Qualifying
Hailstones.
That’s what we had during qualifying…nasty.
The #88 vee wasn’t firing on all cylinders when I first attempted to set off to the collecting area for noise testing.
Panic ensued.
I had to quickly whip off the side air scoop and clean plug #2. After putting the plug back in, nothing had changed.
With some magical help from Caroline Jones, Tim Probert and a can of carburettor cleaner, all 4 cylinders were now firing, and I headed out to the track in atrocious wet conditions.
Eager to make the most of the remainder of the session (I lost about 5 laps), I set out a bit too hot on cold tyres and had a minor spin almost instantly at Paddock. A quick wave to my team mates who passed and I re-joined with a calmer head on and a more sensitive throttle foot.
During the session there were several spins and non-intended off-road trips from other competitors, Graham Hill and Clearways being two particular-corners where it was difficult to put the power down.
With 7 laps remaining, I posted times which placed me 21st in race 1 and 15th in race 2.
Race 1
Brands is always a tricky place to get a good start, those at the sharp end have an uphill start and those in the middle and back have a downhill start. So, getting a good standing start without rolling forward illegally is tricky to manage.
Getting a bit overzealous on lifting the clutch, I stalled on the grid to watch everyone ping past! By the time I reached the start of Paddock Hill, the remnants of the big accident between Ian Buxton, Bill Garner, Andrew Cooper and Graham Gant were waiting for me.
After avoiding the damage, and examining the horizon to look at the marshals, a green flag was being waved …taking advantage of all the rubber necking going on, I managed to regain 6 places by the time I reached Druids. A red flag at Graham Hill signified the first of many many many many red flags to come!!!
Race 1 – Restart
After the marshals and medics did a stellar job of clearing all the mayhem away in about 20 minutes, the restart commenced.
A much better start this time.
Alex Jones up ahead somehow managed to start with a sideways wheelspin, Charles Boniface had to ease off the gas to avoid him on the grid, so I just drove past him. I passed another car up to Druids, I was now behind a small gaggle of cars. On the following lap a huge lunge into Druids to pass Neil Aldridge amounted to an ultra-wide line through the corner, Neil simply cut back to regain his position. A better exit into Clearways gave me the run on Neil and I was able to drag past him on the straight.
All alone now, with just the occasional glimpse of my teammate Vaughn Jones in the distance.
Yet another red flag and the result was declared…I placed 15th of 28.
Race 2
I had a good start for this one; evasive actions were needed to avoid a stationary Ross Price who I think stalled on the grid. Christian Goller had also stalled up ahead and was going slow, which meant that Sam Engineer to my right was boxed in and had nowhere to go. An attempted dart down the inside of paddock was quickly blocked by Charles Boniface. Oversteer at Clearways and I was slightly disconnected from the pack but managed to catch them at the top of Graham Hill on lap #3.
A couple of concentration lapses and the two fast-paced stallee’s from earlier snuck past. With the bit between my teeth I resumed racing…but then, you guessed it!
Red flag #3 stopped the race.
I’m now approaching my grid position to restart, and a nightmare scenario happened. The new lithium battery I’d installed simply ceased to operate, no fuel pump working meant no racing.
I was recovered back to the paddock with a cloud of disappointment over my head.
Race 2 – Restart
I wasn’t back in the paddock for long, when the remaining pack of Formula Vees rolled in.
I wasn’t sure what had happened, but I’m hazarding a guess at red flag #4.
An ad-hoc meeting was called; drivers had the vote on having a restart at the end of the day (which was in the regulations) or keeping the results as they are. Most were in favour of racing which gave me another lease of life for a good result in race 2.
To play it safe, team TJT racing installed the old battery back in.
5pm fast approached and we were held in the collecting area for around an hour. Unfortunately, the delay meant that my on-car camera ran out of steam, and no footage was collected for the race.
Battery failure #2! Just was well as I had a bit of a shocker!!
A bad start had me at the back, but I was pouncing on people’s gearboxes throughout lap one.
On the first trip onto the straight, a car up ahead had a moment near the first marshals post and managed to begin a 360-degree pirouette.
With another car on my left, and a spinner up ahead, I had no choice but to try and spin myself out of a crash. A slam on the breaks; a quick 90 degree turn and the rear wheels were heading towards the safety of the pit road which runs parallel to the straight.
By the time I had re-joined, I was a good distance away from everyone else. I thought I may stand a chance of catching the backmarkers if I posted some good lap times. There were at least 14 laps remaining, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
Pushing slightly too hard, I lost control at the top of Paddock Hill and became semi-beached. After the race leaders came through, I nurtured the #88 back onto the track…Amazingly, she didn’t bog down in the gravel and I was back on the circuit!
My race was pretty much over, but by virtue of bringing her home in one piece I was able to score another 15th place finish.
Despite the setbacks, I’ve kept it in my mind that many others had far worse weekends than I. My car is in one piece and there is little work to do for round 2 – Mallory Park.
Regrettably, TJT member Matt Topham was a victim of a racing incident at the start of Race #2. Thankfully the damage was minimal, and he should be out for the next round.
On the positive side, TJT member Vaughn Jones finished with two 3rd place trophies in class B!
#isurvivedbrands