Anyone at Cadwell this sunday?
Discussion
Well it goes something like this:
Race report:
Two 30 minute races (my first ever): Caterham Roadsport 'A' s at Cadwell Park (very narrow, hilly and a bit scary!!). Objective - must finish, must get two signatures.
We set off on Saturday evening in the Insane Racing team truck, via Steve Howard's daughter's 18th birthday party. Meeting up with Wayne (Tuscan Challenge No 5) at the party, he gave me a few words of advice: 'Have some more lager, it'll help you sleep'. I'm not sure it worked, and we arrived at Cadwell at 4.30am!
Refreshed with 3 hours sleep, huge nerves and a slight hangover, I called on my wealth of experience, went out there and slapped the car straight onto last place on the grid! Second qualifying was better - still last, but 3 seconds quicker despite a couple of spins.
Onto the race itself - quick off the start and out of the first three bends, I was amazed to find myself passing the guy in front. This wasn't in the scrpt and I promptly blew it on the next corner - ran wide, lost two places and that was the last I saw of the pack! Finished 16th out of 22, the last of the runners. Car in one piece and a signature on the licence.
For the second race I was determined to stay in touch with the other guys to learn from them. This time it was a mistake on lap three that dropped me back - another mistake put me out of touch. I had a spell in the middle of the race when (according to Steve) I was catching the guys in front, but then the tyres went off, and so did I - running wide on the fastest corner, hit a bump in the grass and took off, losing a rear wheel arch on landing. Oops! The rest of the race was spent mainly sideways with the tyres past their best and oil all over the track. 15th place, another signature, and another 0.7 seconds off my best time (not enough!!).
Apart from feeling as sick as a dog after both races, I had a great day out and learned loads. Its funny how quickly the objective changes from 'just finishing' to 'got to get the lap time down by another second'. I ended the day as fast as most through the long sweeping corners, but I was very slow through the tighter ones. Some work to be done there!
Big thanks to Steve and Insane Racing for getting me the drive and for supporting me through the day. Especially poor Steve who drove the truck all the way there and back - we got home at 1am!
Finally I'll recount a conversation I had with the other drivers:
"You've driven a Caterham much before then?"
"Never"
"But you've driven Cadwell before?"
"Nope"
"Which other races have you done then?"
"None. This is my first race"
"Bloody hell! First race at Cadwell, in one of these? You're mad, mate!"
Insane actually.....
Race report:
Two 30 minute races (my first ever): Caterham Roadsport 'A' s at Cadwell Park (very narrow, hilly and a bit scary!!). Objective - must finish, must get two signatures.
We set off on Saturday evening in the Insane Racing team truck, via Steve Howard's daughter's 18th birthday party. Meeting up with Wayne (Tuscan Challenge No 5) at the party, he gave me a few words of advice: 'Have some more lager, it'll help you sleep'. I'm not sure it worked, and we arrived at Cadwell at 4.30am!
Refreshed with 3 hours sleep, huge nerves and a slight hangover, I called on my wealth of experience, went out there and slapped the car straight onto last place on the grid! Second qualifying was better - still last, but 3 seconds quicker despite a couple of spins.
Onto the race itself - quick off the start and out of the first three bends, I was amazed to find myself passing the guy in front. This wasn't in the scrpt and I promptly blew it on the next corner - ran wide, lost two places and that was the last I saw of the pack! Finished 16th out of 22, the last of the runners. Car in one piece and a signature on the licence.
For the second race I was determined to stay in touch with the other guys to learn from them. This time it was a mistake on lap three that dropped me back - another mistake put me out of touch. I had a spell in the middle of the race when (according to Steve) I was catching the guys in front, but then the tyres went off, and so did I - running wide on the fastest corner, hit a bump in the grass and took off, losing a rear wheel arch on landing. Oops! The rest of the race was spent mainly sideways with the tyres past their best and oil all over the track. 15th place, another signature, and another 0.7 seconds off my best time (not enough!!).
Apart from feeling as sick as a dog after both races, I had a great day out and learned loads. Its funny how quickly the objective changes from 'just finishing' to 'got to get the lap time down by another second'. I ended the day as fast as most through the long sweeping corners, but I was very slow through the tighter ones. Some work to be done there!
Big thanks to Steve and Insane Racing for getting me the drive and for supporting me through the day. Especially poor Steve who drove the truck all the way there and back - we got home at 1am!
Finally I'll recount a conversation I had with the other drivers:
"You've driven a Caterham much before then?"
"Never"
"But you've driven Cadwell before?"
"Nope"
"Which other races have you done then?"
"None. This is my first race"
"Bloody hell! First race at Cadwell, in one of these? You're mad, mate!"
Insane actually.....
griff2be said: Well it goes something like this:
Finally I'll recount a conversation I had with the other drivers:
"You've driven a Caterham much before then?"
"Never"
"But you've driven Cadwell before?"
"Nope"
"Which other races have you done then?"
"None. This is my first race"
"Bloody hell! First race at Cadwell, in one of these? You're mad, mate!"
Insane actually.....
mm that sound a bit familiar
Tasmin race 2 years ago
"SO have you been at cadwell before"
"No"
"but you've raced before"
"No"
"ahh your a track day hound then"
"erm I did my ards test then one track day"
"have you driven the car much"
"well we hope to have it finished in time for qualifying"
"
Cadwell all the best people start there career there
p.s.
started 9th from 18 DNF as the alternator wasnt charging and the engine stalled going into the mountain on lap8.
I did manage a monster overtake on the grass on the inside out of the mountain....
p.p.s if anyone is going to Rockingham on sat i have a mate in his first mg midget race, you carnt miss it its bright green.
Im off to croft for a double header
and remember
black bit good green bit bad ( black tyre wall shaped bit very very very bad, and the murky brown bit in the middle at Mallory is a NO)
Advice (like I'm in any position to give any!!):
Don't hit the big concrete wall on the outside of the hairpin. It has enough different coloured paint on it as it is.
Feather the throttle slightly when you are airborne after the yump at the mountain - saves an unseemly moment on landing which you might get if you keep the throttle nailed when in the air.
Under no circumstances use the brake at the end of the straight and up towards Charlies. Flat out is the way ahead. Well it is in a Roadsport A!
And make sure you have the full English from the clubhouse in the morning. Good feed for £5.00!!
Don't hit the big concrete wall on the outside of the hairpin. It has enough different coloured paint on it as it is.
Feather the throttle slightly when you are airborne after the yump at the mountain - saves an unseemly moment on landing which you might get if you keep the throttle nailed when in the air.
Under no circumstances use the brake at the end of the straight and up towards Charlies. Flat out is the way ahead. Well it is in a Roadsport A!
And make sure you have the full English from the clubhouse in the morning. Good feed for £5.00!!
My first race was at Cadwell too!
The whole day was a complete disaster - I drove all the way there the night before, then realised I'd left my race overalls at home! Fortunately, a friendly Caterham driver lent me his, so I managed to practice OK.
I forgot to go to the novice drivers briefing, so got a severe talking to and license endorsement from the clerk of the course, and when I finally got out to practice, I remember getting to the hairpin, and pausing for a moment wondering whether to turn left or right!
I've got no idea what my lap times were, but fear they were measured by calendar rather than stopwatch! When it was announced that there were too many cars in the race, and they wanted someone to pull out, I decided that I'd had enough for one day, and leapt at the chance to take an early bath!
I'm going to be racing that weekend too Nick, so if there's anything you need to know then feel free to ask!
I've not had a chance to look at my master switch yet, but will try to do it by the weekend.
The whole day was a complete disaster - I drove all the way there the night before, then realised I'd left my race overalls at home! Fortunately, a friendly Caterham driver lent me his, so I managed to practice OK.
I forgot to go to the novice drivers briefing, so got a severe talking to and license endorsement from the clerk of the course, and when I finally got out to practice, I remember getting to the hairpin, and pausing for a moment wondering whether to turn left or right!
I've got no idea what my lap times were, but fear they were measured by calendar rather than stopwatch! When it was announced that there were too many cars in the race, and they wanted someone to pull out, I decided that I'd had enough for one day, and leapt at the chance to take an early bath!
I'm going to be racing that weekend too Nick, so if there's anything you need to know then feel free to ask!
I've not had a chance to look at my master switch yet, but will try to do it by the weekend.
That sounds like a bugger Ed! At least you got a practice session - I was terrified going straight out into qualifying on a strange track in a strange car! Everyone else went out and nailed it, I hadn't a clue where I was going and just tried not to slow them down.
If I hadn't had Steve with me I think I would have missed most of the key times. Signing on took forever, and the novice drivers briefing was "the black stuff is yours to do waht you want with, the green stuff is mine. Keep off my stuff!!" Amusing, but not quite what I was expecting. One of the other newbies asked 'what is your view on slowing down under yellow flags' - like the answer was going to be anything other than what's in the book! Luckily Steve was busy fuelling the car etc.. or I'd have missed first qualifying.
If I hadn't had Steve with me I think I would have missed most of the key times. Signing on took forever, and the novice drivers briefing was "the black stuff is yours to do waht you want with, the green stuff is mine. Keep off my stuff!!" Amusing, but not quite what I was expecting. One of the other newbies asked 'what is your view on slowing down under yellow flags' - like the answer was going to be anything other than what's in the book! Luckily Steve was busy fuelling the car etc.. or I'd have missed first qualifying.
When I said practice, this was actually qualifying, although the 750MC call it practice for some reason.
I think I was about 5 minutes late, so actually got onto the circuit when everyone else was zooming around!
It does make it so much easier if you have someone to point you in the right direction at the right times - it's so easy to get distracted and lose track of time.
Still - it's an awsome buzz when the lights go to green isn't it!
I think I was about 5 minutes late, so actually got onto the circuit when everyone else was zooming around!
It does make it so much easier if you have someone to point you in the right direction at the right times - it's so easy to get distracted and lose track of time.
Still - it's an awsome buzz when the lights go to green isn't it!
I can sympathise with you lot.
First race day (especially at a track like Cadwell which has just about every type of corner you can get) is bloody nerv wracking.
Good call going with the Insane boys (say hi to Wayne, I used to work with him!). Pretty soon you'll get into a routine but it's especially hard when you're starting out as you have to get to the novice/1st time drivers briefings as well as general briefings/scrutineering/qualifying etc.
Get there in plenty of time. Allow double the time for everything and read the pre-meet instructions carefully. Make youself a little agenda saying what to do and when and be generous with the timings.
Like this assuming an 09:00 qualifying session and the usual 08:00 sign-on:
06:00 Get to circuit, park and unload in the area of the paddock that's allocated to your formulae (not that anyone take much notice but it helps if you need to scrounge parts and don't want to run 500 yards to the nearest competitor)
06:15 Check car over and (if possible) fire it up briefly to check all is in order after the trip. Check paddock regs and be as considerate to anyone camping as possible. A quick run is all that's needed to check that a) it will actuall fire up and b) got oil pressure/no warning lights etc. Fuel the car for qualifying.
06:30 Have a quick read of the circuit guide to get an reminder of what's in store. You DID read it properly beforehand DIDN'T YOU??? Take a moment to check the times for the drivers briefings to fit them into the schedule.
06:45 WALK THE CIRCUIT!!! Not only will you get an idea of where the corners go, but you can identify brake points, low grip areas, standing water and a million other things. This will help you far more than reading any track guide.
07:15 (it's a long walk
Back at the car. Re-consult the track guide to look for any tips on the trickier sections of track.
07:30 1st time Drivers briefing? Get in early so you don't have to worry about it clashing with scrutineering. It's more likely that you'll get stuffed for time after scrutineering as you may have to change something.
07:40 Get in the queue for scrutineering (take overalls, helmet and some tape for scruting ticket!) Better still, get someone else to wait with the car while you sign on
08:00 (maybe a wee bit earlier) Sign on! Remember your competition licence and membership card. Again, get in the queue early as everyotherbugger will be trying to do the same.
08:10 Scrutineer car and sort out any niggles. Assess track conditions and set suspension settings/tyre pressures.
08:30 Get to the assembly area (take quick fix tools). Get yourself in the right frame of mind. Keep an eye on the previous session (if there is one) to see if it's likely to be delayed. Watch the other cars and see if they're struggling with grip etc.
09:00 Go qualify!
After qualifying, assess your performance. Try and get advice from other competitors (though it may pay you to ask people in other Formulae to avoid dis-information!). Fuel the car and check suspension/tyres again. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the race. Do your best to keep calm. There's NOTHING worse than having everything last minute and then having to concentrate on the race.
As far as those first few races go:
Keep yourself out of trouble.
Learn the track and learn the car.
See where the opportunities are to make time/overtake.
Race at your own pace until you're confident to push.
Keep and eye on the flags.
and most importantly...
... to finish first, first you've got to finish!
First race day (especially at a track like Cadwell which has just about every type of corner you can get) is bloody nerv wracking.
Good call going with the Insane boys (say hi to Wayne, I used to work with him!). Pretty soon you'll get into a routine but it's especially hard when you're starting out as you have to get to the novice/1st time drivers briefings as well as general briefings/scrutineering/qualifying etc.
Get there in plenty of time. Allow double the time for everything and read the pre-meet instructions carefully. Make youself a little agenda saying what to do and when and be generous with the timings.
Like this assuming an 09:00 qualifying session and the usual 08:00 sign-on:
06:00 Get to circuit, park and unload in the area of the paddock that's allocated to your formulae (not that anyone take much notice but it helps if you need to scrounge parts and don't want to run 500 yards to the nearest competitor)
06:15 Check car over and (if possible) fire it up briefly to check all is in order after the trip. Check paddock regs and be as considerate to anyone camping as possible. A quick run is all that's needed to check that a) it will actuall fire up and b) got oil pressure/no warning lights etc. Fuel the car for qualifying.
06:30 Have a quick read of the circuit guide to get an reminder of what's in store. You DID read it properly beforehand DIDN'T YOU??? Take a moment to check the times for the drivers briefings to fit them into the schedule.
06:45 WALK THE CIRCUIT!!! Not only will you get an idea of where the corners go, but you can identify brake points, low grip areas, standing water and a million other things. This will help you far more than reading any track guide.
07:15 (it's a long walk
Back at the car. Re-consult the track guide to look for any tips on the trickier sections of track. 07:30 1st time Drivers briefing? Get in early so you don't have to worry about it clashing with scrutineering. It's more likely that you'll get stuffed for time after scrutineering as you may have to change something.
07:40 Get in the queue for scrutineering (take overalls, helmet and some tape for scruting ticket!) Better still, get someone else to wait with the car while you sign on
08:00 (maybe a wee bit earlier) Sign on! Remember your competition licence and membership card. Again, get in the queue early as everyotherbugger will be trying to do the same.
08:10 Scrutineer car and sort out any niggles. Assess track conditions and set suspension settings/tyre pressures.
08:30 Get to the assembly area (take quick fix tools). Get yourself in the right frame of mind. Keep an eye on the previous session (if there is one) to see if it's likely to be delayed. Watch the other cars and see if they're struggling with grip etc.
09:00 Go qualify!
After qualifying, assess your performance. Try and get advice from other competitors (though it may pay you to ask people in other Formulae to avoid dis-information!). Fuel the car and check suspension/tyres again. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the race. Do your best to keep calm. There's NOTHING worse than having everything last minute and then having to concentrate on the race.
As far as those first few races go:
Keep yourself out of trouble.
Learn the track and learn the car.
See where the opportunities are to make time/overtake.
Race at your own pace until you're confident to push.
Keep and eye on the flags.
and most importantly...
... to finish first, first you've got to finish!
ehasler said: When I said practice, this was actually qualifying, although the 750MC call it practice for some reason.
Still - it's an awsome buzz when the lights go to green isn't it!
Sounds like the BRSCC and the 750MC are on the same page on that, although at least the former have the decency to call it qualifying.
As for the buzz - you can say that again!!
edited to include randomly ommitted words!
>> Edited by griff2be on Wednesday 21st May 17:48
By the way, we'll be at Oulton Park with the 750MC on Monday if you're about.
Plenty of Seven type stuff, race reports, track guides at my Locost site if you're interested:
www.locost-racing.com
Plenty of Seven type stuff, race reports, track guides at my Locost site if you're interested:
www.locost-racing.com
[griff2be said: Sounds like the BRSCC and the 750MC are on the same page on that, although at least the former have the decency to call it qualifying.]
To put it in the "modern idiom" - copied from F1, Champ Cars, USAC, NASCAR et al. you young sprogs might call it qualifying but to us old buggers it's still practice.
Cadwell was my local track where I cut my teeth in rallycross with the Cortina, it was useful when I ran out of road later in the Lotus 7
but the biggest buzz at Cadwell was 10 laps in the chair on a mates 1000cc kneeler
Great respect to the lads and lasses who do it in race conditions 
To put it in the "modern idiom" - copied from F1, Champ Cars, USAC, NASCAR et al. you young sprogs might call it qualifying but to us old buggers it's still practice.
Cadwell was my local track where I cut my teeth in rallycross with the Cortina, it was useful when I ran out of road later in the Lotus 7
but the biggest buzz at Cadwell was 10 laps in the chair on a mates 1000cc kneeler Great respect to the lads and lasses who do it in race conditions Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff