1999, Round 3, Brand's Hatch
| Weather | Dry and cloudy |
| Qualification result | 28th of 61 |
| Race length | 12 laps, 14.7 miles |
| Championship race | 24th |
| Lap | Time | Difference | Ave. speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lap Record (new circuit) | 1:00.38 | 73.10 mph | |
| Pole | 1:00.32 | -0:00.06 | 73.18 mph |
| My qualification | 1:02.04 | +0:01.06 | 71.15 mph |
| Fastest race lap | 1:00.38 | -0:00.00 | 73.10 mph |
| My fastest race lap | 1:01.89 | +0:01.58 | 71.32 mph |
|
This race weekend turned out to be VERY hectic indeed. I went testing on Friday, and because we were only getting 2 sessions of 25 minutes each, I decided to make best use of them I would have to be quick from the start. Big mistake. Crashed into the tyre wall at Clearways on only my third lap. We managed to patch the car up enough to get it out in the second session by pulling it slightly straighter (as picture) and adding lots of sticky tape, but it seemed to be behaving differently through the right hand bends. Saturday I took the car over to my brother Mike's work SMC, where some of his workmates helped us get the old wing off, straighten the inner wing, and weld a new wing on. In the afternoon I collected a new bumper and lights, and then in the evening, myself and my other brother Richard straightened the bonnet, sprayed the wing, and put the new parts on. The handling may be slightly different, but it was ready to be raced. A big thanks to the guys at SMC, and to both of my brothers. It was a tall order to get into the race, and I could not have done it without them. In qualifying on Sunday, I went out of the pit lane near the back again, so I hung back to get a good clear track to set some good times. I didn't even get to the start line before the session was red flagged because there was a car on its side in the gravel at Paddock Hill bend. Now we would have just 12 minutes to qualify AND I was now in the middle of loads of other cars. The rest of the session went without a hitch, and I did get a couple of good laps in, but not as many as I would have liked. I also took it too easy through Paddock Hill bend, because the car was making an odd noise through there. I later found the new wing was scrubbing the tyre. I qualified 28th out of the 61 entries, with the top 30 going into the championship race. That was a fabulous result considering the mess I made of the car on Friday. The race started only slightly better than the last round at Mallory Park. I still had too much wheelspin, despite trying a different approach to the start, so I was again last by the first corner. However, since one of the guys that had been behind me got collected by a car that lost it in Paddock Hill bend, I guess it was just as well I had not had a better start. The first two laps I stayed in last place, before finally getting my act together and starting to take places back. I finished 24th, with 28 of the starters finishing. It was a fun race, I really enjoyed some of the close action I seemed to find at the back. I particularly enjoyed outbraking someone at Paddock Hill bend and getting the inside line, and making it stick (more or less). That may be a daunting corner at first, but it is VERY rewarding to get it right! The next meeting is two races at Pembrey in Wales, and I will again be looking for a better start, and before then I will be checking the car more thoroughly than I was able to after the accident in testing. |
