Race #1 - Oulton Park - September 2009

So there I was ready for my first ever race!

Nerves still hadn’t kicked in as we waited in the holding area to come round to the gird. Even on the warm up lap I was very relaxed... however once I was lined up on the grid spot, surrounded by other cars the reality kicked in.

Nerves actually got the better of me and I missed the start lights, so my start was rubbish and I lost three places. However this was a blessing in disguise, as even before we reached the first corner the two cars in front of me collided. If I had had a decent start it would have been a three car accident not a two car accident!

I tip-toed through the carnage and found myself back in 4th. I managed to catch up with the three cars in front with in a couple of laps and was blessed by the 3rd place car spinning in front of me.

By this point we were about two-thirds of the way through the race, I was out all on my own, 1st and 2nd were way off and I had no one behind. I was secretly very happy to be finishing my first race in 3rd place, even if it had been due to other peoples mistakes.

Then it all then went very wrong!

As I started to go round one of the long, fast corners the car started to cut out, as soon as I was straight again it burst into life... I am embarrassed to admit it but I was running out of petrol, I had forgotten to fill up!

There was then an accident which left a car stranded on the circuit and the red flag came out which means the race is being stopped. This was music to my ears. If a race is more than three-quarters run when it is stopped that is the end of the race, so the 3rd place was mine, or so I thought.

We weren't at three-quarter distance, the race would be restarted and the last laps run. So there I was sitting on the grid with no petrol and with no choice than to pull off the circuit.
I asked a marshall if I would get to rejoin the race if I went and got some petrol, he said it was unlikely but would be the decision of the race director.


So I shot to the on circuit petrol station, topped the car up, drove down to the pits and started pleading with another marshall. She spoke to the race director who said I couldn't restart.
I gave her the full sob story, my first ever race, running in 3rd etc. etc. She radioed the race director back and to her credit got me back in the race.

I never got your name, but who ever you are thank you so very much.


I had to wait in the pit lane until the race restarted and everyone had past the slip road on to the track. Because two of the class D cars had crashed and there were only six cars in the class for the first race, I would join the back of the pack but technically be in 4th place.

What I hadn't considered was that everyone else had done a warm up lap and I hadn't! My tyres were stone cold so when I reached the first proper corner, I had bugger all grip. I just managed to avoid leaving the circuit and having an accident but it was a tense moment.

Once I had regained my composure I attempted to catch up with everyone else; unfortunately this wasn’t to be. I started in 4th and finished in 4th.

I messed up the start, just avoided a big accident, the race was red flagged, I ran out of petrol and had to start from the pit lane.

I do hope they aren't all like this.