Post race check after Donnington revealed – well, nothing really. Except I still have oil coming from somewhere to give a fine rust-proof coating to the area adjacent to the Clutch housing. Seriously annoying as generally I don't build leaky engines. No leaks from the calipers – so that's a relief, although I am still lacking confidence in the brakes on the whole. I am more and more coming to the conclusion that it is the pad type causing the problem.

So – Thruxton. Stats man and hospitality suite supplier Otto von Stukka (aka Keith Manning) had decided to retire the unit for the year on the grounds that the good weather was presenting him with an endless opportunity to pursue his new-found hobby of powered hang gliding (more a small plane than a hang glider) and Thruxton and Oulton Park were not the most pleasant journeys from where he is in Chelmsford. Fair enough, he's kind enough to allow us use of his excellent caravan for the rest of the year – at his expense I might add. It's a bloomin' long drive from here too – luckily my Mum lives in Camberley – about a 45 minute drive from the circuit. So I opted for a stop-over the night before with her then drive home from the circuit after the race. It gave us (me and Karin) the chance to catch up with family as my little sister, her hubby and kids live close to Mum. They also had decided to come and watch.

Un-loading the car off the trailer caused the first concerns of the day – a small patch of fluid on the trailer where the right front tyre had been turned out to be brake fluid after a 'sniff' test. Bloody hell – not again! Sure enough, one piston in the right hand caliper was JUST seeping fluid on full pressure. What to do? I didn't have the seal kits with me or the tools to re-build the calipers prior to practise. I decided that the seepage wasn't that bad and to carry on regardless.

I haven't raced at Thruxton in about 15 years. I could remember the general shape of the circuit but had forgotten just how difficult a circuit it is to get to grips with. It's pretty featureless – so few reference points for turn-in and braking, and most of the corner apexes are hidden by low brows. Consequently I couldn't remember where the apex points were. Practise then was a very nervous affair, with me driving very gingerly around the circuit trying to get my bearings. The result was a particularly unspectacular best lap that put me 14th on the grid, and a serious dislike for the circuit. The race was going to be one of steady completion rather than a banzai attack. Or so I thought. I was also initially concerned about my gearing – I thought I'd need a 3.76 FD here but still had the 3.9 in from Snetterton. My poor 'bitsa' engine was in for another hammering.

A pleasant picnic with the family, then back to work. Tyre pressures, oil and water checked and a re-fuel and it was soon time to get out on the track again. Cruising round the warm-up lap revealed something I hadn't considered before – the cars up front were showing me the way round where I couldn't see or remember the particular track details – may be this wasn't going to be so bad after all. We lined up, count- down boards, red lights on then off and we were away. This time I made a half-decent start, but then everybody else did. No gain there then. A very cautious approach to the complex (sort of extended chicane) first time in saw me loose two places. Ho-hum. Well – head down then and see what we can do. I was immediately much quicker because, as revealed in the warm up lap, I had some idea where the track was off to before I got there. A seriously quick left hander after the complex was a real challenge though as it is the only fast left hander on the circuit which is generally lots of top gear, throttle feathering right handers. I was hitting this in top gear with the loud pedal nailed; the car was slewing sideways through there since the right-hand tyres were barely getting warm round the rest of the circuit. It took me the first few laps to get in to the groove here, but once sorted I was flying through there and consequently the next sections too. I made up huge amounts of ground on the Lotus Cortina and Hillman Avenger in front of me through here. The place I struggled was the longish up hill section/straight after all the right turning in top gear to the chicane and the chicane itself. There was one hell of a head breeze (gale force wind) blowing straight down the track – I was amazed to find I was barely pulling 8,200rpm up there. And the brakes were not inspiring me with confidence, so I was either braking way too late or way too early. I just couldn't hit the sweet spot there. Still, the more laps that passed the more confident I got with the car as the tyres warmed up and I started to find my way around.

I managed to waltz past the Cortina in that seriously fast right hand stuff and sucked up rapidly behind the Avenger. However, my crap attack at the chicane each lap and the complex soon after were making a mess of my assault on the Avenger. Past the complex and into that difficult left hander and LONG right hander stuff I caught him up hand over fist, stuck to his boot lid all the way up that hill to the chicane, then made a complete hash in the braking zone. Lap after lap. Talk about frustrating!

And then the chequered flag came out, another 10th over-all. Back in the paddock I handed my class winners cup to my little nephew, who was chuffed to bits, and my sis was dead pleased with the whole thing. She said that my Mini got the biggest ovation from the crowd on the slowing down lap – brought a lump to her throat. Bless. A quick glance over the car showed all still healthy – apart from a seriously trashed front left tyre. I had forgotten how abrasive the Thruxton surface was. And more oil spayed out on the inner wing area next to the clutch cover. Bloody Hell! Where IS it coming from? Another 10th over-all and chopped over 2.5 seconds off my practise time was pretty pleasing. And you know what? I like Thruxton now – because it is so challenging.

So – Oulton Park next as the season finale. I'll have to do something about the leaking caliper seals – but apart from that little else to do.

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