07-08 October 2006 - ASA
Thunder Sunday, Rockingham
With the Silverstone round being cancelled, Rockingham
was a bit of an afterthought for me, and as such, it had crept right
up on me to the point of not getting my entry in in time to make it
into the programme. Seems to be something of a problem with Jedi drivers
in general and something that the championship coordinator is keen to
improve. Still, better late than never. Also, while this is possibly
the cheapest route into 'slicks and wings' single-seater motorsport,
it is still motorsport, and 'cheapest' isn't necessarily 'cheap'. To
cut the pre-Christmas costs a little, I decided that Rockingham's full-day
only testing policy wasn't working for me and skipped the test day,
opting to start fresh in early morning qualifying.
This, as it turns out, wasn't the best idea and my first
few laps around Rockingham's deceptively technical infield circuit were
not the best. Actually, they weren't even slightly good. The circuit
itself comprises a number of short straights, all connected with right-angles
and hairpins in order to compress it to within the confines of The Oval.
Unfortunately, the addition of some unusual lines, slight gradients
and late apexes meant that for much of the session I was braking too
early, carrying far too little speed and generally getting in the way
of people who had already figured out what gear they needed to be in
at any given point. Having watched the British GT cars battering their
way past each other a few weeks earlier, I was also acutely aware that
this wasn't a great overtaking circuit, and lots of 1000cc cars were
looming large in my mirrors wanting to overtake me. My track confidence
was also bruised a little after Cadwell and a fairly spectacular spin
in qualifying and another damaged front wing in this first session didn't
help matters.
The first race, I decided was going to be a slow and steady
effort to learn the circuit and bring the car home for my penultimate
upgrade signature, and that was about as much as could be said about
it. I started slowly and gradually built up my speed, but with my confidence
lacking and the car feeling a little nervous powering out of the corners,
it was really the session that I should have got out of the way in testing.
Nevertheless, a clean race was had and by the end, I was finding my
lines and was able to get some decent laps in.
Post-race, I talked through the car with the Jedi team
and they set about solving the snatchy feeling that I'd had through
the corners. The car was still only a few races old, and as things were
settling in, some adjustment was needed. Since it was now bitterly cold,
we decided against camping at the circuit and headed home for a decent
night's sleep.
Sunday morning brought with it fresh confidence as I was
keen to get to grips with the circuit and have a good old race like
I'd had at Snetterton and Cadwell. My race machanic, Rocky had spent
the evening going over the car. Everything checked and tightened, and
with a slightly softer rear setup, I headed out for second qualifying.
How big a part my self-confidence had to play is hard to say, but the
car felt altogether more comfortable and much less inclined to swap
ends than it had on Saturday, and having compared the recommendations
of the circuit guide with some on-track expericence, I was finding good
lines and even finding myself in the right gear! The results showed
a definite improvement too, a best lap of 1:32.456 putting me ahead
of Marc Fortune and duelling mate Vicky Dyson.
When the race finally arrived, I was ready to go, and
glad to be back on track. Lining up on the grid int he shadow of the
impressive Rockingham building got the adrenaline going and when the
lights went out, I lit up the rear tyres and made a good getaway. I
was immediately in the mix and battling hard with Vicky as the field
crowded round the hairpin which leads onto the infield circuit. She
managed to pass me early on, but I regained the position and was managing
to keep her behind me for a few laps. Unfortunately, as the 1000cc cars
were beginning to lap us backmarkers, Vicky also slipped through again
and with more blue flags signalling the faster cars, I was unable to
keep close enough to make my move to regain the position. Marc also
managed to get past and for much of the race we were all lapping close
together, Marc eventually getting past Vicky. More lapping cars were
getting between us and Rockingham's stop-start layout was making it
difficult to keep the flow of the lap. The last lap was drawing nearer
and having dropped back slightly, I was on a mission to make up lost
ground, putting in my fastest lap of the weekend, but it was unfortunately
not enough and I had to make do with the four points that seventh in
class brings.
Not my best set of results, and certainly not my favourite
track, but I really felt that I had begun to get to grips with the circuit.
The banking of the oval's Turn One makes for a unique driving experience
and while the right angles and hairpins are much less fun than a flowing
circuit with natual contours, it certain;y provided a challenge. And
I've learnt a valuable lesson about the importance of testing!
All in all, a decent (incident free) end to a fantastic
first season in a truly awesome series. The team from Jedi Racing Cars
couldn't have been more helpful as I got to grips with the car and wreaked
my particular blend of havoc at some of the UK's finest circuits. The
atmosphere in the paddock is always friendly and a real credit to the
drivers and teams involved. I only wish I could have done more events.
Still, there's always next year...
