Grand Passione Classic, Donington, 19/20 April

[Asp]

Originally Posted by James Murray

Whats the race line up for this event. I cant find a timetable or any info on Masters site.

How about at http://www.themastersseries.com/reso...Don_TTable.pdf ?

[Jimbob-18]

The line-up is also on Donington's website

I'll be going with a few other members from the Ferrari owners club. Apparently we are doing a demo at lunch or something? Anyhow, really looking forward to it, my first race attendance of 2008. The program is mouth watering.

Hopefully the weather is nice, last time i went to Donington, for the BTCC last year, it chucked it down basically all day until the last race of the day. Cancelled races are never fun! I'll remember to take my waterproofs this time though.

Also one thing that i can't put out my mind, most the races are using just slick tyres, and if it rains.....well....just think Slicks+Rain=A lot of VERY expensive cars in the tyre barriers?

Anyway, see you down there guys!

P.S: Donington is my local track!

[terence]

But they are allowed to change over to wets.

[Jimbob-18]

Oh, okay. From what i was reading it seemed like they only had slick tyres available though.......

[terence]

No,we all have the choice of being heros,but most will use wets.It is part of the reg's.

[Jimbob-18]

Cheers for clearing that up. Just out of interest, what race are you racing in?

[Alan Morgan]

If I understood some of the previous posts correctly, then Terence has a chance of appearing in any race that has a safety car period...

[terence]

Yes Alan,it means there is a chance to be leading or dead last!

[simon drabble]

so how did day one go...... I gather it was rather fresh up there but dry (or at least upto midday)

[rogerwills]

Fantastic first day. Not a drop of rain but windy and damn cold. Some excellent racing. The GT race into the dusk was brilliant but I guess too cold and late for most spectators. I'm looking out the window and its wet today although no rain falling now. Will make for an interesting time.

If anyone is coming up come and say hi. We are in the "Speed Street" tent with the green Corvette and the little blue Elva sports racer.

[skid mark]

We went yesterday and it was 'kin freezing. After looking around the paddock for an hour or two we went back to the car and drove it into the infield and watched from the top of the old hairpin. It was a shame that the GT race was on so late, 18:25, and lasted 90 mins. We wanted to stop and watch as a mate of ours was on pole, but I do not think 'management' would have been impressed if I arrived home at 9:00pm! Does any one know the result?

It is an excellent entry list, only spoilt by the cold weather which means garage doors are kept shut and everyone retreats to their motor home.

P.S We got into the infield using our 'pedestrian' entry tickets, but there was a sign up saying £50 for a car, which I thought was a bit steep.

[Jimbob-18]

Very good day of racing. Really enjoyed it, shame about the weather. It was extremly cold today, but we found shelter where we could and made a dash for the FOC owners tent when it got too much. Lots of good racing, the battle for the lead in Proto 70 was very interesting until eveyone dissapeared and there was only 4 cars racing . However, the F1 cars were very interesting to see as were the World Sports Car Masters, but all very good races really. My pictures of the day will be online shortly.

[historicmechy]

Just got back from Donington, and totally missed the run up to the event from working too hard getting cars ready for the season. Was running Ron Maydon's Amon AF101 in the Grand Prix Masters race, and it was a shame that a few competitors dropped out from the races such as the beautiful 12 cylinder Matra that was in our race that sounds superb. Seemed to be a good meeting though and most people seemed to enjoy themselves.

[terence]

I have to say that the M3 was quite warm,was it cold yesterday?


From where I was sitting and the reports I've heard it sounds like there was some very good racing with only one Safety Car Period,well done to all involved on and off circuit,apart from todays weather I thought it went extremly well. Well done racers!!!!

[rbs]

Not the best meeting I have been to this year, not enough competitors, poor reliabilty and many races were to long in time, not sure if I would rush back to see another meeting.

[Jimbob-18]

Originally Posted by rbs

Not the best meeting I have been to this year, not enough competitors, poor reliabilty and many races were to long in time, not sure if I would rush back to see another meeting.

I disagree. Of course there is going to be reliability, it's historic racing! If you want to see a bullet proof race, go to some modern F1 race! I personally think the reliability of the races spices it up, you can't count anybody out because of it. Shame for the guy in the Pre '61 Grand Prix Race, the pole sitter going from 1st to last in a 100 yards!

And on the competitors thing, i disagree again, many fields had big grids, gentlemen drivers, Ferrari historic Challenge, The Pre '66 Grand Prix Cars and World Sportscar Masters all had very big grids. Sure, maybe the Proto '70 grid wasn't massive, but it's a new series, so there won't be many cars racing in that straight off.

Depending on wether the Ferrari Owners Club are there next year or not, i may or may not be there again.

[delta]

We had a charracture building weekend. Thursday i was just bedding in the Lotus 17 with a fresh 1098 and after 2 laps the crank broke.Back to Reading swop engine then back to Donnington Friday for Jim to sneak out in the track day to make sure all was ok. Friday night down to the NagsHead and a brilliant dinner. Slept in van untill 4.30 thats when the first plane came over, never mind still excited as i am racing. Nice cup of sweet tea and finnal prep. Warm up 17 just as the cars are going to assembly area she starts missfiring. Sounds like fuel so check wiring fuses ect. Thats all ok to the electrics and there is a wopping spark across the points "condensor" Run accross to see Dereck at Sid Hoole and grab a new condensor by this time quallafing started and Jim is getting cross . I then start to panic a bit and cant get the blooming screw back into the base plate.Mechanic next door came to the rescue what a top bloke. Fire her up and send Jim out. Get changed and leg it up to the pits. Jim going well just a few minuits left and Jim comes in for me to get a couple of laps in. Jim stats the race and is going well but after 30mins he comes in not feeling to good so i jump in to do my stint. Get some good laps in and am getting quicker each lap then the gearbox started sounding noisy so called it a day.Got a tow back to the paddock loaded up and went home.To make matters worse Reading lost to Arsenal and have dropped down to 17th just outside drop zone. The only good news is that we were classified as a finnisher in the results and won the class. "dont ask how many were in the class please"

[gary396]

I was a marshal on the Saturday (couldn't do the Sunday). As a Croft-based marshal only in my second year it was only my second time at Donington (having done the MSV event the previous weekend) and was made very welcome by the locals. Very cold and windy on Saturday but I have to say a great day's racing - thoroughly enjoyed it. It's still hard to believe they used to race some of the "older" vehicles in anger and even harder to believe that there's still people enough brave enough to race them as they did at the weekend. Well done to everyone - as said, I thoroughly enjoyed it - I'll be looking out to attend some of the other events in this series!

[Asp]

I think it's fair that there were some disappointing races. The weather on Sunday particularly meant that things got spread out a bit more than would have been hoped, and a few grids were less than ideal.

But, you stand that chance of that at any meeting, and from my vantage point at Starkey's they were definitely in the minority. Some huge grids were great to watch slipping and sliding in the grease exiting the Old Hairpin on Sunday - so even where it wasn't close, it was still spectacular.

As rogerwills said, the final race on Saturday was brilliant. Being a bit overcast meant the racing into the dusk wasn't quite as spectacular as it might otherwise have been, but for a 90minute race there was always some battle to watch - possibly my favourite race of the weekend!

All I need to do now is finish warming up and get the tent tried out (Global warming my arse)

[terence]

I agree with most of the above,apart from"Modern F1" being reliable. .
Delta,I'm sorry I missed you,I did wait at the bottom of the pit lane though!
Shame all of the effort did not amount to much but at least you did the right thing by pitting it.As for some of the grids,yes they were a little short of entrys bit even so,considering the mixture of fabulous cars out there plus the driving standards,[I only got to excersise the car once,and not because of bad driving] I think that everyone deserves a slap on the back,the Race control Team,Masters and all of the Marshals.Shame about the weather,but thats UK life!One thing I have to say though is of the Driving in the Ferrari Challenge,considering the amount of Novice cross's on show there was not one incident on a not entirly dry surface !



[Delta,How many where in your class?]

[TFHarv]

Was a very interesting if long weekend the Saturday racing was Excellent and even tho it made it a very long stand in the cold wind there was some very exciting racing in the last race, at one point i thought the bonnet of one car was attached to the back of another

Some of the Sunday races were somewhat bleak tho with 4 cars finishing (from a field of 12 was it) and the weather strung some of the other races out somewhat. Enjoyed the last race again tho and under some excellent tutorledge in car recognition and observing managed to get a good few cars through the pack with blue flags.

Would do the meet again but request better weather to be ordered please

oh and a longer lunch too - didn't get chance to visit the paddock and take some much wanted pictures

[terence]

One thing I have to do is to say a Big Thankyou to everyone in race control,I thoroughly enjoyed myself being with such a professional team,absolutely fantastic.It was also good meeting up with the faces behind the key-boards.Many thanks John gee for a further in site as to the running of what I saw as a first class inaugural Masters Event,long may they continue.I have put on a couple of pounds with all of the cake/sandwiches and biscuits though!!

[Podd37]

That was a great weekend. I have never been so cold at an event that wasn't rallycross. Great access to everyone and everything, drivers and mech's willing...perhaps even wanting to chat and a great atmosphere despite the cold. Race of the weekend for me was split between the FOC race and the GP Masters races on Sat. Very close, with no damage. But why oh why wasn't the last race on Sat put on earlier and the qualifiying sessions run last? Had to miss it unfortunately. Much respect to Tony Smith for driving his car like a Mk2 Escort on Sunday in the pre61 Gp's. Sideways and fast! Well done to all involved, especially the marshals, for a great event. Was worth flying over for.

[John Turner]

I was there on Saturday, and I'm wondering whether I went to the same event as rbs. I thought this was an excellent day, weather apart (I have frozen at about 6 events so far this year!). His description reminds me more of last year's GP Live event, or the saturday of last year's See Red weekend. I thought this was a brilliant first attempt, and some of the grids were superb, the weakest being the Proto 70s entry, often a problem with a new series - I understand that there were only 4 finishers in their race on Sunday. The light was very poor for the final race on Saturday and if it is going to be 90 minutes at this time of the year, I think it would be better starting earlier. As Roger has said, most spectators had drifted away before the start of this race, and I was I think one of 4 left at the Old Hairpin.

Sunday was always going to be difficult, I guess, with the weather the way it was. I was at Silverstone and a cold damp heavy mist hung over the circuit right into the early afternoon; was it the same at Donington?

I really hope this weekend can develop into a permanent event. To me, it has all the makings of an early season opener to complement the Silverstone Classic and the Goodwood Revival. Well done to all concerned.

I'm sorry I didn't get to catch up with many Ten Tenthers; I had a quick turn round the paddock but since I wasn't going to be there Sunday, I wanted to watch and photograph the cars qualifying for the Sunday races. It may be a while before I can post any pics, though, as I am (as usual) getting behind with these previews!

[Alan Crook]

rbs was only there on Sunday and Saturday saw far better racing and grids than Sunday.