Friday Practice

Even though it was very mixed conditions all day for the final test day of the year, some valuable data was collected in regards to the cut-off points for the tyres, which has proven to be very important in the recent races and especially when racing in Norfolk! Head was held high as we left the circuit that evening and with just a handful of points between us and the championship leader, the game was on!

Saturday Racing

Qualifying started with a very tricky decision. The track was still wet but with two sessions before my own, we believed the track would be dry enough for slicks on the front and wets on the rear (the common tyre choice used for such intermediate conditions). With only a short session, and a two-and-a-half-minute lap in wet conditions, the time lost from making the wrong choice on tyres would be detrimental. We made the call, and headed out with slicks on the front, ready to give it everything!

Two laps into the session, having already set a ‘banker lap’, I knew the grip wasn’t there. The track was too cold and wet for the slick tyres to get up to anywhere near their working temperature. I dived into the pits, made the change, and headed out with just five minutes to go. Others were making this choice too so I knew the times would be getting quicker. As I started my first flying lap, I noticed two AM-class cars about two corners ahead of me fighting for track position. I made a mental note, and continued pushing. However, as I entered the infield section the two cars spun just fifty metres or so in front of me. Unfortunately, I had already committed to the corner and was left with nowhere to go as I made heavy impact with one of the now stationary cars. Unfortunately, the front end of the car was caved in and the engine had been forced backwards into the chassis on impact. The car was a write off.

After some thorough medical checks, I was cleared and headed back to the team. With Race 1 in just a couple of hours, there was no way the car was going to be repaired in time. Luckily, the circuit was located near the team’s Headquarters, and with some quick thinking, it was decided that our only chance was to use a spare car which the team had in the workshop. I had never driven this car before, nor had it been raced in over a year, however, if it allowed me to race, sign me up!

Using this spare car in the race required all of my competitors to sign a form, agreeing to let me change cars. If all of the competitors didn’t sign, I would be sent home and my weekend would be over. One of the things I have always loved about the Mini Challenge Cooper Class is the respect between drivers. No matter how heated things get on track, it stays on track. This was clearly shown as one-by-one all competitors (including my championship rival) signed the form to allow me to race.

Despite qualifying in 5th with my ‘banker lap’, a change of car meant that I started last on the grid for Race 1. However, as we entered the second lap I had managed to work my way up to P5. I was shocked at just how different the car felt, and it took me some laps to get used to the new handling characteristics. However, as my confidence grew, I climbed my way up the grid and found myself battling for first place with just a lap to go. Once again it was great racing and, after losing momentum from a late braking move, I crossed the finish line to take P3! A great result given our earlier misfortune and I was looking forward to seeing what we could do in Race 2 – starting from 4th with the reverse grid.

The dark clouds closed in as the five lights went out to start the final race of the year. It was door to door and about 4 cars wide as we entered turn one. I committed to my line. However, after the pack concertinaed up, I lost momentum on the exit of the corner and dropped back to P7 once again. Luckily, I was much more acclimatised to the car this time, and was able to wrestle my way back up the grid with a cocktail of late braking and switch-back manoeuvres. Yet again, I was in the fight for the lead as we entered the last lap of the race. Then the rain came. The field bunched back up and, with just one corner to go, first to fifth was separated by just a couple of seconds. I went defensive, attempting to protect my inside. However, with the reduced grip, offline was far too greasy and more than a handful of wheelspin on the exit of the last corner killed my run heading into the final straight. I dropped back to P5. Slightly disappointing, however it just goes to show how quickly things can turn against your favour in the heat of battle.

Looking back, we made the best use of the situation and getting on the podium while using a spare car, which I had never even sat in before, and fighting for the lead in both races, feels like some achievement. On a whole this year has been filled with ups and downs and to end the season P2 in the championship against drivers with close to a decade more experience than myself, is definitely an achievement to be thoroughly proud of. A huge thanks to everyone at Excelr8Motorsport for the non-stop work you guys have put in all year to supply me with the best set of wheels, to Credo Asset Finance for their support and to the organisers and competitors at Mini Challenge for such an enjoyable yet brutally, fiercely, gruellingly, awesomely competitive championship!

Friday Testing

Yet another wet test day started the weekend off. However, unlike the others, this one offered very useful practise for the two race days which, we had been assured, were going to be very much wet as well. With this in mind we spent the day testing the cross over points for tyres and getting to grips with the greasy conditions. A successful day, and we were looking god for the races!

Saturday

Qualifying was dry! And very cold. This created a very tricky situation for us drivers, as none of us had any testing the day before in dry conditions. After putting new tyres on, I headed out, conscious of the challenge ahead. Surprisingly, throughout the session I began to struggle with understeer, which is a rare occurrence with new tyres, however I managed to put in what felt like a decent lap to end the session. P5 was the end result and three tenths of pole. Post session we found the cause of the understeer, turns out the front tyres never got into their working temperature and pressure window due to the cold temperatures. Not a bad result given the circumstances and all to play for in the race!

The lights went out and we headed into a dry turn one for the first race of the weekend! After a couple laps, I managed to gain a position, then gain another two with some late braking to put me up to P2 and with 10 minutes left of the race. All was looking good as I closed the gap to P1. We entered the second half of the race separated by a hair width and the race was really heating up as I began to look for a way past. Then, within a fraction of a second, I lost all power unexpectedly and the engine went into “limp home mode”. After a few seconds of confusion, I restarted the car, and the power returned. Unfortunately, I had now dropped to P6, but with a substantial amount of time left of the race, I got my head down. As we entered the closing stages of the race, I sat P5 after a move on 6th and was right behind the fight for 3rd. It was great racing and, after going 3 wide into a few corners, I crossed the finish line in 3rd position! Great result given out mechanical mishaps, and two more races to go!

Sunday

The rain had arrived! However, it chose to do so while we were all on the grid ready to race……. on dry tyres. Contrary to the race prior, we headed into turn one very gingerly and hoping the rain would hold off. It didn’t. After a couple laps to get used to the conditions, I had moved up to 2nd place and, with a move round the outside, gained the lead going into the second half of the race. It was now all about keeping it on track, which I managed to do…. Just! However, the keener eyed of us drivers saw the massive black cloud heading our way, and chose to put on wet tyres at the start of the race. This was the correct choice. And those who did so came storming through the field and were right on my bumper going into the last lap. After some very near misses with the grass, and some slight moments of sideways action, I crossed the finish line in 1st place. Great race once again, and another wet one was on the cards for Race 3!

This time we were on wet tyres, and headed into turn one slightly less gingerly than the race prior. I had a great start, and was into second position by the end of the third lap. 1st place was driving brilliantly however, and it took me some time to close the gap. Once I did so, I saw a gap and made a move down the inside. This however created a difficult situation, as they now had the benefit of the increased grip on the outside of the corner that is present in wet conditions. After getting the move done initially, they came back round the outside and our paths met, with contact made. Unfortunately, in these conditions any slight contact can be disastrous and the contact was enough to send them into a spin. I gained the lead, but not through the way I would have liked. On a positive note, I managed to pull a gap to second place and maintained it, to bring the car home to take another win. A slightly scruffy performance on my behalf, and a shame the lead was taken through contact, regardless if it was a racing incident.

All in all, a great weekend! 2/3 wins and 3/3 podiums has given us a nice haul of points going into the last round of the championship. Nothing to lose! All to play for!

Friday Practice

Another wet day’s testing (it’s getting a bit silly now) to start the weekend off! Any running in the early sessions was pointless as a 0% chance of rain was promised for the racing on Saturday. However, in the afternoon, the track dried up and we managed to get just enough running in to scrub some tyres and get my eye in for the important stuff the following day!

Saturday

Due to the race meeting being a one-day event, qualifying and two races had to be completed by 5pm, causing a very tight schedule. It also meant that the tyres would have more work to do in a shorter period of time, leading to additional wear and degradation than usual. With this in mind, I headed out to qualifying hoping to do a few flying laps, then park it early to save some life in the rubber. This plan lasted all but a couple minutes, as I soon realised the grip levels were much beyond what I had anticipated. Lap after lap the rest of the field were setting faster and faster times, well surpassing the lap record from the previous year. I gave it 100% and eventually managed to put in a time good enough for pole, however picked up a black flag for track limits while doing so! Luckily the lap was allowed but it was a thorough warning going into the race.

A good start had me leading the race by the end of lap one. However, any gap I managed to pull through to corners I lost on the long straight due to the following cars having the benefits of slipstream. It became apparent very soon that It was going to be anyone’s race, as 1st to 5th were separated by just a few seconds. After briefly losing the lead mid- race I took a couple laps to cool down my tyres and brakes, before attacking once more. With a couple laps to go I regained position, and crossed the line P1. Tough race, and a top five reverse grid meant I had some work to do in Race two!

It’s never easy to make up many positions within the first few corners of the race, especially at Cadwell Park. With this being said, a good start and a touch of patience had me briefly in third place, before a big hit from behind sent me onto the grass and facing the tyre wall. Luckily, I managed to keep it more or less facing the right way, and re-joined the track in close to last place! With this happening quite early on in the lap, I was still within the drama that always occurs in the first part of any race, and a slight incident ahead allowed me to slip into P5, and then P4 a couple laps later. As we headed into the closing stages of the race, I was right in the contention for a podium spot, and with a few corners to go in the race, I sent it down the inside to gain third place with success! Very much a race of damage limitation and recovering from what could have been a disaster, but an additional “fastest lap of the race” award gave me a great haul of points going into the penultimate round of the season. Follow TEAMTG at Donnington Park in a couple weeks’ time!

Friday Practice

What would a race weekend be without unpredictable weather…

Another very wet days testing, we have had so many this year at least we are used to it now! However, a dry forecast for Saturday and Sunday really did make any running pointless. None the less we had some good pace in the wet and had gotten familiar with the track, so it was looking good for qualifying.

Saturday

After a few laps, something didn’t feel right. I boxed mid-session and explained a lack of front grip to the team who made a few adjustments and sent me back out. However, it soon became apparent that the issue was here to stay. We ended up P6, and later found out that our rear damper (suspension) had been loosening itself as I drove, changing the handling of the car as it did so. Not a bad result given our problems, and we headed into Race 1 with confidence.

The car felt much better; however, the pace was still not quite there. Some strange handling characteristics seemed to have remained as a result of the earlier problems and even on new tires, the lack of grip the car had didn’t add up. Even so, we managed to fight our way up to P3, before a hit from behind caused me to drop back to P4, and the car that had made contact to have to retire from the race from damage. It was a big hit and a disappointing end to a great Race, but it was still good points and we had one more race the following day.

Sunday

Top 4 reverse grid meant I started P1 for the final race. We had a great start and lead for the first quarter of the race, but a strong headwind meant the slipstream was crucial, and I eventually lost the lead down the straight. It was a close fight, and the top three cars were separated by only two tenths. After some defensive driving, I headed into the last lap in P2 and right on the tail of P1 and, after spotting a gap, made the move stick and took first place. It was another great race and a fantastic result given our still present issues.

Sometimes in motorsport, no matter how much planning, preparing and testing you do, things can go wrong and unfortunately that happened to us this weekend. However, the hard work and constant search for improvement from the guys at Excelr8Motorsport, we still managed to walk away with a win- a testament to the attitude the team has that has led to our success so far this year. Thoroughly looking forward to returning to our form at Cadwell Park in a few weeks’ time!

Friday Practice

What would a race weekend be without unpredictable weather…

After a dry session early on in the day, we spent the rest of the afternoon swapping tyres every session in attempts to match the changing conditions. Although we didn’t leave with that ‘ideal lap time’ that would be good to know for qualifying, we had a good idea towards the cut off points between the wet and dry tyres in changing conditions, something that would be very useful for the following days racing!

Saturday

Early showers meant we headed out onto a very greasy track for Qualifying…

The plan was to put in a few banker laps early on, get the tyres heated up and to the optimum pressures, then dive into the pits mid-session and swap them round so that the front tyres were now on the rear and vice versa. This would give a very balanced and planted car in the challenging conditions, as the rear tyres are always the hardest to get up to temperature. However, two red flags in the session meant we only had two laps left at the end to put in a competitive lap time. After finding a gap in the traffic, I disconnected the part of my brain that is associated with danger and put in a lap right at the end to put me on pole position by half a second!

Race 1 was dry; however, a sizable accident mid race meant the majority of it was spent under safety car. Luckily, we were told that there would be one lap left at the end after the safety car pulled in. After backing the pack up and getting a good gap to P2, I finished the race in P1 and walked away with a great set of points from the day.

Sunday

Great crowds for the final day of racing at the MINI festival as we headed out for race two, and what a show we put on…

From the second the lights went out, the drop of the chequered flag, it was door to door touring car racing. Any of about eight cars could have walked away with the win it was so close, and a P3 finish from myself was far from disappointing! The pace was strong, but the tire marks on the sides of the car were stronger, and a P4 start from reversed top 6 grid for race three was set to be an even better race!

And it didn’t disappoint! After a great start, I managed to work my way up to P2 by lap 2, and eventually took the lead of the race before the first 5 laps! From then it was full focus on keeping it consistent and building a gap from the dogfights that were occurring behind me.

As the clock ticked down, the gap grew, and as the chequered flag dropped, I took the win by over a second. Great weekend, and a nice bag of championship points to come home with as well.

Huge thanks to everyone at Exclr8 Motorsport and Credo Asset Finance and Pearson Insurance for the support.

Roll on Round 4!

Saturday Practice

A wet start to the weekend, no surprise there! After a red flag in the first session, we spent the rest of the day chasing the dry line and eventually managed to get a couple really productive sessions on a completely dry track. There isn’t a huge amount of set-up change available in the coopers, unlike the JCW class which has 3 way adjustable dampers, aero and top of the line Powerflex black series bushes. However, pace was really good and the car felt great so we were looking strong for qualifying.

Qualifying

Unfortunately, being the first cars out on track meant there wasn’t a huge amount of grip and within the first minutes of the session a full course yellow was brought out as a small accident from another car left him stranded in the gravel. It took a while to clean up and maintaining tyre temperature was a challenge. Conscious of the little time left to get a lap in once we went green, I held back to get some space from the cars in front and weaved across the track, desperately trying to get the car ready for the two laps left of the session. After one warm up lap, I crossed the line with seconds to spare putting me in pole position for the race by over a second. Great result, and a new track lap record!

Race 1

Pressure was on for the race! A good start and opening laps awarded me with a slight gap to second place. The cooper class never ceases to offer fantastic, close racing and this race was no different! Whatever gap I was able to pull through the corners, the slipstream advantage gifted to the car behind meant I found myself back to square one after each straight. After some defensive driving and unsuccessful attempts for position from second place, I was confident for the second half of the race. Unfortunately, the race was cut short. A sizable accident through the fastest corner of the track involving my teammate brought a red flag out and due to the little time left, the race was called early. Never nice to win like that but everyone was OK.

Race 2

A top six reverse grid for race two meant I was starting from P6. The race was started under safety car and the track layout had been adjusted due to the damage dealt to the tyre barrier from the earlier crash. Once we went green, I managed to work my way through to P3 after a few laps and started the hunt for the front two, who were both jostling for position. It was great racing and I fought my way in to second place. With two laps remaining I focused on closing down the nearly three second gap that first place had built. To my disappointment, we crossed the line mere tenths of a second apart. If only the race was full length… Great result however and the fastest lap of the race has given us a strong points haul going into Round 3.

Friday Testing

If there’s one thing to learn from racing in the UK, its to never trust the weather forecast! “A dry morning with some light showers in the afternoon” was what was agreed on over breakfast, however within the first hour of being at the circuit we soon realised just how wrong we were.

Session one was effectively a write off, an early oil spillage brought out a red flag and by the time it was cleared and the session was safe to resume, there wasn’t enough time for any more running. By the time session two arrived the rain had really hit and what can only be described as a monsoon was slowly washing away any hopes of dry running before lunch. Never the less we decided wet practice is still practice, and headed out on track. Pace was good and after a mid-session red flag myself and another championship contender went at it, slightly sideways, for the remainder of the session.

Unfortunately, the rain never gave up and even after a two hour plus lunch break, Session three was more of the same. Finally, the rain subsided and a dry session four was guaranteed. Its always tough as a driver in these situations. The whole weekends testing before the races comes down to twenty minutes and any feedback on the cars handling can severely alter the success had on the weekend. The session was clean, with no red flags and we were able to gather some valuable data with a decent lap time in addition. Tomorrow’s qualifying and race one and I’m confident we will be fighting for the win, rain or shine. We just need to make sure we wake up for the 7:30am drivers briefing…. hardest part of the weekend if you ask me.

Saturday Race

Snetterton’s unpredictability was in full swing. Heavy rain hours before qualifying, left me and the team wondering why we even bother planning for the weather! A few laps into qualifying, I backed off, having done a decent time to put me P1. Plus the rain eased off... so the track was only going to get faster. I caught up to a group of AM class cars which ran the risk of interfering with my next attempt at a faster lap so sought some clear track, weaving to maintain tyre temperature + pressure. I knew I had two laps left to get another competitive time in (at this point I had dropped down to P2). My first of the two laps were faster than my previous attempt but still left me P2 by mere thousandths of a second. I had one last lap to make something happen.

Just a few corners later, I found myself crossing the timing line after going over a second faster than P2 at the time, putting me P1 by 1.2 seconds! So, race 1 was dry, full slicks all round. Still a bit greasy on some areas of the track so we kept the wet set-up for the handling of the car and hoped the slicks would do their part in the dry bits. After a great start we managed to pull a slight gap, however the race was promptly red flagged due to a sizable accident into turn one from the AM class involving my teammate, who also did a great job to put it on pole (he was ok, just very disappointed). The full race restart was our downfall. The track had fully dried and the wet set-up wasn’t working. On jostling for 1st with P2 for a couple laps I went for a move round the outside, lost grip, and had to bail out of the corner entirely to prevent a head on collision with the tyre barrier, putting me onto the still wet grass. At this point the brake and steering inputs were not working and I eventually made side-on contact with the barrier on the exit of the corner which spun me round.

Finishing was my priority and we did it! (Giving me some points for the race at least).

Motorsport is all about margins. If the track had been a 'bit drier', tyres a 'bit warmer', weather a 'bit sunnier', I might have made the move stick and the day could have ended differently. I saw the gap, made a split-second choice, and went for it, only this time it didn’t work out. I always believe that in racing, if you’re not willing to put yourself and the car on the line for a win, then the sport's not for you and as Ayrton Senna famously said “If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you are no longer a racing driver.” I guess there are many positives to take away and we're looking forward to tomorrow - starting from the back of the grid!

Sunday Race

Clear blue skies! Not a cloud in sight as we headed back to the #circuitfor our last #race of the weekend Snetterton on Sunday May 12th 2019. Saturday was difficult to digest (see Toby Goodman Racing) but I came to the track with a fresh mindset and really looked forward to having some fun from the back of the gird 😉 #TOBYTIP: the key to a good start in the #MINI’s is all in the green flag lap. Working the tires well to get them up to temperature will insure minimal #wheelspin off the line and allow you to push from the word go.

I think it’s fair to say we did just that, as I don’t remember any part in the lap where I wasn’t violently throwing the #car from left to right to try and get everything to the optimum condition for the #race start. It worked! We had a great start right on the back of the pack, ready to take advantage of any first corner tussles. Patience was the one thing on my mind as I slowly but surely worked my way up the #grid, getting into P4 by the mid-race mark. What became apparent very quickly was just how well the car was working in the conditions and after closing down, and overtaking P3 we set a #lap record, nearly a second quicker than the next fastest time in the race. First and second place were a considerable gap away from P3 at the time and as the clock moved into the five-minute mark, they went at it, slowing down their pace immensely… allowing me to close up to the back of them. I tried a couple moves, but ultimately ran out of time and came home in third. Amazing result to end the weekend on, and the pace we had shows our potential going onto round two. Huge thanks to everyone at #Exclelr8motorsport for working all night to fix mine, and my teammates cars ready for the races. Furthermore, a massive thank you to Credo Asset Finance & Pearson Insurance Services for being a huge part of #TEAMTG

So at the beginning of the weekend I qualified in first place with a clear 1.2 seconds lead on the driver placed second. And finished in third. #Motorsport is a ride of emotions with low points such as those I experienced finding myself at the back of the grid. Inevitability, this weekend involving reflecting, learning and coming back stronger. What’s important is we showed that in our end results. Roll on #CooperPro #OultonPark BTW - I also need to give a big shout out to my school #LordWilliams for allowing me training time. And our outgoing Mayor - without the help of these people there is no youth in Motorsport.