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Last  on
Aintree sprint, June 25th 2005
New PB: 1.4s off of last years best time
Notes: Stiffened front suspension to four turns, and rear by two clicks on the last run
2h 10m tow, 21.4mpg (New exhaust)
5th in class (out of six)
An early departure from Leicester (5.20am) and a very long tow to Liverpool (2.25hours) I arrived to find myself way down the paddock, but in good company with the ModProd boys. Scrutineering passed without any hitches, and I then suited and booted for my first two practice runs. Earth works on the Aintree track meant that the Beeches bend was slippery from mud, brought on to the track by the earth moving equipment, so with the track drying from overnight rain it was down to the first few batches to clear the surface for the later runners. When I eventually arrived, it was clear, with just a trace of mud on the edges, but had it been raining during the day I'm sure there'd have been several fallers.
A conservative first run saw me 3s off my PB from last year, and I wound things up for the second practice, to finish 2/10ths off my PB, and 110MPH through the speed trap.
I played a little with the front damper settings during the afternoon, and my first two timed runs were within 1/100th of a second of each other, though by now I had at least taken 1.2s off my PB, and gone through the trap at 113MPH.
So with it all to go for, my 3rd timed run I shaved another 0.15s off, and recorded a 53.42s, a full 1.37s quicker than last year, to finish 5th in class (out of 6), and 47th overall. I managed to beat Pen Davies in his Triumph GT6, but we were no match for the Cosworth Turbo powered Sunbeam, the Escort WRC, The 2.4l Mk1 Escort, and especially Paul Bonds awesome Crossle, which smashed the class record that he set only the previous year. My Michelin treaded slicks were working very well, and the Fiesta has an abundance of grip, it could just do with some more power now, to give it that sense of urgency on the longer straights. Excellent weather during the day meant a great days motorsport for most. And no problems with the car meant I could concentrate on getting the lines right etc.
I'd loaded the car back on the trailer and packed everything up by 4:45pm, and I was soon on my way back to Leicester, to arrive back home around 7pm. This year I'm not accompanied by my Wife, Dawn, as we have a new born son at home, Marcus which one of us has to stay behind to look after. Thats the other reason for the quieter season this year. Once we've found our feet, I'm sure next year will be a busier season, and in a few more years time, we'll have the pit crew to help keep everything running smoothly. Thats the plan anyway 8-)
My times were as follows:
57.09s 1st practice
54.94s 2nd practice
53.57s 1st timed New PB
53.58s 2nd timed New PB
53.42s 3rd timed New PB
Result: 5th in class 4B
Weather: Cloudy, dry, warm in the afternoon
Tyre pressures: 20 psi [F] 20 [R]
Tyres: Michelin A00 190/570R15 all round
Fuel: Shell Optimax Super Unleaded
Pictures from the event
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