- 24,322
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
Historic Touring Car Championship 2011 Season Opener - Donington Park
Not really that much to say about this, the first race of the 2011 season for us. I didn't take my camera so i've no photos or in-car footage either, although as and when other people images pop up on other sites i'll try and post them here.
With the car still running well at the back-end of last season, there's been little to do on the Cortina over the winter period apart from some new engine mounts which were fitted only last Friday - last minute as per.
Qualifying time and i found myself to be the second last car in the assembly area. I don't usually mind this as we are generally unsure if any changes made to the car or any fresh parts or modifications are working properly, so tend to ease up to speed rather than go all out from the off. This time i knew the car was in good health, so having a full field of 30+ cars of varying performance in front of me wasn't ideal. As soon as the green flag fell and they let us onto the circuit i put the hammer down and tried to find some clear track. I took no prisoners and within 4 or 5 laps i found some empty track ahead. I managed to put in a couple of what i felt were quick laps before the tyres felt like they'd over heated and lost grip. I backed off enough to cool them a bit whilst ensuring none of the previously passed cars got back ahead then attempted to do some quicker laps again. I got about half way through a lap when the engine felt like it had lost power. It had been giving a slightly lumpy power delivery for those previous laps i'd slowed down on, but at the time i thought it was just playing up off-cam. I got onto the back straight and could tell something was seriously up with the engine, it just wouldn't rev. I let the car cruise down the straight in top but it totally cut out just as i got to the hairpin, thankfully i had enough momentum to carry me to the pits.
Feeling a bit glum back in the paddock the car was checked over and it was eventually discovered that one of the distributor arms had broken and began rotating itself within the distributor and messing up the firing sequence. A new one fitted and the engine fired up a treat. By this time the time sheets had been published and i was chuffed to find i'd qualified first in class and 5th overall! It looked set to be a close race, pole had been taken by a Ford Falcon by a clear 4 seconds from the second placed car. The next four cars, me included, were all within 0.7 seconds of each other and were all Lotus Cortinas.
As we lined up on the grid it was great to see just handful of cars ahead and 25 or so lined up behind in my mirror. The 5 second board was soon shown quickly followed by the red lights. It seemed to take an age before they switched off, but when they did i had 5k nicely balanced as i dropped the clutch. With a slightly downhill start 5k was probably slightly to much and a few fractions were wasted whilst the rear tyres fought for grip. The Falcon on pole made a slow start and i found myself right up behind him going into the first turn. The Alfa behind me on the grid made a great start and was marginally ahead but on the outside of me as we went through Redgate. Thankfully the Falcon ran wide and halted his progress, opening a gap for me to get alongside on the run down through Hollywood and the Craner Curves. The big car was lively on cold tyres so i slotted in behind him through the Old Hairpin. On the run back up the hill i was almost within striking distance but he had just enough power on the straight bits to keep me behind. Once onto the back straight his 220+hp advantage was enough to get into the braking area before i'd have a chance to take an optimistic lunge into the final chicane.
The concertina effect of having a powerful car that's relatively slow into the turns (on cold tyres and brakes at least) had allowed the quickest Imp and Mini latch onto my tail. As we started the second lap i was on the defensive, not able to find a way passed the Falcon, yet having to slow earlier than i'd like for the corners and not being able to get the power back on as quickly as i'd like on the way out. Imps are great under braking and their 911-like rear engined layout makes them quick out too. The quickest Minis just don't ever seem like they have to brake at all! Through McLeans and Coppice i was really having to get defensive and by the time i reached the the braking area at the end of the back straight i could tell one of the two cars behind was close enough to make a lunge. The Falcon had found some grip by this time and had closed the gap to the Cortinas ahead, leaving me plenty of space to brake as late as i could into the chicane. If i'd let either the Imp or Mini passed at this point i'd have found it hard to get passed them and get back on terms with the leading pack.
I was just a little too late on the brakes to make the first apex and travelling too quickly to fully avoid the huge foam block on the inside of the second apex. I clipped the block and dove into the gravel trap it sat on. I thought i'd be able to pass through it, slowed, but still on track, but the freshly laid trap had other ideas and had me stopped dead within no more that a car length - and that's from a too-quick-to-take-the-corner velocity! I had a couple of attempts to drive myself out but i was going nowhere, i was beached and my rear wheels were sunken to below the axel line. I watched the rest of the race from a marshalls post.
On the upside the car is undamaged and running really well. I feel like i was finally getting to the stage where car and driver were beginning to perform at the level they should be. But it doesn't make me any less frustrated and incredibly annoyed with myself for making such an error. As the rest of the race unfolded, i imagine that i'd have probably finished 3rd overall, maybe within stabbing distance of challenging for second. I could have been sat here with a little silver pot on my sideboard, but instead i'm kicking myself thinking about the lost opportunity.
Not really that much to say about this, the first race of the 2011 season for us. I didn't take my camera so i've no photos or in-car footage either, although as and when other people images pop up on other sites i'll try and post them here.
With the car still running well at the back-end of last season, there's been little to do on the Cortina over the winter period apart from some new engine mounts which were fitted only last Friday - last minute as per.
Qualifying time and i found myself to be the second last car in the assembly area. I don't usually mind this as we are generally unsure if any changes made to the car or any fresh parts or modifications are working properly, so tend to ease up to speed rather than go all out from the off. This time i knew the car was in good health, so having a full field of 30+ cars of varying performance in front of me wasn't ideal. As soon as the green flag fell and they let us onto the circuit i put the hammer down and tried to find some clear track. I took no prisoners and within 4 or 5 laps i found some empty track ahead. I managed to put in a couple of what i felt were quick laps before the tyres felt like they'd over heated and lost grip. I backed off enough to cool them a bit whilst ensuring none of the previously passed cars got back ahead then attempted to do some quicker laps again. I got about half way through a lap when the engine felt like it had lost power. It had been giving a slightly lumpy power delivery for those previous laps i'd slowed down on, but at the time i thought it was just playing up off-cam. I got onto the back straight and could tell something was seriously up with the engine, it just wouldn't rev. I let the car cruise down the straight in top but it totally cut out just as i got to the hairpin, thankfully i had enough momentum to carry me to the pits.
Feeling a bit glum back in the paddock the car was checked over and it was eventually discovered that one of the distributor arms had broken and began rotating itself within the distributor and messing up the firing sequence. A new one fitted and the engine fired up a treat. By this time the time sheets had been published and i was chuffed to find i'd qualified first in class and 5th overall! It looked set to be a close race, pole had been taken by a Ford Falcon by a clear 4 seconds from the second placed car. The next four cars, me included, were all within 0.7 seconds of each other and were all Lotus Cortinas.
As we lined up on the grid it was great to see just handful of cars ahead and 25 or so lined up behind in my mirror. The 5 second board was soon shown quickly followed by the red lights. It seemed to take an age before they switched off, but when they did i had 5k nicely balanced as i dropped the clutch. With a slightly downhill start 5k was probably slightly to much and a few fractions were wasted whilst the rear tyres fought for grip. The Falcon on pole made a slow start and i found myself right up behind him going into the first turn. The Alfa behind me on the grid made a great start and was marginally ahead but on the outside of me as we went through Redgate. Thankfully the Falcon ran wide and halted his progress, opening a gap for me to get alongside on the run down through Hollywood and the Craner Curves. The big car was lively on cold tyres so i slotted in behind him through the Old Hairpin. On the run back up the hill i was almost within striking distance but he had just enough power on the straight bits to keep me behind. Once onto the back straight his 220+hp advantage was enough to get into the braking area before i'd have a chance to take an optimistic lunge into the final chicane.
The concertina effect of having a powerful car that's relatively slow into the turns (on cold tyres and brakes at least) had allowed the quickest Imp and Mini latch onto my tail. As we started the second lap i was on the defensive, not able to find a way passed the Falcon, yet having to slow earlier than i'd like for the corners and not being able to get the power back on as quickly as i'd like on the way out. Imps are great under braking and their 911-like rear engined layout makes them quick out too. The quickest Minis just don't ever seem like they have to brake at all! Through McLeans and Coppice i was really having to get defensive and by the time i reached the the braking area at the end of the back straight i could tell one of the two cars behind was close enough to make a lunge. The Falcon had found some grip by this time and had closed the gap to the Cortinas ahead, leaving me plenty of space to brake as late as i could into the chicane. If i'd let either the Imp or Mini passed at this point i'd have found it hard to get passed them and get back on terms with the leading pack.
I was just a little too late on the brakes to make the first apex and travelling too quickly to fully avoid the huge foam block on the inside of the second apex. I clipped the block and dove into the gravel trap it sat on. I thought i'd be able to pass through it, slowed, but still on track, but the freshly laid trap had other ideas and had me stopped dead within no more that a car length - and that's from a too-quick-to-take-the-corner velocity! I had a couple of attempts to drive myself out but i was going nowhere, i was beached and my rear wheels were sunken to below the axel line. I watched the rest of the race from a marshalls post.
On the upside the car is undamaged and running really well. I feel like i was finally getting to the stage where car and driver were beginning to perform at the level they should be. But it doesn't make me any less frustrated and incredibly annoyed with myself for making such an error. As the rest of the race unfolded, i imagine that i'd have probably finished 3rd overall, maybe within stabbing distance of challenging for second. I could have been sat here with a little silver pot on my sideboard, but instead i'm kicking myself thinking about the lost opportunity.
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