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Britcar - Silverstone 25th March 2006

Our first race of 2006 and some new faces in the Britcar series. Old friend Richard Chamberlain and the Chimptune gang have escaped from the Porsche Open series which they have dominated for the past few years to try their hand at long distance racing. Although simple country folk working from a small wooden shed lit only by candles they are supremely switched on when it comes to engineering a race car and providing the car lasted the distance had to be in with a shout of overall victory. Mark Sumpter, a vastly experienced Porsche racer had teamed up with Adrian Slater, a former Porsche Cup competitor and himself no mean peddler of a Porsche. A couple of seasons with Adrian out of the saddle mean the pairing were an unknown quantity. 

Several new GT3`s were out to play as well as 4 or 5  Ferraris, one of which didn't even make it past the test day courtesy of an altercation with the pit wall going into Copse. The Marcos boys were all present and correct as were the usual suspects in their respective BMW`s most notably ex BTCC touring car driver and 1978 disco dancing champion, (you had to see it in January to believe it), David Leslie along side annoyingly useful Harry Handkammer. All in all things looked well set for a good weekend's racing.

Friday's test didn't get off to a particularly good start when a lug broke off our clutch release bearing collar after just 4 laps. Thankfully Steve and Warren did the business and popped a fresh clutch in the car in time for us to make the second session. Another 4 laps to check all was well and I handed the car over to Pete. Accident stoppages meant he only got 20 minutes in less than ideal circumstances on a damp track. As yet I hadn`t completed a flying lap. 

Qualifying and I strapped into the car in the hope of putting in a couple of quick laps. The back tyres seemed reluctant to wake up and the cars rear end was all over the place. Pete hopped in and fared little better although did at least manage to keep us off the back row. With the car handling like that there wasn`t any point in racing and we were about ready to get our coats. Once again the boys from Jaz in Wembley came good and tracked the problem down to a loose camber bolt. Quite when or why it worked loose no one knows but 2 hours with bits of string later the car had been set up and all the wheels were in theory at least pointing in the right direction.

Pete started the race and we waited anxiously as he set off on the green flag laps. By now the heavens had started to put a dusting of water over the track and we were clearly in for a wet race. On the second green flag lap Pete came over the radio to say the car was good and we were off racing. Good old Jaz, some people use lasers and a bit of know how, Jaz prefer string and lots of know how !

Richard Chamberlain immediately stamped his seal of authority on the race as he started to open up a gap on the rest of the field. Former BTCC driver Eugene O`Brien was holding 2nd spot from former British GT champion Mark Sumpter in Adrian Slater`s GT3 RS. I spoke to Adrian on the pit wall and told me he had planned slightly more ideal conditions for his return to UK motorsport. 2002 Porsche cup champion Mark Cole was setting a blistering pace in his BMW M3 for 3rd spot in front of the team RPM GT3 piloted by  Mortimer & Panayiotu. Another BTCC veteran David Leslie was 6th and the McInemey Porsche GT3 was in front of us. By lap 7 the McInemey Porsche had fallen off the track in what was to be the first of many such outings across the whole of the field. Pete kept his cool and settled into a good rhythm guided by Peter Hignett on the pit wall. 

Lap 22 saw Richard come in for the first of 2 scheduled fuelling pit stops and to hand over to John Allen. This was to be John`s first race outing in the awesome orange Porsche, as with Richard we knew John well from Porsche Open days and although technically the competition we all held our breath as he set off out of sight round the pit exit........the seconds ticked by........after what seemed an age the timing screen put up a time for car number 5, he had just completed his first racing lap. We all let out a sigh of relief. By now Mark Cole`s BMW was in the lead with the team RPM GT3 a close 2nd, Mark Sumpter was a close 3rd and we were in 4th place. Things were looking up. Then Cole`s BMW sprung a leak of either fuel or oil covering the bulk of the circuit. At just under half race distance the safety car made it`s first appearance and it was time for me to look lively. Pete assured me the car was great and the track was fine, "just feel your way round for a couple of laps." I was sure he`d said something along those lines before..... never mind. A strange hold up at the end of the pit lane as we were held for the safety car chain to arrive, not how things were run last year - oh well, and I couldn`t see a thing out of the car as it was all misted up. I radioed to the pits and Warren came running up to the stationary car with some tissue, just enough to blow my nose on! Still I had a 12 inch window to squint out of. The pits went green and it was chaos as cars fought to get out onto the track.

As the race settled down we were in 3rd overall and 1st in class. The Handkammer / Leslie BMW was 2nd in our class and just in front of me, we had almost a complete lap on them. This was both a blessing and also a nightmare. Push too hard and I risked throwing the car off the track and with it a good lead, be too cautious and the BMW had enough time to catch up. As the safety car pulled into the pits and racing resumed there was a wall of water in the air approaching the right hander at Copse. Somewhere in there was a corner as well as a load of cars. Unlike road tyres which move a bit of water out of the way their racing cousin shifts gallons of the stuff and 10 cars thundering towards a corner at over 100mph do throw up a little spray. I waited for the chain to string out for a couple of corners before threading my way past the back markers. After a few laps there was yet another safety car and the cars started to close up disaster, the number 1 car of Leslie and Handkammer was in front of the lead car, that meant they were going to get waved past. All I could do was sit tight as they sped round to catch the back of the chain. Our lead had been lost to the safety car.

All I could do was push harder and harder on the re-start still trying not to put the car into the scenery. By now the tyres, especially the fronts were hanging on by a thread and there was still a fair amount of fuel or oil around the track. I noticed Richard had a bit of an orange moment at Abbey, Peter on the radio told me I`d lost a bit of time that lap, I hadn`t got the heart to tell him why. In fairness Richard was on something of a charge trying to play catch up after a problematic 2nd pit stop. Callum Lockie came past - sideways - on a do or die attempt to make up position and save the day, he later went on to win the race and deservedly so. I came up behind a silver Marcos, just to confuse us this year Top Cat have painted both cars silver this year so I didn`t know if it was the Hancock / Smart car or the more powerful car with racing instructor Richard Fores at the wheel. Wouldn`t you just know my luck - bloody Richard pushing a radio-less car round. Try as I might I couldn`t find a way safely past and Mr Handkammer was looming down on me, an 8 second lead became 6 then 4 then 2 then I didn`t need to know, I could feel his bumper, (metaphorically of course!). Eventually I slipped past Richard but as is always the way Harry tucked neatly in behind and followed me past. I really did try to pull away, I put in a lap only half a second slower than team mate Pete`s best lap on fresh tyres and without the oil, but it was no good, Harry pulled alongside when I went wide into Beckets and there wasn`t much I could do. I came up alongside braking into Abbey but had to pull out to avoid contact. So it was for the next lap until we both took the chequered flag. Last year at Silverstone we finished 3 laps behind Handkammer & Leslie, this year it was 3 seconds. This time next year Rodney........

Ordinarily I would have been delighted with 4th overall and 2nd in class, especially in such a class field but when you`ve looked victory in the eyes, well certainly squinted at it through a misty windscreen I does hurt to see it slip by. Richard & John brought the 935 back 5th overall behind us - where they deserve to stay!! The RPM GT3 was in 6th, the Morley Ferrari 360 7th, Ian Flux partnered by Terry Coleman finished 8th, then it was the first of the Top Cat Marcos Mantis`, David Back`s Ferrari 360, the second of the Top car Maros` and so on.

Next stop Oulton Park in a couple of weeks time where I`m sure Chimptune racing will be looking to set the record straight and stamp their authority on the Britcar Circus, although I suspect one or two teams may have something to say about that.

As ever keep smiling and thanks for some good clean racing. Henry