Don’t let the low tech nature of the cars fool you, earlier this season a Vee was clocked at over 135 mph at Snetterton. If you’re serious about motor racing, and want to do single seaters then look no further than Vee.

It was with this in mind when I decided to hire a car and enter it for the 750 Motor Club’s Vee race at Silverstone. I was pointed in the direction of Alan Harding’s AHS team, who are a long running staple of Vee and run about eleven cars in every race.

Harding’s team is a varied bunch of old and new cars, the nicest of these is an Autosport backed Sheane, car 80. Long nosed, low slung, immaculately prepared, with 4 chromed exhausts poking their way out of the tail. This is often said to be the nicest of all Vees, I doubted that I would have quite such a nice car.

I booked the car with AHS (who are very relaxed about money – they just sort of trust you to pay at some point after the race) and on Friday afternoon I jumped in the Astra and pounded up the M40 to Silverstone.

Upon arriving in the paddock I headed down to the garages and found the AHS equipped in full strength. The meeting had attracted 54 entries for the Vee race, and AHS were running 11 of them. I walked into the garage and looked for car 71, my car.

I instantly spotted the Autosport car 80, looking great and gleaming in the evening light. Then I noticed parked alongside it was an identical Sheane – 

in the same Autosport livery. The only difference was rather than the quad exhaust side draught engine, it was fitted with an arguably better ‘normal’ twin carb engine, with a single formula Ford exhaust can. On the long tapered nose, was the number 71. Glee!

Apparently the car had only done one race and a test session, and the new nature of the car showed – it was immaculate. I tried it for size – perfect fit.

Saturday dawned warm and sunny, and I had a day milling around waiting for practice. After about six hours of hanging around the second Vee practice session was called to the holding area. I strapped myself into the car and for the first time in my life, fired up the engine of a single seater racing car. I selected first, lifted the clutch and promptly stalled. Good start huh!

I got it going again and drove off in the general direction of the National circuit holding area. Problem with that was – I had no clue as to where on earth the holding area was. I was driving round for about ten minutes and had to stop to ask for directions from a bemused looking bunch of Stock Hatch racers.

I eventually found the holding area, pulled up and switched off to keep the air-cooled VW unit from cooking. The previous session ended and we were waved out onto the track. I switched on, woke up the lap timer, started the engine and selected first gear, kept the engine revs up and lifted the clutch. Nothing. The engine just revved freely. Neutral – I reselected first and again the same. No drive. I waved frantically for one of the AHS crew to come to my aid and he struggled with the gear lever for a bit and also failed. Eventually I got away in second. I floored it into Brooklands and was in third round Luffield. Mash the right pedal to the floor pulling fourth in Woodcote and flat out down to Copse, a bit of braking and down to third and I turn it. Brilliant the car just flies through the corner. And I’m in fourth up to the hairpin at Becketts, I brake and the next thing I know I’m enduring a wild series of gyrations. I end up on the exit of the turn looking back the way I came. Oops! I carried on and started a new lap setting a 1m 13 second lap. I felt that the tyres were still cold and there was quicker to come, there wasn’t. I spun again at the hairpin on the next lap. The lap after that someone else spun in front of me. The lap after that I decided to live up to the title of this column and indulged in a bit of LFGT, however it was a brief visit and I set off. I did another lap which was spoilt by yellows then to my shock as I passed the start finish line I was shown the black flag. I backed right off and cruised back to the pits. I headed up to the Clerk’s office and stuck my head through the door. “I’ve just been black flagged and reporting to you as required, car 71 in the Vee”. The clerk looked puzzled and then replied “Don’t you mean black and white diagonal?”

It transpired that they had held out the wrong damn flag, so I lost most of my vital practice session. The black and white diagonal is just a warning to say your driving is being observed, not surprising seeing as I had spun a few times. But flag marshals must really get it right!!

My second lap time had placed me mid grid in the heat – right in the middle of the pack.

I left the circuit that evening feeling very down – and considered withdrawing from the next day’s race as I didn’t consider myself capable of driving this car in a race situation if at all. I seriously thought that my ambition had exceeded my talent. The risk of interlocking wheels was preying heavily on my mind, as it was not something I had ever faced before. But balls beat brains as usual and I found myself heading back to the circuit on Sunday morning, filled with trepidation.

I had hatched a plan, I would drop to the back of the field and then lap as if I was in practice, and if I was still struggling to control the car I would retire from the race. I rolled out to my grid slot – the green flag lap went without incident. And then came the start. I made a reasonable get away and had to lift to avoid a slow starter in the middle of the pack. I ran wide into the first corner to let a car pass me, then I intended to do the same on the second corner, but a spinning Leastone put paid to that. At the end of the first lap I must have been running right down the field in 30^th or so. Suddenly as if by magic it all came together and I could drive the thing. It was just a sudden transformation. I could race the car. I started catching cars, I kept putting moves on them – I think I passed people in every sector of the track. My favourite move was when I got a great run out of the hairpin on the national straight and got a great tow off two scrapping cars. Just as I was about to make my move, the filling in our formula Vee sandwich put a move on the front car, leaving me the option of going up the middle or running out on to the rough tarmac apron on the outside edge of the National straight – so I did the latter. Both drivers had been so busy with each other that they hadn’t noticed me at all. I gave them a hell of a shock as I passed them – the car at least a metre off the track - bringing it in front of them before the first of the two circuit access bridges passed over head.

I can’t remember too much about the race in detail apart from the odd passing move and a very scary sideways moment in Copse at well over 100 mph. I do remember towards the end of the race circulating with no-one in front of me and no-one in sight behind me. I did start to wonder where everyone had gone. I got a bit bored to be honest and started waving at the marshals, then decided to try to take Copse flat. I succeeded. That means cornering in excess of 125 mph. Mega! No more laps. 18^th position from 34 starters. Okay! Fourth reserve for the feature race – but to no avail the red flags came out 100m too late.

My Vee debut done I left fairly satisfied with my performance. But I feel it’s unfinished business as I know I could of gone even better. Rumours abound that next year there will be a Vee race at Lydden. I think the car is quick enough, I think I’m quick enough and on my home circuit… well it would be fun.