AFTER A BREAK, CAME PRACTICE RUN 2.....(2 PRACTICE RUNS ARE MANDATORY BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF MOTORSPORT,THE 'RACMSA')......
THE FIRST PRACTICE RUN,I HAD TAKEN THINGS(AT WHAT I CONSIDERED?) A STEADY PACE......
ASSIMILATING A PLAN,OF WHERE I COULD PUSH THE CAR HARDER,AND HOW MUCH......?
I STILL HADN'T LOOKED AT THE SPEEDOMETER,BY THIS TIME.... WHILST ON THE HILL..?
I WAS FAR TOO BUSY WATCHING,WHAT WAS COMING AT ME...BUT I KNEW SWAPPING BETWEEN THIRD/FOURTH GEAR,AT 5500 ODD REVS,THE CAR WAS TRAVELLING AT 90-110 MPH.....AFTER I HAD LEFT THE START LINE...
SO THIS RUN,I WOULD BE ASSESSING,WHETHER I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE,TO TAKE THE LAST BEND BEFORE 'GLEN HELEN' UPHILL 80 DEGREE LEFT HANDER,IN 4TH GEAR....THROUGH THE STONE WALLED BRIDGE?
ALL THE WHILE,AS YOU LEAVE THE START LINE,IT IS ABSOLUTLEY FLAT OUT,THROUGH ALL THE GEARS,TWISTING AND TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT....
SUDDENLY AS,YOU APPROACH 'GLEN HELEN' THE RED/WHITE IMPACT ABSORBING BARRIERS,APPEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BEND ,AND YOU ARE HEADING INTO THE BLIND LEFT HANDER....AT 90 MPH
I BOTTLE IT
, AND KEEP IT IN 3RD,NEARING THE REV LIMITER,THROUGH THE BRIDGE......LEFT FOOT,TAPPING THE BRAKES...TO KEEP THE CAR IN CHECK.....
THE CAR IS SLID THROUGH 'SARAHS COTTAGE',THE OFF CAMBER RIGHT HANDER FLAT IN THIRD CAUSING AN EAGER PHOTOGRAPHER TO TAKE A STEP BACK.....
PRACTICE RUN 2
69.20 SECS
A FULL 3 SECS FASTER,THAN THE FIRST RUN......
TWO MINS EARLIER BACK IN THE PADDOCK,THE AGED GENTLEMAN (REMINDS ME OF STIRLING MOSS)DRIVING THE TVR VIXEN 1680 KENT ENGINE(WHOM HAD WON OUR CLASS,THE PREVIOUS DAY'S SPRINT) NODDED TO ME,AT THE START....
''I AM COMING AFTER YOU....BOY.......! ''
AS I PULL UP,AT THE TOP OF THE HILL,JUST CROSSING THE LINE,THE MARSHALS DEPLOY THE 'RED FLAG'..........ONCE AGAIN
THERE HAD BEEN, ANOTHER INCIDENT....
MY MISSUS,AND MY LAD,WERE STOOD ON 'GLEN HELEN' BEND,HALFWAY UP THE HILL...........SO, THEY HAD SEEN ME GO PAST,BUT THEY HAD NO IDEA,IF THE 'RED FLAG'......WAS DUE TO ME 'GOING OFF' FURTHER UP THE HILL.....?
IT WAS THE OLD BOY,IN THE TVR.....
HE HAD LOST IT GOING INTO 'SARAHS COTTAGE' BEND,CLIPPING THE OUTSIDE BANK,BENDING THE STEERING,SCRAPING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE CAR,AND DRAGGING MUCH GRASS AND UNDERGROWTH ONTO THE TRACK.......
THE CAR WAS RECOVERED,WITH A TRUCK,AND THE ROAD CLEARED ONCE MORE....
BUT THE TVR,HAD SUFFERED TOO MUCH DAMAGE,TO FIX IT, FOR WHAT WAS NOW, GOING TO BE THE FINAL,ONE AND ONLY TIMED COMPETITIVE RUN.......IN THE LATE AFTERNOON.
BY NOW,I HAD ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE IN THE SAAB......AND THIS TIME, I WOULD TAKE THAT FINAL COMPETITIVE TIMED RUN.....
ON PRACTICE RUN 2,WE HAD MOVED UP TO 14TH FASTEST OVERALL,MARGINALLY QUICKER THAN THE 6 LITRE MUSTANG ON THIS RUN,BUT STILL JUST BEHIND THE BLUE TRIUMPH DOLOMITE SPRINT.....
I HAD MANAGED TO BE QUICKER THAN ALL THE PORSCHE 911(BAR ONE) AND THE OTHER TVR T350 4.3 LITRE....
THE FRONT OF THE FIELD,IN THE TOP TEN WAS HEADED BY THIS MISUBISHI EVO,WHICH HAD BEEN 'DE-TUNED' FOR THE EVENT FROM 720 BHP TO JUST 650 BHP........RUNNING 'FASTEST TIME OF THE DAY'..... 55.67 SECS FOR PRACTICE 2
CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY A MENTAL COSWORTH POWERED 4WD FORD PUMA,....THEN CATERHAMS,IMPREZA'S,ANOTHER MITSU EVO,&THE ESCORT MK1&2,MORGAN PLUS 8 AND CAMARO AND THE MUSTANG,BLUE DOLOMITE SPRINT AND DATSUN 240Z,AMONG OTHERS.....
BOTH THE AUDI'S HAD RETIRED ON THE FIRST DAY
,I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO SEE THEM ON THE HILL....
FURTHER DOWN THE FIELD,THE VINTAGE STUFF WAS BATTLING IT OUT......
MUCH FAMILY RIVALRY,AND 'FATHER AND SON'S' RACING.....
BUT, BACK TO THAT FINAL TIMED RUN.....
4TH GEAR INTO 'GLEN HELEN' THIS TIME....?
CARLSSON TO BLOMQVIST......
''WHAT IS THIS TERRIBLE THING YOU HAVE TAUGHT YOURSELF,YOU MUST UNLEARN IT.....''
LEFT FOOT BRAKING
