National Weekend

It’s a fact that National Weekend is my favourite weekend of the year.   The car could literally fall to bits around me and it wouldn’t stop me smiling - I love it, the atmosphere is great, and staying at the track just makes it a brilliant weekend.

It began for me on the Thursday afternoon when I finished work early to go home and load everything up.   It’s amazing how much stuff you need to take and I actually thought we were going to run out of space in the lorry!   Once it was all loaded it was a trip round London’s biggest oval, the M25 to pick Steph up then back home to sort out the last few bits.   Everything always turns into a laugh with Steph and I and the second she got into the car it was obvious that it was going to be a funny weekend!

It was up early Friday morning to get on the road, Dad wanted to get to the track and drop the truck off so that he could get back to work.   Him and Mum came up Saturday afternoon and stayed Saturday night in the hotel.  On Friday he left Ross, Steph and me at the gate with the truck and headed for home.   The truck has a really nasty habit of playing up on the way into National Weekend though and I spent the next couple of hours on tenterhooks just waiting for it to play up.  It didn’t however, and after what seemed like an age we were finally in.  The weekend could begin!

We parked in our usual Hednesford spot down in the corner with the Caseys and Coopers.   We park here every year and it’s always a good laugh, like I said before the good company makes the weekend for me.  As soon as we got there we had the first hint of disaster with the generator not wanting to start.   Coopers came to the rescue though and we were soon up and running.

There’s not that much to say about the Friday practice really.   We went out there and did what we wanted to do - the lap times were slow but this was mainly down to me running a very strange line, I was hugging the car in down the straight and not letting it run out wide and flow.   It was scrubbing so much speed off although the car felt strong it was just being let down by pilot error.   Either way we tried what we wanted to try and the car was definitely up to the job so we were happy as it went back into the trailer.

My plan was just to have a good time and I was never going to drink much as I wanted to keep a clear head.   I just wanted to have a laugh but Ross and Steph had a slightly different agenda . . .  as did John when he joined us later on Friday night.   We had enough alcohol in the truck to start a bar of our own and it wasn’t long before the drink started flowing for them, it was Ross’s 21st so I suppose we can forgive them for having a few beverages!   

The Friday night is always wild and this year really didn’t disappoint - you can’t go to National Weekend and expect to have an early night!    Over the course of the weekend I think the entire pits passed through my truck at some point, it was more like a social club than a race transporter at times.    After some dinner it was over to the bar for a few drinks and a chat.   The atmosphere at the bar is great and everyone is just there to have a good time.   There are so many people you only see once or twice a year and it’s brilliant to see them all.

After a few hours at the bar Ross, Steph, myself and Glenn Bell ended up sitting in the lorry eating some “damn good pasta” and listening to some iPod when the peace was broken by pretty much everyone who was still standing banging on the door of the truck.    After a few hectic minutes with about 20 people crammed in my truck everyone left and the peace and quiet was restored.   Time for some much needed sleep ready for racing the next day.

I woke up on Saturday morning to find Glenn had disappeared and the other two still sound asleep.   I got myself sorted and started to get the car ready.   In truth I was really focused and ready to get stuck in and have a good days racing.  As it turned out “…that wasn’t to be but never mind…”

The draw for the grid was at the drivers meeting and I waited until most other people had drawn and then managed to pull A9 out of the box.   In truth there’s probably no worse combination to draw and it would see me starting pretty much in the middle for all three races.

The first race was my one nearest to the back and after a pretty dull race I got the car across the line in one piece.  I had been running a stupid line again and although I finished, it was near the back and I wasn’t overly impressed with the result.   The next race was my closest to the front and after a much better race managed to cross the line in twelfth place.   I ran a better line through the race and managed to take half a second out of my lap time in the process.

My parents arrived halfway through the race and unfortunately it would turn out to be the only racing they saw me do.    The third race got off to a good start but after a few laps I got involved with the rough and tumble of being in the pack and ended up getting spun out going into the top bend, just one of those things really but I made the stupid mistake of pulling off into the infield and retiring from the race.

I obviously missed out on qualifying for the big race but if I had just kept going in the third race I would have been able to sneak in, schoolboy error to say the least, and certainly one I won’t be making again.    Still it was water under the bridge by this point and after racing was over for that day we went back to John’s hotel for a shower and then headed back to the track for a barbeque and another wild night!

Saturday night is usually more sedate than Friday but this year it seemed just as busy in the bar, I must admit that I headed back to the truck before the others to turn my generator off and after a good old chat with Tim Pullen in the pits never made it back across to the bar.   It was by no means the end of the night though with it all starting up again in the pits after the bar had closed!   The lorry ended up a bit cramped again with Rob and Carl (two of Gav’s mechanics) ending up sleeping in there too so as not to wake Gav’s new baby Imogen by returning to the truck at 3am.

Sunday began for us with the grand parade.   John has just had an operation on his thumb and currently has his right hand in plaster.   It wasn’t enough to stop him getting the car round though albeit with a couple of stalls along the way!

I must admit I’m not a huge fan of watching racing but I did enjoy watching the National Championship race - it was pretty exciting to say the least.   It was good to see Chris win it too - good one mate.

My Mum made the draw for the Grand National for me and she must have had her lucky pants on as she managed to pull outside front row from the hat!   I was well excited to get out there and enjoy the last race of the weekend.  The car felt good in the warm up laps and as I gridded up for the start everything felt fine.   As the green flag dropped however, everything wasn’t fine.   I floored the throttle and the car promptly stalled.   Now being stalled on the start line as 30 other cars come thundering towards you is a pretty scary feeling.   We were amazingly lucky really, and although Dickie did hit us and unfortunately put himself out of the race, we got away with very little damage but it was ‘game over’ with a puncture and my race ended before it had even begun.

Although the racing had been nothing short of a disaster and everything from the generator to the fridge had broken in the lorry it was still another absolutely brilliant weekend with the best people out there.    Hats off to the team for the amount of drink they consumed!    Thanks to everyone who helped, who laughed and who drank with us!   Thanks to my mum and dad for all the hours they put in, thanks to Coopers for putting up with us all weekend and spending half their weekend sorting out my problems, thanks to Ross, Steph and John for being the three best friends any one could ever want and finally thanks to David Casey for providing me with the best quote and my lasting memory from the weekend:

“Pressure?  Pressure is for tyres and blow-up dolls!”

On that note thanks as ever for reading.

I love National Weekend!

Mikey

Rushing Around Again!

We seem to have done a splendid job of leaving everything till the last minute and now find ourselves running round in circles trying to get it all done in time.   Work has been manic too so there’s barely time to sleep at the moment, but in current times it certainly isn’t something to be moaning about!

I think we’re getting there with the car now and another good evening tonight should see it pretty much finished.   The front has all gone back together nicely, and apart from one small setback involving the angle grinder and the radiator, it has all been pretty uneventful.    I think the crash frames that the Haird cars like mine run are a really good idea as they do just what they are designed to and bend on impact saving the chassis - and in this case the suspension too.   They literally just bolt off and within a couple of minutes you can undo the 6 bolts and basically remove the front two feet of chassis and replace it.   My car certainly isn’t as lightweight as some of the others out there, but it is really strong, and seeing as I’m prone to so many accidents we need something that can handle the odd encounter with the wall!

With the exception of the set-up and some stickers to put on, the car is ready to go now.   I must admit though, I’ve been a bit tight and not bought any new tyres for the weekend; the slicks I had on were obviously new for the world final and they have done such little work it seemed pointless to replace them.  I also decided not to use my new wets and to save them for the qualifying campaign - I had a really good set here so decided we might as well use them and save a few quid.   On top of this another set of slicks is needed for practice on Friday and luckily I’ve still got four from the qualifying rounds last year that are really good.   They are all on random wheels but you can’t see both sides at once anyway so who would know?

My Dad has given me Thursday afternoon off so I can get everything finished and loaded and that has made things a bit easier.   Otherwise I think we would have been running round like complete lunatics trying to get sorted.   Working with the family does have its advantages sometimes!  I’m going to meet Steph tomorrow evening and her and Ross are coming up with me on Friday morning.    John will be coming down from Scotland to join us at some point and I’m still working on convincing Jay that it really is the place he needs to be this weekend!    I know he will kill me for saying this but its Ross’s 21st birthday on Tuesday and he is treating the weekend as a bit of a birthday celebration.

I’ve got a bit of a challenge for you all this weekend too . . . in our haste to rebuild the car we have made a little bit of a cock up.   It’s nothing major or anything that will affect the car, it’s just something stupid.  I’m going to offer a prize of either a beer or a signed pair of Jason Kew Racing Pants to the first person who picks up on it and tells me what it is!   My Dad, Mum, Ross, Kewy and I are the only people who know, and there’s no point trying to wheedle out of us what it is – you’ll have to look for yourselves! 

Jay and Sarah from TPR signs have launched their new website this week and you should all check it out.  I’m sure you know that they do all our sign work and I don’t think there is anyone offering such good quality and variety of products out there.  They are also official Koolart dealers now and can put the colours and signs onto a design of your favourite car or you can choose from the thousands of existing ones they already have.  The website is: www.tprsigns.com so please have a look.   I just want to thank them both for their continued support and for putting up with my faffing around.  There isn’t a week goes by that I’m not pestering Jay for something or another.   I am really looking forward to the weekend now - it’s definitely one of my favourite meetings of the year.   I love the social side to it and the fact that you can stay at the track is a bonus too.  I’ll be around all weekend so feel free to come over and have a chat . . . . I’m sure we have enough beers to be able to share a couple with you!

Thanks as ever for reading.

Until next time

Mikey

The Break

If I’m honest things have been pretty quiet since Spedeweekend, we obviously have a car that needs repairing but with a month to do it we’ve been a bit unenthusiastic.   I’m still sort of buzzing off the feeling from Spedeweekend and a month without racing feels like an age.

We did get the car unloaded and all the panels taken off the night after we got back.   It’s not really that bad.   The damage was all on the front of the car so it has avoided the wheels and suspension parts (there must be a first time for everything as normally it would guarantee to bend a wheel!)   The only mechanical damage to the car is the radiator and fan, and as much as it breaks my heart seeing the mangled rad. in our skip at work it really could have been a lot worse.  The only really depressing part is looking at the pile of smashed panels thrown into the corner of the garage and knowing that they have only done 17 laps!   But that’s racing and you can’t moan about it.   Taking the rough with the smooth and all that!

Seeing as the National Weekend is the one weekend of the year we use the lorry to sleep in, it’s usually a bit of a rush getting everything sorted so it’s all working and ready to go.  Even though we take it to every meeting it’s a bit different using it for a day than turning it into ‘home’ for three days, especially when there’s no electric to plug into and you have to rely on generators, gas and batteries to power everything.   It isn’t the nicest or most reliable truck in the pits but it does have a shower and at National Weekend when you’re either filthy dirty or soaking wet it suddenly becomes worth its weight in gold!

I’ve always said I enjoy the social side to racing as much as anything and this weekend has been no exception.   With not much happening here it was decided that a weekend in Ipswich was in order to catch up with everyone and enjoy a beer or two....   Jay and Sarah invited Ross and me to stay with them at ‘Hotel Austin’ for the night; we could catch the racing at Foxhall before heading off into town for a much needed night out then off to meet Steph for the day Sunday.

As soon as we arrived at the track it became apparent the drinking was more favoured than the racing, and this was certainly true - in all honesty I don’t think I watched more than ten laps all night.  It was just one of those good evenings with a really sociable feel and lots of people to chat to.   The rain held off as well, adding to the enjoyment.   From the track it was straight to the pub for the fun to really begin.   Steph’s perfectly timed arrival saved me from the most evil of drinks - Sambuca.    From the pub it was off to the night club.    We finally crawled into bed about half past three.   It was a really great night out and long overdue.    I’ve said it before but I really have met some wonderful people through racing over the years and have had some really brilliant times with them all.

The best laughs came from looking at the pictures over breakfast the next morning, I can’t decide what’s worse; the pictures themselves or the fact no one remembers them being taken ... good memories of an epic night though - get them on face book please Rosco!   We spent the rest of Sunday just around Ipswich popping to the cash-and-carry to get some essential National Weekend supplies ...... consisting mainly of vodka, Haribo sweets and Pringles!   I won’t be drinking but according to the shopping trolley it looks like the rest of the team are planning a very good time!

I was a bit shocked the other morning when I read about Angie and Graham’s retirement from the sport and the sad fact that Brian will be going too.   They have all been involved with the sport since long before my time and although I’m sure their replacements will be as capable and committed to the sport as they have been, it just feels a little bit strange knowing such a big change has taken place.  The hours they must have put in was incredible and the dedication to do what they did for such little reward is really something we should all be thankful for.   So on that note from both myself and I’m sure all of the other drivers both past and present, thanks to the three of you for playing such a massive part in making National Hot Rod racing everything it is today.  On the other hand maybe you can enjoy watching some racing now safe in the knowledge you’re not going to have drivers ringing up and moaning for the next two weeks afterwards!

I’m sure that whatever happens now the sport will continue to move forward and grow, there is a huge number booked in for National Weekend already so another great weekend no doubt.  We’ve got quite a lot to do before then though so I’ll be back next week and bring you all right up to date.

Thanks as ever for reading

Until next time

Mikey

The Greatest Days

 Spedeweekend began for Ross and me outside in the garage polishing the car at 7am so we could leave at 9am and get to Ipswich in good time.  This was then followed up with sitting waiting for the car wash for 45 minutes and a McDonalds breakfast before getting on the road and heading east at about 10.30.  We had all agreed to make a weekend of it and enjoy the time we had off work. The first stop was Jay’s to pick up the new T-shirts, then on to Steph’s house to collect her before finally stopping at the pub.   The pub is to become quite an integral part of this weekend as will be revealed later but I was driving, so only orange juice for me!

After leaving the pub we headed straight off to the house we’d rented for the weekend to get settled in, before heading back to Ipswich for the evening’s fun to begin.   We were sharing the house with my very good friends John and Mel, and they had arranged to meet Chris Harvey and his team in their hotel for a few drinks and to watch the tennis.   My friend Neil was coming straight from work and meeting us there too.   After a good few hours Chris suggested just heading round the corner for a pizza as it was only two minutes away!   We must have different views on times and distance - that definitely wasn’t two minutes Chris!   We got there just as they wanted to close and I’m sure a table for 9 was the last thing they really wanted.   It was a brilliant night though, and one of those moments where you just realise how many good people there are at racing.

Saturday morning was an early start ready to meet Dad at the track for 7am, get signed on and unloaded and everything sorted for practice.  As soon as we were done, we weighed the car and the waiting began.   I can honestly say I have never been as excited as I was last weekend - I hardly slept for days before and was like a coiled spring from the minute we got there until we left to come home.   All the cars looked great and it was nice to catch up and have a chat with everyone.

I went out for the practice at 9.30 and everything felt good with the car.   I came off the track, turned the car straight back round and headed off to do the hot laps.   We always knew I wouldn’t put it on pole and would probably do one of the slowest lap times but the whole point was to enjoy myself.  I had drawn sixth for the laps, so not long for the old nerves to kick in.   It’s quite a weird feeling pulling out onto the track knowing that all eyes in the stadium are on you and any little slip up will be seen by everyone . . . . . never one to disappoint anyone I managed to brake a bit late and launch myself into a slide through the last bend - just managing to keep hold of it and getting it across the line in one piece.   I put in a lap time of 14.95; a long way off the fastest time, but under the 15 second target I set myself.    It meant I would be starting 24th on the grid

With the laps done it was time to relax and enjoy the day.   Spedeweekend is a great chance to see the people you don’t get much chance to talk to and actually sit and enjoy some racing.   Sharing one of the tents down the back straight with Jay and Gav Murray always makes for a good laugh as well. The atmosphere is always brilliant round the stadium and it really is just one of those feel-good weekends.   It was a good excuse for John, Ross, and Neil to have a few beers too!

For Saturday’s comfort break, all the drivers had to be in the marquee in the pits for the ‘meet and greet’ session with the spectators.   I’m sure a lot of you will be aware of the friendly banter between Jason Kew and myself, so when we sat on a table next to each other it was always going to turn into a laugh!   Sure enough it did and I think it was a real success with lots of people coming in to say hello and collect pictures.    I was really shocked by all the people who said they read this blog, and thanks for all your comments - it really means a lot to me.   Jason and I had one pen between us so things were getting a bit chaotic at times as we fought over use of the Sharpie.   We spent about an hour in there chatting to people and signing their pictures and programmes . . .  and yes, David O’Regan, you definitely are my favourite Irish fan!

With the ‘meet and greet’ over I went back to watch the 2.0-litre final before joining the fight to escape the car park and get back to the house ready for a good night’s sleep.   My parents were joining us at the house too, so the peace and quiet of the Suffolk country side was about to be spoilt by our lorry and trailer thundering down the driveway.  

It was another early start and I hardly slept at night with the excitement for the big day.   We were up and ready to leave the house at 6am and after a quick turn around on the golf course we were off and on the way to the world final - the day I had been waiting so long for was finally here.   We arrived and got everything sorted and the countdown began.

We all had new tops and trousers for the parade lap and I can honestly say I have never been so excited in all my life as I was when we stepped out onto the track.   I had all the people who I care about around me, and I was making the most of every moment.   After all the pictures and interviews were over everyone left and it was just me and the car ready to go.   When I tried to turn it on the power switch was off!   One of the marshals turned it on for me and Kevin came over and re-adjusted my mirror.   We were finally ready to go!

I always knew it was going to be emotional as I sat in the car on my own, and sure enough, looking up to the lyrics from the song “Just Drive” over the start/finish line (a song I find hard to listen to at the best of times) and listening to start your engines in my headset soon had me fighting to keep back the tears!   I soon pulled myself together though, and the feeling of the rolling lap behind the pace car was just out of this world and I can’t think of words to describe just how amazing it is.   The atmosphere was buzzing and I couldn’t stop my legs from shaking.   As the green flag dropped I think it was easily the best feeling of my life.

The speed of the world final is really intense and I soon found myself being lapped by the leaders.   I was just trying to keep out of trouble and make it to the flag.   It wasn’t to be though and a collision with Carl Waller-Barrett on lap 17 put us both out of the race.   It was the fault of neither of us; as he got spun, I caught him and the damage done was enough to put us both onto the infield.

It turned out to be a really clean race with no yellow flags at all, and surely that must be a first for the world final?   A massive well done to Malcolm on his second world final win.   Also well done to Gavin for his fourth place, you really deserve it mate!

Back in the pits it was decided there was too much damage to fix at the track, so rather reluctantly we loaded the car back into the trailer and called it a day.    It’s a shame as I was looking forward to the other races but never mind - that’s racing!   We enjoyed the rest of the day’s racing before Mum and Dad had to head off home, leaving us to enjoy our last night before returning to reality.

I’d heard about nights in The Golf pub after the world final, but I was still taken aback at just how insane it actually was.   People thrown over fences, water everywhere and enough drink to easily fill an Olympic swimming pool were just some events from the evening.    I was driving so once again no drink for me but it was one of the best nights out I have had for ages and a very good way to round off what I would describe as one of the best weekends of my life.

I just want to say a quick ‘thank you’ to both my parents, Ross, John, Neil, Steph, Jay and Sarah for coming on the parade lap and sharing the moment with me, and also to Mel and Nicole for cheering from the outside!   Also thanks to everyone who just made it such a brilliant weekend!

Quite a few people asked me “what now ?” and the simple answer is “try again.” Thanks as ever to everyone for reading.

Until next time.

“I want to be the only one to make it to the line.”

Mikey

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