HSCC Thruxton Easter Revival 2015

[The Flagman]

Were a refund denied I would happily support an appeal to HSCC. It was evident from shortly after the crash that there would not be any further track action.

Shortly after 6pm we packed up all the equipment on our marshal post ready to go home. It came as a great surprise that there was any hint of a race when the cars were led to grid.

As I was facing a 4hr journey home to Yorkshire I became annoyed by the failure to declare the meeting over and allow us to escape.

The Clubmans accident was clearly very serious and I hope the driver is OK. The car was a mess. Lets also hope the marshalling folk are OK as there was a direct hit on the post.

I suspect that some potential entrants will be put off entering another event at Thruxton because it is fast, demands respect and can bite if you get it wrong. On the other hand it would be wrong to sanitise the circuit. Its the challenge that makes it rewarding.

Congratulations to Michael Lyons on his awesome drive and outright circuit record. It was wonderful to watch. Saturday was memorable for the right reasons. Sunday the opposite.

Lets hope it can continue with increased grids as I need the excuse to escape for the weekend!

DM

[Rudernst]

I did not enter because I wanted to spend Easter with my family.

I might not be the only one and that might explain some of the poor entries

R.E.

[jcdeleted]

Originally Posted by HRSTR5

All very disappointing .... qualified well then sat around ... much like last year, when I qualified well then sat around in a monsoon, before calling it a day ... this time we sat around due to a nasty sounding shunt in the Clubmans race before us ... pleased to hear that the driver worst affected was talking to rescue crews ... eventually, about 15 mins before the curfew they sent us out for a sighting lap behind a safety car, during which we drove past at least a dozen rescue/recovery vehicles and crews still working to clear the wreckage ... not sure who thought we were actually going to get a race ... we then sat on the grid all boiling ... until eventually they decided it was game over and sent us home. Gutted ... have wanted to race the TR at Thruxton even since I started - previous opportunities have arisen when the car was out of action, and now for two years in a row I've sat on the grid ready to race, only for circumstances to dictate otherwise - galling!

Nice to catch up with a load of people, otherwise a wasted day ...

James

I have it on first-hand authority that the Classic Clubmans driver (Mike Luck) lived up to his surname and was released from hospital yesterday lunchtime with no serious after-effects, unlike the car. From what I know of Mike I'm sure he's very sorry that you guys lost your race.

[Middle_BBG]

Sorry to interrupt your posts gentlemen, but did anyone manage to get a front on short on Jonathan Lewis's Mini in Saturday's qualifying ? Marshal Ted was srapped into the front peering over the dashboard, so would love a picture showing him if possible.

Please feel free to carry on.

[brands]

Originally Posted by Middle_BBG

Sorry to interrupt your posts gentlemen, but did anyone manage to get a front on short on Jonathan Lewis's Mini in Saturday's qualifying ? Marshal Ted was srapped into the front peering over the dashboard, so would love a picture showing him if possible.

Please feel free to carry on.

A couple of shots..

[grantp]

Originally Posted by brands

A couple of shots..

Are those kerbs a lot lower than they used to be?

Nice angle!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by jcdeleted

I have it on first-hand authority that the Classic Clubmans driver (Mike Luck) lived up to his surname and was released from hospital yesterday lunchtime with no serious after-effects, unlike the car. From what I know of Mike I'm sure he's very sorry that you guys lost your race.

I'm a little puzzled by the results sheet for the race.

It seems 13 cars went out in qualifying. There are 14 classified finishers and that, presumably, excludes the unfortunate ML whose name does not appear anywhere.

Are there anomalies in the results sheets?

[brands]

Originally Posted by grantp

Are those kerbs a lot lower than they used to be?

Nice angle!

The high kerbs were removed several years ago after the BSB requested/demanded they were lowered, I was told. The chicane is now faster as it's straightlined a lot.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by grantp

I'm a little puzzled by the results sheet for the race.

It seems 13 cars went out in qualifying. There are 14 classified finishers and that, presumably, excludes the unfortunate ML whose name does not appear anywhere.

Are there anomalies in the results sheets?

Looks like car 50 Clive Wood didn't participate in qualifying Grant, at least not according to the results. Maybe added to the back of the grid which wasn't re-issued or included in the PDF book? Just guessing though.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by brands

The high kerbs were removed several years ago after the BSB requested/demanded they were lowered, I was told. The chicane is now faster as it's straightlined a lot.

So, do / did any penalties get issued for exceeding track limits?

[Colin McKay]

Last year I got a rollocking for track limits, so this year when I heard my name on the tannoy I feared the worst...guilty conscience at work.

While they dealt with another driver they left me standing in the naughty corner for 20 mins with all the nudge nudge wink wink comments that entails then said they didn't need me after all. Turned out that they wanted my take on another driver who had overtaken under waved yellows. Wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or just plain relieved

[Colin McKay]

As for the rest of the weekend, bit of a disappointment but not on the scale of the other unfortunates.

First time I'd sat in the car since last year and it didn't sound quite right from the start, but I put that down to the boxes having been repacked as we were on the noise limit on a couple of occasions last year. Testing was wet so no opportunity to really get a feel, but a dry practice left me a couple of secs down on last year and it just didn't feel right.

In the race I managed to hit last year's best lap time but after half a dozen laps and 2 slides that shouldn't have happened I retired in a cloud of smoke/steam with a very unhappy sounding car.

Waiting for Iain's phone call with the autopsy report this morning

On the upside, the new Simpson Hybrid thingy was no problem once fitted, although it's a bit of a faff putting it on on your own and I had to collar (no pun intended) passing strangers to untangle me more than once. It does restrict the ability to quickly glance at the LH mirror which now requires more of a roll of the head but apart from that I didn't really notice it.

[Mike Bell]

Sorry to hear about the engine problem, Colin. Glad the Simpson was a success, though. Maybe after a bit of practice with tethers it will become routine!

[jcdeleted]

Originally Posted by grantp

I'm a little puzzled by the results sheet for the race.

It seems 13 cars went out in qualifying. There are 14 classified finishers and that, presumably, excludes the unfortunate ML whose name does not appear anywhere.

Are there anomalies in the results sheets?

Sorry, but I unfortunately had a befuddled moment in my previous post, and wrote Mike Luck when I should have written Mike Lane. Apologies to both Mikes, and for the confusion.

[Moosehead]

Yes, good to get a report on the Simpson, I'll hopefully be buying mine next week.

[apriliadriver]

Graham White, HSCC, has mailed the HRS race grid at Thruxton who did not get a race on Sunday and offered to discount the next race entry by the full Thruxton entry fee.

That's a generous gesture and all the more welcome for being unexpected. Good on the HSCC for doing the right thing.
Nick

[MGDavid]

Agreed, that's the mark of a good club.

[one-two]

Agreed. Well done HSCC!

[winslade6770]

Is there any news on the classic clubmans driver from the Sunday accident?

[brands]

Originally Posted by winslade6770

Is there any news on the classic clubmans driver from the Sunday accident?

This was posted on the Marshal's forum yesterday (7th):

"I am very pleased to report that Clubmans driver came to collect his motorhome from the circuit yesterday morning. Very stiff and bruised but no other damage."

[Unit 2 Racing]

Originally Posted by winslade6770

Is there any news on the classic clubmans driver from the Sunday accident?

On Clubmans Register forum, it says he has a broken leg. Only found on a second visit to hospital yesterday.

[gary396]

Originally Posted by winslade6770

Is there any news on the classic clubmans driver from the Sunday accident?

I think it was mentioned in the marshal's section that he collected his motorhome from the circuit a day or two later, stiff and bruised but no other injuries it said but sounds like leg break from the above.

[morninggents]

Originally Posted by brands

Some bad luck for several tenthers and a couple of Lotus Cortinas looking second hand I hope the drivers were OK.

My son, Dan Wray, was the unfortunate one that rolled in practice at Noble and the video from Jonathan Lewis's Mini shows the rear offside wheel come off as the car turned in to the fast left hander. The car rolled several times hitting the ground two or three times before coming to rest on it's wheels.He got out and walked to the bank on his own but because he couldn't remember the circumstances of the accident the circuit medics decided to send him to hospital. Several hours later he was still feeling dizzy from the rolls (like me he's a bad passenger and get's seasick easily!) so they decided to keep him in overnight for observation. Next morning he was fine and helped load the trailer for the long journey north. He was back at work on Tuesday and says he feels fine except for the odd, slight, headache.

The important point of this post was that towards the end of last season we invested in a HANS device which is the best decision I've ever made in 50 years of motorsport. The seat and belts kept him firmly in place, the welded in cage kept the bodywork out of the cockpit area and the safety foam ensured no fire. Most importantly the HANS stopped his head from moving around too much and there is not a mark on his helmet. There is a small tear in the seat fabric where the left rear corner of the HANS has caught the seat. Apart from a small cut on one shin and a graze on the other he was completely unscathed.

If anyone still doubts the value of HANS please think again. I know they are expensive (but slowly coming down in price) but your head is priceless.

[winslade6770]

Cheers all must of missed that! Glad he is ok shame about the car mind

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by morninggents

My son, Dan Wray, was the unfortunate one that rolled in practice at Noble and the video from Jonathan Lewis's Mini shows the rear offside wheel come off as the car turned in to the fast left hander. The car rolled several times hitting the ground two or three times before coming to rest on it's wheels.
If anyone still doubts the value of HANS please think again. I know they are expensive (but slowly coming down in price) but your head is priceless.

Sorry to hear about the accident, Peter, but glad that Dan is OK. Sobering that the car was pitched into a roll by the wheel loss. When that happened to me couple of years back while negotiating Copse, the car spun (several times), luckily. FHR is looking more and more sensible....