A personal account of his weekend from Anthony Wills.

Being an International Racing Driver

Croix en Ternois

18th - 19th July 2003

Getting there and testing

Most of us had booked for a latish ferry on the Thursday in the hope that we could get some sleep before testing the next day. Those with hotels and camper vans were rather more fortunate than those with tents. Putting these up at midnight without a flat surface in sight was a challenge. The circuit was quite attractively put together although the French style toilets left most confused as to the correct stance. The track is very small (just over a mile) and dominated by two very (very) sharp hairpins either end of a long straight and some twiddly bits for the remainder, mostly taken in 2nd. We had all paid £60 for two 20-minute sessions except Keith Ward who gently persuaded BARC that £30 for one session was better than nothing at all. Most of the drivers had guessed at Lydden style ratios and these seemed to work well. A good lap time was just over the minute and there seemed to be no major problems. Bernard Baxter was helping out just about everyone but there was no call for his spare engine. Simon changed just about everything on his car (including 3 of his ratios) in the hope of getting a little more out of it but probably just succeeded in out-psyching some of us. Most were worrying about temperatures as it was clearly going to be hot but only Simon was prepared to fork out £10 for natural sponges to redirect airflow into his smallish radiator. (Surely this is not a legal mod!). I managed a 61.4 and hoped this was near enough to the front runners to allow me a glimpse of them the next day. A couple of the visits to the gravel trap at the end of the straight established that I was braking too late but I also used the excuse of needing new rear pads and a brake bleed. I was also struggling painfully with understeer on the slower corners and hoped to solve this for the next day.

That night several of us enjoyed a few drinks and a meal in the town. Unfortunately those who didn't go enjoyed it less. Some of the guys had discovered a beer which was 7.2 per cent and made your legs wobbly and your voice louder. Simon Merriman, as a novice entrant at his first race, had the sense to stop when he realised his legs did not work. It would be fair to say that those who lasted the longest were also the noisiest. Surely they could not keep this up for two nights?

Saturday, Qualifying and Race 1.

A relatively late qualifying time left us plenty of time to tinker with the cars and worry about this or that. Finally we made it out there in very high temperatures. I started out with the view that I would not get quicker after the first few laps as everything got very hot and the tires started to overheat. My head was not really in the right place and after 7 or so laps I was not concentrating and made a few mistakes (or should I say more than I normally do) and I called it a day. I suspected that the time I had done, which mirrored the previous days efforts, would not get better.

As the results arrived I found I was 4th (61.44), with Simon Davey (60.91) heading the times and Dave Lowe and Steve Collyer just in front. About 0.5 of a second separated us. I was a little cheesed off to see that Dave and Steve had done their times at the end of the session and I found out afterwards that they had done a few "cooling down" laps half way through the session and then got back on it. Another lesson learnt. Steve Collyer was pleased to have done so well bearing in mind the problems of the previous day with an inaccessible and leaking oil tank which had required great globs of liquid metal to hold it together.

Colin Williams had listened to my guarantee that you could drive through the gravel trap if things did go awry. When his brakes failed, (or was it the gears or was it outbraking himself? - you decide) I went past and gave him the traditional salute commonly associated with football hooligans and their opinions of referees. To my chagrin an eagle-eyed marshal saw this congratulatory gesture and sneaked to the Clerk of the Course. Called up before the beak I could only explain that Colin really was my best mate, that no, I held no animosity towards him and that actually if the previous night was anything to go by it was him who would be doing the aggression. I left Mr Wells' office suitably chastened and repentant.

There had been no major problems for any of the drivers but most were worrying about the heat. A blazing sun in a cloudless sky was letting the cars reach over 100 degrees and there was a real concern for the race. Selfishly I was quite sanguine about this, as my car tends to run very cool as it has (newly legal) side radiators, so when asked I opted for the longer race the better.

The Race

Apart from in the wet, my starts have been pretty good this year. Off the line I was able to get past Dave Lowe and slot in behind Simon. I kept with him for the first lap and actually got past him when he braked very late at the end of the straight and I pulled past him after the hairpin. Tragically for me the wily old racer simply kept the inside line for the next left hander and I had to give best. Driving around Simon did not seem a workable option. I managed to hold onto him for 6 or so laps but could not outdo him along the straight and my understeer, in contrast to his oversteer, around the bendy bits prevented any move there. Finally I got horribly sideways at the hairpin at the top of the straight and onto the pebbles. Lifting off was the only option and Simon made good his getaway. Behind me Dave Lowe had made up for some earlier grass-like excursions which put him down a few places and was now ahead of Steve Collyer and Martin Camp. Martin Camp and Colin Williams had fairly lonely races for 4th and 5th whilst Keith Ward had fended Guy Snook off for lap after lap. Guy had finally got the wheels on his car all pointing in the right direction but went out on the forming up lap and his nosecone collapsed. This meant returning to the paddock, whizzing it off, making use of large quantities of tank tape and starting from the pit lane. His drive then saw him overtake a couple of people, despite being noseconeless and finding the rear of Keith's car too attractive to leave behind. For his efforts, finishing just over a tenth behind Keith, he was the recipient of the Cobra beer Driver of the Day award (Race 1).

New lap records went to Simon Davey (60.83) and Dave Lowe (61.22).

Everyone finished the race and virgin driver Simon Merriman came home very creditably and safely to win the novice award. Many commented that he managed to drive smoothly, stay on the track and not get in anyone's way. He then spent the rest of the weekend telling everyone he really was now a racing driver. Keith Ward found that the wait in parc ferme had allowed his left hand brake callipers to stick on and this necessitated some hard work to free them off but he thought they would be serviceable for the morrow. Amazingly, despite a temperature of 34 degrees, with the track surface showing 48, everyone finished and was ready for the next day.

Sunday, Race 2.

After a quieter night (!) we had all morning to fiddle with the cars. Bernard Baxter did things with toe in etc on my car and pronounced it ready to go. I polished it which demonstrated a level of boredom whilst most people prepared for a quick departure in the hope of an earlier ferry.

The grid for the race was based on the previous days results so I was alongside Simon with Dave and Steve behind. I seemed to get the power down well and managed to squeeze into the lead, with Steve and Dave behind Simon. I now knew I was in for a torrid time of it. Simon was much quicker than me around the back but the track is so narrow that there are no real opportunities for overtaking unless Mr Cock-up visits. Down the straight I was able to pull away from Simon a little which led to some spectacularly late-braking attempts from Mr Davey.

Finally around lap 6 he left it so late I thought he was going to stop in Calais. I must say that when he gyrated in front of me I really thought I could win if I missed him. I did and then tried to concentrate on keeping it smooth. This I singularly failed to do. The growing presence of Dave Lowe in my mirrors meant it was not over yet. My car was still misbehaving but I hoped I could do the same to Dave as I had to Simon. The difference this time was that he managed to get a tow down the straight and was always much closer at the end. After a couple of stabs he really went for it. I thought I had left it late but he was that little bit further down the road. We arrived near to the turn-in point together with his car marginally in front. The inevitable then happened, his rear touched my front and we both slewed this way and that. To my immense disappointment he did not follow the Davey approach and stayed pointing in the right direction and I was sentenced to a vain chase over the last few laps.

Behind us there was more drama. Simon had regained the track but was behind Steve Collyer and pushing hard to get past. On about the penultimate lap Simon's move on the inside at the hairpin saw the cars touch deranging Simon's suspension but allowing Steve to carry on. This was not the end of it. Simon parked his car by the armco and then, gazelle-like, leapt over that very barrier. Unfortunately his expectations were not matched by delivery and he fell awkwardly, apparently dislocating his knee. Of course none of this was known to the rest of us, or his wife Judith, who kept giving out laps to go to the rest of us, reasoning that whatever his problem, and however serious, she could not be much help.

Understandably we were all worried when the ambulance made its way onto the circuit but the marshals, most considerately made it clear that he was OK. Of course this slowed everyone down a little meaning that I caught Dave up but could not overtake as it was all controlled by yellows.

Other battles had raged through out the race. Martin Camp and Colin Williams fought mightily over 4th and 5th place but Martin just held Colin off by of a second. Colin's courageous struggle saw him win the Cobra Beer Driver of the Day award (for a record 3rd time) which almost seemed to make up for not getting past Martin. He really needs to get his priorities straight. Guy Snook gave Keith Ward some of his own medicine by not allowing him to scrabble past. Guy really felt that his car was starting to work for him and this gave him much more optimism for the future. Eventually Keith decided to let his car, and particularly his brakes cool down and Guy's position was safe. Ian Millward was at last able to get his car going more quickly following his broken arm earlier in the season at Anglesey. He finished both races in the Class A Dulon which he cares for so lovingly. Finally Simon Merriman proved that he really is a racing driver by spinning during the race. Of course he is using Steve Pearce's old car so it may just be that it wasn't used to going that fast and it decided to have a rest.

Fastest laps went to Dave Lowe with a 60.65 and another new lap record whilst a pleased Anthony Wills got a 60.98, his fastest lap of the weekend.

But it was not over yet. Simon's car was dragged back to his place in the paddock. He began the laborious process of turning the back of his transit into a barn find lookalike. Much to his discomfort he then dislocated his knee again writhed on the floor for a few moments until it popped back in. At this point the camaraderie of the CFFR took over and everyone helped fill the transit. Simon stayed as calm and as immobile as he could but many hands made light work. With out too much ado we were all off.
Donington next, Saturday 2nd Aug

AW

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