Twelve short months ago I first hit upon my GT40th challenge….and yesterday – at the Donington Decider - that challenge was successfully completed! It’s been a truly remarkable journey – but before I look back at my season highlights, I need to share my fan’s perspective of yesterday’s British GT finale.
Donington is effectively our home circuit and is just over an hour’s drive away. We knew that the pit walk session was going to be around 12 o’clock – but wanted to squeeze in a walk around the paddock and garages to say hi to the various teams and drivers that we’ve built up a bit of a rapport with over the course of the year. We made our way into the circuit and were immediately struck by just how full the paddock was. There were visibly more race cars here compared to previous years – with the usual support races of British F3, Mini challenge and Ginnetta’s – further bolstered by the Volkswagen Racing Cup and the very cool machinery of the Excool OSS Championship. Because it was my final GT40th race weekend, I was joined by the rest of the family – which I have to say was superb. The kids in particular are brilliant – and their enthusiasm for all things racing is just a treat. They had reliably informed me that a new children’s programme – Ali-A’s Superchargers (they take a family’s beat up old car and essentially ‘pimp-it up’) – was co-presented by Rebecca Jackson…who just so happens to compete in the Mini Challenge. With the kids on the case, we had soon located Rebecca and the kids had the obligatory photo, and a quick chat about plans for a second tv series. With the kids positively beaming, we then made our way to the Barwell garages to find Jonno. As I’ve mentioned before, Jonno is one of the race engineers who looks after the stunning Lamborghinis. As ever, it was great to catch-up – hearing about his (very brief) summer break, and discussing the prospects for the race ahead. Whilst Phil Keen and Jon Minshaw were really happy with the set-up – Jonno and the team were under no illusions for just how tough a race it was going to be – particularly as the TF Aston Martins were running so well. Moving down the garages, we stopped next at the TF Aston Martin garage of Derek and Jonny. My son had wanted to get Jonny to sign his special Aston Martin cap. As is the case for all the drivers, Derek and Jonny were just so welcoming and lovely. Jonny happily signed the cap, and then quite unexpectedly, Derek invited the kids into the garage to sit in the newly wrapped ‘Dave’. With the kids besides themselves with excitement to sit in their heroes’ car – I got to have a great chat with Derek – and was surprised to learn that despite it being the same car from last year (with the same set-up, on the same tyre) – that the car was in the region of a second quicker this time round. Wishing Derek the best of luck for the race, we then headed out to join the pit walk queue…. And what a queue!! The turnout was simply staggering – and to be fair, why not? The sun was out, it was the season finale – and you’d get to watch the finest cars and drivers battle it out. Given that we’d already spoken to several drivers already – and of course, over the season picked up all the autographs we could ever want – why would we be queuing up for the pit walk?? Well in two words – Jake Yorath!! He is the chap who has designed all the British GT posters – and to pick one up you need to attend the pit walk. I am so very, very happy to have the full collection – as not only is it a great way to mark my GT40th challenge – but also because they are beautiful works of art in their own right – and which now take pride of place on my bedroom wall! Whilst in the pit lane, I had also arranged to meet up with Andy from Endurance>. As mentioned in previous posts, we had first met to chat about my GT40th challenge – but had since kept in touch, meeting up at races and discussing all things GT! Andy really is a top bloke – and his articles are well worth a read (his Le Mans coverage is particularly great). I hope we will be able to meet up next year – and continue our shared enjoyment of sportscar racing! With the pit walk concluded, we made our way through the supercar display – particularly appreciating the new McLaren 720s. I hadn’t seen one before – so was pleasantly surprised to find three examples in various specifications. I should also mention the Bentley Speed 8 that was on display. A serious race machine that won Le Mans back in 2003. It would have been awesome to see that do a lap or two of Donington – but sadly not on this occasion…. As the rumble in our stomachs reach audible levels, it was time to make our way to Hollywood (our favourite spot) to setup camp and have some lunch. As 13:30 approached – I really started to get quite excited. I had followed the season every step of the way – and it had all come down to this very final race. Whilst the Bentley boys had the points advantage – there was a slim chance that the Barwell crew could nick the win and the championship. From the off, with a roar of thunder, it was clear that Jon Minshaw only had the top spot in mind. He made a cracking start – but then….he spun. With that we thought the chance of the championship was over. But to give him and the team credit – they didn’t give in. Jon brought the car in at the halfway mark within 15 seconds of the Bentley – which meant with the 20 second success penalty – the Lambo, being piloted by the consistently quick Phil Keen, left the pits ahead of the Bentley. As the race unfolded, and Phil on a charge, I genuinely believed that the Barwell team might just pull off the impossible. Phil took it all the way down to the wire, but in the end it wasn’t enough – and the Bentley boys of Rick Parfett and Seb Morris (finishing 4th) had the points advantage and took their well-earned maiden British GT championship title. In terms of the race, ‘Dave’ finished first (giving Jonny a British GT record of top spot finishes) – which made the kids day because it had only been a few hours earlier that they had been sat inside it! Buoyed by the Aston’s victory, the kids were keen to see if they could find Derek and Jonny to congratulate them. Still dripping from the champagne celebrations, the kids found the guys and had their photos taken – and even getting to hold the winner’s trophy. But, for the second time in one day, Derek completely blew us away and gave my son his winners cap. I really can’t describe in words just how amazingly kind and generous that was – nor will I find the words to fully express just how much that means to my son and to me. It really was the icing on the cake for what has been just the most incredible journey. After all the excitement of yesterday, I have had chance to reflect on the season as a whole and to think about what have been my highlights. This has proven to be harder than imagined as every single round of the British GT (without exception) has been an absolute privilege and thoroughly, thoroughly entertaining. That said, there have been some consistent ‘themes’ which have made my GT40th challenge as enjoyable as it has been and that I’d like to acknowledge. Firstly, I want to thank all my family and friends who have accompanied me along the way and for helping make the experience so memorable. Not all have necessarily had the same passion for motorsport as me, but have embraced my madness and come along and shared in that journey. Secondly, I’d next like to thank the teams and drivers for making me feel so welcome and feel a part of their community – from Jonno the race engineer at Barwell, to Derek and Jonny (and ‘Dave’), to Jamie Chadwick from British F3, Andy at Endurance>, Tom from BritishGT press team, and all the other drivers who have been so happy to talk racing and pose for photos. My blog has named you all – so I shan’t repeat here – but its because of that genuinely welcoming paddock feel that makes the British GT the great championship that it is. In addition to the people – I should also acknowledge the machinery. The race cars on display – and the wheel to wheel action they provide, is immense. It’s such a visceral experience – and to see them driven on the limit is something special and something I will never tire of. I think everyone should attend a round of the British GT once in their lifetime….and if pressed on which round that should be….well – I’m going to have to say the round at Spa. Possibly controversial as it’s the only non-British round of the championship – but wow, wow, wow – what a circuit. If you’ve not been – then you absolutely should!!! And so with my GT40th challenge complete – this is where my blog ends. I will, without doubt, be attending the British GT next year. But as for my next challenge, I will have to give that some thought…. Although that said, I’ve always quite fancied taking in a 24hr race……. To be continued…..
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I'm currently writing this blog from France whilst on holiday with my family - a holiday we slightly delayed in order to take in the penultimate round of the British GT at Brands Hatch.
So this was the big one – the British GT round that I was most excited about….but did it live up to expectations? In a word, yes. Although to be fair – ‘yes’ doesn’t do justice to just how fantastic the trip actually was.
To set the race weekend in context, the reason I had been looking forward to this round was simply because it was taking place at Spa Francorchamps. A legendary circuit that has hosted some incredible racing over the years – and a circuit that has possibly one of, if not the greatest corners in the world – Eau Rouge. The corner has legendary status, and the prospect of watching my favourite British GT cars and pilots taking it on was a genuinely mouth-watering prospect. The adventure started Thursday afternoon as I made my way down to London to meet up with my old best friend from home. From there we made a bee line for the Eurotunnel and hopped across to Calais for our overnight stop. The next morning we were up early and made the relatively short journey to Spa. En-route we stopped off at Antwerp for steak and frites (naturally) and popped into the Central Train Station to take in its incredible architecture (well worth a visit if you’re nearby). We knew we were getting close to the circuit as the typically flat Belgium landscape transformed into a lush green, alpine environment with beautiful flowing hills. Having parked up only a stone’s throw from the entrance gates, I had a slowly dawning realisation that we were walking straight towards Eau Rouge. As we neared, and I could see the steep winding track, my heart genuinely quickened and I just couldn’t stop grinning. We made our way to the stands – and no sooner had we sat down, qualifying started. The sun was out, I was sat at Eau Rouge with my best friend, and my favourite cars were tearing past, full throttle, up my favourite corner. All in all – pretty much perfect. At risk of being sentimental, that moment will live long in my memory. Having watched cars take on this corner on tv over the years, you really don’t get a true sense of its majesty and challenge. The energy under loading as the cars transition from the decline to the incline is incredible – puffs of smoke rising from the rear left tyres as they are being pushed to their absolute limits….it really was a wow moment. Wanting to fully experience the corner, we moved our way along its outer edge and up the hill. The views further up are in and of themselves legendary, and again, being so close to the track and seeing the forces at play on the cars and drivers as they come up and over the brow is awesome. My friend – who has an inbuilt radar for beer – found the bar at the top of the hill and we duly toasted our arrival. Once qualifying was over, we decided to get our bearings by taking a walk round the paddock. As it wasn’t the main race day, much of the VW funcup tents and displays were still having their finishing touches made – but we went further up to the upper paddock and pit area and worked out where the British GT cars were being housed for the weekend. We popped into the Barwell garage and said hello to the engineers, catching up with how the car was handling and discussing prospects for the next day. Given that Phil Keen had stuck it on pole in his qualifying session, all in all, the number 33 Lamborghini seemed to be in a good place. In preparation for the big day ahead, we made our way to ‘B&B Le Clos de Lac’ – which I highly recommended; it’s close to the circuit, situated in a beautiful, secluded location, and has some genuinely good restaurants only a short walk away. Having eaten well, accompanied by some fine Belgium beers, we called it a night and slept well. Next morning, washed and breakfasted, we made our way back to the circuit and headed to the top of Eau Rouge for the first race. As it was a 9am start, the circuit was fairly quiet and we easily found a spot to watch the race from. Because of the prolonged safety car periods, we decided to explore the circuit a little more, and walked up Kemmel towards Les Combes. Because the footpath is higher than the track, you get a really good view right the way along. Once we got to Les Combes, we then thought we’d just drop down to the next corner, but halfway along to Bruxelles we found a pedestrian tunnel – which took us to the most amazing vantage point overlooking the straight going down into Double Gauche. You could also see all the way across to the paddock area. Spurred on by the incredible views, we made our way down to Double Gauche and marvelled at the way the drivers managed to scrub just enough speed to safely navigate the high-speed bend with very little drama. It was from here that we watched the end of race 1 and then made the very lovely woodland walk back to the paddock. Back at the paddock the VW stalls had been finished off and the hordes of race fans were beginning to build. Staying in-field, we went on a little nosey around the rest of the paddock, popping into various garages – and then by chance, ventured up to the hospitality spaces above the uppermost garages. There we found a superb spot overlooking the start/finish straight – and with the added advantage of being in the shade. With a little time before the next race, we decided it was time for a spot of lunch. At the last round at Silverstone, I had gone to see Jonny Adam to take a good luck card from my son, in anticipation of his Aston Martin factory drive at Le Mans. As I’m sure you will already be aware, after what was one of the closest run GTE Pro class races ever, Jonny overtook the lead Corvette literally on the start/finish line of the very last lap – and held on to take an historic victory. Given the magnitude of the win, my son was keen for me to pass on the ‘well done’ card he had subsequently made. On finding Jonny in his garage, and passing on the card, we had a lovely chat about the race and what that meant for the rest of the WEC season. I have to say that Jonny is one of the nicest people, let alone drivers, you could ever hope to meet. He is just so down to earth, and was genuinely happy to chat. Whilst retaining the British GT title is unfortunately looking unlikely, we wish him all the very best for the WEC championship! For race 2, we made our way up to the hospitality space above the pits and watched the entire race from there. The rolling start was such a visceral experience; the thunderous noise of all the GT3s and GT4s charging past in unison was incredible. Whilst we weren’t as ‘trackside’ as we had been for the previous race, by staying in one place it meant we could follow the race more easily. It also meant that we were roughly in the right spot for the podium; although like other circuits, it was positioned above the pits and looking out across the track to the opposite stands. We managed to catch a side on view – but in future, we might try to access it via the pits. We had originally planned to head back to the B&B post-race with the view to having a mid-afternoon snooze before heading out for another lovely supper – but on our way out, we noticed that people were making their way on to the track for a track walk. Seizing the opportunity to actually get onto this legendary tarmac we quickly followed suit and were soon taking the obligatory selfies with Eau Rouge behind us. Having taken part in the track walk, we thought it churlish not to at least watch the start of the epic 25hr funcup – and having done so, we then said our goodbyes and left. All-in-all, I have to say that it was simply the most perfect trip. It was hugely indulgent – and I consider myself extremely lucky – not least because I can’t think of anything I would have wanted to do differently - I was with my best friend, at my favourite circuit, watching my favourite drivers and cars, sat in the sun enjoying fine food and fantastic Belgium beers…..I’m not sure life gets any better. Next stop is Brands Hatch in a little over three weeks’ time. Whilst it’s not going to be able to match my ‘Spa experience’, it should be a cracker of a weekend as the championship is so tight at the top that the competition is going to be fiercer than ever. I can’t wait! The Silverstone round of the British GT marks the mid-way point of the season – which is slightly scary as it doesn’t seem two minutes ago that I was making plans for how to attend each of the seven championship rounds.
In terms of Silverstone, I had been quite excited about this one as I was going to be attending with two very good friends from University. Given that it was going to be a special occasion, it only seemed right to make a bit of a weekend of it, and so on the Saturday afternoon – to break the journey up – we called into the recently refurbished Gaydon Motor Museum. If you’ve not been to Gaydon before, it is well worth a visit. The collection of cars is vast and quite eclectic – ranging from old Rover’s and concept MG’s, via the Pink Rolls-Royce from Thunderbirds and the Back-to-the-Future DeLorean, a massive selection of Jaguar’s past and present (Gaydon is right next door to the JLR factory), and even includes some cracking motorsport cars, including the Le Mans Jaguar XJR 9 in full Silk Cut livery! Having had a few pints in a local pub, putting the world to rights (and reflecting on which of the Gaydon collection we would most like to have as a daily drive), we awoke the next morning bright and early and made our way to the home of british motor racing. I’ve been lucky enough to attend Silverstone a number of times over the years, having watched F1 there as a teenager, then moving onto Touring Cars, and now more recently the GT’s . Unlike Oulton Park and Snetterton, car parking for the general public is outside the circuit – and so you have a fairly long walk into the heart of the circuit and the old Paddock area. Given that this particular round was a blue riband event, the Silverstone 500 had attracted what was easily the biggest crowd of the championship yet – and whilst this was, I am sure, due to the prospect of a thrilling 3 hour race, the promise of a super-large supercar display was clearly not to be missed either. As we made our way to the Paddock, we soon stumbled upon the supercar display, and it really didn’t disappoint. There was just so many examples of all the top marques. It really was very, very impressive. Whilst we could have easily spent more time there, salivating over McLarens, Ferrari’s and Lamborghini’s, we headed to the BRDC grandstand to take in some of the support races. The location of the stand really is very good, and gives you a chance to watch the cars breaking hard into Brooklands, sweeping round Luffield and Woodcote before getting the foot down for the home straight. In the interests of collecting the latest Jake Yorath masterpiece, we made our way down to the Paddock area for the lunchtime pit walk. But just before doing so, I went in search of Jonny Adam – as my son who couldn’t make it on this occasion, had made Jonny a good luck card for his adventure at Le Mans. Jonny seemed genuinely touched by the card – and I just hope it brings Jonny a little bit of luck next weekend! Underlining my suspicion that the Silverstone crowd was on the particularly large side, the pit walk was rammed – which is of course a great thing. Thankfully we had met many of the drivers at the previous rounds, and so the pressure was off trying to get to each of the garages. None the less, I still took the opportunity to check out some of the awesome GT machinery on display as it would surely be churlish not to! Before the race started at 1:30 – we took a tactical decision to grab a bite to eat before then locating ourselves at Copse for the start of the race. Now my only small complaint from the day was the seemingly short supply of burger vans….we had wondered around infield and only managed to find three locations for buying food. Judging by the 30minute queue that we were in, that really was all the choice available – and under a hot sun, we waited patiently for what also turned out to be a rather expensive burger at that….but anyway – back to the track. So as mentioned, we made our way to Copse which is the first corner to watch the number 31 Bentley of Rick Parfitt Jnr make a very swift and clean start. Now I know there has been a lot of talk about Balance of Performance, especially given the recent successes/strong performances of the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini’s – and I’m not sufficiently up-to-date to know whether or not the Bentley had been given additional boost to compensate – but the Bentley really was on fire and destroyed the rest of the grid. The pairing of Seb Morris and Rick Parfitt is certainly very strong – and I think they will definitely be in the fight come the final round at Donington. Given the duration of the race, we moved around a bit, checking out the various locations to see if we could find a ‘preferred’ viewing spot. On balance, I think the Woodcote grandstand was probably our favourite as it gave a good all-round view of Brooklands and Woodcote, including the cars powering across the start/finish line, as well as overlooking the paddock. It is worth noting, that unlike some of the earlier rounds, the podium is above the pits and looks out across the track. To therefore be a part of the celebrations would mean getting actually into the pits themselves – which I don’t think we were going to be allowed to do. Coupled with the need to make a sharp exit to travel back up north, we decided to watch the final few laps from Luffield. Having watched Seb Morris take the chequered flag over a lap in front of his nearest rivals, we duly said our goodbyes to Silverstone and left. All in all, that was a really fantastic weekend – which was, in all honesty, a bit of an indulgence. Seeing so many fabulous super cars, sports cars, and epic racing – all in the company of great friends – was special. Can the next round in Spa be as special?? Time will tell! A hot and sunny Bank Holiday weekend spent with friends at a music festival, drinking beer and having an all-round great time - what more could anyone want? Urrrm - how about some epic motorsport?...... cue the next round of the British GT at Snetterton!
Having had very little sleep because of being at said Festival, I left my kids snoozing in the tent and made my way to the car for what was going to be a fairly crazy 300 mile round trip to Norfolk. In all fairness, the journey wasn’t at all that bad – and before I knew it, the noticeable appearance of pig farms along the route suggested that I had arrived. With great sign-posting and very little traffic, I made my way into the circuit, and just like Oulton Park, found a great parking spot in-field trackside. As this was my first trip to the circuit, I spent the first hour or so just getting my bearings and wondering around the circuit. It’s quite a compact in-field, enabling you to comfortably get from one side to the other in under 20 mins. There are several man-made raised viewing areas which gives spectators great sight lines across much of the circuit. I must say that the whole circuit was very well maintained and looked stunning - sadly though, the ‘tree-man’ had been pruned – and so I didn’t manage to see the iconic figure that I have long associated with Snetterton. With the nature of the circuit, there are some great spots to watch from, with probably the end of the Bentley Straight/Brundle being one of my favourites. It was from this vantage point that I watched the opening laps of the first British GT race. I found myself in absolute awe of the speed of the cars and the skill of the drivers as they trail braked through the chicane having been at full chat moments before down the back straight. Watching it on TV simply doesn’t convey the ferocity of the machines and just how ‘on-the-edge’ they are. It was fascinating to watch the Aston Martin of Jack Mitchell in particular as he seemed to be absolutely on it; his tyres protesting loudly, lap after lap. Another great viewing spot is Murrays. The cars seemingly glide round the long right hander, blipping down through the gears in preparation for the sharp left hander of Murrays – before getting the hammer down to complete the lap. It’s also a great spot to watch the cars peel off into the pits for the driver change over. It was at the race mid-point that I decided the sun was a little too hot for me, and so made my way to the paddock in search of some much-needed shade. Thankfully I found shelter in the back of the Team Parker garage and watched their timing screens and TV coverage. And wow, what racing. Phil Keen and Sam Tordoff really did extract everything from their Lamborghini’s and pulled off some incredible passes. Whilst track-side viewing gives you access to the full visceral experience, the TV coverage gives you access to the wheel-to-wheel battles that unfold….so in many ways, I had the perfect race experience! It was then all nicely topped off by being able to stroll up to the podium – which is fully accessible to the public, and enjoy the trophy giving and champagne celebrations. As appears to be standard, the pit walk session was held over the lunch break - and provided me with the opportunity to pick up the latest Jake Yorath event poster. I know I have raved about his posters before – but they really are very good and my collection is coming along nicely. But a burning question for me and my son is ‘when will there be a Bentley poster?’ …..hopefully soon!! After a small issue with my phone running out of battery (I was clearly taking too many photos!) I managed to meet up with Andy Lloyd from Endurance and GT (EnduranceAndGT.co.uk) who had interviewed me several weeks earlier about my GT40 challenge. It was great to meet someone so passionate and knowledgeable about all things motorsport - and enjoyed our speculation about what the next race would bring and how that would impact the championship (interestingly, we queried why the No1 Aston of Adam and Johnston didn’t seem to be in the frame…). We said our good byes and will meet up again at Spa. Given how successful my viewing tactics had been first time round, I thought I’d do the same again, and duly watched the first half out at track side and then watched the second half at the Team Parker garage. With Rick Parfitt on a late charge, making dramatic lunges, the atmosphere in the garage was superb – and being able to share in that excitement was a privilege. If only he had managed to get third place……maybe next time! Once again, post-race, I made the short walk to the podium and watched-on as the winners celebrated by cooling each other down with their champagne. As I made my way back to the car, ever-so-slightly sun burned, I reflected on the way the two races had gone and realised that you can’t take anything for granted in racing. Even when Keen and Minshaw looked so dominant, events of the day twisted and turned and as a result, the championship remains very much alive! Bring on Silverstone! Hot on the heels of the opening round at Oulton Park, me and the kids were looking forward to more great racing and the prospect of a dry race at Rockingham. And we weren't disappointed.
Despite best intentions, we didn't leave home as early as planned, but made good time all the same. We passed through several sedate, picturesque villages - which couldn't have been further from the thunderous roar that we were about to experience at the Rockingham speedway. On turning into the grounds of the circuit entrance you have a long road leading to the grandstand. For me it had the feel of an American football stadium with the vast car parks surrounding it. Given its vastness, parking wasn't an issue, and was only a short walk from the entrance. Greeted by a friendly member of the Rockingham staff, we made our way into the circuit proper and quickly located a much needed toilet. The circuit layout is very different to the other circuits we've visited before. Because the pit area is infield and very small, the rest of the paddock locates itself outside the circuit. As it was already mid-morning, we decided to investigate the pits first and made our way through the tunnel (photo opportunity with my umbrella) and reappeared in the heart of the pit area. Whilst it feels a little more confined, it just meant that you bump into your favourite drivers more easily - which is no bad thing. We called into the Barwell garage first and wished Sam Tordoff good luck. We then had a great chat with Jonno (spelling?) and some of the other mechanics about the stunning Lamborghini's that they look after. The guys were just so friendly and we learnt loads - including that the cars are setup for the Am drivers because the Pros will find the limit and then go beyond!!!! It certainly seems to be working!! We made our way along the garages wishing the various drivers good luck, before stopping and having a chat with Derek Johnston. He is just such a lovely gentleman. He even took the kids into the garage to show them his stunning Aston Martin. Given the size of the pit area, it's worth quickly noting that the supercar display was a little on the small side. Although I feel bad for saying so because 1) we were clearly spoiled at Oulton Park and 2) we got to see an Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato which I've not seen before....! As lunchtime approached, it was time for the pit walk and making our way in we made our donation in support of Billy Monger. Our thoughts and best wishes, along with the rest of the British GT and Motorsport community, are with #BillyWhizz. It really does make you proud to be part of such a great family. We hope Billy makes a speedy return to his racing. With posters collected and signed (Jake Yorath’s posters are such fantastic pieces of art - a lovely collector’s item and worth the admission fee alone!) we headed back through the tunnel and up into the grandstands. The views really are fantastic, giving you the unique experience of being able to see the whole circuit and therefore follow all the action from one spot. When we next meet the drivers we will ask what they think of the circuit in terms of racing, but from a fans perspective it certainly was a plus point. Another huge plus point was the viewing platform above the pits. Just before the driver change, we quickly took up post above the Barwell garages and got to witness up close what goes on during these pitstops. It really was an excellent vantage point and would highly recommend. Once the pit window closed we hurried back to the grandstands (with obligatory ice cream stop) and watched the closing stages from high-up in the Gods. The whole safety car confusion is well documented elsewhere so I won’t go into details, but I must say that we were all very confused. Because of the noise of the cars (thunder in the case of the Bentleys) it was difficult to follow any commentary. However, when the Ferrari was awarded first place ahead of the no 31 Bentley, we were dumbfounded and couldn't work out what happened. However, despite the confusion, it thankfully didn't distract from the fantastic on track action, and we came away thoroughly entertained!! Unlike Oulton Park, as a fan you can't get up close to the podium ceremony, but from the grandstands you can see just enough. I think they do the post races just behind the podium, which would be accessible to the fans, but we didn't investigate any further. We stopped long enough to watch the Ginettas get underway before then making our way back to the car park, and heading home. In summary, it was another great day out. Superb all circuit view of the racing, including a fantastic pit lane vantage point for the mid-race driver change. Incredible access to the teams and cars - and still the friendliest race series out there. Coupled with exciting wheel to wheel action with some of the best drivers and machines in the world....Rockingham...You rocked! With all the months of waiting and planning and getting excited – the opening round at Oulton Park was finally upon us. And what a weekend it was.
To make sure we would get to Oulton Park in good time, we travelled to Northwich the day before. The Anderton Boat Lift is well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. We can also highly recommend the ‘Fudge Boat’ which moors up from time to time along that stretch of canal selling the most divine fudge! Waking at a very reasonable time on the Bank Holiday Monday (despite staying in a family room with two very excited kids) we had a leisurely start before heading over to the circuit. We arrived just before 10am and the queues were starting to build – but I think we were very lucky and got in with little delay. I’ve not been to Oulton Park before and was pleasantly surprised to find that we parked in-field. We were parked up just along from the Fogarty Moss Centre – and so were perfectly located for easy access to both superb trackside viewing and the Paddock. The supercar display was…well…super – with a fantastic range of modern and old motors – and a strong presence from Ferrari owners. There was heaps for kids to do – but if I’m honest – we were there to see the cars, the drivers and the wheel to wheel racing – so didn’t make full use of all the superb activities that were on offer. In-side the Paddock, I was reminded of just how friendly and accessible it all is. There really isn’t another race series like it as far as I am aware. Within minutes of arriving we had bumped into Phil Keen (Barwell Motorsport) and were asking him about weather conditions and whether that might play into their hands; Phil simply said that Jon Minshaw was very good in the wet – and how very right he was! Having said hello to a few other drivers, had photos taken and ear-defenders signed, we then headed to ‘Dentons’ to watch the first race. It is a great place to watch the action from – close to the cars as they come flying past down to the tricky ‘Cascades’ – and you have a pretty good view up to ‘Hislops’ which caught a number of drivers out. Just before the end of the race we made our way to the Podium. Again – pleasantly surprised – the Podium is accessible from within the Paddock and so we were right at the front cheering on the victors (and ever so slightly envious of their large winner’s Easter Eggs). It is great that you can get so close to all aspects of the racing – it really does make you feel genuinely part of the action. Having had a wonder around ‘Deer Leep’ and taken the obligatory photo under the Oulton Park bridge – we headed back to the Paddock to meet up with Seb Morris (Team Parker Racing) – who had kindly said that he would take us around his garage. True to his word, we met up with Seb and were free to check out his and Rick’s Bentley. It was a genuine privilege to get up close and personal with what is just simply a beast of a machine. It is sooo big – and really quite menacing; I wouldn’t fancy having it bearing down on me in a race! Just before heading out to watch the second British GT race, we went in search of Jamie Chadwick (F3 - Double R Racing). We’ve followed Jamie ever since her Junior Ginetta days (Jamie had appeared on a children’s documentary years ago and the kids were in awe of her). We’ve met Jamie several times now, and she has always made time to chat and have photos taken with the kids. She really is one of the loveliest drivers you could hope to meet. The chocolate Easter Bunny that the kids took along for her went down well – and she even let the kids sit in her race car!! An incredible experience for them; one that will last a life time – so a huge thank you again to Jamie. Having taken up our spot on ‘Clay Hill’ we settled in for the second, action packed race. The viewing from this spot is superb as you have the cars accelerating up the hill below you. You also have an excellent view across to ‘Hislops’ – which again created one or two moments for drivers. Having watched the race conclude under the safety car, we decided to call it a day and made our way back to our car. Whilst all slightly washed out by a day in fresh air, we had all had the most fantastic time. Oulton Park is without doubt an amazing circuit for the fans; superb viewing, great wheel-to-wheel racing, and the number of activities available for the whole family really is incredible. I would highly recommend any motorsport fan making a trip to Oulton Park. We will definitely be going back! So I didn’t post a blog in February – which was in part because I really didn’t have any British GT news to share/update – but also because it was a bit of a busy one for me. The upside to being busy though is that time flies – and here we are with only a little over four weeks to go until the opening round at Oulton Park!!!
Like many other motorsport fans, I follow a number of teams/drivers/journalists/commentators on twitter – and I love this time of year, as all the gossip and rumours begin to firm up with team and driver announcements. And I especially love to see the various cars breaking cover for the first time for pre-season tests – and showing off their new liveries. I am expecting twitter to light up on the 28 March – with lots of news and photos from the media day at Snetterton. I am genuinely looking forward to seeing the final line-up – and to begin my own preparations of printing off driver line-ups and team liveries. Geeky…sad…yes – completely – but this is my ‘big year’ as such and I want to fully immerse myself in it. I am pretty sure that everyone interested in the British GT will have already clocked that Jake Yorath is designing all the event posters again this year – and based upon the ones he has already shared online (copied below) – they are going to be fantastic souvenirs. They look absolutely stunning and I am looking forward to collecting every single one!!! Well, that’s it from me for now. Excitingly, next time I post, I will have attended the opening round…. Oulton Park baby – Oulton Park!!! Happy New Year everyone - I hope you had a restful festive break. I can't believe that we are nearly at the end of January...but the good thing about that is that the opening round of the British GT is that much closer!
So since my last blog I’ve had two very exciting British GT related developments…. Firstly, I’ve been in touch with Seb Morris from Team Parker Racing and he has very kindly offered to show me around his garage at the opening round at Oulton Park. To say that I’m very excited is an understatement – especially as Seb set the lap record in his Bentley at Oulton Park last year! I really can’t wait to meet the man himself and to see up close the beast of a car that is the Bentley!!! My second exciting British GT development is that I’m all sorted for Spa. Crossings booked, B&B booked – I just need to sort race tickets – but I’m hoping that that will be relatively straight forward. The best bit of it though is that I will be going with my best mate from home – and the prospect of spending a weekend away with my best mate, watching British GT and having a few Belgium beers is making me feel like a kid at Christmas!! I haven’t felt this excited about something since my children were born!! Now, if I could fix a passenger ride around the circuit that really would be a bucket list/dream come true.......!! Since my last blog I've been a little busy making the most of the Christmas deals on British GT tickets. So I now have the kids and my tickets sorted for: Oulton Park, Rockingham, and Snetterton.
However, Christmas came early courtesy of the Silverstone Advent Calendar where I won two tickets for the British GT round!!!!! So a massive thank you to Silverstone for such an amazing competition!!! Finally - I've been looking at accomodation for Spa (7-8 July) - but noticed via the Spa circuit web pages that the British GT doesn't appear to be listed....instead there is a 25 hour VW funcup..... if anyone knows if the British GT is definitely happening that weekend at Spa - do please let me know as I don't want to book anything until I know for sure :-) Anyway, I shall leave it there. I hope you all have a great Festive break, whatever you may be up to, and be sure to check back in in the New Year for my latest ramblings! |
AuthorHi I'm Jon - an almost middle-aged motorsport fan - blogging for the first time.... Archives
September 2017
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