Wrap up for the weekend
Sat morning out of bed at 6.30am very dark and cold, down to the factory to load car on trailer and head to track.Arrive at PI at 9am which is perfect as engines are allowed to be started from this time.Get car into garage 33 and unload the Ute.Off to the officials to do the paper work, scrutineering not required today so plenty of time before qualifying at midday. Move out of garage for qualifying to start from pit lane.Switch on Camera Mmmm is it really on? Did quite a few laps car feels ok but not feeling comfortable with my driving. Qualified 13th.Surprised to find a fastest lap of 1min 47 sec not bad considering it felt a bit pedestrian to me. Not surprised to find nothing on the video tape.Race 1- 4pm, sun very low in the sky and never saw the red lights come on or go off.Just took off after the front guys did. 7 lap race managed to stay in front of a frustrated Maserati driver who I was clearly holding up with my superior grunt.Nothing on the video again. Sunday morning back to the track and friend Rob showed up to crew for me. I had worked out what I was doing wrong with the camera and after tyre pressure checks, fuel top up ( 7 laps uses more than 20 litres of fuel) I was set at the dummy grid for race 2 starting behind the lime green Daytona. This time I could see the lights and started well.I made up quite a few places but lost them during the race.Found the new c/v boot on LH drive shaft split again so work to do to fix before race 3, we now have something on the camera yippee!
Last race 10 laps really set out in race mode. This is the start that's on the forum.Great start nearly got the Ferrari who started 2 rows in front of me (how good does that Ferrari sound when it's wound up!).Driving well and holding position except for GT3 that slipped past.Black Daytona pulls off after MG corner on ist lap.I'm so wound up I can't figure out which gear I'm in on the straight.I recover and no positions lost.Hanging on to the back of the porsche well.Come round lap 2 into turn 1 to see a cloud of blue smoke. All hell breaks loose and Porsche spins, I manage to get past ok.Under the safety car for 3 laps while they clean oil up.Back racing and I count only 8 or so cars in front of me.The Maserati finally got past me 2 laps later and then I gave up a position to the blue GT3 on the last lap (not happy with that) anyway finished the race and got back to the pits feeling a bit flat, but feeling I had definitely driven much better during the first part of the race.Loaded up and drove home in the dark just like I had set out in the dark in the morning.I was surprised when I checked my lap times on the computer that I'd done a 1min 45.8 sec lap in the last race as this is another sec off my best previous time.I have to get down to 1 min 42sec area to be in the hunt and I feel confident the car and myself can do it.Next race back at Sandown 14th and 15th of July.Plenty of work to do in the meantime.
Cheers Ross