BOSS @ Thruxton??

[Dan Friel]

Anyone going to Thruxton this weekend for the BOSS race (and other really good support races)??

I shall be on Post 10... which is out the back, so I have to put up with F1 cars going past me sideways at 150 mph all day!! Just how will I cope??

[Slowcoach]

Oh Dan - I hope to be going past you too but not too sideways ! Whilst most of the CSCC boys will be at SPA , us poor relations in the Classic Thunder series aren't invited ......so we are race 5 on Sunday. Despite crashing my Rover at Mallory a couple of weeks ago during it's initial shakedown I will have duck-taped it back together again by the weekend and , subject to scrutineering , will finally make my debut. For anyone thats interested there will be some nice machinery out including 3 Rovers , a Camaro , a Batmobile and a couple of Capri's to name but a few . If anyone with a 10 Tenths sticker is going you can come and stick it over one of my many dents.

[Marshal]

Wish I was going, but sadly not.

And if they are past you sideways at post 10, I'd have thought that post 11 will be changing their underware at regular intervals. Having said that, post 10 get's its share of hits too (Slowcoach, this isn'tr a good way of meeting 10-tenths members!)

[Dan Friel]

Slowcoach.. did you take your motor down to Goodwood after all, or was it too dented?? What is it, and your number???
After you turn left under the tree... we should be right in front of you (well sort of)!!!

Some quick heavy cars in your series, should be entertaining.. see you Sunday!

Marshal - never done Post 10, is it good??

[Marshal]

Dan

Its not quite as character forming as 11 or 15 but they are still quite close and if any mistakes are made going through Noble they tend to hit you on 10. Its got a nice double layer of tyres with conveyer belting round the front now, but this seems to throw people further back at the track. When an MGF hit there earlier in the year it bounced back 2/3rds of the way back to the circuit(I was watching from the relative safety of post 9).

Also get round to post early, I'm always worried at where the marshals cars are parked that one day someone is going to hit them, so I don't want to be on the end! Have a good (safe) day and don't collect too many!

Cheers,

Jon

[Slowcoach]

Yes Dan , I went to Goodwood - not a good day really - first off failed the noise test - by miles - it was a 105 day @ 3/4 revs , I went right off the end of the meter and still wasnt anywhere near the right revs ! We borrowed some mufflers and brillo pads and got one side down to the limit by reducing the rev limiter by a grand aswell but it was running like a dog and so we decided to abandon the whole day - took it straight back to the workshop , stripped it down (again) and rebuilt the top end - ran like a dream so decided to nip up to Mallory for open practise where after about 10 or 15 laps I was charging round Gerrards at a fair old lick when I lost the back end , did a couple of pirouettes across the grass and went square on backwards into the tyre wall. Not impressed . Was getting v bad vibration between 4 and 4 1/2k revs and there was oil on the track right the way round Gerrards , but just as likely my fault! Hopefully the vibration was just dreadful wheel balance etc and we'll have that sorted by Sunday. I just can't wait - I'll probably be last but I just want to get the first race under my belt!
The car is the white ex-works G2 "Unipart" Rover SD1 I'll be running number 80.(although I have 4 1/2 litres now instead of the original 3 1/2).
I dont suppose I'll be able to wave to u as I'll be hanging onto the wheel for dear life , but hopefully we'll get to meet (in the pits rather than the tyre wall !)

[Dan Friel]

Well if I meet you at the tyre wall, we could both have a big problem at Post 10!!! It's a bit quick to make a mistake there... but shall come round to visit during 'church break'.

Is it your first race or just the cars??

[Slowcoach]

Good idea - (I might be at the BMTR tyre stand having my wheels and tyres sorted .)
No , the car has loads of history - built for the 1980 Tourist Trophy by David Price racing for Rover and driven by Jeff Allam and Tiff Needell . But me - my one and only race was a handicap affair , spookily enough at Thruxton dead on 10 years ago - so I don't count it , the last 3 years been doing some sprints and hillclimbing. My outing at Mallory two weeks ago was the first time in it ! Fingers crossed......see you there !!

[Dan Friel]

I didn't read the 'Unipart' bit about your car!!! Should be very obvious who you are... It was lucky to survive its Allam and Needell days I would have thought.

Good luck!!

[Maisie]

Damn, I wish I was going. I have a massive soft spot for anything Austin / Rover related, and I'd love to come along and cheer you on.

[Slowcoach]

Oh well , it's the thought that counts !! - Assuming I don't do any more damage I will be at the Snetterton Classic in October (and I hope to do something else in between too)

[Dan Friel]

Well done Slowcoach... good effort there.

A bit slow at the start, but picked up a lot of speed and went past a couple of people through the race. Made the race interesting for us guys!!!

Post 10 was dead scary and we had a Minardi have the biggest crash I've ever witnssed - at my feet!!! The car pun and took off across the grass and whacked the tyre wall halfway up... at this point they're doing about 150 mph!! Driver was well knocked out (I thought he was dead..) and massive hole in his helmet. No doubt that the improvements to the cockpits of modern F1 cars saved him. Apparently he's just sore, but the car was killed...

[Slowcoach]

Thanks Dan , and what an effort it was - I must have lost pounds and pounds especially as we had a red flag incident at the first corner meant a few extra laps and a restart it was so so hot in there!! Anyway I had a pretty troublesome day with the only exception being the race itself-think I used up my quota of luck there!!
But yes I had a slow start especially as I was right behind the big accident at the first corner and seeing as it was my first race - not to mention only the second time in the car - I decided that I would restrict any overtaking to the long back straight as I have found that the car is very very fast in a straight line. Still I was dead chuffed with 4th on my debut and for the record I improved my qualifying time by 8 secs and was only 2/10's of a second of the third place man's fastest lap and 3 secs of that gorgeous Camaro's best lap !!
Sorry we didnt get to meet but I only arrived as the church break was ending - Lets hope we can all get to Snetterton !
That Minardi accident sounds horrendous , thank goodness he was ok !
One of the other Rovers was written off , infact he rolled it trying to avoid someone else who was having a moment , luckily he escaped with cuts and bruises .

[Marshal]

Originally posted by Dan Friel

Post 10 was dead scary and we had a Minardi have the biggest crash I've ever witnssed - at my feet!!! The car pun and took off across the grass and whacked the tyre wall halfway up... at this point they're doing about 150 mph!! Driver was well knocked out (I thought he was dead..) and massive hole in his helmet. No doubt that the improvements to the cockpits of modern F1 cars saved him. Apparently he's just sore, but the car was killed...

I did say it was quite exciting, I'm just glad that all concerned were OK (especially with events elswhere yesterday).

Now looking forward to an exciting and SAFE Goodwood, that is if there is any petrol left to get there.......

[Dan Friel]

Slowcoach - Getting one of those Rovers on its roof must have been quite an effort!! No doubt it made you think twice about doing the same thing.. But you looked much quicker past us by the end of the race, 8 secs is quite a chunk. Sounds a bit of a monster!!!

Marshal - Winchester has just run out of petrol - so not sure how I'm going to get down to Goodwood!!!! Martin was dead lucky yesterday as the rear wing off this Minardi sailed over his head just as he ducked!!! And we all got peppered by carbon fibre and metal as the front wheel exploded on impact! In light of yesterday's tradegy, it really makes you think...

[Marshal]

well, Winchester's a much shorter walk than Bristol, I'm going to have to leave tommorrow I think!

As for the incident, it really does make you think, but I couldn't not do it, we've just got to make sure that we take as much care as possible of ourselves and each other. Ans for me, you have to be at least slightly fatalisitc if you're going to stand at the side of a race track 20 times a year. Hold on to the edge of fear, its what keeps us safe.

[Jeff]

Great racing wasn't it.
Photos coming tonight/tommorow in the Other Classes forum.
That Minardi looked a right mess when it came past on the lorry - glad to hear the driver was OK

Slowcoach - good race, well done.
Got some photos of you coming through Club, will post them soon in the forum as above.