My first racing season…

I often ask myself: “How did I get here?

How does one get into car racing anyway? Was is beating that lowered fiesta XR2 off the traffic lights at Tower Bridge road in my Peugeot 405 when I was 17? Or was it that ‘smooth’ overtaking manoeuvre in my Mazda MX5 with the back of the car facing sideways?
Maybe it was the fierce acceleration of my TVRs that would leave smoke and pretty much everything else behind me?
The feeling was always the same.. Those few seconds when you know you have a race on.. Few seconds of increased heart beat, firm grip on the steering wheel and total concentration. Nothing can distract you during those few seconds (unless of course it has blue flashing lights!)

One thing was obvious though – it wasn’t about how fast I could get to 62mph (4 seconds time in the TVR was quite respectable).. It wasn’t really about the imaginary top speed either. It was all about racing against someone else.

Having done several track days in various cars, I finally experienced ‘pure’ track driving in the Marlin Exi. It may not be the fastest track car on offer but I knew straight after completing my first lap around Brands Hatch that I would never go back to driving any other ‘less involving’ car around the track.
Neutrally balanced, mid engined light car with a rev-happy engine was such a joy to take around the circuit. The feeling only really compared to a very fast go-kart and there was no going back.. I knew I wanted to race!

April 2006 saw my first race in Brands Hatch. And what an experience it was!
Being my first race I had no idea as to what to expect. Naively I thought I’d turn up, do some racing, end up mid field and go home with a smile. How difficult can it be? After all I was the best driver in the world (in my head anyway).
The first race was a quick learning curve! I quickly learned that racing is not just about putting a helmet on and driving.. My first race ended up with a mechanical problem forcing me to retire in a big cloud of smoke. Big disappointment.. Big blow to my enormous ego!
Next race taught me something else.. Driving on the limit (in order to even try to keep up with the rest of the cars) requires a lot of skill and I ended up spinning the car 720 degrees at over 110mph. Luckily I chose to do my stunt on the main straight and I escaped harm. The only thing that suffered another blow was – yes you guessed it – my ego!
However, all it did for me was to make me try even harder for the next race.
The car was a brand new model for 2006 season and we ended up making changes to it for every race. The car got better and better and I dare say my driving skills improved somewhat. Towards the end of the season I felt that I was actually starting to compete against other drivers. My lap times improved and my confidence grew allowing me to push the car further and further.
Now that the season is over I can reflect on what I’ve achieved this year.
If someone told me that I may not finish a single race in my first year of racing I would have laughed aloud. Its really not as easy as it seems!
I now understand that in order to do well in racing several things need to click together.. Car reliability, handling, driving skills, confidence, circuit knowledge and most importantly experience.
It took a whole season of racing before all of these just about fell into place for me. Next season starts in April 2007 and I can’t wait to go out there again and start working my way up towards the podium. I know I can do it and I know the car I am racing can do it - watch this space!

So how do I feel after my first season of racing? In a nutshell I loved it.. I loved every second spent racing; I loved every second spent making changes to the car and testing it. I loved that feeling the day before the race – that tingly feeling in the stomach that lets you think about nothing else but the next race… But above all I loved that adrenalin rush when the red lights go off on the start line and 30 cars take off like bullets.

One thought always came to mind before or after each race – however good or bad I do, at least I’m doing it. I’m living my dream and I’m loving it.
So for all of you that want to race – stop coming up with excuses and just do it. None of us will want to tell our grand children: “When I was young I was so cool… I wanted to race cars for a long time… and I kept thinking about it for years but I never actually did it!”

Finally, I’d just like to say a few words of gratitude for the Marlin Cars crew who made all of this possible for me.
It was their very reasonably priced ‘all inclusive’ privateer racing package that made racing an option for me (especially the bit where they bring the car to the circuit and race prepare it in between races). It was Mark’s technical and moral support that ensured that I had the best possible chance to do well in each race. But above all, it was being lucky enough to be a part of a very professional team (who were willing to share their extensive knowledge, listen to my feedback and improve the car race after race) that made the whole experience that much more special. Thanks guys!

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