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Mallory Park 2009 - Tristan's View

Or, for us spectators, "Phew. What a scorcher!"

In tandem with Lee Bennett's great reports on the races, and following his "Race of your Life" article, I wondered if I should combine the two. You see, I've not been doing this for very long, so there is always a fairly good chance that each race becomes the new "Race of my Life". And so it came to pass at Mallory....

The build up to the event was fairly boring really. We'd (well, when I say we, I actually mean my Dad as I was busy with Amdram stuff again) fitted a Superclutch after Snetterton, which unearthed a few other small problems that were relatively easily fixed, and we'd put some new bits in the carburettors to cure a lateral-G misfire that plagued us at Snett. Yet despite going quite well at Snetterton I wasn't getting my hopes up too much as I've always gone a bit better than normal at the Norfolk circuit, whilst Mallory has so far been the circuit I've gelled with least. Before the event I was asked, by a very polite and friendly Phil Moore, where I was hoping to finish, and I replied that a podium whilst still in sight of the leaders would be a good result. So I was as surprised as anyone when reality kicked in.

Sunday practice didn't put me in a good mood, and nor did it instil any confidence in my abilities at Mallory. The misfire problem we'd spent ages trying to cure was worse than ever and made life a bit too slow in Gerrards, The Esses and Shaws. Then there was the ever present 'problem' * of having the most cars out on the smallest track we visit, and hence a near constant swarm of cars tripping up over each other and generally making life far too difficult for themselves. Eventually I was caught out by Doug McLay turning in for his apex at the hairpin just as I was about to nip inside - I locked up in avoidance (successfully avoided too), and stalled. As I cranked the engine over in a futile attempt to restart the fuel in the exhaust caught fire, which was a cause for concern, especially as the marshals waited for the red flag (Health and Safety) rather than worrying about my car catching fire. In the end I was turned around and pushed back down the hill towards the paddock entrance, and free-wheeled back to our space, the only damage being to pride and to a bit of burnt duct tape on a bodywork fastener. By some small fortune I was 2nd on the grid, helped partly because everyone else was stuck in traffic too, and partly because Jeremy Timms' conrod decided to go AWOL. I had a small reprimand from Ans-Tech racing though, as Nick Anstruther was apparently on a flier when he came across me at the hairpin - hence the Schumacher comparisons in Lee's article...

The stunning (and somewhat out of character for England in May) weather continued all day, to the point where sitting in the assembly area was physically demanding enough, let alone driving at speed. So it was with great relief when we trundled around to our grid slots to get some air moving through my visor and down the back of my neck. Neil's pace on this green flag lap was pretty good and meant we weren't sitting at the front boiling for too long before the lights went out and the race was "Go, Go, Go!".

We'd removed the carburettor 'upgrades' and reverted to Snetterton spec for the race, and it was a pleasure to discover in Gerrards that it was improved. But I was still losing about 3 tenths to Neil in this corner alone. That could well have been race over, but Neil was slightly slower than me through the Esses, allowing me to close up into Shaws again, before braking for the hairpin. Mallory is not a track riddled with overtaking places, especially when 3 of the 4 corners require so little (or none at all) deceleration, and I was reduced to a watching role. I could get close to him, but there was nowhere I was going be able to pass him without some extra help.

That help came in the form of traffic, something that we encountered after barely 5 laps. Without exception everyone was very fair, and gave room or stuck to their lines where it was required. I'd like to think that Neil and I did our best to ease the pain of those we were lapping too, as it's not just the fast cars that lose time in traffic (and we've all paid the same amount, so I reckon we're all entitled to make the most of the circuit if we can). But this was where the race came to life. All it takes is the slightest hesitation, the slightest lift of the throttle, and valuable momentum is lost. Lap after lap I began to draw alongside Neil at the hairpin (helped by fading brakes on Neil's Dallara), but always on the outside as Neil covered the inside well. If there was clear track then I wasn't able to get that close, but the traffic continued to arrive, and brought with them further opportunities. It was only after we both lapped Nick Anstruther (who kindly got off the racing line and waved us passed) that the race came alive. Nick was, I think, secretly pleased with this, because it gave him the 'best seat in the house' for most of our battle!

Another dive down the outside on lap 11, but this time a very late turn in and very early on the throttle meant I out dragged Neil out of the corner and was half a length ahead over the line, an advantage I kept until half way through Gerrards when I lifted slightly to go around Yunus Amiere. I had discovered that a wider line around Gerrards eased the misfire, but lifting, changing line and getting back on the throttle made it twice as bad. As such Neil simply drove around the outside of me, and made his intentions clear by firmly (but fairly) shutting the door into the Esses. Another car (Chris Anstruther this time) caused Neil to leave a gap to the outside and I ended up in it with two wheels on the grass in the braking zone - it was luck that caused the resulting quarter spin to leave me pointing perfectly at the exit in the right gear, and we left the corner in formation again.

It was a couple of laps before another opportunity presented itself, on lap 14. For once it wasn't traffic related**, and nor was it pre-planned like most of my other attempts - this was a late dive down the inside, with the car yawing from right to left several times as I hung on. Somehow, when I opened my eyes again, I was in the lead and this time I planned to stay there. Some more laps had passed when I came across Doug McLay again, carefully sliding his car through the Esses, but sadly on the line I was hoping to take. That moments hesitation left a gap about an inch wide, and Neil was through it like a bullet. Neil has been nicknamed the Mexican (ask him why - it's a long, complicated story that left my eyes glazed over by the time it was told), but I think Ferret, as in 'up a trouser leg', would be more fitting.

By this point, the start of lap 17, I had just about learnt to drive around the misfire as long as I didn't have to change lines. As such I was able to stay with Neil, mostly, up to and through the Esses. I had no idea how close we were to the chequered flag, but I knew it wouldn't be far away. Neil's brakes were getting worse (not that I knew anything about that in the car), so for the first time all race I managed a 'boring' overtaking move, and neatly slid up the inside. As a testament to our trust in one another, the onboard footage shows that our wheels were less than 6 inches apart as we turned in, and I was only about 6 inches from the wall on the other side too. But it stuck, and whilst I was never able to pull away there were no more moves for the lead. We finished less than half a second apart after a full 15 minutes and twenty laps of concentration and driving on the limit. To say I was please with my first Mono2000 win is an understatement. I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat and shouting like a loon inside my car.

In my imaginary parallels with Jenson's new found success in F1 - also only finished building the car with a couple of weeks to go before the season - I also failed to drive around for the customary interviews at the start/finish line - nobody told me! However, as I lack the flair of Button,and the pit-car radio too I suspect, I wasn't quick enough to jog to the line and get my interview. So to those few hopeful of hearing the winner's point of view (that'll be my dad and my brother), sorry!

In future I'll either flaunt my ice-cream celebrations, or hide in the van so nobody can accuse me of going soft! Perhaps, like the milk at Indianapolis, it could become a Mono tradition, although a winner's ice-cream in the pouring rain at a windy Anglesey maybe isn't the nicest idea.

I could continue writing about the rest of the weekend, but it'll be boring by comparison, so I'll gloss over most of it... The BBQ was a friendly, social affair, but somehow seemed to lack the atmosphere that Rockingham had provided the year before. We tinkered with our carburettors again, this time reducing the fuel pressure a smidgen. That cured the misfire and allowed me to get a quick time in during Monday's practice on my only clear lap, one that was just 0.007 seconds off Jeremy Timms' lap record, and claim a pole position 1.8 seconds faster than the curiously understeer-afflicted Neil. ***

Into the race and I, using all my skill and experience, managed to convert my pole position into an early second place! But with the misfire fixed I was able to stay with Neil all the way through Gerrards, probably less than 10cm from his gearbox all the way around and get alongside into the Esses. Yellow flags popped out for Jeremy Goodman's spin at the hairpin (partially assisted by someone hitting him I believe), but the swarm of marshals were unable to move the RT3 without a huge amount of danger. The first deployment of the Safety car on a two-litre grid was an interesting affair. Not least because I found it incredibly difficult to judge when the car would reach the pitlane as it came back in. Behind me various cars were trying to get the jump on the car in front (not least Neil, who I think had eyes on the lead again), so it was a relief to see my timing was vindicated by maintaining the lead into Gerrards, with four of us (Neil, Amnon, Nick and I) miles ahead of the rest of the pack.

Slowly I started to inch away from Neil - he was still struggling a bit with the understeer whilst my car was handling nicely and working without misfires - until lap 7. I was already hard on the throttle through the Esses when all of a sudden the car lost power and the pedal went light. Very quickly I realised the symptoms of a snapped throttle cable, and a quick examination of the car as I dismounted at the hairpin confirmed it. So I was gifted the opportunity of watching a Mono2000 race from the sidelines by my first ever mechanical retirement. With no direct opposition Neil coasted to an easy victory ahead of Amnon and a charging Nick Anstruther. My only consolation was a point for fastest lap.

So... we go into the second half of the season with quite an exciting set of circumstances... Jeremy Timms' engine failure could mean the end of his season, and Neil has got a comfortable lead in the championship standings, whilst I'm facing three races at tracks I've never driven on (Donington and Croft) that will surely blunt any attack I might have tried to make on them both. Neil has to be the safe bet, but I'm not planning on giving up, and if Jeremy can find a car or an engine he'll be one to watch as well. If anyone knows of a KERS system going cheap that'll fit a Toyota engine do let me know.****

* unless you are the Monoposto Treasurer. In which case massive grids are a lovely concept with no drawbacks whatsoever.

** helped because Neil spotted the yellow flags for Devil's Elbow, where Mark Smith parked his Tatuus, but unfortunately spotted them whilst in the Esses. He eased the pace just a fraction, and so I went for it. Whilst the spectators (and report authors) probably benefit from the removal of the oak trees, the drivers can find themselves seeing flag signals not relevant for another 10 seconds.

*** In has since been discovered that Neil also bent some of his valves in practice when he accidentally changed from 5th to 2nd rather than 4th, which explains the uncharacteristic drop in pace.

Tristan Cliffe

**** I understand the Bolivian export spec 3SGE is fitted with a turbo. This may prove a useful KERS substitute - asst ed.