Better late than never Des's report from Outlon :
It has been four years since I last pedalled a race car round Oulton Park in Cheshire, and it was a skeleton team who headed up to Oulton Park of the penultimate round of the kit car championship
As we arrived at circuit on Friday morning, it was quite clear that we were in for one of the wettest days racing that we have ever done. We quickly decided that would be an extremely miserable day, unless we have a garage, so quickly found one of the RGB Raith and negotiated a garage share deal to keep is dry. JB did his usual fantastic job, running round getting the car ready whilst I took the liberty of a track walk around the 2.6 mile Oulton Park International circuit. From the track walk. It was clear it was going to be a tricky day testing. There were rivers running across the track, and deep puddles around many of the corners. After four years away from all Park, it was quite surprising how much I had forgotten about the circuit during my track walk, I had mainly forgotten how much of the circuit has a camber to it, both negative and positive, and indeed, what an awesome track it is!
As I lined up for my first test session. The rain was coming down really strongly, and going out onto the circuit. It was like, you sometimes see on the Formula One -- where all you can see of the car in front of the dim glow of their rear light. I managed about three laps tiptoeing around the circuit, discovering quite how little grip. Our car has in the rain. If that is not a lack of grip, which is the problem, but our semi-slick racing tyres’ inability to clear the water - indeed, I think it was the first I can remember that I was not willing to hold the accelerator open all the way down the straights. The car was spinning up its wheels in each of the first four gears.
The first session was cut very short, lasting only about 15 minutes.
A quick check over the car, and we are out for session 2. The conditions were no better. I did a couple of laps in traffic, and then came through the pit lane in order to get myself some clear space. It was a good idea in principle, however, it didn't really work out as, the first time I went into cascades braking hard downhill. I managed to lock the rear wheels spinning myself backwards off into the gravel and ending the session – oops…..
Third and final session was again a complete washout with the car aquaplaning all over the shop, and survival being the name of the game. It really was impossible to learn anything useful! My lap times were in the region of 2:45 versus a good dry time of under 2:00.
After the final session, the Mad Racing catering department (my Dad) supplied us with a cup of tea and a slice of cake before we loaded the tools into the back of the galaxy and headed off to our respective homes to warm up. Overall it was the end of a fairly miserable day testing!
As I hung my overalls over the radiator at home, and having seen the weather forecast. I was fully expecting the racing to be cancelled on Saturday………
When Saturday, arrived it was still damp outside, but the skys were looking brighter - a good sign. When we got to the circuit with extremely pleased to find that our car was still in the garage where we left it and hence we had a roof over our heads for the rest of the day.
The car sailed through scrutineering and before I knew it I was lined up ready to go out the practice. It was shared practice with Kit Cars and SR GTs. The track was still damp, in places, although a dry line was starting to form. I trundled out onto my out lap and just started to feel the amount of grip - there was loads more grip than on Friday, and importantly, almost no standing water. My investigations into the grip however, were short lived, as on the out lap one of the SR GT cars took out the tyres at Knickerbrook, and red flagged the session. As I sat in the same rating for the session to restart, I chatted to JB, and we looked at the stopwatch and concluded that we probably would only get our minimum required in the practice - that meant. When the session restarted and would have the out lap, and then two flying laps with which to set a time.
But this in mind, I did an extremely slow out lap in order to give myself as much room as possible, and as I came out of Lodge I floored accelerator and headed into my first hot lap really, not knowing how much grip there was. I had no break markers , worked out, as the track conditions were so different to the test day, and hence was driving on feel and guesswork, yet I was quietly pleased with my first few corners of the lap - perhaps this was going to work out quite nicely! My confidence, however, was short lived, as I exited Knickerbrook . I caught up with a chain of perhaps five slow-moving cars - a disaster to my hot lap. I knew there was no way I could overtake or five of them before the start of the next lap, and hence the only option was to abort this lap, slow right down, and use my second and only remaining hot lap to set the time.
I pulled off the racing line, and slow down, in order to create as much space as possible. As I exited the final corner, I put my foot down and headed into my one remaining hot lap. Again, I was very pleased with the first few corners, but to my frustration, I caught a slow-moving car again on the way into Knickerbrook. I went for the overtake, but can only assume the other car had not seen me as he moved across effectively to block my overtake, I tried two more times, but each time I attempt was blocked, in fact, it wasn't until Druids when I was able to fight the inside under braking, and resume the lap. It was a disaster I guess that I had lost five seconds behind the slow-moving car and on my only hot lap……
I went back into the garage is slightly disillusioned - I hadn't achieved anything like my potential lap time during qualifying, and having driven a Oulton Park numerous times before. I was really hoping to get a good grid slot.
When the results finally came out, I was pleasant surprised – was 4th on the grid! It seems that everyone else had had similar problems finding space on the track.
After more tea and cake from Mad Catering, and elongated celebration from JB and I as we manage to repair something electrical on the car in the absence of Big Al, I lined up on the grid,
The top four places on the grid are always special, as due to the staggered nature of the grid you get a clear view of the track in front of you - it felt great, and reminiscent of the good old days in Lowcost-ing. The red lights came on and after a couple of seconds extinguished - we were go. I tried a new technique to get a side which had been recommended to me by Big Al and as a result of that got a great start zooming straight up to second place. Gary in his more powerful B class car got ahead of me before turn one, and Rob carefully placed his car up the inside into a whole, forcing it to lift a mix it and conceded another place - back to fourth…… I was quite tentative round cascades for the first time for and was overtaken by the yellow Cambridge transformers car on the exit – down to fifth…. This was no good, being overtaken is no fun at all!
I held my position for a couple of laps, by which time I had got a good feel of the track and started to push harder. Rob was in front of me in fourth, and I'm sure slower, however, everytime I got close to him I made a small mistake dropped back - damn that consistency thing! Then on, the next lap into Lodge, I was quite close behind Rob, and saw him get a really big oversteer on mid-bend - but I was too close to make the most of it, I had to lift off, and during Robert in some synchronised sliding - fun, but ultimately slow. And I dropped another place due to my poor exit speed. Despite this, I was still convinced I could overtake Rob, and got straight on to attacking again. I tried three times to out break him into depends, but each time Rob had more confidence on the brakes and I did and I couldn't make the pass stick. If I couldn't get him under braking, the only choice was to get a faster corner exit and overtake him on one of the straights,
I lined, the manoeuvre up into Cascades, and despite a very gentle tap (sorry Rob) got on the power earlier and overtook him on the way down to Island.
The next target was Jim in his Grey Phoenix. Jim was a good way ahead of me, and after a couple of laps I realised I wasn't making much headway on him. Perhaps fifth was as good as I was going to get today. I've just about to resign myself to the idea of coming fifth. When I noticed a couple of spots of rain on my visor. This could affect the thought of myself. I had spent all yesterday afternoon driving round the track in the rain, and knew that Jim had not practised yesterday - surely I would have an advantage here. Over a couple minutes, a few spots of rain turned into a good old British shower, and before I knew it I was right on the back bumper of Jim. The rain was coming down quite hard now, and I watched as Jim went really wide in Druids - here's my chance, I thought. However, I was about to discover quite by Jim had gone so wide – Druids was like an ice rink - it was my second some synchronised sliding, but whereas Jim just put a wheel in the gravel, I managed to gather up my slide is still on the circuit and make the overtake stick!
I was in the clear space, and drove in a ridiculously tentative manner to the finish line! I was fourth on track, but because one of the cars in front of me was a class B. I had got it in class and hence won a trophy! Something which was very important to me, as both Mike and Big Al have got trophies this year, and I was beginning to feel like a lemon as the only driver without one!
I drove back our garage, and jumped out to rapturous applause from the support team:
Dad, JB, Mel, Liz, Graham, Jan, Bill, Laura - it was a fantastic feeling - so a special thank you to all the supporters!
The celebrations did not stop there, as JB’s parents had offered to make tea for, not just Mel and I, but also our Parents. We all piled round to their house, where they made a special fuss of me by setting up a podium complete with union Jack flag and the national anthem, before we eat and drunk the evening away.
I had only come third, but everyone made me feel like a king – it was fantastic!!!!!!
We do it all again on 27th September at Snetterton…. See you there.
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