Well the amazing adventure continues! I had my third weekend of competing in the Webcon UK National Formula Ford Championship, at Silverstone and as with the previous two I have come away with a win and a 2nd placed finish. But I cannot pretend it was easy this weekend.
My team, Cliff Dempsey Racing, were brilliant as always but I have to say I really didn?t know if I would be able to race this weekend. I awoke on Friday with a high temperature, terrible headache and chesty cough and a feeling of having no energy. Great just what I didn?t need but I had two choices. Pack up and go home or try to do the best job I possibly could and live to fight another day. I chose the latter.
Practice on Friday produced quick times from the usual suspects, Rory Butcher & David Grady plus a great performance from my ever improving team mate Cormack O?Neil who was pushing me hard.
Things didn?t start well in Saturday morning qualifying when my right front tyre deflated on the first lap. I had to pit and replace it with an older tyre which upset the balance of the car slightly so in the end I was very pleased to qualify 2nd out of 24 cars behind Rory Butcher on pole.
It was very hot when we gridded for the race on Saturday afternoon and I was worried that in my state of health I wouldn?t last the 20 minute race distance but I tried very hard to employ mind over matter and concentrate on the task in hand.
As the red light went out Rory & I both got away cleanly from the front row and I was able to stay in his slipstream for the first couple of laps. On lap three I had a real go at him around the outside at Beckets but I just couldn?t make the move stick. This seemed to spur Rory on as he put in a couple of blistering laps to open a gap and whilst I could lap consistently enough to remain in 2nd place I could do nothing about closing the gap to Rory out front. Fair play to him he drove an excellent race and under the circumstances I wasn?t too unhappy with another 2nd placed finish.
Sunday morning and I didn?t feel any better but did at least feel confident following a sold performance the day before. Qualifying was at 10am and it was already quite hot weather wise. I initially reeled off some quick laps and had pole position but then my team mate Cormack O?Neil popped up and set a better one to take provisional pole. I grabbed it back only to lose it to David Grady and he I and Cormack then traded quick laps until it settled with Grady on pole, myself in 2nd, Cormack 3rd and Matt Parr 4th from a bumper grid of 28 cars.
As we sat in the waiting area for the afternoon race it clouded over very quickly and began to rain just before we all took to the track for the formation lap. Well this was going to be difficult for everyone and I was glad to be on the front row.
Grady made a great start and I made a poor one with car bogging off the line but I firmly held onto 2nd from the challenging Matt Parr and set about after Grady who had pulled about six car lengths on me. By Beckets I was on him and then past him although not without a fight. This was not going to be easy as with the track conditions changing rapidly I would have to find the limit of performance and the braking points. Push too hard and brake too late and you could slide off on the very slippery track. Be too tentative and brake too early and I would be caught by my rivals.
I felt comfortable though and seemed to be finding grip in places where others were struggling and I began to open up a gap. Behind me Gough and Grady were having a real battle for 2nd place until Gough slid off at Luffield.
By lap 4 I was already lapping back markers and there seemed to be a distinct lack of blue flags waved which made things interesting! One back marker obviously thought I was racing him for position and tried to drive me onto the grass!
It was just a case of being very careful and sometimes it?s better to not be the leader in these situations as back markers will be more aware of faster cars once the leader has lapped them. But although Grady was able to close the gap when I was caught in traffic I always felt in control of the situation and was getting brilliant pit board information from my mechanic Francie.
I was very relieved to see the chequered flag though after 20 minutes of hard racing and delighted to claim victory by almost five seconds over David Grady. A great result and a great weekend and I was delighted that some of my sponsors could be there to witness it. Thanks very much to Lynn and Shane from Baines of Ripon and to Mick and Shirley from Essex Gas Supplies for your fantastic support. And of course a big thank you to my team Cliff Dempsey Racing for once again doing a great job for me.
I?m now very much looking forward to the next event at Oulton Park on 11th July when I will hopefully be fit & well again!
