My Snetterton Time Attack
Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:10 pm
A report ...
Having got on so well with Nige & Lou over in Germany we had arranged for them to come to stay for the weekend to co-incide with the last round of Time Attack at Snetterton. Annabelle was understandably very excited aswell to see her squeeze and to see cat again
Nige was working on Friday so they all headed down last thing on friday with the plan to have a chinese from the takeaway in the village when they arrived. I had been busy working on the car all day getting it sorted enough by changing ball joints and track rod ends to get rid of the ones with the worst amount of play in them so had only just got myself clean of oil when they arrived.
[pic of watch here if I had one]
We tucked into the chinese and a glass or 4 of wine and stayed up chatting to the small hours whilst the kids amused themselves and then decided to call it a day when Louise could only keep one eye open at a time
[another pic of watch here if I had one] :lol:
Saturday was a relaxed start and breakfast and GP qualifying was in order before getting to work on cleaning the car (ish) and setting up the video camera that Nige had brought down. It was great having company outside whilst I did my normal pre-event checks on stuff and generally pace up and down. Having done all the main bits on friday there wasnt really a lot to do apart from checking it and filling it and the jerry cans with fuel (hopefully enough to last me into the final)
I was optimistic about this event as it is a track that I know well and convinced that most others were underestimating how difficult it is thinking it is two big straights connected by 4 corners but having had the luck on TA rounds that I have had so far, I was very nervous.
To take my mind off this, we decided to head into Cambridge and go to the parkside pool and experience their flumes. It didnt compare favourably to the Rheinbach pool in germany but it was good to get out and do something reasonably healthy The kids loved the flumes.
Heading back from here we were stuck in traffic but the tedium of this passed very quickly when a fantastic pairs of tits jogged by in slo-mo hypnotising me and it seems everyone else too :lol:
Saturday night and Chili con carne and a reasonably early night as we were up and out at 6.30 to get there in time for signing on, briefing and to get into the garage.
[another pic of watch here if I had one]
Sunday morning and a brief distraction watching the farce that is F1 and we were on our way through the depths of Norfolk and fenland fog to the track. The visibility at the track was very poor and the start delayed by an hour. It was the plan for Nige to come out for the first warmup session with me but this was cancelled and instead a rush to get 30 cars out to follow a safety car out. I needed to get out on track to cure some nerves so sent Matt to run for Nige whilst I joined the queue of cars waiting to go out. If I didnt do this I wouldnt have got out in the first session. Unfortunately Nige turned up just after I had left.. sorry mate.
A tad foggy !
This seemed to help clear the fog and we appeared to be back on schedule for the day.
I had arranged for Lou to get a Media vest so that she could get really close to the action for shots:
Nige was setting up the camera:
The kids were watching down at Russells:
but every now and again coming back with rachel and nige to enjoy our VIP suite we had arranged:
First practice was about to start and the nerves kicked in again... the pressure was on as people expected me to do well as it was my home circuit. I wasnt worried about the track or the car but didnt want to let Rachel, Annabelle, Nige and Lou down.
I was out in Group B because previous results hadnt been good, but it allowed Zen Performance to fully support me during my sessions holding out pitboards and effectively telling me how to run the session ie do one warm up - 1 hot lap then come in, we will check and adjust tyre pressures. It was awesome, and so reassuring to have someone with detailed knowledge and experience setting your car up on event. I was calm and focused. The first session went well with me posting 4th fastest in my group with a time of 1.20.2 which was 2 seconds faster than I had ever driven Snetterton. I knew it would go quicker though as I had messed that lap up.
The next session was qualifying. This is what would make or break the day for me.
From looking at the times of the two combined groups. I thought a sub 1.20 would be enough to get to the final from how people were going. This was my target and I thought I could do it.
Rolling out of the pit lane and into my warm up lap and then pull really wide for the final chicane to give a straight line and max exit speed for the opening straight - this one would do it. The lap felt great but as I came across the line to finish it my lap timer said 1.20.08 bugger. Cool down, re-focus and start again the next lap. This was clean again but 1.20.05 bugger again. Time to come into the pits and chat to Paul (Zen).
Paul (with able assistance from Steven Darley) sorted tyre pressures and checked stuff over whilst I sat in the car and sent me back out for one more hot lap. Nice wide line to the chicane and nail it up the straight, slightly later on the brakes and turn in for richies, that felt good. Into the main straight and into 6th gear now through the esses, bombhole and coram and brake heavy down to the chicane taking all of the kerb and a bit more and through to finish the lap. Yes - 1.19.6 result. That would do it !!
I cooled down for a lap. There wasn't much left of the 20 min session so I headed into the pits. Paul made some adjustments to the suspension settings, checked under the bonnet and changed tyre pressures. He told me I had qualified already but thought that these would be an improvement. I had enough time for another hot lap. The car felt great and I headed round coram much faster than before and as a result I missed my braking point for the chicane - balls. Heyho, laughing to myself and shaking my head I cruised up to the line for the chequered flag and was almost crying to myself to know that I had qualified for my first final. I qualified 15th O/A and 13th in F/I
I was quite happy
Everyone was chuffed for me too and it was great to have so much positivity around me.
Still happy.
Time for the final and I needed to put more fuel in
Unfortunately I overfilled it so could have run lighter but that is no excuse.
The car had been getting too hot in the qualifying session so was going to have to play it sensible in the final by making space to start with to make the first lap count. I warmed the tyres up and went for it. Unfortunately my GPS lap timer decided that this was the time to not show me a time. It felt good but how good?? I came into the pits to find out... 1.19.2 !!
I headed out again convinced I could go quicker still but on a hot lap the car decided to det quite heavily so I decided to back off and abort the lap let it cool down for a couple of laps then try again.... it did the same. Hmm. into the pits and Paul suggested doing 3 cool down laps to see whether it would clear it but alas not. I only got the one hot lap in the final but chuffed that it counted well finishing 13th O/A and 11th F/I and I got to drive home in one piece afterwards
What a great weekend and thanks so much for coming down Nige/Lou et al we really enjoyed your company. I am sure you can fill in some of the bits that didnt involve me
As for my support - I owe huge debt of gratitude to Paul & Liz and the rest of the guys at Zen Performance for this result with their car not running it would have been very easy for them not to turn up but they decided to head over to support me and Steven anyway - for this I am very grateful. Also big thanks go out to Mark at Lateral Performance and from everyone else for the words of encouragement and assistance.
Here's to 2009 !
Having got on so well with Nige & Lou over in Germany we had arranged for them to come to stay for the weekend to co-incide with the last round of Time Attack at Snetterton. Annabelle was understandably very excited aswell to see her squeeze and to see cat again
Nige was working on Friday so they all headed down last thing on friday with the plan to have a chinese from the takeaway in the village when they arrived. I had been busy working on the car all day getting it sorted enough by changing ball joints and track rod ends to get rid of the ones with the worst amount of play in them so had only just got myself clean of oil when they arrived.
[pic of watch here if I had one]
We tucked into the chinese and a glass or 4 of wine and stayed up chatting to the small hours whilst the kids amused themselves and then decided to call it a day when Louise could only keep one eye open at a time
[another pic of watch here if I had one] :lol:
Saturday was a relaxed start and breakfast and GP qualifying was in order before getting to work on cleaning the car (ish) and setting up the video camera that Nige had brought down. It was great having company outside whilst I did my normal pre-event checks on stuff and generally pace up and down. Having done all the main bits on friday there wasnt really a lot to do apart from checking it and filling it and the jerry cans with fuel (hopefully enough to last me into the final)
I was optimistic about this event as it is a track that I know well and convinced that most others were underestimating how difficult it is thinking it is two big straights connected by 4 corners but having had the luck on TA rounds that I have had so far, I was very nervous.
To take my mind off this, we decided to head into Cambridge and go to the parkside pool and experience their flumes. It didnt compare favourably to the Rheinbach pool in germany but it was good to get out and do something reasonably healthy
The kids loved the flumes.Heading back from here we were stuck in traffic but the tedium of this passed very quickly when a fantastic pairs of tits jogged by in slo-mo hypnotising me and it seems everyone else too :lol:
Saturday night and Chili con carne and a reasonably early night as we were up and out at 6.30 to get there in time for signing on, briefing and to get into the garage.
[another pic of watch here if I had one]
Sunday morning and a brief distraction watching the farce that is F1 and we were on our way through the depths of Norfolk and fenland fog to the track. The visibility at the track was very poor and the start delayed by an hour. It was the plan for Nige to come out for the first warmup session with me but this was cancelled and instead a rush to get 30 cars out to follow a safety car out. I needed to get out on track to cure some nerves so sent Matt to run for Nige whilst I joined the queue of cars waiting to go out. If I didnt do this I wouldnt have got out in the first session. Unfortunately Nige turned up just after I had left.. sorry mate.
A tad foggy !
This seemed to help clear the fog and we appeared to be back on schedule for the day.
I had arranged for Lou to get a Media vest so that she could get really close to the action for shots:
Nige was setting up the camera:
The kids were watching down at Russells:
but every now and again coming back with rachel and nige to enjoy our VIP suite we had arranged:
First practice was about to start and the nerves kicked in again... the pressure was on as people expected me to do well as it was my home circuit. I wasnt worried about the track or the car but didnt want to let Rachel, Annabelle, Nige and Lou down.
I was out in Group B because previous results hadnt been good, but it allowed Zen Performance to fully support me during my sessions holding out pitboards and effectively telling me how to run the session ie do one warm up - 1 hot lap then come in, we will check and adjust tyre pressures. It was awesome, and so reassuring to have someone with detailed knowledge and experience setting your car up on event. I was calm and focused. The first session went well with me posting 4th fastest in my group with a time of 1.20.2 which was 2 seconds faster than I had ever driven Snetterton. I knew it would go quicker though as I had messed that lap up.
The next session was qualifying. This is what would make or break the day for me.
From looking at the times of the two combined groups. I thought a sub 1.20 would be enough to get to the final from how people were going. This was my target and I thought I could do it.
Rolling out of the pit lane and into my warm up lap and then pull really wide for the final chicane to give a straight line and max exit speed for the opening straight - this one would do it. The lap felt great but as I came across the line to finish it my lap timer said 1.20.08 bugger. Cool down, re-focus and start again the next lap. This was clean again but 1.20.05 bugger again. Time to come into the pits and chat to Paul (Zen).
Paul (with able assistance from Steven Darley) sorted tyre pressures and checked stuff over whilst I sat in the car and sent me back out for one more hot lap. Nice wide line to the chicane and nail it up the straight, slightly later on the brakes and turn in for richies, that felt good. Into the main straight and into 6th gear now through the esses, bombhole and coram and brake heavy down to the chicane taking all of the kerb and a bit more
and through to finish the lap. Yes - 1.19.6 result. That would do it !!I cooled down for a lap. There wasn't much left of the 20 min session so I headed into the pits. Paul made some adjustments to the suspension settings, checked under the bonnet and changed tyre pressures. He told me I had qualified already but thought that these would be an improvement. I had enough time for another hot lap. The car felt great and I headed round coram much faster than before and as a result I missed my braking point for the chicane - balls. Heyho, laughing to myself and shaking my head I cruised up to the line for the chequered flag and was almost crying to myself to know that I had qualified for my first final. I qualified 15th O/A and 13th in F/I
I was quite happy
Everyone was chuffed for me too and it was great to have so much positivity around me.
Still happy.
Time for the final and I needed to put more fuel in
Unfortunately I overfilled it so could have run lighter but that is no excuse.The car had been getting too hot in the qualifying session so was going to have to play it sensible in the final by making space to start with to make the first lap count. I warmed the tyres up and went for it. Unfortunately my GPS lap timer decided that this was the time to not show me a time. It felt good but how good?? I came into the pits to find out... 1.19.2 !!
I headed out again convinced I could go quicker still but on a hot lap the car decided to det quite heavily so I decided to back off and abort the lap let it cool down for a couple of laps then try again.... it did the same. Hmm. into the pits and Paul suggested doing 3 cool down laps to see whether it would clear it but alas not. I only got the one hot lap in the final but chuffed that it counted well finishing 13th O/A and 11th F/I and I got to drive home in one piece afterwards
What a great weekend and thanks so much for coming down Nige/Lou et al we really enjoyed your company. I am sure you can fill in some of the bits that didnt involve me
As for my support - I owe huge debt of gratitude to Paul & Liz and the rest of the guys at Zen Performance for this result with their car not running it would have been very easy for them not to turn up but they decided to head over to support me and Steven anyway - for this I am very grateful. Also big thanks go out to Mark at Lateral Performance and from everyone else for the words of encouragement and assistance.
Here's to 2009 !
.
