Some Festive Partying!

What a wild couple of weekends I’ve just had.   As it was my birthday and with Christmas rapidly approaching, we felt the need to party. . . . something we did in pretty impressive style.

Along with my friends John, Jay, Sarah, Gav, Mel and their little girl Imogen we booked a house not far from Skegness for a few days rest and relaxation.    Looking back now I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday and we had a really great time.   When we headed out on the Saturday it was freezing cold with ice everywhere so we decided to do what anyone sensible would avoid - and go Go-Karting.   Not surprisingly we were the only ones there!   The track was like one sheet of ice and the karts left a lot to be desired with wheels and bits of bodywork pointing off at all sorts of obscure angles.   If I’m honest I did get bullied a little bit . . .  I wasn’t safe unless I had the entire track to myself and every corner someone would fire me out.   At the end of our session there were dead karts strewn all over the infield - I even managed to snap a chain on one.   I managed to follow this up by coming last ten-pin bowling as well . . . luck obviously wasn’t on my side!

It wouldn’t be a birthday without a night out, so we headed into Skegness for a few vodkas on the Saturday night.  Gavin had been feeling ill all day and headed back in after a few drinks leaving John, Jay and myself to do the drinking.   After drinking enough vodka and Red Bull to fund the F1 team for next season, we headed back too.   Another great night with some great people.

This last weekend saw us heading out again to give our livers another beating and after driving up to Ipswich to sort some work stuff out with Jay we headed out into Ipswich town for a couple of Christmas beverages!    Gavin wasn’t going to be calling it off early this time though, and along with Shaun Taylor, Jay, the legend that is Joe Palmer, and Mr Cattermoles of Ipswich - Andrew Bigmore - we headed out into town.    It was one of those nights where you could fill a book with all the events but most of them are stories for another day, several certainly not suitable to be told here at all!

I spent the next day shopping with Steph and Emma before heading back to reality and work on Monday morning.  The girls and I obviously have a completely different view on shopping.   They wander round looking at everything before buying something they have thought long and hard about  -  I buy the first thing that fits and won’t show any oil stains from the racing car!

I’m sure some of you will read this blog and think two things – firstly, that I have a drink problem (I don’t) and secondly that all this doesn’t have anything to do with racing at all.   You’re probably right but to me it backs up what I have said all year about just how much I do love the social side to it as well as the serious bit of doing the car and actually racing.   I think I am in a very lucky position to have such great friends and without the Hot Rod I wouldn’t know any of them  . . . . .  and certainly wouldn’t have these stories to tell!

This will be my last entry before Christmas but I will be back before New Year and will bring you right up to date with the rebuild – it’s coming along nicely now and we’ll all be able to have a few days off over Christmas with no work, no racing cars and time to relax!   Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this every week and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to you.   I hope all your wishes come true.

Happy Holidays!

Mikey

Twenty-Eleven Part 2

After the success of the first half of the season, the second got itself off to a pretty poor start and continued to head downhill for a few weeks to follow.   After a month off from racing it was time for the National Weekend.    This is always my favourite meeting of the year but this year literally nothing went my way!   From the second we arrived things started going wrong.   I think everything on the truck stopped working and the racing was a disaster - the final straw being the damage I received in the Grand National when the car refused to move itself from the line at the start.    Nonetheless it was still a top weekend with all my friends and you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Things were only going to get worse at the next meeting with an accident in every race and a rather impressive falling out in the pits with my Dad to go with it - I’m still hearing different versions of this story from people now and I will just clarify that we certainly weren’t rolling round the pits fighting as so many people seem to believe!   On a more serious note it was probably the worst meeting in my whole racing career and I felt pretty terrible about ‘all things racing’ for a few weeks afterwards.

Really I have Gavin to thank for helping me find my enthusiasm again with what can only be described as a truly epic trip to Northern Ireland.    It was arguably the weekend of the year for me and I really hope I can get out there and race next year especially if the new track is going to be as good as everyone says!    I think Gav was really unlucky not to win the British.   As a lot of you will know, I don’t watch racing, but I stood in the pouring rain literally hanging on the fence shouting as loud as I could for him like a proper crazed fan!

When we were back I couldn’t wait to race again myself, and after another meeting in team Sole Bay at Yarmouth it was straight back out onto the track in my own car at Ipswich.    I can honestly say it never felt so good to drive a Hot Rod.   It was a very average meeting but I loved every second . . .   I had only been away six weeks but it was great to be back!

The next time we were at Ipswich it was anything but average.   Starting off the front row it felt great to take a win in the first heat, followed by two third places in the next races.   It seemed to make the few rough months worthwhile and was just a great confidence boost.    It’s always good to race at Foxhall under the lights and I know a lot of people moaned about the track but it was just a pleasure to be there at what is I think is the ultimate Hot Rod track.

There was no time to rest though and almost as soon as we were back from Foxhall it was time to meet Gav and set off on the long journey to Tipperary.   Racing at Tipperary has been something of a dream for me for a long time and it was great this year to go out there and do it.   The racing didn’t go to plan but once again it was another quality weekend.   It is a seriously fast track and one I’ll definitely be going back to.  Racing weekends with Gav and his team are always a laugh and this lived up to all the expectations - thanks again to Gav for taking me and putting up with my incompetence.

The last two meetings weren’t as successful as they could have been and Hednesford certainly was a bit of a let down - the fireworks were great though, and no matter what happens at Birmingham I can’t help but love the place.   More meetings there please Mr Wood!

So that was it, the 2011 racing season over and to say it has been a rollercoaster would be a massive understatement, but I think it has been my best season to date.   When I sit down and think about it we did the two things I always wanted to do - World Final and race in Ireland - and I’ve had some really good times with the best people out there.

A lot of you keep asking me what my plans are now and the answer is to keep doing exactly what I’m doing . . . . enjoying my racing and using the experience from every lap to try to get a bit quicker.  The priority is getting the car sorted and back together for the NEC when all the action begins again!

I’m just back from a top weekend away for my birthday which I’ll tell you all about next week and bring you up to date with the rebuild.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

Twenty-Eleven Part 1

I still can’t get my head round the fact that the racing for 2011 has finished.    I don’t know how a year can possibly go by as quickly as this one did.   It’s been another mixed year with some obvious highs and some pretty dramatic lows.    It’s still fair to say that I’ve loved every second though - I completely live for my racing and every spare minute and pound all goes towards it.   While I’m young and in the position to enjoy it I’m going to make the most of every opportunity I can.

The year began with me participating in the live action arena at the Autosport show.   I have been to the show every year as long as I can remember and it’s been great to be involved with it for the last couple of years.    Racing in there under the lights is a completely different experience to what you get normally and the atmosphere is brilliant, and as for the nights out - well they could be a blog all on their own . . .

I was lucky enough to spend the entire second half of the 2011 season in the top twenty of the points and although I loved all the meetings there were a couple that really stood out to me as being good  ones. The first of these was the Aldershot meeting.   It all looked set to be a day to forget with the bonnet coming off during the first lap of practice and every car on the track running over it.   We did a very elegant repair with aluminium and tape only for me to bend an axle in the first race.  With the help of team Kew and a very hung-over Ross we changed that and got it out for the second race. It made all the effort worthwhile as I finished second and had a really good race with Dave Brooks.  The final then turned out to be one of my favourite races of the year and saw me finish with another second.    Just goes to show that you can’t give up on a bad day!

The other meeting that really stood out for me was the annual trip to Skegness.   Although it’s the furthest track away from us I really enjoy our trip there.   I think it’s a great little track and the car always seems to go well there.   We have a laugh on the way up there too stopping for breakfast and just making it a good day out.    The racing was good with me getting an 8th, a 3rd and a 14th in the final.    I remember kicking myself after the final for not giving it my best shot but still a great day none the less.

After the points had finished we were lucky enough to have qualified for the ‘big race’ and we had a busy month stripping the car down and rebuilding it in readiness.    Jay once again did a top job with the graphics and in my opinion the car looked stunning when we rolled it out of the garage ready to load into the trailer.  I’m sure some of you will be aware that we have been working closely with Sonny Howard at SHP to develop the car this year and I just want to take the opportunity to thank Sonny for all the help and support he has given me throughout the year.   The car gets better every time I drive it and a lot of this is down to Sonny’s vast knowledge on everything Hot Rod. 

Although I love every meeting I know nothing will ever come close to the experience of this year’s world final.  I had dreamed of doing it since I was a kid and the atmosphere on the parade lap and as you’re sat there on the grid is just brilliant.   Unfortunately I didn’t get to finish the race but just being there was amazing and probably one of the best days of my life to date.  

Rather than try and cram the whole year into one week I’ll leave it here for this week and then pick up with the second half of the year next week.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next week

Mikey

Weddings and Spaceframes

The Sunday after Birmingham we put everything away for the winter.  We took all the tools out of the lorry and parked everything up out of the way.   The car was pushed straight onto the ramp for work to begin in readiness for the NEC.    One of the reasons I like doing the NEC is that it means we get stuck in and get the car ready and don’t find ourselves with a week to go before the first meeting and a car that’s only half built!

With the car on the ramp I took the panels off leaving me with just the spaceframe.   I made a mistake really this season in that every time I damaged a panel I would send it back and get it repaired.   This is great in theory and the repairs were really good quality but I just kept on adding so much weight to the car that I ended the season with a car weighing 740 kilos . . . . the minimum weight allowed being 700!   So with tears in my eyes at the thought of the expense a new set was ordered from Mark at Boss and is now ready to collect and get painted.

While the panels are off we have a few little jobs we want to do.    As everything is off and easy to work on it’s a good time to check everything over too.   The spaceframe was filthy with bits of the Rosegreen pits still clinging on to everything, so we loaded it onto one of our recovery trucks and took it into work to give it a good jet-washing off.   We lifted it straight off with the forklift and I spent a good couple of hours with the pressure washer making it look presentable again.

Having it at work also gave me chance to start it and let it run.    As you know it got warm at Birmingham and I have had that nagging doubt in my mind ever since that it might have done some lasting damage, but after running it up to temperature and connecting the fan up it started to cool down as it should.   Good news all round really.

The big ‘wheel building’ session is finally underway too.   Running the car with odd wheels annoys me and we are repairing everything and sorting them all into sets so the car can always have matching wheels.   The spares are getting sorted too and I’m determined to use the break to try and get everything organised!

As I mentioned before, last Saturday was my friends’ Carl and Laura’s wedding.   It was here that I made two terrible mistakes.    The first one was saying I could drink more than Gavin and Shaun - I now have to eat humble pie and admit that I can’t.    My second error was thinking that you bounce when you’re drunk!   Unfortunately you don’t and my black eye, cut face and large blood loss prove this!  Apart from me getting ridiculously drunk it was a really good night, and all the best to both Carl and Laura.   I can’t remember anything after 12 o’clock but I have never felt as ill as I did on the Sunday morning!   I’m sure anyone who was there will have great pleasure in filling you in on all the details though.   Shaun’s wife Carrie even offered to do this blog for me so as not to miss any of the embarrassing events out . . .

It’s back in the garage this week to press on with the car before the panels arrive - it’s going to be Christmas before we know it and then the NEC will be upon us shortly after that.   I’ll be back next week to look back over how the year has gone for me.

Thanks as ever for reading

Mikey

The Last Meeting

I love Birmingham Wheels; no matter what sort of meeting I have it’s my favourite track so I was thrilled that the last meeting of the year was there.   We had very little to do to the car from Hednesford and apart from changing the diff and fitting the tyres it was just set-up work and checking everything was ok.

We arrived at the track in time for practice and I went out and had a couple of runs just to make sure everything was as it should be.    I know I keep saying this but the car was easily the best it’s ever been.   It is such a pleasure to drive.   I often wonder just how good it would be with a half decent driver behind the wheel!

I was starting in the middle group again all night and being so low down the points I’m really just not worried about results anymore, I’m going to enjoy my racing and make the most of every lap out there whether I’m first or last.    I was outside for the first race and once again the car was brilliant and I finished ninth so picked up a few points.

The second race wasn’t quite so successful.   Things were going well enough to begin with and I was up in the top ten.    A pack of us came into turn one and I got pushed onto the rumble strips and spun.   Luckily I went round and ended up right tight to the bank on the inside of the bend and off the track.   That was the end of that race . . . but never mind.

As I was sitting on the start line for the final I noticed the temperature slowly rising on the car.  Normally the fan cuts in and cools it straight back down again, but for some reason this time it didn’t - and I couldn’t turn it on with the switch either.   The warm-up laps cooled it down a bit but it started to rise again as we sat waiting for the green flag.    With a stoppage on the first bend and a complete restart it just kept climbing, and as the green flag dropped for a second time the warning light came on telling me that it was just too hot to drive.   I gave it another lap hoping the air rushing through would start to cool it but it didn’t.    I pulled off into the middle bringing my racing for 2011 to a close.

It’s been a pretty mixed year for me overall with some obvious high points, but there have been some pretty rough times too.   I guess that’s racing though and you can’t have it all ways. The car is now in the workshop and everything is stripped off it.   My plan is to get it rebuilt ready for the NEC then spend some time afterwards playing with set-ups etc and see what we can learn.   I also fancy a few nights off - I reckon we’ve been in the workshop every night for the last two months!   One of my good friends Carl is getting married this weekend so I’m heading across to stay with Gavin so I can go and celebrate this happy event with them.

I’m pretty sure this entry marks a complete year of blog writing now.   I just want to thank every single person who reads it and everyone who has a part to play in my racing.  There is far too many to thank individually, but I really do appreciate everything everyone does for me.  I’ve no intention of stopping and will be back next week to tell you what we are planning with the car.   I’m going to look back over the 2011 season for a couple of weeks after that and then you’ll be able to hear what happens when a group of us head over to the east coast for my birthday.   That should be a lively weekend!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

Plenty of Fireworks

As soon as I was back from Ireland it was out into the garage again every night getting the car ready for Hednesford.   There was nothing major to do, just some bent suspension and all the usual checks, along with lots of cleaning to get it looking somewhere near presentable again.  Everything considered it had very little damage and we didn’t have to rush too much to get it all sorted.

Because of the fireworks in the evening the meeting didn’t start until three, leaving us waiting around for what felt like days before the racing actually got started.   It was a really nice day with clear skies and no sign of rain, bloody freezing though!

My results from Foxhall meant I started further back on the grid and the first heat saw me in the middle of the second pack.   It didn’t get off to a very good start and I soon found myself towards the back of the field.   I just started to get going again and hunt the pack back down when there was an accident going down the back straight, and cars went flying off everywhere.   I slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop on the infield completely unscathed.   I went to pull away and race again only to have both the marshal and the stewards tell me that I had to pull off from the race.   It’s a decision I still can’t really get to the bottom of and have been trying to figure out ever since, but this was never meant to be about politics so we’ll leave it at that...   Thanks to Les though who managed to calm me down enough to at least talk reason!

The second race was a bit of a disaster too if I’m honest.    I was starting in the middle again and due to nothing but errors on my car I found myself at the back again.   The car was going well though, and by the end of the race I was back on the pace.  It was ‘too little too late’ though and I finished out of the points.

I started the final at the front of the third group, it seems along way back starting there and hats off to the boys who do it week in week out and come through the pack.   It’s a little bit beyond me at the minute!   The final was a much better race and although there was lots of carnage and cars strewn everywhere I finished in twelfth and had a few good battles along the way.    How I didn’t hit Paff head on as we came out of turn four I’ll never know - luck must have really been on my side for once.    Saying that, we finished with a few points and a straight car, so we live to fight another day!

Due to having possibly the world’s longest truck and trailer combo we were well and truly wedged in the pits after the final so stayed to watch the fireworks.   It was a very impressive display and a credit to whoever organised them.    All in all a day ‘best forgotten’ and I left the track in a pretty foul mood . . .  one that carried on for several days!

To change the subject completely, the Saturday night before racing saw a group of us head off to Slough to go ‘Ice Go-Karting’ for 2 litre racer Brendon Smith’s birthday.    It’s just like normal karting except it’s on an ice rink and the karts are fitted with studded tyres for grip.   There were ten of us and we split into two groups of five and each group had two fifteen minute sessions.   Our group spelt disaster before we even started with Jason Kew, Brendon, Mike Edwards, Jason’s mechanic Dave and me all taking to the ice together.

After watching the first group it was time for us to have a go and it was pretty wild from the start with cones and karts flying off everywhere.   It wasn’t long before we were all stopped, told to keep on the track and calm down a bit.   We finished the session with no major drama and returned to the sidelines to watch the others go again.    We went the other way round the track for the next session and everything was going very well; nobody hit each other and the cones remained mainly untouched for the next ten minutes.    Everything changed in the last five minutes though and as we all bunched back up together it turned into a Demolition Derby.     There were cones and karts everywhere and the session was ended when Jason, Brendon and I came into a corner together and Jason and I ended up having a head on followed by Brendon turning me into the wall up the straight.   I can honestly say I have never laughed at anything quite so much and I’m laughing typing about it now - it was a complete riot and you really should try it!

We are now back in the workshop again and getting ready for the last meeting of 2011.    We don’t have much to do, just the usual checks.    Luck must have been on our side somewhat though as when we lifted the bonnet the belt on the dry sump system was literally hanging off and that would have been an expensive and messy disaster had that come off during the final!

Thanks as ever for reading.

See you on Saturday

Mikey

It’s a long way to Tipperary

This is one of those blogs where I just don’t know where to start!   There is literally so much I could tell you about.   The racing might not have gone to plan but what a laugh we had along the way - and I’m sure the European Championship 2011 is going to be a weekend I’ll never forget.

It all started Thursday lunch time when my Aunt and I set out with the trailer to meet team Murray in a lay-by on the side of the A14.  The car was swapped into Gav’s lorry and the long slog to Holyhead began.  Within the first hour it was obvious we were going to have a laugh all weekend and the banter helped make the seemingly endless trip fly by.    There were five of us making the trip; Gavin, his dad Graham, the mechanic and general comedian Carl, Mr ‘Cattermoles of Ipswich’ Andrew Bigmore and myself.

We encountered our first issue when we arrived at the port and possibly the most miserable woman in the world refused to let us on the boat because they had raised the decks.   After several more trips to her little kiosk the answer was still a firm “No”.    So that was us stuck on the side of the dock for the next 6 hours until we could get the next boat to Dublin at 2.30am.  We did what any group of guys having to wait for 6 hours would do. . . we went for a Chinese (one of the best I have ever had) and slept!

The ferry journey passed a pretty uneventful few hours.   We had a couple of beers and lost a few quid in the fruit machines and tried our best to sleep.    We docked at quarter to six and drove to Clonmel to check into the hotel.   Gav hadn’t slept at this point and had driven from one side of England to the other, been on the ferry and then driven half way across Ireland!

At the hotel it was straight off for breakfast, get the bags into the rooms then off to the bar, where we remained for the next 12 hours!    It was in truth really nice to do nothing for a day and I can’t remember the last time I sat in a bar having a drink in the afternoon.    Kym Weaver and his team were in the hotel too and we spent the rest of the day just having a few drinks, or a lot of drinks, depending on how you look at it!    We ended the evening with a few Jager bombs that I can still taste now and headed up to bed nice and early.

After getting everything sorted Saturday morning we had breakfast, checked out of the hotel and headed straight to the track.   We arrived just as they were opening the gates, got parked up and unloaded the cars.   There was a very long wait then before practice began.   As soon as I drove onto the track it became apparent how awesome it is.   The speed you carry is unbelievable and the straights seem to go on and on.    The banked corners are good, meaning you can carry so much speed through the bend and literally just floor it half way through the turn.

The meeting finally got underway and I lined up for my first heat.   I was starting near the back and all the races were a rolling start, an idea that I thought was really good.   When the lead car got to a set point on the track the green flag dropped.   Everyone knew when it was going to be and there was no jump starts.   The race was going well for me - I was at the back but challenging the cars around me.  My car was flying and then the driver’s door came off!   It went up in the air like a kite and luckily came to rest on the outside of the corner where it remained untouched for the rest of the race.

Understandably I was told to pull off and that was my race over.   Gav had been flying in that race and finished with a 4th. 

The second heat was to be no better for me either.   Things had been going well and I’d been trying to make some passes work on the outside but seemingly got turned into the wall every time I tried.   I wasn’t to finish this race either as a spin coming out of turn four left me parked on the centre green.

With my heats over I was able to watch Gav in his second race.    Once again he was flying and making good progress up the grid . . . only for his race to end in disaster too when he got run into the wall taking all the outside suspension out in the process.

Gav and his team rushed to get the car repaired and we both headed out for the championship race. I was starting last and Gav was somewhere mid pack.   It all ended in disaster for me after about three laps when the rose joint in the bottom arm snapped causing me to hit the fence.   Luckily I was hard on the brakes and managed to slow it down enough for the damage to be minimal, but it was still another championship I was out of, meaning I’m still waiting to actually finish one!    Gav finished the race and came home with a 7th.    After the race was over we set about getting my car rolling again so we could load up and get going – we had a ferry to catch.    It was nothing a few hammers and swear words wouldn’t sort out, and although we lost a lot of time and it was like working in a swamp, we did get it in the lorry and headed off to catch the ferry.

The trip home was as funny as the trip there and a valuable lesson were learnt; don’t fall asleep in the presence of Gavin Murray!    I won’t go into the reasons why.   Even when we arrived back at the motorway services to meet my Dad the car had one more trick to play.     The strap holding it in broke and it came hurtling out of the back of Gav’s truck and halfway across the car park!

All in all another great weekend with my mates and another experience and ambition fulfilled.   Sadly I didn’t get the finish I so badly wanted and Gav didn’t have the luck he deserved either but I can still say I’ve been across and done it, learnt from it and enjoyed the experience.   No doubt I’ll be back again!

Massive thanks to Gavin, Carl, Graham and Andrew for putting up with me, helping me and making it possible for me to do it.   Thanks to everyone else who offered to help and everyone who just came over for a chat.   There is so much more I could tell you about the trip but most of it is completely unprintable!

I’ll see you all at Hednesford.

Mikey

Foxhall under the lights

Well that definitely turned out to be a good night, and has made all the hard work and bad luck over the last few months all seem worth it.  Once again the car was faultless and everything just fell into place.

It was a dry night but cold and windy, and you can imagine my surprise when I pulled out onto the track for practice to find it soaking wet!   The sweeper had been round and washed all the shale off the track.  We went straight out after it had finished and obviously the track hadn’t dried out.  It made it an interesting practice but you could just about find a dry line by keeping the car really tight through the bends and then running right out to the wall on the straights.  Even in the bad conditions the car felt great so I really had no reason to moan.

I was to start my races from the first couple of rows all night and the first heat saw me starting on the front row outside of James O’Shea.   He had the legs on me at the start, got away and started to extend his lead.   I’m not really sure what happened next but something must have happened to James in the scoreboard bend and I was able to slip by and take the lead.   Although I managed to hold on to the lead until the end the whole pack was bunched up behind me and where the track was still damp there was just no outside line for them to be able to pass.   It felt brilliant to finally have another win, but the track conditions did help me a lot, and I don’t think I would ever have passed James had he not had a problem.   To me, Hot Rods is Foxhall under the floodlights though, so a win there felt great!

My second race saw me on the inside front row.    I lost a place at the line as Danny Hunn slid past me and into the lead.  Danny and I have had some cracking races recently and once again this one turned out to be pretty good, although I never really found myself in a position to get back past him - and spent most of the race chasing him round.   All the credit for this race goes to Steve Burrows though, who came flying past both of us to take the win.   With a third at the flag I was still over the moon.

The final had all the makings of what could be a pretty hectic race; lots of cars, a fast track but absolutely no outside line.   Luckily by starting at the front I was able to avoid all the carnage and get home in one piece.  I managed not to lose any places off the start but James was just gone from the front row and heading off into the lead and try as I might I couldn’t get myself into a position to even begin to challenge him.   This didn’t stop Steve - who was flying once again - from slipping past us both then roaring off into the distance for another win.   The top three didn’t change from there with James getting second and me crossing the line in third.

It had been a really top night and the car had stayed in one piece too, so an added bonus.   Nights like that really do bring home why we race and as you know I love it no matter what the result, but when you do get some luck it makes all the time and money you spend seem justified.   We had a good laugh in the pits and it was just a great meeting overall.

There has been no time for resting though and we have been straight back on the car getting it ready for the European on Saturday night.   Gavin has very kindly offered to take my car over with him in the back of his truck.   Racing in Ireland is another of those dreams I’ve always wanted to fulfil so thanks to Gavin in advance for giving me the opportunity.    He unfortunately suffered big damage at Foxhall and has been flat out making sure his car is ready to go.    We are getting the boat Thursday night so we can have a day off Friday.   We race Saturday night then get the boat straight home so we can all go back to work on Monday!

I know it’s going to be a top class weekend and although I’m probably a bit out of my league in terms of racing, I’m looking forward to trying a new track and just building on the experience.   I know we’re going to have a lot of laughs along the way, most of the jokes no doubt aimed at me!

All in all I have some fantastic friends and some brilliant times at racing and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Thanks as ever for reading.

See you in Ireland.

Mikey

The beginning of a busy month

With the exception of loading the car into the trailer we are sorted and ready for Ipswich on Saturday night.   We have everything on the car done, and probably for the first time ever, we have a night to spare.   It’s definitely not something to get used to though as the meeting this weekend sees the start of a four week back-to-back racing fest with a meeting every weekend leading us into the winter break.    One of these meetings is the European Championship and my first meeting overseas - but more on that next week I think.

All the work on the car was pretty routine stuff - like the diff and the tyres - and we have all that down to a pretty fine art now.   I must also admit I’m a big fan of a Saturday night meeting.   It usually means we can work in the morning then head off racing in the afternoon.   Although it’s a late night home, it gives you Sunday to do the car.   It’s amazing how much you can do in a whole day compared with a few hours in the evening.   My two favourite tracks, Ipswich and Birmingham are generally Saturday night meetings, making it that little bit sweeter as well!

As a lot of you will already know I’m always having issues with wheels for the car and seem to spend half my life bending them, but after a rummage in the deepest darkest corners of my shed I have managed to find three Compomotive Turbos.   You almost need a degree in climbing to get to the back of the shed so getting out alive and with three wheels is certainly an achievement in itself.  Compomotive Turbos are easily my favourite Hot Rod wheel ever, and although these are looking pretty sorry for themselves and all need new outer rims on them, it gives me a nice project for the winter.    I have six of them in total and I’m going to shot-blast them, paint them and fit new outers so they all look like new - so look out for my car on a set of retro-wheels next year.

I was having one of those pointless “If I won the lottery...” conversations the other day and I decided that I would buy a brand new SHP Peugeot 205.   This is easily the coolest and the best looking Hot Rod ever built.   One with all the bits from a modern Hot Rod would just be amazing even if it just sat in the garage for looking at!   Obviously it would be running the aforementioned Compomotive Turbos to complete the retro look . . . . 

Back to reality again, and away from lottery winning fantasies I’m sure some of you will have noticed the banner for our company in the right hand corner of nationalhotrod.com - please click on it and have a look on our website.  As many of you will use vans for work or racing, please give us a thought if you are looking for any spares.   We have literally thousands of parts in stock ready to send straight out, and can send stuff next day to most places!

 Sorry this is short - I’ll be back next week to tell you how the meeting at Ipswich went and share the plans for Ireland – it’s going to be great.

Thanks for reading

Mikey

Hot Rods and Carp Fishing

Well that’s another meeting over.   This year is flying by and it only seems like yesterday that we were getting ready for the NEC and the World Final.  We only have four meetings left before the winter is upon us again!  We’re already planning the winter rebuild and the wheels are in motion getting the bits and pieces we need ordered up.    I’ve put my name down for the NEC Live Action arena again so hopefully I’ll get picked to go back in there.

We had a pretty hectic week after Ipswich trying to get as much done as we could so I could go away with Ross for our annual fishing trip to Devon.   We got most of it done and good old Dad finished the last few bits and he and Mum loaded it all up on the Friday night so everything was ready to go.  Thanks again to you both for everything over the years, obviously without the help from both of you none of the racing could happen.

After racing, carp fishing is my other love.  With so much time being spent either racing or in the work shop I don’t spend anywhere near as much time fishing as I would like so it’s nice once a year to go away for a week, just forget everything and catch some fish.   Waking up on the Saturday morning, catching some carp then coming home to race made for a pretty good day too!

It was a meeting of pretty mixed feelings and results.   Some parts were great and I was really pleased whilst others left me really disappointed with myself.   Once again though the car was just faultless - it just seems to get better every time I drive it.   Just needs a driver to match its capabilities now!

The first race I thought was pretty good although I lost a few places from my start position.  Everything went really well and I had a great race with Carl Waller-Barrett.   For a lot of the race he was on the outside - he got past in the end - but it was just a good clean race for a fair few laps, each of us giving the other enough respect and not beating hell out of one another.  I finished the race seventh so I’m pretty pleased with that.

My second race was going okay for the first few laps until I ended up spun onto the infield.   There was nothing wrong with the car so I rejoined the race, albeit at the back of the grid.   From this point on the car was just superb and I think it was the quickest I went all night, we’ll never know though as the transponder decided to pack up meaning I can’t see the lap times, typical!   I still finished in thirteenth place so managed to scrape a couple of points from it.

Just as we lined up for the final it started to rain, not heavy just really fine rain that turned the track into a greasy skating rink almost instantly.   We went from a rolling start and it all went wrong from that moment.  It was all just stupid errors on my part but I drove like an idiot hugging the inside line and really struggling with the track conditions.   All the quick cars were right out wide against the fence using all of the grip they could find whilst I limped around the inside hugging the kerb.   I’m pretty disgusted with myself but it’s put down to experience and a mistake I certainly won’t be making again.

All in all another good meeting though and as Dick Hillard pointed out at drivers meeting, at times I do seem to be the only one who enjoys it.   No matter what the politics or rules are if I win or lose I remember that it’s my hobby!   It’s my life too but I remember why I am there.  Yes, I want to win, I want to do well but if I don’t I’m not going to let it ruin my life.   I’ve still got to get up and go to work on Monday whatever happens.

I’ll be back next week and I’ll tell you what’s going on with the car and about our planned trip to the European with Gav.   It’s going to be my first International meeting and I’m far too excited already!

Until then thanks for reading.

Mikey

The perfect way to spend a Saturday!

It felt great to be racing again.   Since the World Final things haven’t really been going my way and I’d started to feel a little despondent, and had forgotten how much I really do love it.   There really isn’t a better feeling than blasting a National round Foxhall on a dry Saturday night under the floodlights - something I was quickly reminded of during my first lap of the night!

After rebuilding the car it’s always great to get back out and drive it but this time after 6 weeks it was something a bit special.   It instantly felt as if I’d never had a break and the car felt the best it’s ever been.   I wasn’t in the first heat so I watched it and straight away you could see it was going to be a fast paced meeting.

My first race saw me starting third row on the outside.   The first few laps were going brilliantly with me getting past a few cars and making good progress but after the pace car came out following an accident I seemed to lose my way a little bit crossing the line in ninth – still it was a finish and a few points too!

The second race was pretty much the same story all over again except I started on the fourth row. This time the car was absolutely brilliant doing everything I could ever possibly want it to do.  The race started well and I made good progress . . . I even nearly got up the inside of Mr Kew at one point.   I think that would have been the highlight of my year if I could just have made it stick!     The pace car came out again and just like the first race I saw myself go backwards again from that point.   With some other drivers receiving penalties I collected another ninth at the end of the race.

If the rest of the meeting had been anything to go by the final was always going to be fast and close and sure enough it didn’t disappoint.    It was going well enough to begin with and I was having a good race until I got involved in a little tangle exiting the scoreboard bend . . . unfortunately it was just one of those racing incidents that ended up with me parked on the infield.

I finished the night happy - it was the first meeting since July where I hadn’t got a load of damage, the car had been brilliant and I’d managed to collect a few points in the process.   I’d seen all my friends and had a good laugh.  A perfect Saturday night really.

As we’d been up since the crack of dawn on Saturday rather than drive home after the meeting dad and I decided to stay in the truck stop and head home next morning.   We had a beer and something to eat . . .  and suffered the worst singer in history doing karaoke in the back ground!    We slept in the lorry and then had breakfast next morning before setting off for home.

All in all I had an absolutely brilliant night, it was really great to see everyone and be back doing what I love.   We have the car in the workshop and preparations are well under way ready for Northampton.   Even if you have a good meeting you still seem to find loads of jobs you want to do. We’re getting through them now though and come the weekend we should be all ready to go.   I’m going to Devon for a week on Saturday for a bit of “R&R” and to do some fishing, so we want the car finished so Dad can have a week off from the workshop too!

On a completely different note before I sign off I came across the Spedeworth Champions video that was shown at the NEC again this week.   It still manages to send a shiver down my spine every time I watch it and I think the song has pretty much become an anthem for National Hot Rods now.   It certainly means something special to me.   For any of you who haven’t seen it for a while or - heaven forbid - not at all, here’s the link from the Spedeworth website. http://www.spedeworth.co.uk/videoplayer.php?id=14     Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who has read this, helped me, supported me, given up their time for me and taken time to say “Hello.”

See you all at Northampton.

Mikey

Desperate to race...

I’m desperate to race again now.   It seems like ‘forever’ since I last drove a National and I’m itching to get back out there and have another go.   Things are on target here and a good day on the car should see it ready to go.   All the panels are painted and ready to bolt back on, the wheels are all repaired (again) and everything else is falling into place nicely.    Saturday will be here before I know it and I’ll be back doing what I love.

Last weekend saw another trip away for me.  I headed straight off to Gavin’s house after work.   Gav and Mel were having a barbeque and had kindly invited me to stay with them for the weekend and go racing with them at Yarmouth on Sunday.   It was a very leisurely trip across for me, stopping firstly at Jay’s house to collect some National Hot Rod merchandise for Garry Staines then stopping again to visit my friends Nicole and Emma for an hour before taking what can only be described as the scenic route to Gav’s - the mirrors of my truck were touching the hedges on both sides of the narrow country lanes in some places!    Really the last thing in the world I wanted to meet was a tractor, and when I did, it felt as if I had to reverse for miles before there was a gateway I could just about squeeze into to let him past.

I was the last person to arrive and Gav was already busy cooking when I got there, and as usual in true Murray style I was greeted with some kind of insult.   Mr ‘bank manager of the quarter’ Shaun Taylor, his wife Carrie,  Mel, Gav’s mechanic Rob and his partner Faye, Chris Haird’s legendary mechanic Scott and myself completed the guest list.   It was a really chilled out night with a few beers and a lot of laughs.   Gavin’s barbequing was definitely up to scratch and no-one has come down with any weird illness from a bad sausage - not that I know of, anyway!

As it started to get cold we headed into the house and put a film on to watch - now Gav and I being hardcore as we are both promptly fell asleep.   It’s a tiring old job being a scrapman!   Sunday morning was very chilled until approximately 12 o’clock when we headed off to the race track.

To date my only experience of Yarmouth was the soaking wet affair from last year when I managed to have a small head-on with Gav in the final, one lap from the finish, so it’s fair to say I hadn’t set my standards for the place very high.  However, when we arrived I was pleasantly surprised.   As far as spectator facilities go it’s probably the best track I’ve been to - the bar and the stand are certainly impressive.   Although the track is small, the cars seemed to go round alright with everyone being very respectful of the post and wires around the edge!

It wasn’t the best racing I’ve ever seen but I think everyone out there drove with their heads and kept it cool.   They seemed to be giving each other some respect and no-one ended up with their car wrapped around a post.   Gavin had another good night, and considering he started last car every race and overtaking was challenging he did well picking up two 8th places and a 13th.

I stayed at Gavin’s on Sunday night, then snuck off the following morning at 4am and drove straight to work.  Doing it that way meant I could enjoy the racing and have a couple of beers at the bar.   As much as it was nice not having to worry about my own car, it felt very strange not actually racing.  It was a great chance to catch up with people and have a chat - and with my friend Steph heading off to university in a couple of weeks it was my last chance to have a drink with her before she goes.  Racing definitely won’t be the same without you!

As a lot of you will know Jason and I are possibly the world’s biggest ‘Inbetweeners’ fans and we finally managed to go and watch it at the cinema this week.   We had our drinks and popcorn - and the back row of the cinema to ourselves . . . it was a real little man date . . . one where we insulted each other a lot (nothing unusual there then).  It was a brilliant film and luckily for you, neither of us can remember any of the jokes from it, so you’re all saved the pleasure of us quoting it all the time!

Saturday can’t come quickly enough for me now – I’m almost counting the hours until I’m back out there.   I just want to say a really big thanks to Gavin and all his team.   You really helped me get back into it and we’ve certainly had some laughs these last few weeks!

Thanks as ever for reading.

I’ll see you all Saturday.

Mikey

A Trip Overseas!

Sometimes the last minute plans turn out to be the best, and this was certainly the case with last weekend.   I was out fishing with my cousin when I got a text from Gavin (Murray) asking if I fancied a trip to Northern Ireland with him for the Irish Open and British Championship.   Never one to turn down such an opportunity I quickly agreed.   Although plans changed several times I eventually found myself waiting for him on the side of the A14 ready for the drive to the ferry at Birkenhead.

Once on the ferry it was time for a meal and a few drinks before retiring to a cabin that can only be described as ‘an oven’ for the next eight hours until we docked in Belfast at six the following morning.   Four of us cramped into a cabin just over the size of a postage stamp with a shower in one corner and a pointless chair occupying most of the floor was a touch cramped to say the least!

Once on the other side it was off the ferry and then following the Hairds and Simpsons we headed off to Antrim to pass the day before racing that evening.   With everyone else having hotel rooms, Gav and I took the money-saving route and opted to stay in his truck in the hotel car park - whilst making full use of the hotel’s bar facilities!   With a whole day to kill before racing we headed off with the Simpsons to the shops to pass a bit of time.  Now I’m sure most of you will agree that neither Gavin or myself are really the ‘shopping kind’, and after about half an hour, a cup of coffee and a new pair of jeans we were both bored and started walking back up the road towards the lorry.

Having never been to Northern Ireland before I had no idea what to expect at the tracks and was pretty shocked when we arrived at Ballymena to find a football game just finishing up!   From my vantage point in the stand it looked like a very unforgiving track with no room for error.   Probably best I wasn’t racing!   It was one of those nights where you just knew the weather wasn’t going to play ball.   Gavin’s crew for the weekend were his father Graham, Graham’s friend Linda and ‘yours truly’, so we all set about getting everything sorted for the racing to begin.   After a couple of minor setbacks we were good to go and Gav got himself lined up for the first heat.

In truth luck just wasn’t going to be with him at all over the weekend and he found himself starting smack bang in the middle for heat one.   Due to the reverse grid for heat two it would find him once again starting in exactly the same place!  Even with a strange track and some pretty random conditions he had two strong drives and racked up a 14th and a 9th in the two heats.   These results left him starting 13th on the grid in the Irish Open, and after a cracking drive he saw himself crossing the finish line in 8th, the car having come really good at the end of the race.   Glenn Bell had been in a league of his own all night and was a very deserving winner, and his doughnuts after the flag were among the most impressive I’ve ever seen. 

Saturday night saw us heading back to the hotel for a few drinks and some fish and chips in the lorry! There was a wedding in full swing when we got back and as the evening wore on it was team Simpson, Gavin and myself left in the lounge representing the oval racing world in the drinking!  We retired back to hotel Renault at about half past two with surprisingly clear heads.   I mention this as  Gav and I have got into some pickles before after a few beers . . . .

Sunday morning saw us up and about early for breakfast then off to Tommy and Terry Maxwell’s to get the cars ready for the afternoon.   As soon as you get around the docks then over into Ireland every other truck seems to have Maxwell Freight Services emblazoned down the side.   We counted ten trailers just looking out from the bar on the ferry!   I jumped in the car with Tommy and had the tour with him as we headed to his yard with the Hairds, Simpsons and team Murray all behind in their trucks.   You really are a very good tour guide Tommy - don’t worry, I didn’t record what you were saying...

With the diffs changed and the cars ready it was off to Nutts Corner for the British Championship.   It was dry-ish when we arrived and Gav was soon out practising.   Now from where I was standing, this looks to me like an awesome track and as I watched him going round, I really wished the #27 machine was out there with them.   By the time the first race was due to start the weather had changed and it was raining.   Everyone was on slicks and the track was quite slippery.    After a brilliant drive Gavin crossed the line in second.   It was definitely full wets for the next race as the weather had got worse and after a spin in the first lap Gav followed it up with another cracking drive through to 9th.

By the time the final arrived the weather was worse still and I can honestly say standing watching that race is probably the wettest I have ever been.   Gav was 5th on the grid, inside, 3rd row.   Now as a lot of you know I don’t normally watch racing but I was literally clinging on to the fence shouting for him as loud as I could throughout the whole race.   This mixed with Graham and Linda shouting and the Simpsons stood next to us cheering for Matt who was almost glued to Gavin’s bumper must have led to everyone else being temporarily deafened!

25 laps into the race Gav was running 3rd, and as an accident unfolded taking John Christie out of the lead Gav found himself leading at the restart.   The car had been flying up until this point and with 15 laps to go at the green flag the car just went off completely.   Unfortunately Gav lost a couple of places and was later forced to retire.   A total bummer but a brilliant drive nevertheless.

Well done to Malcolm on the win, Stewart on his second and my old bud Jason “2-litre” Kew on his third.   Jest as I might he did pull off some pretty epic moves whilst out in the 2-litre!

From the track it was straight back to the ferry to catch the night boat back to Liverpool.   A few vodkas as we left made me realise just what a good weekend it had actually been.   I’ve never been anywhere where I have felt so welcome and I’d like to go back next year with my car.   I was really surprised by the amount of people who came up and said they read this every week, so thanks for putting up with my ranting!

I could tell you so many stories from the weekend . . . involving such things as broad beans and diesel . . . but definitely not printable in this family publication!   All in all it was an absolutely brilliant weekend, a great laugh and a new experience.    Thanks Gav and ‘Team Murray’ for inviting me.

I’ll be at Yarmouth on Sunday wearing a #95 shirt again and then I’ll be back out myself at Foxhall on the 24th Sept.

Thanks as ever for reading and thanks Northern Ireland for the craic.        

Until next time.

Mikey