|
Saturday Practice
Its dry but
bad weather is predicted for late in the day. We
now have rev-limiters on all the cars to stop the
engines from going over 6,000 RPM, thanks to a few
blown engines during the first round. The times are
still good, as long as you drive smoothly and don't
lose momentum. Goodyear (Automotive Components
Ltd.) has sponsored me a set of tyres and has
set-up the alignment and camber on the car. Thanks
Gordon (Rauseo). The car is not bad in the dry, but
I can feel that basic understeer characteristic
again. I drive a multitude of the other cars and
help Jimmy sort out the Bel Ray car which he's
taken over from Rudder (Gregory Solis) for this
round. It remains very dry all day.
Race Day
Well, the
rain has finally arrived. A heavy morning shower is
followed by some hours of sun and things dry back
out. While its still wet, I take the opportunity to
see how the car feels on the Goodyears. Its bad...
lots of understeer and I know its not the tyres. In
addition, the brake warning light comes on so I
know the pads are finished. John (Speed Promotions'
very helpful mechanic) installs some
Speedway-manufactured pads which Jimmy says work
fine in his Bel Ray car. John says we'll need to
put in another set for the second race. They're OK
but not as good as the Bosch ones that they
replaced. In a desperate attempt to get some grip
in the front, I up the tyre pressures on the advise
of David Vizard. The two warm-up laps after the
opening parade lap tell me that the handling has
improved a bit. Some time before the first race,
John gets hold of a set of partially-worn Bosch
pads from the Tampico car which is being scrapped
for the spare (yes... Speed Promotions has a
seventeenth car as a spare) and installs them in my
car.
Race 1
I've pulled
thirteenth spot for the first race - outside the
fifth row. We pull these positions at the briefing
meeting some days prior to the event so I've
thought a lot about how I should tackle the start.
The basic plan is to keep on the outside and try to
go around those ahead. Moments before the start,
the skies open up again - its going to be a wet
one. I'm ready, looking towards the elevated
starter's platform (a pick-up truck's tray) when I
see everyone ahead begin to move. The starter has
dropped the flag from somewhere on ground level and
I for one have not seen him. So much for that
lightning start. I initially stick to my plan to
keep to the outside, but half-way up to top corner
a gap appears towards the centre of the pack and I
dive into it. Its always better to be on or near
the inside at the first corner. We get around top
and Da Costa Jones and by now I've passed seven
cars and am in sixth place. I'm glad to be out of
the madness that must be happening behind -
visibility is almost zero. The wings on the rear of
these cars keep the spray flying and I've found
that you see best if you attach yourself to the car
in front. Drop back a foot or two and its a white
wall of spray. Somewhere around the third lap, I'm
inches behind Chris Figueira's Rocket car heading
into what was the back "S" on the old circuit, now
a lefthander and the fastest part of the circuit
that you're not going in a straight line. Midway
through this flat-out bend Chris begins to spin.
Past experience tells me to go around the outside
of him and I manage to get by. At the same point
the following lap, I'm fourth in a train of cars
which suddenly part, two to the right, one to the
left, to reveal the Rocket car dead in the middle
of the track where it had spun. I scramble to the
left and manage to avoid hitting it. There are no
yellow flags to warn us and I can't understand how
the marshals can leave this dangerous situation as
is. By the next lap the track is clear and I can
see the Rocket car and Silbourne's Sikkens car
parked on the inside approaching the hairpin. The
race goes on and I manage to make my way to the
front. By the end, I've lapped three back markers
and win my first Carib Beer stock car race. I hope
it won't be my last. On the slowing-down lap, I
have a look back at Silbourne's car which is still
parked by the hairpin. The whole front is smashed.
I later discover that after I went around the
spinning Rocket car, it rolled back across
Silbourne's path and he t-boned it squarely
amidships. Both cars look like writeoffs, but the
drivers are OK, if a bit shaken.
Race 2
Another
shower of rain just before this start. I'm on the
inside of row two in fourth position. I've asked
the starter to elevate himself this time and he
does. I start well and am first at top corner.
Glancing into the mirror on the fast righthander at
the back of the circuit, I see the Caribbean Sound
Basin car next in line but several car lengths
back, with the pack all over him. Its a comforting
buffer... I know he'll hold them up for a little
more time. On the second lap a yellow flag is being
waved at Da Costa Jones... then I see why. Someone
has hit the curbing the previous lap and detached
large portions of it, scattering them throughout
the racing line and beyond. I slow to almost a
crawl and make my way around the rubble. The next
lap and for the remainder of the race its the same.
My car is particularly low in the front and even
when I choose the best way through, there is a bang
as I inevitably hit a piece of curbing with the
underside. My mirrors tell me that my comfort zone
is fast diminishing - Tanko's Shell car is looming
closer and closer. I can't seem to enter the turns
as fast as he does and the white and red car fills
my mirrors. The yellow flag and rubble at Da Costa
Jones aren't helping at all. I know I'm holding him
up, particularly at the hairpin where I keep the
inside line but have to slow a lot to hold the
line. About five laps from the end I'm on the apex
of Da Costa Jones when I hear a loud bang as I feel
the car go completely sideways. Tanko has hit me. I
catch the slide and turn towards the lefthander,
rage building up inside. I don't hit anyone if I
can help it and this is now the second time in four
races that Tanko has come into me. The first time I
saw it coming and got out the way... this time I
could not see him and took the hit. I'm so annoyed,
I shake a fist at him going down the back of the
circuit. A lap or two later, again at Da Costa
Jones, I feel what almost seems like another knock,
but this time its the left-rear of my car -
something has happened there. The race video later
confirms that he has hit me again. Two bounces
under the yellow flag... well done Tanko.
Approaching the hairpin, my mirrors tell me that
he's heading for the inside line, obviously
planning to come inside on my right and outbrake
me. I'm still seething inside over the knocks and
momentarily ponder putting him off onto the
infield, but rise above the idea and just squeeze
him onto the slippery stuff right on the inside. I
figure he'll have a hard time braking enough and
I'll get past him again on the exit, but he somehow
manages to find enough grip and holds the lead. By
now, the left-rear of the car is feeling decidedly
awful. By top corner I realise that the tyre is
flat, but there are only three laps to go, so I
press on. The car is wild. Massive oversteer
(back-end slides) on every righthander (there are
four of them each lap) and the revs won't come up
as fast, not even allowing me to get to fourth
gear. The last lap and I stay wide on the exit of
the hairpin and wave David Vizard's GTX car by.
There's no way I can hold him back. I just manage
to beat Ashmeed's General Diesel car into third
place and am thankful its over. Post-race checks
reveal that a nut has come off the left-front shock
mechanism. This would explain the amount of
bouncing the car was doing on the track's bumps as
well as the lack of grip - it effectively was
running on just a spring.
Post Mortem
Our first
official event in the wet. No visibility and the
field is stretched out as the more experienced
drivers lap quicker than the rest. The rev-limiters
appear to have worked - no engines are destroyed.
For the first time cars have been lapped. A serious
accident underlines the need for better marshaling
and reminds us all why we wear safety-gear. For me,
its no more Mr. Nice Guy where Tanko is concerned.
I won't compromise my driving by bouncing anyone
intentionally, but the buddy-buddy thing is
gone.
|
