Spa Francorchamps

The car you see in the picture is a Ford Capri 3.0s. It is built to replicate the car that won the Spa Francorchamps 24hrs race in 1978. I race this car and have done for around 15 years. In fact you could say that they'll have to surgically remove it from me when I die!

Anyway Spa Francorchamps is a fantastic circuit set in the Belgian Ardennes. As a racing theatre it is second to none and for many reasons is the favourite circuit of nearly all racing drivers. We race there every year at around the end of September and this year was no different. The event is the FIA 6hrs of spa Francorchamps and as the name suggests the weekend includes a six hour race for cars built prior to 31 December 1965. These cars run as Appendix A which is a category specific to the FIA. For the last three years, not only have I raced my Capri in one or more of the support races, I have also shared an MGB in the 6hours race. This has led to a busy if tremendous weekend.

This is the MGB as it looked during the 2008 race. It is a lovely little car and a delight to drive. Not the fastest out there but certainly not the slowest. But you need your wits about you because cars such as GT40s and Cobras are also in the race and they are significantly faster.

Anyway this year we decided to enter only one of the one-hour support races with the Capri and of course the 6hours with the MG.

It was somewhat disappointing to arrive at Spa on the Thursday to be greeted by rain, so any chances of practicing were washed away. It was therefore necessary to guess at the suspension settings for qualifying which would be dry the next day.

We qualified the car 24th out of 66, which was not too shabby. We were third in our class and had lapped 5 seconds quicker than any previous attempts. The race looked promising. This is a two driver race with a compulsory pit stop and we elected to stop at half way. My co driver would take the start. Unfortunately when we came to start the car before the race on Saturday morning, it refused to fire up until it was too late to leave the pit lane. The result was that not only would we start from the back, we'd have to catch up with the field that had already been warmed up! This incidentally is why the headlights are on. Get out of the way we're coming through!

My co driver performed brilliantly so that when I took over we were in 40th place. Every lap produced overtaking opportunities and the car felt fantastic. I could get on the gas so much earlier and of course I was able to drive through Blanchiment flat in top, something that previous years had required a lift to get the nose turned in. Due to the lappery we never got to beat our qualifying time but we did overtake the two cars in our class that started ahead of us and we finished 24th and first in class.

All was looking good for the 6hours.

I was due to take the start in the MG at 4pm and would run for 1 1/2 hours for the first stint. After that it would be another 1 1/2 hours for my co driver then I'd get back in for my second and final stint. I've spent around ten hours in the car and was looking forward to another good result for the weekend. Sadly it was not to be.

On my 6th lap a Lotus Elan approached me at very high speed as I was entering Pouhon, a double apex left hand bend. You enter in third gear and accelerate through taking top gear at the second apex. Anyway I saw the Lotus approaching and waved him down the inside and prepared to follow him through. That's when it went wrong. The driver of the Lotus slowed as he pulled in front of me, I saw he was struggling to control the car which was sliding sideways and over the kerbs. I had little choice but to move back on line and take the corner as normal. Sadly the other driver was still struggling and speared back on to the track, into the rear of my car.

Here is the result.

I spun into the barrier, then spun around and rolled, returning to what was left of the four wheels.

Without giving away names I can tell you that the other driver is a well known ex touring car and F3000 driver. I went to see him in the paddock afterwards to shake hands and commiserate. As far as I was concerned it was a racing incident. The only thing we did wrong was enter the race, yet this lord of all he races, took it upon himself to berate me and suggest that it was all my fault. I decided to walk away and went for a beer.

So, unlike previous years the unsporting behaviour of another competitor dampened what could have been a great weekend. Even the crash hadn't taken away the satisfaction of our class win earlier in the day.

But, that's not the end. The car is being repaired as I write and will return to the tracks next season. In the meantime there's a weekend of historic motor sport planned at Abu Dhabi 21 to 23 January 2010. 60', 70's and 80s, Sports Prototypes and Formula 1 cars will be heading out from Europe and we may even try to get them to Qatar later next year.

Friends

What is it with people these days? Or could it be me? I'm forced to consider whether I continue with my current input to various organisations and websites simply because I seem to be moving away from the consensus on many areas.

Take the recent events in the Formula 1 Championship.

I have been a fan of Jenson Button since he arrived in the category. Being away most of the time, he hadn't appeared on my radar prior to that. It was the same with Kimi. I observed his arrival then the Benetton/Renault years when Flavio, blatantly in my opinion, used Button to enhance the reputations of his contracted drivers, Fisichella. Flav made money but history tells us that Fisi has very little fizz and as for Trulli? The perceived wisdom is that Flav was aggravated when Button rented a yacht and moored it in a prime location in Monaco for his first GP there. That was also the "playboy" period and Jenson was living the dream. Possibly incorrect but not a hanging offence.

Then he moved into a team that had been built around its star driver Jacques Villeneuve, who proclaimed that Jenson was an also ran. That was the turning point for many, because the also ran creamed his illustrious partner and went on to lead the team. If people didn't know it then, I suggest they were either blind or biased because we were witnessing a talent in the making.

Along the way, and let's not forget he is still only 29, he made some mistakes. Jerking Sir Frank Williams around is not a good thing to do so, like many, I was critical of his actions at that time. Indeed I couldn't see any good reason to stay at BAR (nee Honda) which was sadly under performing. But stay he did.

Moving on, he scored his and the team's first and indeed only, win at Budapest in 2006. Certainly he was mildly lucky to win when Alonso broke down but he was applying sufficient pressure in second place to make Alonso push harder than he might. All of which lead to the circumstance I described. But all through that season he was consistently in the top six. More evidence that he was no "also ran".

Last season (2008) was a year to forget. The car was a dog and although he was being beaten by his team mate he remained loyal to the team and made very little complaint.

Then, when things were looking good for 2009, Honda quit. Not only did this impact the team, it had ramifications all through the grid that would continue to this day with the retreat of the under performing Toyota just this week.

So what is the point of this post? Well, I've seen some good reasons for disliking a person and let's face it, anyone who is famous is there to be critiqued but surely the following is just plain daft?

Apparently Jenson Button is not worthy of being the World Champion because;

"He wants more money next year and yet loads of people in his team were downsized last year."

"He's already trousering shed loads of money yet there are people who have no work."

"When he was nine he had a crash in a Kart race and his dad berated the marshal."

"He spent a lot of time saying "I'm the World Champion" and didn't acknowledge the team."

I could go on but the above quotes are paraphrased from various conversations and my answer to them in order was:

He took a massive pay cut to support the team at the beginning of the season and having done everything he could, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect a pay rise?

Like many people I am fortunately working, I'm sure those who are out of work would be really grateful if I took a pay cut or indeed resigned in order to give them employment. No it doesn't work does it? Likewise why should Jenson be punished because he is a success?

If you are that bitter about something after twenty years, you lead a really sad existence. Furthermore as deplorable as berating a marshal is, it was his dad not Jenson doing the berating.

I guess his rendition of Queen's "We are the champions" and his interview where he thanked the team don't count then? Although I do think he should retire from his singing career.

So, what to do? I'm currently reconsidering my list of friends because for the record I never knew they were so small minded.

You live and learn.

I'm a believer.........................................

.....................was a song by the Monkees, a sixties beat combo of marginal talent. However I do believe in loads of things and there are even some things I'm willing to believe in that so far, I don't. As a f'rinstance I'm quite prepared to believe Gordon Brown is a nice bloke (well, that is a bit of a stretch but you never know). Then I'm prepared to believe that there is a more ethical way to produce Fois Gras. I believe in Father Christmas (run with me on this please) and of course the tooth fairy. Well, I got pressies as a kid at Christmas and also got money every time a tooth fell out.

I believe the Australian cricket team is one of the best in the world surpassed only by England. Indeed the same applies to Rugby teams. I believe Micheal Schumacher was/is a damned fine driver who made a few minor mistakes. I believe Tiger Woods is the best golfer the world has seen.

But, and here I really am struggling.................................






I can't believe a Force India driven by Fisichella is on pole a Spa Francorchamps!

The Return of TGF (That German Fellow)

“Don’t get me wrong but…………..”. Words that are usually spoken, or written, as a preamble to justify an opinion that may differ from the audience and it is used many times when referring to a driver or a team in motorsport forums (fora?). As a for instance, the recent happenings in Formula One. Certainly the events that have left Felipe Massa out of the rest of the 2009 Championship are very sad, however his reported recovery is very good news indeed. But, what about the news of his replacement, a certain German Fellow by the name of Michael Schumacher, who some may recall won seven World Driver’s Championships between 1994 and 2007 when he hung up his helmet for, what we all assumed was “good”?

Oh how wrong we were. He’s back as Felipe’s stand-in and with over half the season gone one asks what he can achieve? Indeed whatever he does there are many questions that will be left hanging by November 2009. Let’s look at some of them.
He comes back finishes at best third in one of the races, all the rest are fifth or lower. What to make of that, if he beats Kimi in any of those races then it must mean Kimi is pretty ropey. If he loses to Kimi in any of those races it must mean he’s not very good anymore.

He comes back, blows everyone into the weeds and runs the Driver’s World Championship to the wire. Hmm, then after a two year lay off these cars must have got too easy to drive because otherwise how would he do it? And what does it say about the rest of the grid?

For my part I’m just looking forward to seeing him back, although I’m no fan per se, his less “ethical” actions have soured his name for me, but there can be no doubt he is or was extremely talented but because of the issues above this is going to make the final part of the season extremely interesting.

Now, one more point which may be somewhat controversial. According to this years rules, there is no in-season testing. Thus when new boy Jaime Alguersuari was chosen to replace Sebastian Bourdais at Torro Rosso, he got precisely zero miles in testing. As a rookie he qualified for the necessary Superlicence by winning the British Formula 3 Championship. Yet as that rookie, in other words someone who has limited or no Formula 1 experience, he had to get used to it in the Hungarian GP weekend. However our multiple World Champion has (we understand) received dispensation to test a car for a day. Thus his team will no doubt also benefit from this extra curriculum, albeit sanctioned, activity.

Yes let us celebrate the return of the chin but let’s also look at the impact of the decision. I hope it all works out for the best but don’t get me wrong here, I hope he doesn’t show the rest of the circus up.

A Tales of Lost Talent

It is always sad when we lose a driver in a motor sport accident. It's even more sad when that driver is a young and up and coming talent. Not only has that driver lost his or her life, he or she has also lost the opportunity to shine and like a bright star that may have been their talent is snuffed out in an instant.

So it was eighteen years ago when Paul Warwick at the age of 22 lost his life whilst in the lead of a British Formula 3000 championship race. He'd dominated that category all season and had a very strong lead when at the fifth round, whilst once again dominating the race, when near the end his car’s right front suspension failed at Knickerbrook, which was an extremely quick corner at that time. The car disintegrated in the ensuing accident and, despite prompt medical attention, Paul died without ever regaining consciousness.

Read more: http://autoracing.suite101.com/article.cfm/paul_warwick#ixzz0MAWrZvM2

I recall at the time being very sad because his brother Derek was one of my favourite racers and we all knew that Paul was going to be as good if not better. We'd never see him shine brighter than in that last season though and the world of motor sport lost a real talent.

Fast forward to 19 July 2009 and an eighteen year old Henry Surtees is running down in ninth place in the second of two Formula 2 races at Brands Hatch. He'd finished on the podium in third place the day before and was in ninth because of a spin earlier in the race. Sadly as he was running back through the field he was hit by an errant wheel that had been torn off the car of Jack Clarke, who had spun into the armco at Westfield Bend. Although Surtees collided with the barriers at the following Sheene Curve he was unconscious and would not recover form the injuries he suffered from the collision with the wheel.

So where is the link in these two tragic accidents? Well firstly Henry was only just born when Paul lost his life and in that time many safety improvements have been made in single seater motor sport. That said it is impossible to tell if the tethers that have been introduced to retain wheels in the event of an accident, would have worked for Paul. It is certain that they didn't work for Jack Clarke at Brands Hatch.

But the one point of all this that has made me think, is the need for many people to find someone to blame. It seems that for some people the thought that motor racing is dangerous has just struck them like a bolt from the blue. Even more disturbing is that the finger pointing has gone as far as to accuse the organiser MSV, which is owned by ex racer Dr Jonathan Palmer, of skimping on safety. Frankly I find this attitude appalling and furthermore childish in the extreme. These finger pointers, fail to consider the feelings of those involved, not only Henry's family and friends but the marshals and medical staff who all tried so hard to save him. Don't these people realise that Henry was doing what he loved doing and he wasn't too shoddy at it either?

Ultimately we will get the findings of the enquiry and that will either suggest that something went awry or there is something that needs to be changed. However nothing will bring Henry back no more than it would Paul.

These two drivers are inextricably linked in my mind as two young guns who could never realise their full potential. That's a cruel enough fact on its own, it doesn't need a blame culture to make things worse.

With thanks to Pink Floyd

Well I’m Lost For Words! This must be The Final Cut because it looks like there’s Nobody Home. Our Prime Minister is either Comfortably Numb or just Waiting for the Worms. Never mind though The Tide is Turning, he’s looking through Paranoid Eyes but it will be a Great Day for Freedom when it All Makes Perfect Sense and we get rid of New Labour!

Holidays (or Vacations to our friends in the "colonies").

Sooooo, what's been happening in the world whilst I've been partying, eating, lazing on a beach (yes even in the UK), testing and racing my racing car?
The Tories lost an important election. Nope not the EU elections which only served to demonstrate the sheer contempt that the Labour Government is deservedly held in by the British populace. Nope this is the election that the Labour party should have held to remove their prime minister (I use no capitals because he is a small minded individual of little import). Yep the Tories lost it because instead of encouraging the Labour ministers and MPs to do something they ignored it and preferred to gloat (albeit justifiably) about the lack of support and the increase in control that each party has respectively achieved in the local elections.

Brown you are the weakest link. Go now for goodness' sake. And no kissing Anne Robinson either!

However on to more important things. I went to Jersey, that's an island in what we like to call the English channel, where we had great weather for a few days and then English weather for a few days and I gained about three kilos eating and drinking great food and wine. The eating the food and drinking the wine of course. Eating wine tends to hurt when the glass breaks. Anyway I highly recommend the place, it has cliffs, waves, fishing, walks, greenery, and of course restaurants and bars. Go, you won't be disappointed.

Right now I ache a bit. I'm sitting in the BA lounge in Heathrow, waiting for the delayed flight to Doha. I'm aching because I raced my car yesterday and for 45mins in a pretty hot cockpit I fought a monster that was trying desperately to throw itself at the scenery! This was a bit of a shame because prior to yesterday I tested the car and it was brilliant! Going quicker and needing less effort to make it go! Anyway aching or not I went faster than before at the circuit, Kept it on the island and netted a second place pot. As you know real men come second, so that's all right.