3/4 November 2012 - Brands Hatch Indy - QMN Saloons with Cannon Tin Tops - Truck Superprix
Well, all too quickly, we seemed to be preparing for the last meeting of the QMN season. Despite the long period of time we had to prepare the car, it came down the wire again. With finances low, and even our mentors scratching their heads, we were unable to confirm the Saph was back to rights before Qualifying. We therefore had to opt for replacing every sensor, the Plugs, Dizzy Cap, Rotor Arm and fuel tank foam, in order to cover all bases. However the biggest suspect was the Plenum. We therefore had that and the Inlet manifold skimmed, which found they were indeed warped. That said, after careful assembly, pressure tests revealed we still have issues with one or both, and a leaky ICT as we left to go racing. Again without a lot of dedication from the team we wouldn’t even have made it on the grid.
Qualifying
Truck racing weekends are always hectic due to the logistics of getting them to the track. With that and Scrutineering being very busy, we were under pressure to be ready when called. We therefore went out on inters as the track looked very green and slippery. With all our nerves on edge we were happy to see the Saph running well, but without much grip. However as the session went on, Al managed to pick up the pace and qualify 10th, which was pretty good going as the conditions were against us, and the session was interrupted by a red flag.
Race 15
With a drying track, the conditions were coming back to us, so we were set fair to go racing. The start was uneventful, but slower cars hampered Al, losing us track position. What followed next had our followers hanging their heads, as car after car, that should not have been on our pace were overtaking. Fearing the misfire had returned we were all despondent. As it transpired Al had hit oil on the track, and the Saph was running fine. It took several laps for the oil to scrub off the tyres, but Al managed to hold off two other group B cars until the Saph came back to him. What happened next was phenomenal. Al drove one of his best stints, if not the best, reeling back all the cars that had overtaken him earlier, in spectacular fashion. With the clock showing 20 seconds left, Al crossed the Start/Finish having got a fantastic drive out of Clearways, 10 lengths behind the duelling Mk1 Escort of Nick Proudlock and RS Focus of Ian Butler. He caught them so fast, that he had no choice but to go around the Mk1 just before Paddock. At that point, with a class win and overall 4th in his grasp, the Saph spun a 180 into the gravel, game over. On his return into Paddock, Al came in for some criticism, for not holding back, and waiting for a better option for the overtake. All that can be reflected on that, was large portions of humble pie all round. After studying the in-car at length, Al was absolutely correct to make the move. The Saph snapped out so fast, it is likely we found more of the oil that had proved the undoing of several cars earlier in the race, just more bad luck when we thought we had had our fill. All in all, another Stella drive by Mr Philips, spoilt by things beyond his control.
Race 16
Another day, and very different weather conditions. With the heavens open, and at the back of the grid, we decided to go with a new and untested setup. From the off, we could see Al was well on the pace. Even with a low RPM misfire, he carved his way through the field and was set fair for a great race. Up to 13th with the pack bunched behind the Safety car, he was looking in good shape. However after another incident at the restart, on the rain lashed track, the race was red flagged. Once again, Al’s sterling efforts were ambushed by events beyond his control, and our season came to an end, although in good shape and many lessons learnt.
16th September 2012 - Brands Hatch GP - QMN Saloons with Cannon Tin Tops
If we thought the run up to Snetterton was hard going, it was a breeze compared to this. We were all stunned by the amount of damage, that wasn’t apparent at first, we found on the Saph. Apart from the obvious bodywork, that eventually had to be replaced by a new front end, we had to send off the Intercooler and Plenum for some serious attention. Without the Sterling efforts of the whole team including Dennis, Ann, Mark, Al, Andrew, Adam and Jack, as well as Colin Smith and Harvey Gibbs, would not have made the Brands Hatch GP race. A huge thank you to all who contributed as it came down to the wire to get us ready to race.
Quali
As it was Al’s maiden trip round the Brands GP circuit, and the Saph largely untested, we didn’t know what to expect from quali. We were all very relieved to see the Saph was working well, and after a couple of sighting laps, Al began to pick up the pace. There were 43 cars out on track, so there was the potential to get baulked, and with only 7 laps to get a time, Al did a fantastic job to get 18th on the grid, especially as some of our Group B rivals were behind us, and there were numerous spins and off’s all around the track, by experienced GP Driver’s.
Race 13
As we all know, with a grid of 43 cars, the potential for a calamity on the first few corners is immense. This proved to be unfounded, although we lost a couple of positions, as others around us were a little more gung-ho, allowing people behind us to overtake, impeding our initial progress. Al was totally unfazed by this as he knew it wouldn’t be long before he would reel them in and get back on terms with the fantastic looking Camero, who was new to QMN. As Al’s confidence grew, his prediction was correct and he was soon on it, looking to make up places from his grid position. Then disaster struck, as the Saph developed a misfire around 5000 RPM. In terms of racing we were done, but to his credit Al nursed the car around and finished 18th. The drama didn’t end there though, as we finished just ahead of race winner Colin Tester, and should have completed another lap, but as the Marshals stopped the race this was not possible. We therefore had to get a DNF, amended on the official score sheet, just our luck.
Race 14
With time against us, the team looked for the source of the misfire. After checking what we could, we thought we had found the source as the dizzy cap fell apart as we removed it, although this turned out to be a Red Herring. Once again Al lined up and had a very similar start to the first race, with cars overtaking as the grid sorted itself out. Again Al was confident in the car as it was running very well, and began reeling in a gaggle of cars that would have proved significant to our points score. Then, just as in the first race, the Saph developed exactly the same misfire. Again to his absolute credit Al got her round to take 3rd in Class B. This however did not take away from our absolute dejection as a team, as we all felt that there was allot more potential in the car, but more so in Al. Even with a chronic misfire he drove his socks off, so we were all left wondering what might have been.
21st July 2012 - Snetterton 300 - QMN Saloons with Cannon Tin Tops
Well the run up to Snetterton was very interesting and full of luck, all of it bad. We had issues with the exhaust, turbo downpipe, and gearbox to resolve, compounded by faults on the Race Truck that saw us leave at midnight and arrive at the track at 2.00am, although we were ready to race. We really knew that the Motorsport Gods were against us when Al was running through the gears sitting in the pits, and the gearstick snapped off in his hand. With some help from the kind people in the Paddock we were still ready to roll come Quali, shame not everybody there are cut from the same cloth.
Quali
With trepidation we awaited quali to begin, but our fears appeared to be allayed as Al started to pick up pace after making sure the gearbox was working ok in the first few laps, as we have not been able to test. Then just as the Saph really started to settle in to some good laps, Al went into Oggies a bit hot, and disaster struck. As he ran wide, a muddy puddle on the edge of the track proved our undoing, as the Saph slid onto the rain sodden grass, and refused to respond, gliding straight into the tyres at what appeared to be at very low speed. The alarm bells started to ring, when the car did not move, and nor did Al, although we were confused as there was no steam from a presumably broken rad. As it transpired he was told to wait in the car by the Marshals until another car ran wide on the same bend and they frantically waived him to the safe side of the barrier. The low loader was dispatched to recover the car, which looked very sorry for itself on return to the pits.
Race 11
Although there appeared to be no mechanical damage, the bonnet, inner wing, slam panel, front crossmember and spoiler mountings were damaged. That did not compare to the front spoiler which was in four pieces. With all that damage things looked bleak, however everyone at GibboRacing pulled together, and with some fantastic people supporting us in the paddock, we managed to get the Saph through Scrutineering ready for Race 1. It really was quite special, to watch everyone muck in to help, especially as we were 8th on the grid, which turned into 6th as there was a couple of non starters.
The warm up lap seemed to take an age, but when the red lights went out Al was on it, with our best start of the year. We arrived at the 1st corner in great shape, Al staying wide to get the run down to the hairpin and avoid the Clio on his inside. So you can imagine our frustration, when we were hit from behind by the Focus from the TinTops who was not even in our race. To say that Al was lucky not to be T-Boned at high speed is an understatement, as he was spun onto the infield. As it was he clipped the Clio which could have had a much worse outcome. Somehow Al kept the Saph out of the barriers, got restarted, and back in the race. After its second impact of the day, the old girl had had enough, and lost all boost. Al trundled round and finished the race, and once again limped back to the pits looking worse for wear.
Race 12.
Although the rear of the only suffered a cracked bumper, the front had taken another good whack, which had destroyed the spoiler again, as well as the mountings etc. More than that this time, there was mechanical damage, as the turbo studs had pulled out of the manifold, and only a well-made heat shield stop an engine fire. Once again the team came to the fore and got the car out for Race 2, a fantastic achievement, again with help from the Paddock.
It didn’t take long to realise that it wasn’t going to go well with a misfire from the start and not a great deal of boost. However on a weekend that saw an amazing amount of failures, Al used what he had available and achieved a sterling 2nd in class, doing battle with an equally struggling Corrado for the best part of the race, finally overtaking and holding on to the end of the race.
Results can be found here - http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=BRSCC&event=club&source=ed_BRSCC&eventid=122931
17 June 2012 - Lydden Hill - QMN Saloons
21st July 2012 - Snetterton 300 - QMN Saloons with Cannon Tin TopsFull results can be found here...http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=BARC&event=club&source=ed_BARC&eventid=122425
As there was only two weeks between Brands and Lydden, there was little time for any major problems, and fortunately we had none. We did have some concerns over the gearbox, that were well founded, but decided to prepare on the basis all was well and only our usual preparation routine was required. The only issue we had, was the scarcity of slicks that is becoming a problem for us, racing on a very tight budget. We really have to convey our thanks to Tony at Touring Car Spares for his continued support in our efforts to be able to race competitively.
Quali
After some foul weather, the track did not appear too bad and most importantly it was dry. Al managed to find a nice gap in the traffic, and from the grandstand looked great, so we were confident of a good position on the grid. So when we were confirmed 8th there was some major head scratching, although to be fair our optimism was not completely shared by Al. The feedback in general was a lack of grip, but we should still have been better, and reflected a poor choice with setup.
Race 9
We knew more than ever that we had to make a good start. So when we lost ground into the first corner, it was disappointing, but inevitable with the gearing we have on the car. On a short track with a limited number of laps, it was never going to be easy to make up time and catch of all people, Ash Hargreaves in the lightweight and powerful 306. But catch up he did, and on the last couple of laps Al was closing in on the Peugeot, which had his followers and the RS Club people jumping up and down. You have to watch the in-car to fully appreciate how hard Al worked to overhaul Ash, not once but twice to make it stick. With a real lack of grip and a failing gearbox, this was another cracking drive by Al, that realised our first class win of the season, and a fastest in class lap.
Race 10
We made a few changes for race 2 to improve the grip, but were limited to what we could do. Again though, we were disappointed with the start because the 306 drove by us on the start, with Al able to do nothing. This time, despite going quicker than Race 1, Al could not get back on terms with the gaggle of cars in front. The tyres seemed to go off if he tried to push, and although much quicker up Hairy Hill and the down the Start Finish Straight, the Saph just refused to get the power down on the long right hander, Chessons Drift, and we lost too much ground. We know now that we must be braver with our set up to keep the progress going forward.
02 June 2012 - Brands Hatch Indy - QMN Saloons
Again, high on our success at Silverstone, we had to re-focus for our next challenge back at Brands, and as it turned out it was a good job we did. Several nuts were threaded, none more so important than on the steering knuckle. We also found that our rear disks had cracked quite badly and would need replacing, although that said, more learned people than us were sure they would go again………. but not on our car. The car was also given over to our set-up guru Colin Smith, who once again weaved his magic.
Quali
We knew it was going to be a struggle, for Al to get anything out of the Saph, as conditions were against us, damp and slippery. We were out on our inters, that are getting a bit long in the tooth, but Al managed a respectable 12th on the grid, which threw up more than a few surprises in the order. One big plus was a few of our handling issues were ironed out.
Race 7
Lined up behind Graham Bahr and Andy Elliot, with Peter Taylor just behind we knew the first corner was going to be significant. What we didn’t know was that there was going to be yet another incident right in front of Al that was going to leave us well down the order again. These things happen, we know that, but it gets a bit wearing when we’re not involved but it impacts our race. Rant over, it turned out to be our most exciting race ever, so how does that work out. Simple really, Al drove an absolute blinder making his way through to an eventual 6th, which really doesn’t do it justice. You really need to look at the in-car, to see some of the overtaking, especially splitting the Mini and the Escort, and the last two laps, were Al drove his socks off to catch and overtake Peter Taylor’s RS500 on the last, pure adrenaline for all involved.
Race 8
Starting further up the grid, put us in a better position to challenge for the race overall. A few tweaks made, should have improved our handling, but as it transpired made things worse with the ever changing weather. Once again the race was interrupted by a first corner incident, which involved the Safety Car. At least this time we were not slowed down by the incident itself, but we don’t seem to do well when the tyres heat and cool and have to get back up to race temperature. With another sterling performance, and showing well for outright speed against the front runners, Al brought the Saph home in 5th. Another great weekend of racing enjoyed by all, and well done Paul Eve on his double, great effort.
Full results can be found here... http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=EERC&event=club&source=ed_EERC&eventid=122263
12th May 2012 - Silverstone National - QMN with Intermarques
Results can be found here...http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=MSVR&event=club&source=ed_MSVR&eventid=121951
Buoyed by our success at Brands, we looked forward to the Silverstone National, especially as we had a good idea it would suit the Saph. That said we couldn’t rest on our laurels, as it became apparent that the Fuel and Oil Breather systems needed improvement. Little did we know that that would be the least of our troubles as a few more problems reared their ugly head which meant we were down to the wire again, getting the car ready. Sometimes work and school commitments get right in the way of making life easy.
Quali
As it was our first trip to Silverstone in any capacity we thought quali would be interesting. Apart from the fact we knew nothing of the special power arrangements, our tail-lift broke and the gazebo nearly blew away, we were ready. It didn’t take long for our hearts to sink, as when the Saph came into view it was trailing smoke, but not from the exhaust. Al reported back afterwards that He was suffering spurious lockups, lack of grip, and men in orange suits were waging their finger at him. It wasn’t rocket science to work out that we were losing oil from the front of the sump, the bit where a gasket should have been but wasn’t. After a brief period of stress, we set about dropping the front of the car to get the sump off, whilst going through our usual routines with tyres and brakes. With Marks timely arrival, to steady the ship, the Team worked hard right up to the race toget it all back together. Well done all, Sterling work. The news we were 26th on the grid (not too shabby for a maiden run on oil slicks) and back on course for the race, we were back in stride.
Race 5
With the car repaired, we set up at Luffield to watch the race. Just waiting our stomachs were turning over and it wasn’t long before the cars came into view for the first time and we were in amongst it with the QMN Saloons, having moved up some places already. Then the gaggle came around again, and Al wasn’t there. Several cars had spun in front of Al, and he was off and airborne onto the grass, through the Kitty Litter, and back on (how does he manage to keep it all together?). Over the course of the race not only did Al catch up, he overtook them all again, to end up 4th overall. We were just too far behind Gavin Thomson to catch up, but all agreed it looked as though we were reeling him in, until Al backed off the boost to consolidate his position.. Once again another great drive.
Race 6
We moved again for the last race to the National Pit Straight. From where we were it looked as if one car was ripping up the field from the off, but after looking at the in-car, they were a little keen off the mark, nuff said. Al followed for a few laps bearing in mind the fun and games in race 5, then made his move. We were in 4th again, but were getting involved with our InterMarque friends, who have a more robust style of racing. Despite the best panel on the Saph taking a whack, we were on it and past Gavin Thomson, and 3rd. With Paul Eve in his sights Al was having His best race ever. A bit more attention from the InterMarques, which broke our bumper as well, and our tyres going off, Al ran out of laps to go for 2nd. What can you say, 3rd overall on our first trip to Silverstone, despite all that had happened, GibboRacing was over the moon and buzzing.
See the Race Videos Page for Race 2...
April 21st and 22nd Brands Hatch - QMN - Delphi Truck Meeting
Results can be seen here...http://www.tsl-timing.com/?loc=club&season=2012&series=BARC&event=club&source=ed_BARC&eventid=121621
After the dissapointment of our previous performance in Race 1 and 2 in March, apart from a new Water Temp gauge and our usual checks, we were pretty much on the same set up for quali, confident we were still on the right track, if you pardon the pun.
Quali (Saturday)
We all came to the conclusion that Slicks were the right choice, although the boys remained set up to change tyres, until the call to go. Almost immediately the car looked better, as Al got the all important heat in the tyres. The only flutter we had was some big drops of rain half way through our 15 mins, but the Gods were kind. Our section of the pits erupted when we heard over the tannoy, that Al had qualified 6th. All the Teams hard work had been rewarded, and as Al turned into the pit the place was buzzing. So imagine our surprise when Al's bottom lip curled up as He thought he was 6th in grp B, the Silly Old Sausage. What a fantastic drive, only matched by the fantastic cheesy grins from the team and our happy band of supporters. Our fastest lap at Brands at 53.8, achieved on a slippery track courtesy of the Big Trucks, could it get any better?
Race 3 (Saturday)
We were well aware that we had to be on the money, from the off, especially as our Nemesis was right behind us on the grid. And what a start, Al kept his position and was in amongst it from the off. Even under close attention from the Blue 3 door Cossy, especially into Paddock and Druids, Al was well and truly in control. As the race panned out Al found himself comfortabley in 6th, behind the 4x4 Saph of Paul Eve 4th, and the Seat of Jordan Batts 5th. Things soon livened up when the Seat of Jordan Batts made an ambitious move for 3rd, around the outside at Clearways. One thing led to another and the Seat ran wide into the Kitty Litter, and Al slipped through into 5th. Not content with that, Al started to reel in the 4x4 Saph, until there was even more excitement when the LHF wheel parted company from the Escort Cossy down the hill from Druids. We all held our breath while the loose wheel bounced around Graham Hill, but all was good. On the last lap Al was close enough to have a cheeky lunge coming into Surtee's, but in truth was more than happy with 4th. It dosen't matter what words I use, nothing can do justice to the elation in the pit. What a drive, fast and intelligent, hats off to Mr Phillips.
Race 4 (Sunday)
Another day, different weather and a Team nose bleed, as we're not used to being that high up the grid. Very keen to have another great day and hopefully show the cars Former Sponsor Mike at Kalimex how far we had come, confidence was high. As appears to be the norm when the Big Trucks are out, we were called early. It shows how far we have come, because the slicks were on and Al was off in good order. The dynamics of the grid were slightly different for this race, with the very quick Jordan Batts behind us, and the Paul Eve's Saph in front. Again Al knew there would be no quarter given and he'd have to be on his metal from the the off, and again he came good. Another great drive saw him hold station, until early in the race when the Safety Car came out. We do not not like to see any of these fine cars pranged, but it was even more of a bitter pill, as all three of the cars off were Cossy's and very dear to our hearts. All drivers were ok, but the cars weren't. On the restart it soon became clear that the tyres had gone off, and Al was having alot of understeer. To his absolute credit Al manged to hold on for 4th although the 4x4 Saph had long gone to take 3rd. What an emotional weekend, we were all absolutely spent, but so happy. Many thanks to all the people who came to support us including the VXR crew, and hope you enjoyed the top notch hospitality afforded by Dave's Girls. All that leaves us to say is Thanks to all and bring on the National at Silverstone.
March 24th or 25th Brands Hatch - Quaife Motorsport News Saloons.
With expectation high, and a following of 50 plus, we were set fair for a great days racing. We arrived on Saturday night to find a very busy Paddock at Brands. Andrew stayed over and the rest of the team arrived bright and early Sunday morning. The Saph was fresh from the best testing we have ever had, with only a fresh set of rubber and some improved mapping by Harvey Gibbs, to stop her overfueling on the over-run.
All too soon we were Qualifying with the InterMarques. As we only had 10 mins, every second was vital, so when after 5 mins a Group A BMW GTR (Dave Shelton) hit the armco coming out of Graham Hill, and nearly took us out in the process, Quali was over. Not the best start to the campaign, 29th on the grid.
With all the pre race checks complete we were ready for Race 1. Only one warm up lap, but 15 mins instead of the 12 scheduled looked good for us. The warm up, however, didn't go quite as expected. It was far too slow and backed up, coupled with being next to an Intermarque Tiger (that we were not allowed to overtake) that hung too far back, Al couldn't get the usual amount of heat in the Tyres. This did not give us any warning of what was about to happen next, after the lights went green and we were racing. On the approach to Graham Hill, the back of the car broke away without any warning and we were off. The Saph refused to get going again at first, but eventually burst into life and we were off, but our race was effectively run. To his credit, Al managed to reel in a couple of the QMN boys, but struggled to get the power down, as we had done in practise.
Down but not out, we decided to stick with the tyres as they were. In an ideal World we would have put on fresh rubber, but that just doesn't happen at Clubman level with budgets like ours. We were further up the grid due to DNF's etc in the first race. The green lights came on and we were racing again. Although not as quick as we anticipated, we were going well and in the mix. A third of the way through, the group B 306 Rallye of Ash Hargreaves let go at Surtee's, and Al was driving blind through smoke, but managed to get through ok. On the next lap, Al was looking for Oil Flags as he came out of Graham Hill, but there were none. Our rival in Group B Jordan Batts, in a Seat Leon, was hot on our tail and made a move going into Surtee's. Just as Al thought he had the measure of him, you guessed it, there was a 25 ft oil slick. With no chance at all he spun again. Where were the Oil Flags? Again to his credit, Al managed to get going again, but our day was effectvley over.
After our own personnal Stewards Enquiry, all we can conclude is that we had a duff set of Slicks. On the plus side we were told by numerous people, Marshals included, that the car was flying down the straights. Al was also comfortable, that power wise, things were looking good. We have had to accept that as we cannot afford new tyres, we have to work with what we have on the day. It was however, very pleasing to see that everyone had come a very long way from our first race last year, which bodes well for the future.
http://rodbirley.com/2012_calendar.htm
The most positive feedback of the day was GibboRacing Hospitality, that was met with rave reviews......Well done everyone, onwards and upwards.
.