Monday 28th April 2008

Team PH - Race Diary Rounds 7 and 8

Team PH turn into weather predictors, we wont give up the day job

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Defending into the complex

April showers. It has been a while since this phrase was applicable to April, but for this year it has been. As the Texaco Havoline Ginetta Championship - like quite a lot of championships these days - has a controlled wet and a controlled dry tyre (both supplied by Michelin) this makes April a tricky month for the British racer.

Formula one teams have dedicated weather personnel studying the latest data from satellite imagery. Team PH were nearly as sophisticated using the looking up at the sky method, checking out the BBC’s rainfall chart on a phone and calling someone’s aunt who lives nearby to see if it was raining there. Maybe we should start a topic in the PH forums on race day and get everyone to submit their current climate readings. That would be one step ahead of the F1 teams...

Team PH lack awning and motorhome

The first race on the Saturday was free from the dreaded showers, with the sun even making an appearance at the Croft circuit. The day started with some even sunnier news as it was revealed two of the first three at the previous meeting at Knockhill had been excluded for breaching the regulations. This elevated my result in the second race to a third place and a call to the trophy cabinet maker was due. One podium already this weekend and I hadn’t even turned a wheel yet.

Free practice and qualification saw a gradual improvement in the times and placed the Team PH car 9^th on the grid for both races. The car was brilliant through the fast corners but was suffering from understeer through the slower turns and in the complex was costing me nearly a second on the quicker guys. Turn in was good, so we stiffened the front end up to try to stop the mid-corner undesteer for the race.

The race one start was perfect with Gary Simms running slightly wide at the first corner leaving a gap for me to slip through and elevate myself up to 6^th in the first lap. The resulting mix-up at the first corner forced the safety car out and brought the Ginetta field to a two lap procession. On the restart Simms got the slipstream and nipped up the inside and back to 7^th I fell. But in the next couple of laps Russell McCarthy broke an alternator bracket and fell back to 6^th. Meanwhile in the distance I could see an ailing Phil Sykes stuck in 3^rd gear.

Team PH Met Department at work

For some reason it is easier to chase down a prey than to escape, and as my focus set on a struggling car I increased the lap times to try and grab a 5^th place. You always have to question why you weren’t driving that quickly at the beginning but a target always seems to make me focus harder. On the last lap I was within striking distance and coming out of the last corner I got the run and slipped by into 5^th, just a tenth ahead of the disappointed Sykes.

Race two saw the Team PH meteorological department in full flow. With everyone looking up at the sky, even talks of microbursts came from distant geography class memories as the wind picked up and the sky darkened. So the decision was taken to go out on the wets on a predominantly dry circuit, one of only three cars of the twenty-nine field to do so.

The advantage of the wets if it stayed dry was going to be at the start as the tyres would get up to temperature quicker than the competitors. So off the start Team PH jumped to 7^th, gaining one more before the chicane to 6^th in the first lap. The wets (in the dry) were still working well and another place gained into lap 3, but by lap 5 the tyres were slightly struggling and as the pace dropped to preserve the tyres, I dropped back to 7^th. All was looking good for a top 8 finish as our bunch had moved 10 seconds ahead of 9^th place, though the expected rain had not come.

Defending hard on the wet tyres

Into lap 6 and going up through the gears from Tower I changed from 3^rd into 4^th and suddenly no drive, the car just revved. I tried 3^rd again to see if it was gearbox but unfortunately nothing. Drive had gone from the wheels and I had to watch the rest of the race from the infield with a broken half-shaft.

With racing you need a bit of luck with the weather, but sometimes you need luck in the race too. This time I had no luck in either - maybe next time!

Race 1

1	28	Kieran	Vernon	Driver	20:13.679
2	3	Julian	Barratt	Reflex Racing GB	+ 0.822
3	52	Spencer	McCarthy	McCarthy Motorsport	+ 0.911
4	9	Gary	Simms	Optimum Motorsport	+ 7.981
5	74	Peter	Dignan	Pistonheads	+ 12.336
6	99	Phil	Sykes	Speedworks Motorsport	+ 12.437
7	51	Russel	McCarthy	McCarthy Motorsport	+ 18.702
8	4	Paul	Marsh	Tockwith Motorpsort	+ 20.087
9	58	Martin	Jones	Hepworth International	+ 24.697
10	17	Neil	Merry	Speedworks Motorsport	+ 25.623

 

Race 2

1	52	Spencer	McCarthy	McCarthy Motorsport	16:10.319
2	28	Kieran	Vernon	Driver	+ 0.522
3	3	Julian	Barratt	Reflex Racing GB	+ 3.233
4	21	Richard	Sykes	Speedworks Motorsport	+ 9.293
5	99	Phil	Sykes	Speedworks Motorsport	+ 17.714
6	9	Gary	Simms	Optimum Motorsport	+ 21.214
7	46	Andrew	Smith	Driver	+ 27.342
8	35	Tom	Jones	Jones Motorhomes	+ 36.102
9	17	Neil	Merry	Speedworks Motorsport	+ 40.408
10	14	Paul	Morgan	Driver	+ 40.602
DNF	74	Peter	Dignan	PistonHeads	DNF

[jimed]

Always good to read how it went as we are nearly all would be race drivers! I was interested to note that increasing the lap times helped to catch up a place though - a new tactic which the F1 guys haven't yet discovered. Keep the reports coming.
Jim

[Northern-Loop]

Won't be long before you have tgar 1st place RacingPete!

[skeggysteve]

I like the weather forum idea, but you'd need a Blackberry to get 'real' internet access

What were the exclusions for?

Like Jimed, I'm confused by the "increasing the lap times" bit

Also confused by "stiffened the front end up to try to stop the mid-corner understeer " - thought you had to soften the front end to combat understeer???

Was the half-shaft failure a legacy of the Cadwell 'problem'?

I hope you didn't buzz the engine when the half-shaft let go - I'm hoping to get to Snett and I don't like DNFs

As Loop said your first win is not to far away.

Final confusion.....no reports of you spinning....

[20thebear]

I think the failure was from the fault which we thought may happen at Cadwell.

Considering the car had done the Cadwell race, a weekend at Knockhill and most of the weekend at Croft, it had hung together for longer than we thought it may.

We did not do a full diagnosis after the failure, but the outboard end of the drive shaft was not transmitting torque into the hub.

The only other major issue we had was the alternator shaking itself to pieces. Thanks must go to Paul Morgan's team for helping put it back together.

Peter is going to busy in the next 5 weeks. A new rear end and diffuser must be fitted and the drive shaft sorted.

And yes your read it right Steve, Peter did not spin once. He was obviously not trying had enough!

[bencollins]

Looks great fun, the top three seem to be in a class of their own though, still first season learning curve etc. Good luck next race.

[System-G]

Good going there

I was there with the Caterham Roadsports (FauldSport) and saw the PH car doing well from the holding area. The rest of my time was speant with our team so unfortunately couldn't see much of the racing.

Keep up the good work

[Iwantoneofthose]

We (my son and I) were there at Croft on Sunday, cheering you on 'lap after lap' and then you just dissapeared... it's all clear now!
I took a video (see below) sorry about the poor quality.

PH second race, second & third lap (I think)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk6Rx0OVYmY

I must say that I was really impressed with the Ginetta G50s, really quick, even when the rain was hammering down. Amazing!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIk1AxjKZCQ

MB

[RacingPete]

Video looks good, not that bad a quality at all. Though I must admit when watching the TV coverage and any videos on YouTube I do wonder why I look like I am pottering around... must drive harder!

[Northern-Loop]

RacingPete said:

Video looks good, not that bad a quality at all. Though I must admit when watching the TV coverage and any videos on YouTube I do wonder why I look like I am pottering around... must drive harder!

I'm working hard on the Oulton ones and yeah it does look a bit slow

Almost there though!!!!!!!!!!!!11