Last Weekend saw the C1 Racing Club return to Snetterton for the second time this season. Having raced at Snetterton back in April, we knew what areas to focus on thanks to a spot of coaching from Sid Smith and with a more competitive, we were feeling confident.
The weather was certainly different as our previous race, it rained for testing and part of the Qualifying session along with being rather windy, which doesn’t help when you only have a handful of ponies under the bonnet to begin with. A headwind felt like you were being pushed backwards. This time around, we had clear skies and sunshine, a lot of Sunshine.
Testing Friday:
I was out 1st and quickly overtook my previous race pace times having tried a few different turning in points, braking markers etc. I felt more confident behind the wheel and I felt like I had definitely improved over last time.
The second session saw Andrew behind the wheel and also confirmed the car was running sweet which was reflected in his times.
Mark was out third and put in his PB time which, in Qualifying, would set us in the mid-to-high teens. We were happy with that.
For the last session, Myself and Andrew split the session but with track temperatures reaching over 40°C, we could immediately tell the engine was struggling due to being starved of Oxygen. The tyres were also suffering too.
We came back in unable to beat any previous times set earlier on in the day.
That being said, we had all shaved seconds of our previous times round this track and bet all individual PB’s.
We all headed off on the long journey home in high spirits for Sunday.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mark was unable to make it on time to qualify so it was down to myself and Andrew to set the best time we could, as Mark was usually the quickest in Qualifying.
As I’m usually not as kind to the tyres as the other guys, We decided Andrew had the best shot at a decent time by going out 1st
Andrew left the Pit in full attack mode and we immediately saw him putting in some blistering times. Unfortunately, a transponder issue meant that one of his quickest times ( a Mid 2:42 ) was not counted. Exceeding track limits also meant a similar time wasn’t counted. Having completed half a dozen laps, Andrew came in with a fastest recorded time of 2:43.450 which was impressive but another second would have seen us 2-3 places further up the grid.
Out next was Myself,
The car felt great and the weather had cooled down significantly which greatly improved the grip levels and my confidence in the car was at an all time high. I put in my PB of 2:43.035 which secured is P28 on the grid for the race.
I was happy with that.
Race Time.
As Mark was unable to attend the Qualifying session, he was unfortunately unable to start the race, so instead, they gave me a shot at it as I’d never started a race before and it would deem good practice (more on this later)
As the cars were called to the assembly area, I could feel the nerves creeping up. As someone who enjoys a routine and still relatively new to the game, my brain scrambled with the additional info, strategy, , this added more pressure to not mess things up like ‘watching out for the lights to go out’, ‘keeping out of trouble’, ‘how long to stay out for’, and so on.
We had initially said that I would go out until the Pit Window opened after 15 minutes of racing and swap out with Mark and I placed my markers for where to look for on the Pit wall for my board.
We rolled onto the track and followed the Safety car out for the formation lap ahead of the rolling start and immediately a couple of cars decided to overtake. Now I’m pretty sure the rules state that at that point we were not racing and should not have done so.
I firmed up on the car ahead and kept close until we came round ‘Coram’ heading into ‘Richies’. I could see the red lights and kept my eyes peeled for them to go out.
As we crossed the Start Line heading into turn one, there were cars left and right all fighting for position. Having previously only done stints once the race had settled down, this was a totally new experience. I LOVED IT.
I gained a few positions over the course of the first few laps and got into my groove. By Lap 6 I was back up to 26th.
I had my Timer running and a quick glance indicated that I had been out over the 15 minutes and I kept my eyes on the Pit wall for the #380 IN board where I thought it would be..
I came round once more and still no board.
By Lap 7 roughly 20 minutes into the race, The Safety car was deployed following a collision with two cars round Agostini.
The safety car was out for two laps and by the end, coming round Coram once more, I could see the car in the distance indicating to come in. Now, as I understood it, you can not follow a safety car into the pits without serving a fixed time penalty. I did believe that if the Safety car had driven past the Start/Finish Line, normal race conditions resumed.
Coming on onto the Straight, I pulled in… Mistake?
I travelled the short distance down the Pit Lane hoping to be greeted by our team, Alternatively, they sent me on my way back down the Pit lane.
My heart sank.. I tagged back out and re-joined the circuit having watched all my hard work literally pass me by. A few expletives shared between myself and the inside of the car, I completed another lap and pulled in again.
I jumped out and Mark was in.
We were second to last.
Having discussed how long I was ‘Supposed’ to be out, I gauged our garage position along the pit wall by placing between two flags, which I’m sure most of you all do. What I did not do however, is take into consideration that the person holding out the Pit board was not in fact between these two markers and thus My brain elected to completely disregard. Rookie mistake!
I nearly always glance down the pit wall each time I pass just in-case there is something I need to know but for one reason or another, despite the board being put out several times, I had completely missed anything either side of where I thought I was supposed to look. I had no idea what, how or why this happened but I was determined to ensure this would never happen again.
I had a quiet work with myself with my visor down for a few minutes alone before returning to apologise to the team.
Despite my Hindrance, Mark made up some good ground, making his way back up the pack to eventually bring the car back in in P14.
Having Calmed down, I was intent on making up for lost time and putting my previous mistake behind me, after all, there was nothing to be done now.
After a quick refuel, I was back in the car and off down the Pit Lane.
We re-joined around 26th And I managed to bring my times back down to my former race pace. Pit stop strategies meant that by the end of my second stint, we were up to P19.
Having etched the Pit Board Lady’s face into my braid, I was watching the Pit wall like a hawk and saw my board was out.
I made my way once more round the track trying to keep my pace before peeling off into the Pits for Andrew to bring us home.
Andrew re-joined the race in P23 and quickly settled in for the remaining 45-50 minutes.
Andrew put in some impressive consistent times and made up a few more places.
Given the fact that we were 1 lap down on the car in front, Andrew pushed on and we eventually crossed the finish line in P21 ( P20 After updated Timing Sheet.)
Awesome Result!
Conclusion/Take Away.
The most difficult part of racing for me is not letting your teammates or team down. Having only done a few races and being the 3rd driver to joint the team, let alone, I’m racing with my Bosses, I often question whether was was going to be good enough or make a mistake to let them down. We are after all, a team of three.
When we think of Motorsport, we usually tend to think of the Drivers/Riders and often disregard the people making it happen.
I was upset that I had lost us places based on a couple or errors in judgement. That was ‘MY’ Fault and it was a horrible feeling to have.
They were however, lessons I had experienced the first time and it’s important to move on from them but also learn for next time.
When people talk about racing, I often hear, ‘It’s just going round a track and overtaking the car in front’
There are literally 1000’s of things that go through your mind before, during and certainly after a race weekend. The Drive as fast as you can part is just one part of it. The hard part is to not let the important ones slip through the net.
Two main things I’ve learned from this race/experience are;
- Memorise the face and location of person who will be holding out your Pit Board.
- Complete one more lap after the Safety car has come in.
Lastly, if a mistake has been made, it has happened and the moment has passed. If you’re going back out. You can only do your best from that point and not let what has happened, interfere with the rest of your race.
On to the next one.
Special thanks once again to the Marshalls for keeping us all safe.
Stats
Race – best time
Nathan – 2:44:339 (Lap 47)
Mark – 2:41:984 (Lap 24)
Andrew – 2:43:056 (Lap 60)
Race Percentage Driven:
Nathan – 32.55% (19 laps)
Mark – 43.39% (29 laps)
Andrew – 21.15% (15 laps)