Qualifying and race 1 - Silverstone 8th May 2010

Qualifying:

For qualifying the track was dry in some places and damp in others, so completely different from the dry test the day before. It was very difficult to be sure there was grip in the corners but a lap time of 1m18s (3 seconds slower than my best time from the ill fated test day the day before) was good enough to see me third of the grid for the race that afternoon and the next day.

Race 1:

Mother nature decided that the race needed making more interesting, so she gave us rain on us for the race. I had never driven the car in the wet... let alone had a race in the stuff!

As I lined up on the grid the nerves started. I managed a fair start maintaining my third positions into turn 1 (Copse) then the carnage began... the class A cars in front were spinning left right and centre. I am not sure how many cars left the circuit on that first lap but it must have been 6 or 7. Thankfully I didn't get caught up with anyone else, didn't spin and crossed the line after the first lap in third. John Babbin another class D driver was right behind me for the next couple of laps... then he wasn't! The two quick guys Stephan Lanfermeijer and Paul Bellamy were gone, so I was sat there with no one from class D in front or behind.

It was at this point that the car started to mist up, the car has had the heater removed to save weight (If you are building a car leave it in!) it got so bad that I could see nothing in front or out the side windows. I could just reach a bit of the window in front of me to clear a letter box size hole but that was all the visibility I had. I took a decision at that point to pootle around, let the class A cars past as easily as I could and just stay out of trouble. I was sure if I just kept it steady I could keep the 3rd place by the finish.

It ended up being a very long race and one that if I am honest I didn't enjoy. I just wanted it to end. Which before to long it did and I was waved into the pits in 3rd (or so I thought!) I picked up my trophy and got my picture taken with the two very attractive grid girls (it isn't all bad the racing driver lark!)

It was then that I was told that Sean Foley another calls D driver had nipped past in a group of class A cars. We checked with the marshals and he had come past... bugger! This meant I had the indignity of having to go and find Sean and hand over my (his) trophy. To say I was gutted was an understatement but the fact was I had come 4th so not a lot I could do about it... anyway there was always race 2 the next day...