Ok, so i'll try to keep this punchy and brief, but there's so much to write about!
As usual, I collected the BLS 33, and we headed up to Cadwell Park on Friday afternoon, setting up shop for the evening.
Signing on and scrutineering was a little after 9am, so no need for the cockrel, and as Tom always turns out the best car in the paddock, there is never any drama at this inspection of car and kit, unless you get an unfamiliar newbie or jobsworth, but niot the case here so that was the usual breeze.
On to qualifying, now this is critical at Cadwell due to the lack of track width over much of the circuit, passing has to be a very well thought out and perfectly executed manouvre with a lot of conviction or it will likely end in tears, so qualifying well is paramount to ensure a healthy grid position, and as few cars to pass as possible, sounds common sense doesn't it, but with such a mix of cars, power and performance in the Alfashop Championship, it's never quite that straight forward.
Bryan left the paddock early to get on track to set some good times before the traffic built up, and all was going well. The Hankooks warming up pretty well, the times were in heading in the right direction, and then when on a predicted flyer of a lap, Bryan was thwarted by one of the twin spark series (formerly class e) cars, and the session finished with a 4th on the grid achieved.
That sounds respectable enough, some would even say great, but what it also meant was that ahead and alongside Bryan would be Chris Snowdon in the other 2.0l 33, and then two big powered V6's of Roger Evans 147 GTA and Grahame Seagers GTV, and that's 3 cars that can and will be giving it hell for leather from lights out, and not forgetting the emerald effort of the Macmahons with 156 Turbo and 147 Cup cars, and Andy Robinsons 156 GTA to push hard form behind too!
This was to prove as suspected, a real indicator as to how race 1 would pan out.
A good start by everyone meant there was only little change from grid position within the first lap or so, and the mixtures of cars and powers was to prove itself the real deciding factor. Grahame Seager getting the GTV in front and managing to stay there by being as wide as possible and best use of the straight line grunt of the big powered V6.
There was some ding donging of course, but it wasn't proving decisive, and Bryan did correctly by not getting overly involved in what was starting to look ragged and desperate at times as the attempts to pressure to the front kept on being applied. Instead, Bryan showed what should have been happening from the off, and did the fastest lap of the race, a 1.40:052 which went a long way to prove how frustrating the early race laps of 1.45's were and how tricky Cadwell can be like this achieving 4th by the flag.
Sunday mornings arrival brought a real mixed bag of weather, not untypical of the Lincolnshire countryside and contours., you just don't know what you might get blow in, blow out, or be left hanging over the valley'd arena of Cadwell Park, but eventually it was to prove to be a dry track and race.
The repeated grid position would prove to be just as decisive for the races progress again, but everyone safely away, it soon started to hot up as the leaders showed their determination not to simply repeat saturdays final standings.
Chris Snowdon was the first to charge hard enough and make it stick, then it was reversed and the lead regained by Grahame Seager, who then lost out to both Chris Snowdon and Roger Evans in one section, it was looking like a great race, but again Bryans wisdom was to keep applying the pressure whilst the scrap ensued just ahead of him. Again this sort of racing wasn't producing the best lap times, and this meant that Andy Robinson and the previously charging Roger Macmahon were able to steadily haul the leading 4 back into sight.
Bryan responded by again taking fastest lap honours, this time a 1.40:042, and closed up again just in time to see the cracks appear in the leading trio's battle plan, and before we knew it, the tannoy announced that all four of the front bunch were taking to the grass and off circuit!
Started i believe by a coming together of Chris Snowdon and Roger Evans at Coppice / Charlies 1 area, a very very fast sweep uphill left into multi apexed cresting right and descent, it was to be the deciding factor, and it was a case of survival from then on.
Bryan's earlier decision not to get swapping paint with the 3 ahead meant that although he also took to the grass whilst taking evasive action, he did it with just enough foresight and intention that he wasn't heading out of Lincolnshire, and could rejoin the circuit a tad quicker than Grahame Seager did, Chris Snowdon attempted too only to find himself back off again with broken steering components, and Roger stayed put i believe, and so Bryan brought the BLS 33 across the line first, Grahame Seager a lonely second and Andy Robinson making the 3rd podium place his own.
Its not how we would have planned it, but in fairness, we deserved it, and proved that in both race 1 and 2 Bryan was the fastest out there, and quite rightly earnt himself Driver of the Weekend trophy on top of 4th and 1st accolades respectively
My little man Jixxer, a huge BLS fan requested that he share some glory, which Bryan graciously obliged,
and then to top it off Jixxer was also gifted the 1st place Laurels!
Thank you Bryan, incredibly genorous of you, but he did look rather odd trying to introduce it into his school uniform this morning!
Sadly the excursion off track left the BLS 33 needing a windscreen and some repairs to the front splitter, but hopefully i have the contacts to make some of that as painless as possible, and Tom will undoubtedly sort the rest out to his inimitable standard as usual, maybe even improving it a little for the future?
Not only did Jixxer get a good treat this weekend, so did the whole Cadwell crowd, and not just from the track antics either, because look what they had to survey in the car park
I don't think that's happened at an Alfashop meeting for a while!
well done fella's, and thanks again BLS, plus many thanks to Ian Brookfield for the extra tickets, that were put to great use both days thank you Ian, hopefully we'll see you and the 164 out there again soon
