Editorial - Flavours of Snetterton

The countdown on the website’s home page is reading over a hundred days until the next meeting, it must be the end of the season. Thus, Startline editorial staff wish to congratulate those who have raced with the greatest success during 2008 and become Monoposto Class Champions.

Championships can make competitors behave in strange, unpredictable ways. In 2008 I think that the first to behave completely out of character was Ewan Sergison. Ewan, usually the most flamboyant of drivers, was seen to be driving in a very circumspect manner at Cadwell, in his own words, "Like a granny". On the Saturday of the Cadwell meeting Ewan was intent on securing the Mono1600 Championship, all he needed was a few points and circulating, staying out of trouble, was all that was required. Ewan did this successfully, objective achieved but his circumspect behaviour on Saturday backfired on Sunday when a start and a restart, both red flagged after a couple of laps, prevented Ewan getting to grips with the race. My view at the time was that it was poor value if one paid to race and then did not actually have a real race.

But this view is dependant on how the competitor values the race in comparison to the championship. Most in the outside World would expect a race for the sort of money we pay for a race meeting. I am with the outside World in this matter but for very different reasons to Ewan found myself continuing to drive a car that should have been parked because of the Mono1800 points situation at Snetterton. Thanks to Ewan's assistance, the Swift was back on four wheels after its DNF at Cadwell but it was untested and when it got onto the track it vibrated like hell between 100-120mph, things started to fall off, I curtailed both qualifying sessions and cruised round the latter part of both races, probably being the only driver to welcome the red flag on Saturday. So thanks to the car, or more correctly the rear tyres*, I spent the weekend circulating for points rather than racing. Disappointing.

I got the points so had a more successful weekend than some. I was not the only competitor circulating slowly for a points finish. In the latter part of Sunday’s race, the Mono2000 of Barry Smith was even slower than I was because his car was stuck in second gear. Barry circulated until the end but sadly the single speed Van Diemen was just too slow and he became a DNC. The loss of points probably dropped him from second to fourth in the Mono2000 Championship.

Geoff Fern was another unfortunate. Geoff has had a disappointing season by his normal high standards and was having a relaxing weekend because he had left the recalcitrant Dallara at home, leaving him with his usually reliable 1600, but on Sunday a spin, followed by a rapid drive through the field, led only to retirement with overheating. Geoff had lost a 1600 engine at Anglesey and was reluctant to lose a second within a season. The DNF dropped Geoff to third place in the championship, a disappointing end to his season.

The Timms Team had a poor Snetterton Sunday. Deja vu, for the second time this year Jim failed to leave a Snetterton Sunday grid. The race started despite Jim trying to attract attention by waving his arms, at least the 1800s were towards the back of the grid so it was relatively easy to avoid his stationary Van Diemen but this is hardly the point. Later in the same race Jeremy Timms pulled out of the lead at Coram, reputedly out of fuel.

Jeremy was not alone, despite the recent reductions in the price of petrol. Running out of fuel was very popular reason for retirement at Snetterton. Both Tony Davies and David Parkinson, ran out while racing each other on Saturday, Tony coasted across the line, David did not. In the same race Chris Vinall nearly lost his well earned win for a similar reason.

If Saturday was disappointing for David Parkinson, Sunday was a disaster, he spun his Reynard into the barrier at high speed after the brakes failed. The Reynard was heavily damaged, the gearbox being in two halves. His wreck joined a similarly damaged Mono2000 Reynard of Andy Wooley. Andy’s crash being caused by a stuck throttle. However, the reluctant winner of the wreck of the weekend was probably Rupert Reader whose Van Diemen Vauxhall Junior was inverted as well as being damaged at both ends. Fortunately even amateur racing drivers are tough and thankfully all walked away from their wrecks. Race cars are equally resilient but some of these cars may be damaged beyond what most would consider economic repair.

To more cheerful matters, having wrapped up the Mono1800 title, Peter Bragg was present at the meeting being helpful to everybody and to Bill Janson in particular. As Peter was not racing, the 1800s would have a new winner, Doug McLay took full advantage, taking two wins from the weekend, the points gained were enough to secure him third in the championship. Doug certainly had a far more successful Snetterton weekend in October than in April, where he started the season with a damaged car and a blown engine. It was also good to see another Mono1800 driver, Geoff Pashley in attendance as a spectator/helper. The demise of Jeremy’s Dallara allowed Graham Read to take a welcome win in the Mono2000 class and Nick Anstruther had the pleasing experience of taking the chequered flag.

Some of the scrutineers at Snetterton seemed to be on a mission and competitors were on the receiving end of some pretty unreasonable behaviour. Len Turner's outfit was parked next to Monoposto hospitality. After 1200/1600 scrutineering Len was preparing for qualifying when a scrutineer told him that he was not going out with the modified steering wheel fitted to his Jedi, this being of the type already mentioned in Startline as being banned. This scrutineer then attempted to tear the scrutineering sticker off Len's Jedi. Len requested that the scrutineering sticker be left in situ because he had passed through scrutineering and had another steering wheel that is legal. The scrutineer stated that, ‘this should not have happened and the scrutineer that passed the car will get a bollocking’. Len stated that ‘he would fit his alternative steering wheel’. The scrutineer then attempted to confiscate the offending wheel. Len requested its return because he required its boss to fit the replacement. The senior scrutineer then disappeared and a suitably admonished junior scrutineer replaced him. This individual then stood over Len as he swapped the boss between his steering wheels, the scrutineer then confiscated the offending steering wheel.

There are at least three important points arising from this incident. The first is that it took place while scrutineering was taking place, So the question is, what was a senior scrutineer doing away from the scrutineering bay? If he had been diligently discharging his duties in the appropriate place there would have been no necessity for him to trawl the paddock trying to ruin a competitor's day.

The second point is that scrutineers are volunteers. If most of us had volunteered and then been treated in an unpleasantly abrupt way, we would have been tempted to walk.

And finally there appears to have been no recognition that these officials were dealing with a valued customer. Competitors do not pay large amounts of money to be insulted by individuals who seem to think that they are chastising pupils for Dr Gradgrind at Dootheboys Hall. (One is aware that using the word chastised in an article concerned with motor racing is contentious but I am resisting the temptation to expand on this topic).

*Prior to Snetterton the rear tyres had been reversed on the rims to put some rubber on the track (Impecunious Racing). However (and inexplicably) the tyre factors did not balance these wheels. As they were straight out of the garage I assumed them balanced and because the car was crashed last time out started looking for a serious fault.

C’est la vie, put it down to experience.

Many thanks for all those who offered assistance, nearly everyone who viewed the Swift found an additional fault! Especial thanks to Ollie & Peter Whitmore’s team for checking the suspension setup with professional equipment.

Patrick Huston.

Ewan Sergison drove defensively for a points finish at Cadwell....

....like certain other champions

Patrick also drove for points..

..as did Barry Smith.

David Parkinson's weekend and season was soon to end in disaster. This is probably the last pic before his big accident.

Jeremy Timms had fuel problems.

Pics Andrew Cliffe and Autosport