View Single Post
Old 22 Oct 2018, 08:02 (Ref:3858337)   #18
HRSTR5
Racer
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
England
Surrey, England
Posts: 393
HRSTR5 should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
Great weekend at Silverstone for me with the Gemini... had only entered for Saturday, merely to test some new parts ... qualified 4th with my best ever FJ time around there and was promoted to 3rd after the demise of the pole-sitter, Will Mitcham, with engine issues. Lots of understeer, presumably due to it being quite cold still at 09:20 ... but otherwise the car was excellent.

By racetime it had warmed up a touch, got an ok start (an ok start is 'good' for me, I'm not great at starts!), managed to hold 3rd place on lap one, and then more-or-less stayed in touch with Ray Mallock and Alex Morton out front and the three of us drew away from the pack. Chuffed to bits to get stopped in the pitlane for trophies, photos and a chat with Marcus - my first real podium ever - only achieved class podiums previously. Also went a little bit quicker still.

Phoned home excitedly to tell the wife, and she suggested that maybe I could actually stay and do the Sunday race ... Delta crew were fine with that, as were HSCC.

Was very kindly invited to join the DBT bbq, quite the best racetrack bbq food I've had, thanks very much!

Race 2 on Sunday morning, got a reasonable start again, moved away on the tail of the two leaders and was holding on (ish!), but got a big puff of oil smoke from under the bonnet at Brooklands on about lap 4 and it lasted just long enough for me to decide to pit for a check-over, i really cannot afford a blow-up ... true enough smoke had stopped by the time i coasted to a stop at Delta pit, and they could see nothing, so we assumed a drip of oil (plenty of oil always about in an FJ!) on the exhaust wrap ... anyway, sent out again to bring it home, two laps down, but car was going very well, understeer was reduced after stiffening the rear shocks further, and I went faster yet again! Had it happened elsewhere on the circuit then the smoke would have cleared before the pit-in, and I would probably have pressed on ... but had it been an indication of impending failure then I'd have been stranded on the start straight, which offers little refuge .... Shame not to get two podiums, but I'm happy with my decision to pit for a check-over ....

Was still a top weekend, fantastic weather helping of course, some good grids and races to watch. Thanks to Delta crew for the support.
HRSTR5 is offline  
__________________
James Owen
Quote