Quick report.
Sunny all day, track started 20% dry, was 60% dry by lunch and 90% dry thereafter. 40 cars on track in 2 groups, had 6 x 30 min sessions and did about 180 miles on track. Steve Wall (blue MO30 CS) turned up at lunchtime but not to drive, more of that later.
Car ran faultlessly (400 miles from home to home in 12 hours), managed a lot of tyre wear to the front n/side tyre - it now bears no comparison to the other one, perhaps only 1 or 2 trackdays left in my TOYO R888's. Will not need to replace the rear ones yet though.
First time there and started to learn it in the damp conditions, wow! paddock bend is challenging once you start to build up speed -- had a few twitchy moments in the damp but a 968 is really forgiving so never fell off the grey stuff by my own actions!! but see below.
Then I had a moment with a VX220 that had moved off the racing line to let a some cars overtake down the left, including me -- but as I was last of the overtakers and he had not actually seen me he decided to rejoin the racing line as we approached paddock bend. He came across to the far left where I was and kept coming and coming even though we were side by side almost touching -- I am thinking is he blind or something, maybe his full face helmet gave him no peripheral vision!
Bend approaching for a right turn, I could not start to turn right because he seemed to be intent on forcing me off. Only one thing for it -- braked as much as I could before I ran out of tarmac, then foot off the brakes and onto the gravel trap at what must have been 60 or 70 mph. Nursed it through by skimming along the top of the stones without too much steering input, speed scrubbed off a bit more then worked my way back onto the track. Phew!
All OK, quite my hairiest moment in about 2000 miles of tracking, had a word with the organisers about the said VX220's driving antics -- apparently one of the marshalls had seen it and words were already being had!
Steve was great as he became my passenger and coach for the 3 afternoon sessions. I have never had any instruction and was very happy to latch onto the observations he made from his own experience. As the track was substantially dry it was time to push on a bit more as well. We cut out a downward gear change at one corner, we braked later and harder up to the 'turn in' points at 4 corners, then getting onto the throttle earlier -- this seemed to transform my rate of progress. Failed on one corner to attack it effectively, but elsewhere my commitment was improved using this new found technique. Thank you Steve I am really grateful.
Till the next time.
End of report.
paul f
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