The Final Preparations

Is it just me or has this last month flown by?   It doesn’t seem like four weeks since we last raced and started to strip the car down.   We’ve pretty much done in four weeks what we’d normally do over a winter!   I’m one of the lucky ones though, as everyone who did the Thunder 500 only had two weeks to do it.

We are very nearly there now - the car itself is finished and there is only the set up left to complete. Then a bit of elbow grease for a big cleaning and polishing session.    We are halfway through weighing the car and it’s sat on the scales as we speak, time just ran out last night though so we left it ready to go back and finish off tonight.

We went to collect the car last Saturday after work and I just want to say a massive thank you to Jay and Sarah for spending so many hours doing it.   I think it looks brilliant and I couldn’t be any happier with it.   I’m sorry to disappoint everyone who has asked to see pictures of it but no one is seeing it until the weekend I’m afraid!

After we got it home we got stuck straight into it and got 90% of the work done.   It was just a lot of small jobs really like changing the oil and things.   They’re things you don’t think about and it’s amazing how long they all seem to take.   It’s not just the car to think about either - there are all the tools to sort and charge up, all the spares to sort out and of course the dreaded wheels!  I think we’re nearly there now though and I don’t think we have forgotten anything.   My Mum has been flat out busy too, cleaning the truck and generally getting everything organised and ready.  She’s a fabulous organiser so she’ll have it all in hand.   This racing is definitely a family affair!

We are going to get everything finished and sorted on Thursday evening and then Mum and Dad are going to load the car Friday night and drive up very early Saturday morning and meet the rest of us at the track.  We have rented a house to stay in; although the truck does have everything you need in it (albeit in a very basic form) you just can’t beat a proper bed and a full size shower!  Ross and I both have Friday and Monday off work so we’re going to make a long weekend of it, it is world final after all!

The reality of it all hasn’t quite sunk in yet and I haven’t taken any time to stop and just think about it fully.   It’s been flat out since we started and I can’t wait for Sunday to come round now.   Like I’ve said before it’s a dream come true and I’m lucky to have such amazing people to share it with.  All the people pushing the car on the parade lap are the people who really mean something to me and I’m proud to have them all there with me.   Thanks guys!

I’m sorry this blog is short but I’ll make up for it after the weekend with a bumper Spedeweekend entry!    All the drivers will be in the marquee located in the pits during Saturday’s comfort break.   Please come in and say hello . . . it will be a pleasure to meet you all.   I do just want to take a second and thank every single person who has supported and helped me this season.    There are far too many to list individually but there’s just a few who are with me through thick and thin and give up a great deal of their time to make this all possible.   Those people being my parents, and Ross, Jay and Sarah.   It wouldn’t have been possible without your time and dedication - you’re all slaves to it like me!   “Cheers” Steph for patiently listening to me moaning for the last month and to Chris Kew for simply telling me like it is!

I’m tired and hard up but it’s going to be one hell of a weekend!

Good luck to everyone on Sunday; every team has worked so hard this year.

 Thanks as ever for reading

Mikey

Panels, paint and numerous bent wheels!

I’m typing this in the workshop whilst waiting for some primer to dry - then I can get on with spraying the top coat.  The car isn’t here so I’m trying to get on and get as many jobs done as I can whilst it’s missing.   My parents are in London and Ross is working so it’s just me and the dogs today.

We had a busy day last Sunday and spent pretty much the entire day in the workshop putting the panels on.  In fairness Boss panels are lovely quality and it’s no hardship to fit them as a lot of the holes are pre-drilled and everything lines up nicely for you to just bolt together.   We got stuck in and before long it was soon looking like the familiar blue and silver Tigra we are all used to - but without the chipped paint and scratches!    Terry has once again done a great job of painting them and we even managed to fit them without scratching any . . . . .  something of a miracle as we normally manage to put at least one mark on the fresh paint.  This is usually in a prominent position resulting in Terry having to come and blow it back in for us!

By Sunday night the kit was on leaving us with jobs like fitting the door clips and the little fixings that hold everything together.   We got all that done Monday night and spent Tuesday just wiping all the dust off everything from where we had trimmed bits and drilled holes.   It’s amazing just how much of a mess fibreglass dust can make.

The plan was to take the car to Jay on Thursday night and leave it with him for a week to do the stickers.   We loaded it Wednesday evening so we could just go straight after work on Thursday because it’s a three hour trip to get there at the best of times.   It was after nine when we got to Jay’s and a good hour spent talking saw it well past 1am when we got back home.    Jay has been sending pictures as he’s designing the new signwriting and it’s going to look awesome when it’s finished.   I can’t wait to go and pick it up!

I wasn’t able to make it to the Thunder 500 as I’d hoped so Jason “two Hot Rods” Kew picked up all the various bits and pieces for me.   I’ve just been down to collect everything this morning and looking back in hindsight dad’s new Range Rover wasn’t the best car to go in - trying to cram two sets of tyres, a splitter and a wheel in around the dog’s cage was a bit of a challenge, resulting in the tailgate refusing point blank to shut !   After folding the seat partway down I managed to get it to ‘just shut’ and despite a lot of beepers and flashing lights it stayed shut all the way home.  I had to leave an axle casing behind though - I wasn’t brave enough to risk laying it across the back seats.

As I mentioned before the wheels for the car are all mixed up so it’s a good time to get them sorted. It seems I’m jinxed when it comes to doing anything with wheels so it was always guaranteed to be a bit of an ordeal.   We had six that needed to be stripped down and before they will come apart you have to get the silicone that seals them around the join off.  It is a truly hateful job.   The best way I have found to do it is with a wire brush in the angle grinder.   It makes a real mess and the bits just fly off and stick to anything and everything.    I plucked up courage one afternoon at work, put a set of overalls on and got it done - I ended up looking like a snowman, covered from head to foot in white silicone.

Whilst in bits it was the perfect time to paint the centres so they all matched.   Terry got us an aerosol the same colour silver as the roof of the car so the plan was to paint them that colour.  I thought I would use paint stripper to get all the old paint off and start again with bare metal.  The only problem here was that the paint stripper was awful!   Hours later all I had was a big mess with paint coming off in just a few patches, even the pressure washer at close range didn’t help so in the end I resorted to the trusty angle grinder and wire brush and got all the paint off that way.   I then had to spend hours with really course sand paper getting into all the fiddly bits.   They turned out ok but not as well as I had really hoped . . . . . but do look better now the primer is on.   Soon as that is dry I will get straight on with the silver.

It’s going to be much of the same next week, we need to finish the wheels, fit the tyres, fit the blow off valves in the wheels and set them at the right pressure (another nasty job) and get the rear under tray repaired and touched up.  When the car is back it’s a case of changing the diff, checking everything over then doing a big setup.

In exactly two weeks we will be pushing the car round on the parade lap before the big race gets underway and for me it can’t happen soon enough!

Thanks as ever for reading

Until next time

Mikey

The Strip Down

The Monday evening after Northampton it was straight to it with the car.  Although a month to get everything done seems like a long time, when you start to break things down you soon realise there isn’t much time at all.   The first priority was to get the old tyres cleaned off and drop the car on the scales so we had a reference point to work back to when we put it all back together.

I had ordered the panels the previous week in the hope that nothing else would get damaged at the last round and with the ‘flying door’ somehow avoiding complete annihilation I was lucky and didn’t need anything else.   Terry is quite busy and wanted to get everything painted as soon as possible, so Dad, Ross and I set about getting the panels stripped off.   When we had finished all we were left with on the car was half a roof - it seemed silly only doing part of a job so this was removed as well leaving us with just the space frame.

Apart from the roof and the bonnet all the panels are either new or required repairing and the car has pretty much had a full respray now.    Once the panels were off you could see just how dirty everything around the car actually was so after another night removing the seat and all the other bits that bolt in easily the car was ready for some serious cleaning.

Those of you who read this regularly will know that I have a bit of a habit of bending wheels and the situation had started to get a bit serious again with only one spare straight one left and the wets all being on odd combinations of mix-matched wheels.   We decided we’d best get it sorted so everything was the same for the world final and set about getting all the wheels out and laying them in the workshop to see what we actually have.   In the end we counted 35 with over half of them bent and looking pretty sorry for themselves.   We found 6 of one style to run the slicks on and 5 of another for the wets -  the only problem was that although they all matched, a lot are either damaged or odd colours so a big strip down and rebuild session has to happen now.   I honestly can’t think of a worse job!

Once everything was off the car we put it outside and set about cleaning it, it took us a complete afternoon in the end just washing all the dirt and grime from everywhere.   The car had all been stripped and cleaned for the NEC and it’s hard to believe it could get so dirty in such a short space of time.   After a good few hours, numerous buckets of water and lots of engine cleaner it’s looking nice and clean again.   Whilst in the mood for cleaning we gave the dog a bath at the same time – much to his disgust!    Normally he can’t wait to get in the garage to make a nuisance of himself but he was nowhere to be seen after his little rinse, choosing instead to hide up the garden sulking!

The car has always been a bit heavier than we really wanted so whilst it had no kit on it was the perfect time to put it on a bit of a diet and see if we could save a few vital kilos.   Dad set about drilling holes and trimming brackets whilst I replaced a lot of bolts with shorter ones, in the hope of saving a few grams.   The panels are going to have a bit of a trim before they go on too.   It’s a hard decision as to what actually should be cut off because you don’t want to compromise on strength, a strong car beats a light one hands down in my book so we’re not going too mad, just anything we’re sure won’t make it any weaker.

Roy finished off his illustration of the car this week and I got home from work one evening to find a copy and a disk waiting for me.   The detail on it is just out of this world, you can see where the 40 hours of his time went to complete it all, it’s inch perfect even down to all the bolts in the split rims and the screws in the door clips.   If you want to see any of Roy’s work or ask him to do an illustration of your favourite car check out his website www.racecartshirts.co.uk

With the points now officially finalised we ended the year in fifteenth place.   I really am pleased with this.  I said I’d be happy with twentieth and I am glad to just be in.   It was super-tight right to the end with the final points being so close - just 12 points between the last 5.   Qualifying just makes it all seem worthwhile and all the time and money not in vain

You don’t think about how much work the world final will be, as well as the car you have the clothing, the spares, the accommodation and all manner of other things that need to be sorted - along with the poor old dog’s visit to the kennel . . . another reason for him to sulk I’m sure!  Everything is coming along really well though and the car will hopefully be re-panelled today ready to go to Jay’s on Thursday for signwriting.   I’ve seen some of the designs and it will look awesome by the time he has finished with it.  While it’s away we can get all the spares and wheels sorted and just get the car finished off on its return.

I’m sure I’ll see some of you next Saturday at the Thunder 500, it’s going to be a good race I’m sure, and thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

A dream come true!

Sorry it’s been a bit longer than usual between posts but things have been a bit hectic.  So “that’s it” - the 2010/2011 world qualifying series draws to a close and what a season it turned out to be - and I can happily say we have qualified for our first world final!

It came right down to the last race but after three seasons of trying we are in and I can’t even begin to tell you how good it feels.   It has been a season of massive ups and downs but this is definitely the high point!   After spending the second half of the season moving up and down within the top twenty it’s quite a relief to know it’s over.   I’m not sure where we ended up in the points but we’re in and that’s what matters.

After Skegness we didn’t think we had much to do to the car, but after looking and measuring we decided the car once again had a bent axle.  Seeing as the spare one is also bent it, was a case of an early morning trip to Hairds on the bank holiday to collect another.   Although Chris knew I was going I turned up completely unexpectedly on David and Lesley’s door step at half eight on a bank holiday - sorry to disturb your peace!   It was nice to catch up with you both though.

With it back home and in the car and everything measuring up properly again, we could get back on track and finish getting the car ready.   It was all the usual jobs really, and with the exception of the tyres being their usual awkward selves, everything went pretty well and we were ready to go by Thursday night.    For some reason completely unknown to us all the front suspension was set slightly wrong and we had to spend a bit of time getting it a hundred percent again.

Just to go off topic for a minute the epic go-kart race happened last Saturday and I’m sad to say all did not go to plan.   The first race was all fine with me managing to get a third but it all started going wrong from there.   For the second race Jason and I were having a bit of a battle for the lead which resulted in us both being black flagged!  I pulled off to receive my ‘telling off’ and although he did pull up at the pits Jason promptly drove off again as all the other karts came sailing past me.  He claims he pulled in the next lap but it was too late for me to do anything.   With me having to settle for 5th at the flag he romped home with the win!   After starting last for the final heat I only managed another 5th.      Sadly this just wasn’t enough and I missed out on a place in the semi-final.  To make it worse I’m used to being beaten by one Kew but this time I was beaten by two, with Jason’s wife Kerry managing to get herself a place in the semis!   Something I know full well I’m never going to be allowed to forget.  The semi turned out to be pretty exciting to watch with 2-litre Hot Rodder Brendon Smith deciding he was going to tackle the track the wrong way resulting in a full restart!   It was a great afternoon and thanks to Mr and Mrs Kew for sorting it all out – don’t think you’re getting off so lightly on the re-match Kerry!

The final National Hot Rod meeting of the year didn’t turn out to be my best but it certainly wasn’t my worst.   The weather looked pretty set to be a dry day as we were heading towards the track, with the sun even coming out at one point.   It was still nice come practice and the car felt better round Northampton than it has for ages.  For some reason Northampton has always been my problem track, I don’t really know why but I always struggle more there than anywhere else.

Just before the first race it had started to spit very lightly with rain - it was nothing to worry about but enough to start making the track a little bit slippery.   It turned out to be a pretty uneventful race and although I did lose a few places throughout the race we crossed the line 9th at the flag.   For my next race there was no worrying at all about tyre choices - it was emptying down with rain and the four wets were bolted on.   Although soaking wet it was another clean race.  Once again I lost places but still finished in the points with a 13th.

By the final the rain had stopped and the track was rapidly drying again leaving the big tyre choice. After watching everyone around us and leaving it till the very last minute Dad and Ross did a tyre change that the pit crew from Red Bull would be proud of, and sent the car out on full slicks.  The final turned out to be a really good race with the track now almost dry and the racing at full speed. Somewhere through the race my passenger door decided to fly off but unlike the bonnet a few meetings ago everyone managed to miss it and a marshal rescued it to the safety of the centre green.   With the 35 laps completed we came home with an 11th.   Maybe not the best of results…but points in all three races.

Within a few minutes of the final finishing the points had all been worked out and Chris once again is English Champion for the third year on the trot, well done mate!   I know a lot of you will disagree with this comment but I truly think National Hot Rod racing is the best it’s been in years with so many cars all so evenly matched and the racing being so close.   I certainly wouldn’t even consider racing anything else!

I remember watching my first world final in 2000 when Colin White won it for the third time and saying to my dad “One day I want to do that”.   Now, twelve seasons of racing later, we are there.   I want to thank every single person (there are far too many to list individually) that has helped me over that time.   My dream really is coming true and I can’t wait for the big day in July.   I know I’m not going to win – it’s just ‘being there’ that will be so special.

There’s going to be no time to rest between now and then though, and by the time you read this the car will be in a million bits and the rebuild will be underway.   It’s looking very tatty now and the least we can do is make it look good again for the big day . . . get ready for some late nights Ross and Dad!   We won’t be racing at the Thunder 500 but I will be heading up to collect some tyres and spend the evening with my friend Steph - who I really don’t spend enough time with!  It will be nice to watch a race without the stress of being in it, although it will be a strictly sober night as I’ll be driving straight home after.

I’ll keep you updated over the next few weeks with how the rebuild is going and try to have a look back over the last season as well.   I’ll get back to doing the blog more regularly too - thanks as ever to everyone who reads it.  I may not be the quickest Hot Rod driver, but I challenge any one to enjoy it more than I do!

Until next time

Mikey

Viva Skeg-Vegas!

After the shunt at Birmingham we knew it was going to mean a couple of busy nights getting the car ready to go again.    We went straight at it, changing the axle and checking everything was back in square.   The body work and spoiler had been pushed across so it was all removed, straightened, repaired and re-fitted as best we could using bits of aluminium and lots of rivets!    Everything was given a check over and the tyres were all fitted in the right places.   This proved to be as much of a pain as normal and after several fittings they were still not really playing ball!    Having to fit some wets as well as slicks only made it worse and by the time we eventually had them sorted I had run out of swear words and obscenities to call them!

We had everything sorted so that all we had to do was hitch the trailer up to the truck and load up on Saturday.    With the car all strapped in and ready Dad then decided that as it’s a long way to Skeggie he would check the fuel filters on the lorry to make sure there was no water in them.   After finding some water he set about changing them only for the truck to flatly refuse to run afterwards!    After a great deal of fiddling about Dad got it all sorted and bled through and we were ready to roll.

We’d arranged to meet Jason at 7am and travel up together - just in case either of us had a problem.   It’s quite a long journey for us but we got there without any excitement or drama.   The weather was looking undecided again, threatening to rain at any second but apart from a few spots here and there it held off and except for a really nasty wind blowing all day the weather turned out to be alright.

I like the track and the atmosphere at Skegness and although it’s one of the furthest journeys for us I look forward to our visit there each year.   Upon first glance the track looks as if it’s going to be slow and impossible to get round but when you get out there the speed is actually quite surprising.   I headed out for practice and everything all felt good so once again I returned to the pits happy.

I wasn’t in the first race so it was nice to watch it and get a bit of a feel for what was going on.  It turned out to be a pretty wild race with cars heading off in all directions at one point, a pattern that looked set to repeat itself all day.

My first race went well, with no major incidents to report and I crossed the line in 8th place picking up some valuable points along the way.   My second race turned out to be even better with the car going off the line like a rocket and managing to gain a couple of places.   The rest of the race went pretty well too with me crossing the line in 3rd, picking up even more points!

The final was one of those races where it didn’t really seem to come together.   After a few good opening laps I started to go backwards with me losing places every lap.    I managed to pull it back together at the end and hang on to 14th.    I’m a bit disappointed with myself about the final, not because I didn’t finish particularly high up, but because I can’t find a reason either with the car or myself for why I didn’t do my best.

Although a bit downhearted about the final it was still a good day and certainly well worth the trip.    We had escaped the damage and had a good laugh all day.

With two weeks to go till the next meeting and not much to do to the car I’m hoping to grab some time either mountain biking or kayaking with Ross.    Jason has invited me to go go-karting with him and some of his other friends on Saturday and although my karting skills are pretty poor it’s just too good an opportunity to miss.    I know it’s going to be a laugh although it may well end in tears with one or other of us getting a bit carried away!

With only one meeting left the season seems to have flown by, and even this close to the end it’s all still wide open, the battle to qualify is still very much alive!   Whatever happens next weekend I just want to wish everyone the best of luck!   I’ve loved every minute of racing this season and I can honestly say racing a National Hot Rod really is a pleasure.

Thanks as ever for reading

Until next time

Mikey

The excitement continues!

The car came home pretty healthy after Hednesford, it had a few scars around the body work and was in desperate need of a new rear bumper but it was all superficial.    The mechanical bits were still spot on.   Ross and I were heading off to Cornwall on the Wednesday, and coming back on the Sunday, so that didn’t leave us many nights to get it ready.

First thing Monday morning I ordered the bumper and sorted out getting it painted with Terry.   We unloaded the car from the trailer, washed all the cement dust off, pushed it onto the ramp and locked the door until I got back.    Dad spends his whole life working or helping me and the racing definitely couldn’t happen without him.   Letting me loose on the car on my own would prove to be a complete disaster but I think he was quite looking forward to having a few nights off from it as well.

Despite exhausted legs (someone could have warned us Cornwall was that hilly!) it was straight back on with the car.   It was all the routine stuff; changing the diff, cleaning and fitting the tyres and running a spanner round everything to make sure it’s not worked loose.    All the jobs we do before every meeting are just a matter of course but it’s still surprising just how long they take.  I’ve now added ‘measuring the tyres’ to the list of jobs I hate - as well as repairing wheels - because no matter how many times you let them down, blow them up or rotate them around the car it seems impossible to get them just how you want them!

We have also been a lot more diligent with the set up recently, spending more time making sure everything is perfect.  In my opinion it’s paying off too because the car feels really good and I’m starting to get more confidence with it . . . at last.

While we were at work on Saturday morning the weather was lovely - the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.   This had changed by the time we got to Birmingham though with the sky turning grey and rain looking imminent any second.   We rushed to get the car unloaded and ready so I could have a practice in the dry to get a feel for everything.    Just as we were sitting in the centre waiting to go on track it started spitting but nothing to overly worry about.

The track was pretty damp for practice and it was enough to keep you on your toes - the car was great though and I went back to the pits to check it over for the first race.   I decided not to bother with the official before-meeting practice and dad and I headed up to watch it.   Just as we were walking down the hill the heavens opened and the rain came pouring down.   This was going to make it interesting for the night!

As a lot of you know, apart from problems ‘seeing’ (wearing specs doesn’t help my cause) I don’t mind racing in the rain.   But it needs to be properly wet; I can’t be doing with it when it keeps stopping and starting making tyre choice an absolute nightmare.   With the rain coming and going, it was always going to be one of those nights.    I wasn’t in the first race and hoped that by the time I went out the rain would have stopped and the track dried out.

Although the rain had pretty much stopped everything was still cold and damp and we decided that four  wets would be the way to go - a decision I instantly regretted as soon as I got out on track. Although it wasn’t bone dry, the track was a long way from being wet!   Considering the tyres were wrong it wasn’t a bad race but as the laps went by the car got worse and worse, understeering more with each bend, and I was glad to see the flag drop and take the points for seventh place. Looking at the tyres when I got back to the pits it was fair to say the two on the outside were certainly past their best!

The rain was still holding off for the next race and not going to be caught out twice we headed down on four slicks.  The car felt good in warm up and the race got under way.   After just a couple of laps all hell broke loose exiting the bend, and heading down the straight I felt the back of the car get touched and break away.   It was one of those moments when you find yourself looking up the straight at the oncoming traffic thinking this is going to hurt!   Luck must have been on my side though as the car glanced the fence and ran along the length of the straight without anyone else hitting me.  The race was stopped and the car seemed ok so I went round and re-gridded for another go.   The first bend showed everything wasn’t ok - with the car pretty much having a mind of its own!  Pretty soon the main pack had gone past and I was left at the back; determined to get home and try and salvage at least a couple of points from the race I kept going.   The last bend of the last lap saw things get even worse when the tyre came off the rim throwing the car into a pretty extreme slide! Somehow by sheer luck I managed to cling on to it over the line before coming to an abrupt stop on the rumble strips, complete with a point for 15th place!

Back in the pits an inspection revealed yet another smashed wheel, a very bent axle and some pretty unhealthy bodywork.   All the spoiler and back end had been pushed across leaving us with a pretty funny looking Tigra!   With the racing running such a tight schedule there was no time to repair it so back in the trailer it went.    The final turned out to be a cracking race too and watching it from the sidelines was a bit of a killer!

Even though it wasn’t the best of meetings, Birmingham is still my favourite track and I can’t wait to get back there again.    A meal at ‘Big Johns’ with Jason and his team made up for the bad night.    Anyone who has been to Birmingham and not stopped to eat at ‘Big Johns’, just doesn’t know what they’re missing!

With only a week to go until Skegness we’re going to have a busy couple of nights - but as ever we will be there.   With only two meetings left to go, and everything still so close, it’s guaranteed that the excitement is going to continue with the points race coming down to the last lap of the last race I’m sure.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time.

Mikey

Aeroplanes, road trips and a cracking day’s racing!

After Northampton we decided to give the car a thorough check over and make sure nothing was ‘obviously’ wrong with it.   I had all the shocks off and checked all the clicks on them and made sure they seemed to be working as they should be.   I also had the brake calipers off and checked to see if anything was bent or damaged.   The inspection revealed both a bent rose joint on the front and a bent load jacker on the rear.  Both would need changing, but at a guess both had been bent for quite a while so the car would have been set up around them.

After a conversation with Sonny Howard, we came to the conclusion that the brakes weren’t set properly - with too much bias going towards the back - making the back end loose going into the bends.  The gauges I had for reading this had been damaged in an accident earlier in the year and quite frankly weren’t fit for anything!   With a new set ordered and on their way it was just a matter of getting them fitted and then finding a nice flat piece of tarmac to set them up on.   Luckily there’s an RAF base not a million miles away, and even luckier, my friend Daryl works there and said he knew just the spot we could use, and that he could get both me and the car on without any major problems.

Once on the base we had to drive past all the aeroplanes that are used to fly all the supplies and troops out to the various wars we’re fighting, and right across the runway and into a quiet corner out of the way.  Daryl stopped on the way round to pick up his V8 stock car - and it was quite funny to watch the looks he got from people as he drove it along the roads to our chosen testing ground.  I must admit I’m quite ignorant when it comes to other racing formulas and don’t really watch anything but Nationals, but the stock car is just a work of art with everything being so nicely finished and the quality of the work being so high.  It’s fair to say it makes a pretty awesome noise to go with it!

The brakes were definitely wrong and after spinning it a good few times and what seemed like an age freeing up and adjusting what turned out to be completely seized adjusters, we finally got it right.    With me happy it was loaded back into the trailer.  Roy from Race Car T-Shirts was also on hand to take a few photos of us skidding about and show me how the picture of my car is coming on; it’s amazing to say the least.

Whilst all this was going on we decided that we really should be running an ‘undertray’ on the car but seeing as we left it so late there was no time to get it sent across to us, the only option was a road trip to Norfolk to collect it from Boss Panels.   Ross was off work so we arranged to go up on Saturday morning, collect it and be back in time for lunch.    When a 3-hour trip to get there turned into a 5-hour trip, that plan was soon forgotten.   The motorway was shut meaning we had to take a detour past Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds stopping in every village along the way!    We finally did arrive though and Mark had it sorted out and in the pickup in no time.   A quick look at the map found another route home which apart from the radio packing up and leaving us to sing proved pretty uneventful.

With everything fitted and sorted it was off to Hednesford for the annual bank holiday meeting and as I said before I’m starting to like the track more, but after having a big accident caused by brake problems last year and no practice to check everything was ok it was fair to say I was pretty nervous as we lined up for the first race.   After the warm-up laps everything felt good though and I just decided to ‘go for it’ from the flag.   It turned out to be a good, clean race with the car going and handling wonderfully and I managed to collect a sixth place in the process.

The car was brilliant again in the second race but it was just one of those races where it didn’t happen.  There was a lot of oil and dust covering almost half the track, and in all honesty it unnerved me a bit and I soon found myself at the back of the field.   As the dust cleared and my confidence came back I managed to gain a few places but it was all too late with me being well outside the points as the chequered flag dropped.   The dust was pretty extreme at one point and I can still taste it in the back of my throat!

Judging from all the other races the final was always going to be a fast and furious affair and it didn’t fail to disappoint.   The speeds you get up to round Hednesford are pretty insane and when you get 35 cars all packed onto the track its always going to be exciting.   It was a brilliant race though and I loved every single lap.   A fifth place and a straight car at the end of the day was an added bonus!

Overall I thought it was a brilliant meeting with some good points, some close racing and some good laughs.   My friend John and his girlfriend Mel came down from Scotland so it was great to catch up with them, and being parked with Kewy on one side and Gav on the other, it was always going to be a bit of a laugh.

With not much to do to the car for next meeting Ross and I have decided in a moment of madness to head off to Cornwall and do some mountain biking this weekend . . . it’s one way to keep fit I suppose!   Then it will be back home to get the car sorted for Birmingham.   This has always been my favourite track and with everything still so close I’m sure it will be another brilliant meeting to be involved in.

Thanks as ever for reading.

Mikey