dbRacing - Snetterton Race Report June 2/3rd 2001

Race Report - Snetterton June 2nd-3rd 2001

The Circuit

Snetterton circuit is near Thetford in Norfolk. Another converted airfield, Snetterton is famous for its long straight and the bomb hole. Circuit length is 1.95 miles.

Practicey

This round was to be a double header, and unusually we had two practice sessions, with the fastest time counting towards the grid for race 1. The first practice was wet and I set off to get a good early time. Having pulled away from the following cars I became the first car to spin when I went round the bend onto the back straight and suddenly the back end was rotating. In testing the previous day the car had done the same in the dry at the bomb hole. It was clear that the car was not giving much warning that its limits were being reached.

The second practice session was in the dry, so the first practice times were soon discarded. I managed to get my times down to 1:25, when the car started handling very strangely. I pulled into the pit lane, suspecting a punctured front tyre. If only life was not so cruel. The poor handling was caused by antifreeze from a failing head gasket spraying the front wheel. My time was good enough for 9th place.

The evening was spent replacing the head gasket, dinner consisted of a kebab from a takeaway in Thetford at 1:30am. Such is the luxury of motor-racing !

Race 1

This took place on the Sunday morning, and I suffered from what was now becoming the usual loss of positions off the line at the start. After passing the class two cars of Steven Smythe and Steve Winter, I was unable to make any further places as the car just did not seem to have grip round Russell bend. I finished a disappointing 10th, disappointing because I enjoy Snetterton as a circuit.

Race 2

The second race later in the day followed a similar pattern. However, without any major changes to the car I suddenly seemed to have grip at Russell, and was posting lap times 2 seconds faster than in the morning. This gave me the opportunity to catch Colin Broster in his 911 SC, and we battled for about 4 laps. I found that I was quicker round the top part of the circuit, but he was able to pull away down the back straight, sufficiently so that I could not try to outbrake him. We entered the last lap nose to tail, and as we approached the last bend on that lap Colin took a defensive line and spun his car, gifting me 8th place overall.