NGPLS - Snetterton

[Tuesday- 30th of August]

Track Map

This was to be my first NGPLS race in the BRM, and I put in quite a lot of practise beforehand. I set a 1:27.67 quite early in pre-qualifying, and quickly improved to 1:26.1. Was doing consistent 1:27s and set a new PB (1:26.01) on the day before the race, gunning for a 1:25... I didn't get much qualifying done unfortunately, as my pc was acting up and generally just being a nuisance. So I only got 15 minutes to qualify, where I ended up in 10th with a 1:27.5.

This was actually one of my better starts. Probably due to the fact that my BRM is a hell of a lot louder than the other cars, and I could much more easily hear my revs as I dumped the clutch. Because of this I actually managed to ease away from the guy to the left of me, and get alongside the guy ahead by moving across the track. Not wanting to go off in T1, I braked early and I settled into 9th. Unfortunately I ran wide in T1 5 laps later, and lost a load of places. From here until 10 laps from the finish I was on my own, doing 1:28s and 1:27s with the occasional 1:26 blasted in for good measure.

I passed two wrecks, two laps in a row, in T2. As an obvious result of this I gained a crapload of positions, and actually found myself looking at a potential 5th, and very likely 6th. Unfortunately I stuffed it up in the hairpin a few laps later, and dropped down to 8th. I then passed a spun off Ferrari, and could see that I was catching another Ferrari on my pitboard. But with 3 laps to go, he'd had a spin in The Bombhole. I went for the gap on the inside, but he didn't see me, and as a result of that pitched me up on two wheels, and then onto my head... Down to 8th and filled with anger I pushed like the madman I am, and eventually passed a spun off Ferrari in T1. Looking at the gap up to 6th I settled for my current position, and cruised in to finish a highly respectable 7th out of 14 starters.