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Time for Snetterton and 24 hours of 2CV

Time for Snetterton and 24 hours of 2CV. The 2CV Classic Racing Championship brings the curtain down on another magnificent season with the traditional 24-hour race, this time from Snetterton on 19/20 August.
Staged at Anglesey last year, which was our first ever 2CV race, the endurance event returns to Norfolk for what is viewed as the marque meeting of the year for all involved.
With the championship battle likely to still be up for grabs and everything to play, for the unpredictability of endurance racing is likely to throw a few spanners in the works as the 2CVs tackle Snetterton’s challenging layout.
The cars are evenly matched and wil provide an Intriguing contest as the event unfolds throughout the night. It will be a thrilling to see a rush of glowing headlights charging down the Norfolk circuit’s long straights.
Strategy will be key, with driver changes, pit stops and tyres all playing their part in deciding the outcome of the race. We may not know the identity of our winning team until very late in the race.
The Citroen 2CV is considered a French motoring icon and you can take a closer look at these machines with the paddock being open and free to spectators all weekend.
Lots of preparation has gone into this year’s car and we are lucky to have mechanics from Rebellion Racing’s the FIA World Endurance championship team.
We are hopeful of a strong showing and with some luck with reliability it’s going to be another challengin 24 hours of racing!
Our 2017 race partners are:
Etesia UK
Fusion Media
Spoox Motorsport
Tom Motorsport
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Tricolore Championship Heads to Oulton Park

Tricolore Championship Heads to Oulton Park. It’s been non-stop action so far, and as the Track Attack Tricolore Championship heads to Cheshire, another episode of thrilling racing is just around the corner.
Taking place this weekend, after the bank holiday round at Castle Coombe, is rounds 4 and 5 of the schedule at Oulton Park.
After the non-finish at Castle Combe last time out Tom Motorsport has been busy repairing the damage and changing parts on the Peugeot – a complete corner, along with bodywork has been changed. I’m eager to actually find out if some of the changes we made in readiness for the last round actually improve the car and Oulton Park is another new track to learn – it’s another steep learning curve!

DRIVER FAVOURITE OULTON PARK

Oulton Park is always one of the ‘driver favourites’ on the racing calendar and it’s been a track that I’ve wanted to try for a number of years. Nestled in the stunning Cheshire countryside with a glorious campsite overlooking the track, it proves a popular choice for both friends and families.
Built into the natural contours of the Cheshire countryside, Oulton Park’s combination of stunning scenery and spectacular racing make it one of the most picturesque and best-loved circuits for spectators and competitors alike. Over more than 60 years it has gathered a reputation as the country’s toughest test for both car and driver.
I’m certain that the mentality we all share in the team has been key to our success so far. Each and every member strive for excellence, ensuring that even when things are going good, we aim to improve – both from the car and also from the driving point of view.
This winning formula has kept us competitive regardless of any unfavourable circumstances in the past.
With Oulton Park being another new circuit I’ve been squatting up and watching lots of YouTube clips to try and learn the circuit as much as I can in preparation.
Preparing for this type of technical circuit is extremely motivating.There is no better feeling than the thrill of racing the Peugeot when it is set up well – and that is something that we have now got. I’m hopeful we can find that sweet spot this weekend and punch out a qualifying session that declares our intent for Saturday’s two races.
It won’t be easy – it never is, and there will be some very stiff competition, but if we keep our focus and can stay out of trouble, we should be in good shape for some strong finishes.
Thanks to Spoox Motorsport for all their advice and support and a massive thanks to Tom Motorsport who works so hard to prepare the car.
Our 2017 race partners are:
Etesia UK
Fusion Media
Spoox Motorsport
Tom Motorsport
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Bassett’s Combe race ends in blink of an eye

Bassett’s Combe race ends in blink of an eye. Following two decent results at Snetterton last month where we had Pole position (in the Tricolore Trophy) and two second’s in class behind Andrew Mitchell’s Peugeot 205 GTi, we headed for another new track over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
Following the differential failure from Snetterton, we had a new one fitted. Spoox Motorsport, suggested that we looked at changing the gear ratios in 3rd, 4th and 5th gears, so that was also done at the same time while the gearbox was out of the car.
I had heard plenty about Castle Combe from others that had raced there before and squatted up by watching lots of on-board footage to learn the track as much as I could before the race.
We headed out for qualifying hoping to follow some of the fancied cars for a few laps to find our feet, only to find the only clear part of the track! Qualifying ended with us down in 8th position (6th in Tricolore) out of 32 which didn’t seem to bad until we saw that we were nearly two seconds off the pace.
I felt there were a couple of reasons for this – firstly, it’s always hard to learn a new track in just 15 minutes of qualifying and we were running out of revs half way down one of the straights. A quick look on the laptop by Tom Motorsport, who prepares the car for each race, and a few adjustments to the rev limiter to allow the engine to rev higher before the first race meant we were confident of a strong showing once I got into the groove and had some more track time.
Sadly it wasn’t to be. Almost as quick as the lights went out, I was out of the race. Admittedly, I got a bad start due to too much wheel spin off of the line and slipped back four places. Just as the pack headed round the first kink off the line, I was going through the gearbox and just snatched 5th only to be hit on the offside rear quarter by a Mazda MX5 which span me to the right hand side of the track and into a Honda Integra. I hit the Honda which then spun me around the other way across the circuit and into the barrier backwards and out of the race.
The medics who follow at the back of each race for the first lap were quickly onto the scene and picked me up to give me an assessment. All was clear and after the race had finished, I head back to the paddock to survey the damage to the car.
Sadly, after inspection, the front suspension was too badly damaged to get out for race two. We also had damage to the front bumper, splitter, front wing, arch, door, rear bumper, rear quarter, rear arch, tail gate and lights – so there’s a lot to repair to be ready for the next round which is at Oulton Park in May!
Oulton Park is a circuit that I’ve wanted to race at since I watch Steve Soper in his BMW racing in the BTCC, so I’m certainly looking forward to getting some more track time on this one!
Thanks to Spoox Motorsport for all their advice and support and a massive thanks to Tom Motorsport who works so hard to prepare the car.
Our 2017 race partners are:
Etesia UK
Fusion Media
Spoox Motorsport
Tom Motorsport
Keep up-to-date with all our racing activities by following us on:
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Bassett Optimistic ahead of 2017 season

Bassett Optimistic ahead of 2017 season. Chris Bassett travels to Snetterton in Norfolk to begin his fourth consecutive season in the Peugeot 205 GTi later this month (25 march) and is cautiously optimistic, despite a change in race series from the BARC South East Cannons Tin Top Championship to the Track Attack JustMotorsportAds.com Tricolore trophy series.
That is not the only change for 2017. The new season signals the era of a new beginning with various upgrades to the Peugeot over the winter and new race sponsors in Spoox Motorsport.
The car itself was sent up to Spoox Motorsport’s base in Leicester shortly after the last race in 2016 and spent a few months in their workshop for Darren and Ben to go through everything from top to bottom and suggest upgrades to be made in readiness for the new season. A new braking set-up, suspension upgrades – both front and rear, new diff set-up and general set-up work to try and eek a little more time from the car were made before our testing schedule at our local track at Brands Hatch.
It was a great testing session which allowed us to test all of the new upgrades and get some valuable miles under our belt before the start of the new season – in fact we were able to complete six race distances and were also able to fit a passenger seat so that others could experience the track.
From Brands hatch, the car then went up to Chappell Coackworks for a new body kit and respray to look fresh for the new season, before heading ‘home’ to Tom Motorsport for the final set-up work and corner weight ahead of the first race.
Drawing inspiration from iconic motorsport corners such as Monza’s Parabolica and the Montreal Hairpin, the Snetterton 300 circuit hosts the highly anticipated 2017 season-opener.
As always, we are eager to get the new racing season underway and are looking forward to racing against new drivers and visiting new tracks – it will certainly be a new challenge from racing at Brands hatch every race!
The car feels quick, the balance feels good, the brakes are working well, the engine feels really strong and you can really feel the car working well. Spoox Motorsport along with Tom Motorsport have both done a great job over the winter to get to where we are now. I’m really looking forward to learning all of the new tracks and seeing where we finish – it’s been a long winter, but now we are raring to go!
Our 2017 race partners are:
Etesia UK
Fusion Media
Spoox Motorsport
Tom Motorsport
Keep up-to-date with all our racing activities by following us on:
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2016 Season Review

2016 Season Review. A solid start, missing the middle part and a few driver errors at the end of the season seems to be a fair reflection of how the 2016 BARC SE Quaife Cannons Tin Tops went.
Add to that a few wins and never finishing outside the top three all season (when we finished) and missing the championship by just nine points from eventual Champion Chris Whiteman and it’s not been a bad season at all.
What did spoil it however, was the endless bickering from other competitors and from people within the organising club. From not allowing drilled front bumpers (check the regulations boys), to the mounting of the weight we have to carry (still seems like we are being penalised from a strong 2015 finish and now have to carry nearly 80kgs of weight even though we get passed on the straight like we are standing still – how can you penalise someone for being quick around a corner?!), to the wide arches we run – again all within the rules, to how close we run to the weight limit – towards the end of the season we even had people from within the club say that people didn’t want to see us winning and that meetings had taken place behind closed doors to see what could be done to slow us down even further!

2016 Season Review

It seems sad that the organising club seem to pander to one person in particular. As a club, it has so much to offer, but the negatives are now far outweighing the positives of competing in this championship. This isn’t sour grapes – it’s a matter of fact. Throughout my racing career I’ve had to overcome adversity and this is no different. I’ve really enjoyed racing against the more powerful Honda Civic’s this year – it’s always nice to know that the Peugeot package is going to be competitive at which ever track we race at.
I like to think that I race hard, but fair. I will push as hard as I can (a little harder at times), and have had some great races with Chris Whiteman all season and Daniel Fisher later in the season. The three of us (and with Rod Birley at the early part of the season) were all within half a second of each other in the dry. What was really pleasing was that when power couldn’t be relied upon in the wet, we could find ourselves nearly two seconds quicker than the next car – Tom Motorsport worked extremely hard over the winter developing the car into what it is today – which is a good, quick all round package come sun or rain.
Since the season ending in November, we’ve had a lot of thinking to do – whether to just stick two fingers up at the club and go again in 2017 or whether to look at alternatives. If we decided to stick with the Tin Tops, we know the regulations would be changing – it might as well now be called the Civic and Saxo cup. So after four seasons, we are moving to a new challenge and the Tricolore Trophy.

2016 Season Review

I already know a couple of drivers competing in this championship and it’s a championship for French cars. We will be visiting new tracks and racing against new drivers so it promises to be another learning curve. It’ll be sad to leaving the Tin Tops – we’ve made a few friends along the way, but it also seems that a few other drivers will be leaving the series for some of the same reasons I’ve listed above.

The car is already being prepared in readiness of the 2017 season. It’s having a few upgrades by Spoox Motorsport who are Peugeot specialists, before ‘coming home’ to Tom Motorsport to carry out the final preparations in readiness for the first race at Snetterton in March.
I’d like to thank my race sponsors for this season – Complete Weed Control, Complete Ice Control, Etesia UK and Fusion Media who have made racing in 2016 possible along with Tom Motorsport who has prepared the car throughout the season and will continue to do so in 2017.
It’s exciting times ahead. I’ve now been asked to be a Spoox Motorsport driver and we will have new sponsors for 2017. We will continue to develop the car, and at last it will be nice to shed that 80kgs of ballast and see how quick we can really go!
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*Photos courtesy of BARC South East and Ambrose Motorsport Photography.

Bassett Reflects on Snetterton Races

Bassett Reflects on Snetterton Races. The BARC SE Quaife Cannons Tin Tops visited Snetterton in Norfolk for rounds 13 and 14 and with it we knew that if it was dry we would be at a disadvantage to some of the other front-running cars due to the power difference and straight-line speed.
Chris Whiteman in his Honda Civic Type R didn’t travel so the pressure was on for a decent points haul to try and close the gap he has in the championship.
Qualifying was wet but drying, so we opted for a dry set-up hoping that it would stay damp enough for the Peugeot not to lose out too much on the straights. We certainly left it late in the session, which has been the norm throughout the season, and ended up on pole by nearly two seconds from Fisher in the Honda Civic Type R and Peter Osborne in the Vauxhall Astra VXR.
We brought the car back to the pits for a quick check over before race one only to discover that half of the oil dipstick was missing and somewhere in the bottom of the sump.

Bassett Reflects on Snetterton Races

We were in two minds whether to race at all following this discovery – the missing part could have caused a pretty major engine failure and there wasn’t enough time between qualifying and race one to remove the sump to try and find it.
We decided to give it a go and headed out onto circuit with a little reservation as to if this decision would come back and haunt us.
Race One:
The race was still damp from qualifying and we made a good start and lead going into Riches and down into the Wilson hairpin only to see Fisher power past on the straight and into the lead. As we broke going into the Brundle and Nelson esses he seemed to outbrake himself and spin down the escape road, which left Osborne close on our tail and pulling alongside on the two long straights before we was able to outbrake him going into the corners.
After three laps and the trading of the lead several times, we were able to pull out an eight second lead which I was able to manage throughout the race without pushing too hard. Three quarters of the race distance completed and the safety car appeared for Ben Forbes stricken Citroen Saxo right on the racing line on the exit of Nelson. Efficient work by the marshalls meant that there would be a one lap dash for the remainder of the race!
As the safety car pulled off and into the pit lane we made another good start but saw the red Astra get his nose in front as we approached Riches. I kept my foot planted and after a bit of sideways action came out in front as myself, Osborne and Fisher, who had used the safety car to his advantage and closed the gap, dashed down to Wilson for the final time. Fisher outbraked Osborne and into second and luckily held each other up for long enough for me to open a gap going on the Bentley straight and the fastest part of the circuit.
Osborne powered past Fisher and up into second as we was able to open a two second lead to cross the line first and take the chequered flag.
Race Two:
We started in pole position again for the second race, but by this time the circuit had almost completely dried. As we headed into the first corner, I held onto the lead and remained in the lead for the first two laps. Osborne then came past on the Bentley straight and into the lead. By this time, I wasn’t able to get past on the bends and Osborne was able to open enough of an advantage on the straight to stay ahead in the corners.

That left us and Fisher to battle it out for second overall and class honours. I missed a gear on the Bentley straight which allowed Fisher to pass going into Brundle. We gave chase for the next two laps and made our move by outbraking the Honda going into the Wilson hairpin. Fisher then went past on Bentley straight like we were standing still before I tried to outbrake him again going into Brundle.
As I broke and shifted down the gears, I hit a damp patch under the bridge (probably the only part of the circuit still damp!) and spun towards the barrier. I was able to rejoin in third overall and second in class, which is how the race finished, so hopes of finishing in the top three of the championship are still alive if we get a decent result for the final two rounds at Brands Hatch next week.
We currently sit in fourth place (in class) behind Whiteman, Fisher and Graham Richardson – all Honda Civic Type R’s – that probably tells the story of what we are up against.

Bassett Reflects on Snetterton Races

As usual, a massive thanks to Tom Motorsport who prepares the Peugeot for the races and Spoox Motorsport for their invaluable help and assistance in the lead up to the races, along with my racing partners – Complete Weed Control, Complete Ice Control, Etesia UK and Fusion Media, for without their help, racing would not be possible.
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*Photos courtesy of BARC South East

Snetterton Race Preview

Snetterton Race Preview. So, as we head to Snetterton in Norfolk for the latest round of the BARC South East Quaife Cannons Tin Tops (2nd October) we are optimistic for a better weekend of racing compared to our last race at Brands Hatch on 17th September.
We left Brands Hatch with a feeling of might have been. Following the summer break, we qualified on pole for a our first race since the end of June, but that’s about as good as it got.
On pole by almost half a second from championship Chris Whiteman in his Honda Civic, we traded first and second for the first nine laps – the power of the Honda passing us on the straight but us, out-braking going into Paddock Hill bend and ahead for the rest of the lap until we reached the main straight.
And so the game Continued until the Peugeot developed what seemed like a misfire. We limped home in third place, picking up some vital points along the way. Still not a bad result considering the problems and another trip on to the podium.
During the break in-between race one and two, Tom Motorsport changed the coil pack, ignition leads, spark plugs and checked everything over to try and cure the problem. We headed into race two third on the grid, not knowing if the problem was fixed.

Snetterton Race Preview

We made a great start and squeezed between the two Honda’s of Chris and Daniel Fisher and into the lead. We began to build up a lead over the course of the rest of the lap while they squabbled for places and held each other up.
As we approached the start-finish line, the misfire returned and we lost two places to Daniel and Chris. Chris then passed Daniel a lap later and built up a comfortable lead he didn’t lose.
The misfire appeared to fix itself from the third lap for two laps and I was able to close back up to Daniel, until entering Paddock Hill Bend, The back stepped out, the engine spluttered and lost power, and a trip across the grass on the opposite side of the track was unavoidable.
I returned to the track back in 6th place and over the next two laps worked my way past Ken Angell’s BMW 3 Series and Graham Richardson’s Honda Civic. While closing in on Daniel Adams and his Proton Satria, a moment of brain fade (again going into Paddock Hill Bend) cost us any further points.
I’m still not quite sure why I thought it would be a good idea, but suffice to say, you can’t take the corner flat in 5th! A trip into the gravel, and so much lost time as a result, cost me another podium finish and we limped home in 14th and with the misfire returning.
The week after Brands Hatch, I was hoping to race in the Tricolor championship (a series specifically for French cars) at Mallory Park in Leicestershire. Tom Motorsport, who prepares the car, changed some of the parts which we thought might be causing us the problems and we decided to go testing to make sure we had the problem cured.
Unfortunately, the same problem persisted and we went home with even more problems than what we came with at the beginning of the day!

Snetterton Race Preview

A few phone calls and a trip to Leicester to Peugeot specialists Spoox Motorsport (which is where we purchase the majority of our spares and modifications from) and we felt we might have an answer. Both Darren and Ben from Spoox (along with Tom Burgess from Tom Motorsport) have been invaluable as we look to develop the Peugeot. Anyone with a Peugeot 205, should get in touch with them. What Darren and Ben don’t know about them isn’t worth knowing.
Before we traveled over to Norfolk for the next race, we felt it important we had another shake down test day at Brands Hatch – it’s the only place where we could replicate the exact same thing on the exact same piece of Tarmac – I just don’t think that a session on a rolling road would have been any help in this instance.
So, another day at Brands Hatch was booked, and fingers crossed, we think we found the problem – a faulty fuel pump. New pump fitted, along with a few other parts, and we effectively completed three race distances with no problems.
We’re now ready for our trip to Snetterton and looking forward to a better race weekend. Fingers crossed, but you never truly know – the race car is French and has a habit of surprising us!
A massive thank you to Tom Motorsport and Spoox Motorsport, along with my racing partners – Complete Weed Control, Complete Ice Control, Etesia UK and Fusion Media, for without their help, racing would not be possible.
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Targeting More Silverware

Bassett targeting more silverware as tin tops head to Brands Hatch.
After the summer break and competing in the Citroen 2CV 24 hour race, we head back to our home track at Brands Hatch for rounds eleven and twelve of the BARC South East Quaife / Cannons Tin Top Championship.
The first half of the season was largely successful with only one DNF out of the first eight races, but we missed rounds nine and ten due to an unplanned holiday so end up in third position in the championship (class T2).
We are only ten points off second, so a good point’s haul next time out could see us move back up the table.
With lots of rumours concerning the 2017 season and the possibility of yet more rule changes which will make the Peugeot ineligible for this championship (if true, the rule changes will only affect us), we are currently looking at alternatives.
There are plenty of championships willing to welcome us with open arms, which is a refreshing approach considering all of the politics we’ve had to endure over the past twelve months. Suffice to say, this will be the last season competing in the Tin Tops.
There are lots of championships open to us, and after some discussions with the organisers, I’m looking forward to a new challenge at some new tracks. We are planning to race the Citroen again, but this time the 24 hour race at Spa.
I’m also hoping to compete in a few other endurance races in a car a little faster – we’ve also had the offer of a BMW and a Honda, so that will be something to look forward to.
So, back to the 2016 season! We head back to Brands Hatch following a win and DNF in the last two rounds. We know the track well and are hopeful of another strong showing.
We expect another close and frantic weekend with strong competition. The Tin Tops Championship has so far delivered another nail biting season for us all and the Championship is still wide open.
We’re in a really strong position heading into the final six races but we also know a lot can happen over the course of a race weekend.
We’re in a decent place heading into this weekend. We’ve already enjoyed some good race weekends here this season with some good results.
On the back of the strong first half of the campaign, I’m confident of more strong finishes for the remainder of the season so that we can push up and table and close the gap to the top.
Rounds eleven and twelve of the Quaife / Cannons Tin Top Championship season take place at Brands Hatch on 17 September. Qualifying starts at 09:45. Race one is at 12:25 and race two is at 16:10.
A big thank you to my race sponsors Complete Ice Control, Complete Weed Control, Etesia UK, Fusion Media.
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Something a bit different

When someone mentioned to me that we would like to get you involved in an endurance race in a few weeks – are you up for it? The first thing that came to mind is that it might be a sports prototype, like you see rocketing down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, or perhaps a Porsche 911.
I must admit, that was certainly my first thought when asked if I wanted to compete in a 24 hour race at Anglesey in wales. I most certainly wasn’t thinking it would involve a Citroen 2CV!
So there you have it, four of us bought into the idea of a bit of fun, got the car and are heading to Wales this weekend.
Being designed in France in the 1940’s, the 2CV is simple to work on, lightweight, and parts are commonly available and cheap. Body panels easily remove with just a few bolts, and doors come off by opening them fully and lifting them off the hinges. Due to obscure tax rules in the 1940’s, the 2CV was fitted with low a capacity engine which is light enough to be lifted by just one person! During a 24 hour race, many things can fail or be damaged, so it’s very useful to be able to change them quickly and easily.
For a lot of drivers, endurance racing is more ‘civilised’ than ordinary 15-20 minute sprint racing – there’s usually a lot more care taken to preserve the cars, avoiding damage rather than crashing into each other at the first corner of lap 1 – more time spent out of the pits, the better. That’s not to say the racing has to be any less intense – it’s quite the norm for cars to be coming into a corner 2 or 3-abreast, after slipstreaming each other down the straight.
So our journey began a few weeks ago when the four drivers involved (myself, Tom Burgess from Tom Motorsport, Phil Jose and Andy Johnson) took the car for a shakedown test at Brands Hatch.

Something a bit different

The hardest thing about driving the 2CV is the gear change (it feels so unnatural) – the gear stick is mounted on the dashboard and changing gear can only be described like opening an umbrella. It’s a sideways movement rather than a standard ‘H pattern’ – you rotate the stick down and pull back for 1st gear, release to middle and in for 2nd, middle and out for 3rd, and finally rotate up and in for 4th. There’s no 5th! The second thing to get to grips with is the commitment you need during the corners. Where you would normally think about braking and changing down gears in a ‘normal’ race car, you remain flat and still accelerating! It took a few laps to get to grips with the car, but it was surprisingly easy to drive and well set-up – it was probably the most fun and enjoyable cars I’ve driven around a circuit. Keeping speed going into and coming out of corners will be key to setting a decent lap time as the horsepower of the engine is so low. I think it suits my driving style so it will be interesting to see what the race holds.
2CV racing cars have been driven by a wide range of people with varying experience from professional drivers to complete novices, and a team from the BBC TV programme Top Gear tried their hand in a 24-hour race (including The Stig). The professional drivers include Alan Gow (Series Director of the British Touring Car Championship), Paddy Hopkirk (winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally in a Mini Cooper S), Eugene O’Brian (BTCC), Ed McDonough, Phil Bennett (BTCC), and Carl Breeze (BTCC/Porsche cup). Other drivers include Mike Lindup – keyboard player from pop group Level 42, who has quite a passion for motor racing. After racing a 2CV in a one-hour endurance event, British Touring car driver Ian Flux was quoted as saying; “The Touring Cars Championship would kill for racing like this”.
Not many drivers can boast about having competed in a 24 hour race, without entering Le Mans and I’m certainly looking forward to the event!
A big thank you to my race sponsors Complete Ice Control, Complete Weed Control, Etesia UK, Fusion Media.
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The Highs and Lows of Motorsport

The Highs and Lows of Motorsport. Rounds seven and eight of the BARC SE Quaife Cannons Tin Tops saw us visit the Brands Hatch Indy circuit once again which also marked the half-way point in the season.
The first half couldn’t really have gone much better. A third, three second’s and two wins saw us sitting in 1^st position in the championship standings (Class T2) and third overall. But as someone once said, there is about 90% pain and 10% enjoyment in motorsport and so it proved.

We began qualifying in high spirits on a very wet track – the wet weather suits our Peugeot package and I am always confident in these conditions. The track was wet for the start of qualifying, but then the really hard rain began to fall half way the session which was probably the worst weather I’ve driven in.
Lots of standing water could be seen on various points of the circuit and you always felt that there could be an accident just waiting to happen.
We had an altercation with a Citroen Saxo coming out of Paddock Hill Bend when Chris Bicknell span in front of me and I had nowhere to go. Luckily it was only very minor contact and we were able to carry on. Two laps later, we were pushed on to the grass when lapping the Ford Puma of Adrian Matthews.
When the session finished, it was pleasing to see another pole. We ended up nearly four tenths of a second ahead of Rod Birley in the Honda Integra and then almost three seconds ahead of Terry Searles and Chris Whiteman (MG ZR 190 and Honda Civic Type R respectively).
The first race was the next day on the Sunday and with it, a dry track. The rain dance the night before obviously hadn’t worked! It was expected that some drivers might gain whereas others would lose out from the previous day’s wet qualifying. From the rolling start we just held the lead as both Birley and Whiteman pressured. Whiteman powered past to lead at the end of lap one, but then slipped wide at Paddock bend on lap three, allowing both us and Birley back through.
There then followed a titanic battle between the three of us as we began to pull clear of the chasing pack but were less than a second apart, until Birley had a misfire causing him to fall back. Whiteman then powered clear on the main straight and continued to lead until someone dropped oil pretty much all of the way around the track.

While starting to pass the back-makers, I made my move down the inside of the Honda going into Clearways, forcing Whiteman wide in the process. The Honda then hit some oil towards the outside and spun, allowing us to regain the lead . At one point we had a ten second lead, but with one eye on the rear view mirror decided to take it easy to ensure the win and strengthen our position in the championship taking no risks when lapping the slower cars.
Another top step of the podium beckoned and we cruised to our third outright win of the season. After a hectic first half of the race, which saw us swap the lead with Chris Whiteman four times, it was nice to take a leisurely drive to the chequered flag.

The Highs and Lows of Motorsport

Race two saw us once again start the race in pole position, but that is about as good as it got. As we powered down to the short run into Paddock Hill Bend, Chris Whiteman pulled slightly ahead, but on the outside line.
We braked into the first corner, still side by side, and all of a sudden the back of the car stepped out before a massive slide. I was able to hold it all together, thinking I had pushed too hard too early on cold tyres, but as we entered Druids, the same happened again – another big slide, but again, I was able to collect it.
As I was coming out of the corner and down the hill, a big spray of fluid came up from the bonnet and over the windscreen. I then slowed down and ended up coming into the pits.

A quick inspection under the bonnet from Tom Motorsport and it was game over for the day – a split water hose (probably the cheapest part on the car) caused fluid to leak on to our tyres and causing the spin before our first DNF of the season.
Later during the race, David Packham had a nasty looking accident, but it was pleasing to see him walk away before an overnight stay in hospital.
And so it ended. We’ve reached the half-way point in the season and after some consistent finishes which saw us gain three outright wins, a DNF has hampered our season. We headed in to these rounds leading the class championship, but now we find ourselves in second position behind Chris Whiteman’s Honda Civic Type R, albeit it just 17 points adrift.
Both myself as the driver and Tom Motorsport who prepare the Peugeot; have come a long way in two seasons. When we started out, we were hoping for top six positions and reliability and now we’re fighting for race wins each race.
So, as we head into the second half of the season, what are our future hopes? A few more highs, not many lows – much of the same please!
A big thank you to my race sponsors Complete Ice Control, Complete Weed Control, Etesia UK, Fusion Media and Tom Motorsport who prepares the car.
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