David Rose

YouTube Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TgcePXUgpk

As usual with a race that’s going out live on TV there was a big grid! 37 cars qualified and I managed to qualify 20th on the grid, 4th in class with a time of 1:41.952 which I was very happy with. It was raining for the whole of qualifying which seems to suit me!!

Before the first race the sun came out and a dry line started to form and then it started to rain so I decided that I would stick with my “wet tyres”. Got an ok start and going up into Quarry I couldn’t see a thing as you’ll see in my video. Cars were everywhere! I’d managed to make up 2 places in the first lap, Bill in his Ibiza managed to get past after I made a bit of a mistake a few laps later. My main goal really was to get past Steve Sutton in his 106 as he’s in the same class as me. On the 8th lap I managed to get past him around the outside of camp as he made a little mistake This put me up into 3rd in class and 17th overall. I got some good traction around the outside of Tower past Bill but braked farrr to late and understeered a lot. Bill squeezed past the inside of Carl Loader in his Saxo going round Quarry, pushing him wide which allowed me to slide through after him as well. I knew I had good traction around the outside of Tower so decided I should go for it again and managed to pull it off this time and there was the chequered flag!! (although some people didn’t realise *cough* Bill lol). Anyway a great race for me and my best ever result and a little trophy, 3rd in class and 15th overall

Race 2 report to follow….

YouTube Video: David Rose Castle Combe Saloons 9t April 2012

First race of the season for a change!! I’ve never done the first race and I’d never done a wet race either…was dry the day before but unfortunately the forecast was right and it rained all Monday!! I went out for qualifying on a set of Yokohama AD08′s and what a mistake that was, it was like I was driving on ice, no matter the speed I took a corner I was sideways which made things quite interesting. I qualified dead last with a time of 1:58:108 so I could only go forwards lol!!

After qualifying we noticed the front wheels were towing out for some reason so we lined them up a bit better by eye as I don’t have a toe gauge and I also managed to get a set of Toyo T1R’s brought from home (my old tyres) and got them fitted before the race. I got a good start and I moved up 8 cars in the first lap and another 3/4 on the second before Annie King span in front of me and my car seemed to copy lol!I managed to rejoin losing a few places and then on the way up Folly I had a good run alongside Paul Gardner but he didn’t know I was there and came across me so I lifted and that sent me into a slide (fastest part of the track on a slight bend is not where you want to lift lol!!). So I lost a few more positions however I soon moved back up a few places but coming towards the Esses the exhaust started blowing massively so I pulled in and was towed back at the end of the race. Had a look under the car and the exhaust manifold had broken where it joins the cat pipe, which is strange but so far I’m assuming I must have knocked it somewhere.

Progress has definitely been made and the car feels a lot faster with the new gearbox, I was up to 3rd in class before I span and subsequently stopped, which is a great result! So I’m very happy with the car and hopefully next time I’ll finish