Getting the car ready for the first race was not quite the last minute flurry of panicked activity it usually is. Largely because the re-fit and re-furb were kept to a minimum following complete strip re-build plans shot to pieces by tradesmen being somewhat hard to pin down to get very necessary domestic work done.

Most importantly the doors and windows in the garage. The special concertina type front doors have been falling slowly decaying over the past few years. Last year the extremely wet year accelerated that dramatically to the point where, after stowing the race car away after last years last race, I dare not open them for fear of then collapsing in to a pile of rotted wood, corroded hinges and reinforced glass panes. Anyway, the replacement UPVC double glazed units finally got installed – but well in to my mentally busy period at work with customer winter re-builds. Amongst the usual pile of heads needing doing, magazine articles and so on.

    I pulled the motor/box unit for a check/re-fresh and replaced the rear hubs and bearings after finding them a little baggy at Rocking last year. Stripping the motor proved to be more of a trial than I was expecting.  The flywheel usually pops off with a loud bang first time out with my super-dooper puller, bigger puller to flywheel bolts and mega-powered Snap-On Impact gun. Didn't budge. Put a full compressor air tank in to the puller bolt. Nothing. Whacked the bolt with a club hammer. Nothing. Poured boiling water on the taper. Nothing. Repeat. Nothing. Hmmm – that is not a good sign. Warmed the flywheel taper boss up with butane gas torch. Nothing. So I put another tank full of air in to the bolt, and the puller/flywheel started to creep away from the crank. With the compressor tank full again, I hit the bolt with the air gun again, and it slowly hauled the flywheel off the crank. The two pieces had fret-welded themselves together - something I have not suffered from for decades. And I am at a loss to know why. Same crank type, flywheel type and crank damper pulley and damper type I have used forever. The flywheel/crank taper fit was fine when assembled (in fact had been used together before without issue). The only item I used I have not used before was the Piper aluminium cam gear type duplex drive gear set. I can not see that being the problem, but in the absence of anything else being evident, may be it is. The good news was – the rest of the engine components appear to be in perfect condition including the crank bearings. If there had been some serious out of balance issue, I would have expected to see the bearings, particularly the mains, showing signs of localised over-heating. But they are perfect. I hate mysteries where you can not pin-point a cause/problem. So The engine went back together with a new crank and flywheel and we'll see what happens next time around. Oh – and I decided to give the 'Fisher' friction damper another airing in case the usual two-piece S damper I used (have used on everything I build) had an issue I could not see. Back together again, it went back in the hole at the front. Installation complete, whirred the motor over to get oil pressure, fitted the plugs and hit the button and it fired up. Cool. Got some heat in to it, switched it off and checked everything over. All fine. The only down side was not having time to get the engine either back on the dyno or even on a rolling road. Still – everything aside from the crank, flywheel and damper was what ran last season – so fuelling and ignition should not need changing.

    So off to Cadwell. We didn't do the over-night thing since Cadwell is my second closest track after Croft. A mere 80 miles and an hour and a half travel time away. Off at 06:00 to be there at a decent hour to get unloaded and ready for signing on and scrutineering without being in a flap. The bad news was - the weather. The report was 'changeable'. When we arrived at the track is was pouring with rain so unloading the car was not what you would call a joy. It eased pretty quickly and subsided soon after that so not as bad as it looked it was going to be. I went and signed on, came back and then headed off for scrutineering. That went painlessly, all the scrutineers seem to harbour a soft spot for Minis, and a half-decently presented one doesn't have much trouble getting through. That done and dusted, it was time for a bacon butty and cup of coffee before getting prepared for qualifying. And here was a dilemma. Whilst chomping on said bacon butty and slurping coffee we watched the first qualifying session. We were third event. The track was wet, but seemingly drying quickly in the exposed areas. Cadwell has several tree-shaded sections that take a good deal longer to dry than those out in the open. I had two new sets of tyres – one shaved/buffed (whatever!!!!!!!!!) and one full tread. No time for a practise day meant neither were scrubbed. Would the drying track mean the buffed tyres would be the best option? Based on the fact I was going to be a bit 'rusty' after the winter lay-off and either choice would see me wondering what the hell was going on, I decided to scrub the mould release wax off the full treaded tyres in case I didn't get another chance on a damp rather than soaking track.

    Out to qualifying, and let us just say it was a VERY nervous affair. Especially on the freshly re-Tarmaced sections of the track. I decided bring it home in one piece was the pre-eminent factor. Grid slot could be whatever it would be. I was optimistic for a dry race, from no other influence than observing the clouds, wind direction etc. I am no weather man but seem to be able to get a good idea on what it's up to. I firmly believed the race would be dry, so would be running the buffed tyres. However, the engine did not feel as sharp and quick as it usually did. Lifting off to change gear the engine revs dropped faster than usual, and it was no where near as crisp on the throttle as it used to be. Hmm. The engine temp was barely 50 degrees C despite blocking the auxiliary rad off and oil temp was barely making 85 degrees C. But I didn't think that was the source of the problem. I'd have a look at the plugs when I got back to the paddock. Back in the paddock I went through the routine checks including re-setting the valve clearances. Pulling the plugs showed a somewhat lean mixture. Odd as nothing that would influence this had been changed, and the weather would suggest a slightly rich running scenario. To make sure the motor was 'safe' I wound the jet tubes down 3 flats each. Everything else was fine, so fuel re-filled, water and oil checked. We left the wheels/tyres just in case my 'nose' got the weather prediction incorrect. Time for lunch and watch the first race to see what the track was doing. Looking very dry had us scuttle back and strap on the buffed tyres, and in no time at all we were being called up for the race.

    A new system for pre-start this year to help hurry things along, instead of leaving the collecting area, forming up on the grid, a green flag lap before re-forming on the grid again to await the red lights the green flag lap is conducted straight out of the collecting area, then form up on the grid for the red lights and off. Cadwell have changed to a 2 by 2 grid and very close together. I guess to reduce the first corner mayhem by keeping the screaming hoard of metal rubber and glass as tightly packed as possible. Consequently, making a demon start wasn't on the cards. I got off the line very quickly but was immediately jammed up against the bumper on the Mk2 Lotus Cortina (yeah - my sparring partner from earlier times) so had to lift off. Bummer. Side stepping him in an act of faith I was roaring down to the first fast left up-hill sweeping corner with a very rapid Mk1 Lotus Cortina rushing up on my right side. Determined to get the better line to hold up to the second/third sweeping right bends I made a move to the right to hopefully hold him off. He simply stepped left and drove past me. Hmph. By this time that Mk 2 Lotus Cortina was also on after-burner and we were both closing down an RS2000 Escort. And that was the battle royal for the rest for the race.

    And what battle! They were holding me up badly in all the tighter corners but easing away from me on the long fast sections. Oh – remember I was on fresh tyres that I had no previous experience on. I spent a couple of laps trying not to trash the tyres and get a feel for what they were about. It became rapidly obvious they were working very well indeed. OK Calver, time to do some of that 'driving sh*t'. The problem with Cadwell is – it is a bit on the narrow side. And the places were I was much quicker than the bigger engined cars was where the track was narrowest. Over-taking opportunities in those places were at a premium – the opposition would need to get way off line and damn near stop to give space to get past. So I concentrated on getting a good run out of the tightest bits out on to the pit straight to hopefully give me a run at them in to that first very fast up-hill left sweep where I knew I was faster than them as well. It took me  a god few laps to lay the move on, but I managed to execute it perfectly on the RS2000, sticking to his boot lid in his wake until approaching that corner. I pulled out, held my nerve, didn't brake, and passed him on the outside of that bend to get track position in to the following fast right bends. Sorted. Now for the Mk 2 Cortina. Man, that is one wide car in the hands of it's owner....

    I tried in various places to make a move on him, but he occupied most of the circuit and held me off. Twice I very nearly ran in to him going up the mountain where I was very much faster through that steep up-hill piece, then had to back off to keep from hitting him through the old barn section – a series of right, left, right, left slalom flicks to Old Barn corner itself – a stop, 1st gear, turn right 90 degree bend.  With 80% of the race gone, the tyres started to go off. On the corner after the long back straight I was using 2nd gear but was now getting under-steer, so I decided to try 3rd to see what would happen. I made a good run from the pit straight up the sweeping left, round the double right hander and through the right kink on to that long straight (goes down then up hill before a shortish straight to a tight-ish right hander), getting along side the Cortina. I braked very late and turned in in 3rd gear... that didn't work – not enough drive so the car ran wide. 2 wheels on grass, 2 wheels on Tarmac I kept the foot in and carefully steered back on to the track. Of course I had lost the ground I'd made up on the Cortina, so it was back to plan A. get as close as I could to get a run on him down the pit straight and in to that sweeping left hander.  2 laps to go and i was executing the manouver very well – to find a back marker in the form of a Morris Minor right where it was inconvenient – just exiting Old Barn... He stayed out left, so I went right, assuming Cortina-man would do the same, except he hesitated, then went right – and put me on the grass/kerbs for the next kink right! I had no choice but to back off again, loosing the momentum I was building for the run down the pot straight. So I started the move all over again. Trouble was - this was the last lap. I worked the last slalom section perfectly, through Old Barn and on the gas early, swept in to that last right kink so fast I was pulling up along side the Cortina on to the pit straight. He beat me by around a foot at the chequered flag. Started 14th, finished 9th and a damn good race. I must get back to qualifying better to get ahead of this guy like I did last year. In the last few laps we were gaining on the small gaggle of cars ahead of use. Had I got away from Cortina-man sooner I may have had a tangle with them and a better over-all finishing position.

The engine ran much better in the race, though the coolant temp only made 60 degrees C and oil 80 degrees C. It is in one piece and has been sealed by the series scrutineer... Stalag Silverstone next...