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Gav Reports...
Saturday:
It all started early with me leaving my house at
5am to pick up Kev and Justin we then drove 30 miles to the yard
to collect the lorry which we had loaded the day before. After waiting
for our team electrician, who turned up looking like he had just
returned from a two week break in Ibiza, we started out for Rockingham.
On arrival we parked in our spot outside the #21
garage and unloaded the truck and tools, none of us really knew
what to expect with all that had happened on the run up to the weekend:
the loss of Darren and Dave (Chief mech and set up man respectively)
was obviously a blow for us all.
Practice - AM
I had put a base line setup on the truck which
was gonna be different from last year with the minimum and maximum
spring rates being changed. This meant we were now running harder
than ever before on the front shocks. We fuelled the car to the
brim as to get the effect from a race start but with old tyres.
We did a straight 15 laps as agreed by the team and then pulled
in to check tyre pressures and temps which were spot on thanks to
me!! Our time was bad - a 41.800 meant we were 9th fastest so we
knew we had work to do - the quickest being 40.300. Me and the boys
scratched our heads, kicked a few tyres had another cuppa. When
Poodles (Craig Slater) and Dale (my new spotter) turned up he was
quiet and listened to what we had to say.
Practice - PM (the pressure was on)
We scaled the car before this run changing the
setup slightly hoping to minimize the push we picked up in the first
run. Another 15 laps and we were back in the pits bringing my fastest
time down to 41.300, still a second of the pace. Me and Poodles
had a chat and with the help of Dale we done another run but timed
the exit from pit lane so as to get a tow from a faster truck. After
8 laps we had brought our time down to 40.600 which meant we were
now 3rd fastest and everyone happier - especially me. We called
it a day on the track and continued back to the garage for general
checks and back on the scales.
The whole team worked well, the truck looked good
and by 9pm that night we were now ready for battle.
Sunday - race day
Race 1
The national anthem sounded through the stands
as we all got strapped in, radios on and readied ourselves for what
we all knew was gonna be a hard race.
We started on about the 6th row outside which I
always like and after 3 pace laps took the green to start the race.
There were cars everywhere and staying out of trouble was a must,
making up a few trucks at a time but making sure the front runners
were still in sight. After everyone sorted themselves out the running
was Poulter, Dobbs Willis and me. On about lap 12 Willis passed
Dobbs into turn four with me in tow about a car length back. Then,
out of nowhere, the 73 truck (Dobbs) turned down the track clipping
my front wing which sent him into a spin collecting Phil White (63)
and Grindrod jnr (28). Yellows were out for the first caution of
the year.
After the clean up had finished we were on lap
20 with 15 to go. The field now closed right up and this race was
anyones. 74, 65, 54, 22, was the order with 16 and 21 next. Green
flag waved and the race restarted we had already stated we were
gonna follow Mark Willis for as long as we could but with the field
so close now I had traffic all over me. I think I went down to 7th
with 10 to go but we worked the draft to start our run for the finish.
The race was now between 74, 22, 16, and me. Everyone of us wanted
this win. Three laps to go and intense wasn't the word I would use!!l
With me behind the 16 truck on a run into turn 4 Dance decided to
make a dive down the inside of 74 this was blocked which stacked
16 up into me causing him to spin to the outside but no yellows
waved meant a final lap at full pace was required to end it. Dance
spinning meant I had lost pace and could only watch as 74 and 22
pulled away. I had closed the gap when we reached turn 4 for the
last time but to make a move now would have been stupid so I too
k my 3rd place.
Race 2
The reverse grid meant I would start the race 3rd
from the back with the exception of the rookies and the non finishers
from the previous race but on the outside (my favourite place) 6th
row. The green flag dropped and away we went. After the turn one
I think we had passed 7 cars, at one point 4 wide, it then bottle
necked up on the run to two but we slipped through a few more and
away we went. By the start of the third lap we were leading the
race with one way to go - down.
After several laps line astern things were looking
good then a caution form John Stant's car in the wall at turn 3
(not sure what happened there). On the restart we were about 7th
with usual fast guys in front - Steve Dobbs was battling with the
9 Truck of Pete Wilkinson and Willis in the 65 machine. This looked
trouble to me so I bided my time and kept my eyes peeled and low
behold it didn't take long for it to occur. I cant comment on what
happened because I had the 16 truck in front of me but I caught
the back end of the 65 truck out of shape and ducked to the inside
missing a big wreck.
74 was leading with 22 16 and 54 in fourth. This
was gonna be hard, green flags waved with 6 to go and away we went,
Dance battling with Poulter, me and Nic doing the same. Two laps
to go and it was there for the taking I had moved into 3rd. Dance
and Poulter were racing like crazy. I knew I had a chance but when
we washed up the track on the exit of turn 1 I lost about 4 car
lengths on the leaders. Still in third I needed a good run to challenge
them. I pulled it back by turn 4 but with the 74 and 16 side by
side I could only watch. Truck 22 on the other hand had other ideas
timing his run off 4 to perfection and pipping me to 3rd on the
line.
The whole weekend was awesome, the racing good
the company even better. I set my best time ever at the Rock today
and I'm looking forward to our return here for round 4.
Last Wednesday we did not have a team. Now we have
one. Not only a team - a really good one. I wanna say thanks to
all of you for this weekend I cant do it without you. Without you
it couldn't work.
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