First Podium – 3rd Place
Sorry about the quality – I need to sort it out. The camera on the car films in HD but when I put it on my computer Windows Movie Maker wont read the file, So I have to convert it to a different file and this has messed around with the quality. Will try and improve. Enjoy.
Weather – Dry
Qualification – 3th – 01:24.352
Finishing Place – 3th
My Fastest Lap time – 1:23.856
Classic Lap Record - Castle Combe – 1:23.330
Some children may be wondering what teachers get up to in the school holidays.
I go motor racing and competed in Round 8 of the Caterham Graduate Classic Championship at Castle Combe, Wiltshire. I qualified in 3rd position, this was my second best qualifying of the season. After my pole position at Brands Hatch. Having not driven the circuit before the weekend of racing I was excited to learn the circuit quickly and get on the leaders pace. I do have to confess that I had some help this weekend as on Friday I had some tuition from Anthony Wilds. This enabled me to learn the circuit faster. It was my first visit to Castle Combe.
During the green flag lap, second placed driver, James Russell pulled off the circuit with a mechanical failure and was unable to continue. Resulting in a space on the front row.
Amanda didn’t have the best of starts and lost a place to Paul Hawker. There was cerement dust down at Quarry corner collecting an oil spill from the previous session. We were told that 25% of all motor circuit racing accidents happen at Quarry. I took the first few laps quite cautiously through there. James Carvey got a good run on me coming out of Old Paddock Bend and over took into Tower Corner. On to the second lap, Trevor Harber got a good tow behind me through Folly and over took into Avon Rise and into Quarry while on the cerement dust. I was down to 5th.
I stayed in 5th until lap 10. I wasn’t worried as I knew I had quite a bit of speed round the circuit. The racing this season has been so so close, the lead and positions are always changing. I’m learning all the time and thought it best to be tactical. I was pretty cautious at the beginning of the race and thought I’d let the others battle it out.
I caught back up with the leading pack. I over took Paul on the exit of Quarry after he had taken the tighter defensive line and therefore I had the lead into the next chicane. The rest of the lap and the next I used to catch up the 1.5 second deficit to Trevor who was lying in the third. I pulled off the same move on Trevor as I did to Paul 2 laps previous. I was happily up to 3rd. Throughout the latter stages of the race the marshals had a black flag out for a Sigma driver but at the time I was worried it was for me but I couldn't think why! Thankfully it wasn’t and I achieved my first podium and the car is in one piece.
So I guess now its time to set more goals! Having achieved more than I ever imaged at the start of the season.
Fastest Lap – Silverstone
Pole Position – Brands Hatch
Podium – Castle Combe
Next goal - a win before the end of the season. There are 4 races at 2 race meetings left, Pembrey and Rockingham. With Pembrey the only circuit I have raced at before this year.
Championship Standing (With dropped scores)
1. John Parker – 206
2. Rowan Williams – 204
3. Graeme Smith – 198
4. Paul Hawker – 193
5. James Russell – 190
6. Stu Thompson – 179
7. Trevor Harber – 170
8. Amanda Black – 168
9. Pete Cannard – 158
10. Shelia Marshall - 153
Sunday 31st July – Thursday 4th August 2011
Having missed the Zandvoort race with the Catehams last month due to work commitments, the school holidays started and I got an opportunity to travel to Spa and Zandvoort with book-a-track.com.
Having travelled to East Midlands airport for a BMI baby flight to Amsterdam to find it cancelled I was able to sneak off to watch the F1 Gp and then return to the airport a few hours later for a the later flight. We arrived at Amsterdam airport to find our car rental company closed for the evening, so we had to re-book another one and we sent off for a 3 hour journey towards Spa. We arrived at 1:30 in the morning and had an early get up for the circuit the next day.
2 amazing days at Spa + sun burn! Some great cars out on circuit. Ferrari 250, Porsches, Lotus Exige, Caterhams, more Ferrari’s. Passenger ride with Sarah Reader in an R400 – mega!
Wednesday we travelled back up to Amsterdam and on to Zandvoort and were ready for a track day on the Thursday. Woke up Thursday morning to bright sunshine and another fantastic weather day for a track day.
Having missed the Classic Graduates racing at Zandvoort in July I was lucky to get a passenger ride in a Porsche GT3 around the circuit.
Having left the circuit early to rush to Amsterdam airport for our return flight it was delayed by 2 1/2 hours. So not happy with BMI at the minute. 2 flights in 5 days and over 8 hours of delays – not great!
Anyway home now. Countdown days until Castle Combe. Next week I have a Cadwell evening track day book – fingers crossed its not raining.
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