Snetterton 11-Sep-05

Lifting a wheel over the Russell Bend kerbs   [photo Dave Kirby]

Race 1 | Race 2

It was always going to be a tough one. 2 miles and 2 long straights of the remote Norfolk race track looks like a power circuit to me and that's going to suit the 320's. I've only driven here once before, at a wet track day at the beginning of the year and I really can't remember very much about it. No testing and no Kumho races. Thought I'd get all the excuses out of the way nice and early!

Saturday qualifying is damp/drizzly. I'm keen to start the session behind one of the quick guys that was testing yesterday. Just as I'm heading out to the assembly area, Martin Dower drives past - that'll do nicely, although it will be hard to hold on to him for the first few laps whilst I re-learn the circuit. As we leave the pit lane, Martin bolts away at maximum attack, whereas I normally warm the car up slowly on the outlap. I give chase but I'm on the back foot from the start. Half way round the first lap I catch back up through traffic, only for Martin to pass another car on the exit of the Bomb Hole. I move to the outside of Coram to pass the same car but immediately remember that we're on a wet track and find myself leaving the circuit. I control the spin as best I can and recover to the tarmac frustrated and embarrassed.

Start again. I'm now amongst a little traffic and following Andrew Partridge. I'm a little quicker but it's useful to follow him for a bit to get some confidence in the circuit. It's not easy to pass, but as soon as I do I almost immediately run wide on the exit of the Esses and Andrew goes back past me. I chase back after Andrew again but realise that I ought to make some space for myself and try for a couple of proper laps before the end of the session, especially as it's drying. So I back myself up to the next car behind, negotiate the tight Russell Bend chicane and head off up the pit straight only to have the chequered flag waved in my face! I don't believe it... I'd have been better off trailing Partridge for another lap! This is going to leave me towards the back of the grid for sure.

15th. My worst ever qualifying performance - and I've had some shockers this year already. Ho-hum, it looks like I'll be dropping this round from my points tally (best 9 of 11 races) but it should make for an interesting race.

And then it rained. Hard. After lunch there was too much standing water to allow cars onto the circuit and we had our Saturday race postponed, the plan being to use our Sunday qualifying slot to race with instead.

When Sunday came I was just dying to get out and drive the car. Since the last race at Pembrey I have replaced the front struts and dampers (as one was leaking) which has helped stiffen the car up tremendously but has also introduced a vibration that feels like an out of balance wheel. I re-seat all the wheels and torque the bolts back up but as we go round on the green flag lap the vibration is still there. The track is a tiny bit damp but there's a dry line.

I get a pretty decent start and make two or three places on the run up to the first corner. I watch as Andrew Partridge dramatically spear off the track to the left in front of me and then spear back the other way behind me. I'm so convinced that he's about to have a big accident that I instinctively lift off for a moment. Turns out that amazingly he didn't hit anything!

Julian Newman also gets away well and challenges me down the Revett Straight. I stick to the middle of the track and am relieved when Julian out-brakes himself into the Esses and needs the run-off area to recover. At just about every corner of the first lap somebody throws it off the circuit ahead of me, leaving me in 10th, 0.4s behind John Thorne.

I then close up right behind John and push him for the position. It's the usual story of making up ground into and out of the corners but losing it again on the straights. I can't even keep a tow down the Revett Straight, despite being able to pull up alongside his rear quarter on the exit of Sear Corner.

But as this is going on, I'm starting to get a rumble, then a vibration, then a knocking and slapping from the rear of the car through the right hand corners. After a couple of laps I realise that the left rear wheel is working loose but the significance of this fact is lost on me slightly, as I continue to pursue Thorney.

On lap 5 I get a real good exit from Sear and position myself up the inside of Thorney from the concrete apron. I'm surprised to find myself holding station down Revett Straight and we're still side by side as we approach the braking area for the Esses. I enter the Esses ahead (and full of joy) but a combination of excess speed and a rear wheel pointing the wrong way throws me into a violent spin as soon as soon as I turn the wheel to make the exit. I have to sit facing the wrong way on the edge of the circuit and watch the rest of the field go past before turning around - at which point I am promptly thrown into another half-spin by my errant rear wheel. Time to call it a day.

I limp the car back to the paddock to discover that all 4 wheel bolts are half way out. The rest are properly tight. Did I forget to torque-up the left rear? I distinctly remember going round the car with the torque wrench but there's really no other explanation...

I'm gutted to have my first DNF (did not finish) in 27 races - I was quite proud of that record - especially if it's purely down to my own mechanical incompetence. But I was not going to be scoring many points in this race and at least the car is fit to race again this afternoon, albeit covered in mud.

It was decided earlier that because there would be no qualifying session for race 2, the grid would be decided by drawing lots instead of being based on the results from race 1. This is good news for me, as otherwise I'd be at the back of the grid. As the lots are drawn and announced, I'm quietly relieved to be drawn in 10th place. My remaining concern is that I still have little experience of the circuit and I've not yet done a lap that I'm happy with. Hopefully I'll have a few clear laps at the beginning of the race before the quick guys behind me have a chance to catch up. I set myself a target of finishing in 5th.

Sitting on the 5th row of the grid I've got Andrew Busby to my right and an empty grid slot ahead of me as Wayne Howlett's engine has expired after his retirement from race 1. Simon Lambert and Martin Dower are the only two cars ahead that will be quicker but Alan Wileman is not far behind. Jez Clark and Craig Jamieson are right at the back but I won't be surprised to see them in my mirrors by half distance.

As the red lights go out I get another decent start and quickly occupy the vacant space ahead of me. I get past a few cars on the first lap, including Rob Sadler. As I cross the line to start lap 2 I'm passing James Knight to take 4th place. Alan Wileman is catching me quickly but he has James to contend with first. I have a shocking lap and let Alan and Rob Sadler back past me to relegate me to 6th. Meanwhile I'm doing my best to catch and pass Tim Medhurst. And then Jez Clark arrives behind me. He squeezes up the inside into Russell Bend which doesn't let me straighten the car up and so I have to shortcut the chicane instead.

This doesn't cost me too much time and I'm able to keep Jez within sight as he chases after Tim Medurst. Jez is held up slightly on the entry to Sear after looking up the inside of Tim. This allows me to get a good exit and as I exit the corner I decide that it'll be better to slipstream Jez's 318 rather than Tim's 320. Jez then moves to the outside to challenge Tim and I realise that I've got the legs on both of them so take the inside line and pass them both into the Esses!

Just as I'm reveling in my double overtake, Jez capitalises on my compromised line through the Esses and retakes the position on the entry to the Bomb Hole. As I follow him round the rest of the lap I can scarcely believe how well his car turns in to Coram and how he monsters Russell Bend. More surprising is just how quick he manages to go through the Esses with at least one tyre locked up the whole time!

Following Jez around really helps me speed up and I put in increasingly good lap times but then start to get frustrated as he extends his lead and things start to go downhill again. I'm bemused that I've not been able to catch up with Rob Sadler after passing him on the opening lap but after reviewing the lap times, I was only quicker for the first 2 laps. That's the last time I underestimate Mr Sadler!

I bring the car home in 6th place.

This is the first race meeting in a long time that I've not come away with at least some sense of satisfaction. And after Pembrey, it reinforces that at an unfamiliar circuit, my limited ability is no match for the experience to be gained from testing. It's a shame that I've not even set eyes on Oulton Park before, which is the final race of the season in only two weeks time!

fourwheels racing © 16-Sep-2005