Brands Hatch - clearing the mind and exploring the soul

Brands Hatch was an interesting event for me.... it was full of mind games and realization, epiphanies and exercises that made me grow as a driver and person.


(© Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

The two weeks prior to Brands Hatch, I had cut milk out of my diet as it inhibited my ability to think, clogging my head. Unfortunately, by doing this I accidentally cut out my breakfast as I normally had cereal. You can see where this is heading right? Yes, come the Friday testing I was feeling quite weak, and the normally easy act of driving the car caused me massive pain and exhaustion. So in order to get myself back in working order ASAP, I ate pretty much non-stop in-between testing sessions, and had two suppers that night! With a few changes to the car that day, I did find some reasonable pace, though I wasn't where I normally was after the testing... I was quite disappointed, and didn't make the connection as to why until after race 1 on the next day... read on my friend.

Saturday morning was an early start, 7 o'clock sign on and qualifying at a dizzying 9am. Feeling better, but still not quite myself, I had a large breakfast, and continued to eat fruit and energy bars when I got to the track. While Qualifying didn't go particularly well, pace was found, and a few faults with the cars set up were mended. Throughout Friday and qualifying I couldn't quite pinpoint why I wasn't driving as hard, why I wasn't trying to push and find the fast lines and limits... something was broken in my head, and I didn't know what.


(© Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

For race 1 I was positive in getting my normal quick start, and managed to pick up 5 places in the opening laps. Then something strange occurred, something I'd never experienced before; I simply could not drive the car. I was looking the mirrors way too much, driving in them almost... I was watching the cars behind get closer, while the cars in front got lost in the distance. To conclude the race, I lost two places on the second to last lap and nearly lost a 3rd on the final lap. I managed to hold on comfortably to 12th place though. Afterwards I did my best to figure out how it'd happened... what in my brain had suddenly snapped in-between Spa Francorchamps and Brands Hatch.

That's where Linda Keen came in. I met Linda last year when she was recommended to me for helping with motorsports drivers. She is a sports psychotherapist, and specializes in getting people to focus and use their minds to reach their goal. She is bloody brilliant at it to say the least, she helped me massively last year, and without a doubt made me realize just what had caused my problems this fateful Saturday. We spent a while discussing what my brain was thinking during the race, and what I'd been doing for the 4 weeks prior to the race. She lead me to see that I had been suffocating my brain with work, thoughts, and fears about the 2014 racing season, it had completely stopped me from being able to focus on my racing. Even with what I had learned last year, it was impossible to think and believe positive outcomes when my brain was stuck like a rusted gearbox. She helped me psyche myself up again, boosted my positivity, which in turn allowed me to free my mind of the clogging thoughts about 2014.


(© Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

Race 2 was hectic, from my position at 16th on the grid (I mentioned qualifying didn't go well), I narrowly avoided some turn one crashes and moved up a couple of positions before the safety car boards came out. With the restart, I lost some distance to the cars in front, but then pulled it back in the following 3 corners. Fighting hard for the next place, I put in a 1:42.8 which ended up being my fastest lap of the weekend. Following that was the biggest move for position I've ever done - something I can't describe with words, you'll have to watch the video!



Race 3, as a result of race 2, was yet another race that I'd be working my way from the back in. 25th on the grid, man am I tired of being there... Next year I will have a budget worthy of my pace, and I will be up the front. For now though I'll look at the positives, and take all the overtaking practice I can get!

(©Aron Vickers http://www.flickr.com/photos/93040207@N06/)

From the start I picked up 3 places on the first straight followed by a further 3 in the second corner. All through the race I just worked my way up the pack, to where I was 11th on the road. My goal when I got in the car was to make it to the top ten. I was so determined, I moved my interior mirror so I was blind to cars behind on lap 3 (I used it way too much) and focused on taking the car in front. Lap after lap ticked by, and I was closing at almost a second per lap, putting in the most consistent lap times of my career, every one separated by less than 2 tenths of a second. 5 laps and I was up behind him, ready to find a way past... it's in the video, so you'll have to watch it to see how I got on ;).




(© Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

8th place after penalties for track limits were given to cars in front in race 3. I got to my goal in spades! All the way to the top ten from 25th, in just 20 minutes of racing. Not bad, but clearly I and my car belong at the pointy end. I crave being up the front, I want it more than anything I own, more than anyone I know... Money plays such a huge part of something that brings me such joy, it's saddening. Donington is coming up, and I've managed to scrounge enough money to do a test day before the Friday testing, and will be fighting because my life depends on it come race day.

(©Aron Vickers http://www.flickr.com/photos/93040207@N06/)

Racing is my passion, my one true calling, I can't get enough of it... driving is more than just fun for me, it's more than a pass time or a hobby, it is my all, my everything.

My life is wrapped into this choice to follow my dream more than anyone could know. I tirelessly work to make sure this passion can be continued into 2014, sponsorship partners will be in my future, this much passion has to go somewhere, right?


(© Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

Spa 2013 footage from the grand stands near Eau Rouge

Just found this footage by Megaracer100, and it's pretty awesome!

For this race, I started from the pitlane, and it's clear, in the shot of the pack going through Eau Rouge for the first time, I'm not even in it! The Medic car goes through the shot before I do! It just puts into perspective what I put in words, and shows how much time I had to claw back on that first lap to come through 2nd from last, then pull myself up to 13th!

Summer MOMO news

The latest from MOMO UK.

http://www.momo-uk.co.uk/News%202013%20on%20-/23.07.13%20MOMO%20UK%20Summer%20update.pdf

Great writeup about my exploits at Spa Francorchamps. Brands hatch coming soon, and really looking forward to it! I have spent quite a bit of time on the indy circuit, but this will be my first experience on the GP track, it should be a successful weekend!

Spa Francorchamps - Simply stunning. P4!

That piece of tarmac, that winding ribbon of black heaven, is quite frankly, my favourite place on this blue-green planet of ours.

Lets start with a picture. Here I am looking dashing, this is a great pic, Jakob did a great job on this one. The suit, undershirt, and everything else MOMO makes can be had through the MOMO links round this blog.

(all pictures ©Jakob Ebrey www.jakobebrey.com)

All of the week before the races I was watching the weather, hoping beyond hopes that the notoriously unpredictable Spa rain would hold off for my journey to the epic historic circuit. The day of departure the forecast still said fantastic sunny skies with warm temps - perfect. It's not that I don't like racing in the rain, I actually love it, but a place of such awesomeness just had to be driven in the dry.

For testing we had two 30 minute sessions, which for a lot of people wasn't enough, so a large number of the front running drivers went and did more testing beforehand. I did not, though I knew how the track moved and which way the corners went through religious study of onboard videos and Grand Tourismo 5. This, however, did not prepare me for the sheer elevation of the track, there isn't a single corner or straight on the entire 4.5 mile track that lacked a few meters of change. Never the less, in the first half hour session out on track I had knocked my laptime down to a very respectable 2:56, compared to one of the other drivers who had been there much much longer, they were running 2:50. Six seconds off in my first ever half hour session driving the track is something to be extremely proud of.

I'm working my way back up the field here, after some problems.


Sadly the second session was full of red flags and problems, so out of the full half hour we got just two flying laps in. These were both 2:56, so at least I was consistent and could work on finding time in qualifying the next day.

For qualifying I knew that I just had to push to get the speed up, as I knew it was a chance  to find pace and lap time before the races. I qualified 13th with a 2:52.1, 4 seconds off pole position 2:48.4. As this meant I had found 2 seconds of pace against the fastest drivers overnight, with no practice, I was pretty pleased!

Fighting for position through Eau Rouge

Race 1 went brilliantly! I started p13 and made quite a good start, not really moving forwards but not losing position either. Through Eau Rouge for the time, a big chunk of the leaders span and crashed, leapfrogging me from 14th to 7th. With the remaining 4 laps, I fought heavily with a few other cars, and made it to P4! Top 5! I was, and still am, ecstatic! First top 5 of the year... so fantastic. The safety car came out, and under that P1 blew his engine up, covering the track in oil. P4 slid off into the barrier, allowing me to move from 5th to 4th, however because I almost followed him into the barrier on the oil, the race was red flagged. Had it not been, P1 would have received a DNF and I could have been on the podium. It is pointless to think of what could have been, as focusing on how to make it happen properly is far more important.

Here is the race 1 video, from start to safety car. It's really exciting!



I work hard every day to make the podium my place, where I belong. In every race, every test session it gets closer and closer.


Race 2 was hectic, I started p13 just like before and got a pretty good start, but coming out of the first corner and continuing down the hill to Eau Rouge I was side by side with 2 other cars. Eau Rouge is hard enough as a single car. Spinning at 115mph is quite scary with 20 cars breathing down your neck. Luckily I stopped the car before ending up in the barrier, but it was a close thing. I rejoined at the very back of the 35 car grid. Throughout race 2 the car was just, unhappy. Unresponsive steering, no grip, lots of understeer, then oversteer, just a really unhappy handling car. Really I should have headed the warnings going into Eau Rouge for the first time, and not attempted to take the corner flat out like I had in race 1. As a racing driver though, with cars close behind and just ahead, I wanted the run, I wanted the positions, I needed to gain. It's just a shame the car was having some issues and couldn't hold the track.

I fought back up to somewhere around 20th position in the following couple of laps. I then came across three g40s in heavy battle, slowing each other down. I knew I was quicker than them, but on lap 4, I was in heavy battle and the grip was just... gone. Here's the video



As you can see, I catch the initial slide but the following snap of grip and reinstated slide just throws me off the track and into the tires. Damage to the car, but no damage to me thankfully.

Full race 2 video will fill this space soon.


Race 3!
Well, because I crashed out of race 2, my grid position was the 2nd to last row. The Optimum guys did a fantastic job getting the car out on time for the grid formation lap. The car wasn't in happy condition after my crash, but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. These Ginettas are fantastically tough machines!

While out on the formation lap the throttle got gradually more and more stuck open, to the extent I was on full throttle with my foot no where near it. I tried lining up on the grid to be ready for the green flag lap, but it was just boiling and destroying the clutch. I got pushed off the grid into the pits after the green flag lap started, the guys were there, ready and waiting to fix it. A quick troubleshoot later and the throttle was fixed. Somehow the clutch wasn't destroyed, so I was able to move to the end of the pit lane and start the race from there. What an experience that was! The lights go out on the grid, however I'm not allowed to leave pit lane until -after- the last car has passed the pit exit. This meant I started the race with stone cold slick tires, about 10 seconds down the road from 33rd in 34th position. This was my race though, it was time to work and find the pace.

Things went swimmingly; the car was better than race two but still not as happy as race 1. I managed to turn similar lap times, in the low 2:50s, with traffic and low grip. It wasn't there to improve my times as I knew I could. By the end of lap one I had gained one place; through lap 2 I gained 8 more. Lap 3 saw another 5 fall; lap 4 another 2. By lap 5 I was up with the G40s and continued to gain another 2 positions, even chasing down my own teammate. Lap 6 saw a further 2 positions, and coming round on the last lap, I moved up passed my team mate and took 15th place. 24 places in just 7 laps, just 20 minutes of racing. There's no better racing than that!

Unfortunately, due to the train schedule and getting a lift home, I did not have time to grab my race 3 footage, I may get lucky and have it at Brand Hatch, but it is unlikely.

Making my way through turn 1


Spa has left me wanting more. I love the track and the amazing hilly countryside in which it's set. It really made me see just how much I love driving, no matter where I am on the grid. I love to drive, I can't stop, it brings sheer joy to my heart...

Because of this, I'm always hunting partners to join me in my racing exploits, sponsors are what they're traditionally called, but as I only deal in mutually beneficial terms, it's a partnership. Don't hesitate to contact me, I'm more than happy to about talk what is available to you.

Till next time!

Snetterton 2013, found race pace, ran out of luck.

(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Sure seat time has a role to play, along with driver errors, but luck is second only to driver skill when it comes to making it onto the podium. Luck determines whether you get stuck with nowhere to go in a crash, or if you pick up a puncture or alignment damage. Skill gets you the speed, luck gets you the win.

Bad luck is what I had at Snetterton.

(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Qualifying went really well, with rain just before we hit the track, the field was bound to be mixed up. As the track dried out, luck said that the car destined for the checkered flag span on the last corner allowing me to slip by and pick up that one last flying lap that slid me happily into P4, my best qualifying of my rather short racing career. P7 was my second fastest time, and my second best outright qualifying position of all time, brilliant, two solid starting points for both races, right on.


(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Race 1... P4 on the grid, 2nd row, just 2 cars in front of me, just two... Calm and collected we entered turn 1 3 wide. 2 G40s and one G20, as the 20s get ripper starts, he was up there fighting for position. Now, it could be argued that he had no right to be there, as he's in a different slower car, and fighting for position with 40s just screws everybody over... but it's not always there in black and white. P2 span going through turn 1, causing the 20 to smash into the side of me, damaging my rear wheel alignment, and sending me right to the back of the back... Like I said, luck. Both the 20, and the car that span from P2 didn't finish the race due to damage. I however, did. I went into the pits on the first lap to make sure I hadn't picked up a puncture, and that any hanging body work could be ripped off, left the pits and continued the race, now 1 minute and 40 seconds behind the lead car. My car was crabbing really badly, to the extent I was driving down the straights with my steering wheel turned 90* to the right. Through the corners the car was even worse, unstable and unpredictable. Somehow I wrestled it around for 7 laps, putting in a clean 2:13.5, matching my best testing time of the day before... something inside me had clicked... something just seemed to be working now... I was driving quickly, after 3 months of trying to figure out how, I had cracked the code, and everything just fell into place!

(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Race 2, P7, I surely couldn't get the same bad luck as race 1, I knew I could work my way up the pack and fight for that podium with my new found speed. Guess what, bad luck struck again... You know, race 2 is so exciting to watch, I'm not going to tell you any information, you'll just have to watch it! It's my opening lap, and my fastest lap back to back. 2:11.7, 0.8 off the lead cars pace. I defintely had the pace, just not the luck. Absolutely insane. 

(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Race 3 I was ready for, really wanted to show that pace and pick off the places to the top. Again turn 1 I had an incident, not sure but it felt like I had a little help with my spin, but considering I was out on the rubber tire marbles from the GT race just before, it's entirely plausible that the car just lost grip. Again I had work to do... I enjoy overtaking, and racing up the pack, but it's not what I want, I WANT that podium, I need it... By the time we crossed the line for the end of lap 2, I had picked up 8 places and gone from 26th to 18th. By lap 4 I had moved up to 14th place. From lap 2 onwards, I was on the speed, through the traffic and slower G20s, I was well into the 2:13 lap times, and for the remaining laps, with minimal traffic, I put in another set of 3 2:12.0 lap times, just like race 2. I finished that race p14

Unfortunately I don't have race 3 video, or footage of the crash in race 1. The crash I really didn't feel like watching at the time, and I just wanted to ignore it and move on, remember the mood and zone I had just found to keep the pace.

Race 3s file format is incorrect, and I haven't figured out how to change it and make it work.

Here's a great comparison video between my fastest race lap (top) and my fastest test lap (bottom).

Spa is next, and with my new found confidence, speed, and calmness... Well, I'd say that to have my first podium, even my first win, be at Spa, I would be lost for words, and simply ecstatic. SIM time for learning Spa, and some time in the car at Silverstone will just cement my new driving style, and improve that first podium chance.

My MOMO gear was flawless as always, kept me cool and comfortable in every race. click on the MOMO logos here on the site to go look at getting your own great gear.

The guys also did a great job fixing the car up after the incidents, making sure it was race ready well in time. Fantastic work by the Optimum Motorsport boys as usual.


(©Jakob Ebrey - www.jakobebrey.com)

Almost felt the podium under my feet... Silverstone - round 3, races 7, 8, & 9

Well, the title give a little bit away, really it's just to get you interested. And interested you should be... Round 3 was on the magnificent Silverstone Grand Prix track, a dream venue for many, my personal favorite, and my "local" being just 40 minutes away.

For Friday testing it was raining, heavily at one point, to the extent visibility went down to what hit the windscreen. Earlier in the day however, the track was dry enough to be running pretty quick on wet tyres, not quite dry enough for slicks though. A few select corners stayed slippery, and if you went in just a little too fast they turned round and bit your head off! Because of that, I had a spin going through Stow, a fast right hander at the "bottom" of the track.


Qualifying went really well, I went out at the start of the session with my heart already running 150bpm because there had been a wiring fault it was running on just a couple cylinders. We found this just 20 minutes before needing to head out for qually, and because of the shear awesomeness of the team (Steve and Dom mainly) I arrived in assembly with about 5 minutes to spare, didn't miss a thing! Really great job by the guys to get the car out, brilliant. Began the session and put two banker laps in, then popped into the pits to take a break and check tyre pressures. Shot back out and manage one last flying lap that put me 9th on the grid for race 1, with a time 2 seconds faster than earlier, 2:29.5. 2:31 put me 12th on the grid for race 2.


(©Jakob Ebrey - http://jakobebrey.com/)

I do have to praise MOMO yet again, as the whole weekend it was sunny and warm, yet in the car driving I stayed the coolest I ever have. The suit, gloves and gear in general just breathes better than anything I've experienced. Highly recommended and great quality. Check out their website through the links here, and give them a follow on twitter! - @MOMOUK1

Race 1, a glimpse at what is to come. 9th was my second highest starting to date, and I managed to capitalize on that moving up to 6th in the first few laps. On lap four, going into "the loop" some marbles or oil or something had found its way onto my tyres when making the pass for 6th 2 corners earlier. This span me round while trail braking to make the apex... All cars behind made it passed without contact or issue, however after I got restarted I was 13th, 3 seconds behind 12th place.

I had work to do.

A few quick maneuvers and my weekends fastest lap, 2:28.5, meant I was hot on the exhaust of P7 with 1 corner left in the last lap... I'll let you watch the video to see what happens!



Race 2, p12, not an abnormal starting position for me... not something I'm proud about, but it does mean I've had lots of practice passing people! With the G20s right behind, I knew one or two would get ahead of me on the start, they always do, so I just focused forward, knowing they'd soon drop behind. I managed to pick up 2 spot on the start, and then over the next couple of laps moved my way forward place by place, taking a total of 3 positions on the first lap. now p9 I settled in and focused on catching the group I had lost while gaining the previous places. It was a very clean race, and on the final lap I had a great scrap with Ben Hyland, where we each left each other millimeters of racing space while fighting for that 6th spot. Check the video out!



Race 3... starting p6 for race 3, just like Rockingham. But unlike Rockingham I was determined not to go backwards the whole race... not through lack of pace anyhow. The red light went out and p2 bogged the start, but I managed a clean quick start and stormed 5th into the battle for 2nd with 3 other drivers. Through turn 1, p5, front wheels inline with the rear of p4 coming up to maggotts and becketts, a left kink followed by a slower right hander, which I was perfectly set up to take the inside line for. Woohoo! Through turn two and in 3rd! Took 4th under braking and with my car on the apex p3 had to stay wide. Ben Hyland had followed me through and was hot on my tail, with Oliver Basey-fisher breathing down our necks wanting his p2 back from the start. Through lap 1 I held my ground, and kept pace well with the top 2, while defending heavily from the two behind, losing out and sliding into 4th at the last corner. P4 was now in need of serious defending, Hyland wanted that spot. I held it for another lap and a half, until a snap oversteer threw me out of the fight and nearly into the wall. Returning to the track in 10th, 2 seconds behind my teammate Thiago Calvet, I again found myself with work to do after running in the top 3... Unfortunate. Well, I knuckled down and threw down the times, working my way up and passed competitors, working my way into 8th place, a mere .7 seconds of 7th.

This video is the most exciting by far... P3 by turn two from 6th on the grid.



I am over the moon with my progress, very little testing, and when you consider this is my first real full season racing, and I didn't kart when I was younger... The future's bright and exciting, follow it all here, or be a part of that future and contact me for info!

Speed, pace, and race craft are definitely coming on strong, bit more time in the car and I'm sure I'll be giving the seasoned drivers a good run for their money.


(©Jakob Ebrey - http://jakobebrey.com/)

My hope is to get testing in immanently, make my feet feel that podium, with the cold glorious trophy in my hand!

Ginetta Challenge round 2, Rockingham races 1-3 and best result of 2013!

Wow, just, wow. The weekend started out great with a full 2 hours of track time Saturday, bring the lap times down and getting ready for the seriousness of the weekend. Rain in one session meant I had some quality time in car learning how the thing handled, throwing it into drifts and slides around the corners, and investigating the way it understeered or oversteered depending on the throttle.



Sunday morning was met with blue skies and balmy 16* weather, and a long free practice meant hot hot temps in the car, getting on for 40*+. Lots of water of course, hydration is very important, and I got ready to deal with the heat. That morning I had put on my new MOMO racing suit, and my god, the difference in comfort levels between it and my old Alpinestars suit was immense. I'm honestly hand on heart not saying this for any other reason other than it's true, but the MOMO line of gear is ridiculously immensely comfortable! In the car I noticed that the MOMO gear got rid of heat really well, and seemed to keep me a lot cooler, even though it was hotter than the last race. The suit, boots, and gloves are the most comfortable pieces of racing gear I've ever worn, or tried, go and check out their site to get your own! www.momo-uk.co.uk


(©Jakob Ebrey - Jakobebrey.com)

I of course used all the time I could during free practice. Lap times stayed consistent, not quite picking up the pace I would have liked, but in during the video I noticed something I hadn't in the car, I was thinking about the money. I was thinking about how on earth I'd fix the car if I smashed into the wall, or got collected by another car... this wasn't good for my speed.

A quick relaxation and focus session later, I was ready for qualifying. Bam, 2 seconds dropped and I was running 1:40s, no more negative thoughts, and I was driving the car as fast as I could figure out how. This put me 13th on the grid, about 2 seconds off 2nd place pace. Between qualifying and race 1, I spent considerable time studying data and looking at my videos to see where my time was, and it all seemed to be in the braking zones for corners, hmm something to work on during the race!



Race 1 was eventful, a slightly slow start for me lead to one or two places dropped, then I got stuck in the traffic heading down the inside of turn 2. Turn 2 is a sharp hairpin left, and when 15 cars are defending or trying to overtake down the inside, it get tight, quick. Lesson learned? Yeah, for race 2 go round the outside! During the rest of lap 1 of race 1, I climbed my way to 10th place, an accidental bit of contact between myself and teammate Jason Kenny left a tyre mark on the side of my car. A very solid race, with lap times almost identical to qualifying, meant I was a happy man at the end of day 1. Another top 10 finish, brilliant!

RACE 1 video



(©Jakob Ebrey - Jakobebrey.com)

Monday, day 2 of the event, and boy was it a good one. Early morning warm up, and on the old test tyres used for practice the day before, and magically a solid second had been dropped from my time! Having a clear head, being focused and not thinking about money is the easiest way to drive fast.



Race 2, again, started 13th, this was because in qualifying my fastest and second fastest times were just .15 of a second from each other. It's just as well the new MOMO suit is so comfortable and keeps body temps down, race two was even hotter than race 1, and I had to work even harder. Through turn 2, the hair pin, I stuck the car out wide and used the space to take a number of cars, and pushed my way into the top ten. Gradually working my way through a couple more cars, I picked my way to 5th, ready for a top 5 result! On laps 6, 7, and 8, I put in my fastest race laps of the weekend, 1:40.8, 1:40.4 and 1:40.6 respectively. On lap 8, my front sway bar link snapped, and about a second dropped out of my lap time, two laps and a lot of oversteer later, I lost out and moved into 6th place. I managed to hold onto 6th, over my team mate Thiago Calvet in 7th, for the remaining few laps, and took my best racing result of 2013, a fantastic 6th place!

RACE 2 video



(©Jakob Ebrey - Jakobebrey.com)

Race 3 was eventful. It will sound like racing drivers excuses, but I'll tell the story exactly how it happened. Between races 2 and 3, we discovered the front anti roll bar link had broken, but before I knew, I had said we should swap the tyres from front to rear, to counteract the oversteer I was having throughout the last half of race 2 (broken link). Just before heading out of the assembly area, the judicial camera decided not to work, and nearly made me miss the parade lap. However, all this lead to my best start of the weekend, picking up a place through turn 1, and fighting 3 abreast for 3rd going through turn 2, I get pushed very wide onto the grass and have to back off or lose more than just that battle. Through the first lap, I move from 6th into 7th, as I can't get the car to turn on and work for me, something didn't feel the same as race 2, it didn't want to work. Then during lap 2 the shift lights stopped working, and when momentum is everything, and hitting the limiter stops the cars acceleration dead in its tracks does serious damage for straight speed and getting out of corners quickly, it was a huge hit to pace. Throughout the race though I never gave up and tried as many different styles, turn ins, exits, and tricks as I could think of to bring the car back up to pace. I gradually lost places down to 10th, never letting a single one by without a fight though, the car may not be working, but I can make it defend!

I did manage, on the second to last lap of the race, get the pace back to 1:40.4, but by then all it did was make sure that a top 10 finish was in the bag, keeping 11th place at bay for the final lap.

(©Peter - motorsportpete flickr)

With two 10th, and one 6th place finish, pace and potential is showing up in spades, and it's only a matter of time before I'm standing on the steps of the podium. With the solid results from the weekend, I have also jumped into 9th in the championship, just 2 points behind 8th, and just 106 points behind 1st. With 15 races left in the year, anything can happen, and I will be working just as hard to smash my way into the top 5, which is currently occupied by 5 two year + veterans of G40 racing.



The MOMO GT3 BMW Z4 was running well until a mechanical failure took it out of the race.