dbRacing - NSSCC Race Report Oulton Park 22nd September 2001

NSSCC Race Report - September 22nd 2001

Practice

A short 15 minute practice session for the full circuit means that only six or seven laps could be completed before the session ended. A number of competitors had been testing the day before so I expected qualification to be difficult. This was my first visit to Oulton park in the 924 so much of the time was used getting acclimatised to the way the car handled round this very technically demanding track. I got a couple of reasonable laps early on, but then got held up in traffic. I made a couple of overtaking moves and my last lap was clear which allowed me to improve my lap time by 5 seconds to qualify 12th overall

Race

The layout of the grid at Oulton Park is pretty good, with a 2 X 2 layout, but with enough width to permit overtaking at the start without being baulked. The start was unusual, their being no green flag lap separate from the formation lap, and there ware a number of cars around, including a very large Mustang which had the potential to be quick in a straight line, but less nimble on the twisty bits. Would my experience against the 911s in the Classic be valuable here ? The lights turned green, I sped off from the start, wheels spinning, but not too much as I rocketed past the mustang and three or four other cars as we approached Old Hall. Tucking to the inside we rounded Cascades and I was up to 7th place. I tried to stay with the leading pack, but after the fourth lap they started to pull away as I came under pressure from Ian Lawson in his BMW 3 series. At the exit from Knickerbrook I had a problem engaging third gear and he drew alongside as we accelerated up Clay Hill. He had the line as we crested the hill and I then had a rear view mirror full of a white Mitsubishi Evo 4. I pulled out some space over the next half lap to Cascades, but by the time we had rounded the Island he was back on my tail. He follwed me through the chicane and on the exit simply powered past me on the run down to Knickerbrook. As we climbed Clay Hill again the yellow flags were being waved. David Clarke and Andrew Morrisson had had a coming together at Druids and both were on the grass with heavy damage and out of the race. Waved yellow flags were in station for the remainder of the race at Druids, spoiling the opportunity for further passing manoeuvres there. The remaining 3 laps were uneventful, and I crossed the line in 7th place overall, 2nd in class.

A photograph from this race can be seen if you click here.