Due to the huge number of meeting and events that we are at we are not able to keep them all here for to long so make sure you keep checking back.
16th 17th August 2008 - Knockhill BTCC
Check out the report in our big events page as its way to big a trip to fit in here.
9th 10th August 2008 - Silverstone BRSCC
Saturday
Its raining, its pouring the old man is snoring. It started to rain during the LMA Euro Saloon qualifying session. The rain resulted in 2 red flags during the session with cars going off in various places.
After lunch, it was still raining and the racing began. I was able to get a good viewing spot whilst trying to hide from the rain, as I didn’t want to get my paws too wet.
Race 1 – Formula Fords. Car 14 went into the wall just before the starting gantry. The Safety Car was sent out so that the car could be recovered. It didn’t go out to the leader though, so after the car was recovered the Safety Car let several cars passed until the leader caught up. The chequered flag was shown to the wrong car on the last lap as the lead changed in the last few corners and they weren’t expecting it.
Race 2 – Caterham Academy Group 1. The Safety Car was sent out due to a car in the wall on the main straight. It was safely recovered and the cars carried on going 2-3 cars wide.
Race 3 – TVR Challenge. Car 3 retired into the assembly area with a damaged rear end.
Race 4 – Caterham Roadsport B. The race ended in a red flag after car 11 spun into the pit wall, and was facing the wrong way on the track. The driver was ok.
Race 5 – LMA Euro Saloon & Sports cars. Car 45 spun across the line on the first lap mid pack. Fortunately no one made contact. On the 2nd lap car 98 hit the pit wall and continued. On the 3rd lap car 96 decided to start pushing car 47, resulting in car 47 spinning onto the grass. He continued. It was a very entertaining race.
Race 6 – Caterham Roadsport A. There was a spinner at Luffield who collected a couple of other cars. The Safety Car was called whilst he was recovered.
Race 7 – Formula Fords. Two cars made contact at the first corner and spun. Both cars retired, they were cars 1 and 60. Car 29 spun and continued, and several cars ran wide.
Sunday
The day started very windy with a few qualifying sessions, at least it wasn’t raining.
I found another good viewing spot near the startline so I could watch the action.
Race 1 – Club Ginettas. The cars were given 2 green flag laps due to a sudden down pour of rain before the start of the race. One car managed to spin on the green flag laps and retired into the pit lane. Car 70 spun and continued.
Race 2 – Alfa Romeos. This was a very good close race, even though the leader went storming into the lead.
Race 3 – Caterham Roadsport B. Another clean and close race. One car pulled into the gap before the start gantry and retired.
Race 4 – LMA Euro Saloon & Sports cars. They were even quicker in the dry. There was a bit of a problem on the grid as Car 47 was reported to be leaking from the back. The scrutineers were happy and let him race. It was a good race, and even a floppy marker joined in after being left in the middle of the track.
Race 5 – Caterham Roadsport A. It was a very close race with about 2secs covering the front half of the field. The lead kept changing.
Race 6 – TVR Challenge. Car 9 stalled on the grid, but managed to keep going. Car 1 came into the pits looking very wobbly as he had a puncture. The leaders were very quick and the cars sounded really nice.
Race 7 - Caterham Academy Group 2. Car 10 came into the pits with a puncture. Was told that it was only flat at the bottom though. There was an incident between 2 cars at Copse.
Race 8 – Club Ginettas. Car 42 came into the pit lane after being shown the black and orange flag for reports of leaking some fluid. He was allowed to continue, but there were still reports of him leaking. Car 3 came across the finish line very twitchy.
It was a really good weekend with lots of cars putting on lots of good clean, close racing. Well done to all the marshals who braved the British summer and keep the racing going.
3rd August 2008 - Mallory Park 750MC
Well today was going too be a bit different to normal as my usual minder was working so was not able to come. But never mind, there is always someone who will take me.
I arrived at sign on a bit early but there were people there so I was able to get signed on. My minder was given fire 2 so I got to ride shot gun for the first time in the fire car.
The first practice session was for kit car bike sports, a few cars were running around with the front just touching the floor as you could hear it dragging, but it didn’t seem to cause them any problems.
The second practice session was for the 750 formula car, there was a big difference in speeds with these cars and it all seemed to go well until after the chequered when a car caught fire in the pit lane but the marshals were quick to react and the fire was out by the time that fire 1 had got there.
Practice three was for the kit car championship, car number 30 left the track trying to keep out of the way of some faster cars coming up behind him and bounced down the grass but managed to hold onto it and re-joined. After a few laps car number 21 pulled of and came straight towards up with lots of smoke coming out the back. His engine had gone bang and he knew we were there and said that if he was on fire this is were he wanted to be LOL.
Practice four was for the Golf GTi’s and after Donington I was expecting a lot of crashing and bashing, but to be honest they were well behaved and in the whole session the only problem was car number 12’s engine letting go on the last lap.
The final two practice sessions were for formula 4 and hot hatch, both of these passed with no real problems.
The first race was before lunch and was for the kit car bike sports and for a 750MC meeting it had a small grid, but there was some good racing and the race was won by car number 3
The second race was after lunch, so I was now all full of ice cream so didn’t want to do to much running about. It was for the 750 formula and was full of incidents, car number 7 had lost a lot of nose cone and had a bit dragging but the race was then stopped due to an incident on the way up to the hair pin. The race was then re started over 4 mins plus one lap but it didn’t managed to get that far as it had a second red flag and the result was declared with car 55 winning.
Race number three was for kit cars and due to the problems in the last race we were 10 mins late starting. A cars engine blew at the end of the straight and dropped a bit of oil which caused a few cars to spun, but everyone managed to keep going which was a bit lucky. Car number 2 took the win, but as there was oil down we lost a bit time while the marshals cleaned up.
Race four was for the Golf’s and after being so well behaved this morning I thought they might have been saving it up. But I was pleasantly surprised as they were very well behaved but still very close racing. With the only incident being on the last lap were car 65 and 20 had a small coming together on the last lap both cars managed to get moving under there own power.
Race five was for the formula 4 cars, I was looking forward to this as there was some nice cars and they were fast. On the second lap car number 39 span half way down the straight, he managed to keep it out the wall and the marshals on the bank clapped his car control, not bad for a novice (although I think he finished in the gravel at Gerrards a few laps later). The race was finally won by car number 3.
The sixth race was for the hot hatch championship, this was a bit processional as there were only 7 cars but they were all pushing as hard as they could. The race was won by car number 6.
Race seven was the second for the kit car bike sports, with only 12 cars taking the start it was not the best race of the day, but the winner car number 3 did manage to lap almost the whole field.
27th July 2008 - Donington Park BARC Truck Attack
I arrived at sign on a bit later than last week and there was a lot of orange gathered around the sign on area. It was already starting to get really hot. I went in and signed on. I was asked to go to the Startline, as there weren’t enough people there.
When I arrived at the Startline there was a couple of people there already. One of them had to go to the Assembly area, as there was nobody there. I was really looking forward to the days racing as I had never seen the Trucks before.
The day started with 5 qualifying sessions.
First out were the Legends. A bright orange one was pushed into the pit lane. There were yellows before Redgate as a car stopped at the edge of the gravel trap. Next on track came the Trucks. They were very big and very smokey, and when they were warming up their tyres on the first lap they were a bit scary. The trucks were coming around the chicane sideways. The Pickup Trucks came out with truck 93 very smokey. Truck 26 took the chequered flag smokey and stopped at Redgate. There was then qualifying sessions for the BMW’s and Ferraris. In the BMW session car 15 had a bent splitter that was dragging on the ground. Race control wanted us to put out the black and orange flag, but we couldn’t, as they didn’t have any numbers for us. We had asked at the start of the day and we were still waiting. A car spun on the last lap going into the chicane. In the Ferrari session a car came into the pits and a fire extinguisher was used.
Then came the racing.
Race 1 – Legends. It was quite a close race between some of the cars. On the last lap one of the cars was on the grass.
Race 2 – Trucks (class A). Truck 84 jump-started on a rolling start, as it went on the grass and rejoined the track below the gantry. He was given a drive through penalty (the numbers had now appeared), which he ignored, on two laps. He was then shown the black flag, which was also ignored. It was a very close race.
Race 3 – Trucks (class B). A mechanic rode with one of the Truck drivers to the grid. A white truck got very slide ways round the chicane and was shown the red flag as a Truck was stuck under Starkeys Bridge. We got the trucks back into the original grid positions; Truck 68 caught fire on the grid. Truck 90 had a flat battery so was push started by Truck 58. On the first lap of the restart, 3 trucks went into Redgate. 1 of them got going again. The red flag came out and the race was aborted. Truck 68 was on fire again, at post 6.
It was then lunchtime, so I had a walk around the paddock. It was getting really hot.
Race 4 – Pickup Trucks. It was a very close race. Trucks came round the corner on the grass. Truck 9, who was leading came round with his rear bumper damage, and was smoking. He came into the pits a couple of laps later. Truck 7 came slowly into the pits and had to be pushed most of the way by the marshals. On the last lap the lead changed and the Truck that was leading went down a couple of places.
Race 5 – Legends. This was a good close race.
Race 6 – Trucks (class A). In this race the trucks liked coming around the chicane on the grass and side ways.
Race 7 – Trucks (class B). This time they managed more than 1 lap. Truck 32 got a flat tyre during the race and ended up with some bodywork hanging off. There was a last corner incident between Trucks 58 and 70. Truck 70 ended up facing the wrong way in the middle of the track. Truck 58 came limping across the line with its bonnet hanging off and stopped at the pit exit.
Race 8 – BMW. There were lots of cars in this race. It was a very close race with a bit of contact between a few cars.
Race 9 – Ferrari. There were lots of Ferraris as well. They had a split start, as the cars at the front of the grid went before the cars at the back. It was a very close race, with the lead changing a couple of times. A couple of cars went on the grass at one stage in the race.
Race 10 – Truck Attack. Truck 32 received damage to his front wing on lap 2. On the third lap 2 trucks went into the gravel trap at Redgate. Truck 97 began to make funny noises at one stage and eventually retired. The race winner, Truck 9 came round the last corner very slide ways and looked like he was going to head into the wall. Think he was putting on a bit of a show. There were problems recovering the 2 trucks from Redgate as they had got themselves stuck together.
Race 11 – Pickup Trucks. There was a first corner incident between a couple of the trucks. The safety car was sent out, but nothing was said over the radio. The only way we knew it was out was because we could see it on track. When the safety car came in, it was a very close race. Truck 15 took the win, followed by 9 and 16. On the way into the pit lane Truck 26 stalled, but managed to get going before Truck 8 bump started him.
Race 12 – Legends. Two of the cars 19 and 12 ended up in Redgate gravel trap on the 5 th lap. Car 19 rolled quite heavily. The rescue unit was sent out, and the ambulance went out after the race had finished.
Race 13 – BMW. A car stalled on the grid. Car 48 went past with his bumper hanging off. He was shown the black and orange flag for 3 laps before being shown the black flag for 3 laps, which were all ignored. It was a very close race, with several cars coming round the chicane sideways and on the grass.
Well done to all the marshals who kept the meeting running as smoothly as it did, with so many trucks and cars stopping on track. Unfortunately it was a very late finish, but there was really good racing.
21st July 2008 - Donington Park 750MC
I was early this morning and arrived at sign on before Pete, so I went back to the car and got myself ready for the day. When I had managed to sign on, I was asked to go to Post 39.
The morning was full of qualifying sessions for all the different groups of cars that were going to race. During the Formula 4 session we had some entertainment from car 44 who decided to break late, go on the grass and spin avoiding two other cars. Also car 64 managed to have a spin on the exit of the chicane on the main straight. One of the 750 Formula cars left one of his mudguards on the edge of the rumble strip, fortunately no car hit it. Car 95 in the MR2’s was made to look like Lightning McQueen from Disney’s Cars movie. He looked really nice. During the MG midget qualifying session one of the cars pulled up on the grass on the main straight, possibly gearbox or drive shaft problems as he didn’t sound so good when he went passed us. Also in the MG session, car 33 spun just before the chequered flag. One of the Kit cars, 62, decided to try going down the Melbourne loop, and car 7 spun before the chequered flag. In the RGB session car 63 spun nr post 38 and continued.
After the qualifying sessions it was lunchtime, if that was what happened in qualifying then what excitement did the races hold!?!
Race 1 – Hot Hatch and all comers. There were lots of cars taking part in this race, as it was open to most of the cars racing. It was a very close race. Cars 27 and 58 both spun and continued.
Race 2 – Formula 4. Car 43 out braked himself and went onto the grass. The leader had a very big lead, but towards the end the 2nd place car had caught up and it made the last few laps very interesting. Car 27 won.
Race 3 – 750 Formula. Car number 20 left his engine cover in the middle of the track near the pit exit. It was a close battle between cars 1 and 2. On the last lap car 2 got alongside car 1 (who was leading) and forced him to pull in behind him due to the engine cover in the middle of the track. Car 2 won.
Race 4 – MR2. It was a very entertaining race with various cars making contact and spinning or going on the grass to avoid making contact with other cars. I think almost all the grid went on the grass at some point.
Race 5 – MG Midgets. One of the cars stalled on the grid, everyone managed to avoid it and it was pushed to the side by the marshals. Car number 10 was going past us holding his door shut. A blue car stopped at the pit exit. Car 37 spun in the last corner and cars 3 and 6 came past side by side.
Race 6 – Golf GTi. I don’t really know where to begin, as there was that much action and entertainment form the cars. Car 18 hit car 28, 28 spun mid pack and continued. Cars 23 and 21 missed the chicane completely. Car 17 hit the floppy marker and made contact with car 23. Car 16 ran into car 41. Car 31 hit 41 and did a half spin. I think almost all of the cars went on the grass, might have been easier to report who didn’t make contact or go on the grass! The winner in the end was car 41. It was a very close and entertaining battle.
Race 7 – Kit Cars. Car 23 had a bit of a spin and left some fluid on the track. Fortunately it was off the racing line.
Race 8 – RGB. Car 17 went across the grass, didn’t gain any advantage. Car 88 went across the grass on every lap; he was shown the black and white flag.
Race 9 – SR & GT. The 2 leaders cars 65 and 57 had a very close race. They kept swapping places throughout the race. Car 26 did a half spin and continued. On the last lap car 37’s door fell open and the driver shut it. Car 65 won the race after a very close race.
It was a very entertaining day. Well done to all who kept it going smoothly without to many incidents.
12th-13th July 2008 Rockingham BRSCC
Unfortunately I couldn’t go on the Saturday. I was told that I missed some very entertaining racing though.
Sunday was mainly racing, with two different circuits being used. One for the Pickup Trucks and one for the rest of the cars.
There was a wide variety of cars racing, and they all put on a cracking races.
The most entertaining race of the day was the first Pickup race on the oval. Truck number 5 didn’t seem to want to start going off the line. There was then an incident between a few of the trucks coming off turn 4 which resulted in the safety car being deployed. Two trucks had to be taken back to the pitlane on the back of recovery trucks and another limped back round the track. The trucks were very close, right up to the chequred flag. The team did a good job of repairing the Cherrios truck and getting it back out for the next race.
There were big grids in most races with the exception of the Fiats and the Irish supercars. The Mighty Minis were there and had a packed grid with very close racing, most of it clean although car number 5 did have a bit of contact and lost his front bumper as he came onto the start finish line. The race was finally won Chris Morgan, after Dave Berney lead for most of the race.
I’m sorry this report isn’t as detailed as some. Well done to all the marshals who kept the meeting running smoothly.
7th-8th July 2008 Chatsworth House Rally Show
The rally show at Chatsworth House 7th-8th June 2008
I was woken up very early on Sunday 8th which I thought was strange as we didn’t have any tickets for racing. I got my Audi overalls and shoes on then packed my bag ready to go out. I got in the car and put my seatbelt on. We started driving and I didn’t recognize any of the roads so I knew we wasn’t off to marshal anywhere, I was getting very puzzled,
`When we finally arrived at our destination I thought I was going to be bounced out the car window as the track we went down was very bumpy. I’ve been on rollercoaster’s that were smoother. We parked the car and got out; I couldn’t believe what I saw. I had to climb onto the roof of the car due to the amount of big cars parked and big people walking around. I saw Terry Grant’s shuttle, so I knew it had to be about cars today. The longer I looked I noticed lots of old but very nice cars. I jumped down so I could go and investigate further. I found a path and followed it, it lead to a metal fence but on the other side I couldn’t believe what I was stood near there were 4 cars that I really like.
1983 Audi Sport Quattro S1
1984 Audi Sport Quattro S1
1985 Audi Sport Quattro E2
1987 Audi Quattro Coupe
What better was to start my day, I then realized that I had come to a rally show and I was stood at the start line. After watching the cars leave the start line one by one, not the way I’m used to seeing races starting, I went for a walk around to see where the cars go after they move off. On part of the rally track there was an enormous orange snake, it was spitting lots of water on the track and the cars had to go through the big puddle it was making. Some cars were boring and went slowly through it; others were very entertaining as they continued at speed through it. It was funny watching those silly people with the orange vests on hiding for cover as the cars went through the water. I don’t think they were very experienced as they all seemed to busy to deal with any unwanted incidents, they had ice-creams, drinks, phones or cameras in their hands while the cars were out.
I got to see a really good stunt driver Terry Grant, he did his great displays even with the lack of space, it was still brilliant. I got to meet Terry and he sat me on his knee while sitting on his car so he could have a photo taken with me. Lots of people got their cameras out to take a picture of me sat on Terry’s knee. When my owner tried to take me back after the photos Terry said he wanted to keep me and said she couldn’t take me but she won the fight or I wouldn’t be here writing my report for you to read.
I also got a new furry friend his name is Steady Eddy. He is a lot bigger than me; he got his t-shirt signed by two people. One of them was the ex-world rally champion Marcus Gronholm and the other was Terry Grant who said he had to sign Steady Eddy’s t-shirt or the big people I was with wasn’t allowed his autograph.
I had no end of little people waving at me today as well as the big people. One lady gave me a cuddle and asked no end of questions about me and my background. One of the Audi co-drivers even waved to me as they passed on the long straight of the rally track. I got given a present to help me remember today I got an Audi picture to go on my bedroom wall, although I have been told that soon I will have to share my room with what I can only call a noisy, screaming tiny baby person. I might have to share my room but I’m not sharing my toys, equipment or my wardrobe with it. I’m big brother and what I say goes.
25th-26th May 2008 Rockingham F3's and GT's
Sunday
I arrived at Rockingham nice and early and decided to hide in the car, it was raining it was pouring. Don’t think the old man was snoring though. It didn’t stop raining all day. There were a few red flags during the day as several cars decided to park in the various gravel traps during the day. Must say that all the marshals were very brave and well done for keeping the day going as smoothly as it went. Unfortunately the Pickup Truck qualifying session was cancelled, and postponed till Monday morning.
Monday
The day started with a revised timetable and no rain, so I decided to venture out today.
The Pickup Truck qualifying and the GT warm up went with out any problems.
Formula Ford Race 2 – The Formula Fords had their first race in the wet yesterday. At the start Car 22 went very slowly. The safety car came out due to a couple of cars being stuck in a gravel trap. The cars were weaving the full width of the main straight. Car 58 came past with damaged bodywork.
Formula 3 Race 1 – A car decided to stop at the end of the pit lane on the green flag lap. Car 1 decided to go around the oval. On the last lap it started to rain.
Volkswagen Race 1 – There was a bit of a delay whilst the cars decided which tyres they wanted to put on. The rain eased off after the start of the race. Car 3 had a slow puncture that started to shred and do damage to the bodywork. He managed to complete the race and finish in 9th position.
Pickup Truck Race 1 – It was a very close race with the lead changing several times and trucks swapping positions all the way down the grid. Truck 74 tapped the wall; he managed to come back into the pit lane.
GT Race 2 – It started to rain again. After the first lap, car 12 came into the pits and had a tyre change. He had been across some grass somewhere as the team pulled a load of grass from the car. The ran got heavier towards the end of the race, so the chequered flag was put out early as several cars were going off. They were going off behind the safety car.
Formula Ford Race 3 – The safety car was sent out after the first lap as 2 cars had gone off.
Formula 3 Race 2 – The safety car was again deployed after the first lap. Several cars went around the oval during the race.
Volkswagen Race 2 – One of the beetles arrived late at the grid, and went through to find his grid position. Car 69 stopped by the marshal at the back of the grid for a minor mirror readjustment. The race went well, one of the caddy vans finishing 2nd
Pickup Truck Race 2 – The Trucks weren’t as close as they had been in race 1. Truck 22 was given a 10second penalty for jumping the start. The race was cut short.
During the day I was able to meet Hunter Abbott and Paul O’Neill. They were both very nice.
Well done to all the marshals who braved the weather all weekend. There was a lot of good racing during the weekend.
19-20th April 2008 Donington Park Masters Racing
The weekend started off really cold and windy, a typical British summer. I finally managed to get to sign on without being blown away and was assigned to the pit lane and given a nice baseball hat to keep my ears warm.
I arrived in the pit lane and was ready for the practice sessions to begin. They were using the scrutineering bay as an assembly area so the cars were going out one gate and then back in the other when the session finished.
There were some very fast cars there, and they came in all different shapes and sizes.
During the Ferrari qualifying session, car 54 decided to leave the radiator cap off. He managed to get it into the pits safely.
In the Grand Prix Masters session, car 21 stopped at the entry to Redgate. It was pushed into the pit lane. The marshal at post 1 dropped his yellow flag onto the grass whilst he was trying to wave it in the wind.
After lunch came the first red flag of the day. 2 cars in the Pre 66 qualifying had a bit of a coming together on the main straight. 1 of them hit the pit wall, bounced across the track leaving a nice trail of oil and the other stopped on the grass a bit further down. The marshals and recovery people worked quickly to get the rest of the cars back on track.
The racing started with the Grand Prix Masters, it was a good race, and car 31 stopped at the pit exit and was pushed in. On the last lap, car 35 lost his nose cone.
In race 2 we had a pit lane starter. We had to hold him until all the cars had gone past and it was safe for him to go. Car 38 came to a slow stop past the pit exit and was pushed back in the pits.
Race 3 saw very close racing. 1 car went straight between a couple of others, and one went across the grass at the inside of Redgate. Car 30 spun at Redgate and stopped facing the wrong direction on the track. The chequered flag went out about 3 laps after the incident.
Then there was some more qualifying, followed by the Ferrari race. It was good fun, as the leaders kept swapping.
After 2 more qualifying sessions came the last race of the day. It was a long race but was interesting as it had a pit stop. Quite interesting to see the driver changes.
After a good nights rest, I returned for a day full of racing. It wasn’t as cold, but it was wet.
The racing started with another long pit stop race, which was just as interesting as yesterdays. One of the white cars took a trip through the gravel at Redgate.
In the 2nd race, there was a spinner just before the chequered flag.
Race 3 saw the safety car come out, after car 7 spun and hit the wall opposite the pit lane. He did a few more spins before coming to a stop. A red car drove through the pit lane and exited whilst the red light was on.
Race 4 saw a car into the pit wall, which caused a red flag as the safety car had just been stood down.
After having some chips for lunch, racing continued.
Race 5 saw the snatch tractor come out to recover a black car stuck in the gravel.
In race 6, car number 2 stopped at the pit exit and was pushed back into the pit lane.Green car number 4 spun at Redgate, which caused the chequered flag to come out early.
Race 7 was the 2nd trace for the Grand Prix Masters. The track was damp as it had been raining on and off during the day. Car 77 got twitchy going into Redgate on the 2nd lap and lost his back end. He hit the tyre wall near post 2. The snatch tractor was called and brought the car back into the pit lane. The mechanic straightened the wing and it looked as good as new. Car 18 had a swinging rear light, and managed to half spin going into Redgate doing a bit of damaged to his front wing.
Race 8 had the smallest grid of the weekend. It was an interesting race for the lead as it kept changing.
Race 9 was the Ferraris again. Car 13 was slow off the start, but managed to get away with out any incident.
During race 10, I managed to meet Barry ‘Whizzo’ Williams who was taking part in the race. He was really nice. Car 2 just managed to finish the race. He stopped at the pit exit just after the chequered flag. He was very smelly; think it was his gearbox or clutch that had gone.
Thank you to all the marshals who helped keep the racing going. It was a good weekend.
6th April 2008 Cadwell Park MSVR (Ginetta Festival)
I decided to stay in Lincoln for the weekend and go to Cadwell Park for the Ginetta Festival on Sunday. Maria (my usual Orange Bodyguard) couldn’t be there, as she had to go work so between us we wrote a nice letter asking if I could stay and go out for the day on my own. This is the first time I have been out without Maria and I have to admit that I spent quite a bit of time checking and rechecking my backpack. Well it would have been very embarrassing to be caught without the right rations (chocolate and sweeties are my usual things) and extra clothing as the man on the big telly box thing had been saying that snow was expected this weekend. Luckily I was able to tag along with somebody in green this weekend – Maria said that I was very lucky as this meant that I could work on the rescue unit – this is for when some of the racing drivers get a bit “sideways” and need extra help. Every little paw helps is my motto!
Sign on – we all arrived at Cadwell to bright sunshine (and I had forgotten my shades how uncool was that?).
Rescue Unit
For the practice sessions I spent my time either in one of the front seats – well a little chap needs all the leg ups he can get for a good view you know! Or in the middle row of seats – the people in green were very nice. They told me that I was in RESCUE 2 and if the radio said “SCRAMBLE” then we would have to go and do something very quickly – I always thought that “Scramble” was something that people did with eggs…
One of them was a doctor and she was dressed in a nice warm coat. We spent a lot of time chatting.
In practice session 2 (Ginetta Juniors) the magic words came over the radio “RESCUE 2 SCRAMBLE” and we were on our way as soon as you could say fleeced lightening! We sped round the track to Car 66, which had come out of the assembly area and into the barrier almost straight away. As it was my first scramble I stayed in the Rescue unit and watched. The green people jumped out and ran over to the driver who was unhurt and was able to drive himself to the pit lane where he had to have his car looked at by the Scrutineers. After they looked at it he wasn’t allowed to take part in that session anymore so he must have bent something badly…
At the end of Session 2 we moved to a different place on the circuit and changed call signs with Rescue 1. Nothing happened during sessions 3 & 4 but the cars were faster. I liked the G50’s they were bigger cars and were going a lot lot faster than the others.
For the racing we were going to be Rescue 1 for the even number races and Rescue 2 for the odd number races
Race 1 – Club Ginetta (Rescue 2)
Was won by car 78 (Stuart Pearson) who started from the Pole position, 2nd was Car 20 (Simon Moore) from 3rd place on the grid and 3rd was Car 19 (Barrie Williams) who had started 2nd.
Race 2 – Ginetta Juniors (Rescue 1)
Our Rescue Unit was “chasing” the start of this race. A bit strange I thought because a racing car was going to go much much faster than us, but Doctor Nickie explained that it was so that help was closer to the drivers if they got into trouble on the first part of the first racing lap. We didn’t chase ALL the way round the circuit but only as far as Post 4 where we pulled off and radioed back to Race Control to say that we were clear. I settled down to watch this one from the front seat but not for very long….
Rescue 2 was scrambled because one of the cars had gone into the barrier opposite the start line. It was Car 51 and Race Control said that there needed to be a RED FLAG so that the Doctors could get to the driver quickly as he was on the opposite side of the circuit to the Pit Lane. So we had to start all over again! This time we managed to go faster than one of the racing cars but only because Car 27 driven by Mia Morgan stalled on the grid. She got going and passed us before we pulled off. One of the green people showed me a baby stoat playing near the tyre wall – I hadn’t seen a stoat before but he looked like he was having fun in the sun…
This time the race went to the end and was won by Car 8 driven by Dino Zampirelli, 2nd was Car 6 driven by Thomas Carnaby and 3rd was Car 55 driven by Josh Hill.
Then it was time for lunch so we went into the Paddock and had a look at some of the cars. I was able to get my photograph taken with Josh Hill and his dad – Damon as you will all know was the 1996 Formula 1 world champion and is now the president of the BRDC. Damon’s dad also used to race in F1 and was world champion in 1962 and 1968 and even won Le Mans in 1972 so I guess they are keeping it in the family. I was also able to meet Alice Powell and Casey Watson who are both Ginetta Junior drivers.
Damon and Josh Hill
After lunch somebody said it had started snowing but we were told that the Race Director had decided it wasn’t snowing but that there was lots of cherry blossom blowing around – hmmm I thought it’s a bit cold for cherry blossom!
Race 3 – Ginetta G50 (Rescue 2)
These cars have a rolling start so the Rescue Unit does not chase them. It was a very good race and was won by Car 25 driven by Nigel Moore who is only 16 years old, 2nd was Car 3 driven by Phil Keen and 3rd was Car 2 driven by Paul O’Neill. Towards the end of the race one of the cars dropped some oil between Posts 6 and 8, which meant that a lot of people had to get busy with the powder and brooms before it was safe to start the next race.
Race 4 – Ginetta G20 (Rescue 1)
We were chasing again and nothing happened during the chase but not long afterwards Race Control asked for the Safety Car to be deployed because a car had gone off near Post 14, we were scrambled to Car 62 (Sam Hare). Sam had hit the tyre wall heavily and we had to lift him from the car as he had possibly injured one of his ankles. Doctor Nickie supervised the lifting and then we took Sam to the medical centre for a check-up. Most of the race was under the safety car as some of the other drivers got into trouble but fortunately none of it was serious. 1st was Car 52 driven by Spencer McCarthy, 2nd was Car 28 driven by Kieran Vernon and 3rd was Car 3 driven by Julian Barratt
Race 5 – Ginetta Juniors (Rescue 2)
1st was Car 8 driven by Dino Zamparelli, 2nd was Car 6 driven by Thomas Carnaby and 3rd was Car 86 driven by Jake Farnden, Josh Hill was 4th in this race.
Race 6 – Club Ginetta (Rescue 1)
1st was Car 19 driven by Barrie Williams, 2nd was Car 78 driven by Stuart Pearson and 3rd was Car 12 driven by Gavin Mitchell
Race 7 – Ginetta G50 (Rescue 2)
This race was reduced from the original 45 minutes to only 20. It was a very fast race and 1st was Car 25 driven by Nigel Moore, 2nd was Car 3 driven by Phil Keen and 3rd was Car 29 driven by Clive Richards
Race 8 – Ginetta G20 (Rescue 1)
1st was Car 28 driven by Kieran Vernon, 2nd was Car 52 driven by Spencer McCarthy and 3rd was Car 46 driven by Andrew Smith.
It was a lovely day out and big big bear hugs to the Lynx Rescue Unit and Doctor Nickie for giving me such a lovely time.
25th March 2008 Donington Park MGCC
Well we got to Donington early for sign on. Although there were not many people around so we knew we were going to be a bit short. I was put on Redgate which is a good post as it gives a good view of the starts and down towards the old hair pin.
When I got to post I found how short we were, there was one doing flags and observer and two others, but with everyone working together we could cope.
The first practice session was for the Morgan’s, nothing really happened in this practice but most of the cars took the chequered flag at least twice.
The second session was for the Porsche club, as they came down the pit straight for the first time Mark McAleer in car number one lost his bonnet, which landed in the middle of the track, and after a car spun at Gerrards the session was red flagged to allow marshals to retrieve the bonnet.
The third practice session was for the MG trophy and Cockshoot cup, the only person to have a misshape in this session was Oliver Hall in his MGF who span on the exit of Redgate although he span to the inside and was able to rejoin.
Practice session four was for the Thoroughbred sports cars this included some very nice V8 MGB GT’s and also a number of D-type replicas one of which was very smoky on the first lap out but it cleared up and he was very quick. There was a slight delay after this session due to a clear up of oil on the back straight.
The next practice session was for the GTS cars which included everything from MGA’s through to Morgans and TVR’s.
Practice session six was for more Porsches, this included the more modern GT3 cup cars. On the first lap out car number 88 span in the middle of Redgate and got a small tap from Dave Roberts in car number 62, but both cars were not damaged and were able to continue. But the session only lasted for a few laps before the red flags came out due to an engine letting go on the way out of Redgate and dropping oil all the way to the old hairpin. The session was restarted and continued without any problems.
The penultimate practice session was for the Peter Best Insurance championship and the MG Metro cup, the metros struggled with Redgate due to a lot of under steer which caused the only accident in the session were David Spencer slid into Keith Page, David was able to carry on but Keith pulled off at the top of Crainer.
David Spencer being towed back to the pit lane
The final session was for the MGBV8’s but there were a number of none V8’s racing including an estate maestro and a number of MG ZR’s. Babak Farsian in his MGB roadster lost it on the way into Redgate but was able to continue.
The lunch break saw a track parade of various MG’s and Rovers, they did a few laps and then pulled off. Gladly none of them went off.
During the lunch break we also recruited a new marshal, due to the lack of numbers he was put straight into action. He was called George Bush (no relation to any past or present American President), although as you can see from the photos he was rooted to the spot when he went into the gravel!!!!!!!!
George Bush the new marshal
The racing started with the Morgans, this was to be the smallest grid of the day with 24 cars taking the start. The only problem during the race was when one lost it at the entrance to the pit lane causing damage to the front, luckily he was able to pull into the pit lane.
The second race was for the Porsche’s. There were 34 cars on the grid and some how they all managed to get around Redgate without any problems, the only thing that I saw that happened in this race was that Mike Clapham’s bonnet came lose.
Race three was for the MG Trophy and Cockshoot Cup again there was a full grid of 36 cars. Oliver Hall span again in the same place that he did in practice but was able to get back into the race. The race was won by Paul Luti but he was pushed all the way to the flag. After the chequered flag Paul Newton pulled up at the exit of the pits and was pushed back by the marshals from post 2.
Race four was for the Thoroughbred sports cars, the session didn’t last long and was red flagged after a few laps due to a D-type crashing into the pit lane entry. After the restart the Morgan of Tony Lees took the win but was pushed all the way by the Triumph TR6 of Mike Hazlewood.
The fifth race was for the GTS cars, again a full grid of 36 took the start of this 30 minute race. But the safety car was called after Rob Cull span into the gravel at Redgate and needed to be snatched with the tractor. The remained of the race passed without incident but on the slow down lap Peter Bolderson managed to spin in the middle of Redgate, luckily he was able to continue without the marshals going out to him.
The sixth race was for the Porsches, again a full grid took the start and it was impressive that they all managed to take Redgate without any problems. The only problem that I could see in the race was Tony Brown in his 964 was smoking heavily but he came in after 4 laps.
The seventh race was for the Metros. This time the full grid was not able to take the first corner without incident as Iain Patterson in car 1 went into the gravel, he was lucky not to tip over as he dug in deep. The tractor was sent out to recover the car under waved yellows. Only a few laps after the tractor got back Nick Isaccs had a half spin which made his boot pop open, he continued and finished the race with the boot fully open.
The eighth race was for the MGBV8’s (with others) one car broke down on the way to the grid which slightly delayed the start. On the first lap car number 27 span but was able to continue. 3 cars were also shown the black flag, not sure why though.
The final race was the MG trophy race, on the opening lap Ross Woodhouse and David Coulthard came together at the entrance of Redgate Ross was able to continue but David was pushed into the gravel and needed to be recovered by the tractor under waved yellow. The rest of the race passed without incident.
All in all it was a very good day if not a bit cold and even with the low numbers everything was dealt with quickly and professionally as normal. Am now looking forward to the next outing (and hopefully some sunshine).
09th March 2008 Mallory Park 750MC
The racing season has begun again, no more lounging around in bed at weekends and lots of early starts. When I arrived at Mallory, I couldn’t believe how full the paddock was. There were cars everywhere; they seemed to come in a few different shapes and sizes. It could be an interesting day. I had brought Reno Bear with me and we soon met up with Audi TB so we could decide what our plan of attack was for the day.
The day started with Qualifying sessions for the different formulas. First on the track was the Stock Hatches, always good for entertainment. Car 26 ran a bit wide going around Gerrards and went to the inside wall, before going back across the track and hitting car 89 who then hit the wall on the outside. The session got red flagged. It took a long time for the two cars to be recovered. When the session restarted, it seemed that no two cars took the same line around the corner. In the 2nd session of Stock Hatches, car 20 smashed into the inside wall at Gerrards sideways. He smashed his window. Car 94 was getting smokier on every lap.
Stock hatch driver climbs from his damaged car
Next out on the track was the MR2’s. Car 1 ran onto the grass at the exit of Gerrards. He then lost his back end and spun into the wall hitting front and back. The back end was quite dented. A red car then went sideways into the gravel at Gerrards and got beached. After the chequered flag, I could see that it was car 95 and it was pushed out of the gravel trap. The tyre wall was rebuilt.
MR2 after a qualifying crash
Then came two Formula Vee sessions. In the first one a green car (41) spun into the access road to the assembly area and continued. In the 2nd session Car 23 spun at the Esses and rejoined forcing another car on the grass.
The Formula Junior and the 750 Trophy were next out on track.
After lunch the racing began.
Race 1, Stock Hatch championship – The cars got away from the grid safely after a yellow one tried to get in the wrong place. A car did stall on the grid but everyone got around him ok. An engine in one of the cars blew on the way round Gerrards. Another car spun at Gerrards and managed to get avoided by three other cars. The race ended on a red flag.
Spinning stock hatch in race 1
Same car still running when the red flags came out
Race 2, MR2 championship – There was a bit of a mix up between two cars on the grid, which was soon sorted out. It was a very close race, 2 or 3 cars wide going down the main straight at times. The race got red flagged on the last lap.
A good grid of MR2's
Race 3, Formula Vee Heat – This was a good race, Car 33 went a bit wide on the grass at the Devils elbow. The leaders were very close, with the pink car winning
Race 4, Formula Junior class A, B, & C – A car ran a bit wide and went onto the grass at the hairpin. It nearly took out another car when rejoining. Car 30’s engine expired as it was coming out of the hairpin. It came to a slow stop at the entrance to Devils Elbow.
Race 5, Stock Hatch Championship – This race was very entertaining from where I was watching. The cars were sideways, side-by-side and bumper-to-bumper.
Stock hatch race start
Race 6, Formula Junior class D & E – There was a bit of wheel spinning at the start. The cars were very quick.
Race 7, 750 Trophy Series – The race was good, but there were only 8 cars racing and they spread out after a bit.
Race 8, Formula Vee Final – The change of surface flag was out at the start. Car 29 came to a slow stop opposite the pits. A car spun at the Devils elbow and continued. Car 3 came round with his nose cone at an unusual angle, which was deposited at the entrance to Gerrards. A marshal ran out and picked it up. The race was red flagged due to an incident at Gerrards were one car span and car number 2 when of the track to avoid it but hit the wall. Marshals called for assistance which came very quickly, luckily the driver climbed out after a short while. Whilst the recovery was taking place, Audi and me located car number 3’s nose cone.
Vee losing its nose cone
Formula Vee incident that bought out the red flags
Audi and Beayrton in the nose cone from Formula Vee No 3
Race 9, MR2 Championship – This race was good, quick and close. It was quite entertaining.
Close MR2 Racing (maybe to close!!!!)
I would like to say well done to all the marshals for keeping the day running smoothly, and also a thank you to the club for putting on some good races. I’m looking forward to my next meeting already.
27th January 2008 Cadwell Park Track Day
What better way to start the season than with a beary big THANK YOU to everyone at MSV for organizing the track days for the tall and slightly less hairy (in most cases) marshals.
The build up for this all started a long time ago with one of my owners coming home in what to me like a clapped out old banger. With a bit of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears and not to mention some very nasty words he turned this old banger into what he called a “track day” car. To me it looked like racing car but not quite as pretty!!
Anyway back to the report.
The morning of the track day dawned and I was unceremoniously woken up. (Surely I still had about another 2 months worth of hibernation before the first 750MC meeting at Mallory!) I was told to put on my racing overalls and grab my helmet; it was going to be a fun day. We headed off to Cadwell with this track day car on a trailer – just in case.
After sign on we had to park the car near some marshals and rev the engine. For this we got a “good boy you are not too noisy” sticker! We then had a briefing, this was to tell people about flag signals and the like, oh and that we were only allowed to overtake on the left along the straights. (Hmm, maybe racing drivers should go to one of these!!)
Finally we were allowed on the track!! To start with we had to play follow my leader just so everyone knew the “racing line”. Then we were allowed to play.
It was a lot of fun to be driven round a racing circuit at racing speeds. To start with I went out with my friend Colin Stubbs in his Rover. This is a proper racing car and he drove really fast, well at least until we got to Mansfield corner when his car decided to try and overtake itself!! I hung on really tight!
It wasn’t long till we had a red flag and typically it was a racing driver that caused it. Somebody in a Legend forgot to turn right at the hairpin and ended his day very quickly.
While they were sorting this out my owner decided to put his tarmac rally tires on his car because his normal ones weren’t sticky enough.
I decided to go out for a few laps with my owner when things got restarted again. His car might not have been very fast on the straights but it was very good on corners and on slowing down. We moved over to let a back Porsche past on park straight, wow, he was fast! But as we came back down through the gooseneck we saw the red flags come out and saw the Porsche stranded on the grass just before Mansfield corner. Ooops.
We headed into the paddock to be told that there was a lot of circuit damage and we would be lucky to get back out again. But the MSV staff managed to work miracles and the circuit reopened just after lunch. We had to have another briefing to tell us to be careful round that part of the circuit!
During the extra long break I was speaking to the Porsche driver and he told me he had driven the car down from Leeds. Looked like it would be a long walk home for him because he didn’t have a trailer with him (or another car to tow it with for that matter). The good thing was him and his passenger weren’t hurt.
The afternoon went pretty well with me going out for rides in different cars. There were no more red flags luckily. My owner did have to cut the grass at the gooseneck to avoid a spinning Metro and go carefully round the hairpin to avoid a Golf that wasn’t sure which way round it should be pointing.
Near the end of the day I was having a rest in the paddock so my owner could take someone else out for a ride. Suddenly he came back in a bit sooner than expected. As he jumped out smoke started pouring from under the bonnet. Being a marshal I ran round looking for a fire extinguisher. Luckily there was no fire. He had come in because his steering had gone very heavy. After the smoke cleared we noticed everything was looking shiny and oily, and that there was a distinct lack of fluid in his power steering. This could explain things! As there was only half an hour to go we got tidied up and put the car on the trailer.
All in all it was a very good day, and it made a nice change being the other side of the Armco.
Thanks again to everyone who made this day happen and I hope to see you all at Mallory for the 750MC meeting on 9th March.
Audi TB
12th January 2008 Autosport International NEC Birmingham
To start the New Year, I decided to go to the Autosport Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It seems like a long time till the first race meeting of the year.
There was a lot to see there this year and I didn’t really know where to start. I had got myself a Paddock Pass and had booked in to see the 18:00 show in the live action arena, so I had plenty of time to wonder round.
I started off by heading over to the Coys Auction area, where there were lots of nice cars and other items up for auction. Next to the auction area I found an interesting exhibition on 50 years of touring cars, it was a shame Audi couldn’t make it as there were a couple of nice Audi’s there.
Beayrton with a Ferrari in the Coys auction
I met one of my many marshalling friends, and agreed to meet up later in the season.
I then wondered through the various exhibits on my way to the Formula 1 grid. I encountered Tom Chilton on the Team Dynamics stand where I had fun walking across the table whilst Tom said ‘One Small Step for Bearkind…….’. He was really nice.
Beayrton with Tom Chilton
After having fun at the Team Dynamics stand I met a nice girl on the BK racing stand. I finally made it to the F1 cars and I was able to see Jenson Button taking part in a question and answer session. There was a big crowd so I didn’t get too close.
Beayrton with the BK girl
I then went and explored the National motor sport area where I saw Auntie Viv and Pete Harding on the 750mc stand. I had fun trying to drive a Formula Ford on the BRSCC stand.
I then ventured into the pit area of the Live Action Arena. It was quite exciting to see all the different types of car, as there were Formula Palmer Audis, Pick Up Trucks and some short oval racing cars. I also caught a glimpse of David Coulthard.
Pick up trucks in the live action paddock
After watching the show from the sidelines I went back to the Formula 1 grid and bumped into David Coulthard again.
David Coulthard signing on the F1 grid
I then explored the rest of the show before it was time to head to the Live Action Arena for my show. I wasn’t very impressed with the organization; the start of the show was delayed to 18:15. As I had brought a Paddock Pass I was taken to the side with all the other people who had brought Paddock Passes. We then had to wait for all the people who had brought regular tickets to take there seats, we weren’t let in until 18:00 and were told that we had been sold seats that didn’t exist, and therefore we had to fill in spaces that were empty. That explained the delayed start, and I wasn’t overly happy about it, as I had booked my ticket last year.
Never mind, on with the show. The show started with a tribute to Colin McRae, and an introduction of Louise Goodman. She departed leaving us with a gentleman who knew more about oval racing. The racing was brilliant and there was quite a lot of close action, bumps and spins. I really enjoyed it; there was a combination of Briscar F1 and F2s, Stockcars and Grass Trackers doing wheelies. Terry Grant also succeeded at a World Record attempt.
It was a good show and I am looking forward to the start of the racing season.
26th December 2007 Mallory Park Plum Pudding
Well after a few months off it was time to get back into the swing of things by going to Mallory Park for the 34th Annual plum pudding meeting. This meeting is run slightly different to most meetings in that both cars and bikes are there on the same day. At sign on there were all the familiar faces, and some that I had not seen since last years Plum Pudding (those who mainly do the bikes), when I signed on I got given Stebbe straight which is always an interesting post to watch from as they are travelling fast and if something goes wrong it all happens very quickly.
The first practice got going at 10:00 (its a later start than most meetings) and it was Caterhams out first, it was not your normal qualifying as grid positions had already been determined but that didnt stop them pushing to the limit and it was only 6 minutes in when one lost it on the exit of Gerrards and hit hard backwards along Stebbe straight, the driver was out quickly with the assistance of the marshals but the car was in a dangerous position and the sessions was stopped. After the restart marshals were seen running towards esses out as a car had left the track and made contact with the wall, which caused damage to the suspension, although there was only a few minutes left so the car was left till the end of the session.
The second practice was the open saloons and sports car race, this had a wide range of cars from Ford anglia’s and stock hatches including Stuart Herriott in his Saxo who is a local marshal through to new Renault Clio’s from the Clio Cup. When the cars were released from the pit lane the Morris Minor lost his bonnet, although he carried on without any problems. This session passed without any problems until the track was checked at the end and some oil was found and as the bikes were out next it needed to be treated, this caused a small delay.
The third practice session of the day was for bikes and this meant that the track layout had to be altered as they have a few more chicanes than the cars have. On the first lap out one rider fell at the hairpin and on the next lap Christopher Dean fell at the esses, he got up but had hurt his arm so the session was stopped and the Doctor sent to the scene. After the restart there were only a few mechanical breakdowns but most riders to the chequered flag twice as they missed it the first time round. Practices session four was for more bikes, although this passed without any problems with only one faller at Edwina’s who was up and walking very quickly.
The final practice session was for the sidecars, they were out very quickly as we were running about 20 minutes late. They all behaved themselves and with no fallers we managed to make up a bit of time.
Race 1 was an open bike race and they were sent to the grid as soon as the last side car had turned into the paddock. On the first lap Ashley Campbell fell at Edwina’s although he looked to get up quickly, the front runners were very quick and John Lewis led most of the race only to finish second after Glen Shaw took the lead towards the end.
Race 2 was for super motos and the grid was much smaller than in race 1, the only person to drop out was Rob Garland who had mechanical problems at the bus stop, the eventual race winner was Shane Palain.
Race 3 was another race for bikes, this time it was for 600cc and pro bikes. On the first lap there was a bit of contact at Edwina’s meaning a few bikes missed the chicane but everyone got through without problems. On the third lap Martin Hughes fell at Edwina’s although was up quickly but was taken to the medical centre for a quick check. The race was finally won by Duncan Burns on his 600 Honda.
The next race was for sidecars, they were very entertaining and quick though Gerrards and with a mixture of F1, F2 and historic outfits it was an interesting race which was won by outfit number 75 (not sure on the names as they were late entries and not in the programme).
Race 5 was the first race for Caterhams and problems started before they got to the grid with Alwynn Morris spinning as he exited the pit lane. However they were all very well behaved through the race and Nick Frost and Jamie Ellwood kept everyone entertained with some excellent side by side racing. Jamie took the race win, which was expected as he was the Caterham 2007 Mega graduate champion.
Race 6 was for the open saloons and sports car, it was an interesting start with many of the fast cars starting towards the back of the pack. Somehow everyone made it through the first few laps until a Meastro lost control coming out of Gerrards and made heavy contact with the barrier on the inside of Stebbs straight, the car was heavily damaged but the driver got out was although shaken was ok, guess he will be sore in the morning though. A few laps latter Richard Sprigg got a huge tank slapper on in his Ford Anglia, it lasted most of the length of Stebbes straight, he held it well and everyone managed to avoid him. The race was won by the Pedrazza driven by Steve Hodges, although my driver of the race was Chris Lester as his 1600cc Ford Fiesta kept pace with much newer Clios and seats.
Race 7 was another bike race, on the first lap there was contact at Edwinas and two riders fell, the rest of the race was fast but without incident until Charles Edmonds fell on the final lap.
Race 8 was the second race for the super motos and they seem to be able to stay on more than the other bikes as no one fell and the race was won by Paul Rhodes.
Race 9 was another open bike race and was a close fought race with Duncan Burns winning on his 600cc Honda.
Race 10 was the second race for the side cars, this was a race which caused all the marshals to work hard as outfit number 50 blew his engine around Gerrards and didn’t pull off till Edwina’s leaving a lot of oil on the track, this took at least half an hour to clean up and even the rescue units were out helping out and transporting marshals form around the track to help out.
Race 11 was the second for the Caterham’s and after the first race we were hoping for an exciting race. As usually they did not disappoint although it was not as close as the first race with Jamie Ellwood taking his second win of the day.
Race 12 was the final four wheeled race of the day and the second for the saloons and sports cars. Mark Hunt went off at Gerrard’s in his Seat Cupra and made light contact with the wall but was able to continue. After a few laps the black and orange was shown to car number 7 a Mazda MX5 as marshals at the hair pin thought that his wheel was loose, the driver pitted straight away and as he was coming to a stop in the pit lane his wheel did fall off so well spotted to those marshals involved you averted what could have been a big accident. The winner was Will Hodges in the Pedrazza which won the first race in the hands of Steve Hodges.
The next two races were for bikes and due to the light they were reduced to 4 laps the winner of race 13 was John Lewis making up for his second place in his first race. The final race was for sidecars and it was now getting very dark and two of the outfits pulled in on the green flag lap, however the race went ahead with no problems and was won by number 75.
It was now time to make the trip home after an excellent days racing. Well done to all the marshals that braved the cold to wear of those Christmas diners. Looking forward to the start of the season already.
The FPA Shootout and Autumn Trophy, Snetterton 3rd-4th Nov 2007
When I arrived at the circuit, I found that the timetable had been changed. The T-Cars and the Ford Fiesta & Ford Saloon races were cancelled. The T-Cars hadn’t even been put in the programme, and the GT Cup was given an extra practice session to fill in the gap.
As it was the first time I had been to Snetteton, I decided to have a good look around. I found the scary looking tree that I had seen on television, and it looked scary.
There were 2 races on the Saturday; the first one was good fun to watch. I saw it from the Russell Bend. Car 3 stormed into the lead. There were a couple of spinners, and car 83 sparked as he bounced over the curbs. One of the Caterhams blew an engine; there was a lot of smoke.
In the second FPA qualifying session, car 31 caused a red flag after hitting a wall. He had quite a bit of car damage; it looked like his back end had gone in first with damage being done to the side and front suspension as well. The team worked really hard and got him out in the last session.
On Sunday, there was a qualifying session for the Open Saloons. It got red flagged as car 48 went into the pit wall. Oops
Then the racing began.
Race 1 – FPA. It was a good close race and the cars were very fast.
Race 2 – GT Cup. A Porsche stalled on the grid, it was about in the middle of the pack. All the cars behind managed to avoid him, 1 even went on the grass. 2 cars had contact at Russell Bend, both went on the grass and both carried on. One of the red Ferraris came into the pits with a broken drive shaft, and a black one came in a couple of laps later. Think they may have been the two involved in the spin. Car 23 came into the pits just before the chequered flag. The winning Porsche stopped at Russell Bend on his in lap as he had run out of fuel.
Race 3 – Open Saloons. On the first lap, one car went straight over Russells Bend on the grass. Car 80- retired into the pits with a front puncture. 1 car spun, with a bit of help, and no one hit him, which was lucky as there was a close race between 5 cars at the time.
Race 4 – FPA. There was an incident on the first lap, and there were several bent front wings. Car 30 carried on with it scraping on the floor, 1 came in for a nose replacement. Car 30 was given the black and orange flag after a few laps, as his wing wasn’t very good. Cars 44, 1 and 2 were given the Black/White flag, Cars 44 and 2 were given it again a few laps later. It was a good close race.
Race 5 – GT Cup. The Marcos was smoking heavily on the first lap; think he may have been leaking something as he got a bit slideways. The SC was out on track for 1 lap, but I don’t know why. Car 11 had a bit of spin coming out of Russells bend and he went into the pits. A few laps later he came round really slow and stopped to let the faster cars past.
Race 6 – FPA. The race was really good. Car 4 went across the grass at Russell Bend on one of the laps, followed by another a few laps later. It was a close race; Tandy won the race, which meant he won the last place in the Mclaren Autosport BRDC award.
Race 7 – Open Saloons. I didn’t see much of this race, as I was getting ready for my long drive home. From what I saw it was a very good race.
I really enjoyed my trip to Snetteton, and hopefully I will be able to visit it again soon. It was a fast circuit with lots of long straights, and some tight corners. The marshals and other people were really friendly.
Beayrton’s Big Adventure Disneyland Paris 2007
With it being close to the end of the racing season, I decided to take a break and go and visit the Magical Kingdom, Disneyland Paris. I have never been away from this country so I had to get myself a passport and make sure I packed my bag in plenty of time so I could go. I went on the Eurostar train, which was really big and fast. Audi told me all about the things I could do as he visited it a couple of years ago.
When I got there, I was able to go straight into the park and joined the queue for the Space Mountain. It was a really fast roller coaster that launched me into out of space, managed to find my way back ok. I spent the rest of the day exploring the park and going on what rides I could (including Pirates of the Caribbean and It’s a Small World). I then was able to see the parade before retiring to the Santa Fe Hotel for a good nights rest, as I planned on having more fun tomorrow.
When I went through the hotel for breakfast, I found Pluto. He was really nice and gave me a big sloppy kiss. After breakfast, I returned to the park, and went on even more rides including Buzz Lightyears Space Blaster Ride where I got to shot at aliens, Dumbo, Tea Cups and even on a Peter Pan Flying tour of London. I was then able to meet Winnie the Pooh who showed me all his honey pots and he told me all about how the bees got in the way of getting honey. I then found Mickey, and I decided to play hide and seek with him under his cloak. It was all good fun.
After lunch and a few more rides including Thunder Mountain, I managed to meet up with Pinocchio, Jafar (he was mean), and Tic and Tac (Chip and Dale).
After a really busy day, I found myself in Planet Hollywood for tea, which was really good.
The following day I visited the Disney World Studios instead of the park. There were some really interesting things there. I met Minnie Mouse, who showered me with kisses, and Donald and Daisy Duck. I was able to go on the front of the Rock and Roll Roller Coaster, which was brilliant and I also went on Crush’s coaster where all the cars were shaped like turtle shell. Lightning McQueen also had a Cars Rally Ride that was good fun. I was able to take the World Studios Tour where they showed you some film sets and some of the various props and cars that had been used. The Motor Stunt Show was very good as it showed how they did stunts in the movie world.
In the evening, I visited Buffalo Bills Wild West show. I was in the Green corner, which was representing Montana in the competition. We won 2 flags, but didn’t win the final contest. Never mind, it was all good fun and brilliant to watch. I was able to make a lot of noise with my dinner plate.
On my last day, I revisited the park for one last time. I went on Space Mountain again and revisited all the rides I had enjoyed. I enjoyed a nice lunch in the Silver Spur Steakhouse, was very nice. I also met Beauty and the Beast (who was now a prince); they were really nice and friendly. I also saw a spooktacular show with Minnie, Donald Duck and a witch named Drusella. I also found Woody, he wouldn’t let me pull his string though!!!
At the end of the day before leaving, I watched the Pink Witches and Pumpkin Men parade followed by the Once up on a Dream parade.
I really enjoyed myself, and hope to go back again, or maybe visit the one in Florida. Watch this space ………………………………..
29/30 September 2007 – Rockingham, F3’s and GT’s
Saturday
The day started off a bit cold, and I wanted to huddle back up under the blankets. I managed to get to the circuit with not a lot of time to spare as one of the roads was closed and I was diverted, never mind I know that I need to leave earlier tomorrow.
I didn’t really see much as I was walking around the paddocks most of the day seeing where I could get to, to cause trouble.
In the first Ginetta session, there was a red flag. I believe there were three cars involved, with one stuck in the gravel and one on the barrier. Not good really, the driver was taken to hospital so I wish him a speedy recovery.
The F3’s seemed to cause a bit of trouble in there first qualifying session as it got red flagged twice in almost as many laps.
One of the Vipers in the first GT session went into the gravel at Tarzan; he dropped a lot of gravel on his way back.
At lunchtime I was lucky enough to find Nigel Mansell in the paddock. He was there watching his two boys race and he was happy enough to pose with me for a photo. I couldn’t miss an opportunity.
After lunch the F3’s were still causing trouble as they had another red flag.
There were 4 races, and they were all good fun. The racing started with the Caterhams, some of them seemed to like spinning coming back onto the main straight. One of them did have a bit of help and he lost a rear wheel arch.
In the Volkswagen Cup race, one of the cars number 10, decided to roll over. Fortunately the driver was ok. There was also a Caddy van racing, which looked really unusual and good fun. He was a bit late arriving so he had to start from the pit lane after the safety car had gone out for the roller. After the race, they had to send a JCB into the gravel trap to recover the rolled car as he had gone in really far.
In the Formula Ford race, one stalled on the grid. He was moved to the side into a safe place, as he wasn’t able to get restarted.
The GT race was good to watch, as there were a lot of different cars racing. The Safety Car was deployed in the early stages. One of the Vipers went all the way around the oval on one lap; he was good as he waited for the other cars he had been racing until he rejoined. Car 44 had his under tray loose for most of the race and it was dragging on the floor. There was a car stop at the Gracelands corner, it took the driver a bit to get out and he wouldn’t leave the car and get over the barrier until he was able to get a fire extinguisher by it. Eventually he went over the barrier with the marshal. Some of the racing was really close.
Sunday
The day started with a warm up session for the GT cars before the racing started. It seemed slightly warmer today as the sun was shining; it was cool though at times.
The racing started with a Ginetta race. The Safety Car was deployed twice during the race, I’m not really know why though. One of the cars spun backwards on the exit of Graceland into the gravel trap.
The Formula Fords were out next and they were really close together going into the first hairpin. One of them spun and another suffered nose damage. It was Freddie Hunt who had the damage as he came into the pits and retired. One of the cars, 58, lost his engine cover. It was flapping as he went around Tarzan.
In the F3’s, car 60 seemed to like running straight on at the wibbly corner before they went back onto the main straight. He did get the black and white flag as he did it on quite a few laps. Car 3 crawled into the pits and into retirement.
The Gt’s seemed quite well behaved in their race. Bentwood had a bit of a dent on his car when he came into the pits for the driver change. One of the Jaguars was a bit poorly, as it didn’t complete the race.
The Volkswagens put on a really good race. Car 13 came into the pits with his bumper missing.
The F3’s were out next, with a bit of contact at Turn 1 on the second lap. Car 9 received a drive through penalty; think it was because he jumped the start. He acknowledged the penalty to the starter on his third lap passed. After the race, one of the cars came back on a flat bed minus a rear wing and looking a bit wonky.
The Caterhams were out next and they seemed quite well behaved, after having a Safety Car after lap 1 for 1 lap.
The last race of the day was for the Ginettas. It was good to start and end the day with the same championship.
Would like to say well done to all the marshals for keeping the meeting running smoothly.
Mallory Park, 23rd September 2007
I decided to go to Mallory Park today, as Audi had told me that he would be going. I went to sign on and was asked to go to Post 1, but someone wanted to swap with me so I went to Post 10, the Hairpin.
The day started with Caterhams on track. One of them came to a stop on the approach to the Hairpin; it was on the grass and was well out the way. Car 147 had a bit of a spin, he managed to find reverse and carry on. There was lots of locking up and they were really close, even though it was qualifying.
The Citroen 2CV’s were out next, we had a bit of an incident between 4 of them. One of them turned in on another who had sneaked up the inside, two more went into the back of one another. There were a few lights left on the track, which the marshals swept up after the session.
There was another session for 2CV’s, and then some more Caterhams. The Baby Grands came out as well; I remembered them from when I saw them at Rockingham earlier in the year. They still looked like good fun.
At lunch, I met up with Audi, and we went to see the Baby Grand drivers. They remembered me, which was nice. There were more of them there this time, and they all posed for a photo with Audi and me. The drivers were Lawrence Bath, Nathan Bath, Robin Bath, Chris Jenkins, Steve Stanford and Mike Webb. They were really nice.
The baby grand with all the drivers that were doing the demo.
Next we went over to see one of the Caterham drivers, Sheila Marshal. As she was busy when we got there we decided that we try taking her car for a spin. Didn’t manage to start it though. Sheila then came out and posed for a photo with us, she was really nice. We then met Mike Welburn, who is another of the Caterham drivers. They have there own website www.graduates.org.uk
Bears try to drive Sheila Marshalls car but didnt see that the steering wheel was on the roof
Bears with Sheila Marshall
It was then time to go back to post so that the racing could begin.
Race 1 – Caterhams. It was very close racing, with a bit of tapping, nudging and avoiding hitting each other. It was all good fun. 1 of the cars stopped in the bus stop. We then had a bit of coming together between 3 cars, and they left a few wings on the track. The cars moved the wings out of the way and off the racing line, the cars were too close for the marshals to go out safely. It was a good race.
Beayrton with a number plate left at the hairpin by a Caterham (he sent it back to the driver though)
Race 2 – 2CVs. I thought this was going to be a long race as it was an hour long. It turned out to be interesting, as the cars seemed to be quite close together. Car 52 had a bit of a spin and carried on. Car 10 spun and hit the barrier on the other side of the track. I think he got a tap from another car. The impact damaged his suspension, and knocked the rear wheel cover off. The Safety Car was deployed whilst the car was recovered.
Race 3 – Caterhams. Car 73 took an unusual line by going on the grass whilst turning the corner. The leaders were coming around 3 cars wide. Car 86 went grass tracking whilst battling for the lead; he didn’t lose much time as he was still battling near the front on the next lap. On the penultimate lap, car 76 spun and was collected by two other cars. One of them managed to get away, and car 80 required a full lift. Car 76 lost his master switch, but was able to borrow 80’s to get going. We then found the lost switch so was able to send one back with the car.
Race 4 – Caterhams. On the first lap they were all bunched up and were really close to each other. There was no contact, which was incredible considering how close they were. Contact was bound to happen during the race as they were that close, and it did. Car 132 was tapped into a spin, but he was able to continue. Car 129 went into the back of another, and it looked like he burst a water pipe as it was leaking from behind the front wheel. Car 144 spun in the lead group and no one collected him. Car 133 carried a lot of speed into the corner, but he managed to turn on the grass and carry on.
The Baby Grands came out for another demonstration next. They looked like they were enjoying themselves out on the track. Car 30 gave car 24 a tap on one of the demonstration laps.
Race 5 – Caterhams. On the first few laps, one of the cars kept giving another one a tap on the back. Car 13 (I think) decided to try going over the top of another cars rear wheel arch, fortunately he landed on all four wheels, left a wing and carried on. On another lap, he got took a wide line on the grass, on another he got twitchy and then he decided to leave his nose cone. Some of the cars in the race used each other as brakes; they were all able to keep going.
I would like to say thank you to the Caterham people, because after all the racing had finished they asked Audi and me to help with an awards presentation. They also gave BARC a cheque for the marshals, which was really nice of them. Thank you.
Would also like to thank all the people I was on post with as I had a really good day and the racing was brilliant.
Rockingham, 16th September – Motorfest
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the event on both days, but was able to get a good viewing place on the Sunday. It was a racing event with a difference, as there was short oval racing too, and a mystery track race at the end of the day for the chance to become King of the Rock.
The racing started on the Super Oval with the Pickup Trucks. Pickup Truck 74 struggled to get away from the grid, and was pushed by mechanics. It did start but then stopped again, so the mechanics removed the bonnet. I think there may have been a small fire or something as there was a bit of smoke. They managed to get the truck started and he was only about ½ a lap down. He then pulled in the pits, I think he had a problem as the steering wheel was taken out and the mechanics were doing something with it. He got going a few laps later. Truck 93 pitted with a rather flat sounding engine. He pitted twice, on the second time he went into the garage. He did come out later, and a mechanic tried to jump on the back but fell off. It was a good race, with 16 winning followed by 22 and 21. After the race, the Trucks lined up on the main straight, drove slowly into the wall and did a burn out.
The SCSA were next. Unfortunately car 7 didn’t make it onto the grid. Colin White was slow getting away from the grid, and the cars behind were quick to put on the brakes, but they all got away. The 99 car was on a charge, as he went straight into the lead and was pulling away from the others. The Safety Car was called out onto the track after car 41 hit the wall on the entry into Turn 4. He hit with his backend, unfortunately I only managed to see the end of the incident, and his bumper was hanging off. Team Green was quick to attend and the driver got out ok. The Safety Car went in again and the race was continued. Car 78 was able to get ahead of 26 and 99 carried on his storming pace. The finishing order for the top there was 99, 78 and 26. Car 11 came into the pits with a puncture. After the race several of the cars performed donuts, I think Rob Compton, the rookie champion needs a bit more practice as he nearly went into the wall.
It was then time for the Short Oval racing, which meant the track layout was altered slightly. The cars were going the right way up the pit lane, and then coming onto the main straight and then going back into the pit lane.
It started with the Lightning Rods; the cars had dented panels before it had even begun. The third place car encourage second place into a spin. It was a good race, with car 53 winning. Unfortunately he failed post race scrutineering so the win was handed to the second place car, number 2. At the end of the race, some cars did donuts whilst over cars were working there way back to the paddock.
The Stock Rods came out next, and they were entertaining. One of the leaders span going into the first hairpin, and a few got collected. It was hardly surprising as they went about 5 wide into the corner. Car 72 got black flagged as his bonnet was hanging off. Not many finished the race, compared to what started. Car 447 won.
Out next was the 2l Hot Rods. One of the cars stopped at the exit to the first hairpin, the driver got out and climbed over the tyres and stood on the wall. He started pointing at the other drivers as though directing them around his car. The winner, car 43, performed donuts.
The National Hot Rods put on a really good race. There were 2 of the SCSA drivers racing. One of the cars had his back end going in every direction; his front end was going straight though. Car 777 seemed a bit shorter than he originally did, as he had been involved in an incident. Car 348, Shane Brereton was having a good battle for seventh, and Car 41, Carl Bordley was having a good battle for the lead. Unfortunately he was never close enough to take it. The finishing order was 151, 41 and 278. Two of the cars performed synchronized donuts.
The fifth race was the Legends. They raced the other way round the short oval. Even the Safety Car was a Legend and it had really cool flashing lights. The finishing order was 36, 20 and 156. Some of the Legends, including the Safety Car performed donuts.
The last race before the King of the Rock was the Super Stocks. They raced the same way as the Legends. They were 6 wide coming onto the oval. They used a bumper drafting technique, which was interesting to watch. The leaders were very close, and it was almost a photo finish. The top three were 482, 69 and 66.
The last race of the day was the King of the Rock, which was the top 10 drivers, one from each of the Oval races and 2 from the Grass track arena. Unfortunately I was unable to get to see them. The race organisers had decided to put these drivers to the test by using a mystery car and a mystery track that had not been used all weekend. The cars selected were Uniroyal Fun Cup cars, and the track they decided on was the track used for infield races. All of them were the race winners of the day except for the Pickups and the SCSA drivers.
The racers and the assigned race numbers were:
Pickups: Kelly-Jayne Wells 131
SCSA: Colin White (championship winner) 110
Lightning Rods: Mick Brassey 102
Stock Rods: Stuart Smyth 146
2l Hot Rods: Paul Wright 101
National Hot Rods: Joey Butler 107
Legends: Micky Preston 111
Super Stocks: Jason Cooper 88
Grass Track: Andy Lodge 103
Andy Wilkinson 108
One of the cars, 107, managed to spin on one of the sighting laps. The grid was randomly selected from a bag as they came round from the sighting laps and was as follows:
146, 103, 131, 102, 107, 111, 110, 88, 101, 108
Cars did have to be rearranged on the grid, as some of them had been put in the wrong spots, and they needed to be one behind the other for a rolling start.
It was very close on the first lap around the first hairpin, with one of them running very wide. There was a spin at the chicane going back onto the main straight, involving 103, 108 and 131. 110 was leading the race, ha managed to get a really good lead. On lap 2, the fight for 2nd place was close, with 88 spinning at Tarzan, and 103 spinning coming onto the oval. On Lap 7 the Safety Car came out, the safety team at Turn 4 ran out and picked up cones that had been down since before the start of the race. On lap 8 the Safety Car came in, and unfortunately car 110 lost the lead to 88. On the last lap car 131 spun at the 1st hairpin. The final finishing order was:
88, 110, 101, 102, 111, 146, 108, 103, 107, 131
Jason Cooper, from the Super Stocks was declared the King of the Rock.
There was some really good racing, I didn’t really see the point in sending the Safety Car out during the King of the Rock race, but I’m sure race control had its reasons. Well done to everyone who kept the meeting running smoothly, and I’m hoping to go back to Rockingham next year to see more racing.
Donington Park 08th and 09th September 2007 World Series by Renault
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Shelsley Walsh 08th and 09th September 2007
Well as Beayrton was going to Donington for the World Series by Renault I thought id pop down to Shelsley Walsh to see what hill climbing was all about.
As it was my first time to Shelsley when I got there I decided to take a walk up the hill, I only managed to get half way though as it’s a long way. It only takes cars around 40 seconds but with my small legs it would have taken days.
For those of you like me who have never been here is a quick run down on what they do. One car goes up the hill at a time and you have to do it as quick as you can, simple really.
As it was a two day meeting most of the Saturday was practice runs, and through the days not to many cars went off, there was a nice Subaru that had a spin and hit the bank and also a Caterham that seemed to have a problem that caused him to have an accident. There was also a good lunch break so I went for a quick look around and found some nice Lotus on display, so I couldn’t resist having my picture taken with them. The rest of the day passed with little incident hopefully tomorrow will be as good.
Reno finds his next car
Well Sunday started well and it was a nice warm day, and we had few problems in the morning, apart from one Caterham V8 having a little off but didn’t have to much damage. At lunch we had a spitfire display which was very good and I managed to get a few pictures and some video.
Spitfire doing a fly past
After lunch we had some very quick runs with a number of class records being broken. But then we had a very big off, it was a lotus single seater and it lost control and ended up way off the track down a steep bank after rolling a number of times, fortunately the driver was ok but unfortunately I don’t think the car will see a track again, the car was left there till the end of the meeting as it was going to be very hard to get to it. Well done to all the marshals and medical staff that looked after the driver and a big hand to the recovery driver and the Midlands Hill Climb rescue unit that had to pull the car out of the undergrowth.
We have put some arrows to help you spot the Lotus
Donington Park – 2nd September 2007 MSVR
It was a two-day meeting, but I was only able to go on the Sunday.
I arrived at sign on and was asked to go to Post 19 which was situated at Coppice out, have never ventured that far before so was looking forward to my day.
The day started well with the sun shining. There was 3 practice sessions in the morning and then the rest of the day was for racing.
Practice 1 – Car 71 spun on the apex of the corner; one went through the gravel to avoid and too went on to the grass on the inside of the corner. They all managed to carry on.
Practice 2 – Car 81 ran wide and did a nice turn in the gravel trap. It then got stuck, so a snatch tractor was called for. The marshal couldn’t find a towing eye at the back so it got left where it was. As it was a radical looking thing, the tow point was the roll hoop. Car 26 then decided to spin and do a couple of bunny hops in the gravel and came to a stop. Fortunately, it missed car 81. The session got red flagged, and both cars were snatched out and were able to drive off. One left a load of gravel on the track, for the marshals to sweep up.
Practice 3 – Car 30 decided to come straight on, do a slow spin and carry on after flicking a lot of gravel up.
Then it was time for the racing to begin.
Race 1 – Car 34, who had stormed off into the lead and had started lapping the back markers, got a puncture. He was going very slow, but managed to get back to the pits. Car 23 went flying through the gravel and continued.
Race 2 – Formula Palmer Audi’s. They were nice looking cars, and put on a good race. 19 and 89 went storming into the lead though. The race was red flagged; think it was an incident at the hairpin. It didn’t restart.
We saw a very nice air display from a spitfire. It was really good.
Race 3 – One of the cars ran a bit wide on the first lap, but managed to keep going. The safety car went out during the race, don’t know what happened. It didn’t manage to pick up the leader so it had to let loads past before it could go green.
Race 4 – We heard a screech and a bang from the other side of the track. The ambulance was scrambled; everything was ok which was good. We heard that the wall had s