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….

I’ve also bought some OZ Superleggeras so I can have 2 sets of wheels with different tyres on.

Next race is on May bank holiday – 7th May – Motors TV Live Race Day – If you can’t get down to the circuit then check us out live on Sky channel 413 or Virgin Media channel 545 at 13:55 and 2nd race at 16:40

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

Fitted the new GTi doors and fitted my poly windows in, oh and gutted the doors, I hate cutting up perfectly good things lol! I couldn’t believe how much lighter the doors were, can hardly pick up a standard door but the GTi is easily picked up!! Probably about 10kg a door lighter. I also put some of the interior back in.

Interior Before:

Interior After:

Went from this:
 

To this: