Tuscan Challenge
First races of the season both belters!
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Chris Stockton returned to take his place in the front pack as did David Mason, Richard Hay and Phil Keen. Keen remains the hottest prospect for the title this year. Last year he achieved great consistency and top placings but a win has always eluded him. He’s back in 2004 with a car rebuilt down to the last nut and bolt. No one looks more determined to succeed this year than him.
Race One
Sunday morning’s race saw Stockton get off to a flying start ahead of Keen, Dowling and Hay. Lee Caroline lingered around as is style at the start of races!
Chris Stockton threw it away at McLeans though, going wide and letting the following four cars through. Keen took the lead with Richard Hay in hot pursuit. Lee Caroline and David Hay followed.
Keen showed his growing maturity calmly staying in front and not letting the eager Hay pressurise him into a mistake. Opening up a small lead he left Hay fall into the hands of Caroline where a great battle ensued allowing Keen to stretch his lead.
Caroline and Hay battled tooth and nail, side by side and nose to tail. Caroline eventually dived past. Hay then succumbed to the pressure being applied by David Mason who subsequently nipped past Caroline too. Lee Caroline isn’t one to settle for third place and managed to salvage second place in dramatic style only feet from the finish line.
Keen took a well deserved first win to the delight of his many supporters whilst Lee Caroline made do with an unaccustomed second place. Mason took third followed by Hay.
PHer Andy Holden suffered at the hands of fate when Darren Dowling span out in front of him. Diving around the outside of his team mate, Holden took to the grass with the inevitable consequence – a sideways impact with the wall resulted in a shaken Holden being taken away in an ambulance and his car on a low loader.
By 4pm, Andy was more chirpy and ready to race in his mended car (despite an impact whilst driving at over 70mph!)
Race Two
The second race of the day got off to an entertaining start when Darren Dowling span on the first corner of the green flag lap. All was looking a bit grim for Dowling who was becoming over familiar with on track pirourettes.
When the race started though, he proved he’d completed his spins for the day and set about tackling the front runners. Mason got away sharpish followed by Stockton. Richard Hay settled into third place with Keen and Caroline behind.
Mason soon bungled though spinning off within half a lap. Hay took the lead with Keen and Stockton following. It was to be an exciting race full of spins with many of the leading pack visiting the gravel and then rejoining.
Stockton grasped the lead shortly after and held it for some laps before Hay came into contact with him consigning both Stockton and Keen to the gravel and leaving Hay in the lead. Lee Caroline suddenly found himself in second place and gave Hay a grilling, running only inches from his rear. Keen and Stockton managed to rejoin and within minutes were back up at the front.
It was then Lee Caroline’s turn to spin but he held position to take second place behind a victorious Hay. Behind the front two was Darren Dowling – achieving a podium thanks to some fast driving and more importantly avoiding other drivers! Keen and Stockton followed through.
It was a great day out with the second race a great reminder of just how close and how entertaining Tuscans can be. Roll on Silverstone in two weeks time!
Standing on the exit of a greasy chicane watching some "poor" bugger wrestle these, what can only be described as, bloody monsters was absolutely fantastic.
one of them 'sod the rain- i`ll get wet for this' moments.
Top Stuff!!!!
:standinginraingrinninglikeidiot:
daydreamer said:
Can only agree with the above. Missed the race, but experienced new Donnington in the wet in our first race on Saturday. VERY slippery, and we only had 140bhp to put down at the wrong time!
Fun though, isn't it!
(Well, not the three broken gearboxes and all the stuff that got smashed in the accident - but otherwise - what a blast
>> Edited by griff2be on Monday 5th April 11:57
smokin220 said:
Fun though, isn't it!
(Well, not the three broken gearboxes and all the stuff that got smashed in the accident - but otherwise - what a blast
29/220
Did you say 3 gearboxes........ should we be talking?
Gearboxes?
I don't know! I just drive/crash the thing. I came straight out and told told you that we'd had a component failure - a thingummy that goes round or something. Anyway, the first of the turny round things went a bit rattly in practice. So rather than blow it up completely, we changed it for number 2.
Unfortunately, in the impact in Race 1 (and God only knows how this happened), the selector shaft got bent
Which was a shame, as we'd only done 4 laps. I'm told that's easily fixed though
By that stage, we'd run out of turny round things, so Steve said it was game over.
I was a little p1ssed off with life at this stage, so decided I'd find another bloody turny round thing if it killed me. I figured Mr Dowling owed me a favour as I'd put myself in the wall avoiding him
Fortunately he had a spare and, well, he could hardly say no, could he!
I admit I was rather surprised, and a little disappointed, to hear a loud bang on lap 9, and the car wouldn't go (just when I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse!!!). I stirred the metal lever thing in the middle of the car a bit, to no avail. Just as I was preparing to park up next to the nice Mr Ross at the bottom of Craner, I discovered the slot marked '5' still functioned.
So I dribbled round the rest of the race and nursed it home for a few of the old Championship point things
I expect we'll have a chat over dinner on Saturday Uncle Rodney, when after several glasses of wine, I will admit everything and tell you it was all Samuleson's fault
To Andy for making it out for the second race. That was some wack you took in the first race - we were in the grandstand and were a tad concerned to say the least. Thought you drove an excellent race mate and did very well in the wet. Hopefully we might make it for Silverstone. Did you get to try the fairy cakes and the cookies?
Debs
Big_M said:
Did you get to try the fairy cakes and the cookies?
Debs
Debs - the cakes and cookies were magnificent
It was about 4 and a half hours between the races, and for the whole of that time I didn't know if I was going to make it out. I got more and more depressed as they guys kept finding more things wrong (how can you break a gearbox from a side-on impact?!!). Then Emma brought me a cup of tea and your cakes and it put a smile on my face
Race 2 wasn't my best ever, but I was lucky to be out there at all, and even luckier to finish. I think we'll put it down to experience and look forward to Silverstone. I'd like a 7th or 8th place there to make up for this weekend!
Its touching to have people on here looking out for me, and I hope you all enjoyed the weekend despite the weather
>> Edited by griff2be on Monday 5th April 20:40
I really hope we can find the time to cheer you on at Silverstone. We are of to Le Mans the following weekend and the back garden is a bit of a wilderness at the moment.
griff2be said:
(how can you break a gearbox from a side-on impact?!!).
I dunno but at the end of the 02 season i had a grassey moment at Mallory in the tas and managed to snap the tail case on the box in 2
whilst bouncing of the tyre wall backwards and sending the tyre wall into the lake be carefull for the next few days mate thats when all the aches and pains come out...
G
) - so God knows what you must have been feeling. You are an example to us all sir in the Chin Up stakes. Let's hope that it just gets better from here
. Rich
Glad to hear you were O.K.after your shunt.
I was one of the Rescue Bods who were scrambled to your incident. We picked you up dusted you off so you could take part in race two.
The Rescue Unit is part Ambulance and part Fire Engine , we carry both medical and rescue equipment. The unit is manned by a team of unpaid Volunteers who give up their weekends to cover race meetings.
We are all racing drivers at heart.
Ian
PetrolTed said:
Welcome to PH Ian.
It's the first time I've seen an ambulance drive around the track whilst racing continued. I think a few of the drivers were a little confused by this!
We also carry a Doctor on board. If a driver is hurt then we can be there in 30 seconds.
This was not the first time we have done this, we acually led the F3 race at Oulton park last year.
I must admit all the Tuscan drivers behaved themselves...I think.
When we parked up on Redgate the Ginetta's seemed like they were still racing.....Scary
Cheers
Ian
I have the dubiuos Honor of being over taken by the ambulance twice
at the start of a race !!!! Sat on the line at anglesey, putting the car into first and the gear lever snapped !!! whilst ripping bits of gator off to see what i could do the lights went to green and the race started, the guy next to me must have been watching me as he sat on the grid with me as everyone else went round us
then he set off, then the ambulance went past then finally i set off, overtaking the ambulance mid bend, only for the car to arrive at the next bend before i did resulting in a spin and the ambulance merrily sailing past me again!!!!. after that i had a storming race making up a good few places until i went off on the last lap trying to find a gear with a 1 inch gear leaver stump... Ahh the joys of racing...
did the rescue guys take the piss....when i went over to say hi after...
Ian Lewis said:
Hi Andy,
Glad to hear you were O.K.after your shunt.
I was one of the Rescue Bods who were scrambled to your incident. We picked you up dusted you off so you could take part in race two.
The Rescue Unit is part Ambulance and part Fire Engine , we carry both medical and rescue equipment. The unit is manned by a team of unpaid Volunteers who give up their weekends to cover race meetings.
We are all racing drivers at heart.
Ian
Hi Ian
Great to hear from you - I didn't know you were on here!
Thanks for your help on Sunday - I'm absolutely fine now. I gave you guys a special wave on the warm down lap!
On behalf of everyone who races I'd like to thank you and all your colleagues for the work you do at circuits - we couldn't race without you.
Sorry about my language in the ambulance by the way!!
Regards
Andy
Ian Lewis said:Rather embarrased to hear this - I'll mention it to Martin before the next races.
I must admit all the Tuscan drivers behaved themselves...I think.
When we parked up on Redgate the Ginetta's seemed like they were still racing.....Scary
I was such a goody twoshoes that I lost a place
(both coming down the straight side by side and I eased off more) - but as I said before, seeing an ambulance on the track does allow focus the priorities somewhat!We're all used to waved yellows and wreckage at the side of the track, but it is unusual to have an ambulance driving down the straight when a race is still live!
At the time I thought the ambulance was a bit OTT. Having said that, I didn't know what day of the week it was when I came to a halt, and I did wobble a bit when I got out - so far better to be safe.
The repairs to the car are now underway and the full extent of the damage is now clear. It was a very big hit - the tub is extensively cracked and de-laminated throughout, although the outer skin is not too bad. Even my seat cracked in the impact - so that'll be for the bin then!
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