What a difference it makes to get somewhere in loads of time. Nice effortless unloading of trailer and odds and ends, plenty of time to walk around and socialise (and relax) before signing on and scrutineering. Once again, scrutineering was pain-free, breezed through to comments from the scrutineer on how well prepared the car was - another gold star for Scheldt & Pettet. Attended the driver briefing but we were using the National circuit and it looked pretty straight forward.

Practice was scheduled for 11:50am and all seemed to running on time. This would be an interesting test. After Mallory Park and the Lancia Motor Club track day at Goodwood the following day, I noticed the ominous signs of a blown head gasket. I had the Y10 booked into Evolution Engineering that week anyway - had problems with the noise regs at Goodwood and feared we would never get through the noise tests at Castle Combe. Barry got the head taken off and skimmed back to flat and all put back together in time for Castle Combe. It seemed quick enough there, lapped as fast as any Integrale except Barry's 'Stealth' but also I thought it was noisier - a load of air noise rushing around, usually not a great sound for a Turbo. the boost gauge was still registering 1 bar so reckoned it was probably OK - this would be the test.

Practice went well. The circuit seemed simple enough on the map and is flat so I was fairly confident I'd know which way the track went. Followed some guys for a lap or two as speed built up, by which time I was taking most of the corners as fast as I felt prudent. Then a strange thing happened - I overtook people, and not just my adversary the 127GT. It felt like I overtook quite a few people during the session which after 12 laps was called to a halt - too soon, I was really getting into the groove.

It wasn't just my imagination either - I had qualified 22^nd out of 30 starters - that's 8 people slower than me! Progress at last.

Nothing ever runs smoothly does it? Everything had been too easy today, going too well. We got called over to the assembly area ready for the race where they stack us in grid order. I overestimated where I would be so had to reverse back a couple of spaces - but reverse gear didn't seem to want to work. I selected it again but the car would only move a couple of feet backwards before I could hear a spinning of gears. Many attempts later I had edged the car back far enough. Had no idea whether the gearbox was broken or the gearbox linkage was a problem, my concern being if it was the linkage, how many more gears had gone AWOL?

Too late to fix anything so drove out on track for the warm up lap and luckily found all the forward gears were working. We do a rolling start with reverse grid, the grid is arranged in class sequence, allegedly slowest class first etc. Being in Class B (up to 1800cc modified) only the fast guys in Class A and a couple of Class B guys were behind me. This was my first proper rolling start - at Cadwell Park only one Class A car was present and he was alongside me on the grid - this time there were 6 cars behind. We were off first time, people at the back already accelerating flat out long before we reached the start line and already Enzo was blasting past. Watching the traffic in front going into Copse for the first time looked worse than any Grand Prix start! 30 cars barrelling into the corner 3 and 4 abreast! I figured discretion was the better part of valour (no race is won at the first corner - except Monaco maybe - but many a race is lost there) so hung back looking for a gap in the anticipated carnage!

There was none! Everyone got round safely. Just as I entered the corner, my old pal the 127GT came past me on the inside. I was not happy about that and blasted back past him down the straight only for him to do it again at the next corner! This led onto the longest straight, where I could pull around 110-115mph and managed to leave him behind this time. I had a bit of rivalry with Neil Smith in an Uno. It was only his second race but he beat me at Mallory Park, but here I had out-qualified him by one place. Guess we both thought we would have a close race. An added incentive for me was that Neil's girlfriend Emma has a Y10 Turbo - top girl! A couple of laps later I started to close on Neil - he was in Class E so started way ahead on the grid. I reeled him in and coming onto the main straight I was close enough to make a move. He was chasing an Alfa and just as I went to make a move on him, he pulled out to take the Alfa. I had no choice but to go for the pair of them and moved over to the left so we were 3 abreast going down the straight heading for the Brooklands/Luffield complex. I was edging into the lead as I had to brake for the left hand bend - I was on the inside but the corner is tight and to keep any speed would mean using a lot of road. I lost the 2 guys in my mirrors so braked harder, later and took the left hand bend tight on the inside, slammed into 3rd and booted it and hurled it into the right hand hairpin at Luffield, not totally sure where they were. That's when I saw Neil in my mirror looking like he was inside me - but I was within a foot of the kerb so he must have been right on my bumper. As the bend straightened out I accelerated away leaving the pair behind - the little Turbo engine has great torque for pulling out of corners!

Managed to overtake some other guys during the race, but that had been the hairiest manouevre. I felt like a proper racing driver at last as I outbraked a couple of guys going into Copse which I was taking at about 85mph on 3 wheels (so Neil told me later!). On one lap near the end I rounded Copse on a yellow to see the Alfa GTV spinning - went past as he gathered it all up, but two laps later he was on my tail done the straight. Couldn't work out exactly where he was (must get an interior mirror!) so let him through at Brooklands rather than turn across him, then realised he was in my class! Damn - a place given away. Anyway, when the results came through, I had finished 19^th out of 30 starters and 6^th of 9 in class. Really piling up the points now!

Next race is at Oulton Park next week, on October 7^th so no time to do anything bar clean the car and check fluids. The 127 Sport camshaft did turn up but may or may not be usable and I have had no time to get it fitted - I may try it out for the last race as there is a winter race series which I have to investigate. Don't want to do too much now as I have plans for next season which involve Evolution Engineering, a 1300GTie engine and a turbocharger amongst other ingredients. The Leda springs still haven't turned up so they might as well wait for next year too!

Visit the Le Mans Motorsport site for details of the Le Mans Auto-Italia championship and standings so far.

Check out the race report for this race.