There’s been some comments online about people not being sure what class their car would fit in for Sports & Saloons.
I knocked up these flow charts to help potential racers figure out their class:
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Home and recovered, what a weekend!
Setting out for qualifying there was a lot learn, never driven the car as a racecar and never driven the circuit before either. Times were fairly consistent across the team and we learned a decent amount about the car.
The guys set about the car prior to the race making a host of changes and we headed to the grid, not a lot of spare time in a hectic morning.
Steve took the first stint, battling hard with the cars around him swapping places lap on lap, then pitting slightly before scheduled to take advantage of a safety car period.
Rory took the second stint and set off with good pace but had to make an unscheduled pit stop to report some issues. We seemed to be having power cutting out issues and 3rs gear was acting up. We made the decision to keep going and Rory headed back out, coming back in slightly before scheduled so we could again take advantage of a safety car for the stop.
I was out for the final stint with the car getting some fuel on the stop this time. Taking over just before the 2 hour mark we were lying P30 as I headed out. The 3rd gear issue was still there but didn’t seem to be getting any worse. I tried a few things on the shift to see if anything helped but nothing did, so just slowed the shift in to 3rd slightly to take a little bit more care of it.
My pace was pretty consistent and managed to pass some cars gaining places but then found myself in the middle of nowhere for a while with nobody to race and just trying to bang in consistent laps. Unfortunately the power cutting issue came back with 20mins to go, most likely fuel surge, and although I could initially drive around it, the final 4 laps the car cut out mid lap requiring an off and back on with the key and bump start to get it going again.
Finally brought the car home in P24, 12 places up on where we started.
Massive thanks to my fellow drivers and team, was a cracking experience and I learned a hell of a lot! Mildly stiff today, using muscles I didn’t think I was during my 65min stint.
Round 2 of the SMRC season took place at Knockhill this weekend. McMurdo Motorsport were happy just to be there after thieves stole the car trailer on Thursday night, dumping Steph’s race car in the middle of a field full of sheep!
After fog threatened to force the meeting to be called off, the start of racing was postponed by an hour to give it time to clear. Qualifying replaced by 3 laps in formation behind the safety car, grid positions decided by championship points. This left Malcolm on 6th for the start of the first race and Steph lying 16th, suffering from being taken out in the final race of round 1 and losing the points finish she would have had.
Race 1 started with a distinct dry line visible on the circuit and Malcolm’s grid box placed him in the perfect position to capitalize on the grip available, immediately jumping past David Sleigh and Ian Munro. The lead trio of Kenny Thirlwall, Oly Mortimer and Joe Tanner broke away as Malcolm fought off the challenge from Sleigh. Eventually getting some breathing space late in the race when Sleigh was backed up in to traffic but with only 2 laps to go there was no catching the leaders, but another strong 4th was a good result with the freshly rebuilt car.
Steph stayed clear of trouble on lap one in a frantic start holding position in 16th. At the start of lap two, Ladies Cup rival Hannah Chapman left the circuit returning in to the side of Scott McKenzie with both cars spinning out of the race in to the gravel at MacIntyres. Steph managed to capitalize on the chaos and got past Dan Dreelan then chased down Des Wheatley. Leaving Wheatley to battle with Dreelan, she came home in 13th taking the Ladies Cup win and her first main championship points of the season.
Race 2 returned to wet conditions and Malcolm struggled for grip off the line, losing a place to Sleigh. Unable to keep up with the lead quartet he set to defending from Chris Reid with everything going well until the last corner of the last lap when Reid managed to out drag him to the line with a better run out of the hairpin, relegating him to 6th.
Steph had a contrasting start with a great first lap seeing her up to 11th place. Dreelan passed her on lap 2 and they fought for the majority of the race before a small mistake allowed McKenzie, Scott Forbes and Marco Haig to pass. Crucially, she kept the lead for the Ladies win and again finished in the points for the main championship.
With the reverse grid draw for Race 3, Malcolm took pole position lining up along side Reid. Off the lights Malcolm got the drop and took the lead for the first 2 laps, on lap 3 a slow run through Clarks allowed Thirlwall to get the overlap with Malcolm slotting in behind to try and defend from the pack behind. Despite being clattered from behind, Malcolm managed to defend second until lap 8 where he got nudged wide at the hairpin allowing Mortimer and Sleigh to pass on the run up the hill. With both wing mirrors flattened it was nearly disaster with Chris Reid diving round the outside on the run in to Clarks on the last lap and Malcolm unable to hold the car on a tight line or see where he was to avoid him. Thankfully only light side to side contact and both cars finished the race with Malcolm taking another 4th.
Steph dropped a place off the start to 16th but came back swinging, battling race long with Wheatley and Gary Muir. At the flag she took her 3rd Ladies win of the day and 3rd main championship points scoring finish with 15th.
The first round of the SMRC season got off to a slippery start on Sunday at Knockhill Racing Circuit with rain on both Saturday’s test session and Sunday’s raceday.
Even allowing for the rain, the track was particularly treacherous for qualifying, with the drivers fighting to keep the cars under control for the whole session. Malcolm eventually put the car in 6th place on the grid, feeling rather ambivalent about his performance saying, “Given it’s the first time we’ve ran the car in the wet I probably shouldn’t be that disappointed, its on par with what I was doing last year, at the same time, my last hot lap I was over half a second up coming in to Clarks but over cooked it and got a big tail slide on which wrecked the lap, ultimately I should have done better.” Steph was disappointed with her 20th place in qualifying with a car slowing down coming out the hairpin, ruining her final lap when she was several tenths up, and leaving her second placed ladies qualifier.
Race 1 was straight in to typical Scottish MINI Cooper Cup action. Malcolm maintained position in 6th after a tricky start on the wet side of the grid, being warned for circuit limits on lap 4 leaving him unable to challenge the cars in front. “I was settling in to the race and getting ready to push on when I saw the warning flag coming out. Having used the best part a full washer bottle for the mud coming off the cars in front, to say I was surprised it was me getting the warning would be the understatement of the century. After the flag I just couldn’t risk pushing on as any other mistakes would have been a 5 second penalty.” Luckily for Malcolm, 2 of the cars in front did receive penalties for just that later in the race, promoting him to 4th place, with Kenny Thirlwall, Joe Tanner and Oly Mortimer taking the first 3 places respectively. Steph managed to pass her main ladies championship rival, Hannah Chapman, early on in the race and then spent the remainder of the race battling with Will Smith and chasing down James ‘Biffa’ Bruce. Crossing the line 17th she was delighted with her first Ladies’ Cup win of the 2014 season.
Race 2 started in changeable conditions with teams have to make a last minute call on set up in the holding area with a sudden rain shower dampening a previously drying track. Off the start, Malcolm maintained position and positioned himself chasing down the lead trio. The first main incident of the race came on lap 2 with Chapman attempting a move up the inside at Clarks before realising waved yellows were in place due to an off for Aiden Moffat. In trying to back out the move she collided with Steph and ended up beached in the gravel alongside team mate Moffat, the safety car being scrambled as a result. Off the restart, Thirlwall pulled a blinder, Malcolm getting held back with wheelspin. With conditions drying, Malcolm’s car didn’t have the same sweet spot it had before the safety car and he found himself just having to maintain the gap to Jock Borthwick in 5th, hoping the leaders would slow themselves down battling in the later stages. Steph found herself in the mix with Smith and Bruce again, this time finishing 16th and claiming her second Ladies’ Cup victory, but disappointed at just missing the main championship points.
Race 3’s reverse grid was drawn at P6, giving Chris Reid the pole alongside Borthwick. Mortimer lined up alongside Malcolm, with Tanner and Thirlwall on row 3. Off the start, again Malcolm found wheelspin an issue but joined the train of cars defending the inside in to Clarks. As Thirlwall threaded through the field, Malcolm was collected hard by a train of cars from behind, firing him in to the back of Borthwick before Kyle Reid got clipped trying to go round the outside of the train. Unable to determine whether it was tyre smoke or steam coming out the front of his car, Malcolm tried to push on whilst keeping an eye on the temp gauge. Midway through lap 2 the temps started to rise, forcing Malcolm in to his first retirement in 3 years. Steph got off to a good start making up positions in the chaos, unfortunately all the good work was undone on lap 3 when a late lunge from Des Wheatley at Clarks resulted in heavy contact to the rear quarter panel and both cars spinning off in to the mud. Eventually Steph managed to rejoin, albeit 2 laps down, finishing the race and claiming 3rd place points in the Ladies Cup.
So a weekend of mixed emotions, but two strong performances from two brand new cars. Why not come along and joing us for the next round at Knockhill on May 4th and sample the action for yourself…?
Whilst I have had a love of cars from day dot in my life, followed by an interest in modifying them from my early teens, there’s always been certain parts of car culture that haven’t sat well with me.
At this point I may as well just come out with it, “I don’t like wide arch kits.”
To this end; were one of my mates to show up, pigeon chested and with smug satisfaction, having bought a Reiger kitted 80s or 90s hatch or a Dimma kitted Peugeot 205, there’s every chance I’d end up hyperventilating due to laughter. Ridiculous bumper and bonnet openings, jutting chin splitters and massive vents in the rear quarters with no engine or radiator to feed yet enormous strakes channeling air all the way along the doors up to the rear quarters.
Yet, were one of them to show up with a 993 Porsche GT2, an RWB Porsche, a Liberty Walk anything or, dare I say it, even a Rocket Bunny’d GT86/BRZ/FR-Z, I would be jealous.
I think its time to admit this styling has a place, WHEN executed well. Liberty Walk nail this just about every time. Their Ferrari 458 was probably the car of the show, their GTR a not too distant second.
Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Live large, floss daily…
[Full gallery on our Facebook page soon]
