Tuscan racer Graham Walden reports on the latest rounds in the Dunlop Tuscan Challenge. This is the third of a multi-part report
Pembrey
Although the PH-sponsored car had performed faultlessly for the first time this season at Castle Combe, it was plain from the race video that things had moved on and we needed more power to compete. With this in mind the car went back to Castle Race Engines for some engine fettling. The guys put in a tremendous amount of work over the next couple of weeks to get the engine out and ready.
It was a double header over the weekend, so Friday practice really comes into its own and, with only the one abortive test day before the Silverstone round, we really needed testing time to set the car up. So the plan was I’d pick the car up on Thursday night and head down to Pembrey that night. That didn’t happen as we needed more time to prep the car. I got to CRE at Silverstone on Friday morning, still hoping to get some afternoon testing in.
It didn’t happen. I eventually left at about 9.30 pm, not helped by having to hurriedly remove, dismantling and rebuilding the silencer, after worries about the level of noise it was making when we loaded the car in the trailer. I eventually arrived at Pembrey at about 1:30 am and grabbed a few hours sleep in the caravan Pops had dragged down.
The class A Cars were away at the Britcar V8 round, so the Welsh Sports and Saloons put on a full grid. This meant it was an early start on Saturday as scrutineering took place just after 7 am and the first race was due off at 9.15.
Those that know me will know I’m not a fan of early mornings -- or mornings in general -- so still half asleep I was strapped into the car for qualifying. The car felt quick but not perhaps as quick as I’d expected, I was also getting some pinking as we’d not had time to re map the ECU and the gauge was showing the engine running lean. With that in mind, I put in some reasonable laps but was short shifting to stop the pinking. I wasn’t too worried about qualifying as I’m quite confident around Pembrey and knew that with some tweaks to the ECU map it would be quicker.
When the results came out I was about four tenths behind Marc Hockin and sixth on the grid behind the Radicals and Junos of the Welsh Sports and Saloons, with the rest of the TVR pack and the saloon cars behind me.
Back in the paddock we discovered a failed plug lead, so things were looking up: I’d qualified on only seven cylinders. With the lap top plugged in and an eye on the Lambda gauge we added more fuel to parts of the engine map.
Race one -- we won!
On the form-up lap for the race the car felt like someone had strapped a couple of superchargers to it. It was much more powerful than the morning. At the start the two sports prototypes in front of me and Marc were slow away and we both got the drop on them to the first corner. For the rest of that lap I was all over the back of Marc, and as he start of the second lap I had a go down the inside into the hairpin. I got past but couldn’t slow the car down, running wide and letting Marc back past. I held station behind him for the rest of the lap, getting better drive out of Honda curve and pulling up the inside again down the straight. Marc did try to gently squeeze me over but I was having none of it and held my line.
With the brakes and tyres now up to temperature and holding the inside line I kept Marc to the outside into the hairpin and came out in the lead. For the next couple of laps I tried really hard and put in some fast times to build up about a six second lead over Marc, after that I had to back off to just maintain the gap as my second-hand tyres were now well past their best.
We crossed the line for our first win of the season, well overdue and very satisfying. Marc commented we had both been pushing very hard and gone about two seconds quicker than our qualifying times.
Howard’s race was a very short one with his gear lever snapping off the start, Cliff had another interesting race, tangling with another car and being called off the track due to dropping bits of his car on it. Iain Jones in the Chimaera also had an interesting time with a couple of spins (all caught on camera) and problems with his clutch.
After the cars were checked over, we all headed for the circuit restaurant for a meal and the customary few beers.
Second race and a spin
The following day once again arrived rather early, and we were soon out for qualifying. Unfortunately we were without Howard as not only had he snapped the gear lever, he had somehow managed to break the gearbox casing. In checking the car over we had found that two of our tyres were very marginal with one starting to blister and loose rubber from the centre showing canvas.
Our plan in qualifying was to do as few laps as possible to conserve the tyres so after an installation lap I started pushing. Pops was timing the other cars and signalling on the pit board, so with a healthy lead as soon as the times started to drop off, he pulled me in. We then had the nerve-racking wait to see if anyone would go any faster, but they didn’t and we took our first pole position of the season.
Come the race we lost another car as Iain’s clutch called it a day in qualifying and he headed off for home. Mark Freeman had come along to see what it was all about and help out. He’s now borrowed a race car and should be out on track at Rockingham.
When the lights went out at the start of the race I got away well but then the engine died and bogged down, losing me a couple of places and allowing Marc to get ahead. I took back a couple of places into the hairpin but then, going into the second corner side by side with a Sierra Cossy, he got a wiggle on under braking and in taking avoiding action I spun across the track and onto the grass, stalling the engine. As I tried to start the engine the entire pack including the doctor's fast response car went past, leaving me last on the road and half a lap behind Marc.
I got the car started and pulled back onto the track after what seemed like an age. I flicked the headlights on this was going to be interesting. I was then on maximum attack, and carved my way through the pack taking no prisoners. Apparently the pit wall atmosphere was electric as they watched my progress through the pack. Every lap I came round Honda right on the edge either on the outside or the inside of another car. I was closing in on Marc at about two seconds a lap. With about six minutes to go -- some five or six laps -- I had the gap down to under five seconds, and could see Marc ahead of me. The pit board showed I had the time to catch and try and take the lead, but then one of the sports prototypes went off and the second hairpin and the red flags came out ending the race and taking away my chance of regaining the lead.
Aftermath
Although I didn’t win I did get fastest lap by over two seconds and had actually had a fantastic race. It’s often the way that its not necessarily the races you win that are the most fun.
We left Pembrey in good spirits the car had run well, we knew it needed mapping properly but that would only make it better. We’d got some good results and were back in the hunt for the title, although unless Marc had a problem it would be very difficult to overhaul his lead.
We'll have the next instalment from this facinating warts and all account tomorrow
