Hi everyone, and welcome to the 2010 season, this year will are missing Jes with the famous physics defying Cerbera. This leaves the championship wide open, who will step upto the plate and make 2010 a season to remember? Watch this space.
I want a go!
So, you've decided that you fancy trying your hand at sprinting, but what should you do next? It's quite straight forward:
Buy a TVR (if you haven't already got one)! - Join the TVRCC & sign up for our championship. - Apply for your race license - Buy your race overalls and helmet - Send your entry forms off - wait nervously for your final instructions to come through the post...
Prescott is a fabulous venue owned and run by the Bugatti Owners Club who in recent years have sought to maximise opportunities for club members to come along to support their club championships. Again this year, Bugatti invited the TVRCC and offered a dedicated parking area and free "parade" run up the hill at lunchtime. Having watched the club members go up, I wasn't sure whether everyone was truly parading and for those of you who'd like to drive the Prescott hill more quickly, I recommend you join our championship next year and do it properly with numbers on.
The event Bugatti had organised was billed as the Autumn Classic and was made up of large entries from speed championships run by Bugatti, Morgan, MG and of course TVRCC. Such was the size of our entry that we had to be cut back to 25 cars in our class, which was a shame.
The last few rounds of the championship are always littered with drama and anomalies and it is these that make our series so compelling; our event at Shelsley Walsh was no exception.
It was a warm and sunny Cotswolds day and although practice was brisk and good-natured I sensed an end-of-term determination from certain quarters to optimise this opportunity for points. My impression was soon confirmed: after practice, at the top of Class B both Paul Edwards and Matt Oakley were within a couple of tenths of the course record, and in Class A Geoff Stallard was within 4 tenths of his own class record. There were other skirmishes evident in the practice leaderboard too; the green chimps of Captain "Chaos" Everett and Alan Hugh Davies were within a quarter of a handicap second as usual. (These two have met 4 times in the championship this year and each has beaten the other twice and on each occasion it was only by a small fraction of a handicap second). Pete Watson, John Carter and leading novice Martin Cockcroft were having their own private dust up, and in the ladies championship, Tina Hawkes and Jo Briars were double driving Tina's Chimaera because Jo's 350i was doing sterling service elsewhere this weekend. Tina knows this tricky hill well and Jo was happy to take Tina's sage advice on her first outing here.
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.
September in the Speed Championship is packed to the gills with events at some of the best venues in the country. Our boys and girls are competing at Brands Hatch, Loton Park, Shelsley Walsh and Prescott at this vital stage of the season when the criticality is to drop earlier low scoring rounds and replace them with new values in the high twenties. And we're enjoying an Indian summer again, which augurs well for close competition and more new record times.
Our entry of 14 cars was made up of our most competitive championship contenders in both classes with the exception of Mr Firth who was taking a well earned rest to the relief of everyone else. Actually, his absence made little difference because it was clear from the start that Paul Edwards and Matt Oakley were equally determined to take home the win. Paul's first practice run of 60.47 was immediately followed by Matthew's 61.11 which on handicap terms was identical! I must also say that these two were not alone in the rarefied atmosphere at the top of the leaderboard; in Class A Stewart Lobley has strewn old records like confetti on the hedgerows of England as he has blitzed his way through the calendar and he was ready to it again at Loton. Lobley's first practice clocked 63.66, which on handicap was faster than both Paul and Matthew. Game on.
It's August Bank Holiday Monday so it's off to Harewood Hill, 6 miles north of Leeds in the West Riding of Yorkshire; one of the best hills in the country for both spectators and competitors. The track requires agility and power, ideal for the TVR Championship with the nimble, lighter and smaller engined cars in Class A able to compete with the less agile, more powerful V8's and Straight 6's in class B. With 24 Tivs entered we were the biggest class at the hillclimb, illustrating yet again the strength of this Championship.
Spectators are spoilt with a view from the top of the valley of a good 75% of the track including the blast through the farmyard and the long uphill drag to the final bend.
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2009 Race Reports
