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RACING START n the last couple of copies of the Acorn a number of people have spoken about the good old days of low cost saloon car racing, well this type of racing does still exist and I had my first season during 2000 competing in the SEMSEC run "Formula 1 Saloon Car Championship". As some of you will know since mid 1994 I have competed in my road going modified Mini in a number of sprint & hillclimb championships with a reasonable amount of success with a hat trick of championship class wins and a 2nd overall in 1999. For 2000 I wanted a new challenge and more track time but without having to change either the car or having to chase all round the country to events. The championship I chose is a "catch-all" saloon race series with classes and regs to suit just about all closed wheel cars from full race to road-going and standard production. The only changes I had to make to my car were just to bring my safety equipment up to date and then I raced all season with the car in road-going speed event spec, and still driving the car to and from all the events. This is made easier as the series is centre around Lydden with one or two rounds at Brands Hatch which keeps travelling to a minimum. Many of the rounds are also run in the afternoon after a sprint so you could compete in both or just watch the sprint first. For my first experience of circuit racing last season turned out to be quite successful finishing in all 7 championship rounds entered and also two extra invitation races with a brief run down as follows; First race at Lydden on the 8th April, I finished 9th from 15 starters mainly due to consistency as being early in the season there were a lot of non finishers but it was a top 10 finish anyway. After missing 2 rounds due to other commitments and a mechanical breakdown on route to one event, my next event was back at Lydden on the 2nd July this resulted in another 9th place again from 15 starters with me still being lapped by the front running class A cars but having a good battle with some other similarly power machinery. So far my best lap times were always in the race rather than qualifying normally by around 1 second and normally during the first couple of laps when I had the faster cars to chase and this seemed to stay true all season, As an ex-sprinter I had thought a quick lap during qualifying would have been my strength, but it seems I need a bit of close competition to keep me on the boil. 22nd of July was my first visit to Brands Hatch since a one off sprint back in 1997 and the circuit has been changed around Graham Hill bend since then. The day started badly with long delays for signing on and scrutineering, which were both a long way from my spot in the paddock, which lead to a mad dash everywhere to get out on the first qualifying session at 9 am, a very nervous qualifying was followed by a call up from the clerk of the course to explain why I had not attended the new drivers briefing which was run at the same time as I was signing on and getting the car scrutineered ! a bit of hard grovelling got me off with just a warning. The race was excellent with a full grid of 30 cars including saloons, kit cars and closed wheel specials, I started 28th and finished 24th with a race long battle with a space frame race Mini that I could be all over round the bends but dropped back down the straights. Apparently I appeared on Sky television the following week whilst battling around Druids, pity I didn't know it was on ! 2nd September saw me back at Lydden with a non eventful race with only 10 starters, I qualified 9th but finished 10th, at least my best lap time had improved with a 51.4 seconds again on the second lap of the race. Lydden on 23rd September was better with a few more entries including a number of cars with similar lap times to mine moved over from one of the sports car races, this gave me another 9th place from 13 starters. Up until now all the races had been on a dry track in very hot weather, neither of which favour my car, but this was to change next time at Lydden on the 7th October. Rain wonderful rain! all day made all the difference. Rain in the paddock when you are setting up is a pain but it was worth it on the track, I qualified on the forth row which is a whole new world as you can actually see the start lights change from here ! I was in the action all race and even had a new blue flag experience as I was lapping back markers rather than being lapped myself, it was close all the way to the line with a finish in 7th place with the next 2 cars both within 2 tenths of a second behind me, This got me second in class and my first trophy for the year, as well as a mention in Motoring News. After the high of that result I entered a second "All Comers" invitation race that day for any closed wheel cars including a couple of Sevens a Jade & and a Radical Clubsport. The grid was sorted on our previous lap times that day which this time put me on the 3rd row. A good start was followed by my familiar best lap time on lap 2 and this allowed me to follow the sports racers and pull away from the other saloons. It was pouring down and the more it rained the better it got as I could have carried on all day, by the end I took 5th place way ahead of any other 2 wheel drive saloon and even all the marshals were clapping as I carried on the slowing down lap, Of course I couldn't resist waving back which nearly resulted in a spin around Chesson's drift. Last event of the season was again at Lydden on the 28th October and my wish was granted with more rain so again I entered 2 races to make the most of it. As the last event of all the championships double points were on offer so this brought out a good grid of 21 cars with me qualifying on the 6th row right in the middle behind an Escort Cosworth and along side an ex-ThunderSaloon Cosworth Sierra. By the start of the race it had stopped raining and a drying line was appearing so I had to make the most of the early laps as by the end the bigger cars that had struggled in the wet were gaining ground with everyone having there fastest lap on lap 9. I lost a place to a 3 litre Capri on the last lap but managed to hold on to 11th place and another 2nd in class. My last race of the day and the season was an entry in the "Handicap Race" where grid positions were again based on your previous best times and the race start is staggered so that in theory everyone would finish at exactly the same time if they done there best time every lap. There were 16 starters and after a very confusing race where you just catch as many cars as you can and stay a head of any quick ones behind, it is not until you get the results in the paddock that you know your final position and by hanging on the now dry track I finished 10th which was another pretty good result. 2000 was a good introduction to racing and with 9 signatures on my licence I only need one more to loose my novice cross and I will definitely be out again this year, which reminds me I better start work on the car now. Jamie Henderson |