This could
easily be one of those blogs that resembles a small book. I don’t know where to start and after almost
a week I’m still looking back at last weekend and laughing. Ages ago Ben Newman and I decided we would
head up to Scotland 400 miles away and leaving after work on a
Friday is not really the best time to undertake such a trip.
After a
relatively smooth run where we laughed most of the way, together with the world’s
slowest McDonalds, we got to John’s house and did what any group of guys would
do . . . we went out, so it was straight back in the car and off to
Dunfermline, obviously I was driving so no drink for me but it was light by the
time we got back to John’s and the others were merry to say the least!
Saturday
morning saw breakfast delivered to us by our awesome friend Mel followed by a
rather surreal trip to the track in an ambulance full of bouncy castles! It’s best if we don’t go into all the
details here. The weather was
absolutely perfect and it was the first time I have ever had to use sun cream
in Scotland
I enjoyed every race I watched over the
weekend, the highlights being a win for George Macmillan in his F2 and main man
Kyle Hegg picking up a win in the second heat after we had cured a
misfire. As well as being a brilliant
track Cowdenbeath also has a very good bar, a place I found myself spending a
fair amount of time! Mix all this up
with a bottle of port with Siobhan Martin and it turned into a good night at
the Stock Cars.
Whilst
everything else was going on I managed to acquire my new favourite possession -
a smashed George Macmillan fin plate that he signed for me and which now has
pride of place in the front of my workshop!
From the
track it was straight to John’s for a quick shower and then back out again for
another night on the town. Everyone was
out, including the Racewall’s very own trophy girls so it was always guaranteed
to be a good one, although my liver probably wouldn’t agree!
The
following day was gloriously hot again and the plan was to watch the big races
and try to get back on the road for about 4 o’clock .
Plans never work out as intended though and we were still at the track
at 6pm . With George on the
outside of row two for the British Championship we all had our hopes up for
him. It wasn’t to be though and after a
very good race he ended up second, a bit gutting but I guess that’s racing
after all. He was certainly very
capable of winning it but things just didn’t quite go his way.
I did my
first ever lap of Cowdenbeath on the parade lap of the Saloon National
Championship with Hegg sitting on his bonnet dressed as Tigger! Unfortunately it wasn’t to be his race
either and a broken rotor arm after a coming together with the wall left him
out of it.
I have
commented on the atmosphere at Cowdie before but nothing comes close to the
atmosphere at the start of the Raymond Gunn Memorial race. It was absolutely electric and the whole
stadium just seemed to come together as one, in 13 years of going racing I have
never felt anything like it, for me a truly moving moment.
After the
race was over we began our long journey home, at one point whilst stuck in
traffic the sat-nav informed us we had eight and a half hours to go but we
managed to cut it down a fair bit. We
clocked up 1300 miles in little over 48 hours, saw some of
the best people out there and had an absolutely brilliant time - I’m lucky
enough to have the best friends going and I wouldn’t change them for the world.
Back to the
present and the car is ready for Bank Holiday Monday at Northampton and even
though my chances of making it to the World Final are now very slim I’m still
going to give it my best shot. John is
heading down to stay with me for the weekend too so I’m sure next week’s entry
will be on a similar theme to this!
Thanks as
ever to everyone for reading and “No Ronnie, I won’t be adding a Mac to my name anytime soon!”
Until next
time.
Mikey
No comments:
Post a Comment