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Well I'm hugely disappointed … I'd wanted to race the TR5 at Thruxton ever since I started racing it 10 years ago, finally we got there …
After some fettling by Delta and colleagues the car is much better, albeit still some way off full fitness (as is the driver!), but a dry qualifying lived up to my expectations for this fast circuit, even though I couldn't make a single decent effort of the chicane I was chuffed to bits to be 8th on the grid.
Race time was mid-afternoon … In the assembly area watching my brother out in Historic Touring cars, as he and his chums started to dry the racing line, at least in my sight. Slight smattering of rain starting as we strap-in, heavier by the time we head round to the grid … heavier still by the time lights go out, even up on the fourth row of the grid the amount of spray raised by the start was horrendous, by the end of the first lap it was really chucking it down, survived a close encounter with an Elan at the start of lap two, and then managed to spot a flag waving in the murk round the back, it wasn't yellow … it must have been red, oh sh*t … yes it was, and those lights fast hoving into view are doing 20mph and I'm still doing something more … avoided them all and they'll never know how close I was!
We stop on the grid for over 45 mins … during which time there is a proper river running past the car and a proper waterfall pouring into the car from just about everywhere!
Eventually the rain eases off, they sweep some puddles away and send us off for another green flag lap … by which time my wipers have stopped working (that waterfall was running down behind the dash, presumably got the switch, as they worked again later when driving home), the Rain-X has been washed off, the inside has steamed up despite having the windows largely open, so I'm reduced to looking out the open side windows and to top it off the car will barely run at the lower revs we're now using … I gave it up, pulled in at the end of the formation lap … drove to our encampment, loaded the kit in the car, and was nearly ready to drive out of the circuit by the time the guys had finished their race. Well done to all who coped, I'm hugely disappointed, and feel a bit of a wimp, especially after going so well in quail, but it feels like it was the right decision for me …
Bl..dy sun was out by the time we got home …
Next year…?
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