Motors and Me

A healthily large envelope arrived in the post yesterday: my Go Racing pack from the MSA . Yes, this means I’ve actually spent some money to get me started in competitive motorsport. Only time will tell whether it was a waste of money...

One season in the Mini Challenge would cost £25,000. Minimum. At least, that’s what Gary Robertshaw of Robertshaw Racing (2004 Mini Challenge Clubsport champion) reckoned. Having spoken to other people about it, however, I reckon I could expect to spend double that. Despite the dizzying numbers, a few weeks back I was seriously considering having a go. I would need sponsorship, of course. I’ve got no desire to take out a loan to fund motorsport — it’s just not sustainable. Funding would have to come from sponsors, at least in part. So, I started to make a list of companies to whom I could pimp myself and the race series. I got information from the organisers of the Mini Challenge about TV viewing figures and their distribution. I started making plans. In the end, though, that’s as far as things went. The point at which my dreams became grounded in reality were when I spoke to my friend, Gav , about it, maybe a couple of weeks back now. He...

Prefinalists for the Michelin Renault Scholarship have been posted on the competition’s site and my name’s not among them. I knew on the day that I’d messed things up and didn’t expect to get too upset when I got confirmation, but I’m gutted. Absolutely devastated. I had it in me to get through to the next round and I blew it. Threw away the chance of a lifetime. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! :’-( This will not be my last attempt to get into motorsport.

Sorry, but it looks like I blew it in Round 3 today. Yeah, I’m gutted. No, I don’t actually know the result. But yes, I did balls it up somewhat. And, frustratingly, it was the driving rather than the fitness that let me down. I guess I should just accept I’m not good enough. Hard to bear. :/ Anyway, here’s a run-down of the day. The driving came first today, with the fitness test following after a lunch break. The first of three sessions on the airfield was an unassisted (by tutor) run around the circuit we were already familiar with. This time, however, the marker cones for braking points and turn-in points had been removed. It took me a few laps to sort out my lines, but I improved enough for there still to be a glimmer of hope. After the second run, the glimmer had turned into a blinding light. I rocked in the second session. This time, we ran the track backwards, with a detour for an extra chicane and hairpin. Again, we were to get no advice from the tu...

This weekend sees a chance to get a bit of practice in for the scholarship, as I take the Mini out onto Rockingham Speedway. Custom-made brake cooling ducts were fitted to the front of the car today (courtesy of Robertshaw Racing ) and the brakes were pressure-bled to get every last bit of air out of the system. Hopefully, this plus the new pads and braided lines will help keep the brake fluid from boiling, but I’ll need some self-discipline too. Croft, last September, saw frustration get the better of me when things weren’t running too smoothly. This time, I’ll have Grant along to help keep the blood pressure under control. I hope he knows what he’s letting himself in for, mind... :)

A few years back, when I still went to the gym, I was having trouble staying motivated. Jenson Button was in the news and F1 on ITV had featurettes on how he was working to step up his fitness to the levels required for the sport. Using that as my inspiration, I pushed myself harder and managed to stay reasonably fit for a while. Certainly fit enough for the karting I was doing at the time. These days, I’ve got different motorsport-related motivation, but this time I’m starting from a base level of absolute unfitness. Last night, I went out for a jog (yes, in public), possibly for the first time in my life. It’s a good job it was dark — my lungs gave up after less than a mile and I had to stop. Scary! When I got home after a further mile and a bit, my legs nearly gave way when I stopped. I’ve never been particularly fit, but it’s alarming what the last 2 or 3 years of inactivity have done to me. Let’s just hope things improve over the next cou...

Not too surprisingly, Tim Sugden Racing would like me to make a further charitable donation to their next season’s activities. Yes, I got confirmation today that I’m through to Round 3 of the Michelin Renault Scholarship — you know, the one with the fitness test. The dates I’ve been offered are the 4th and 5th of February, so I’ve got... *checks calendar*... 24 or 25 days to get from dead-on-my-feet to Olympic-athlete. Bugger. Better get running.

Just got back from my second round in the Michelin Renault Scholarship . Much to my surprise, I think I’ve got a better than 50/50 chance of progressing to the third round. I hope that’s not tempting fate, mind. As with the first round , the morning was split into 4 sessions. The first session was refamiliarisation with the car and the circuit. It was a case of repeating 2 fast laps, followed by a slow lap of feedback from the instructor (Mike Reed, this time). At the end of this session, I was ready to admit defeat. I’d had little in the way of positive feedback and plenty negative. My main problem, it seemed, was my lack of consistency. And poor lines. And poor braking. And... well, I felt I’d thrown it away already. The second session was more of the same and was, thankfully, better. I even found myself catching another contestant, dropping back to get more room and then catching him again. Even so, I felt I’d improved by only about a quarter of what...

Okay, it took an age to post, but here it is — Martin Brackenbury’s verdict on my first round in the Michelin Renault Scholarship qualifiers. Corners: Good use of all track + good racing lines. Needs to push harder into corners. Steering: Nice + smooth steering. Good hand position. Braking: Braking too early for most corners in 1st session; 2nd session, braking too late. Throttle: Nice power delivery, even in very wet conditions. Gears: Good gear change, up and down the gearbox. Overall: Very good to start with, but looked to have got too over confident at the end and started braking too late. Grade: B (on a scale from A to F) The comments were pretty much exactly what I’d thought myself. Still, I got through and am looking forward to the second round on 6th January. Fingers crossed for a lack of ice. :) P.S. The commenting system on this blog’s finally working again. :)

I’m through to the second round of the Be A Racing Driver competition. Seems they couldn’t turn down my next two hundred quid. Hmmmm... I’m a sucker for this, aren’t I? :) Whatever, I’ll post a full report of their verdict on my first round soon.

It's taken me a while to post about it, but Thursday 23rd October saw my first step into the world of competitive racing. Well, a potential first step. It was my first round date for the Michelin Renault “Be A Racing Driver’ competition. On arrival at Elvington, I got my first bing of the season from the Mini as it announced the temperature had dropped to 3°C. Things didn't really get much better weather-wise, as rain clouds came scooting across the plains and drenched the airfield, leaving standing water everywhere. Despite this, the day was great. My instructor was none less than last year's winner, Martin Brackenbury, and he loved the wet. Good job, really. The qualification was split into 4 sessions on the cone-marked track. First were 2 laps with the instructor to learn the circuit layout. Next, it was his turn to take the students out for a few flying laps, showing the lines and the sort of pace you can hold. The last two sessions were yours to show what you'r...

...are easily parted, or so the saying goes. I think it might be true. After all, I’ve only gone and entered the Be A Racing Driver competition! No, I can’t quite believe it either. :) Now to get my application form in for the Be A Grand Prix Driver competition. Hell, if you're gonna have a go, you may as well try it every which way! :)

I see there’s another competition out there to help you become a racing driver . This one’s a little more expensive, at £200 for each of the first three rounds, but any subsequent rounds and the final prize of a year’s competition would come for free — cars and maintenance thereof included. Life might just prove too short for me to pass this up. I may well be decidedly average, but dreams are there to be chased. What’s £600 for the chance to fulfil a life’s ambition?

Oooh, yes please. :) Looks like Karting North East's indoor circuit is going to be hosting the regional qualifier for Channel 5 and Exchange & Mart's Be A Grand Prix Driver 2004 competition. Just this last weekend, spectating at Rockingham, I wondered to myself what the quickest route into competition racing must be for someone my age (a creaking 28). Maybe this is it. Just maybe.