This years Festival verdict:

[Tim 27]

Having just attended my 25th consecutive Festival as a marshal/spectator,I thought I would post a few observations.
Firstly, I can't remember the last time we had decent weather for both Saturday and Sunday! As usual I found the paddock layout a little odd, with several 1600 teams seemingly stuck in the back of beyond! I thought the organisation side of things trackside was excellent compared with some previous years. The BRSCC doing a good job of cleaning incidents up (witness the zetec final at Graham Hill) and getting the next race going asap.
As usual the 1600s provided more entertaining racing than the zetecs, especially the final. A special mention must go to Justin Dawkins outstanding overtaking manouvre at Graham Hill in his heat, and to Peter Dempsey for not throwing teddy,helmet,gloves etc out and being very philosophical over his final demise. Very happy that all drivers escaped injury from some nasty looking shunts.
As Barry has posted elsewhere, the new Duratec unit looked very well packaged and sounded gorgeous. If the Ford man who was interviewed meant everything he said, hopefully we can look to a much healthier future for the senior class. I am worried that we may go back to the days of only a few top teams running the new unit and a 'B' class for the zetecs for the next couple of seasons. Will there be a kent, zetec and duratec Festival next year? And if so where?
I know that they no doubt paid good money for their slot to help keep the meeting alive, and the cars looked and sounded lovely, but did anyone else think that the 45 minute Grand Touring Car race was misplaced in the timetable?
One final thought: I have huge respect for his knowledge and passion for the sport, and a charming man he is too, but has anyone else noticed how forgetful and argumentative Brian Jones is becoming? I suggest he takes a year off to get his Festival book finally finished!
Since its inception I can finally get to the WHT this year with no other prior commitments, and by god I'm looking forward to it!
P.S. Will anyone have a spare ticket?

[jimbomit]

Just my own thoughts but the festival this year was in some respects a little dissapointing.

My problem was with the format and choice of supports. This is a festival, to my mind that should be action pact short (15 -20 min max) blasts. The FFords as ever provided fantastic racing, the 1600's were a spectacle to behold. In the final I went dizzy trying to keep up with the action that was developing throughout the entire field, truely mesmerising.

As for the rest. . . well I have little interest in watching a procession of cars drudge around for 45 minutes in a festival that I think does not suit this type of races at all. Credit to the Caterhams, they were spectacular but the rest I'm afraid just didn't work for me.

I've nothing against the other races but everything in its place. WHT two days of almost back to back excitement, now that's a format!! Why this hasn't been spotted I don't know but the BRSCC could well learn that simplicity is the key.

[Ian Sowman]

There may be some WHT tickets available shortly, keep surfing the net...

[diz]

Originally Posted by jimbomit

I've nothing against the other races but everything in its place. WHT two days of almost back to back excitement, now that's a format!! Why this hasn't been spotted I don't know but the BRSCC could well learn that simplicity is the key.

It is purely financial Jim. FF alone wouldn't cover the clubs costs, hence selling slots to all and sundry to make it pay. Having said that, some of the support racing was very good - from what I saw of it. As you say the Caterhams [FFs with mudguards!] and Ford Saloons [Well done Ollie Allen on becoming overall champion] and the speed differential between to two Jedi classes made for some heart in the mouth lappery.
All credit to the BRSCC for listening, acting and getting through a very tight timetable.

The WHT [upto 120 now - I believe] is not just FF. JEB has a vast array of support classes

[Redracer77]

I am with you Jim, the support races were not great. The spectator banks emptied when the radical races started and it was boring racing same as the Heritage race......45 minutes of driving round in circles...very dull. The Ford Fiestas were quite good but as we have all said before the Festival should be 100% single seaters with the majority being Formula Fords. We could have had rounds of the classics and the historics who may well have entered the main event as well.

On a personal point of view I thought the arrangements in the paddock were very poor and the man on the gate was like Hitler. I got called in to see the clerk of the course and kicked out of the meeting as Barry (infiniti mechanic) tried to bring a road car into the paddock, even though the car had the right passes on? I argued with the clerk that where in the regs does it state that the team paddock pass has to be on a truck? We had 2 passes for 2 race entries and used one for the truck and one for the car to go to the pits - what's the problem? After a long discussion the coc agreed and re instated me.

Having blown a 3rd engine in as many meetings after on 15 laps of testing I was happy to finsh all 3 races in the Festival!!!! I had a great battle with John Loebell in the final that was very close, tough but still very fair. Cheers John that battle made my day.

[Redracer77]

Diz were you there on Sunday?

[JustinDawkins]

Originally Posted by Tim 27

A special mention must go to Justin Dawkins outstanding overtaking manouvre at Graham Hill in his heat..............................
P.S. Will anyone have a spare ticket?

Well after that plug I am pretty sure I can find a spare

pm me your address Tim

[jimbomit]

Sorry I wasn't very clear, it wasn't what was racing that I thought a bit out of sync with the events 'feel', it was the length of some of the races.

WHT and the Festival heats etc are run in more short sprints, almost compelling people to race their socks off from the lights going out. That's my opinion on the type of exciting racing the festival is about. The longer races don't tend to have that edge to them. . . still they were useful for comfort breaks!!

Like I say it wasn't what was racing just how they are raced. Why not have it as a festival for other types, giving them heats, semi's and a final. If they did that type of racing throughout the whole day it would be spectacular.

[Snapper Baz]

Indeed, the Kent's were excellent and by far the best racing over the weekend-well done to all involved in the meeting...drivers, marshals, organisors and most importantly-the photographers! One thing I would love to know though-if your car suddenly goes sick or you spin and can't get things started why on earth do so many drivers leave their cars in the most rediculous places ie on the circuit knowing full well that it may cause a race stoppage or worse, a serious accident-possibly to the poor marshals who then have to try and move the car due to nothing more than being careless? I fine example was Justin's car being left at the bottom of Paddock Bend. When the marshals went to move it it was put into neutral and pushed back out of harms way when it could have been driven (or in neutral if the engine had died) off the circuit easily. This happened a number of times with various drivers over the weekend. Drivers-please think of others as well after your actions. Indeed-a big well done to Peter Dempsey who drove superbly-and was big enough not to throw a tantum after his demise at Paddock in the final.

[Ian Sowman]

A couple of years back the FFord and Caterham Festivals effectively combined, and that worked quite well...

[Redracer77]

Justins throttle cable broke so I guess he had no chance of moving it. Snapper we spend a lot of money on our cars and the last think we would do would be to leave it in a place where it could be hit. The best example of that was the zetec final where a driver stalled and the car was left on the outside of clearways - an easy target for someone coming wide. yet NO safety car to move it???

[JustinDawkins]

Barry - no engine so reverse was not an option. I thought about backing it down the escape road, but wasn't sure I would have the lock or momentum so instead of backing it (effective 90 degrees to the flow of traffic) and risk getting hit/t-boned I figured it was out of the way of harm where it was.

Clerk thought not and the SC had to come out which I am sorry for for everyone else but could have been worse if I had got my (with steering lock like the QE2) car stuck reversing! (never easy in a single seater with tiny mirrors)

[halecmini]

You did the right thing justin, least in your race they brought out the safty car instead of red flagging in for some on stationary and the top of paddock... then didn't restart the race after 9 mins 27 sec of a 20 min race... once again BRSCC screw the Jedi's!
txt me Justin i lost your number!

Dc

[JohnMiller]

Justin
What does this mean then?

"(and a last chance at the festival next year) "

[JohnMiller]

Don't think there was provision in the SRs for Safety Car usage in most of the races was there?

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by halecmini

then didn't restart the race after 9 mins 27 sec of a 20 min race... once again BRSCC screw the Jedi's!

Dave, as the result was declared at 9m27s, I suspect the red flag went out after more than 10 minutes had elapsed - hence more than 50% of the race distance had been completed at the time of the red flags and, per the blue book, that is a result. The time elapsed in the published results is not relevant unfortunately.

[JustinDawkins]

Originally Posted by JohnMiller

Justin
What does this mean then?

"(and a last chance at the festival next year) "

It means if there was a last chance like every other big event I could have go in the final - of course next year I plan to finnish my semi

Dave - no worries mate, on its way

[Ian Sowman]

Last Chance races are a relatively recent invention - I think the first one at the Festival in the Zetecs was in the late 1990s.

[JohnMiller]

Originally Posted by JustinDawkins

It means if there was a last chance like every other big event I could have go in the final - of course next year I plan to finnish my semi

Ah, thought were announcing some sort of bizarre long-term retirement plans.

[itsonlyme]

i am amazed that the safety car didnt come out in the final sooner when hugh robertson spun at clearways, i was in the pit lane by the assembly area and saw him spin and stall? cars went everywere to avoid him some in the gravel on the outside and some on the grass on the inside untill unfortunatly someone collected him, this moved the now 3 wheeled yellow swift to a different position on the track! by this time the leaders came around again to see yellow flags (very tamely waved from what i could see) and all presuming that the car was in the same place, how wrong they were and all scattered through gravel and grass again! by this time poor hugh decided to evacuate his car which then decided to roll away but with 3 wheels it just moved into a different place on the track, just as the leaders were coming out of graham hill, so yet again yellow flags and a stranded car in a different place on the track causing more confusion to the rest of the drivers, and only then did they decide to bring out the safety car, the car was moved but bits of bodywork were ignored and left all over the track, surely this could have caused punctures and the posibility of more spins/hefty shunts! but apart from that i think the safety car worked well when it was used because it reduced the amount of red flags that is always associated with racing at brands

[jimbomit]

From the stands the safety car proved itself to be a winner. . . if only there could have been a bit more consistency!!

It was infinitely better than a red flag as it kept the momentum and anticipation up.

As an observation though, am I right in thinking that under the gravel at Brands it is all tarmac? If it is wouldn't it make sense to move the gravel back a bit? Most cars that left the track were stranded very near to the edge where if the gravel were further back it would give those that went slightly off a chance to get back on track and continue racing, while those that went off deeper would have been further away from harm and would in most cases have prevented a stoppage of any sort?

And yest I know some drivers may try and use it to their advantage but there are rules in place to prevent that as some people nearly found out!

[gixxer]

I said it in a previous thread that the festival is not the place for radicals and 45 minute historic touring car races boring was not the word just glad brands has plenty of shops to look around.I to thought the kents provided the best action of sunday ,the zetec's just did not seem to be the cut and thrust that i've seen before but still enjoyable though.
I was annoyed that the caterhams wern't given a race on the sunday as i did not attend saturday but feel perhaps if the festival happens next year at brands to put them on the timetable on the finals day when most of the spectators would as attend we all like close racing,the BRSCC did a good job with keeping the meeting running using the saftey car saved a lot of time too and think it should be used more widely in 2006 for club meetings

[itsonlyme]

i agree jim, i had a few conversations over the weekend about the gravel traps too, but if you move the gravel back 5ft and cars still get stuck 'in the edge of the gravel' you can't keep moving the gravel further away, drivers will use as much of the track as possible if they can get away with it.

[Snapper Baz]

Sorry Justin-fair comment It looks easier from on the bank!

[Snapper Baz]

That is a good point about the gravel traps-had the traps been about 5 or 6 feet shorter we would have had a lot less stoppages. Anybody found to be getting an advantage by using the "new" run-off area would be penalised unless taking avoiding action only. This is how it worked a few years ago when it was like this at the foot of Paddock and it seemed to be no problem then. There have been many, many times this year when a race has been stopped with a car half in half out in that area.