Thruxton Race 1

Unfortunately my video only record the first 8 minutes of race 1 and nothing of race 2 – typical!

1st classic graduates race win at Thruxton

Tigger rebuilt and its racing time at Thruxton, Hampshire for Rounds 9 & 10 of the Caterham graduates racing series Championship.

Wow what a turn around. People talk about the highs and lows of Motorsport but this really has been a roller-coaster ride. With the car rebuilt after driving into the pitwall at Anglesey during practise at the last round to getting back out in the car at Thruxton. I did my ARDS for the first time at Thruxton before it lapsed so I had only completed about 3 laps before the weekend and that was back in November 2005!

I had 2x25 min practise sessions on Friday to learn the circuit and get back up to speed.

I had an amazing qualifying session and managed to secure double pole position. Being 0.7 seconds faster than 2nd place and setting both times quicker than the clubs lap record. (unfortunately its not another lap record to add to my name as they need to completed during the race)

Race 1 was a scramble in the top pack. Changing positions every lap. I managed to get to the lead in lap 3 but with the slipstream effect at Thruxton I could not hold it. It was a great typical caterham battle, positions changing all the time and great slipstreaming. I finished 7th as all the front pack drivers cross the line tightly together. It was a great race.

Race two I starting from pole again, I got a better start but dropped to 3rd by the first corner. With tows and slipstreaming by the end of lap 1 I had dropped to 6th. On the next lap I used the slipstream advantage to go from 6th to first!. The lead changed for the next handful of laps. On lap 8 I got to the front with the main aim of trying to break the tow. Qualifying laps where needed, head down and on a charge I managed to pull a gap, braking the tow and completed the next 7 laps in the lead, to win my first Classic race.

The season has been very up and down. A double podium and a lap record at the start of the season. And A visit into the pit wall at Anglesey. It has however been an amazing turn around and come back with a double pole and a race win. Roll on the next round at Cadwell.

Big thank you to all supports and believers including Skegness Grammar School, Signs of the times, McMillian Motorsport (Kevin for rebuilding my car), mum & dad.

Tigger at Thruxton

Tigger is currently at Thruxton ready and raring to go. We had two 25 minute practice sessions yesterday's to quickly get up to speed. So today is 1 x 15min qual and 2 x 20 min race. But more importantly the sun is out and shining :-)

Thruxton countdown

Car and trailer packed for Thruxton. Tigger making his own way there!

Tigger Update: On the mends

Tigger after Arch’s long front surgery

Tigger back at McMillian’s workshop

Next step – The paint shop

Week today – testing at Thruxton

2 weeks and counting.

2 weeks and counting until Thruxton. Tigger is back from Arch + a new long front. (you'll never guess, but the A5 was closed when my mother was returning Tigger to McMM. She has not had much luck with these journey's! This time she stopped on a roundabout to look at the map and a lovely police came to the rescue. I swear she should have asked for his number!) So tigger is waiting for the fabulous guys at McMM to rebuild him. It feels like ages since I've seen the red lights go off. Can't wait roll on Thruxton.

The next chapter–Tigger’s journey to the Bones Hospital.

Ok, so the blog has been a bit poor since I decided to drive into the pit wall in Anglesey. Mainly because I am still truly gutted. It was completely my fault and one of course I will learn from. Motor Racing is an expensive sport without having to pay for additional repair bills. Anyway, to try and get the repair bill a little smaller I have managed to twist my mothers arm to pick Tigger up from McMM and drive it to Arch in Huntingdon (School holidays are not for another 2 weeks, otherwise I would have been able to do it to). In fact, it didn’t take much twisting but my mother hasn’t done much trailering on her own, so it was bound to be an exciting experience.

Ok, so today's mission by my mother was to drive from her home in Grantham with an empty trailer to McMillan Motorsport in Hinkley to collect Tigger and take it down to Arch Motors in Huntingdon.  All was going well until turning left onto the road where McMillan are based to find that the road was closed with local access only.  Because McMillan were very close by she thought that she would be able to gain local access but soon realised after turning left that it was access to just a short row of houses only.  She managed to just about turn round with the trailer (About 100 point turns) but was blocking the road (This is a very impressive feat, my mother has only recently starting towing, done very little on her own and I don’t think before today she has reserve it in a straight line, let alone completing a turn in the road).  A local resident got out of her car and asked if she could help and said that she was driving that way and would show her an alternative route.  However the new way my mother was shown ended up being another dead end. Unfortunately this time it was up a narrow residential street with cars parked either side.  My mother did not have McMillan's number so she had to call Arch to ask them to call McMillan to come out and rescue her!  To cut a long story short McMillan came to the rescue and Rodney finally arrived to save the day (Mums new knight in shining armour – or mine, who knows what would have happened without him! Im surprised she is still speaking to me!). Rodney reversed the trailer back up the road and guided her to the McMillan workshop. A dismantled and very poorly Tigger was put on the trailer and she then drove down to Arch Motors, delivered the car safely and then drove home! A round trip of four and a half hours!  She has to return next week to collect the car and take it back to McMillan to complete the rebuild (Let hope the road isn’t still closed).  Arch Motors are based opposite Hotel Chocolat that has a factory shop selling discounted chocolate.  I think she deserves a big box! I might even splash out and get the none discounted ones – I think she deserves it. Don’t you?

Hello Anglesey Pit Wall, Goodbye Race Weekend

https://vimeo.com/44294858

Amanda’s Lap Record on Motors TV Blog

Amanda’s Lap Record at Rockingham Speedway now appears on the Motors TV Blog. Click Here to view it. Happy reading.

LAP RECORD HOLDER

Amanda Black Classic Graduate Caterham lap record holder at Rockingham Speedway – International Sports Car – 1:38.396 May 2012

McMillian Motorsport Caterham Graduates Lap Records