Article by - by Graham Walden - Defending Champion
Pictures - Kev 63

The first race of the year is very like the first day of a new school term, chatting to people you’ve not seen for a few months, every one a bit nervous over what the new year will bring. A few new guys, new race gear, new team clothing and a few new cars and everyone keen to get on with the racing. This year almost everyone was very late in getting the cars ready and plenty of the teams including us were burning the midnight oil right up until the start of the race.

We managed to squeeze in a test day on the Friday, somewhat later than I’d been hoping but at least I’d get to drive the car before we went racing.  The morning session didn’t go that smoothly. Just after 9am I headed out onto a cold damp track and my visor fogged up instantly so for most of the lap I was struggling to see where I was going. On the second lap it cleared and I’d found myself some track space, so I gave it some beans, and as I pulled up Clay Hill and hit about 4000 rpm the car started to splutter, my heart sank. Through Druids and on to the straight and the same again  so I misfired all the way  back to the pits and pulled in. The engine soon stopped and wouldn’t restart. Some head scratching soon noticed no fuel pressure, a flick of the switch and no reassuring clicking of the low pressure pump.

The paddock like the rest of Oulton Park isn’t flat so by the time Pop’s and myself had pushed the car back we’d just about had it. Once there we discovered Mark Freeman hadn’t managed to get out at all due to failing the noise test on his newly rebuilt V6 Tasmin.  A quick checkover on the Tuscan revealed a failed low pressure fuel pump so we started to change that. Mark was quickly dispatched to Demon Tweeks to get some more exhaust wadding and pipe inserts to try and quieten the car down whilst the rest of the team set about dismantling his exhaust system.

After a couple of false starts with leaking connections the new fuel pump was fitted and the battery terminals connected (this would become important later) ready for the afternoon sessions. Marks car was also quietened down enough to get it out, but it was suffering from a lack of power.

For the first afternoon session I headed out still on the wet tyres, keen to test the car out I started pushing straight away. The car felt very good, although the rolling road had shown slightly less power through the range the throttle response from the throttle bodies was fantastic, and the induction noise made the car sound totally different to the standard single plenum, great stuff. With the track starting to dry  and conscious that I didn’t want to kill my already worn wet tyres I came in after only about half the session, and we swapped to  slicks for the last outing off the day.

With the track now fully dry it felt great to be back in the car, the short Fosters circuit at Oulton Park is a constant rollercoaster, of sweeping bends and dips and crests without a moments rest, it just keeps coming at you. After a few full on laps I could certainly tell I’d been working hard, my arms felt like they were falling off, some more time in the gym after the winter layoff I think. Ducking and diving amongst the traffic I managed a fairly reasonable 1:07 a good deal faster than the race last year, but then I ended up doing that in 4th gear after the gearbox jammed!
With the car checked over and put away for the night we all retired to the bar to discuss tactics, before heading to the caravan in the paddock for the night.

As mornings do, the following morning arrived far to early and 7am saw me wandering blurry eyed in search of a coffee. A quick check over before scrutineering  showed the brake lights had stopped working on the Tuscan, With Mark’s Tasmin safely through, the team descended on the Tuscan. Just as the first call went out for our qualifying session the switch burst into life and with a little queue jumping the car was ticketed an I pulled into the Holding area just as the session was called an the cars pulled out onto the track. So no panic then.

Pulling onto the circuit last put a lot of traffic in front of me, I made progress through it for a few laps, then took the decision to back right off to make some space on the circuit, a slow lap gave me clear track ahead. As soon as I got back on the pace the yellow flags came out on the run up to Lodge corner as Steve Hall pulled off the track as flames came from the bonnet for the Thorpedo. Great work by the marshals soon had things under control with the car only suffering minor damage. This did however mean the flags were out for a while meaning no chance of a fast lap. With time running out they took the flags down and put the hazard board out instead, with no traffic around this meant a single chance of a flying lap, a missed gear just before the timing beam as the flag came out  had me sure I’d  thrown the chance of a good qualifying time. I was however pleasantly surprised to discover another 1:07 and third on the grid right behind Tim Hood and Darren Dowling in the class A cars. Mark had another torrid time in the Tasmin with the car still refusing to rev much beyond about 4000 rpm and ended up at the rear of the grid.

Back in the Paddock the Steve’s car with its mighty Tasmanian Devil on the front was quickly cleaned of its covering of dry powder and an oil breather pipe diagnosed as the cause of the small fire, thankfully there was no damage and the car would be back out for the race.

We were soon forming up in the holding area, and with the mix of cars with Sagaris, Tuscan, Tasmins and a Cerbera  it made quite a sight.  A slight delay whilst the previous race was red flagged and restarted and then we out on the circuit for a slow lap before forming up on the grid. Knowing how well Marc’s Griff gets of the line I thought I’d try using second for the start of the green flag lap. The problem here was at Oulton they don’t do a green flag start, Doh, I soon realised this as everyone hared off past me. The car bogged down in second so I had to shift back into first to get away from the line, by this time several cars had made their way past and I was down into 7th place. By lap four I’d made my way back up to  5th  and second in class and closing in on Marc Hockin’s griff. After a few laps I saw Fred’s Sagaris coming up behind me. I didn’t want to get caught up in a fight with Fred’s Class A car and fall back from Marc so I indicated for Fred to come past. On the next lap I got a great run through Old hall and down the Avenue into Cascades. As I braked for cascades the Ignition light came on and the engine died. Going in very hot I had no chance of turning the car without power to balance it and the resultant spin could have seen me end up anywhere. The only alternative was to scrub off as much speed as possible and try and ease the car round the outside. I quickly ran out of road and had to take to the gravel and the grass, keeping the car as straight as possible and off the brakes as I didn’t want to get stuck in the gravel trap.

I made it across the gravel and back to the circuit but the car wouldn’t restart and I rolled to a halt opposite Knickerbrook Chicane, not the best place to leave the car on the exit to a corner but that was as far as it would roll. The engine would turn over but not fire. After a few moments I had to make the gut wrenching decision to abandon the car and get out. I was soon stood on the bank with the marshals cursing my bad luck, in what had until then been great fun with the car going fantastically and recovering from the error at the start.

Standing on the bank gave me a great view of the on track action and Tim Broughton in the Turbo Tasmin was having a right old battle with Tony Abram’s Rover powered Tuscan. Tim Hood and Darren were also going well until Darren had a bleed nipple in a rear calliper come loose and he had to pit with no rear brakes.  Mark Freeman’s day wasn’t  getting much better with the Tasmin still refusing to rev properly despite all the work. Sam Heads 24v v6 Cosworth powered example in contrast was going great, and John Wilsons Cerbera was circulating nicely.

Towards the end of the race Geoff Parkinson parked his car behind mine and climbed out with oil breathing  problems, prompting one of the marshals to ask if we wanted a tvr only parking sign for the barrier.  When the flag came down Tim Hood took the win with Dean Cook coming in second and Marc Hockin taking 3rd and 1st in class. The Class C Honours were taken by Sam Head.

We were soon towed back to the paddock, and set about finding the problem with the car. Once again we had no fuel pressure but the low pressure pump was happily clicking away. Had the high pressure pump now failed due to contamination in the fuel? Nope turns out the nut on the earth terminal on the battery had come off and the earth strap for the HP pump had come off with it. We must have forgotten to check it after the fuel pump was changed earlier. Still an easy fix, but an error that will probably prove costly at the end of the season. The Team then set about Marks Tasmin. This also seemed to be suffering from fuel pressure problems and it was traced back to the way the fuel system had been changed from fuel injection to carburettor.  A few swapped fuel lines and a new coil just in case and hopefully this time the car would run properly.

With Darren’s brakes sorted and yet another fire put out on Steve Halls car It looked like we would get all the cars to the start of the second race, more than many of the other races were managing. Due to failing to finish we would be at the back of the grid for the second race together with Steve Hall and Darren Dowling. Lining up, the front of the grid seemed a long way in front, and we would have to push very hard in the first few laps to have any hope of catching Marc to fight for the class.
As the lights went out, the three of us charged through the pack zig zagging through the slower cars. In a flash we were in the middle of the pack as we rounded old Hall and Darren had made it through to the front. They were four abreast in front of me with Fred Sticking to the outside of Tim Broughton, surprised by the speed of the Turbo Tasmin. Unfortunately you can’t get four cars round Old Hall together and on the exit Fred’s Sagaris bounced along the grass before spinning across the track to be collected by Steve in the Thorpedo. The rest of us thankfully emerged from the other side of a cloud of tyre smoke, grass and grp intact but Fred and Steve were out of the race.

By the end of the first lap I’d made it from 16th to 8th with four cars between myself and Marc. Determined to catch him I pressed on as hard as I dared. On lap two I took the class A car of Darren Smith, running wheel to wheel from Clay Hill all the way though Druids before nipping through on the way into lodge. I wasn’t sure you could go two abreast though Druids but apparently you can!
There were now only Tim Broughton and Tony Abrahams between myself and Marc, and I could see all of them on the track ahead.  I got past Tim on the inside at Old Hall only for him to stop shortly after when his gear leaver broke.  Another couple of laps and I was right on the tail of Tony, but my gamble on running last years tyres until Mallory was starting to cost me. I lost some time through traffic, and trying to get back up to Tony, I was starting to get massive understeer. With only a few laps left and not being able to afford a second DNF I had to back off and settle for third in class. Once back in the paddock the reason for the understeer was clear. Both front tyres were showing canvas all the way round the tyre so I was lucky not to pick up a puncture.

At the Flag Darren took the win and after Tim pulled off in the Sagaris, the class B cars of Marc and Tony took 2nd and 3rd. With the gremlins now ironed out of his new Car Mark Freeman, had a much better race to second in class C behind Sam Head taking his second win in only his second race. Other than Fred, Steve and Tim everyone else made it to the flag after a fine days racing. The damage to the Sagaris and the Thorpedo whilst looking spectacular way actually quite small a testament to the strength of the base Tuscan and they should both be out on Easter Monday at Mallory Park.
Overall it was a great weekend for tvr racing, plenty of varied cars and battles throughout the grid. It could have been a better weekend for the two Black Cat Racing cars of myself and Mark Freeman, but both cars are in one piece and now running nicely. With a little more time for some setup and some new rubber bolted on we should be up at the sharp end again. See you all at Mallory for what should be a great days Racing.