Article by Steve Cox

Sprinting is a pretty intense form of motorsport; it is the espresso, the essence, the pinnacle of focus and consciousness and it is vital that sprinters are in tip-top physical and mental condition.  That is why, when we arrive at a competition venue the night before an event, we go to the nearest pub to talk tactics, apexes, and clip and exit points.  This pre-competition badinage is vital as we probe and prod for information which, however trivial, could provide the merest hint of advantage.  But, pre-motorsport carousing is dangerous and competitive advantage can be frittered away by the ensuing hangover which renders the information useless.  So it was at Loton Park.  Steve Dennis, Stewart Lobley, Geoff Stallard, Mrs Cox and I agreed to meet at the Hand and Diamond on the preceding Friday for a pre-sprint dinner and perhaps a glass of beer.  It was a most enjoyable evening and we talked about the things that sprinters do, but as the food was despatched more beer arrived, and then the red wine.  I got the impression that Lobley and Dennis had been through this type of pre-match preparation once or twice before but I felt that Geoff Stallard probably hadn't.  All three have Vixens of similar specification so it was going to be interesting to see which one the "fuel" affected most.  I was sensible (boring) enough to stay off the wine but it was a very convivial evening and Geoff got sucked into the bonhomie.  Saturday breakfast was an altogether quieter affair as a pallid Mr Stallard pushed his breakfast around his plate.

First practice was probably louder than he'd have liked. Dave Sharp was walking down from the camping area as I arrived at the track - he plainly had not slept well.  It had been very wet and not a little windy (the night, not Dave) and he looked awful - I've seen road kill in better condition.  He asked me how much the B&B cost for future reference - I must make a point of booking early next time or my place will be gone.  As you can see, class tvr-A was beginning to shake itself out and nobody had started a car yet.

The day itself was fantastic even though we had a most alarming heavy shower between 8:00 and 9:30.  Matt Oakley's 350hp purple Griff had been driven to the event and was already warm and ready to go - this was not by design, his wife had refused to part with her car so that he could tow the trailer that morning.  New contenders Paul Moakes and Peter Watson had driven in from Gloucester and Cardiff respectively, and Tony Bradfield and Alan Davies had driven all the way up from the south coast.  Sprinters are a determined bunch.

With so many new contenders this year, first practice was a voyage of discovery for some and a reacquaintance for others.  For readers who have never been to Loton Park - it really is in the top two hills in the country.  It has four discrete sections, each with its own challenge and nuance.  Some of the bends are blind and it is very easy to be in the wrong gear, other sections go down hill which seems perverse for a hillclimb.  Matt quickly showed his class and shinned up the slope in a little over 62 seconds - this is first practice for goodness sake! 

Next quickest was 67 seconds with the rest in tow but the track had started to dry and times began to come down.  More interestingly, the Vixens started to get into it and Lobley and Dennis started to show why they are so good on the hills.  The little red one was just a little behind though. 

Owing to an incident on the track, lunch was brought forward to 12:00 and we were treated to a parade run of the Tuscans and Tamoras that were attending Woody's "Battle of the Sixes" meeting in Sir Michael Leighton's gorgeous estate opposite.  I had to laugh - the clerk of the course had told everyone to drive sensibly and warned that any misbehavers would be sent home immediately.  He then set off to lead the cars up the hill in his Audi diesel at a cracking pace and the Tivs got a taster of what it is like to do a little hillclimbing.  I did enjoy seeing the Typhon though - what a great looking car.

The sun continued to warm the deer park as incongruous brightly coloured cars blatted up the narrow road between the trees.  By the time the timed runs arrived, the conditions were perfect and good times were clearly achievable.  Matt Oakley set a personal best and new tvr record of 60.12secs on his second run.  Steve Dennis beat Ian Bannister's long standing hill record for a Vixen by posting 64.91, and Stewart Lobley was delighted with his personal best of 65.93.  Dave Sharp and Geoff Stallard's less than perfect preparation resulted in their clocking times in the 66s, and Tony Bradfield's slightly under par 350 was there or there abouts.  Alan Davies was on a flier for his first timed run but it was the one that got away which resulted in a spin.  New contenders Paul Moakes and Peter Watson had a great time on their first appearance at this superb venue.  Peter Watson is deservedly top of this year's novices in the leaderboard.

The absolute times in our championship mean little at the end of the day and closer inspection of the handicap times shows how close it really was.  Only 2.5 handicap seconds separated the top 7 cars and only 1.5 seconds separated the top four.  It doesn't get any closer than that!

Full and detailed results can be seen on our website
http://www.tvrspeedchampionship.co.uk/