I've never said a prayer before a race but as the rain hammered down and a river began to run underneath my car I was just moments away from my first drive up Mont Dore and clutching at straws. The last time I saw rain of this magnitude was shortly before I tore the front off my Westfield on a sea wall in Guernsey...
Is there room to shelter under that wing?
I'd been warned about the Auvergne for weather that can scorch, drown or blow you away all in the course of an afternoon! Although not the longest course of the season (5km), it was by far the most daunting - there is no beginning, middle or end, just one long snaking route with little to differentiate one corner from the next. With this and the weather there were literally the ingredients for a perfect storm. Oh, and as friends Colin and Paul would not be competing I would be completely on my own for the first time. I know I go on about 'enjoying a challenge' but this was a case of careful what you wish for...
No race weekend would be complete without some technical gremlins. This time it was my iMac's black screen of death but I managed to fix that at the airport. Then Herve [Charlie's van! - Ed.] threw me another curve ball and refused to go over 2,500rpm, adding an hour to the journey and slowing me to a crawl on the hills.
No quibbling over tyre choice, just got to fit them
Still, longer to enjoy the views. I've never been to the Auvergne before but I immediately thought 'Jurassic Park'. There is a wild and almost prehistoric look to the volcanic landscape - with peak after peak rising up dramatically from great plains, deep blue lakes and swathes of purple flowers mixed in with the lush green forests that pour down the sides of the mountains. I stopped a few times to admire it all and take pictures, which perhaps partly explains my late arrival in Moneaux.
With the best spots taken I ended up at the side of the road in a slightly remote location. The next day dawned bright and sunny, and I rose early to make my 10am appointment at the Renault garage in Mont Dore, driving the length of the course on the way. While waiting I had a quick nose round an old Renault V6 Dakar car, engine semi stripped on the bench next to it. It looked very evocative sat on stands in this little mountain garage, and seemed as though it had a few stories of its own to tell.
Beautiful spot once the rain clears!
The fault was traced to the lambda probe but sadly the part couldn't be delivered until Wednesday so I left empty handed, at least equipped with the part number. Moments later I bumped into my friend Sylvain who asked me if I'd brought my car for scrutineering in the town square. "No I didn't know about that bit..."
On the return journey I bumped into Martine Hubert and got a thorough Mont Dore lesson in a hired Clio. Being taught to drive in French in a left-hand drive car when dehydrated is a stern test of anyone's concentration, but it's extremely helpful having someone so experienced coaching you on a regular basis.
That evening I met Sylvain's friend Yann who lives nearby and accepted his offer of help for the weekend. Little did I realise how crucial this would prove to be as the weather was about to go to Defcon 1.
The following morning Yann helped me unload. Not long before the first run the heavens opened just as were fitting the wets, and it was all we could do to dive inside the van and wait for it to clear. Only it didn't. Eventually I just had to accept I was getting a soaking.
Oh no, it's back again. Brollies up!
I used to be very confident driving the Westy in the rain, but this was the first time I'd really used the new car in a downpour, so I opted to take it very easy and treat it as a sighting lap. Since the car is now running a softer setup with no rear anti-roll it wasn't as bad as I expected, although a lot of the turn-in markers had now been obscured with sponsors' banners. Run number two was better as the rain had at least stopped for the main part, although the track was still sodden. I pushed harder but was yellow flagged for the car that had spun up ahead, and sure enough started catching it as the driver had backed off meaning that I was sat right behind him for the final few corners.
Still the time was OK, but on the return down the hill the heavens opened and I might as well have sat in a cold bath. The battery had given up too, and this continued to plague me throughout the weekend and I was pretty rattled by the time I made it back to the van.
Corners blur into one ... which can get tricky
Yann took my wet kit home to dry it out over night, picked up some more fuel and drove me to fill the water barrel so I could get a hot shower. The evening brought huge gusts of wind that shook Herve on his springs but Sunday dawned bright and breezy, a huge rainbow hanging right across the sky. It was 11am by the time I got my first run and the track was bone dry at last. Mont Dore is such a technical hill you have to be incredibly focused to remember your way up it. It's so easy to lose yourself momentarily, at which point you're like an actor forgetting his lines and searching desperately for a prompt.
When this happens you realise that the last corner was meant to be flat, you're fast approaching a hairpin off-line and in the wrong gear, and you've just lost a big chunk of time. It's generally accepted that it takes three years to really be able to drive hard here. Run two was dry and looking good, albeit my gear indicator was playing up so the screen was reading 5th when was in 1st. I pushed harder and had a pretty clean run which took five seconds off my previous time to post a 2min 51.22sec, literally driving through the clouds in the final bends.
A dry run at last - and some proper speed
On the way back down there was a rainbow stretched flat like an elongated stripe, and it shone through the mist in the valley. It was so beautiful but also signalled it had rained below and our final run would be on a drying track. I was as determined as ever to try and get into the 40s but as I came through the trees after the first hairpin it looked very slippery so I backed off, losing quite a bit of time.
Sure enough I slipped back down to a '54, and was a bit flummoxed to see some of the class had gone quicker, but then the car was in one piece and when I consider the scope for disaster I was satisfied to survive. At times I'd really had to ask myself a few questions about what I was doing there and I had to dig deep. I was happy overall but it has however made me realise if I want to improve significantly next season, I need to have some support with me.
That'll be the relieved face then - on to the next one!
Show goes on though and later this week I'll be back on a plane to compete in the FIA European Hillclimb Championship round at St Ursanne les Rangiers in Switzerland. Although shorter, it's an incredibly fast and spectacular course with much of it flat in fifth and sixth through woods with very little to reference one corner from the next. I was mindful of getting the car there in one piece all weekend, and I'm super excited to be entered under the sponsorship of Tectri SA who have generously arranged my entry. From there I'll be going directly to Chamrousse in the Alps for the penultimate round of the championship. Fingers crossed!
here
Charlie Martin - Formule Renault 2...
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Race photos: Clement Luck
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