News & Meeting Reports

Kings Lynn - 11th April

 

It’s been a while since you’ve heard about my racing! We started off strong this year with a

meeting at Lynn, my all time, most favourite EVER racetrack. We loaded up the mini on the

trailer and then loaded the back of the tow car with the tools, before heading off to a slightly warmer and sunnier Kings Lynn than was expected!

 

We got there the standard two hours early ready for scrutineering, but we had to say a few

hello’s and catch up with certain people before anything more exciting could happen. It’s

been a while, and it was lovely to see people and to hear how they had been. All that said

and done, we heard the F1’s going out for their first heat, and as the minis were the next

race on, it was time to suit up and belt up for my first race since October.

 

After several cautions (the F1’s like tangling each other up almost as much as us mini

Drivers), we were on track and waiting for the drop of the yellow flag before our rolling lap

commenced. I am still a yellow top, but am further up the points scoring than others, so I was on outside row one of the yellows, not bad, but the inside line is far superior. Going down into turns three and four, the anticipation was killing me, but we had to wait for the white tops to go, before it was green, green, green and we were off. This year we have to use the tarmac Yokohama tyres on all tracks and surfaces as the Hakka’s have been outlawed, and this was my first time out, as no practice on shale, so I didn’t quite know what to expect from the car handling wise, but I knew I had a decent amount of tread on the outside front, so I wasn’t too worried. Going into the first corner and the car seemed to grip well under braking, but then understeered to the outside line. Nothing I can’t handle, possibly braking slightly harder to get the back turned with the weight load shifting. Soon enough people were sneaking up the inside of my understeering car and I had fallen back a few places, but I was still holding my own, and was coping well with any knocks. I remember why I missed this! I will admit I did turn in as one of the cautions was called, and braked a little too hard, too late, ending up spinning, being collected as I rolled backwards across the track bending my nice new straight nerf rail in the process, but hey, that's what it's there for! As is always the way with a ministox race, there was a caution called, and we all had to pull into a single file restart. I managed an okay start, but with the reds and supers now at my rear bumper, they all shoved past me and I was down to about 15th, bummer. I kept going and testing the car to feel for a reaction before finding a decent line of grip to bring the car home in 12th place. Not bad going and still a point.

 

Back in the pits and Dad seemed to be impressed, but told me I needed to stop going so

wide. We tried to sort the car in a way that would stop the understeer as I went back out for

heat two. This time I made a better start, in my opinion, and was keeping up more with the

traffic ahead. But obviously everyone decided to destroy each other so a caution was called, this time me in 6th, as we filed into a line ready to restart. Another decent start, and I was keeping up, taking hits, giving hits, and having a really good time. Eventually coming home in 16th. Again, not where I wanted to be, but not bad for someone who hasn’t raced since October!

 

Back in the pits and everyone was just happy that I had survived the carnage that was heat 2, and was hoping that I’d qualified for the final, which low and behold, I had! Fourth row, back of the yellows, inside line, closed grid. Not where a girl wants to be, but I’d qualified, so I can’t complain.

 

This time I made a very rapid start, courtesy of the lads behind who were shoving, but then they hit the marker tyres, giving everyone up front some breathing room as we raced to get away from the chaos, before eventually being closed in on as funnily enough a caution was called. The car’s also now picked up an annoying trait, in that whilst I can ride hits and be involved, occasionally if I hit the car in front in a certain way the car bounces out of gear and then refuses to go back in without me having to ram it into 1st, then back into 2nd, slowing me enough that everyone else had driven off into the distance and I’m left to play catch up. Thanks car! Despite me now being somewhat peeved, and having my accelerator pedal to the metal, I was once again caught up due to the understeer in the corners. About halfway through the race as I was entering turn 3, trying to keep up with another yellow roof in front who’d snuck through coming out of turn 2, I was shoved onto the very outside of a three wide train going round the corner, with another car immediately behind in the same position, I then ran out of track very rapidly as two other cars who’d been having a minor disagreement about track space had ended up stationary and stuck right where I was heading! Unfortunately the gap left wasn’t exactly big enough for me to get through, despite riding the fence. I guess you can see where this is going. I could, and I knew it was about to hurt, so I tried anchoring up, braced for impact, and hoped that it wouldn’t do too much damage to anything, me or the car, but finding the two cars and hitting them at rather high speeds considering I’d just tried hauling up on the brakes. I managed to get the car refired, after a few attempts, and got going before they called a caution. Dad ran round in the spectator area to make sure I was ok and to see if he could spot any damage, which we gave each other a thumbs up for. I was then sent round to the back of the grid, and continued racing after all was clear on track, bringing the car home in another point scoring place of 15th.

 

After getting the car home and inspecting, we realised that I’ve split the front and rear

corners on the inside of the car, sorry Dad, but if that’s all I sustained, then I’m not mad.

As usual images will be uploaded on the gallery, and until next time!

 

Laters,

 

Sarah #18