Euro hillclimbing: gearing up

Second instalment in Charlie Martin's Euro hillclimbing adventure sees her finally driving her car

Earlier in the year we introduced you to hillclimber Charlie Martin as she prepared to embark on a new adventure competing with a Formula Renault in the French Hillclimb Championships. A big step up from the UK scene in her Westfield, the last time we caught up with her she'd bought her car, a van to carry it (and live in) and was beginning the preparations for both ahead of her first event in May. That's not far off now. Is she ready? We'll let Charlie pick up the story from here... (Dan)

Formula Renault, meet Renault van...

Six months. I can't quite believe it but that's how long I've had to wait to drive the Formula Renault. In fact I've only had it at home in my garage a month so I've not even been able to go and sit in it. Fleeting opportunities to go testing with MGR in Spain passed me by, which all sounded very jet set. But finally I had two tests booked back to back, starting with Blyton Park.

I'd been repeatedly checking the forecast all week, and sure enough I was looking at a wet start to the day. Initially I was a little frustrated but accepted it would be good to try the car in both wet and dry conditions. It rained pretty much all the way up but I'm quite happy driving the van, it's very comfy and easy to get around in and I've just bought a Garmin for France which meant I could daydream a little en route. I was travelling up alone as timing meant that I was without a mechanic. But SWB Motorsport were there for the day running a Formula Renault for Richard who owns and runs the venue - Nick and Mick (from Ginetta) really helped me find my feet too so I owe them a both a big thank you.

Self-built transporter home for car and driver

Before I went out onto the circuit I had the benefit of a few sighting laps and some fantastic advice from a chap called Eugene O'Brien who was working with Richard on driver coaching. An ex-racing driver who now focuses on instructing, he'd raced at Le Mans and come third in class driving a Corvette in 1995 so I really listened to every bit of instruction and encouragement he gave me throughout the day!

Starting off on the Michelin wets on a drying track, the car immediately felt very communicative and friendly to drive - any oversteer was easy to catch, it felt well balanced and not at all intimidating. Wow. The gearbox felt very intuitive with no need to clutch up or down and, although it was tricky to get the car rolling from a standstill it all seemed to click quite quickly. After about eight or nine laps I decided to come in as it was drying out and I was mindful of cooking the tyres.

Straight back out on slicks I immediately thought I'd not tightened one of the rear wheels up - was I imagining it? No, the car was weaving in a straight line. OK, straight back into the pits. I jumped out and started checking the wheels as a few people came over and explained. "Oh yes, cold slicks always feel like that, don't worry you just need some heat in them," I was told. So back out I went, and after three or four laps I was getting into a good rhythm. And then suddenly a spin. Out of nowhere. I set off and sure enough it happened again. Unlike the session on the wets there was no warning and, by the time it happened, it was too late to catch with the minimal steering lock. After about the third time I came in and had a think.

It was cold and I don't think I was getting any heat into the tyres, so on the third stint

Finally! Time to actually drive the thing...

I tried my best to work them through the corners, but going through one of the fastest parts of the track (a fast fifth gear chicane) I had a heart in mouth moment when the car just suddenly let go. Travelling backwards I was convinced I was going to hit something solid and wreck the rear end but I came to a stop on the run-off, thanked my lucky stars and made my way back to the pits. My confidence had gone straight up in the wet, only to come crashing back down. "How on earth am I going to drive this up a bloody French B-road?" was all could think.

I headed for the canteen to think it over. It seemed simply I wasn't heating the tyres enough, so I made a concerted effort to work them harder initially whilst not pushing the car too fast, building my speed incrementally each lap. By lap seven or eight I was really flying and after two clear sessions like this I was back in my comfort zone. We were friends again. Although the slicks weren't as progressive as the wets, once warmed up you could now sense a slide and be on top of it before it bit you.

Slicks proved to have a steep learning curve

First impressions? I can't get over how incredible the gearbox is, it's so quick and easy to use. OK, without the visual reference of an H-pattern you have to make a mental note of what gear you're in but, even so, it lets you concentrate so much more on your line and braking. After the Westfield it's the single biggest improvement. The brakes have phenomenal power and feel too, I don't think I locked up all day. After the first wet session I left-foot braked all day and it felt natural - I've been doing since January in my road car so the practice has paid off! Cornering speeds through fast parts had my neck muscles straining - it really opens your eyes to what it's like driving with downforce and over the course of a day it's physically tiring.

Lowdown on Loton
A week or so later I was at Loton Park Hillclimb in Shropshire for a test day on the first hill I ever drove. Being as I travelled up on the Friday this was also my first night sleeping in the van. I've not got the shower or electrics hooked up yet but pretty much everything else is finished and I can't tell you how nice it was to pull up and not have to set up a tent - bliss! The Neon Apple paint (yes really) looks very cool too - there was no way I was ever going to paint the inside magnolia.

Second test day a chance for further learning

During the week I'd been over to BMTR to switch the Michelins for Avons - the hillclimb spec tyres are so much softer I was keen to try them and hoped they'd feel much better from the get-go. Sitting so low down, Loton felt very narrow indeed after Blyton and the first run up the hill on fresh slicks and a cold, greasy track was possibly the slowest thing I've ever done in a race car! With no run-off and any excursion looking like a new floor at best I was very twitchy and anxious to get through the day without incident. By the third run though the track was improving and I was finding my feet, the times started to come down and I was just focusing on driving smoothly and building my speed through the corners. By mid afternoon I was closing in on my PB and sure enough I pipped it at 56.11 by a few hundredths! OK, it's not very fast for a single-seater, but the whole point of the day was to build confidence and consistency, plus get used to running the car at a meeting. So it was a resounding success really.

What really opened my eyes was the fact that 56 seconds in the Westie felt right on the edge of what the car could do. In the FR it just felt calm and controlled - you can see from the in-car that it doesn't really look very quick and sure enough there is so much more to come with more time behind the wheel. So with less than five weeks until Hebecrevon, the obvious question is do I feel ready for France? Ready as I'll ever be!

Loton Park onboard