The big catch up - 29 / 01 / 08

Well it’s been a while since I’ve updated the website (you can blame work and Christmas for taking up all my free time) but while the sites been quiet we’ve had 3 more rounds of the Thrashnals so here’s a quick update of how things have been going…

Round 4 – December 9th 2007

It was a familiar look to qualifying with Marcus Askell out front and everyone else scraping for second best, on this occasion it was me narrowly ahead of Wayne, as we seem to have been all season.

Yet another smart new shell for Sean

Into the final and I completely wiped out Marcus on the first lap which was pretty crap driving on my part but with Marcus being such a superior driver to all the rest of us he was soon back into the lead and on his way to another win. Meanwhile behind him everything was getting a bit tetchy and there was a fair degree of body contact although it was mostly doorhandles stuff and not too many cars ended up in the barriers. At the end of the ‘race’ I’d kept my second place but it wasn’t an enjoyable final by any means.

It seemes some prankster stuck this amusing name on Waynes sunstrip before the final.....we'll work out who it is i'm sure......what do you mean me?!?! Prove it.... ;-)

Round 5 – January 13th 2008

After the madness that is Christmas (also as a side note you really don’t want to be a Postman at Christmas….just trust me ;-) we had round 5 of the championship on January 13th. It’s fair to say I made a complete hash of this meeting and it’s one I’d like to forget in a hurry please! Lol Much to my shock Mike Doody informed me a few days before this meeting that he’d be racing with his new…….get ready for this………brace yourself……..Schumacher Mi3! Cough*sellout*Cough, splutter, I nearly dropped the phone when he told me, lol I can’t say I’d be trying to get used to a new car with a 3.5 turn brushless motor in it but there we are, good old mike had a go and amongst some huge crashes was starting to put some decent laps together by the end of the day.

Mike and his new Mi3

Back in stock and true to form Marcus romped to yet another pole and final double while Wayne was looking very composed as he swept through to second in both qualifying and the final ahead of an ever impressive looking Spanky. While all these impressive drives were going on I was finding a variety of ways to not even make the end of a race, wether it be screws dropping out the bottom of the car or, and this is my personal favourite of the day, turning into turn 1 of lap 1 too early, catching the inside barrier, launching the car into the air and clearing the outside track barrier before smashing the rear wing off on the end wall.

After so many crashes I was surprised to still line up 6th and I figured I still had a fair chance of getting a decent result although after crashing with Jamie again I got hit by pretty much every car on the track which was a bit of a bugger…not that my car was very fast anyway but it’s still annoying. It’s a shame we only had a race ref for a few meetings but it is a lot of time to ask someone to give up to referee a whole days racing.

Round 6 – January 27th 2008

After the disastrous round 5 I’m pleased to say it went a whole lot better this time. I’d made some pretty big set-up changes and although it was rubbish in round 1 whilst trying to scrub some new tyres in (as a side note you know it’s bad when the race referee comments to you that it ‘looked like a right handful to drive’ lol) I was much happier with it as the day went on. Marcus was of course on pole ahead of Dave Shed, while Wayne and I were separated by just 0.05 of a second in 3rd and 4th ahead of Nick and the rest. I’d got the car just right for the last qualifier and managed a laptime just 0.04 off Marcus’ best which is way closer than I’ve ever managed before but unfortunately I rolled it on one of those unforgiving corner lump marker thingys…nevermind.

Shiny new shell this week, and do we like the chequers on the bonnet or not? Answers on a postcard...

Over in mod Mike had worked a whole load of gremlins out of his Schumacher and despite qualifying last he was actually going pretty quickly. The Mi3 was also thoroughly crash tested when the fast moving Olly Jefferies came down the straight at full speed at the end of lap 1 only to find Mike still sat on the grid waiting to start his run, smash! Unbelievably nothing was seriously damaged which was pretty impressive, I kind of expected most of the rear to be missing! Onto the finals and whilst Olly cruised off into the distance Mike put on a good race and soon picked up some places moving up from 9th on the grid to 5th before putting the 4th place under some pressure until a small roll cost him half a lap so it was 5th at the end. Good result though as the car he’d been trying to overtake for 4th had snuck his way through to 3rd by the end of the race so well done Mike, I’d have been well impressed if I’d just done that in mod with a new car

The track....obviously

Back in the slow class and we were just a few seconds from the start of the ‘A’ final….

“Shall I try launch control? I’ve got it on here somewhere…” says Wayne who’s stood next to me on the rostrum
Me, laughing: “That’s a bit of a last hash decision isn’t it mate?” lol
Wayne, now frantically stabbing at buttons on his handset: “Nah, I’ll go for it”
Cue the countdown bleeps and Wayne leaves the grid like a guided missile leaving me in his wake…...”bugger” lol

It was a busy first corner but once it had all shaken out Marcus had run off into the distance somewhere with Nick in 2nd, me 3rd while Wayne and Dave Shed were 4th and 5th and catching up quickly as I attempted to get past Nick. I thought I’d done it at one point when Nick hit a barrier but as I swerved to go round him I caught a barrier too so Nick stayed in 2nd! Wayne was now well and truly on the scene but thankfully I managed to get down the inside and past Nick before Wayne got past me ;-) That was pretty much it for my race, I kept it in second place till the end while Wayne and Dave had a good race for 3rd just a little way behind me. After they’d swapped positions it was Wayne who kept 3rd ahead of Dave.

It must be said the driving standards in the final were pretty good so thanks to the race ref’s, Gary and Olly’s dad whose name completely escapes me as I sit here typing this ;-)

Just two more rounds to go then and as usual it’s taken me over half the season to get the car how I like it. D’oh! Better late than never I suppose :-) Marcus has already wrapped up the championship and having a quick look at the table I think me and Wayne just need to squabble 2nd and 3rd between us, hehe, I think we’d have taken that at the start of the season dude ;-)

And in other (slightly scarier news) I’ll be testing Dads Hot Rod in a few weeks time – eeeeeeeeek!

(What do you mean it’s got no sticks? A steering wheel you say? You mean I have to actually sit in it!?! Lol)

See you next time :-)

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