Snetterton was really the first time we’d be able to directly compare the Silverstone tyres with our Avon performances from earlier in the year. Since Croft we’d made further changes to the setup – notably toe, camber and ride height – which we hoped would compliment the needs of the tyre construction.
Going out for the morning practice session would be a test session as well (isn’t it always in club motorsport?), and I had some new front brake pads to bed in too. Initially I concentrated on warming everything up properly, but it was soon apparent that the cat was nervous and not confidence inspiring. I pushed on, navigating the traffic and looking for clear air. For the majority of the session I couldn’t get below 1m11, which was Reynard pace and not very competitive for the Dallara. Pole was going to be in the 1m07s – 4 seconds is a long time… By the 11th or 12th lap I’d found some clear air, was all warmed up, and stuck in 4th position. It was now or never…
My best lap was absolutely on it, pushing the limits of my ability (and, I think, the tyres’ limits), leaving no margin for error. On more than on occasion I thought I’d lost control, but clung on to finish the lap in 1m08.382. That was good enough for 2nd, somehow beating Neil Harrison, and only 0.8 seconds off pole. Not bad, but my race pace on these tyres wasn’t going to be great. Phone calls were made to the tyre people to suggest things to try, although tyre pressures were the main area of concern. The race beckoned, and I wasn’t confident.
My start was lousy, despite warming up the tyres as best I could. Neil got the jump on me, and Jeremy Timms was long gone from pole by the time we got to the first corner. As at Croft I was going to have a dull afternoon in 3rd. Until, that is, Neil buzzed his engine on the second lap, slowed and waved me through on the approach to Russell chicane. If I was going to stand a chance of staying in touch with Jeremy then I had to push now. This was a mistake. Exiting Russell the wheels spun, my reactions were too slow, and I spun onto the grass. The engine was still running, and I made a swift recovery, but Nick Anstruther and Richard Purcell were through, with Kevin Mason bearing down on me.
On dirty, cold tyres I didn’t fight Kevin, but was able to pass him on the back straight as his strangled F3 engine refused to propel him very quickly. Next up was Richard, and he took an age to catch and pass. Had I been in the Reynard it would have been expected, but in a Dallara it was a shock to catch him so slowly. Eventually he did get overtaken, but a lot of the race was over by now. My first 8 laps weren’t even in the 1m10s, whilst laps 9, 10 and 11 were only in the 10s. By lap 12 the tyres were ready to get me into the 9s, but that was still 2 seconds off of Jeremy. Every lap. Nick was ahead, struggling in traffic, and although I was alongside him as we took the chequered flag, it wasn’t enough to get 2nd overall from him (but I was still second in class).
Neil, and his father Nick (Magic Motorsports), were already packing up their car to go home. They had an idea in mind to drive home (Kidderminster), attempt to fix the problem if it was just bent valves, then drive back on the Sunday morning. This was scuppered when they realised that most of the tools were at Brands Hatch where Mark Harrison was competing in the BRSCC F3 round there. Then a thought occured to me – maybe they’d lend me their tyres for the final race of the year. They probably weren’t going to need them.
I asked, expecting a no. But Nick said yes!! Great news!
I awoke on Sunday morning brimming with confidence. I was back on Avons, and we’d reset as much of the setup overnight as we could with the equipment at the circuit (and some we brought with us on Sunday morning). Everything was checked over. The tyres were fitted (and we had the balance checked just in case). And we rolled out for practice. By the first corner – despite everything being cold – I knew I was going to be a lot quicker. I spend some laps warming things up and reacquanting myself with the behaviour of the Avons, as well as navigating traffic. And then I pushed. My first proper lap, which wasn’t very good and was spoilt by traffic was a 1m08.8. On the next lap I easily beat my personal best, despite some traffic still, and set the pole time of 1m07.8. I could almost certainly have gone quicker with a bit more time on the tyres and a little less traffic – all subsequent laps were ruined with by traffic or by mistakes (mostly the former).
Pole! My first since Mallory earlier in the year, and as quick as Jeremy would have been in a healthy car. Speaking of Jeremy, he was 3rd, with a chronic misfire. 2nd place was taken by Nick Anstruther, who has naturally taken over my position from 2008 as the best of the rest behind the Dallaras, and preying on sick Dallaras whenever the opportunity arises. Or if it’s wet. Just be thankful that Nick isn’t in a Dallara!
The car was pretty much perfect, so we didn’t change anything for the race. This was actually an oversight – in our excitement of being quick again I forgot to mention the brakes needed a bit of a bleed. On the way to the assembly area I realised the error, as the pedal took about three pumps before it did anything. Gulp. Maybe I’d cope, and knowing there is a problem is half the battle won. The problem, I realised, was because we’d blanked off the front brake ducts to try and get brake temperature on the Silverstones. But with Avon grip I was able to generate much higher temperatures, and without cooling this had boiled the fluid slightly. And somewhere in my brake calipers was a bubble of air that needed to be compressed every time I brakes. Gulp (again).
I took the grid on a quick warm up lap so that I could get everything as warm as I could. Nick, however, had different ideas as he can’t sit on the grid in his Bowman for as long as the Dallaras. I slowed, using the opportunity to warm the brakes by using them hard, when all of a sudden the rear brakes locked! Arrgh! I caught the resulting slide, and from then on the brakes seemed fine – no pumping required – although I don’t think I ever trusted them 100%.
My start was good – partly because I’d spent Saturday night analysing the datalogging from all three Silverstone Tyres races versus good Avon starts and optimised my starting RPM, and partly because the Avons simply gave more purchase with the road – as was Jeremy’s. We arrived at the first corner first and second, and although Jeremy was nearly close enough to get in my tow down the back straight my car just about had the legs on him. Around the latter half of the lap – Esses, Bombhole, Coram and Russells – I was quite a lot quicker than Jeremy (he commented that my lines were quite different to his), but in Riches and Sears he caught up all the lost time. Still, he never got close enough to attempt a pass, although he did set a lap record on the way. After 5 laps of this, though, his car screamed enough, and prompty started to make horrible gearbox noises. Jeremy slowed. I didn’t. The race was, surely, mine. Jeremy limped around, but was miles off the pace. All he needed to do was finish to win the championship, but his car had other ideas. The coil pack gave up the will to live and he pulled off at Riches corner on the 9th lap. The championship was Neils!!!
My pitboard was telling me I had a 21 second lead. Then a 23 second lead. Then 27 seconds. And then my gear lever came loose, and I was stuck in 4th gear. Actually, I was very nearly stuck in neutral, but a lucky wriggle of the lever before it finally went limp got me back in a gear. So I did the remaining 2 or 3 laps in one gear, attempting to emulate in my own pitiful way the 1995 Spanish Grand Prix drive of Mr Schumacher. The car kept going, and I crossed the line to win my third ever race, and my 2nd of the season. Or had I?
Two cars ahead of me had just recieved the last lap board, and as I approached the line this was withdrawn the chequered flag was brought out. But it wasn’t actually waved as I crossed the line. Had I actually finished, or was he (the flag waver) just getting ready for when I did at the end of the lap. None of the marshalls were waving back. I am a gambling man (as long as it’s Texas Hold’em poker, ideally not for real money!), but this wasn’t worth the risk. I continued around (actually lapping another car in the process) to take the chequered flag for the second time (this time it was waving) before returning to the pitlane. I’d kept the commentator waiting, but that was the least of my worries! And my extra lap got the attention of the Clerk of the Course as it was reported to him by the start line marshals – although he accepted my version of events and let me off with a smile.
So I had won. The Avons had come good, and in lending me them the Harrisons had made Jeremy chase me causing, perhaps, his retirement, and hence Neil’s championship win.
Going into the off season with a win, and the pace to challenge Jeremy next year, is a good feeling. Already we have been planning on what to change or improve for next year. The rules on fuelling are being relaxed, allowing fuel injection to be introduced. Towards this goal we’ve been in discussions with local throttle body and ECU manufacturers, and hope to have a working system on the dyno before Christmas. The car is going to have some weight removed from it, and the driver is going to get fit (training has already started for me). We fully intend to continue our momentum and win the Mono2000 championship next year.
As I write this article I’ve found out that Jeremy’s car is for sale. This presumably means he won’t be racing next year, so the only way to compare myself with him will be via lap times and lap records. Neil is also having a change, perhaps running in BRSCC F3 or in Mono2000 with a restricted F3 car. Chris Woodhouse – dominant in Mono1000 with 10 wins from 10 races – is apparently going to get a Dallara. Kat Impey – Chris’ closest rival in terms of pure speed – has bought Ray Rowan’s car but is probably going to use it in BRSCC F3. We thought about, but don’t have the money to compete in their series properly, let alone the money to convert our car back to F3 specification (which includes an engine, electrical system, bodywork and aero revisions), so we’ll just have to see who might come and play in Mono next year.
