Birkett Race Report (Very Long)

I went testing on friday and it was bloomin lethal first thing Friday morning, my lap times were 2:20 ish and they began to start dropping to 1:41s by lunchtime. The track was damp  &  unpredictably slippery first thing in the morning but rubbered in and came back to us by lunchtime.  I had two going backwards on the grass moments, one at Farm/Abbey and one spin to the inside at Brooklands,  both due to being hamfooted on the throttle in very challenging conditions.

The Silverstone International circuit is a hoot,  it takes a while to dial it in… but changes Silverstone from dull and boring to exciting and fun.  The morning was open pit lane and I probably did 30 or 40 laps, including one quite nice session when Duncan called me in because I was having a ball… he was afraid I would run out of fuel.   The morning was otherwise punctuated by a series of Caterhams and MR2s parking them selves in gravel traps and causing red flags. Oh and numpty Morgan driver who cut across me dangerously at 4 consecutive apexes until he saw me and waved me past. I was literally shouting “Use your f*****g mirrors man!”  After lunch I went out again and managed a 1:39:xx which I was quite pleased with.  But I had a horrible jarring  judder in the drive train.

So we came in and checked out the chain and diff.   Unfortunately the chain had lost four of the bearing rollers from a short section, and this was plainly stiffening up and it was its poor engagement on the man drive sprocket that I could feel. It was obviously about to fail and flail the entire engine to death, even after we had split the chain (which took about 40 minutes)  this particular section was still very hot to the touch, whereas the rest of it had returned to ambient temps, so it was plainly on the way out

So Dunc and I set about changing the chain (Fortunately Tim Pell had a spare), and we also fitted my replacement rear sprocket too, as the existing one (which had done about a season) and was very worn indeed.  We also replaced one of the inlet trumpets in the throttle body…. it had rattled free and had been floating around the inside of the airbox. This took us until just about 4:30 and I managed to get out in the last of the afternoon sessions.

The drive train felt smooth and silky by comparison to the previous chain, and so I went for it a bit. The new rear sprocket was a 56 point rather than a 54, so the diff was slightly shorter, than normal. Now a 3.5 rather than a 3.375.  I was concerned that I would top out, but it proved to be just perfect… Right on the redline just as I hit the (now shorter and later) braking zone for Copse.

My lap now consisted of lift and brief confidence dab on the brakes, hard on the power at Copse well before the apex, let drift out to the exit. Hold  the power flat untll apex of Maggots. dab the brakes and knock it down two to fourth. Apex Beckets and hard on the power until the brake point for the  hairpin, hard on the brakes ,down two and chuck it in. Flat up through the gears round the double lefts that take you down to Abbey/Farm, arrive Farm at 11500rpm in top  Brake hard in a straight line just on the apex of the left kink before it. Knock it down four… apex late and hard up and over the hill to bridge, confidence dab on the brakes, down 1 through Bridge, run it up to Prioriy, brake, down 1 to fourth, Hard, on the gas again  past the apex to Brooklands, Brake hard, down the last two to 2nd and into Luffied… up to 5th by the the Woodcote kink…. and occasionally getting 6th here. And on to Copse

I was really getting into a rhtyhm, but was conscious of cowardice\prudence in both Maggots/Beckets and Bridge/Priory…so more time to come but I was pretty pleased with mostly 1:39s and 1:38.9 according to Duncan’s stopwatch.

So Bring on Race day!

I had been given a handicap time of 99 seconds so 1:39 was my target time, Neil was 98s I think, Paul and David on 97s. Derek was handicapped at RGB lap record pace…his target was 1:28 which is plainly unachievable in mixed traffic when sometimes you cant even see the Apex.  We’d also been allocated 8th on the Grid.

By contrast to yesterday, practice was grippy, so rather than just trying to get used to the conditions I tried to go a bit faster again. Mainly I started to change my approach to Maggots/Beckets.  Now doing a lighter dab on the brakes and carry more speed. My best time in Practice was  139.12…. so touching distance of my handicap time.  And practice was marked by one particular full opposite lock lurid power slide round Priory.

The agreed running order was David, Neil, Paul, Derek, Me……. Which meant I had a big rest before I went out, and also that I did the Anchor leg… bringing the team home to the checkered flag. I took that as a great compliment…. but no pressure then!
With Tim  missing we needed to do 36 minute stints but everybody else was pretty limited to 30 Mins  fuel tank capacity,  So with my large tank I could pick up the slack and go out for a forty five minute session to minimize the changes.

I’m was actually pretty worried about this as usually after 15 minutes or so my Carpel Tunnel kicks in and my hands hurt and fingers go slightly numb… go knows how I’m going to do 45 minutes.

So 11 O’clcok comes round and off we go,  David gets a good clean start and is running well in his session.  He’s banging in a strong selection of 1:37s,1:138s and 1:39s  with one particularly fast one at 1:35.69… were running about 13th on the road.  David comes in and Out goes Neil.  Unfortunately Neil didn’t get to test yesterday, so is unfamiliar with the circuit and is a bit off his handicap pace doing 1:41s and above, so we take a bit of a tumble down the time screen and drop out of the top 20.

At the end of Neil’s  session Paul goes out and bangs in a 30 minute session composed of   1:36s – 1:38s with the odd 1:40 for traffic and a 2:35 in the first of a series of brief safety car periods.

Then it’s Derek’s turn. … He’s never seen the track before, and is badly hampered by a three safety car periods,  but, does a manage a 1:31:85 in one of the few free running periods, but is mostly in the 1:33-1:36 range. Out of a 20 lap stint he manages only 9 laps under green flags  However we make up some places on the road.

So I’m sitting in “Ready 5″ waiting to go… In comes Derek, and off I go for my Marathon Stint.   I’m not going to take it easy, but I have warned the guys about my hands and will signal if I need to come in.  I am however making a conscious effort not to grip the wheel to tightly and relax my hands.

There then follows some of the most exciting and rewarding laps of my racing career.
All told I do 30 odd laps, relaxing my hands works beautifully and I have no problem doing 45 mins.,  Initially I’m in 1:43s with a heavy fuel load and lots of traffic, So I’m getting the “Push” Signal from Jonathan on the Pit wall. I drop into the 1:39s, then the 1:38s,  I’m getting braver everywhere, but mostly in Bridge and Priory,  my confidence brake and change down has now become a shorter and shorter lift and hard on the power through Bridge.   I follow a Caterham through Priory who shows me how it should be done and I gain another 1/2 second.  My sector times for Bridge drop from 8.9ish to 8.2 and for Priory they drop  from 14.5 to 13.8.  Sector times through Copse are dropping too as I experiment with no change down, and shorter and shorted dabs on the brakes. My sector times drop from 16 seconds to 14.7

I’ve also modified Beckett and Maggots and am carrying waay more speed past the first apex.

I have a few spots of rain and Luffied starts to get slimy towards the end of the session.  But I’m having a ball…It seems like I’m the fastest thing on the circuit bar a few bewinged beasties.. and its great.  :-)

Now I’m really in the groove and banging in lap after lap in the 1:37s and 1:38s.   Jonathan gives me the 5 laps to go on the pitboard , and starts the countdown to my in lap… but then I keep getting shown the 2 lap board… plainly they’re happy with my times and are keeping me out!  Wow.  I spur on to one final flyer and get a 1:36:43.  Fantastic. Nearly 2.5 seconds below my target pace!

Highlights of this session are a couple of trips across the rumble strip at Copse, avoiding a spinning Caterham on the exit, Going three abreast into copse with a couple of Mr2s and holding the line to take the place, and chasing down and harrying my way past a Gold Arts R400  Fab .  And simply bucket loads of overtaking everywhere, slipstreaming past tin tops, out braking Caterhams, out accelerating pretty much everything from the Apexes…. top top fun .   The car is absolutely singing, stable under braking, forgiving in the slide….screaming  with delight when hard on the power.

Fantastic.

I finally come in for a lie down in a darkened room, and out goes David… and then we get a few minutes of rain.  Oh dear A048rs and rain…. this could be bad.  Were back running in the top 20, and David, unbelievably is taking four seconds a lap out of the guys in front, by the time he finishes his stint we’ve jumped about four places to about 13th on the grid, Guy does some calculations and we’re now leading Class D on the road and on handicap (based on the assumption that nobody else is 10 laps ahead of thier handicap)

Things take on a more serious air  as we start to believe we might win something.

David comes in after his Stirling effort and out goes Paul, again,  we’re out of order as Paul has wet settings, and Neil is on drys, Were still holding station around 12/13th on the road.  Derek then goes out and bangs  19 laps of 1:31s to 1:34s  and be gain another couple of places. His best time of the day is 1:31.84

Out goes Neil again but he still struggling,  and does 12 laps in the 1:43-1:45 range.  Plainly he’s still  out of sorts and he makes the admirable decision to come in early, by signaling to Jonathan on the wall.  So I get to go and bring the team home to the flag.  Now that’s pressure!

Right I’m going to get on it, after an out lap I’m immediately into the1:38s and 39s….I even bang in a 1:35.9 (WOW) I drop in a few in the 1:36s….. Now I”m hard on it ever where, Bridge is a slight lift, hard throttle, hang on.. Priory is now hard brake. hit the apex 100% throttle squirt, and I’m even now trail braking all the way round the Beckets apex..fantastic stuff.   I’m reeling in Doug Carter in the Ginger Biscuit RGB team who is also in a Genesis  but with 185 bhp Class A engine. I’m  gaining 10 meters or so  lap after lap, but intervening traffic is getting in the way.

One of these is an MR2, who I’m right up behind on the exit to Luffied, he grabs the  apex at Woodcote, so I go outside him to take him on the run up to Copse,  I’m halfway along side as we approach the Gantry and he squeezes me off the circuit on to the grass at 101Mph along the main straight.    I guess he hasn’t seen me. But there’s a fair bit of concrete around here!

The car is bumping along the grass, and each time it bounces I can feel the front end dig in…. Any moment it’s going to rip the radiators out … sorry guys.  but no, I keep her straight and get back on the circuit and away we go again

Unfortunately Doug is out of sight  but I still manage a 1:43 for that lap, and bang in a few more 1:38s and 1:37s.    These are marked by rising water temperatures (103), and a distinct smell of mown grass in the cockpit… not to mention bits of mud falling out of the radiator under heavy braking at the Farm hairpin, which then proceed to hit my visor when swept up into my face by the airstream.  Then I come around and it’s the checkered flag and we’ve made it.   We finished 9th on the road

I come into back slaps and handshakes for such a storming stint, from the team and Dan tells me I got into the 1:35s whooo hooo!

What a fantastic Season 08 has been.

All told I did about 45 laps and my Lead Foot Percetage went from 29.7% in practice to 42.6% on my 1:35.9 lap.  My best theoretical lap is 1:34.7 which was just .2 off Josh’s best, time and that would put on the front row of Class B next year.

The Birkett as ever, was fabulous!   And I’m smiling my big wide Birkett smile.

As for the car …. I’m not changing a thing this winter

Another highlight of the day was seeing Anthea (Tim’s wife) so well after her recent op… good job she was there too, as the lap timing loop doesn’t run out into the grass where I had my off, and they hadn’t counted my lap.  Anthea spotted this and Guy went off to challenge the time keepers, they checked the backup system.  She was right and we got the lap re awarded… Good show!

What a great team to race in,  all the cars came home in 1 piece, Many Many thanks to Guy, DH2, Jonathan, Shona, Charlie and of course Duncan…. Plus Helen, Della, David’s wife (whose name escapes me sorry)  and Anthea of course.

Just a fantastic time!