I got home after work yesterday at about 6pm and needed to finish several jobs on the M3. Some of those jobs included stickers and paint
Gary of APT very kindly delivered a few key bits and he found the still wet paint on the arches amusing. We had a quick natter and then it was time for home.
I have had a tough old week so I decided that a good nights kip was more important than getting to the circuit really early, so I opted on a 4am start
It was seriously foggy. This didn't affect the tow speed but did affect how relaxing the trip was (or wasn't) After hours of squinting, peering through thick, dense, wet fog I arrived at the track. It was with some relief if I'm honest. Kim was there already and we were soon joined by Gerry and Logan, with both guys cursing the bad weather and Logan cursing everything :lol:
Signing on was dealt with so we needed to be scrutineered. Pretty straight forwards but once again a few pointers from the experienced staff from the various motor clubs. Our practice runs were some time off, so we grabbed a cracking bacon roll from the caterers and turned up late for the briefing :oops: Not that I could hear a word of what they were saying!
It was time for a perv around the paddock. There was some really mighty machinery there, far beyond anything that I had seen at any sprint before.
V8 Judd engined monsters packing 700bhp and serious aero
To put their performance into perspective, I'll give you an example of how quick they are. Anyone that knows Logan and his driving, knows that he is very, very quick. Around a circuit of around 2 miles these single seaters were 20 seconds faster per lap!!
More automotive narcotics
The Ferrari guys were there in force. Nice to see them driven in varying shades of anger. They were far slower here than I expected, probably for fear of bending hugely expensive cars. Fair enough I guess and it's always nice to have something flash and powerful to wipe your arse with!! You'll be pleased to know that the BP collective kicked their butts!
Gerry and I would be squaring up to each other in D8. We were also up against an Audi Quattro with around 400bhp (according to the owner)
More on him and the car in a minute.
I have to say that the level of preparation on the cars was superb. The quality and diversity of the competition was one of the biggest highlights for me.
Mint 205
Classic Mini (also went like shit off of a shovel)
Super quick Mk 2 Escort
Prima Racing 5 driven by the circuit record holder
Lovely Lotus
Rare sprint Beetle
Tricked up MX5
Porsche by the dozen
The Neinmeister car hit the 89 second mark. Astonishing
First practice was in the really damp early morning. This made a slippery Cadwell even worse than normal, care was needed!
Here are the boys launching (although some launched harder than others
)
The Porsche was another regular, although not on the forum.
Gerry and I were officially poo in first practice with Mr Quattro whooping our arses. He did a 103 second run, with mine a 107 and Gerry a very careful 112. Definitely room for improvement but with Logan cracking a 96, where the hell would we find that much time!
That question must have crossed Gerrys mind as I found him trying to find the extra ponies later on
Second practice was far better. The circuit was drying and we all went a fair bit quicker. Logan was still quickest in his class, closely followed by Kim and then a chap with a superb black RS500 which he drove very well. In my group I was leading with Gerry in second. Fingers crossed. That dreaded gearbox/clutch issue had returned though..........this could truly scupper my plans for a banzai lap later as I was really struggling to select gears or even remove the gear stick and coast.
A quick lunch break saw me trying to get an MSA logbook sorted with the Chief Scrutineer. This took a fair while but the process was methodical enough and it was money well spent as I can stop whinging about sorting this out, once and for all. The ever helpful Mike Madden did the deed and in a fortnight I should be sorted
The downside to this thorough examination was the bollocking I got from lady organising the sequential running order of the whole event. She was repeatedly reading my number out over the tannoy, and repeatedly telling me how much shit I was in for mucking her time table up. I roared down to the assembly area, waved an apology; she waved back or at least I think that was a wave :jerk: :lol: and I was out. Behind Gerry in the queue, heart thumping in my chest as we neared the traffic lights, ready for the off.
Now the 'lights' are one of the best things about sprinting for me. The sensation of a well judged launch cannot be dismissed lightly. Those that have mastered this art know how satisfying it can be and the anticipation of getting the ideal balance of slip to grip makes it all the better. So there I was. Delighted to be here full stop. Surprised to be quickest in practice. Enjoying the glorious sunshine and now my car was properly log booked too. What a day!
Gerry is known for his blinding getaways and in trademark style, lit all four wheels up as the Toyo 888's bit into the grippy surface. The car slinked right then left through the first part of Hall Bends before disappearing out of sight, the exhaust barking its pleasure at being spanked hard. I had lost focus. I should have been thinking about my own launch and the marshalls beckoned me up to the Christmas tree lights.
It is a simpler arrangement than something like Santa Pod. Staging is the same; you get the beam to line up with and a red light to say that you're loaded. When the circuit is clear you get a green light and 5 seconds to rocket away.
The light was red moments after pulling up. The marshalls braced my car so it didn't roll out wasting reset times or a disqualification. I took a deep breathe, muttered a prayer and raised the revs to 4k. Green!! GO :twisted: I tried to compose myself but I was so pumped up for this, I carried too much speed into the very first part of the flick flack that forms the bends. This in turn pushed me a little deeper into turn two, but I had recovered well enough and settled the car before the steep right at the end. Heel and toe into second and gently squeeze as I balanced the grip of my tyres on the drying surface. Into the Hairpin and short shifted into third. This was a mistake as the loss of drive spoiled the line out onto the main straight but I still hit an indicated 110mph before a small confidence boosting dab of the brakes saw me lurch off steep left and up, like a fighter pilot, through Charlies and into the sequence of corners that lead to Park Straight. Flat out, I mean absolutely as fast as I could go, up and over this blind crest at an indicated 120, foot stamping 19 stones worth into the floor for a few moments more and then heel and toe, matching the revs to get third and around into Chris Curve for this long right hander. Maxx always told me to use a balanced throttle around here and the car responded beautifully to this tip with just a hint of oversteer all the way around 8) At the end of this corner, much like Coram at Snetterton, there is a fierce chicane to deal with. The big difference at Cadwell is that the exit is a steep downhill drop and there is little to no safe run off. I'm very lucky in that I seem to have the Gooseneck chicane pretty much covered in terms of lines. Not perfect, but confident enough to adapt and I know what to expect. With that in mind, I placed the car tight on the right into the first part and yomped the kerbs on the exit, firing me down the hill with a whiff of corrective lock. The hill is so steep that you start braking within two seconds or so after leaving the Gooseneck. My brakes are disproportionally strong on the front and my suspension settings are drift rather than grip based, so Mansfield, the rapidly approaching 90 degree left, was looking very scary! I knew this corner was the key to a quick lap so more heel and toe, this time from third to second, and turn in early so the rear of the car started to go lighter still, turning the front of the car in. Wind off the steering and squeeze the throttle to get the exit traction and quickly snatch third before you cross the line!! Phew
Welcome to the World of a lap at Cadwell in sprint conditions. I have enjoyed the trackday laps there in the past but this new, altogether more potent experience blew my mind. And this was just the first run, littered with mistakes. I knew I could make up time, maybe a couple of seconds with the car in this set up. No gear change maladies this time so I was very confident of having a good laugh on the next run. This lap felt quick but obviously, 'felt' and 'was' are two different things. It's often the laps that feel slow that prove to be the fastest.
Gerry and I would have to wait around 20 minutes to find the results of the first of the best of two runs that would count to the points. Logan was still leading B3 with a remarkable 91 second run
I knew this guy could drive but how he achieves these times with a relatively stock car is a credit to him. Bastard :lol: Kim was second and on the hunt for more points and another trophy. I think he got a high 92 or maybe a low 93? I'm sure he'll confirm when he can. Logan was not without his problems though.....
A dying radiator was spewing hot gobs of coolant everywhere so a joint taskforce set about a fix and a solution was sorted. Sort of. It did mean that Logan had to go home with enough Water in the car to irrigate the Sahara but at least he got home :thumb:
The times were up for D8. Mr Quattro had messed up when a four wheel drift took him onto the grass and therefore disqualifying him for the run. Gerry had made up 12 seconds from his first run with 100 seconds flat, the dirty sandbagging, mind game playing, competitive bugger that he is
but somehow, I had managed a time a shade under 95 seconds so I was leading. Obviously I was chuffed but I also felt a little surreal, almost like I knew I'd had a fun but relatively poor lap. If the car could do another balls out lap, could I keep my cool and drive well?The short answer is no
The bloody gearchange problem reared its head again and after a stonking first half of the lap too. I was gutted. The Hall Bends were much cleaner, the Hairpin and exit onto the straight were as good as I'll ever get them, Charlies was only a small lift and no brakes at well over 100 and then it all went to shit. I couldn't get third onto Park Straight and the rest of the lap went to bits. Chris Curve was a gear higher than it should have been, the Gooseneck was mint, but Mansfield was also a gear higher up with me coasting across the line with no selectable gear at all. I still did a 96 or 97 second lap so what the hell could that have been? Oh well........Gerry managed a 96 and Mr Quattro managed a 98 so I'd done it. After the disappointment of a poor last lap, made even worse by the recurrence of a problem that I'd thought to have solved, I'd won my first sprint race. Wow.
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A BigPower team debrief followed, minus Kim, and we compared notes on the day. Logan was delighted that the Evo held together and was delirious about a 91 second run. Gerry was disappointed I think. With more seat time there I know he'd kick my arse and I think he knew it. We both kept getting quicker and quicker and I think with more runs, we would both have been getting much lower 90 second runs (Maybe 92's?)
Logan and I decided to ham up the award ceremony a bit and I have to say, it was hilarious. I'll let the pics do the talking when Lord Houghton uploads them
Thanks to the guys for their support.
Gary and Rob helping to get the car done (again)
Thanks to Logan, Kim and Gerry for the banter throughout the day.
Big Thanks to Russell for his help with the marshalling. We genuinely couldn't have done the day without you and the rest of the team.
After a long old day to end a long old week, I'm left with the images of Logans car spraying the coolant over his engine and windscreen like arterial spray. I'm also left with the feeling that, as Kim has mentioned, airfield events will be bloody hard to get excited about after sprinting at a 'proper' circuit. But most of all I'm left with a ruddy great grin, my first winners trophy and a commemorative winners hat for my efforts.
FAN-BLOODY-TASTIC :thumb:
Onwards and upwards guys. Let's get some more of you buggers involved next year and this will go from strength to strength.
have you replaced the rubber clutch hose for a braided one as these can give some problems i believe :roll: 
