Race Report - Cadwell Park 04/05 May 2008 (Derby Phoenix)
This meeting nicely followed on from the Retford & District meeting and meant for a full three days racing at Cadwell. With the weather obviously to special order and hottest temperatures of the year so far, it made for a great weekend and it reminded how good racing and paddock life is when you're able to have a few beers and a barbeque without shivering!
Sunday - Formula 600 Race 1
I was gridded 10th by way of my championship position after Brands, but I got an awful start and ended up dropping five places or more. I got myself back up to 12th by the end of the first lap and then managed to get into the top six by the end of the second lap. I then passed a couple more to get up to 4th as we started the fourth lap and then taking two places on the brakes into Park Corner to go 2nd. Ross Richards had got away by 4 or 5 seconds, but with four laps to go I was confident of catching him……or at least I was until the race was red flagged and despite being scheduled for 8 laps, it was declared a result! What was worse is that they took it back to the third lap for the result, which meant I was placed 4th. It's rare I bother, but 3 laps out of 8 is a bit ridiculous so I did complain in the race office that they should at least re-run it later in the day. However, it was to no avail.
Sunday - Formula 600 Race 2
The result in race 1 meant I was gridded 4th, which at Cadwell is not a particularly good position and I would have actually preferred 5th or even 6th, but I managed to get away ok this time and lost just one place into Coppice. I got that back easily enough in the first lap and managed to get to the front by midway through the second lap, out braking Ross Richards into Park Corner. I then built on my lead and took the win comfortably by nearly 12 seconds.
Monday - Formula 600 Race 1
This race had to be run three times after two red flags, the first one being after four laps and the second stoppage just midway through the second lap. By the time we restarted for the third time, there were only 20 or so runners left on the grid! As a result of all the stoppages, it was restricted to a re-run of four laps, so I focused on getting a good start and although I dropped a place to Ross Richards (who was a consistently fast starter all weekend), I got the lead at the end of Park Straight and went on to take the win by just over 7 seconds.
Monday - Formula 600 Race 2
This race was also cut short due to a red flag incident, but as we'd completed 5 out of a scheduled 8 laps it was declared a result. The race itself was fairly uneventful for me…..after a decent start, I got to the front in the front in the first lap and then built on the lead to win by nearly 5 seconds by the time race was stopped.
So that was the end to what had been a very good weekend, with a hatful of wins and some decent time back on the bike (or rather not off it like I had been up to this point!). The only downside was the laptimes, which with high 1:35's at best isn't fantastic and was actually slightly slower than two weeks before in the near freezing temperatures. Then again I didn't really get pushed so I suppose I have to look at it like that.
Thanks to Frankie for doing her thing and taking good care of me when I wasn't on the bike and for all her help around the paddock. I think she enjoyed it 50 times more than with New Era two weeks before, not only because of the weather, but she didn't have to suffer with a bad cold either! Mind you, she did get a bit of sunburn though, but that's self inflicted!