UK Formula Ford Championship
OULTON DONINGTON SNETTERTON BRANDS ROCKINGHAM
BRANDS_GP KNOCKHILL SILVERSTONE THRUXTON COMBE

Graham's weblog: 4th September: Knockhill

No place like home
Rounds 13 and 14 were at Knockhill. You would think that we would be delighted to be racing on our home circuit. Wrong! We were apprehensive about these races mainly because David has had so little time on the circuit.

No room at the paddock
Things started badly when Kenny and David pitched up on Thursday afternoon to find themselves allocated a parking zone outside the circuit! Space is limited when the British Touring Car Championship is in town, but to be outside the circuit was a shock, - especially when lots of hospitality tents were in the paddock. It has happened to me before, when I was involved in the Clio series, and it is not nice because there are no toilets, little hard standing, and the Security guards have you hunting for your tickets every time you want in. Thankfully, we were not there for long, because another team failed to turn up, and we were lucky enough to get their pitch. Dismantling the awning and moving all the equipment was worth it as we had a great spot in the main paddock. (Thanks, Babs!) Other good news was that Cardowan Creameries, long time supporters of Scottish motorsport, stepped in with a cheque to help keep the campaign on the road. Thanks John!

Knockhill in summer
The weather at Knockhill was awful. It is not the first time this year we have had a wet weekend but the wind and driving rain that you get halfway up a hillside take their toll. At best, we could say it was changeable, - the usual Scottish thing of having all four seasons in one afternoon. At worst, we could say winter is upon us. Everyone who drives on the track, loves it, - it really is a great place to race, and it was looking well with the new surface in place.

Qualifying
Friday testing saw the car out for 2 sessions. Everything went well but we were slightly off the pace of Nagase in the Fluid Motorsport car. David was still learning the track and felt that he had a bit to come, but I was not so sure. The Japanese driver had been there at the test day a couple of weeks previously, and had plenty of laps under his belt. He is very good in all conditions due to the amount of testing he does to keep sharp. David is not so lucky.

Qualifying was on Saturday afternoon. No major decisions were required, because it was WET!. New wet front tyres had been run on the Friday with good results, so we decided to put new wet tyres on the rear as well. By lap 8 David had got the fastest lap in his class, - but not for long. We brought him in and just at that moment it stopped raining. We sent him out after adjusting the tyre pressures, but it was too late. The rain was on again, and the poor lad found himself in the middle of a large group of cars. Result, without any more excuses, was 2nd in class. That was OK, but we were 5 places down on Nagase, and to make that up in a race, is too big an ask.

Race one
The race did not go to plan. The car started jumping out of third gear on lap 2, and David did well to keep it on the island. He finished 2nd, and given the circumstances, did well. We repaired the gearbox by borrowing a gear and dog ring from Jamun Racing. (Thanks guys, - we will send it back soon.)

Race two
David managed to make up the gap to Nagase on the opening lap, and the pair of them got on with it. It looked as if we were in for a good race, when the safety car came out. When it went back in, the Japanese driver was away, and David spun trying to keep up. He managed to get back on and finished 3rd.

Class lead extended
It was not the best result, but before the meeting, I would have taken it. Knockhill has been cruel to Scottish drivers over the years, and for us to extend the Scholarship class lead by 5 points, will do nicely. Next meeting is Silverstone, and there is some major work to be done before we get there.

Next race: SILVERSTONE

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