CSCC Brands Hatch GP 10th September

[zefarelly]

I know it clashes with the garden party in Chi, but Is anyone doing the CSCC App K race at Brands?

The opportunity to do an hour on the GP circuit for sensible money was tempting enough even for me!

I'm guessing it'll be mostly GT cars but hopefully I'll have something to race with.

[Lancsbreaker]

Actually celebrated my 60th (a "few" years ago ) on the CSCC invitation race on the Brands GP circuit - it was a great weekend, since as CSCC are add-ons to the main event, we were first qualy on the Saturday (my birthday) and last race on the Sunday......so the party started after qualy, secure in knowledge that I'd be fine by 4pm or so on the Sunday

I really can't see the attraction of travelling the length of the country and braving the M25 to get dizzy on the Indy circuit, but the GP circuit is great. Shame its use is so proscribed.

Hope you have as good a time as we did!

[Mike Bell]

So how come Classic K is at BH while the rest of CSCC grids are at Donny?

[zefarelly]

No idea, but I like it, we're all on the Sunday and in the garages too.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

So how come Classic K is at BH while the rest of CSCC grids are at Donny?

Each year CSCC are offered one slot at this meeting, and CSCC choose one of their series, in rotation, to have the chance to take part. Unfortunately it often clashes with a date for the rest of the CSCC series - but the attraction of the GP circuit normally attracts a good entry.

It means on this occasion that at Donington our Future Classics series can actually be split into two races - split 70s and 80s........

[zefarelly]

Well, that was bloody hard work, dry quality and a 1:59 having not driven the GP loop since 2008 in the rain, put me 15th of 25. No dramas, just kept it tidy and waited, and waited, for the race. (5hrs!)

It's was wet ish, a fine mist, then drizzle, backed off dampers, and went for it. 2 green flag laps gave me a feel, Brands is like 4 or 5 part circuits with so many surface changes, and transitions. Oil down in parts was awful, Hawthorns was almost scarily grippy, strange.

I got a cleanish start and went straight up the inside of a load of wheel spinners to something like 8th or 9th, had a dice with an elan for a few laps, but gave up that fight as the weather was worsening and I was starting to twitch in both departments. A few people fell off, then around half distance the safety car came out for the elan which I lost out to had a moment exiting Stirlings and was stricken on the track. A quick-ish pit call/stop was made and I resumed behind a BMW 1600 Ti. 2 laps later I caught the ti, but couldn't get by, the rain got ever heavier and my wiper conked out. Then a mini came and went past both of us, the a Ginetta G4 joined in. I had no idea where I was in the race or if I was in a positional dice, but frankly staying on the track partially sighted was an increasing priority regardless of pace.

I was now willing the race to end as no wipers made the screen fog up and I could only see the rear lights of the BMW and not much track.

The flag eventually came and surprisingly I finished 11th. More importantly, unscathed.

Possibly the hardest race I've ever done, or maybe I'm just getting old!

Home and still damp, but happy we did it, a good crowd and a good race.

[Lancsbreaker]

Well survived! Sounds a bit like our Donington....our Future Classics 80s race was yesterday - although rain was threatening, qualy stayed dry and we got our usual back of the grid position - having had a slightly quicker lap disallowed for track limits (smack my wrist - but I was giving a quicker car room so got offline, honest, guv!).

Come the race it was again threatening to rain but held off, then halfway through, just as we'd signalled my partner to pit, there was an almight bang, and a Morgan blew his engine on the pit-straight, pulled up on the grass by the marshals post across from the pits with flame billowing from underneath, and the driver doing an olympic qualifying evacuation and clearance of all the circuit barriers........cue Safety Car as my mate pitted and I climbed in - so sat in a queue of 5 at pit exit for the Safety Car "snake", did two laps behind it, then they red-flagged the race.

I was a bit grumpy but then they announced they'd give us a 20 minute single driver race at the end of the programme (don't know whether they'd asked the marshals! ) so I got my first experience of a rolling start at about 6.30 - by which time the rain had set in, soaked the track for the preceding Swinging Sixties race, and then eased a little for us. We did a quick change to the Avon "wets" which we haven't used before - but I was pleasantly surprised that I had some grip.......managed to pass a couple of Porsches as proper racing passes, and by the end of the race several others who'd ended up off the track - the last a Tuscan in the kitty litter at McLeans, prompting the Clerk to throw a slightly early Chequered - tho by this time I could hardly see it as the sun had come out low in the sky and I was driving down exhibition straight and the pit straight with one hand shielding my eyes from the glare.........

One of the cars I'd passed came blasting past me down the Craners as I cruised round waving thanks to the Marshals - and came up to me afterwards to apologise for passing under yellow - he thought I had a problem. I explained that I'd slowed after the Chequered and the look of surprise was priceless........"I never saw a chequered flag - I just thought they'd stopped the race again......" Turns out it was only his second race

Good fun this racing lark........

[David Stallard]

Whilst the rest of us were at Donington I somehow managed to talk my wife into covering Brands, general consensus was - real shame not more turned up, spread out very early and made it really hard for any group shots.

Corys photo's are HERE if your interested. Remember she doesn't have media access so all from the normal 'spectator' side of the fencing.

.DAVID.