I have to admit, this is probably going to be a short one.
Round 2 of the BRSCC Mazda Mx-5 Supercup was cut very short following a weekend ending mechanical failure, due to a faulty part. Fortunately for us, the damage seems to have been limited and Oulton we can finally start to see the progress of all the hard work that has been put into the car over the past 12 months!
The weekend itself started in tricky conditions Friday morning, and still rocking the dry set up that improved the car drastically at Silverstone, the first session turned into quite an eye opening experience, as the car felt like it would have been better on ice skates than tyres. Thankfully, that was the last meaningful running we would get in the wet for the weekend.
After one exploratory lap on the wet tyres on what turned out to be an almost completely dry circuit, we bolted on the dry tyres and the car started to feel a lot better immediately, but still on an intermediate set up between the dry and wet, there was a lot of improvement to be made in the car but the handling was ok. However, session 3 the car was completely undriveable and I was lapping around 3 seconds off the pace I had in the damp conditions, drastic changes were needed.
Drastic is exactly what happened, and the pace in clear air, without any tow was on pace to potentially be able to sneak a podium if things went our way in the races, the car felt balanced and quick. We went to scrutineering for a long wait before finally getting the green light that we were ready to race, but as it turns out, the reliability warning signs were already starting to show.
Qualifying Saturday morning was a very dry session, and with no changes made from Friday evening, the car was ready to go.
Driving out the pit lane however I got a rude awakening as to how little grip the dry Kumho tyres have from cold, as I didn't even get half way around turn 1 at a very sedate pace before I had an arm full of opposite lock and took up lawn mowing! Weirdly for me, that wasn't the only off track excursion I would have in a frantic session.
The early exchanges being in the pack resulted in a few slower lap times getting held up as we all battled through the slower cars to eventually starting to get some clear laps in but with no real effective tow. The lap I did complete in a tow ended up being slower due to having to overtake cars as is always the way.
Towards the end of the session the car started to feel better and better, but going under the bridge I started to get fluid on the windscreen. With all the gauges showing normal, I thought it was the car in front dropping fluid, until he pitted and the fluid was still appearing. The last lap I was showing 0.5seconds up on my fastest lap as I entered the final corner and locked up in a very strange manner, taking to the grass and essentially aborting what would have comfortably been my fastest lap of the session.
With qualifying over the team very quickly got the car back in the awning to assess the situation, with the outcome looking pretty bleak. Having put the car on the 4th row and alongside Colin Turkington for Race 1 and 2, a good start to the weekend was starting to take a turn for the worse.
With a few things tried to limp the car through the race without causing further damage, we decided to take the start of race 1 and hope the problem would stay away long enough for us to get the race in.
After a great start, and coming through the melee of the turn 2 hairpin, I was still inside the top 10 and started to bring in the battling pack in front until lap 2 at the hairpin I had another strange lock up and by the time I got to turn 3, the fluid was already coming back out onto the windscreen, from there I pulled off the racing line and got the car to the nearest escape road.
Weekend over.
The following week has been spent diagnosing the problem and a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Fingers crossed and all eyes are focused on Oulton Park at the end of May.
See you at Oulton.
Jack
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