Pembrey
15/16th June 2002
Round 6/7

After disaster day 1 at Brands Hatch little did I know 2&3 were imminent.

Its been a long time since I last raced. I've missed 2 races, about 2 months, while the engine was rebuilt. Ideally we would have liked to have given the car and freshly rebuilt engine a run at a Mallory test before trailing down to Wales. This was not possible because of other commitments, so the Friday test session at Pembrey was going to be the acid test. Would the engine run, would it last the weekend and would it be powerful enough ?

After taking a wrong turn from the hotel and extending the journey to the track by 5 miles we arrived for the test day of 4 * 45 minute session for Vees only. First session I used a maximum of 4.5 K revs. The track was wet and I spent the session circulating relatively slowly, studying racing lines. The second session pretty much the same but not exceeding 5.5K. You would have thought this was boring but it wasn't. The speed down the straights was slow to OK but the fact I wasn't approaching the corners at break neck pace meant I could choose my turning in point and apex better and to also get a feel for how much track I have available to use on the exit relative to apex and car position and speed. So basically if I missed the apex in the race or am off line overtaking I know what to expect. In the past I've tended to hammer around using the same lines etc. and record the same time. Then to try and improve the time I would try and go quicker using the same line when the line was fundamentally wrong or shall we say less then ideal. To go quicker sometimes you need to go slower to see where you going wrong.

When Ian built the engine he and neither John Bowles who sold us the cam knew what the cam was. Two of probably many used are the 45 and 55. 45 is easier to drive with power coming in lower down the rev range but 55 gives the most power. I started out in Vees using a 45 and switched to a 55. I could tell from the way the engine pulled we were using a 45 and for Pembrey that is the ideal cam (in my opinion). Whether it will be so good at Silverstone and Snetterton we shall see. I prefer the 45 cam for its drivability. OK it might not have the same outright power as a 55 but if you can drive the car faster through the corners and accelerate out better then thats a good advantage over a 55. Of course the better drivers can drive the 55 as well as I drive the 45 and have the extra power.

In the lunch break we drained out the running in oil and put in a fresh can of Duckhams. Now I could use 7K + revs. The track was wet/dry throughout the day so it was difficult to get a meaningful time. Halfway through the third session I pulled off into the paddock with a misfire. We spotted a cracked exhaust flange needing welding (run round paddock to find someone with a welder).Start of the fourth session the misfire was worse then ever. Again into the paddock and the diagnosis from many standing around the car was it wasn't firing on one cylinder. I started thinking the unthinkable. Was there something seriously wrong with the engine ? Do we need to do another rebuild ? It turned out to be nothing worse than a loose adjuster nut which cause the pushrod to fall out of place. Once tightened and adjusted the engine was back to running sweet. The engine had worked well and it was still running at the end of the day. We retreated to our B & B in the hills to drink, eat and sleep.

Peering out of the window Saturday morning, I was greeted with the usual site so many people think of Wales; it was cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain. A hearty breakfast and down to Pembrey to see all my fellow competitors were preparing for todays action. The familiar push and wait for half an hour at scrutineering as cars who should have been scrutineered later go in before us.

Practice was on a wet but drying track. The engine was working great and the session passed without incident.

In the first heat I had a reasonable start. For the first few laps, at the hairpin I was having some trouble finding second gear. An old gremlin. The gear linkage at been improved by Ian when he took out the engine but before the race we had messed around with it and had unfortunately made it touch and go at getting second. As the race wore on it was getting harder. I overtook Steve Glasswell struggling with the same second gear selection problem. Next time around I didn't find it and Steve did. Past he goes. Next time around I am right behind him, again he finds second, I don't, I lose ground. At this point I decide to shove it third and even though it would be chugging around it bit at least I would have some forward power. A couple of laps later and I was getting better at coaxing it around the hairpin and as we both came out of Dibeni Bend I had good speed and I knew I could overtake Steve into the Esses. Which I did. Next car was Graeme Whiting. For the first time I could see my Dad clearly with the board counting down the laps. I caught Graeme pretty quick. I was in a determined mood. As I passed the pits by Dad held out the board - 2 laps to go. Two laps to overtake Graeme. As I came out of Dibeni I had good speed again but was a little way back on Graeme but I kept to the inside of him and as we went into Dibeni I expected him to take the corner and braked accordingly. He thought I would take the corner and braked accordingly. So we both went around side by side slower than normal. For the next corner I had the inside line and took the position. Throughout this maneauvre I was thinking I had 1 more to lap to overtook Graeme and I didn't need to have done that. So when I got to the line I was surprised to see the chequered flag. Some miscounting in the pits. The last lap overtake had given me the last place in the final.

The final started well passing three cars two of whom had tangled at hatchets hairpin and closed on the rest of the field. Unfortunately one of the accident cars had rejoined the race and left a trail of oil round the Dibeni Bend. On the 2nd lap I caught the oil did a 180 spin and finished tail first in the tyre wall damage to me nil, the car - Trailing arm broke, rear shock absorber damaged, exhaust broke, rear light in pieces end of race disaster day 2.

Once rescued Ian surveyed the damage, after the final several people came to look to see what we needed, Peter Andrews supplied the trailing arm. Ian soon organised the rest of the repairs. Alan Harding did all the welding. Work carried on until rain and darkness called a halt.

Next morning we finished the tracking courtesy of Fergus Dalton. Back through scrutineering, rain light ok and onto the heat run in wet conditions the race times the slowest of the meeting.

Now for the final all cars in the assembly area wet race declared - rear lights on mine did not work Ian working feverishly on the light cars ordered to grid Ian dashed across to grid still no success green flag into pits crowd round car unable to solve problem though Ian had started to take light apart but was coming up from the grid, bulb blown no spare clerk of course said if repaired follow race from pits. Pit marshals said no we cannot I’ve sent a reserve out. End of disaster day 3.

Overall it was enjoyable weekend. The engine worked great. I felt I had mastered Pembrey a bit more. I had hit the barrier for the first time and lived to tell the tale. On the minus side, the wet track on the Sunday had not given us chance to check the setup/handling after the accident. Roll on Silverstone for that.

As a footnote, last year at Pembrey my towing car had failed to start when it was time to go home. This year it failed to start again. A jump start got it going. It just doesn't like Pembrey. Perhaps not looking forward to the long drive home. Its funny once you drive 10 miles from Pembrey its suddenly turns sunny and warm and dry. What is it about that place and the weather.