Race Report - Cadwell Park 21st/22nd May 2005 (North Gloucester)
This turned out to be a weekend of mixed fortunes to say the least! With some good results and decent laptimes the weekend before with Derby Phoenix, I was looking forward to getting out there with NG to see what I could do. However, unfortunately I had to wait until the Sunday before I could get out and race!
Lesley had been under the weather a little bit, having been in hospital 10 days previous to have an operation and whilst all seemed to be going ok, she woke up Saturday morning and was not well. I went out for practice, but when I got back it was clear that she wasn't any better so we had to get one of the ambulances off the circuit to rush her to Grimsby hospital to get sorted out.......it was strange following an ambulance from a race circuit rather than actually being in it! Five hours later the hospital decided not to operate again and let her out. She's ok now and fingers crossed no more problems, but it did mean that I missed the day's racing!
Sunday Races
It rained overnight Saturday, so when I went out for Sunday morning practice on wets and really enjoyed myself. It was drying out though (stayed dry all day although it did threaten to rain at times), so by the time the Formula 400 Qualifier race came along I was on drys. I got a good start (for a change!) from 10th on the grid and don't really remember too much about the race other than chasing James Cox down all the way, wondering why he has to ride so wild and how on earth he hangs on to it! Come the last lap, I was 2nd and had a massive lead on Charlie Bishop in 3rd, so I dropped off to settle for the 2nd place.
The Open 400 Qualifier turned out to be an excellent race and my best of the season so far, not least of all because it was y first ever win! I was gridded 6th and got another good start to move up to 3rd on the first lap. Pete Thompson was leading and made a bit of a hash of it through Gooseneck on lap two and went onto the grass, so it was then between just me and James Cox. On lap four I took James round the outside going up through Coppice and knew that if I could hold him off down Park Straight then I could win it as I was much quicker through Gooseneck, Mountain, Woodlands, etc. I held it all the way to the finish and even managed to put a bit of a gap between us, taking my first win by just under a second from James. I have to say that going over the line to take my first win was fantastic and a moment I'll certainly remember! To top it all I got the fastest lap too with a 1:41.18, although I did go a bit quicker in the F400 points race to get my fastest lap of the weekend.
Onto the F400 points race and yet another good start meant that I held second and then actually went into the lead for a couple of laps, but Pete Thompson took the lead off me on lap 4 and I could only manage second. I chased Pete for a wile, but he was riding very well and lapping in the 1:40's so got away by just over a second at the finish. Simon Gates was behind me in third and catching as well by all accounts.
In the Open 400 points race I lead from the start, albeit I lost the lead for a couple of corners to the guy that eventually won it. I rode as hard as I could, but made a mistake on lap 4 and he passed me. I lost him for a little bit, but then caught him again towards the end of the race and was so close to moving on him through Woodlands on the last lap......I just needed to be that bit more aggressive and I'd have passed him, but it wasn't to be so I ended up second.
So after an eventful weekend both on and off the circuit, I came away very happy and collected £80 in prize money (£40 for each 2d place in the points races) too! Also, another weekend of good results at a circuit where last year I was a full 5 seconds slower in the MRO round there in August 2004, so I'm very happy!