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I was slightly disappointed to qualify 5th, but as 2nd to 6th were covered by less than one second I was expecting a good race. Having practiced my starts in the paddock on Saturday I actually got a good start for a change. Up the hill into Druids in 5th position I stayed to the inside and Gary Duckham got past by going round the outside. I re-took Gary on the second lap and started to try and catch Richard Mowbray. I was homing in on the Red Baron when at the end of lap 7 he got a bit sideways coming out of Clearways so I had a run on him down the main straight. I had already noticed that he was slower than me through Paddock and also braked earlier into the hairpin so I was gaining on him into Druids. I then noticed that the normally 20 foot wide number 10 was not defending the hairpin so I seized the moment. The initial euphoria of passing the Red Barron soon turned into panic as I totally missed my braking point and then ended up ignominiously in the gravel – bugger! All the out-laws who had come over from France only saw me for less than half the race.
Due to my DNF in the first race I started race two in 16th position. Again I made a good start and overtook several cars on the first few corners. I didn’t see that Carl had been spun out of the race but after overtaking a few more cars he came up behind me on the fourth or fifth lap. As we were overtaking slower cars and I thought we would only get up to 6th place or so, I let him past so that we could concentrate on overtaking the other cars rather than slow each other up. There were cars and flags everywhere but I had a really enjoyable race, overtaking and chasing Carl. I had no idea where I finished but Carl was only a few seconds ahead at the chequered flag. In parc ferme Carl was told to go to the podium as he was 3rd – bugger again, I shouldn’t have let him through so easily. As I was rolling up the pit lane the presentations and interviews with the first three were taking place and the marshall signaled me to stop. I thought, ‘that’s nice they want to talk to me about my great race from the back of the grid’. Unfortunately once I had stopped the marshall told me that the Clerk of the Course wanted to see me – oops! Evidently I had overtaken under yellow flags going in to Druids. However he had talked to the other driver and they said that they had waived me past as they were going slowly – thanks lads, although at least two drivers came to me in the paddock and said that it was them I had overtaken!!
Shame about the first race, but overall a great week-end and I apologise to Jonathon Palmer for the huge pile of gravel I left in his nice clean paddock….
Phil Hatswell |
