27th March
Today Phil and I took Humphrey to Snetterton to do a trackday. Phil had also booked us a tutorial session each.
Last weekend, Phil had fitted the passenger seat as the idea was for us to go out in Humphrey together so that I could see Phil driving and get a feel for what the car can do and also so that Phil could observe me and give me some tips. Also, during the tuition, our instructor would need somewhere to sit! Phil also finally fitted the Sprint Series sunstrip, which we had decided not to do at a rainy and windy runway in Cambridgeshire.
We had an early start but fortunately Snetterton is 10 minutes down the road from us. Some people must have had very early starts however as most of the garages were used when we got there. We did get a garage though which was rather handy as a base to dump things – especially as it was raining. It was pointed out that it’s good for me to get experience in the wet though as obviously grip isn’t as good so I will be experienced enough to control the car in the wet and also go faster in the dry! In theory anyway!
We had a couple of sighting laps with Phil behind the wheel and then Phil went out for a run with me as the passenger. It was still quite wet and actually raining so we took it fairly steady as were most of the other drivers. I was amazed though at how much grip we were still getting even in the wet and how fast you can actually go round corners. I’m learning!
After a few laps, we took Humphrey back to the pits to have a cool off and make sure everything was still where it should be. It was, and so I got in the driver seat and went out. I was much slower than Phil and got rather frustrated at having to keep moving over for the faster cars. We had been told in the briefing that overtaking could be done on the straights only, but it’s still rather unnerving to have a car right up your bumper when trying to concentrate on speed, braking and racing lines!
Unfortunately after about 4 laps a red flag was waved and we all had to go back into the pits. I decided I was hungry so had a rather nice full English at the café whilst they sorted out the stranded car on track.
We went and arranged our tuition and then Phil had another go on track. Unfortunately as we got to the first corner we noticed a car had overcooked it quite a lot and had managed to get stuck in the gravel. Another red flag so a trip back to the pits. We decided to just stay in the queue this time and went straight back out once the car was cleared. The track was drying quite nicely now and there was a definite drier line to follow. Phil had trouble with understeer and we had a few hairy moments round some corners! Once he had done a few laps, we returned to the pits and changed tyres to our rather handy spares on the road car. Upon removing the tyres from Humphrey, we saw that they were virtually slick on the inside so a major contributor to the understeer!
It was time for my tuition! I did a few laps without him saying much so he got an idea of how I was driving, and then started giving tips and advice. He was absolutely fab, and I really improved. He even told Phil this afterwards. I found that I had been driving up to a corner, panicking, braking hard, realising I was braking too ahrd, accelerating, being scared, braking again, going all over the place and coming out of the corner all wrong! I learnt to smoothly brake into the corner, get all my braking done, then start steering and finally booting it out of the corner. I realised that most of my hairy moments were actually down to me panic- braking rather than any speed or other reasons. Good lesson!
My tutor also made me laugh a lot. As there were still cars coming up faster behind me, I was pulling over on straights and after corners, and he was like ‘what are you doing? Don’t tell me you are pulling over for that? Let him sort himself out and you concentrate on the driving, I’ll have words later if anything is said’. He also explained to me that the use of two fingers was entirely permitted with aggressive drivers (but I was still too scared and pulled over anyway!)
Lunchtime was soon upon us and after a cheese baguette we had a nice lounge around at the garage. The sun had come out and it was rather pleasant sat just out of the breeze. This sun meant the track had dried pretty much completely and I was looking forward to my first run on dry track! After lunch Phil had his tuition, which gave me the opportunity to take some pictures at Russell.
Phil also said he had felt the benefit of the tuition, probably not as much as I did though! Once Humphrey had had a rest, I went back out. I really felt a lot smoother and less panicked, and Phil noticed a difference too. I got the tyres squealing at most corners which must mean I’m going faster! However, I was still slow and cars were still bullying me out of the way. I got very stressed when a Porsche tried to undertake at Russell, it’s a hard chicane to do anyway and they weren’t supposed to be doing it on corners I came in soon after as my concentration had gone to pot. I’d love to have just been out on the track with no other cars to really get the corners sorted!
After another rest, and a top up with fuel, Phil took Humphrey out again. It had been raining on and off whilst I had been out so the track was getting a little greasy again. At least this had the advantage of fewer cars on track. We were just remarking how much grip there still appeared to be, when Phil lost the back coming out of the bombhole. We ended up going backwards down the track, and then Phil cleverly flicked the front round so we were facing the correct way. No other cars were about and phil had managed to keep us on track at all times. Good show! We carefully went back to the pits however just to make sure everything was ok. It was, and we were soon out again. The track was much greasier now as it had still been slightly raining and we noticed that there was very little grip on most corners. A few laps later and the intimidating Porsche was back on our bumper. Not sure what happened next, maybe Phils concentration was a bit off because of the Porsche, maybe we had gone on to a wetter part of track so he could pass, but the next thing we knew we were spinning again. Phil managed to control it again, so we ended up off the track, but on tarmac. We were a bit worried as we were right before the apex of a corner after the pit straight, and cars didn’t know we were there. However a marshall could see down the straight and waved us out when it was clear. We took it steady back to the pits in case there was a problem with the car. We really don’t know what happened. Anyway Humphrey appeared fine on the way back, and we got to the pits with no other problems.
I think the spins had shaken me up a little, (but it was fun!), as I decided I didn’t want to do another drive. It was about 25 mins to the end of the day anyway so we packed up and watched the last of the cars on track. I think I was just tired and didn’t think I was going to get much out of the last run. I’d rather end on a positive and confident note than something bad happen on my last run and I’d have the lasting memory of it!
What with rain, tuition and red flags, we didn’t really get much track time each for a 8 hour day. However we have used a tank of fuel! I feel I got a lot out of watching Phil drive, and the tuition, and also having a chance to drive properly again. Hopefully this will show in the next sprint!!
We had a webspace problem earlier so I uploaded my pics to an album online. More pics from the day can be found here, and they aren’t all of us for once!
http://finkydink.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album09
Today Phil and I took Humphrey to Snetterton to do a trackday. Phil had also booked us a tutorial session each.
Last weekend, Phil had fitted the passenger seat as the idea was for us to go out in Humphrey together so that I could see Phil driving and get a feel for what the car can do and also so that Phil could observe me and give me some tips. Also, during the tuition, our instructor would need somewhere to sit! Phil also finally fitted the Sprint Series sunstrip, which we had decided not to do at a rainy and windy runway in Cambridgeshire.
We had an early start but fortunately Snetterton is 10 minutes down the road from us. Some people must have had very early starts however as most of the garages were used when we got there. We did get a garage though which was rather handy as a base to dump things – especially as it was raining. It was pointed out that it’s good for me to get experience in the wet though as obviously grip isn’t as good so I will be experienced enough to control the car in the wet and also go faster in the dry! In theory anyway!
We had a couple of sighting laps with Phil behind the wheel and then Phil went out for a run with me as the passenger. It was still quite wet and actually raining so we took it fairly steady as were most of the other drivers. I was amazed though at how much grip we were still getting even in the wet and how fast you can actually go round corners. I’m learning!
After a few laps, we took Humphrey back to the pits to have a cool off and make sure everything was still where it should be. It was, and so I got in the driver seat and went out. I was much slower than Phil and got rather frustrated at having to keep moving over for the faster cars. We had been told in the briefing that overtaking could be done on the straights only, but it’s still rather unnerving to have a car right up your bumper when trying to concentrate on speed, braking and racing lines!
Unfortunately after about 4 laps a red flag was waved and we all had to go back into the pits. I decided I was hungry so had a rather nice full English at the café whilst they sorted out the stranded car on track.
We went and arranged our tuition and then Phil had another go on track. Unfortunately as we got to the first corner we noticed a car had overcooked it quite a lot and had managed to get stuck in the gravel. Another red flag so a trip back to the pits. We decided to just stay in the queue this time and went straight back out once the car was cleared. The track was drying quite nicely now and there was a definite drier line to follow. Phil had trouble with understeer and we had a few hairy moments round some corners! Once he had done a few laps, we returned to the pits and changed tyres to our rather handy spares on the road car. Upon removing the tyres from Humphrey, we saw that they were virtually slick on the inside so a major contributor to the understeer!
It was time for my tuition! I did a few laps without him saying much so he got an idea of how I was driving, and then started giving tips and advice. He was absolutely fab, and I really improved. He even told Phil this afterwards. I found that I had been driving up to a corner, panicking, braking hard, realising I was braking too ahrd, accelerating, being scared, braking again, going all over the place and coming out of the corner all wrong! I learnt to smoothly brake into the corner, get all my braking done, then start steering and finally booting it out of the corner. I realised that most of my hairy moments were actually down to me panic- braking rather than any speed or other reasons. Good lesson!
My tutor also made me laugh a lot. As there were still cars coming up faster behind me, I was pulling over on straights and after corners, and he was like ‘what are you doing? Don’t tell me you are pulling over for that? Let him sort himself out and you concentrate on the driving, I’ll have words later if anything is said’. He also explained to me that the use of two fingers was entirely permitted with aggressive drivers (but I was still too scared and pulled over anyway!)
Lunchtime was soon upon us and after a cheese baguette we had a nice lounge around at the garage. The sun had come out and it was rather pleasant sat just out of the breeze. This sun meant the track had dried pretty much completely and I was looking forward to my first run on dry track! After lunch Phil had his tuition, which gave me the opportunity to take some pictures at Russell.
Phil also said he had felt the benefit of the tuition, probably not as much as I did though! Once Humphrey had had a rest, I went back out. I really felt a lot smoother and less panicked, and Phil noticed a difference too. I got the tyres squealing at most corners which must mean I’m going faster! However, I was still slow and cars were still bullying me out of the way. I got very stressed when a Porsche tried to undertake at Russell, it’s a hard chicane to do anyway and they weren’t supposed to be doing it on corners I came in soon after as my concentration had gone to pot. I’d love to have just been out on the track with no other cars to really get the corners sorted!
After another rest, and a top up with fuel, Phil took Humphrey out again. It had been raining on and off whilst I had been out so the track was getting a little greasy again. At least this had the advantage of fewer cars on track. We were just remarking how much grip there still appeared to be, when Phil lost the back coming out of the bombhole. We ended up going backwards down the track, and then Phil cleverly flicked the front round so we were facing the correct way. No other cars were about and phil had managed to keep us on track at all times. Good show! We carefully went back to the pits however just to make sure everything was ok. It was, and we were soon out again. The track was much greasier now as it had still been slightly raining and we noticed that there was very little grip on most corners. A few laps later and the intimidating Porsche was back on our bumper. Not sure what happened next, maybe Phils concentration was a bit off because of the Porsche, maybe we had gone on to a wetter part of track so he could pass, but the next thing we knew we were spinning again. Phil managed to control it again, so we ended up off the track, but on tarmac. We were a bit worried as we were right before the apex of a corner after the pit straight, and cars didn’t know we were there. However a marshall could see down the straight and waved us out when it was clear. We took it steady back to the pits in case there was a problem with the car. We really don’t know what happened. Anyway Humphrey appeared fine on the way back, and we got to the pits with no other problems.
I think the spins had shaken me up a little, (but it was fun!), as I decided I didn’t want to do another drive. It was about 25 mins to the end of the day anyway so we packed up and watched the last of the cars on track. I think I was just tired and didn’t think I was going to get much out of the last run. I’d rather end on a positive and confident note than something bad happen on my last run and I’d have the lasting memory of it!
What with rain, tuition and red flags, we didn’t really get much track time each for a 8 hour day. However we have used a tank of fuel! I feel I got a lot out of watching Phil drive, and the tuition, and also having a chance to drive properly again. Hopefully this will show in the next sprint!!
We had a webspace problem earlier so I uploaded my pics to an album online. More pics from the day can be found here, and they aren’t all of us for once!
http://finkydink.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album09
