A bit of a break

After Aldershot I was well and truly ‘down in the dumps’ for a few days but thankfully we didn’t have that much to do to the car so I was able to distance myself a little and clear my head without having to spend every night out in the workshop till eleven o’clock working on it.

It had been planned for a long time that last weekend I would go to Ipswich and stay with Jay and Sarah.   After work I jumped in the car and headed east, and can honestly say I have never driven through rain like it.    It was a struggle to even see past the end of the bonnet at times but apart from that it was quite an uneventful trip and I arrived at the office of TPR Signs three hours later.   Jamie and I had a list of ideas to talk through and when they all come to light a couple of them should be pretty special - I’m excited to say the least! 

We couldn’t decide whether to head to Kings Lynn for the evening and watch the saloons, go out on the town or have a quiet chilled out one.   The weather ruled out the Stock Cars so after a bit of organising eight of us were sitting round a table enjoying a meal.   As a general rule when you put Gavin and I together anything can happen and when you add Jay and Shaun into the mix chaos is almost guaranteed!    We must all be getting old though as it was quite a civilised night with us  sitting at one end of the table talking about racing while the girls sat at the other end talking about babies and weddings!

After a big breakfast Sunday was spent chilling out watching some very wet Touring Car racing before heading to see Steph and her family for a few hours to put the world to rights and generally just moan about absolutely anything.    I have never known two friends bicker like Steph and I and we are completely incapable of making any sort of decision between us!   This was followed by a very slow and congested trip back round the M25 and home ready for another week to begin.

Like I said earlier I had no major work to do to the car but there were still all the usual jobs to be getting on with, I don’t think a lot of people realise how many actual hours are put into keeping a car going and one week I will go into detail and describe exactly what is involved in the week to week upkeep of a National.    I find it’s the little jobs that take all the time and before you know it another evening has escaped you.

The poor car has gradually been getting scruffier throughout the season so I took it outside and gave it a good clean off before pushing it back into the workshop and setting about it with a paint brush and touching in all the scratches.   A metallic car looks lovely at the start of the year but come about the third meeting when it’s all scratched and tatty it doesn’t seem like the best idea anymore!   It’s certainly more than presentable now though and you won’t notice all the brush marks when it’s going round the track I’m sure.

After a bit of a low spell I’ve definitely got my enthusiasm back and can’t wait to get loaded up and head off to Hednesford in the morning.    It’s a track that’s grown on me over the years and I just love the overall speed of the place.   When you’re getting to the end of the straight it feels so fast, it hurts when you get it wrong there though . . .  something that I know only too well!

I think it’s going to be three really exciting meetings leading up to the end of the season and it still really is anyone’s game at the moment.   I know some of you talk about the golden years of Hot Rod racing but for me - with big fields of really close and competitive cars - it’s as good now as it ever has been.   I think it’s great that my good friend and Stock Rod legend Robert McDonald is back from a year in Australia and making his National debut in the ex-Steve Thompson Tigra this weekend.   I’ve seen Robert race many times and it’s almost certain to say that once he has found his feet he will be a force to be reckoned with out there!

I look forward to seeing everyone at a wet Hednesford Hills tomorrow.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey.