| Round 17 - Brands Hatch 12th Sept 2009 |
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A glorious day for the TVR Championship as we descended on to the historic Brands Hatch track; it was always going to be a tough call between Loton Park & Brands - two great events on the same day - but the mighty field of four trekked South to commence battle. It was a battle of extremes ranging from Simon Fletcher's Tuscan racer to Paul C's 1972 Tuscan, Martin Cockcroft's Tamora and Julie White's Cerbera 4.5; apart from Simon, all first timers to the circuit! A wager was on who was going into the kitty litter first! Brands, a very exciting circuit with some interesting but complex corners. Paddock Hill Bend, its blind, steep drop and clearways at the far end to contend with, just waiting to catch you unawares. The first challenge of the day apart from deciding whether to have the bacon baguette or not, is getting through the noise test. Having already received a warning at Hethel, Paul knew his car would be on the limit but thankfully we all got through although Julie had to use cans to get past the environmental scrutineer. Next up, the briefing, focused mainly on where the finish line was (we were assured we would not need parachutes to slow us down!) and reminded WE MUST NOT overtake anyone regardless of circumstances. Off to practice then, very exciting driving through the tunnel, where many of our heroes would have driven through, bringing back memories of the potent smell of Castrol R, being able to watch Grand Prix without the feeling of being hemmed in, great days! However, enough reminiscing, we have our own championship to focus on. Mark Harris pitched up in time for breakfast to show his support and to take some photos. Unfortunately he had left it too late too enter and was soon regretting not being able to take part. Note to self: never leave entries to the last minute. Now turning into a very bright sunny day, Simon Fletcher started off as the hot favourite in the Tuscan Racer. He started very well by clocking an initial 90.15, very competitive. Martin and Julie, learning the track for the first time, were also putting in respectable times. There is something quite exciting if not a little butt clenching about launching yourself off the start line, straight into the blind Paddock bend, down the hill, your brain screaming at you: "Cold tyres! Cold tyres! Look up! Look up!" Then straight up the hill into Druids at speed. What a fantastic feeling! Better than any ride at Alton Towers or Blackpool! Julie was enjoying her first time at the circuit but managed to get lost in the paddock. This resulted in her being given all kinds of grief by her brolly dolly pit crew who she'd left stranded in the pits; she was supposed to ferry them back to the outer paddock! Anyway after much conferring and swapping hints to get round Brands in one piece, we were ready for our first timed run. Simon's confidence in the ex Tuscan racer is growing with each outing, a future contender for the championship surely. To show his commitment to get under the 90 second barrier he launched himself like an Exocet from the startline but accidentally overtook a fellow competitor as he rounded Graham Hill Bend, incurring the wrath of the organisers. What was the Clerk saying at our briefing? Ah yes! No overtaking under any circumstances. Simon was armed with video evidence and wanted to fight his case; it was all very clear in his mind. He had slowed down and would have caused a (possibly fatal) crash as the other car was travelling at pedestrian pace! Eventually, he thought better of it – arguing with the officials can so easily result in exclusion so best left! Amazingly, was still given a time and a very respectable time at that, 90.99 flashed up on the board. Martin had made the long trip down from Yorkshire and was quite clear on the purpose of the voyage. He managed a superb 98.56 on his practice but Julie responded by lopping a massive 3 seconds during her first run. The track continued to warm as we prepared for the second timed runs; Mr Fletcher's goal was to break 90 seconds – he very nearly did it too but a new record 90.16 will have to suffice for this year. Martin managed to chip off a further 2 seconds from his first run securing second place. Julie put in a great second run and managed to shear a further 4 seconds off – she loves it! How did Paul C get on I hear you ask? Well, he won the wager followinig his training day at School of Anti Gravity run by Jes Firth. He ended up in the kitty litter on Druids before spinning gracefull back again on the track! Driving for the Crowds Award this year perhaps. So with Simon smashing the lap record and taking the 25 points and Julie now leading the ladies championship, it was a really good day out with plenty of banter and stories, shame it was over by lunch time but well worth doing! Final thought, ask Martin why he drove 6.5 hours for 4 minutes track time, a few cocktail sausages and to hear a southerner giving him advice on how to set up his car!
Paul Crossman |
