September 2006
Tuesday 19th September 2006
I had a great day out at Cadwell on Sunday. The weather was really kind to everyone, and the sun even came out in the afternoon. The chicane used at the last visit in June was missing, and the start line wasn't quite in the same place, so times from the previous visit in June weren't going to be comparable. Graham Millar (Vauxhall powered Mk2 Escort) soon set the pace with a very fast 95.16s in practice, and I recorded a 100.76s run, Graham having had the benefit of competing at the track the previous day on the same circuit layout. Second practice I knocked 4 seconds off to record 96.60, but Graham went quicker to record a 94.79.
First timed runs soon commenced after lunch, and I went quicker to record a 96.25, but Graham again went faster still and recorded a 94.47s run. With nothing to lose, on my last run I tried harder still, and made a drastic move at the bottom of Gooseneck, resulting in two wheels on the grass as I cut the corner at the bottom of the hill, but it paid off and I shaved another couple of tenths off my time to record a 96.07s run. However Graham still managed to improve his PB by .08s to take beat me with a 94.39s run. Still, over the 2 mile track I was only 1.68 seconds behind, which certainly gives me satisfaction that my Zetec powered Fiesta, which is giving away around 75BHP to the Escort, could certainly make the ground up with a bit more power.
I stayed behind at the end to watch the British Sprint Championship contenders take part in their Top-12 run off. One of the cars was powered by a Judd V8, and you could hear it drive round the entire circuit. Sounded wonderful.
Thats it for me for this season. I've wrapped up the Sports Libre title for a second time, which I'm really pleased about. I had no mechanical problems all year which meant no retirements. The Fiesta performed flawlessly, and I had 5 firsts in class, and one 2nd. Next month I may go to Santa Pod for a RWYB, and if I do, I'll hopefully better my 14s run from last year.
Friday 15th September 2006
I'm all set for Sundays trip to Cadwell. The 5.0l westfield is no longer listed in the class I'm running in. This is who I'm up against.
Class C9
| 80 | Graham Miller | MSC | Ford Escort MK2 | 1998 |
| 81 | Graham Blackwell | NSCC | Ford Fiesta XR2 | 1998 |
| 83 | Geoff Mason | BARC | Raw StrikerTR | 1355 |
| 84 | John Boyall | BARC/H SA/WSCC | Westfield sport 2000S | 2261 |
| 85 | Dick Hulbert | B19 | Westfield S2000 | 1998 |
| 785 | Carole Torkington | B19 | Westfield S2000 | 1998 |
Sunday 10th September 2006
Washed the XR2 today, and tried to start the engine, but the battery didn't have enough juice in it. No problem. I finished the other half of the Anderson connector which is wired in to the spare Mondeo battery, and once connected I started the engine first time.
Saturday 9th September 2006
I took the Fiesta off the trailer at lunch time, and took each wheel off for a clean, which allowed me to inspect the suspension too. The car was really dirty after Barkston Heath, and the next event is next weekend at Cadwell Park, which is a round of the British Sprint championship, so the XR2 needs to look her best. The Sports Libre class is quite full too. Theres me and Graham Millar in our Old Fords, then theres a 5.0l Westfield, and several other Westfields, all of whom appear to have pretty powerful cars. Should be fun. I'm determined to go quicker than my visit in June. I'm hoping to knock at least another couple of seconds off my 104.51s PB.
