15th November

Remember! Remember! The fifth of November. We certainly shall, and the fourth of November also.

The final races of the Track and Race Saloon Car championship certainly went with a bang with both being red flagged for serious looking incidents. Fortunately no one was hurt but several cars were definitely the worse for it.

Qualifying had been a fairly quiet affair with the BX being brought gently up to speed before the revs were upped and the brake pedal pushed that little bit later. Turn-in did not feel right so I pulled off early and returned to the paddock for John to give the front end the once over. He returned the settings back to normal; he had given the front a touch of toe-out; and off we went to breakfast.

Position 22 on the grid was soon 21, 20, 19, 18 as the Citroen galloped up to Paddock. Over the crest and a big braking moment to assess the situation and back on it and through the gaps to Druids and into the top ten. Turn in and bang! An Integra R was bulldozing the BX through the hairpin having smacked into the car. The two cars parted momentarily before the Honda slid across the Citroen’s bow. With the steering broken and my right foot firmly planted the Citroen lurched forward into the back of the Honda which promptly disappeared as the BX snaked down the hill stopping by the armco on the left hand side. Engine off and out to safety only to be told the race had been stopped. We were towed back to the paddock and repairs were soon under way. What looked like superficial damage was in fact fairly major with several steering and suspension components bent or broken not to mention the missing lights and bumper.

For the Sunday race we started 27th which was converted to about 8th by the end of lap one as all hell broke out around the track with cars flying through the air and others bouncing off the armco. It was another stoppage situation. I had been lucky finding gaps to progress so quickly even more so as it was apparent that the BX was not in the best of health. With no new spares available the car had been rebuilt using decidedly second hand parts and there was a lot of vibration through the brakes and a steady shimmy through the steering. Back to 27th and start again. This time we were all away cleanly and the shortened race saw us up to 18th by the flag.

So the 2006 season ends with the BX in a very creditable tenth overall from about 90 competitors and 2nd in class C out of 15.

7th November

Witmun Engineering Team BX Sport and its supporters would like to offer their sincere condolences to Gail and her family on the sudden death of her husband.

13th October – 9th Round

Back to Lydden for the final time this year and the first drop score round. Having scored in the previous eight rounds, it was imperative to pick up some good points to keep our championship top ten hopes alive and to secure second in class.

A fairly laid back timetable allowed breakfast to be taken before qualifying. The usual full English; egg, bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, toast and coffee; was soon consumed. The continuing high quality standards and value for money we have come to expect from our brekkie in place, there was no problem in voting Gail’s café as our number one. We held an award ceremony later in the day and duly presented Gail with the Witmun Engineering Team BX Sport Best Brekkie 2006 certificate.

Qualifying was a couple of reasonably quick laps not aided by the lack of gears. First was there when the BX left the paddock and so was second. Somewhere, somehow they managed to slip away after a few laps and leave 3rd and 4th as the only options. These two gears are fine for 2/3rds of the circuit but 2nd is required for the Elbow and the Hairpin, still I pushed on to check out the repaired suspension and steering components. All felt fine. Back in the paddock John was soon under the car and tinkering away.

The first and second gears were back as the Citroen trundled down to form up, although they disappeared again on the green flag lap. For most of the races we have had rolling starts but today Sod’s Law dictated that the starts would be of the standing variety. As expected, the world, his wife, their kids, a milk float and a couple of snails managed to get away before me. Main thing was to get a finish and get the car back in one piece for race two. Sixth in class became 5th as the Megane spun off at Chessons, the double class winning 306 did an impression of the Amoco Cadiz which eventually led to the exit of the Bradley Golf. The 306 pulled off, but the Megane was back on and soon by and away. At the flag it was the 306 powered 205 of Hargreaves followed home by the Toyota and the Renault and then a fairly relieved Citroen pilot.

The gears were not coming back so race two was to be more of the same; race for most of the lap and then a walking pace up the hill and round the hairpin. We had more points already than on our last outing and with the Golf failing to score we could eliminate it from the chase for the vice championship of class C. All we needed to guarantee the BX number two status was another fourth or the 205 to be beaten. The inevitable slow start saw us at the back again but into the groove by lap two and a steady stream of mid 50s laps kept us faintly in touch with the Golf. The Megane gave up two laps from home; it had led the class at one point; and we had our 4th place. At the front the Toyota led home the 205.

Once again we got the BX to the finish and the consistent points scoring has kept us towards the top of the table. Our 9th place overall is testament to this. The 205 has jumped up to 13th from 18th and the Golf has entered the top twenty at number 18. Next up is Brands. Bring it on.

12th September – 8th Round

A collision with a VW Golf resulted in the BX being withdrawn from race 2 at Lydden. The accident happened in qualifying when I came up behind two Golfs. The Bradley Golf had already spun just seconds after taking to the track when diving inside the BX at Chessons. I went left and avoided the VW as it slid to a halt. Trying to bed in the new brakes the Golf was soon back in front and running behind the Ahmed version. From where I was seated it looked like the black Golf lifted or even brake tested the white one. Result was damage to the front near side as it smacked into the rear corner of the Bradley machine. We went round for another couple of laps to finish bedding in the brakes even though the car was pulling left with the bumper wrapped around the tyre.

The near side front corner had extensive damage and the team set about stripping the car. With the wing, bonnet, bumper and lights patched up and no other obvious damage the car lined up for the first race. From the start I knew something was wrong as I set about improving on the 8th; out of 10; place grid slot fighting the car to stop it turning left. Fortunately others in the class were having their own problems so we moved up to 6th by the flag. Main class rival Hargreaves in the 306 powered 205 had a collision and dropped to third while the Robertson 306 took the honours. The Astra ventilated its block and the Megane suffered a similar problem to the one we had at Brands with the car cutting out. The other guys are well adrift of our points total so not all was lost especially as the Gane Honda was absent.

The car was found to have a fractured wishbone and bent steering joint and with no spares available we withdrew from race 2 on safety grounds. With 2 championship rounds left the team need to pick up some decent points to remain in the overall top ten although second in class looks fairly safe.

3rd September 2006

The BX Sport Citroen is now up for sale.

For 2007 the team are hoping to enter the Maxx Sport series with a new car. The Dunlop supported race series will contest 6 rounds, with 2 races at each round. Class structure is based on power/weight ratio with class A cars up to 110 bhp, B 111 – 130, C 131 – 160 and D 161 and above. Class will be for 4wd cars. If we are to succeed in this new venture we have to start planning now. The search for sponsorship is already underway along with talks with the championship coordinators to try an estimate a realistic budget.

We will keep you posted on any new developments.

21st August – 7th Round

Brands Hatch again, and hopes of climbing the championship ladder faded when the entry list revealed not one, but 3 Hondas, the Pug 306-16, the 306-16 powered 205, the Toyota former touring car and others to make up the 10 car class list. The BX looked good for 9th.

Things looked better after taking 6th in qualifying due to the non-appearance of 3 cars, not last, we had the Golf behind us.

The lights went out for the start of race one and the BX took off like a scalded cat. From 24th to possibly 13th by Clearways for the first time, and a stalling engine on the exit. Burbling up to the line the engine caught and away we went. No problem until we were back at Clearways and again the engine died; the fantastic start had become null and void as cars filed by. The on/off nature of the engine made it difficult to decide on tactics as it would cut out or die one lap and be fine for the next. Lap 6 we were up to 5th in class as the 306 pulled off but the Golf was now looming large in the rear view. Tight cornering and early braking kept it at bay until the flag.

Race two was worse as the Golf was by before Paddock and away. It took 7 or 8 laps to work out the best way of driving for what speed there was and after trailing the VW for 10 laps we were back on terms and led at the end of eleven. Despite my best efforts he slipped by on lap 12 as the engine died away and opened a 50 metre gap before the Citroen came back to life. He defended Druids well and we entered Clearways bumper to bumper. I cut back early with two wheels on the wrong side of the rumble strip to slide alongside only for the engine to fade away as we pulled ahead. A quick dip of the clutch and bang we back in business with a drag race to the line. The gap was 0.020 and with a Honda missing 4th in class was claimed by the Witmun machine.

The day had ended better than expected, a 5th and a 4th far exceeding the potential 9th places that been envisaged at the start of the day. But the problem still has to be rectified. Water had been found in the fuel after race one, John and Rene had the filter out, pumped out the fuel but before the tank could be removed we had to go back out. The meeting was running over an hour ahead of schedule and maybe we would have found the cause, although the class result would have probably been the same.

C’est la vie!

Breakfast was better this week, the only downer being burnt sausages. Lydden are in the driving seat for the top brekkie title and the result should be known on September 9th.

25th July – 6th Round

Round 6 and we are in to the second half of the Dunlop Track and Race Car saloon championship; the venue, Brands Hatch. I love this circuit and the BX goes well here as we have plenty of time to settle the car between each corner. The first half of the season has gone well with the points tally racking up nicely to place the team 7th overall of the 60 plus competitors and 2nd in class C. Targets set before we started were top 5 in class and top twenty overall, so a couple more solid finishes are needed in the next 5 rounds to help us attain our original goals and help maintain our current position

Before we get to the nitty-gritty of the racing, I must say bonjour to the Falkland Islands, and in particular to the guys following the antics of the Witmun Engineering Team BX Sport 16 valver.

Qualifying was a tad fraught. The car would not pull out of the corners. The result was 29th slot on the grid with an abysmal 59.4 best. I usually plod around for the required 3 laps, pick up the pace and look to set a reasonable time in the following 3 laps, traffic permitting. For fourteen laps I circulated trying different lines, moving the braking point and angle of attack at each corner and still the time would not come. Down the straight, look across at John and Rene working the pit board only to be dismayed at the 59 point something that appeared each time in large yellow numbers to leave us 5th quickest in class.

Frustration was eased slightly by a big pile of food placed in front of me in the Hailwood’s cafe. Breakfast time! They certainly piled it on but quantity can not make up for quality so Lydden are still in pole position for the Brekkie Stakes.

Trundling down to the forming up area for race one my mind was working out how to hustle the BX through the traffic to win the class. Reality check and the knowledge that the Honda Integra Type R gets round about 5 seconds quicker than the Citroen lowered the sights to 3rd in an effort to maintain the solid finishes previously mentioned. Ten minutes later and we are exiting Clearways and the whole field was down to milk float pace and then the red lights disappeared. Safely through Paddock and Druids. Along Cooper Straight and a drag race with a Golf. There’s easily room for two but the VW was moving further and further left squeezing the BX onto the grass, a dab of the brakes did little to slow the Cit and contact ensued. Back on track and another VW to deal with, this time the Dodwell turbo Scirocco which had got the run on me. We crossed the line together and Tim eased ahead only to brake, nothing for it but to go round him at Paddock. Move completed and nothing much wrong with the grip and the engine was certainly picking up a lot faster. John’s tinkering was paying dividends and the next laps were in the 58s and the pack in front was getting closer.

Once up with them it was fun time as five of us took it in turns to pass each other several times in the next few laps. Each time I picked one off another took its place; the BX got by three of them and would be overtaken by one of them as it got by the fourth. A slight excursion into the gravel at Druids due to a Fiesta suddenly swinging left as the Escort WRC came up to lap us dropped us back. It did not take long to catch up the squabbling group but it was the last lap and the five of us were caught exiting Clearways by the second place plastic fantastic Tigra leaving no time to move up further.

For race two we lined up in race one finish order so we were in at 23 and hoping to go even quicker this time and improve on the 58.5 and 3rd in class. Two Fords sat in front and they were passed on the first run up to Paddock, next time through it was the TVR

that was demoted. The Renault Megane was still in sight but it was proving difficult to pass the Ribbens Escort and even when the deed was done I could not shake him off. I took a gamble and pressed on using the racing line and prayed he would not try and dive through under braking. A couple of tours and we were up to the Pye Alfa and heading down to Paddock as one. A sharp intake of breath, a clench of the buttocks and make the move inside the Alfa cornering as one wide car. We were as close as can be without swapping paint as we exited and headed up to Druids. Covering the inside allowed the Alfa alongside on the exit so I went deep for the left hander to give us both room to avoid a collision. Cooper Straight and with my nose in front he lifted and we entered Clearways bumper-to-bumper. All the time this was going on I was trying to chase down the Megane which was next on track and also hoping that Ribbens could get on terms with the Italian machine. The lap board was showing 7 to go and the gap was the length of the main straight, the board showed 5 and the gap was halved, 3 and time to clench the buttocks again. The Alfa followed and at Druids we were a gang of 4, Citroen, Alfa, Renault, Ford. Pye had another go which was covered with the result that the exit speed from Clearways was compromised. Across the line I could see the Alfa and Escort in the rear-view, the nearside mirror was folded in so I had no idea where the Megane was. I played safe and braked early keeping a tight line, no sign of yellow. He had gone. I gave the thumbs up to Rene stationed on the inside of Druids and got on with the job in hand. Pye certainly wanted the place and kept me honest to the flag separated by a couple of tenths.

John and Rene had certainly sorted the car out between races with a 58.0 best and 15th overall the result. Plenty of work to do before Round 7 though including a new screen, new indicators and headlights; they have all suffered bullet wounds. The screen looks like cracked ice with lines running in all directions from half-a-dozen stone chips. The paintwork needs touching up in places, especially the front bumper. New front calipers are also on the list plus some steel hoses and rose joints.

Before I go and a little thank you to David Oates and his team for supplying fuel for the second race and to Martin Evans for his continued support.

25th June – 5th Round

The BX has not been to Castle Combe since 1993 when it ran in the Auto Express Thundersaloon championship. The times can not be easily compared as the circuit owners have added a couple of chicanes since then which slows the lap speed considerably and as with all chicanes upsets the balance on the Witmun prepared machine.

So first target was set at 1.30.0 for qualifying; we were hoping to hit the 1.28s; and the BX obliged with a 1.26.165 for 3rd in class; we thought. The track looks smooth but is considerably rippled which is again not ideal, especially under heavy braking, as the car only runs 17 bar in the spheres. We discussed a change to conventionally pressured units but decided to stick with the 17s feeling that the ride would be more compromised by the extra body roll brought on by the softer dampered items.

The race was fast and furious. A Golf, Escort and Astra hassled the Cit for the opening laps until a Bee-Em starting from the back started to join in and eventually led to the BX going rallycrossing at the second chicane after a big lock-up as the turbo blocked out the entry. Rejoining behind the Escort it was a couple of laps before we could get back on terms and a strong run out of Camp had the BX nipping around the Ford under braking before setting off after the Golf. The Gti was being driven very well and very smoothly, so it took another couple of laps to tee him up for a last lap pass.

Prize giving for race one was done on Saturday afternoon to allow us all to get away quickly after the Sunday race. To say I was disappointed to have fought so hard for a class podium only to find that another car had been reclassified as a C runner and we were in fact 4th was an understatement, and a bit off a shock.

We were having breakfast at the hotel on Sunday morning but decided against it’s inclusion in the brekkie league as we had the full spread from fruit juice, cereals, fry-up, toast and marmalade and pastries. The circuit offering had been sampled Saturday and was good enough to take bronze medal position. With the top two so close; Lydden and Brands; and both circuits to be revisited, it looks like the top spot could come down to second, or maybe even third helpings so to speak.

Sunday was another bright sunny start to the day but the local forecast was for a chance of rain late afternoon. We lined up in finish order from race one and trundled round for another rolling start, lights off, and the tightly bunched pack moved faster on the outside line and I watched the Golf and Escort slip by as we were kept over to the right as the fast charging guys from the back made their way through. A good run up the hill had the Citroen diving back to its rightful place and steadily eking out a gap.

Having spoke to a circuit instructor before the start I tried a couple of different lines which although unsettling the car to a fair degree did prove quicker and allowed use of a higher gear exiting the second chicane and Camp corner. The result was a best of 1.23.106 and another 4th. The last few laps had been run at a reduced pace, with a careful eye on the mirrors, to save what was left of the brakes.

12th June – 4th Round

It had to happen eventually, although it was a close run thing. There’s a new number one. Yes, it’s true the Lydden brekkie has pushed Aniie’s Brands offering in to 2nd spot in the breakfast league table. Double sausage, double bacon, fried egg on toast, mushrooms, beans, bread and butter, plus coffee for only £4. Lucky us. We’ve another two rounds at the Kent circuit!

Qualifying went well and with 9 cars entered in our class the BX grabbed 12th spot on the grid and third in class behind you guessed it, the Honda Integra type R and the 306 16v engined Pug 205. The fact that the Citroen got below the 50 second barrier was very encouraging and John’s revised geometry settings certainly made the turn in feel more precise with less understeer.

Race one was eventful to say the least. With a rolling start and sitting on the outside of the grid my aim was to get to the inside at Chessons; it nearly worked! The Megane had started on the inside a row back but had a partial overlap so no way inside as we entered the corner, the Escort in front moved towards the left and I did not need an invitation. The front grip was just enough to haul the BX onto the kerbing in front of the Renault and start to move alongside the Ford. The Ford moved right only to find a white BX already there, with nowhere else to go my instinct took over as the Escort went broadside and a gentle turn left and a bootful of throttle saw the Ford turn through another 90 degrees and slide down the side of the BX in the wrong direction. Behind us several others had there own moments and saved my position on track. Head down and out to breakaway from the blue and yellow Megane, he certainly was trying hard to find a way by. Lap after lap we played cat and mouse, with the Renault closing the gap at incredible speed under braking only to find the Cit had just enough to keep in front.

Tenth overall and second in class with the 205 now sidelined with clutch problems, a 49.2 best lap was better than hoped.

Race two and again on the outside with the Megane one row back on the inside, same plan only this time it worked better. A half-hearted attempt at the Elbow was no worry as the BX had the inside for the hairpin and round we went again. The Renault seeing a gap would dive at it only to find the door firmly shut, fortunately Andy’s brakes were always able to pull him up in time. The gap to the Alfa in front opened to about 10 seconds after about 12 laps so I concentrated on chasing it and opening a gap to the Megane. At the flag the BX was 7 seconds behind the Alfa with 2 seconds back to the other french machine. It was a good race. I had driven for points and that meant staying in front and not racing others that may have resulted in the Megane slipping through. It worked and our third second in class in a row has reinforced our class championship position.

Breaking News

Check out www.wendysprules.co.uk to see who Gary and the BXSPORT team are hoping to help acheive her ambition of becoming a racing driver.

TV cameras will be at Castle Combe meeting on June24th/25th

13th May – 3rd Round

Sunny Snetterton in Norfolk saw the smallest entry list so far this season with only! 30 cars, 6 of which were in class C. What variety! The BX was up against the class leading Honda Integra Type R, the 306 16v engined 205, a 306Gti, a Vauxhall Astra Gsi and a Golf Gti. But before the racing there was the task of signing-on and scrutineering; no problems with either for the Witmun Engineering team but several others fell foul of the scrutineers mainly due to faults with fire extinguisher systems.
Before hitting the track, John replaced the front pads and swapped the tyres aided by Rene, and Bernard set to cleaning the car. A couple of easy laps to bed the pads in and bring the tyres gently up to temperature and then toe down and try for a quicker lap. Just the one fast lap and back in to cool the brakes and get the car checked over before the race. Well the car was checked after breakfast actually. A good bit of grub, not quite on par with Brands but easily pushing Silverstone down to third in the brekkie league table.

Lining up 21st (4th in class) is better than 21st at Silverstone. You can see the flipping lights, not that they were too relevant with a rolling start, it would be foot hard down exiting the last chicane whatever colour they’re showing. The opening laps were frenetic with drivers all looking for that gap to give them another place up the leaderboard. Down the Revett Straight for the second time and a sense of something being not quite right, through the chicane, the Bombhole and onto Coram, definitely something going on with the steering. To make matters worse the car decided next time round to pull slowly up the rev band from around 6500 and would not make 7000 by the end of the straight. The gap to the chasers was diminishing, back down to 4th, 3rd, 2nd through the chicane and all seemed well, 3rd, Bombhole, 4th, Coram and again a slight reluctance to rev freely. End of lap 4 and across the line with the next 2 cars 0.3 and 0.5 seconds behind. The BX was the meat in the sandwich at Sear and exiting Riches was down another place. Red flag. The pole-sitting Cossie had gone off at Coram. The driver was out and standing on the bank; the car an absolute mess. With the results being declared at the end of the last lap completed, my two adversaries (Audi TT and Escort) found themselves in 19th and 20th place respectively with the BX claiming its best overall finish position of 18th and yet another 3rd in class.
With only one hour or so before the next race the team set to work on finding the faults. A broken rose joint on the bottom arm was traced and replaced but with cars being called to line up there was no time to check for the engine gremlins. A stonking start and a run up the inside line picked up a few places before the inevitable stutter returned and cars filed by. A late jump on the brakes pulled a place back and a bit of careful placement made the Cit too wide to overtake for a couple of laps. The car cleared its throat for about 3 laps and I thought all was well as the gap closed to the car in front. Back came the stutter but renewed confidence in the handling saw the lap times only drop a couple of tenths to finish 17th and 2nd in class. A best lap of 1.28.759 was nearly 8 seconds adrift of the class winning Integra that managed to lap us just as we reached the flag.

At prize giving not only did we pick up a pot for class 2nd overall but I was presented with a Dunlop cap and a bottle of bubbly for “Driver of the Race” in race one.

29th April – 2nd Race Report

The home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, and round two of the Track and Race Car championship with a very healthy entry of 40 cars.

The BX sailed through scrutineering and once back in the paddock the car was soon up on stands and Rene and Bernard fitted the new boots in the shape of Toyo 888 205/50 x 15s. John was busy with the graphics on the new lighter weight doors so I slipped off to get suited and booted and attend the driver’s briefing. Wandering back to the team I was taken aback at how good the racer looks with its new decals in place and sporting the colour coded 6J Compomotive TH alloys.

Out on the track it was a case of not ragging the tyres so for a few laps it was point and squirt, easy through the corners, point and squirt. Half-a-dozen laps and time to pick up the pace, three quicker laps and then into the pitlane to allow the tyres to cool. Breakfast time! Let’s just say it is not a patch on the full-house brands brekkie.

Row 13 and 26th place on the grid means you are on Woodcote bend and can only see two of the five lights on the gantry but we still managed a reasonable start and kept out of trouble on the first lap. Sitting back in class 4th it was encouraging that the ex Dutch touring car Renault Megane was not getting away. Down Club Straight for the second time and now tucked in close behind, jink left and 3rd place for about 2 seconds before the blue and yellow machine outbraked me in to Brooklands. Up to Maggots and back to 3rd before losing out at Becketts, another drag race down Club nosing ahead for a few yards before the Renault nipped back in front. The rear view mirror was now full of Mini which went by on the exit of Luffield and got alongside my class adversary allowing me to get a tow through Copse and hold him out wide at Becketts. The extra couple of yards were enough to keep him behind at Brooklands and the BX moved away to claim another 3rd in class and 23rd overall.

A better start was undone when my hero from race one; the Mini; failed to move when the lights were extinguished and the Megane and a Fiesta demoted the Citroen to 5th! The traffic jam and a spinner at Becketts was a god-send and the BX was guided over the kerb and picked up about ten spots before the quicker cars sorted themselves out and powered back but we were now 4th and back on the bootlid of our French friend. Déjà vu! The Mini was recovering and closing fast but the BX was up to 3rd before he could assist this time courtesy of a dive up the inside at Maggots. The next few laps were spent gently pulling away only for the good work to be nearly wasted when the leaders loomed large and a moment of generosity; almost stopping on the entry to Brooklands; to let them race to the line saw the Renault close the gap to 2 seconds at the flag.

Yet another 3rd in class, this time 20th overall and a best lap in the 1. 12s, not bad, albeit 5 seconds adrift of the class winning Honda Integra Type R. Next stop Snetterton in Norfolk.

17th April – 1st Race Report

The Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch has seen some of the world’s greatest cars over the years and over the Easter weekend it added another to the list – a Citroen BX 16v!

A massive entry list of 49 cars was whittled down to 39 before qualifying started with many teams failing to get their cars ready to race in time. So with 44 places on the grid and no need to take it easy many drivers put brain in neutral and foot flat to the floor. Result. Ten minutes of practice before the red flags appeared. It was time enough for the BX to claim 29th spot and the car returned to the paddock for a quick check over and more importantly the team could grab some breakfast. The 2.01.754 was a couple of seconds slower than hoped but given the state of the track and the M25 crowding it was good enough for 4th in class.

The weather held for race one, and 36 cars sped round to take the rolling start; not wishing to do much more than give the car a shakedown the Citroen slipped back a couple of places before being assaulted by an Astra, causing the rear to step out and another couple of places to be lost. So end of lap one and 34th, the car felt fine despite its mauling so time to push on and raise the revs. End of lap 2 and now 32nd with two Fords parked up. Druids for the third time and back up to class 5th and closing on the Astra and 4th placed Focus. The BX and Ford swapped places for each of the following three corners before the French machine finally eased ahead. The Astra proved very difficult to pass but persistence paid off. A dice with a Sapphire Cossie ended when the yellow car disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the chase was on for yet another Ford as the last lap was started, at Paddock the gap was down to 20 yards and at Druids the cars were together. The orange Ford without warning exited stage left and the Citroen cruised to the flag in 22nd position and 3rd in class. The best lap of 1.54.293 better than expected and it was felt there was more to come.

Race two was wet! Very wet! Having believed the weatherman the treaded tyres were left at home so the phase 2 of Top Tax director Martin Evans was soon up on stands minus its Michelins. Another steady start and another couple of places lost on the opening lap but still 3rd in class holding off the 4th and 5th placed Fords which were trying to climb in the boot of the BX. A yellow flag, a slowing car and 5 places lost as the pack filed through. The tyres were giving no real feedback and not a lot of grip but a push was needed if we were not to drop back further. Surprisingly the guys who had passed did not go any faster than on the previous laps and were picked off one-by-one until we reached 21st spot and the red flag was brought out for a car stopped on the Brabham Straight.

So two 3rds giving 3rd overall for the class and a tidy points haul. Roll on Silverstone.

27th March

Provisional list of entries for Brands Hatch on April 15th has been released and can be viewed here ENTRIES

4th March

Pre’93 has only been given challenge series status and therefore no championship. We have decided to concentrate our efforts on the Dunlop Track and Race Car Saloon Championship which kicks off at Brands Hatch on April 15th

11th February

The rebuild is progressing nicely and at the moment it looks like the team will be entering into the pre’93 championship and Classic Thunder.Final decisions will be made once the season is underway

14th January

At the close of the 2005 season the team did not waste any time in starting work on the car ready for the next years racing.

A replacement roof without sunroof was sourced and has now ben fitted, the engine is out for a strip down and details will follow.

Bodywork as a whole is receiving attention and the paint work guys are busy preparing everything ready for when the reassembly begins.

However things are still unclear class wise as Gary Cole reports below,

Due to changes being made within the Classic Touring Car Racing Club it appears that we will be competing in a new series in 2006, called Pre ’93 Touring Cars. Classic Thunder still exists albeit with a 4 class structure based on the modified classes A, B, C and D. The production based class E and F cars are to be incorporated in the new Pre ’93s along with Rover Tomcats, VW Ventos and BMWs from the Milltek series. An alternative to racing with CTCRC in one of the above championships is to run with the TRC saloon championship. The TRC will be racing at Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Lydden and Castle Combe during 2006.

2006 Dunlop Track and Racecar Race Dates

April 15th	Brands Hatch GP
April 29th	Silverstone
May 13th	Snetterton
June 10th/11th	Lydden
June 24th	Castle Combe
July 23rd	Brands Hatch
August 20th	Brands Hatch
September 9th	Lydden
October 7th	Lydden
November 4th	Brands Hatch

 

Dunlop Track and Racecar Info