Organised, for once

I can’t believe that it’s Christmas again - another year has flown past.  The fact there’s not been any racing for a few weeks hasn’t slowed things down at all and I’ve been busy working on the car and visiting friends during the run up to the holiday season.

I’m delighted to report that for once I’m pretty well organised and the bulk of the work on the car is actually done!  It’s currently at TPR Signs getting its stickers and when it comes back here we have to change the diff, check everything over, set it up and it’s ready for the Live Action Arena at the Autosport Show in January.  Oh, and the wheels - well, I keep putting them off.  The idea of stripping them all down, painting them and rebuilding them doesn’t exactly fill me with Christmas cheer!

As the Tigra has been blue and silver since it was built in 2009 I decided to change things a little for 2014.  I really like the blue and have a garage full of spare panels that colour, so I’ve kept that the same, but the top half of the car has been spayed in a crisp frozen white.  Our company colours are blue and white, and my dad’s rally cars were always that colour too, so it just seemed a natural choice really.  There are a few little details left to do whilst it’s at TPR but I’m really happy with the result so far.

 

 

With December being my birthday as well as Christmas there’s always plenty of celebrating to be done, and so far this year has lived up to all expectations.  A pretty hectic weekend in Scotland for my friend’s 21st was followed by an even more hectic night in Northern Ireland for my own birthday.  What was meant to be a quiet country music concert was turned into a pretty rowdy event when twelve of us arrived . . .all I’m going to say is the twenty-foot Christmas tree was very lucky to survive the night unscathed after it was nearly brought tumbling to the ground!  It was a brilliant night though and a birthday I won’t forget in a hurry.   Thanks to everyone who made it such a good couple of weekends.  I managed to travel thousands of miles, visit three airports and drink beer in three countries all in the space of a week!  Pretty proud of that one - although maybe I’m now old enough to know better?

I’m very excited to say that I’ve been given the opportunity to head out to Cape Town in South Africa to race next February.  It’s a large shale oval which races Hot Rods similar to the cars here, although they run larger engines.  It’s a once in a lifetime chance; my flight is booked and I can’t wait to head out there.  Two weeks of sun and Hot Rods sounds perfect to me.

With lots going on at work it’s going to be a short Christmas this year, but I’m looking forward to spending a few days with my family - without any mention of racing cars or van spares.  These are pretty much my dad’s and my only topics of conversation and I think at times we must drive my poor mum mad.  I’m heading off to Scotland for New Year to spend it with John and all my friends.  He’s having a party . . . he just doesn’t know it yet.   Oops . . . he will now!

I hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year.  I’m sure I’ll be blogging again before the NEC but if not I’ll see you all there.  Make sure you all drink far too much and party way too hard - I’m sure I will!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

 

Another year over

Well, that’s that - the 2013 racing season is over.  It’s certainly flown by with all the expected highs and lows that come along the way.  Overall, the first season with the Duratech has gone well and has left me in a good position for next year.  I have a few small changes planned for the car over the winter but nothing too major.  Although I am unfortunately sitting outside of the top twenty at the moment a good meeting when we start back will put me straight back in the mix of things.

The last two meetings didn’t go to plan at all for me and although nothing went seriously wrong, nothing seemed to actually go right either!  I could look for all sorts of excuses but don’t really think there are any valid ones - it was just racing and it didn’t work out!

It was a glorious November day for the Hednesford meeting and although it was cold it stayed dry all day.  The car carries so much speed round that track and it always feels like you’re going so fast.  It was just one of those meetings with nothing to report and although I got points in each race with a tenth, an eleventh and a twelfth it wasn’t anything to write home about!  Due to some good organisation by the Incarace staff we were able to load up and leave straight after the final even though it meant we missed the fireworks.  It’s not a bad run for us either so we found ourselves back at home nice and early.

With only five days to get the car ready for the last meeting at Birmingham we were lucky that we didn’t have much to do; a good check over, a diff change, a quick set up and a general tidy up and we were ready to go again.  I’d been complaining that the brakes had been feeling inconsistent all day though so a deeper investigation was needed into what was causing that.  It didn’t take long to find the problem - the pads had overheated and started to separate.  A quick phone call to SHP soon had this sorted and a new set of pads arrived next day ready to be fitted.

Birmingham was a disappointment for me.  I love Birmingham and I had talked myself into a good meeting before we even arrived.  The car felt great in practice but once again when the racing started I couldn’t get it to come together.  Looking back this was down to the driver more than anything else.  I did manage points in the first two races with a ninth and an eighth but from where I was starting I wasn’t happy with these results at all.  I vowed to make the final count but this plan was over before it had really begun with me ending up getting spun just a couple of laps into the race.  This put me last but I kept going and was catching the main pack but still ended up outside the points, a really disastrous way to end the season.

I came off the track in one of those moods every racing driver has where everything is for sale and if I ever saw the car again it would be too soon!  Of course I’d calmed down again by the following morning and the car was unloaded and I had all the panels off ready for its winter rebuild by lunch time!

I’m racing in the NEC again in January 2014 so the next few weeks are going to be spent getting the car ready for that.  I have some new panels ready to go on and a slight colour change planned just to make things look a little different.  The paint has very kindly been supplied to me by PC Paints and Components of Ballymoney, Northern Ireland.  The chassis has all been cleaned off by my neighbour Chris who runs EasyLife Valeting and we have a couple more little jobs to do before everything can go back together.  The biggest decision at the moment is what colour I should paint my precious wheels!  I’m also in a dilemma as to whether I should show everyone the car or keep it under wraps until January!

I do just want to stop now and say “Thank You” to everyone who has made my racing possible; my family, my friends, my sponsors and everyone who supports me.  Without everyone’s help, especially my dad, the racing wouldn’t happen - simple as that!  I also want to thank everyone who picks me up when I’m feeling down and convinces me to get back out there and do it all again.  I’m very lucky and do appreciate everything.

I am really determined to have a good go next year.  We are so close and I’m going to make that final big push just to get up to speed with the top boys.  I love my racing and one day I am going to crack it!

Over the coming months I have a few exciting things in the pipeline and I’ll keep you all informed of what’s going on.  By my calculations we’re getting towards the 100th blog mark now so I’m thinking of something special for that one.  Thanks to everyone who keeps reading my musings - I still enjoy writing them so you’re all stuck with me for a while yet!

Finally, before I go I just want to say congratulations to Neil Rowe, the webmaster himself, on his marriage to Eimear.  Sorry I couldn’t make it to your big day but I have such a lot happening here at work that I just couldn’t get over.  I wish you all the best though and many happy years together!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

Time to dry out...

I’m just starting to dry out from the meeting at Northampton on Saturday.  I can honestly say I have never been that wet in all my life!

I am lucky enough to be able to spend a fair amount of time in Scotland.  I love the Hot Rods up there and try and get to as many meetings as I can.  I’ve managed to get to each of the four tracks this year.  My friends Bob and Leeann got married recently and after a few beers on the stag do I agreed to wear a kilt on the big day.  This seemed like a great idea at the time until my flight to Edinburgh was delayed for two hours and I found myself getting dressed rather hurriedly in the car going up the M8 with the surprise Mini Bob had bought for Leeann on a trailer behind.  It was a great night from what I remember and I woke up next morning at Robert’s house with a pretty sore head!  It was straight from there to Lochgelly for what would turn out to be the last meeting for John in his 206, although none of us knew this at the time!

Typically, John flew in the old girl and was on the pace all day.  At some time during the day the deal was done in secret with Graeme Callender to buy his Tigra, and I have never seen anyone look so surprised when it turned up on John’s drive later that evening.  This new car left me with no choice but return two weeks later for the Sibbald anniversary party and a trip to Knockhill for his maiden run in it.  The Sibbald party turned into another pretty epic night and when we arrived at Knockhill I had actually driven the car more than John had - just by doing a few laps around his yard.  I think Knockhill is a great track and the Hot Rods look awesome going round there.  The day started with disaster though as the prop snapped on the way down to practice.  This meant we missed the first heat but it was sorted and good to go again for the second heat.  John had a couple of good races and picked up a few much needed points.

I decided to jump in my car last weekend and go to one last meeting at Lochgelly before the end of the year.  John is well and truly on the pace now and is flying in the new car.  After a small adjustment in practice the car was running round like it was on rails, and he had a good day getting a second, a third and then another second in the final.  It was good to watch the Ninja Karts too . . . some of those little guys are absolutely mental!

Between everything else going on I took a trip over to Northern Ireland to watch the British and Irish open.  As usual the Irish hospitality lived up to its reputation!  It was a complete riot of a weekend starting with Room to Race in Bangor, the racing simulator that lets you race around all the tracks we race at week in week out.  I think the lads treated me a bit unfairly here and wouldn’t let me finish a lap let alone a race without being rolled or turned into the wall.  The madness started later at the Ballymena Social Club then progressed to 15 of us crammed into Glenn’s lorry singing songs and having a good time.  I found myself helping Robert on the Sunday and after a quick diff change spent the flight home stinking of diff oil!  It was a brilliant weekend.   I always love heading over the water to see everyone and I can’t wait to go back.

My own racing has been pretty exciting too, with our first ever trip to the Mendips Raceway down by Bristol.  In all my years of racing I have never been racing in the West Country before and it was good to go somewhere different.  When we arrived in the morning you could barely see your hand in front of your face - let alone the track - due to thick fog.  When it cleared it turned into a lovely day and left us with a brilliant little track.  It’s relatively small, maybe Birmingham size, and it’s on a hill.  You drop down into a tight turn one and two then climb up a steep hill with a hump in the middle of the straight heading into turn three and four.  The speed you carry around it is incredible though and I have never come off from a race feeling so physically worn out!  I had a really good day though with a fifth in both heats and a ninth in the final.  It would have been a fourth in heat one, but me being stupid slowed down a lap before the chequered flag!  I really enjoyed the day and hope it becomes a yearly fixture for us.

Saturday night at Northampton was more suited to boat racing than cars but after 6 years of racing Hot Rods I can finally say I’ve found a set up for the rain that I’m happy with.  It started off dry in practice and for a while it looked like it was going to be a nice night.  That soon changed though and as the start got closer the rain moved in.  I headed out on wets and for once had actually made the right tyre choice.  The race started well but a bit of contact saw me heading towards the wall.  I managed to lock up and avoid any damage but it put me right to the back.  I got going again though and worked my way back up to thirteenth.  Luck wasn’t on my side for the next race either as I got involved with a spinning car and ended up stuck on the kerb; this brought the yellows out and unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to restart the race.

The weather worsened before the final and was more like a monsoon than a rain storm.  I could sit and give you all sorts of excuses as to why I didn’t finish but I just couldn’t see anything.  My glasses steamed up, my goggles steamed up, even my mirrors were steamed up, and I was struggling to see the corners let alone the cars around me.  If I’d kept going it would inevitably have resulted in an accident so I did the sensible thing and pulled off.  It’s left me with a car that needs very little work so that’s a good thing.

With two meetings left to go there’s still plenty that could happen.  It’s been a really exciting year so far and I’m really enjoying it.  Just typing this has reminded me what a great few months I have had!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey 

Mixed Results

So much has been going on since you last heard from me.  I’ve been at one race meeting or another for the last goodness knows how many weekends and I have clocked up some serious miles in the process.  At one point in time I’d been to 4 meetings in 10 days in 3 different countries!

I’m going to split this into a two part blog: first one is about my own racing and the second will be about all the other adventures I’ve been on of late.  I’ll begin by telling you how the season has started for me whilst I have last night’s events still fresh in my head.

The season kicked off for us at Ipswich, a track that, thinking back, I can’t actually remember the last time I finished a race at!  The meeting seems like ages ago now but it turned into a complete disaster.  The first race was a non-finish after getting taken out onto the speedway track and snapping a bottom arm on the passenger side of the car.  There were only two formulas racing and this was followed by a blind panic to get the car ready for my second heat.  I just made it out onto the track as the gate was closing.  The next two races weren’t much better really but I did manage two points’ finishes.

Things certainly weren’t due to improve at Northampton either.  I was staying up at Robert McDonald’s for a wedding and we left early to come down in his van.  We pulled up into the pits just as the cars were heading out for practice - but ‘good old dad’ had everything sorted and I literally stepped out of the van, put my overalls on and strapped myself into the car.  The car felt good in practice but things headed downhill from there.  Once again I was starting from the yellow grade and the first race got going pretty uneventfully.  I was struggling with the car coming out of the bends and had cars starting to back up behind me.  As you would expect I ended up getting spun thus putting an end to the first heat.

The second heat started relatively well but as the laps went on the car got worse and worse to drive.  I presumed I’d got a puncture and pulled off into the centre once again.  Back in the pits all became apparent though.  The bolt that attaches the wishbone to the hub had come undone and wound itself down into the wheel, in theory opening it up like a big tin opener.  We presumed it was just “one of those things that happens occasionally” so bolted it all back together, put another wheel on and headed out for the final.  It just wasn’t to be my day though because the exact same thing happened in the final!  The thread in the hub had stripped completely and the bolt just kept falling straight back out.  All in all it was a completely disastrous day.

We’d made several changes ready for last weekend’s Birmingham including a trip back to Toovey’s for some upgrades to the engine.  It came back a completely different weapon and even from the first lap in practice I could tell it was fast.  I had several runs in practice changing things to try and dial out some of the understeer and then Robert jumped in and had a run round too!  There have been some fast guys drive my car over the years and it doesn’t get any less tense watching someone else going round in your pride and joy!

Birmingham has always been my favourite track and I absolutely love racing there.  The first race was a bit of a challenge though as the sun was really low in the sky and you had to pretty much guess where the pit bend was, just braking when you saw the car in front do the same!  It was a good race though - without any major drama and the car was flying.  I crossed the finish line seventh.  The time between the races was spent changing Robert’s diff for the second time in as many weeks!  The second heat was a good race too, the sun had gone down and you could actually see where you were going again.  I really enjoyed the race and crossed the line in fifth so collected some good points again.

I enjoyed the final more than any other race I have ever been in; the car was absolutely flying and was going round like it was on rails.  For the first time in a long while I was actually going forward and gaining places.  At one point I even got onto the outside of Gary Woolsey and was trying for the lead.  It wasn’t to be though and just like at Northampton the car suddenly went off.  There were only a few laps to go though and I managed to limp the car home collecting a sixth place in the process.  Back in the pits we soon saw the problem, the bottom arm had snapped clean in half and I was lucky not to have stuck the car in the wall let alone finish!

All in all I had an absolutely fabulous evening.  It was great to finish every race in the points and brilliant putting all the doubters to bed about the Duratech!  We certainly have a long way to go yet but I am really enjoying it.

We have a few little jobs to do ready for Bristol next weekend then we’ll be ready to go.  It’s the only track on the Hot Rod calendar that I haven’t visited and the only one except Tipperary that I haven’t been to this year.  It’s good to visit new tracks and I’m really looking forward to it.

I’ll be back soon to tell you all about my other antics - from John’s surprise new Tigra to twenty of us crammed into Glenn’s truck on the way back from Ballymena…

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

National Weekend 2013

The weekend after the World Final was the Skegness Speed Weekend and with the car needing to head that way too I decided to miss the Friday night chaos and head up to SHP early on Saturday morning with the Hot Rod so it could have the chassis repaired.  I then cut across country to pick my cousin up and we went straight to Skegness.  Along with a couple of friends, I’d rented an apartment right on the seafront at Skeg and once I’d found a place to park the recovery truck for the weekend we headed off to watch what I think is some of the best racing of the year.  As much as I love my racing I’m not a huge fan of watching it.  I can, however, get into the F2s at a big meeting as it’s pretty much ‘all action’ right from the green flag.  It was a great weekend and certainly not one I like to miss.  Hopefully next year I’ll manage the Friday night too.

I seem to have spent a lot of time in Scotland recently and I think poor John is sick of the sight of me.  After a single weekend at home it was straight back up so we could head out on our friend Bob’s stag night in Edinburgh.  Because of my flight times I missed the go-karting (probably a good thing!) but arrived in time to partake in all the other antics.  It was as chaotic as you would expect when a group of racing guys head out into town.  Bob was very much ‘worse for wear’ the next day so it was definitely mission accomplished!

After all the partying it was time to get down to the serious business of the National Championship - we had the car back from SHP and were well on the way to getting it ready to go.  Now as much as I’ve never finished the World Final, I’ve never been able to qualify for the National either, so I headed off with some serious determination and some unfinished business so to speak.

Seeing as we’d done a lot of work to the car we decided to go up on the Thursday night and stop at Birmingham Wheels to give the car a few laps and make sure I was happy with everything.  Jason was there too so he took the Duratech out to see what he thought of it.  I’m 23 now and have been racing cars in some form or another since I was 10, and in this entire time - although he used to rally - my dad has never once driven any of my cars around a track.  I don’t know what got into him this particular night but he decided to have a go.  I feel nervous watching video playback of myself racing when I already know exactly what the outcome is, but watching dad go round was a tense moment for me!  I will admit though, he did well and kept it pointing the right way with all four wheels still attached - something I regularly struggle to achieve!

It would have been rude not to stop at Big John’s after going to Birmingham so after a satisfying feed we continued on to Hednesford and joined the queue waiting to be let in.  Dad jumped in my car and went home as he had to work next morning and left me there to fend for myself.  I’m lucky to have such good friends though who are always prepared to help me out over the weekend.

Before I could practice, the car needed a diff change so it was lifted up into Jason’s lorry and we set to work.  It was the standard National Weekend practice procedure - three runs throughout the afternoon.  Although I had no real problems with the car I wasn’t happy with it and was feeling very down and convinced that I wouldn’t qualify.  This left me miserable and generally unsociable for the first couple of hours on Friday night.

The social side of the weekend is always as big a deal to me as the actual racing.  I like to see everyone and have a laugh and it’s the only time I get to see some of my friends throughout the year so it’s good to make the most of it and have a catch up.

The weather forecast for the whole weekend was terrible, and sure enough Saturday didn’t disappoint with on/off rain soaking the track, then letting it start to partially dry and making tyre choice an absolute nightmare!  It’s almost always guaranteed that I get tyre choices wrong and I headed out for my first race of the weekend on four wets.  It became obvious after about half a lap that once again I’d got it wrong and was left struggling with the car for the rest of the race.  The next two races were dry, but whether it was me or the car, I found myself fighting the car again.  I’d set myself high standards for the weekend and was struggling to live up to them.  I finished all three with no damage though and enough points to get into the big race on Sunday.   After all these years trying, I had finally managed to qualify!

This put me in a much better mood for the Saturday night and a few drinks in the bar and the thought of a hotel bed and a hot shower left me looking forward to Sunday.  It looked like it was going to be a nice day when we got up in the morning.  My mum and dad were coming up to watch and bringing our new puppy and my aunt and cousins were there too.  I just wanted to stay out of trouble and finally finish a championship.  Just as we lined up the weather had other ideas though, and as the race started so did the rain!  All the cars were running full dry setup on slicks which was making them hard work to drive.  I was still determined though and despite my goggles falling to bits on the first lap I managed to limp round slowly at the back for the full 75 laps and cross the finish line.

32 cars started the race, 14 finished.  I was 14th and had been lapped countless times and even though it was probably one of my worst drives ever it was also one that I am proudest of.  I’ve been racing Nationals a long time and this was the first championship that I’ve managed to finish.  It was pretty hard going in the heavy rain and I was thankful that I didn’t spin out or park the car in the wall.

Once again I made a tyre choice error for the NHRPA Championship and pulled off after just a handful of laps when it became obvious that wets weren’t the tyre to be using.  All in all it was a great weekend though, every year I say I’m not going to do it, then come away saying how glad I am that I did.  I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped me with the car, fed me and supplied me with drink!

I’m running a bit behind with my blogs, for which I apologise.  Plenty has happened since National Weekend and I’ll bring you up to date next time.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

The best weekend - with the worst luck

After all the hard work and long hours spent in the garage during the build up to the World Final it was over in the blink of an eye.  Unfortunately I didn’t ‘stay lucky’ but what an experience it was and I would do it all again without so much as a second thought.  I can honestly say it was one of the best weekends I have ever had.

My friend Neil, my cousin Ed and I had a mad panic at work on the Friday morning so we could get everything finished, come home and polish the car, then head over to Felixstowe to meet John and all the boys at their caravan park for the night.  This itself turned into a complete drama with the Friday traffic around London turning what should be a three hour trip into nearly a six hour one.  When we did finally arrive though it was a great evening and made a change to see everyone on home turf without me heading north of the border!

For me, Saturday was the best day of the weekend and a great chance to catch up with the people I only see once a year.  It was an early start though as we had to head off into Ipswich to get John’s car from TPR signs who had pulled an all-nighter doing the stickers!  Considering they had the car less than 24 hours, had designed it all, printed it all and stuck it on, I think it came out looking brilliant.  Just by luck we met my parents going into the stadium with the lorry so we managed to get ourselves parked together and get our little team base set up for the weekend.

One of my favourite bits of the weekend is seeing what developments people have done with their cars and who has brought something new out.  It’s always exciting when someone opens up the door to their race transporter for the first time.

I will sit here now and admit that the idea of the hot laps scared me!  You know that all the people in the stadium have their eyes fixed on you going round.  Many of you are fully aware that I’m known for doing stupid things and I had visions of planting myself in the wall or going spinning off into the speedway track, things that would not only be highly embarrassing but I would never ever be allowed to live them down.  I was lucky and drew thirtieth which worked well because not only was the track good by then, but it also gave me chance to watch all the fast guys from the best seat in the house.

The pressure you put on yourself as you strap into the car is pretty intense, and as you pull onto the track it feels like everything slows down and you become much more aware of everything you and the car are doing.  It’s a completely different feeling to that of racing on the track with 30 other cars.  My first lap was terrible but I pulled myself together for the second and third.  Sonny had made a change to the car and it did exactly what it needed to.  I pulled off convinced my time had been awful though, only to find my dad smiling and that had to mean good news!  I had hoped to do a 14.8 and had done a 14.76 so overall I was pleased with that.

The rest of the day was spent chatting and wandering round seeing everyone.   We had a barbeque in the pits and it was great meeting so many people during the comfort break.  I’m sure most of you know I don’t really watch much racing but I enjoyed the support races and watching Adam Maxwell - who was entirely in a league of his own out there and 100 percent deserved his place in the World Final.  I enjoyed watching the 2.0-litre World Final too, with Shane Murray just driving home the fact ‘he is the man’ and taking home a great win.  It was good to see my friend Adam Hylands with a second place too - a major win for him can’t be far away now?

We had a hotel booked for the Saturday night so after the racing it was back there for a much needed shower and a few hours sleep.  It was another early start though, and through planning rather than luck we found ourselves in the same place next to John on the Sunday morning.  We did a few last minute jobs to the car and then that was us ready for the big race.

Now, to me the build up to it all and the parade lap is the best bit of the year for me.   The car looked awesome, the weather was beautiful and I had all my family and friends pushing the car out with me.  It’s such a great feeling when you step out onto the track.  After the photos and interviews, and when the grid is formed, it’s time to get strapped in and ready to go.  This is the point my emotions tend to get the better of me, especially this year.  After all that has happened it’s hard sitting in the car as you hear ‘Just Drive’ playing throughout the stadium.

From the minute you start the engine and the adrenaline kicks in the atmosphere changes again.  It’s a brilliant feeling as you roll round on the two warm up laps.  Looking across and seeing Keith Martin starting next to me was very surreal because I always used to watch Keith as a kid, and in a sense it almost felt wrong that I should be there.

As you come round for the green flag everything else is forgotten and all I wanted to do was get in onto the inside line.  It all started off really well for me and in the first lap chaos I managed to move up a good few places.  It wasn’t to work out though, with the red flag coming out after mayhem in the score board bend, and a full restart was the order of the day.

I can honestly say the next ten minutes just sitting in the car were some of the hottest of my life . . . I was glad to get going again just to get some airflow coming back through into the car and I was rapidly running out of water too.  Now from this point on the disaster started to unfold.  I couldn’t get in off the outside line and quickly got myself railroaded backwards.  I did finally get back in and you really couldn’t write what happened next into even the best story.  As I came into the turnstile bend I was to find John mid-spin in the middle of the track.  I was left with absolutely nowhere to go and the inevitable happened - we collided putting us both out of the race.  It was just one of those things that happens, it’s racing and no-one’s fault, and just completely unavoidable.  It’s laughable now that after a whole year of hard work we did six laps and ended up taking each other out.  We’re still the best of friends though and ended up with a superb view to watch the remainder of the race!

It was an eventful race and absolutely gutting for Chris Haird.  A massive well done to John Christie though - and Jason, Glenn and Danny!  Having known Jason pretty much my whole life I would have called you a liar if you had said 15 years ago we would both have been starting the world final.

Back in the pits and unfortunately my car was bent in all sorts of places so was loaded up into the lorry to be looked at when we got home.  The boys and dad got John’s car repaired though and he headed out to do the last two races.  I think the Best in Britain was a cracking race and brilliant to see Glenn win.  It was also great watching Robert McDonald come charging forward from almost the back of the grid to get himself right into the thick of it all.

All in all it was a brilliant weekend with the best people you will ever find.  It was great to have my family and friends all in the same place.  I had talked about taking some time off from racing after the World, but the bug bit too hard and I have found myself booked in for the National Championship.  As usual it’s going to be a panic to get there - but what’s new?  The car is currently having at little holiday at Sonny’s being straightened, then it will be all hands on deck getting it put back together!

Thank you to everyone who made the World Final possible - hopefully I’ll be there again for another try next year!  I’m determined that one day I will finish a major championship!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

 

A trip north, some good news and plenty to keep us busy!

Since you last heard from me life has been a bit hectic.  I haven’t had time to stop and think let alone sit and type!  It all began with a trip north to Crimond to give John a hand at his last meeting.  It’s fair to say that Crimond is a long way from home for me - at least three hours further up the country than John’s house and easily the furthest north I’ve ever been in the UK!  It’s a nice track and I always enjoy visiting new places.  Just Mendips to go now then I will have been to every track the Nationals are currently racing on.

It wasn’t the best day for John as he got spun in every race.  Going in to the day it was still possible on paper for him to win the points but sadly it wasn’t to be.  Second was enough to see him qualify for the world final and considering he didn’t have a car until two days before the first round that isn’t bad going at all.  The day wasn’t a complete loss though and it’s always great to embark on a road trip with your mates - and we did stop and have some of the best fish and chips I have ever tasted on the way home!

The next morning was a panic to get back to Oxford, get changed and head off to David (Haird)’s funeral.  There was an accident on the M25 causing a two hour delay, but after a bit of a detour we made it.  It was a lovely service and a great send off for a great man.  It was brilliant to see so many people there, and it shows how much everyone thought of David.

With the last round rapidly approaching it looked quite safe that I’d make the world final grid, but it’s never over until it’s over and there was everything still to play for at Hednesford.  The day didn’t start off well with me hitting some oil and going into the fence within the first few laps.  I wasn’t the only one though and I think that one bend claimed over half the cars that started the race.  I expected the damage to be heavy but it wasn’t as bad as it first looked and a few minutes, a piece of aluminium and some pop rivets soon had it ready to go again, even if it did look a bit sorry for itself.

The next race was much better and even though I didn’t perform any miracles I crossed the line 7th.  And then the last race of this year’s qualifying campaign was on us and that turned out to be a great race too.  Since putting the new engine in, Hednesford has gone from being one of my least favourite tracks to one of those I enjoy most!  After some good racing I crossed the line in 4th, but Gavin was black flagged putting me up into 3rd.

So that was it - the points championship was over.  I finished 14th overall and considering all the disasters I’ve had throughout the year I’m very pleased with that.  I wasn’t expecting to qualify at all, let alone in group four.  It’s been a really mixed year and one that has certainly taught me a lot.

Massive congratulations to Chris on winning the points for the 5th year in a row and to Jason for 2nd overall.  Robert and Danny deserve a pat on the back too for qualifying group one in their first year and I am slightly jealous!  Also, “Well done” to Glenn for winning the Northern Irish points - another victory to add to his rapidly increasing list of titles!  I might be wrong but I can see it being a Haird and Bell front row next Sunday, something I’m sure would make it into a very interesting race!

I gave the Thunder 500 a miss altogether this year and took a trip to the Royal Highland Show in Scotland instead.  The car wouldn’t have been ready anyway and it was fun to do something a bit different for a change.  The car is coming on very well now and has been stripped, cleaned and had some nice shiny new panels fitted.  TPR Signs have worked their magic once again and it has a cool new sticker job.  Today we are going to get the wheels sorted and then there are a few silly jobs and a set up to do and it will be ready.  I don’t want to speak too soon but this might be the one time we avoid the last minute rush!

I just want to say a huge “Thank You” to everyone who has made it possible to qualify for the world final:  my family, my sponsors, my friends - everyone!  I would never have done it without you!

Hopefully this lovely weather will hold out till after next weekend . . . I can’t wait!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

Three meetings and a jaunt over the Irish Sea

All in all it’s been a few busy weeks in my racing world.  We are still as disorganised as ever and have been forced into some late nights in the build up to the meetings.  One day I am determined to be organised and loaded with a bit of time to spare!

The first meeting I’m going to tell you about was Hednesford.  Ever since putting the Duratec in I have been looking forward to racing it round the Midlands track and it really didn’t disappoint.  The meeting started with a disaster though and as I dropped the clutch on the warm up laps I heard a nasty sound as the half-shaft snapped.  I limped off into the centre green and that was that race over.   I just want to thank everyone who helped get me back out on track for heat two which turned into a much better race with me crossing the line in second place.  The final was a great race too and I managed a fourth in that one.    Even watching Nationals there they look fast, but let me tell you that as you are coming to the end of the straights and hitting the rev limiter it feels like you’re absolutely flying!

The next meeting for me was a Saturday Ipswich.  I have always said that a Saturday under the lights at Foxhall is what Hot Rods are all about but it turned into a complete disaster of a night for me. The car felt blisteringly quick in practice but I just couldn’t get it together at all in the races.  I had terrible results in all three races picking up I think about 3 points all night!  The car was knocked about and I was left in a foul mood for about four days afterwards.  One good thing about the night though was Chris Haird’s drive in the final - from last car through to win it - a drive that in my eyes will go down in the history books, and one I know would have made David a very proud man.

Once home from Ipswich we went through every inch of the car checking everything only to find some bent bits of suspension.  This made me feel a lot better and stopped me beating myself up quite so much!  We got everything sorted and after evaluating the whole situation for a long time we headed off to Northampton with the attitude of forgetting the points and going to enjoy it.

I will say now that it is the best decision I’ve made for months and I can’t remember enjoying a meeting that much for a long time.  The car felt good and I had some cracking races.  I was pleased enough with a seventh in the first one but felt there was still more to come, so I went out in the next one and drove the car as hard as I ever could; this resulted in a much better race and a fourth at the flag.  The final was a race I really enjoyed too and after a few good battles including a really good race with Neil Stimson I crossed the line in third but got moved up to second after Neil got removed from the result.   All in all a really good day and I think everyone gave each other some respect which resulted in some good clean racing.

Now in between all this I took a flight over to Northern Ireland to stay with none other than our world champion himself.    It was a truly brilliant weekend and was crazy as you would imagine.  The good craic started as soon as I got picked up from the airport and lasted until I got dropped off again.   Tullyroan really is some place and I want to get out there and race this season.  It’s so well run and has such good facilities, and the fact that Glenn won a race and I didn’t pay for a drink all night were added bonuses!

After the meeting it was a panic to get back to Glenn’s, get changed and hit the town. The only problem was there were six of us and only five seats in the car!   It wasn’t an issue though and with Glenn tightly locked in the boot we headed off for the antics to begin.   After a brief stop at a party to collect 2-litre legend Adam Hylands we hit Portadown.    I’m sure you can all guess what the night was like and what chaos followed.   My personal highlight was when Sandstorm was played . . . it was a mass movement of racing folk onto the dance floor, throwing some no doubt very dodgy shapes!   At closing time after a few too many vodkas we did what any group of guys does and went back for a good night’s sleep!  Not likely, and we continued the party at Glenn’s until some un-godly hour when we all finally crashed out where we landed - having drunk his house completely dry and given the main man Darren Black an early morning phone call “Just to see what the craic was.”

There were a few sorry faces the next day as we headed off to Nutts Corner to watch the National Saloons.   The day ended with a disaster too, as during a Chinese meal Corb became detached from his chair and broke both his finger and his phone upon impact with the floor!    Now being a top group of friends we did the caring thing and laughed at this - a lot!    Besty did go to the hospital with him later to get him checked out and make sure it wasn’t life threatening!

All in all it was a top weekend with a great group of friends.  I loved every second of it and can’t wait to get back out there again for some more madness!

On a much more serious note it’s with great sadness we say good bye to another of our own - Stuart Carter, who was taken from the world much too young.  It leaves you thinking is this ever going to end?  R.I.P. Stu, you’ll be greatly missed by everyone.

With only one round left it’s going to be an action packed Hednesford.   We have a  bit of work to do on the car but (as you read this) I planned on taking a trip to Crimond to see the end of the Scottish points race with John and the team.   It’s been an action packed few months of racing and I love it!

Thank as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

A Great Man

A GREAT MAN

This is a blog I hoped I’d never have to write.  It’s hard choosing the right words to do David Haird justice; the world of Hot Rod racing has lost one of its best and it will never be quite the same without him.

My first encounter with David and his family was one day in February 2009 when we turned up at his house to order a new Tigra.  Anywhere else you would have been given a tour, told the price, done the deal, paid the money and been on your way back home again . . . but not at David’s!  After numerous drinks and a long time spent chatting in his living room we finally got round to talking about the business of buying a car.  I had just turned 19 at the time and looking back now had a plan than was far beyond my means but David listened to me and trusted me.  We left his house many hours later with the car ordered and the promise that I would pay for it when I could.  Without him trusting me I would never have been able to have a new car and very much doubt I would still be racing Hot Rods now.

David promised me the car would be ready for the NEC the following January and he was true to his word.  We picked it up before Christmas and spent a few weeks finishing it off and personalising it.  Seeing my new car on the Haird stand at the show was one of the proudest moments of my life and David did everything he could to make it special for me.  There was nothing he liked more than seeing other people happy, whether that meant winning a race or enjoying a night out.  Whenever you were with him a good time was never far away!  That NEC weekend was brilliant and I will always look back over the antics and laugh.

I’ll never forget one particular night after a test day at Northampton when a group of us went out for a meal in Newmarket.  After what was a pretty civilised meal a belly dancer appeared and after a few hushed words in her ear from David she dragged me up onto the table in front of everyone!  Needless to say they all found it genuinely hilarious whilst I almost melted with embarrassment.  To make it all worse someone videoed it and put it on YouTube.  Good luck trying to find it though!

The help and support from David didn’t stop as soon as the car was built and he was always willing to help with spares and advice.  He had a way of making me believe in myself even if at first I didn’t think it was possible, and I’ve lost count of the times he talked me round and made me see sense when I was making threats to quit or telling everyone that I’d had enough.  One meeting at Hednesford I hit the wall coming out of a bend and destroyed the car.  Every corner was damaged and it looked very sorry for itself.  Once again it wasn’t a problem though and it went back into the Haird workshop only to emerge straight again ready for the next meeting.

All the time we knew him David was struggling with his illness but he was always so strong and kept on fighting and fighting.  To me he seemed invincible and I really can’t believe that he’s gone.  His business card is pinned to the wall above my desk and I keep looking at it with fondness and immense gratitude for all the support and genuine kindness he showed me and I think back to all the good times and smile.   He was a great man who helped and influenced so many people over the years and it’s been an honour knowing him.  Even though I only knew him a short time compared to some people I could fill several pages with great stories!

I was very lucky to class David as a friend and I can never thank him enough for everything he did for me and for believing in me and trusting me when so many others wouldn’t even give me the time of day.  I may be a single voice on here but I speak for many when I say “You will never be forgotten and certainly never be replaced.”  I feel sure that right now David is sitting looking down on us all with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other . . . and he’ll definitely be watching over Foxhall Stadium the first weekend in July!  Thank you for everything.  Rest in peace.

Mikey

Running out of time

Tomorrow we are racing at Hednesford and as of yet we’re nowhere near ready!  It’s been a very hectic few weeks and work has been manic too, leaving us with very little time to do the car.

I won’t go into too much detail because Jason has already told you all about it, but a few weekends ago we went on one of our legendary go karting trips to Aylesbury.  In the past these trips have earned a reputation for being complete and utter carnage, usually resulting with someone - if not everyone - getting thrown off the track.  Something must have come over us this time though and we were all very sensible and just wanted to race rather than destroy one another, and over the entire evening not a single black flag was issued!  I’ll happily admit that I’m usually terrible in a go kart but I actually managed to lead a race for a while and for the first time since we have been going I qualified for the final!  It was a great night, but I can tell you a hundred hard-fought laps in a go kart leaves you feeling absolute scrap the next day!

The meeting at Aldershot was one I’d rather forget.  It’s a shame because both the car and the track were good.  Nothing went my way though and apart from a 10th in the first race it was just a complete disaster.  I tagged the wall coming out of a bend in heat two and bent the wishbones on the passenger side. I said to Dad in a strop back in the pits “Let’s just load the car up and go home” - but we fixed the problem and I headed back out for the final . . . a decision I now regret.

It was one of those ‘unavoidable’ racing incidents but a few laps in I got involved in an accident going through one of the bends.  I don’t think it was that bad a collision but I bit my tongue and was walking around pretty dazed afterwards.  The car was a bit sorry for itself though with bits hanging off all over the place. Overall it was a meeting to forget and although I’m still just hanging in the top twenty it didn’t do my points haul much good either.

I had already decided not to race in Scotland because John Toovey wanted to make a few changes to the engine, so after the meeting we cut all the crash frames off with an angle grinder, took all the bent bits off and pulled the engine out ready to go back.  We have been having problems selecting reverse too so the gearbox was taken out at the same time.  This left a very bare car with pretty much everything from the bulkhead forward having been removed.

Although I wasn’t going to race I still flew up to Scotland to help John get his car ready for the European.  There’s a new service where I can fly from Oxford to Edinburgh and I can be at John’s house three hours after leaving mine.  Upshot of this is that unluckily for him, chances are I’ll be visiting more often!

I could easily do an entire blog about the weekend’s events; from the pub quiz to an epic road trip in a huge lorry but I won’t bore you with all the details and just stick to the racing.
Firstly:  what a place Lochgelly has turned into, the facilities are brilliant and the tarmac in the pits is better than on most of the motorways round here!  The meeting was really well run and I thought although there was one big accident, there wasn’t as much carnage as most people expected there to be with so many top-name drivers on a little track.  John had a couple of pretty mixed days with some consistent results mixed with a couple of DNF’s.  He came away from the European with a ninth and no damage meaning we could get loaded up and head to the beer tent to sample a few drinks before heading off into town for what turned into one of the best nights of the year . . . though my wallet and head disagreed next morning.

I felt a bit fragile the next day but it was back to the track for the second day of action.   On Sunday there were a few less cars but the racing was just as good.   John wasn’t very lucky in the first race and picked up some rear end damage but we rushed round and got it repaired for heat two.  I think this was John’s best race of the weekend and he come home with a 5th - keeping plenty of the big name drivers at bay behind him.  Once again luck wasn’t with him in the final and he picked up more rear damage putting him out after only a few laps.   All in all I had an absolutely great weekend with all my friends.  It’s a shame I didn’t have my own car there but I enjoyed working on John’s car - and it was nice that the only money I spent was in the beer tent!

Back down here in the real world and time is rapidly running out to get ready for tomorrow’s meeting at Hednesford.   We still have a great deal to do but we will be finished in time.  The engine is half in and some of the front suspension is on, but the rest is still to be done.  One day we will be ready to go racing with more than half an hour to spare, but until then the workshop is calling me!

The tragic news about the loss of Nick Thomas came as a complete shock last weekend.  It’s such a terrible thing and Nick was one of the best guys you could ever meet.  He always had time for a chat and would really go out of his way to help you any way he could. I’m sure I speak for everyone but “Nick, you will be deeply missed and have left a big void in the oval racing world.  Thanks for everything - rest in peace.”

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

Back to the future!

I must confess to being one of the world’s biggest idiots.  Early this week I set my alarm nice and early so I could make a start on this before I went to work.   When I woke up late it was obvious that the clock was in fact an hour slow and I had to rush to get to work on time let alone get my blog started!

I’d like to look back in time today after finding various old photographs whilst sorting out paperwork in the office.  They span a great many years, all of which were long before I was even thought of and contain all sorts of classics from Dad’s Escort rally cars in the 1980’s to some really early black and white photos of my Grandfather racing a Stock Car at Brafield in the late 1950’s.  I’m sure they’re of no real interest to anyone else but they fascinate me, and even though no-one in my family had raced Hot Rods before me, racing - and cars - has always been in our blood and it was seemingly inevitable that I would end up racing too.

Racing can even be thanked for the job we do now, as the only reason my Grandfather got into scrap was him being told to get rid of all the old dead Stock Cars he had strewn around the farm at the time.  The same farm that was used in the 80’s and 90’s to build rally cars is still our scrap yard to this day.  You don’t have to dig too deep to find reminders of the old days though, with bits of Escort and rally stickers still found on the walls of all the old sheds and Dad’s old Escort can still be found hidden in the corner ready for a come-back one day (who will be driving it will no doubt be something we argue about when the time comes!).

Lots of people have asked me over the years why I didn’t have a rally car and the simple answer is you had to be 17 to go rallying, whereas I could race a grass track Mini when I was 10.  By the time I reached 17 I had a Hot Rod and oval racing had me hooked.  As much as I do love rallying I don’t think you’ll find me heading in that direction for a while yet!

I’ve included a couple of photos but you must excuse the quality as they are photos of photos taken with my phone!

 
Back in the present and we have plenty going on here.   For some reason we seemed to have a last minute rush before the Good Friday meeting and found ourselves finishing the car late Thursday night and then loading it on the Friday morning and heading straight for the track.  It was all pretty routine stuff we had to do, and even though we had the engine to fit I don’t really know why it took us so long to do it!

When we got to the track it was bitterly cold and although snow threatened a few times we actually had a dry day’s racing.  The car was much faster after its tweaks and although I’m not quite on the pace of the front-runners yet, that’s mainly down to me rather than the car!  The first race was a bit of a disaster and I can safely say for once that it wasn’t actually my fault . . . I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got tangled up in someone else’s collision.   I got off lightly though with no damage and made up for it with a third in the second heat - the best result for the Duratech yet!  The final wasn’t quite such a good race and after a few silly errors on my part I crossed the line in tenth after a good race to the flag with Robert.

So another meeting over and one closer to the goal of starting the world final; not the best of meetings but the car survived and I got a few valuable points.  The car is getting better with each race and I am now starting to say with some confidence that the Duratech will be the engine to have when it’s all sorted.

Now as I’m sure you all know I love a road trip and I went straight from the meeting up to Scotland with Robert.  It was my first trip since New Year and I couldn’t wait to see everyone.  Saturday saw the Hot Rods make their first trip of the year to Cowdenbeath and I can safely say it was the coldest I have ever been in my life!  I couldn’t wait to get in the ambulance and head back to John’s house - yes you read that right - it’s a long story but I found myself driving the track ambulance to and from the track!

Now this is just my opinion before everyone shoots me down in flames but I think Hot Rods in Scotland have such potential.  They have some really dedicated guys and some great tracks and it would be good to see the numbers increase on a regular basis. So if you’re reading this and have a car tucked away in the garage, dig it out and go for a spin - you know you want to!

As well as the racing it was great to see everyone and the weekend flew by.  I always love my time in Scotland and thanks as ever to John and Robert for letting me stay with them.

A couple more things before I go.   I would like to welcome my friend and long term rival Jason to the world of blogging.  We have known each other for longer than I can remember and have a fair few stories to tell so I hope he has as much fun doing his blog as I have doing mine and that you all enjoy reading it.  Try not to let his head get too big though - he’s not as quick as Hairdy yet!

Finally, I just want to say a huge “well done” to my little pal Sean Naismith for a brilliant first meeting in his Ministox at Barford on Sunday.   Three 2nd places and a win in the grand national are not bad for a ten year old.   We are all very proud of you.  Just make sure you keep getting T&B Motors in the victory pictures!

That’s it for another week, we have a few jobs to do before Aldershot and we would like to get the old lorry finished to sell.  There is also a go karting trip planned for Saturday which will no doubt end in tears for either Kewy or me - possibly both if things get too out of hand!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey