The only way is up

The way I’m feeling at the moment I could easily sit here and turn this into a page of solid non-stop moaning!   That was never what this was about, and it’s not what anyone wants to read, so I’ll try and find something positive to talk about.

Although some people don’t have a good word to say about the track at Aldershot, I don’t mind it.   It’s very tight but the car seems to go round it pretty well - and as long as people give each other some respect the racing is generally good.  The pits are without doubt the best pits we use and it’s only an hour and a half from my house.

When we arrived the sun was shining and you really couldn’t have asked for a better day.   The weather men were predicting rain in the afternoon though and for once they got it spot on!  For practice and both the heats the track was dry but it was full wets on for the final following some pretty intense rain showers.

None of the races really worked out the way I’d hoped and with spins in both I ended up at the back.   The first one I crossed the line 15th and the second 16th in races where there were “no other finishers” behind me.  The final wasn’t to be much better either and although it was good to drive in the wet (I can’t remember the last time we had a wet meeting) it just didn’t go to plan again.  The race started out great with me picking up a few places but things soon started to go backwards.  I ended up finishing in 16th  and just outside the points.

I suppose on the plus side we didn’t get any damage and the car was unloaded and back in the workshop by 7pm, but that didn’t really make up for the day we’d had, and I went off to bed on Sunday night feeling pretty sorry for myself!   I didn’t feel much better when I saw the points chart either, but I suppose I can’t get much lower and the only way is up from here . . . or as Gavin said when I was talking to him yesterday “You’ve got to win it or bin it. Drive it like a double vodka!”  Make of that what you will but I’m going to try as hard as I can for the last three rounds, pray for some luck, and see where I end up.

Firstly I’m sorry this entry is a bit shorter than usual, and secondly that it’s mildly depressive - well done if you managed to read it to the end!   Things will be a bit more cheery next time I promise.  We’re going to get the car sorted next week and are already looking forward to Hednesford on bank holiday Monday.   Lightning Rods are racing so John will be down too.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

The greatest road trip

First of all sorry for the delay in writing this . . .  I don’t know if I’m coming or going at the moment.   Everything just seems to be flat out!    One thing I do know however, is that in years to come when my Hot Rod racing is a long forgotten thing of the past I’ll look back at the Easter of 2012 safe in the knowledge that it was one of the best and easily one of the funniest weekends of my life!

This is one of those entries where I don’t know where to start.   There is so much to say, so the best place is at the beginning and the annual Good Friday meeting at Northampton.   Ever since I’ve been racing a National, Northampton has been my problem track but I’m pleased to say I have finally managed a race there that I’m actually happy with.  The first two heats went well with me picking up a 7th and an 11th, but it was the final where it all seemed to come together.   Starting on the outside of row three I managed to move up into second place pretty early on and stay there till the end - a couple more laps and Paff would have been round and away though.   Although Steve Burrows won by a mile I was still pleased with second, had picked up points all day and finally managed to overtake some cars around the outside.   It was a great meeting and I think literally all my friends were there so it was great to catch up with everyone.    However, once the car was back in the trailer the fun really began!

I headed straight from the track up to Scotland with John for a few days of Lightning Rod action.   I do love my trips north of the border and have made some great friends; the only problem is the 400 or so mile trip to get there.   Luckily with four of us in the car having a laugh the trip flew by and we were back at John’s, beer in hand, before we even knew it.   Before heading off for some much deserved sleep we managed to build a track round the living room floor and were racing a little kiddie’s bike around it.  Boys will be boys I suppose. . . . .

John and I had some things to sort out on the Saturday before loading the Lightning Rod on the trailer and heading off to Cowdenbeath for the first of his weekend’s meetings.   Although I have never actually raced there myself, I love the Racewall:  the atmosphere is completely different to any other track I’ve ever been to and everyone just seems to be there because they love Stock Car racing.  I will race there soon myself!   The first race turned out to be John’s worst all weekend with a gearbox plug coming out leaving him with gear oil leaking all over the place.   After a quality repair with a bit of sawn-off branch and some silicone it was soon sealed, leaving him to take a win and second in the final.

Saturday night saw us heading out to celebrate our friend, Saloon Stock driver and overall legend, Kyle Hegg’s birthday.   It was a quality night, a personal highlight for me being Hegg, Ashalee and Karen doing karaoke - my ears however didn’t agree quite so much.

Sunday morning saw us back at John’s workshop getting the car ready for the afternoon at Lochgelly. Things always seem so much worse with a hangover, and the thought of changing a Sierra diff really wasn’t that appealing to me if I’m honest.   But it was soon done and the car on the trailer again.

With this being my third trip to Lochgelly this year I have started to notice something about the place, no matter how cold it is anywhere else in the country it’s 5 degrees colder in the pits there - it is always absolutely freezing!   With only four Lightning Rods racing it was decided they would be given two races with John absolutely flying away with both of them, showing us some very impressive sideways driving on a very slippery track.   Not really being a fan of actually watching racing it’s probably surprising to hear me say this but I always really enjoy watching the Scottish Ministox, they are all absolutely mental and the racing is brilliant.  It almost makes me wish I was 14 again!

After a few hours resting we set off around midnight and headed to Northampton for John’s last meeting of the weekend.    We took a quick trip into Glasgow to get the main man Richard and then drove through the night to miss all the traffic and get to the track nice and early.   With six of us in the van that trip could very easily be a blog on its own.    It’s the best road trip I’ve ever been on and undoubtedly one of the ‘best nights of the year’, too.   I honestly don’t think I have ever laughed as much in my life, and I’ll certainly never look at Glenn’s vodka the same way again!   I definitely think what happened in the van should stay in the van though guys, especially a certain new saying....

Northampton was a complete contrast weather-wise to three days earlier, the sunshine being replaced by rain, and being a fair weather fan I hid in the van with Ashalee and Richard - only venturing out to watch John race.   He was flying again with a 3rd in the first race and two more top ten finishes in the other two.  The rain couldn’t detract from what was a brilliant weekend and although I was stupidly tired and feeling generally sorry for myself I still loved every minute.   I was sad to see the van drive away bound for Scotland once more leaving me standing at the gate getting soaked!   I wasn’t so sorry two hours later when I was in bed and they still had five hours travelling ahead of them!

After a weekend of fishing and relaxing last weekend, it’s well and truly back to the real world now, getting the car ready for Aldershot this weekend.   Things are still looking extremely tight and I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting end to the season for everyone.   I look forward to seeing you all there.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

A night to forget

With racing it’s easy to get caught up in the moment, but in a matter of minutes it can go from being the best thing in the world to the worst - and then you start to question just why you’re doing it.  Saturday night was definitely the latter and as the night went on my temper got worse and worse.

It was a night of setbacks where I ultimately ended up scoring no points.   There was no practice so it was straight out blind for the first race.    All was going well until the last lap where I was safely in the points but ended up parked in the tyres on the shale track.  The second race wasn’t going to be much better either as I spun trying to avoid another spinning car.   This left me facing the wrong way in the middle of the bend as the entire pack came hurting round towards me.   How they all missed me I’ll never know and I’ll tell you now there is nothing more nerve-wracking than sitting facing into traffic as the cars come charging at you flat out.   I managed to get up the kerb and onto the relative safety of the infield without too much of a drama but another race had slipped by with no points.

After the second race I was intent on loading the car up as I was certain we wouldn’t have qualified for the final but somehow we got in and headed out determined to try and salvage something.    It wasn’t to be though as one of the cars in front stalled and the group all went piling in, this left me stationery in the middle of the track with the pack racing round me once again.   Luckily I survived for a second time and was able to start the race albeit from the back . . . the same place I finished as the flag dropped 35 laps later.

 By now my temper was less than sweet and in my head I could rapidly see the dream escaping me.   I wanted to get loaded up and go home, then just as we were about to leave Graham Murray said something to me that changed my attitude completely and is probably one of the truest comments about racing I’ve ever heard:  “Just think of all the amazing people you have met that will be friends for life, if you didn’t come racing you wouldn’t know any of them.”   There is, after all, much more to it than winning races and world finals, it’s the bigger picture that really counts - the one we are all too quick to forget on a bad day!

It hadn’t been the best of nights but I was out there having a go and I had seen all my friends including Steph for the first time in what seems like forever - well since the NEC at least!   In reality things aren’t looking as bad as they did on the night, and with five meetings left to go and the points so close, qualifying is still very much a possibility.

The car is loaded in the trailer ready for the morning and I’ve a feeling it’s going to be a hectic Easter weekend.   I’m heading straight up to Scotland with John after the meeting at Northampton for a weekend of Lightning Rod action, so by the time I get home on Monday I’ll have been to four meetings at three tracks – I’ll feel like an F2 racer!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey