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

Not that “Good-a-Friday”!

It’s definitely true that there’s never a dull moment when you race National Hot Rods.   There’s always something to do and even when you say the car is ready you always find just one thing to check or change, the list is literally endless.     I think you could spend all day, everyday working on the car and still find a job to do!    Unfortunately I’m not in that situation and like the rest of us have a job to go to during the day.   This means Hot Rod time is solely confined to the hours between dinner and bed, the latter varying greatly depending on how much needs to be done! 

After a good meeting at Aldershot it left us without much to do, just the usual ‘in between meeting’ things, and seeing as it was straight off to another small track we didn’t even need to change a diff.    Dad still wasn’t convinced that the engine was sorted so he arranged with Phil Spinks to run it on his dyno.   Once again, me not being able to tow the trailer proved to be a pain - with Dad getting up at 4am and heading down to Watford with the car, and leaving me to open up at work.   We both headed down after work to collect it again.   Phil had got a bit more power out of it, and having driven it since, you could really feel the difference it made.   It’s a pretty amazing set-up he’s got, with the dyno bolting straight onto the rear hubs of the car rather than having to drop the wheels down onto a rolling road.

I don’t want to tempt fate by saying this but the engine in my car really is a cracker.   It’s pretty old now and apart from it acting up the other day it’s given me very little trouble.   It smokes a bit when you put your foot down but I can’t see that from the driver’s seat so I’m not going to worry about it.

In amongst all my other ambitious - probably never get done – plans, is a 2.8 Capri.   I bought it at a good price, did 80% of the work on it then sat it back in my garage and promptly forgot about it.  But my “good” friend Jason Kew obviously has too much free time on his hands, and as well as running a National, enjoys going out and destroying good cars in the Bangers.   He had a pretty tidy Capri Special with some nice bits around it, so it seemed only right that I should relieve him of them and put them onto mine!  What started out as just a few bits soon turned into pretty much a complete strip, leaving me with a sprinter van load of bits to find a home for.    I think Jason quietly hoped a night down there with him would convert me into a Banger fan - but I’m afraid he has a long way to go yet!

With the car all set and the weather really nice, once again we set off to Northampton for the annual Good Friday meeting.    We left early to get to the front of the queue but when we arrived it seemed that everybody else had the same idea and the queue of transporters went nearly back to the road. We got in and parked next to Gavin, so it was already a foregone conclusion that there would be some sort of prank thrown my way, but everyone was well behaved and I got off lightly.   No doubt they’re saving it all up to get me with something big next time I see them!   We always have a good joke and it’s always meant in the best humour.   Makes life exciting and keeps me on my toes!

(Trevor Hill photo)

I can’t really work the meeting out if I’m honest; the car has been brilliant all year and for some reason completely unbeknown to any of us it didn’t feel as good.   Nothing had been altered or adjusted but it just didn’t feel right.    Luckily, Sonny was on hand and made the car better for every race.    The first race I came home just out of the points.  The second I had a tenth and the final was somewhere around fifteenth, so although not the points I had hoped for, it was still points nonetheless!   It could be those few points that make the difference between qualifying or not come July.

I don’t want it to come across as a ‘moaner’ or a ‘sore loser’ - I’m just a bit confused as to why the car was so different.   I still enjoyed every lap I drove - the weather was great, the atmosphere was good, and after all, I was still racing a National Hot Rod!    I’ve said it before . . . . as much as I would love to be on the grid in July and I’m going to give it 100% to make sure I am , I’m not going to let it ruin my life in the process - racing is meant to be enjoyed at the end of the day.

With the car looking a bit tatty, but still straight after the final it was loaded back in the trailer ready for the work to begin again.   We’re going to check everything is working as it should be, strip the brakes down and check them all over and spend some time with the paintbrush making it look somewhere near presentable again.   With only a week to go I’m sure the next meeting will be here in a flash!   Hednesford has never really been my favourite track but it has grown on me in recent months.   I’m looking forward to getting back out on what is definitely the fastest track we go to.   I’ll see you all there!

Thanks as ever for reading

Mikey

A Sunday down south

Aldershot is probably the closest track for us, and it was nice not to have to get up really early to make sure we got there on time.   It was a glorious day and already pretty hot by the time we left home.   We spent 8 years racing all over the south of England when we had the Minis and the Saxo, so it seems a little strange only heading that way once a year these days.   I even raced my Mini at the old Fleet Motor Club track a few times, that track having gone to be replaced by the Spedeworth track we race on now.    Having said all that we still managed to get lost and ended up heading down some Aldershot one way back streets with the truck and trailer.   Luckily we eventually ended up back on the main road and were able to figure out the way we needed to go.  Cheers sat-nav!

It was one of those meetings that just seemed to fly by really fast.   It felt like we’d barely unloaded the car before driver’s briefing was called and then we went almost straight out to practice.   We got everything sorted and lined up to go out on track.   As the green flag dropped for practice and I floored the car I just saw the edge of the bonnet lift.   The next second it had flown right up into the air like a kite, and despite the best efforts of the officials to stop the practice and save it the inevitable happened and it had been run over . . . several times.    I’m not moaning though and we should have checked it was on properly before I headed onto the track.    Dad and I can’t decide whose fault it was, so have agreed to share the blame equally!

To say it’s knackered would be a bit of an understatement  - it’s in four bits and one corner is missing completely.   Luckily we weren’t in the first race so it gave us a bit of time to try and work a miracle. After begging some aluminium from Wully Hardie we set at it with the drill, some rivets and the world’s bluntest pair of snips, doing what can only be described as a quality bodge.   It wasn’t pretty but it worked and Dad even made a ‘T’ out of some tape so as not to mess up the signwriting too much!   It was a different colour to the rest of the letters and was stuck onto some yellow tape but never mind. . . . . . . . .

With it all finished and ready to go again we went out for our first race.    I was on the outside on the 3rd row of the grid.   I lost a couple of places on the line with cars zipping back up the inside of me but I managed to get back across onto the all important inside line without being “hung out to dry” completely.    The race was going quite well for the first few laps until we came round into the pit bend where a car had spun and as I went through we just caught each other.  Unfortunately, it caught  my wheel giving me what I thought was just a puncture, but after I pulled off it revealed a puncture, a bent wheel and a very bent axle casing!

With such little time between races it was always going to be a struggle but with the help of my Dad, a mildly hung over Ross, Jason Kew and his mechanic David, we got it done.   It was a bit of a panic but we sorted it, thanks chaps for all your help!   The axle was really bent, and with a bent half shaft to go with it, it was turning into an expensive day!

I was on the inside for the second race and got off to a good start from lap one.   It was just one of those races where it all seemed to fall into place and I found myself moving up a few places into second.   I never had any chance to breathe though as Dave Brooks was right on me every lap and even the smallest slip up would have seen him past me.    I managed to just about hold into it and cross the line in second, definitely made the panic changing the axle worth it.

The final saw me back on the outside and once again I was lucky and able to get back into the inside line before the first bend.     Thankfully everything seemed to fall into place and flow nicely and I found myself in second place once again.   Somehow I managed to make a bit of breathing space around me and was able to just drive the car as hard as I could for the next few laps.   It’s amazing how much of a rhythm you get into and I didn’t look in the mirrors and kept looking forward.    When the yellow flags came out for an incident and I did look back I was amazed at just how much of a gap there was.   I hate restarts, mainly because I’m usually pretty bad at them but luck really was with me and I managed to keep hold of my second.   Everything was much closer now though and Mark Paffey was making progress pretty quickly and as the laps counted down he got closer and closer until he was in a position to get past me.   There were only a couple of laps left to run when ‘it all happened’ down in the bottom bend with Chris’s oil pipe coming off and cars spinning everywhere so they yellow flagged it again and then went red.   This gave Ralph his third win of the day, and second final on the trot - with me in second, and Paff with third.

It just goes to show how a day can go from ‘bad to good’ very quickly and I really am grateful to everyone who helped us get back out on track.   It’s great that even though the competition on the track is so fierce, people will still help you in the pits.   Another added bonus is that the prize money paid for the new bonnet!

With the Good Friday meeting at Northampton now only a week away and another good entry of cars I’ll look forward to seeing you all there.

Thanks as ever for reading                               

Mikey.

Diffs in the dark!

Well it’s been another hectic few days here with work still busy and lots happening in the garage.   As I said last week, the car felt a bit down on power in the final so our major priority was finding out why this was.   The fuel system was the obvious place to start so Dad set about stripping it down and looking for any problems; dirt, blockages, that kind of thing.   When he lifted the top off one of the carburettors it revealed a small stone in the chamber.   The cause of our problem!   This was quickly removed and all the filters cleaned and put back together and it seemed to be running fine in the workshop.

The dirt after a wet meeting seems to get everywhere, and even after it’s been washed you still keep finding more hidden away in the awkward places, so Ross and I spent an evening with cloths just wiping it all down and cleaning everything.   As well as the mess it leaves, there’s the weight of dirt to be taken into consideration.   It’s amazing how much it does actually weigh - and with weight being so important, you can’t afford to have too much extra.

A friend of mine, Daryl Harris who races a V8 Stock Car, put me in touch with a chap called Roy Scorer who designs and creates technical illustrations of racing cars.   He did the artwork of Jason’s Hot Rod and Daryl’s Stock Car that were on display at the NEC a couple of years ago, and can be seen on the wall in the diner at Ipswich.   He also does a lot of work with the BriSCA F1’s.   I think his work is amazing, and you have to really look twice to see that it’s not a photo.   The details and colours are so accurate - right down to the reflections on the signwriting.   He agreed to come and take some photos of my Tigra and see what he could do with it.

Considering it had been a pretty rough meeting at Ipswich and the car was looking a bit tatty I thought I’d best do something to tidy it up a bit . . . . so out came my little paintbrush and the blue paint.   An hour later it looked a bit more presentable, then another hour spent making the door fit again and it was ready for the cameras!    Roy had arranged to come at 3.30 and seeing as I don’t usually finish work until after 6.30, three hours off seemed to be a bit of a result and meant I could spend some time on the car after he had gone, rather than stay out in the garage half the night doing it!    He spent a good half an hour going round the car taking photos with some high-tech looking camera equipment.   All the work is done in his spare time, and each car takes about 30 hours from start to finish.   He told me it would take about a month and I’m really looking forward to seeing the end result.    For anyone that’s interested in his existing work check out his website www.racecartshirts.co.uk   and see for yourself how good it is.

When Roy had gone I thought I’d get on and change the diff.    I’d got the car up on the ramp and while the oil was draining I headed off to get some tools.    Just as I was going underneath to start work the electric in the workshop went off!    I checked the trip and everything seemed fine but it turned out to be a power cut as there was no electric in the house or any of the houses round about.    I never have chance to work on the car during the day and it was an opportunity I didn’t really want to waste so after finding some torches and lead lamps I set about changing the diff anyway.   It’s no different to doing it on a dark Saturday night at a meeting after all!    Annoyingly, after I had removed it and got back out from underneath the car all the electric came back on - typical!

In the pub the other night, Jason Kew told me he was testing at Northampton on Wednesday, and asked if I wanted to go along.    Seeing as we had the problem with the engine it seemed like a good idea.    There were a couple of things we wanted to try out, so we set about getting the car all sorted and ready to go.   This meant finding a spare set of wheels to take - and as you know wheels are not my strong point - and after much searching followed by much swearing we found a set and got the tyres fitted and not leaking!

We got to the track and it was the hottest day of the year so far, and one of the rare times when the track was dry - I’m sure the place is jinxed as it always seems to rain when a National Hot Rod goes anywhere near.

Jason and myself had a blast around together for a few laps before he set off to do a feature with Paul Hines for Oval Racing News magazine.    I’ll leave that for him to tell you about but I’m sure you will be able to read it in his column soon.   Martin Kingston from http://www.mkpics.net/ was also there and you can see his photos in the nationalhotrod.com gallery.  The car seemed to be flying, and the lack of power was well and truly cured.   I spent the rest of the morning trying a few things we have been talking about for ages before loading it back into the trailer satisfied with the day’s achievements.

The car is back in the workshop now, and after a few checks it will be ready to race on Sunday.   I think there’s a leak coming from the gearbox that needs looking at and some new stickers to fit and of course, the usual set-up stuff.   The tyres are sorted already so it saves us that nightmare.

With things still being so close in the points it looks as if it’s going to be another exciting meeting!   I’ll see you all there.

Thanks as ever for reading

Mikey