AutoSolos - All year round fun?
Jul 1, 2009 0:09:22 GMT
Post by moke on Jul 1, 2009 0:09:22 GMT
Organiser, Graham Maxwell (on behalf of CSMA/AMSC) has promised to find some better weather for this one!
And so he did. Slightly muggy in the early part of the day which soon became bright sunshine intermingled with patchy cloud. We defo needed the factor 25! and the shades.
After the very early start the previous day to straw bale for the sprint it was a relief to be able to snatch another couple of hours kip before having to report for scrutineering at 8.30 at Lymm Truckstop. First test was scheduled for 10AM which gave ample time for the formalities of signing on and walking the tests.
AMSC had decided to cancel the autotest that they were going to run at the same time due to lack of entries and give us autosoloers two tests in both morning and afternoon sessions. With such a large entry, 30 in the clubsport event alone, this was the only realistic option. Only problem is you have to remember both tests before the start.
Managed to walk both tests three times to try and get the grey cells to remember the way round. Then it was a case of fingers crossed and hope that I wasn't first off the line.
So after a quick drivers briefing it was down to the action. I was in the first group to tackle the tests whilst Ian Mather and Speedsport, the two other intrepid entrants from LMC, were marshaling. It was always going to be an uphill struggle for the 34bhp speed machine when up against Saxos Fiestas Micras etc but with only 400 kgs all up weight it is just possible to mix it with the larger capacities in the up to 1400cc class.
Must have been the early start the previous day that did it on the first test when I passed a bollard on the wrong side and picked up a wrong test i.e. fastest time +30 penalty.
OK in the clubsport event you can drop your worst time but a simple mistake meant no more errors for the rest of the day.
So having moved to the second test I was not best pleased to make another mistake of going round a cone too many times. I was fortunate to realise the error in time and unwind but it added 12 seconds to my time. The next two runs were perfect and then it was time to marshal and watch Ian Mather take to the stage.
Ian also managed to WT and an unwind and also had the misfortune to clip a bollard on the first test so he too was having a bad morning. It was all going to rest with Speedsport to uphold LMC honours. And so he did, but for one clipped bollard on the 4th test.
After a short lunch halt it was three more runs at each test. Real problems for me as I WT'd again with one clipped bollard. Ian put his morning troubles behind him and had a trouble free run. Not so good for Speedsport however, because the dark clouds that had been looming since lunch decided to come to my rescue drop a bit of water and make the surface somewhat less grippy. Still he held it together with no mistakes but his times suffered.
After collecting the cones it was a short wait for the results. A bit perplexed as to why we were allowed to drop our two worst times. Must ask Speedsport if he has an answer to that one.
Anyway, we were all way behind 1st and 2nd in class but very close to 3rd, however, it was not to be our day and it was 4th for me, 6th for Speedsport and 7th for Ian and out of 30 entrants in the clubsport event I was happy with 13th overall. Now if only I hadn't WT'd and clipped a bollard things might have been different and if it hadn't rained it would have been different again. Oh well another time.
Another fun day out extremely well organised by Steve Johnson and his crew at a great venue. Roll on the next one.