druids – a huge correction was needed at low speed to keep the car on the track. 

By this time, the pack had long gone and I was completely out of the race. The strategy then was to just finish and look after the engine. An oily track caused a spin later on at Clearways, luckily no-one was close to me at the time, so an easy recovery and I was able to continue.

All in all I was quite off the pace, but at least I finished which is an improvement on Castle Combe!

Race 2

The only change made for race 2 was an adjustment of the rear brakes, which meant more bite in the braking zones – something I was thankful for after race 1! I had another good start, and once again gained a couple of places – however by lap 3 I was back to my original grid position.

In retrospect the car felt soft, and I wasn’t getting much feel out of the rear of the car, as I alluded to earlier this was due to the super duper ‘Andrex’ soft damper settings.

Red flags after about 6 laps would mean a restart of the race, however due to the amount of work required to make the circuit safe to race again, we were sat on the grid for a full 18 minutes before the race would be underway again. A good time to think about what to have for dinner, but also to reflect on my performance so far.

Not such a good start this time! I fluffed the change into second gear, which is the most important one to be in for a good getaway, the first gear is quite short in a Formula Vee.

Wheel spin ahoy, but luckily no places were lost which was good news.

Nearing the end of lap 2, Jamie Harrison made a good move on inside of Surtees to nip past me into Clearways; we were just a few seconds behind a fresh tangle between John Hartin and Mark Egan on the exit of Clearways. I decided to raise my hand to alert other drivers behind me – the incident had literally just occurred so no yellow flags were being waved at the time. Taking my eye off the ball for a second, Rik Lanyi noticed the chequered flag being waved at the end of the straight and simply accelerated past me to pip a finishing place.

So all in all a few lessons to be learnt from this weekend! (A testing session to set up the dampers is required, adjust rear brakes before every meeting, keep reviewing the lines I am taking and try to improve, don’t assume a yellow/red flags unless waved!). Generally things were moving in the correct direction though – namely 2 finishes and dropping lap times.

Looking forward to the next outing at Croft, see you there!

Francis (slightly sloth like this time) Twyman.