Result: 8th overall, winner class D
The weekend started with disappointment as, late on Friday evening the boys had to admit defeat and take the difficult decision not to take Bluebell to Combe. Despite a load of new parts and a lot of effort we weren’t happy that the misfire from Cadwell had been cured and while it might not have been a big issue we couldn’t take the chance that it was a symptom of a problem like lean running at high rpm which, if ignored, will result in major and expensive engine damage. So it was left up to Mike and the Red C in only their second outing of the year to uphold team honour. Mike hasn’t raced at Combe for a few years as the series doesn’t visit this circuit every year so it was a case of familiarising himself with the track whilst also getting to grips with some changes to the rear suspension setup, the five link rear end that is new for this season is still really still ‘under development’ and after Mike’s feedback at Brands we’d changed the springs, the ride height and the damper settings so it was suck it and see time!
The 1.85 mile circuit at Combe is a mixture of fast open corners with a couple of chicanes thrown in to slow things down and it seemed to suit Mike and the car, he qualified 18th out of 35 and was 3rd in class D, not bad as there were some quick cars out there.
It was hot in the morning but by race time it was absolutely roasting with temperatures up in the 30′s, due to a couple of cars dropping out after qualifying Mike actually started from 16th on the grid and had a fantastic start making up 3 places on the first lap! Mike likes to make an early pitstop and by the time he came in on lap 8 he was running in 10th. A tidy pitstop bought him back out in 22nd but with most of the cars ahead still to make their stops by the time the pitstop window closed and everyone had been in he was back up to 11th. Mike is usually faster in the second stint and sure enough he posted his faster time two laps after the stop, he was still flying and despite a mistake on lap 24 at one of the chicanes that resulted in a spin that cost him 10 seconds he made up several more places to come home a fantastic 8th overall and win class D. A great drive on an unfamiliar circuit in extremely hot conditions, difficult for both machine and driver.
Best lap: 1:23.98
