Abbie Eaton's blog

Rounds 10, 11, 12 were held at Castle Combe.

We managed to scrape the budget together for this meeting, but only just!

We turned up to Combe on the Friday night as I couldn?t test. I had a look at some track footage during the week as I was straight into qualifying at a track I?d not been to before and wanted as best chance as I could get to try and put the car on pole. At first the track was a bit daunting as it?s very quick and also quite technical.

The Thorney Motorsport Corsa was quite nervous and loose on all the quick corners, which could be due to its short wheelbase.

Matt Cherrington was driving the Dunlop Seat Leon as recognition of his efforts in the 750mc Locost formula. Matt had raced at the track before and also had the benefit of the test day on the Friday, so he put his knowledge to good use and got pole for Class B and I was second, which in the circumstances I was happy with as I knew I?d increase my pace quickly in the race.

Race 1 was dry and we were told that when five red lights went out the race was on, but the lights malfunctioned and only three came on and went out. This resulted in the whole field hesitating for half a second and then going. I made a good start and lead Class B from the get go. The distance to the other cars remained static for the first part of the race but I was starting to struggle with under steer and I could see the Leon catching me in my mirrors. Four laps from the end Matt was on my bumper and I knew it was only a matter of time before he would pass me. The Leon is definitely quicker in a straight line so I really had to concentrate to keep on his bumper. On the penultimate lap going into the first chicane I tried to distract him by jinking out form behind him, whether this worked or not I do not know, but he went into the corner too quickly and span out.

So I took the class win and set the fastest lap. But in fairness to Matt he would have won the race without that mistake.

Sunday dawned very wet and the forecast was for more rain. As we lined up for race 2 I was nervous due to the fact I hadn?t driven the Corsa in the wet before, but I enjoy a challenge and was looking forward to it.

I made a mistake at the start as I went on the third light as per Saturday?s race but the lights had been repaired and went to the full five. I had moved 2 feet and realised my error and deliberately let the other cars get the jump on me so I could not be accused of gaining an advantage.

What a fantastic race. I spent the first couple of laps getting used to the slippery conditions and then started passing people. By 60% of the race distance I was leading the Class B by around 10 seconds and had also passed a few of the Class A cars. The only problem was a car had gone off and the safety car had to be deployed. This bunched the cars up and decreased my lead to about 6 seconds to Matt in the Leon when the race finished – Unfortunately I had been judged as jumping the start (true) and was given a 10 second penalty which I thought was harsh given when happened in race 1 plus around 5 other cars also did the same. But rules are rules.

Matt was awarded the win, which offset his disappointment of Saturdays lost win. I still finished 2nd and got the fastest lap by over a second and thoroughly enjoyed driving in the difficult conditions so I wasn?t too upset.

Race 3 was similar to race 2 but I didn?t mess up the start this time, I took the win and also managed to knock 1.5 seconds off my previous fastest lap.

So that?s two wins, a second, and three fastest laps. Another satisfying weekend!

Also congrats to Matt on a good showing!

Abbie x

Sportmaxx rounds 7, 8 & 9

I was leading class B going into this meeting and was also positioned 3rd overall in the championship.
International GT?s were at the program so we were using the full track at Donington, which I?d never driven before. Also Paul O?Neil from BTCC was driving the Seat Leon in my class, so I know it was going to be an interesting weekend!
I qualified on pole for race 1, but I should point out that Paul O?Neil couldn?t qualify due to other commitments and was going to start from the back of the grid.
Race 1 was to be frank, a bit boring, I held the class B lead for the first lap but made a mistake which allowed Paul O?Neil to come past, he then pulled away for the rest of the race. The Thorny Motorsport Corsa was proving to be difficult to drive; alternating between over steer and under steer plus I had a lot of brake shudder; however I managed to get it to the finish. Due to the seat not being registered for the championship, I gained the class B win.
When we returned back to the pit garage, my mechanics found that the nearside front wheel was about ready to fall off, so that?s why the car had been handling strangely. We know all the wheels were tightened up before I went out so the conclusion was that because the rims were brand new and the nearside front wheel is the most heavily loaded that the pain and the lacquer around the wheel nuts had allowed them to slacken off.

So to race 2, because I had managed to win the class on a number of occasions, as well as the 45kg of success ballast, the organisers said I had to carry an additional 27kg, plus I had an extra camera in the car weighing 5kg so I had 77kg in total extra weight.
Anyway the race went okay, Paul O?Neil made the better start and got in front of a class A car, which I slotted in behind. It took about ? of a lap before I managed to pass the Class A car, then I set in pursuit of the Leon. I managed to get the gap down to about 4 seconds and my fastest lap was .6 of a second slower than Paul, which on reflection, I was reasonably pleased with because the fast sweeping corners at Donington suited the Leon more than the Corsa and also the fact that Paul is an acknowledged front running BTCC driver.

For race three the organisers put some ballast in the Leon and took some out of my Corsa. From the lights I was glued to the Leon?s back bumper which I managed to maintain for about 2 laps, then traffic intervened and allowed Paul to pull a gap of 3 car lengths.
On about lap 4 coming onto the start/finish straight the Leon slowed, whether Paul missed a gear or just wanted a bit of fun, I wasn?t going to refuse the opportunity of passing him. So for about 2 ? laps he was making me work very hard to keep, his obviously faster car behind, but inevitably he made the move and took the lead again.
For the remaining laps I kept about 4 car lengths behind but as we approached the chequered flag Paul slowed and gave me the win, which was a nice gesture on his part.
After the race Paul gave me some tips as to where I could improve my driving, but also complimented me on my speed and positioning through the fast parts of the track.

So to the future, I?m currently leading the Class B championship and I?m in 2nd place overall with Simon Shaw 9 points in front. Unfortunately, similar to other drivers, my budget has now been exhausted, so unless our efforts pay off and we find a sponsor, that?s me finished for the year.

John Thorne and all the guys at Thorney Motorsport have been fantastic and very supportive to me in getting me this far in the championship, plus my mum and dad who?ve always been there with help and encouragement. Also another big thanks to Mike Oughtred, Mike & Andy at WHF, John Everard at Used Garage Equipment and many more who knows I can get the job done, given the opportunity.