Wooohooo! We’re racing – finally! It’s felt like an eternity, but I’m back in the car and ready to go out onto a track I’ve never driven on, let alone raced at. Donington is a fast, flowing circuit that looks relatively simple on paper but, in the words of my chief mechanic/coach/MG Trophy expert (he basically does everything) Paul Streather, ‘don’t underestimate this track’.
I suspect he means this in two ways. One, it’s quick. So any incidents are likely to be big and expensive. And number two, there’s a fast section after most of the corners. Meaning if you get a bad exit, you’re carrying (and multiplying) that time lost all the way down the straight. No room for mistakes then.
Qualifying goes well. Very well in fact. After using fellow Class B competitor Tylor Ballard as a pace setter, I qualify 2nd in class. I’m happy with the result, but still not 100% satisfied with how the car is handling. Understeer through mid-corner is holding me back, yet there’s still plenty of potential to go on and get a good result.
Race 1 – First win!
Off the line I get a good start and almost get close enough to try for a move into first (in class) on the first corner, but hold back knowing I’m better served following Tylor who’s no doubt quicker than me at this point. Immediately, though, my plan is in tatters as Adam Jackson (Class B frontrunner and overall speed demon) is right on my rear bumper.
We battle for a number of laps allowing Tylor to drive off into the distance and I can tell Adam is getting frustrated. We go two abreast through Craner Curves on two occasions, but finally coming onto the back straight he streaks past. Now released, Adam isn’t getting away as quickly as I expected and the reason why becomes clear two laps later.
Smoke pours out the back of his car on the exit to the final chicane and Adam dives to the pits, engine failure ruling him out of the remainder of the race. After my earlier battle, Tylor is too far ahead but with a clean gap to third place, second definitely looks on.
Or does it? Fast forward another couple of laps and I see Tylor going slow down the pit straight. His car looks fine, though. Has the race ended? Nope, we’re definitely still running. As I sail past Tylor into the lead, it’s clear his car is not in fine shape. An exhaust issue the cause, he’s losing huge time and despite his earlier lead, I’m now set to win buy a sizeable margin.
As I cross the line, I’m still not sure what’s happened and whether I’ve now cleaned out my savings pot of good fortune all in one go. I commiserate with Tylor – who hadn’t put a foot wrong all race – and head back to the garage. Podium ceremonies fell victim to COVID, sadly, but a win is a win and I’m thrilled to take my first ever in car racing!
Race 2 – Hard fought battle yields win No.2
Heading into the second and final race of the day, I’m once again starting second (my second quickest time was also the second quickest overall). Adam Jackson is out owing to his engine issues, so I’m aiming to stay with Tylor and make a race of it.
Off the line I make a decent start, but Joe Dalgarno further down the grid makes an even better one. I’m too busy watching out for Tylor and don’t get over quick enough to cover Joe off, meaning he sneaks in front and into the lead. Tylor once again has exhaust issues and his race is pretty much over at the first corner.
I felt confident I could get past Dalgarno and take the win, yet with series veteran John Booth following close behind it’s clear something isn’t right with my car. I’d mentioned to Paul earlier that the brakes didn’t feel right and now the pedal was going to the floor on the entry to old hairpin. It crosses my mind whether to retire the car (my mother would kill me if she thought I was racing with no brakes), but I’m in a fight for the lead, so carry on regardless.
I’ve got no confidence in the brakes working, so I’m hitting the pedal early and losing huge time (better than leaving it too late and wrecking the car – and maybe someone else’s, I reason), yet it’s not doing me any favours. John Booth passes in the same place Adam did in race 1 and I’m now third.
The next lap, however, is crucial. First, Dalgarno loses his power steering fluid and gets sideways through Craners, allowing John and I to pass on the run up to McLeans. Now second, I spot a gap to take the lead into Coppice. John runs wide and I keep it tight and manage the braking issues into the final chicane. I’m through.
The final few laps go by slowly, yet we make it to the line and take another win – this one feeling far less fortunate than the first. Two races, two victories and a driver of the race and driver of the day award. To go from looking like I wouldn’t do any racing in 2020 to this was quite the turnaround and I couldn’t wait for next time out at Snetterton.
Photos by Dickon Siddall, John Dennison and Emma Bibby
Comentários