2000, Rounds 12 & 13, Snetterton

The first race didn't start too well - the video would not start recording in the assembly area!! When the lights went green I got it all wrong, wheelspinning in 1st gear and then again in 2nd, as the (still damp) track conditions caught me out. I had lost several places by the first corner. I then gained a couple, as there was a spinner in each of the next three bends. Seems the track was catching others out too. Then on the 2nd lap I snatched 1st gear out of the chicane instead of 3rd, and lost several more places whilst I fumbled around in neutral for what seemed an eternity.

Trying to make up for early mistakes too quickly has proved costly in the past, so I settled in to some consistent laps to slowly catch a few people back. I ended the race in 13th, back where I had started, having set the 11th fastest race lap, so I would start the next race in 11th.

No mistakes at the start this time, and the first pass came on lap 2 as Don Hughes and Sean Stanway tangled at Riches, lettting at least 3 of us past the sideways Hughes. Sean was next, as he lost momentum at the next corner letting myself and Julian Griffin though, and I believe he subsequently retired with a puncture. From here, it started to settle down again. I tried to keep pace with those ahead, and that let a huge gap open up behind me, and I was fairly comfortable in 9th, until Anthony Ridd made his way from the back of the field up to where I was, and finally past me as well.

This all changed when the black and yellow quartered flag came out to allow the marshalls to move a stranded car. The leaders slow to 50 mph, and everyone else catches up and slows too. This is a double edged sword, it allows me to catch those I had been trying to catch without success for several laps, but it also puts me back in the clutches of those behind - in this case Andy Elliot, who managed to time his restart just right, and came galloping up to my back bumper along the straight, but I was really hugging the pit wall to force him to go round the outside, and in the end I still had enough speed to charge through the inside at Riches, and keep the place.

At the Esses, I saw Mark Davies was off the track to the left, but then he seemed to lunge right across the track - luckily missing everyone - and then as he found himself off the right hand side of the track several of us passed him, so back in 9th again.

At the Esses on the next (and last) lap, Julian Griffin went round the outside of Craig Shephard at the first bend, putting him inside at the next bend, which forced Craig to take a wide line onto the grass, and I was past him, but up ahead Andy Burgess was very slow, obviously recovering from some kind of incident himself. Julian tried to go to his right, and I tried to go to his left, but as they turned into the bombhole, Julian was on the grass, and bouncing over the kerb at the apex, forcing me to lift for a second, and allowing Andy to get away, but now Craig was upon us, up the inside, and we entered the start of Coram curve three abreast. Craig passed Julian on the inside with a little nudge, I passed him on the outside, but taking the longer route meant that Craig got past me as well. Then he got it all wrong at the final bend and myself and Julian were through again. 7th place - an excellent result, and a fitting end to a very exciting race.

Elsewhere, Jay Frost managed to win both races, and looks pretty secure for the championship, while in contrast the luckless Steve Powlesland ended up retiring from both races. 4 weeks time is the final round of the year at the fabulous Oulton Park circuit.