Snetterton, 05 August 2007
We left Anglesey three weeks ago in need of tyres and brakes. So shopping was the order of the day. Champ (Jason) pointed out some EBC brake discs on eBay that I picked up for less than half price, might have got them cheaper still if I'd not been in a hurry. Tyres were looking more of a problem, Rover had arrived on some very second hand ex-Clio Cup tyres - thing is the Clios have upgraded to the new model for 2007 and now run 17" wheels, so that's the end of the supply of "pre-scrubbed" tyres from that series - at least in the size I need. A hunt around came up with HP Tyres, suppliers of Dunlop motorsport tyres. They confirmed that Dunlop still made the original size tyres (175/570x15) crossply slicks the Rovers wore in their one-make series days. In a hard compound so they would probably last for the rest of the season too - although what they grip like was still to be found out. A phone call to Dunlop came up with some recommendation for tyre pressures (hot) so at least I had a starting point. That's over £500 gone and still no wets!
A flash of inspiration, back in the days of the Y10 I bought a brand new set of Avon wets, they cut the slicks specially for me if I recall correctly. I mounted them on a set of Lancia wheels and carried them from race meet to race meet - but never actually used them! I called them my lucky wets. A hunt around the garage at my parents' showed they were stashed away in the dark, on their side, and looked good as new. So the Y10 donated its wets to the cause, I had them mounted up on one of the many sets of wheels that came with Rover, and we were ready to roll.
Lucky wets - too right. After the rain we had in the UK over the previous two or three weeks, it was great to see the weather turn. An early start to drive up to Snetterton was blessed with sunshine almost from the off. By the time we arrived at the circuit just before 9am, the temperature was alraedy up in the mid-20s (C) with much more to come as the day went on. The sky was clear blue, not a cloud to be seen - the lucky wets would be staying in the truck - again!
It's easy to get complacent in this game, if the car passes scrutineering at one meet you really expect no problems at the next one. Then every now and again a scrutineer digs out some favourite check that no-one else does - this one insisted on checking the fire extinguisher cable worked! No, he left the pin in, just wanted to see the cable pull worked - and it didn't! Just as well that LMA come to the races with a well stocked van, and big thanks to Tim M-B for fitting the new cable for me - another beer I owe him.
Qualifying:
A late morning start meant the track had seen plenty of use already and many drivers thought the track was slow and slippery. Snetterton is a power circuit with two long straights, in slower cars you feel like you have the time to climb in the back and read a newspaper driving the Revett straight. And I suspected that Rover might fall into this category. Even allowing for the brand new tyres and the matching brand new brakes, so a lot of bedding in required, but I was still concerned that everyone disappeared along the Revett straight. This looked like being a lonely race.
Jason Newman hadn't driven Snetterton before so I was hoping thi would slow his Peugeot enough for Rover to keep up, but two laps in I saw the Pug parked up on the left just before the finish line. Just where I abandoned the Alfasud back in 2001 after pushing a rod through the top of the block - and unfortunately Jason had done much the same - a snapped conrod, a piston that came out in two molten lumps - not something that was going to be fixed trackside. Maybe the heat wasn't helping, but Jason wasn't the only one not to finish qualifying in one piece. Nick Williamson's Cosworth Escort had been quick (its a power circuit and now the kappa's gone, he's got as much as anyone) but in parc ferme afterwards the engine sounded very poorly. Newcomer Jack Towler might not have killed his engine on the Tommy Kaira ZZ (no, most of us didn't know what one was either) but it was soon parked trackside by the pit entrance with what looked like collapsed front suspension so we were three cars down already. Just as well we started with 27.
And Rover was slow - actually it was me that was slow trying to build up confidence in the tyres and the brakes - especially the brakes as they were fitted by he who is not to be trusted with spanners (me). But mostly they seemed to work OK, they didn't judder so at least that was cured, although there was a tendency not to pull up entirely straight. Still, five seconds adrift of Pongo came as a shock. Of those qualifying slower, two were out of the race (the Peugeot and the Tommy) and Lee David's Honda CRX would surely be massively quicker if he could stop it overheating. We were in for a tough race.
The mid-engined cars (the Noble and the Exige) headed the charts from the tourers, but Tim M-B was absolutely flying - the VX220 was sulking in the assembly area and wouldn't start, the cut-out switch had shorted. By the time Tim got the VX running, he just fitted in three laps, and stuck in his quickest lap on lap 2, faster even than Champ Jason. Possibly something to do with Tim having spent 6 hours driving a VX220 round Snetterton last year as a birthday treat from Mrs Tim.
Race:
Late afternoon and by now the temperature was close to 30 degrees. A clean and well bunched rolling start was a pleasant surprise, but Rover was well left behind on the drag down to Riches. We just about caught the pack as they crowded round Riches and on the short run to Sear but once we reached the Revett straight that was really the end of our race, we were well behind and ended lap one already nearly two seconds adrift of the next car, Lee David's turbo power CRX having blitzed away from at the start. It was all over for Lee on the second lap though, the CRX temperatures went through the roof and I came across him going very slowly along the Revett straight. Hmm - five of us entered in Class D and Jason Newman had already gone home. Now I was in third place in class - it had occured to me sitting in the assembly area that maybe I should have played my joker, but too late by the time I thought of it.
Photograph courtesy of Steve Jones
Normally when the leaders come through, you get one or two at the front, then they spread out a little - but on lap 5 I got swamped. The Exige was out front with the Noble 2 seconds behind. Then came Derek Hale, Joss Ronchetti and then Tony Soper going well in the Harrier and holding onto the Challis Primera. All within 8 seconds of each other. The following lap the attrition continued - John Hammersley's Vauxhall Cavalier was parked up alongside the Revett straight. Then I could see someone coming into view - I was gaining on someone but at first could not make out who it was. But I was gaining at a rate of 5 seconds a lap. As I got closer I could now see it was Anthony Harrison's Rover Tomcat that seemed to be slow, but with no smoke. I correctly surmised it was driving like a 2 litre non-turbo car - a boost pipe had come off. With no danger to the car, Anthony carried on driving to the finish but on lap 9 I closed up round Coram and he conceded the place coming into Russell. Not last!
Photograph courtesy of Steve Jones
Not long before the next lapping session, this time the Noble was out front with Challis' Primera right on his tailpipes, but with the Primera's rear bumper hanging off. The Exige was next, less than a second separated the three of them but as I stayed wide into Riches leaving room for the Exige, it didn't pass. I found out later that Tim's VX220 had a turbo failure and was spraying oil out the back, and the Exige got a screenfull causing Steven to slow a little (its all relative). And that was pretty much my excitement over as I carried on a mostly lonely race to the finish - but started to get quicker as my confidence in the tyres grew and I became less concerned about the brakes - despite nearly hitting Tony Soper's Harrier when he braked in front of at Sear!
Rover might not have been covered in glory, but further up field Pongo was proving that every dog really does have its day. Jason Tarling's Renault Clio Cup had qualified just a second faster than Pongo, Simon Jackson was wondering where he could find that vital second. But the race was coming to him as the Clio put in a couple of slow laps and Pongo got within sniffing distance. Almost neck and neck with one lap to go, Pongo got by the Clio on the last lap and beat it by 3 seconds.
The race was won by Mal Davison's Noble, Peter Challis' race ending a lap early when the Primera ran out of fuel leaving Derek Hale and Joss Ronchetti to take the remaining podium places. Now while Rover was a little off the Snetterton pace, 27 cars started the day and only 19 finished the race - so Rover is doing OK. We even picked up 3rd in class, shame we forgot to play the joker. Its Oulton Park next, a double header on the smaller Fosters circuits where I only raced once before. I'm hoping Jason can get another engine for the Pug so I have someone to play with!
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