Donington Historic Festival

[grantp]

Next batch .....

John Delane in the Lotus recovering from an overshoot at the esses; the rolling start for the Pre 63 GTs - front row and some later runners including a nice little Alfa Guiletta SZ as mentioned above; 3 Group C Jags taking the Old Hairpin (taken from a long way away!); two of the Jags staying very friendly at the top of the Craner Curves.

[grantp]

Last set ....

Pity the numbers crumbled after qualifying but it can't be easy to know what needs to be done to prep some of the cars for occasional qualifying and a longish race. Can't be cheap either for many of them!

Those that got out and lasted the race sounded good and looked colourful in the sunshine. The two small BMWs were clearly having fun and it was good to see Mark Wright's Escort running strongly.

Sorry they are all much the same but there was only one small gap in the fencing anywhere near where I was at the time and, usefully, the sun was directly behind me ... It was the end of the dusty day and I wasn't about to go on a long hike.

[chunterer]

Good news re Frank Sytner, hope he can recover to continue his racing.

Crikey Grant I must've been sat/stood right next to you and not even known it, by the looks of the 3 Jag's and distance shot of Schwantz Curcve shots you've posted!!!

I was trying to take moving shots using a basic digital everyday camera, long way away from the old fashioned 200ml zoom I used to use all the time about 20 years ago with varying degress of failure.

I gave up in the end as couldn't crack the horrid 3 second delay in the shutter speed yesterday. Managed to get some reasonable little snaps of some of the cars coming out of Redgate towards me though so i'll see if I can pop some up later this week.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Good news re Frank Sytner, hope he can recover to continue his racing.

Crikey Grant I must've been sat/stood right next to you and not even known it, by the looks of the 3 Jag's and distance shot of Schwantz Curcve shots you've posted!!!

Agreed re Mr. Sytner although one has to wonder about returning to the track.

Well, for the Jag shots and the 'Landscape' (which is actually a shot of a D-type parked right at the side of the track up at the left curve before McLeans but you can't tell unless you see the full hi-res image ...) I was sitting in the DPRAC enclosure, front row, centre section, right of centre looking towards the seating from the direction of the track. Not a bad location for a good view. And other useful facilities there as well.

Maybe we should introduce 10 Tenths official Regalia and some form of secret handshake or similar? Could get a bit busy in the paddock I suppose if one had to acknowledge other identifiable tenthers.

[simon drabble]

I am confused - is the JD Classic only for actual cars that raced in period or as other series for the model and spec of cars that raced in period??

In respect to FJ it seems the carnage continues... a good friend retired from many years of successful club racing after being taken off in a FJ race in his Lola several years ago. His biggest concern was not the accident but the seemingly lack of interest from the organizers in reprimanding the offender. Pity as he was leading the Lurani chamoionship at the time.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

I am confused - is the JD Classic only for actual cars that raced in period or as other series for the model and spec of cars that raced in period??

It was originally intended for cars that raced in period from GpA and late Gps 1 & 2. Then stretched to include earlier Gp1&2 cars. Looking at the cars that did take part it reflects what turn out for Masters 70s Celebration, so where were all the GpA cars talked about? Great shame for spectators and organisers from that poiint of view, but well done those that did take part, even though grid was a long way from what was envisaged.

[HRSTR5]

Thanks for the photo Grant.

Always well behaved ... one day i might have to stop waving people by!

[Zola]

Good weekend, although miffed at having mountain bike pinched from my pitch - I had only been gone for 5 mins!!!!!

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Zola

Good weekend, although miffed at having mountain bike pinched from my pitch - I had only been gone for 5 mins!!!!!

Hate to say this- but sadly always seems to be at Donington.......

[Zola]

It was a good one too. I went to security gate straight away and offered them a bounty if they saw it.... No Joy :-(

Just topped my weekend off....

Car was pants too, never finished that rubbish before... Car was handling like a boat and then no brakes with 15 minutes left of race - seal had gone in front cylinder... I suppose we did finish so that was something....

Monza next with GTAm.....

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Hate to say this- but sadly always seems to be at Donington.......

I don't think Donington is unique in that respect Mike. Wherever I go I tend to endure that I have control over stuff or can find someone who looks reasonably trustworthy to keep an eye on things for a minute or two if absolutely necessary.

My younger daughter was out with some friends over the weekend celebrating the birthday of one of them. Distracted for a few seconds by the antics of another in the party she returned to her seat to find her handbag gone. Phone, credit and bank cards, cash, driving licence, etc., etc. Especially not good at the start of a Bank Holiday weekend. Still, it was London so I suppose it is to be expected.

I'm coming to the conclusion that removing limbs from offenders might be socially acceptable.

[Giraffe138]

Originally Posted by Zola

Good weekend, although miffed at having mountain bike pinched from my pitch - I had only been gone for 5 mins!!!!!

Funny, I noticed 2 expensive mountain bikes together unattended and unlocked in the paddock at one point, and it went through my mind at the time that they were taking a bit of a risk.
On Saturday, myself and my partner passed both in and out of the paddock gate on foot to reach the Park Farm campsite not once but twice without showing tickets or passes as the guys & girls manning it were bumbling about with cars and paying no attention to people passing by on foot.
On Sunday it would have been relatively easy for any oikes from the market who wanted to access the circuit on foot to do so, (and leave on a bike). I heard stuff went missing from the campsite too. As the economy declines we should expect more of this.

[Zola]

Yes, we entered Sat & Sun without any tickets being taken or checked....
What is the point of having security when they dont do what they are supposed to do. Yet if you tried to enter Friday without the correct car pass it was a hanging offence!!!!!

[thebullet]

Andy Harrison told me Sunday night he had one of his mountain bikes pinched, same story?

[Giraffe138]

An update on Fearless Frank, Simon Hadfield told me an hour ago that "amazingly" he has spoken with Frank today and whilst he's " somewhat, not surprisingly off the pace", it is remarkable so soon post octo proc, and most encouraging.


By giraffe138 at 2011-05-03

[dwh43scale]

Good to hear that. That's surely not the conventional line for a T70 through the chicane, is it ? In fact, not even sure it is the touring car line he's taking ...

[ascarracinguk]

that photo makes me cringe...poor car!.....stay off the kerbs!!!!

great to hear frank is making progress tho....really encouraging

[zefarelly]

no wonder he's off line, look at all those old 70's china marbles. I bet that's a St MK1 TRansit just in shot . . .

probably a Young Master Hadfield just about to hot wire it whilsy chatting up a local girl in C&A bellbottoms!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Giraffe138

An update on Fearless Frank, Simon Hadfield told me an hour ago that "amazingly" he has spoken with Frank today and whilst he's " somewhat, not surprisingly off the pace", it is remarkable so soon post octo proc, and most encouraging.


By giraffe138 at 2011-05-03

That is indeed good news although I have to wonder if a line like that would be good for either car or driver. Was it taken very near the end of the race?

I hadn't really clocked why so few people seemed to be ploughing through he gravel on Sunday especially when I spotted what appears to be extra concrete inside the kerbs. But that shot shows just how high the inner kerb support is - enough to derange a few car components and rattle the driver's fillings I would imagine.

It seems to have persuaded people to take more conservative lines though.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by grantp

It seems to have persuaded people to take more conservative lines though.

its not just donington that have these kerbs now....seems like the msa are trying to cut down on corner cutting, they have been installed at oulton park, and even some kart tracks too...all well and good to stop drivers cutting corners, but if you genuinely spin then its dangerous in my opinion.

[terence]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

its not just donington that have these kerbs now....seems like the msa are trying to cut down on corner cutting

Not before time either!Pity that it was ever allowed in the first place,if going off track looking for that advantage had of been stopped in the first instance,the raised kerb's would not be needed now.

[ascarracinguk]

Originally Posted by terence bower

Not before time either!Pity that it was ever allowed in the first place,if going off track looking for that advantage had of been stopped in the first instance,the raised kerb's would not be needed now.

totally agree, that standpoint is great for corner cutting, however if you make a genuinee mistake in breaking and head in there sideways, youll get launched or pitched into a roll....

[grantp]

Originally Posted by ascarracinguk

totally agree, that standpoint is great for corner cutting, however if you make a genuinee mistake in breaking and head in there sideways, youll get launched or pitched into a roll....

At that particular point with the gravel trap right up to the edge of the kerb, iirc, originally any corner cutting was usually a misjudgement I would guess. The gravel was deep and at the 'Revived' meeting last year even a relatively small run over with 2 wheels seemed to have the exit of the corner covered with gravel.

The attempts to put people off even think about taking the chance proved troublesome in the later BTCC meeting. The original Donington esses had no gravel to be concerned about.

It seems to me that, at least for the 3 races of the Sunday of this meeting when I was watching from the new esses (I can't comment on the Saturday as I was not there), most people were very respectful of the new kerb and had fully recognised the potential benefits of using the extra tarmac available when going straight on if they were unlikely to make the corner.

From memory I think I only saw one car cross the gravel, well clear of the kerbs, and I suspect that was due to some brake problems that probably precluded successful use of the tarmac runoff anyway.

All that said, I suspect a serious spin at that point - one that reached the kerbing at speed - might be little different in outcome compared to the previous gravel depth which might well have been enough to have 1 or 2 wheels dig in and flip a car.

I wonder what the bikes think?

[simon drabble]

I thought the bikes are now at Silverstone

[Peter Mallett]

I suspect BSB goes there as it does to most UK circuits.