Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The good times! (part 2)

After Birmingham we spent the next week in good spirits looking forward to Hednesford on the Sunday.   The results from the previous weekend had moved us from 32nd to 20th in the points and all we had to do was change the diff in the car, do the relevant checks and move all the tyres round. The car had been so good at Birmingham I didn’t want to change anything at all.   I was hoping for another good meeting to bring the racing for 2010 to a sweet end.
As much as I was looking forward to it, I was also very nervous; the last time we had raced there had been quite frankly a disaster.  We had made major changes to the car’s brakes after they had been playing up all through the National Weekend and they turned out to be horrendous.   No matter how I adjusted the bias to the front there was massive amounts of back brake and I was fighting the car everywhere.   I came into a bend .... braked .... the car went sideways, and as I caught it the car gripped and headed straight for the Armco.   I was knocked out and the car was less than healthy to say the least!
There is never a practice at Hednesford so by the time the first race came I was really nervous but the race went well with me managing to overtake a couple of cars and finish in fifth, the car was once again completely faultless.   The next race was much more of the same with another fifth place finish and some good racing.
We lined up for the final and the last race of 2010 and I just wanted to finish and bring the car home in one piece.    I remember there was oil on the track and from my grid position I had no choice but  to line up on it.   Sure enough as the flag dropped there was a great deal of wheel spinning and the car didn’t really go anywhere!    Looking back now maybe this wasn’t such as bad thing because as the front few cars went racing off ahead of me into the first bend, they tangled, firing cars all over the place!
The final was a bit hectic with all sorts of incidents happening throughout, the last meeting of the year always seems to be carnage for some reason and all I wanted was to keep clear of any incidents and keep the car straight.   I knew I was up in the top few cars but didn’t know what position exactly. I had some space in front of me and some breathing room behind so just drove my own race counting down the laps as I went!    All of a sudden I could see Chris and his yellow Tigra.   He was driving like a true world champion and was all over me before I knew it.   Try as I might I was never going to keep him behind me and he was soon past and roaring off on a mission to catch the leaders. This is how the race ended and it was only when I returned to the pits that my dad told me I had crossed the line in fourth! 
This was a brilliant end to what can only be described as a very mixed year.   The fantastic firework display really summed up how I was feeling.   After the two best meetings I have ever had I’m now sitting 18th in the points.   At the halfway point in the season I’m pleased with this position and have everything crossed for a top 20 in the points, come the end of the season in July.   A place on the grid for the World Final would be a dream come true - especially after 4 years of trying! 
This will be my last blog before Christmas so I want to wish you all the best and hope you enjoy the holidays.   I’m looking forward to a bit of time off just to relax and maybe enjoy the occasional beverage!    Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this every week, I’m really enjoying writing it and certainly have no intention of stopping in the near future.   If anyone has any comments or wants to add anything please feel free to contact me, it will be nice to hear from you!
One last thing before I wrap this up.    From myself, and I’m sure all the other people involved in our sport, a massive thank you to Neil.   The website is always faultless, always up to date and always has something new to look at.   So on behalf of everyone - thank you!    It’s the people such as you that make National Hot Rods what they are - the best oval racing formula in the UK!
Thanks again for reading this, and a merry Christmas to you all
Until next time
Mikey

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