Due to the huge number of meeting and events that we are at we are not able to keep them all here for to long so make sure you keep checking back.

Snetterton 1st-3rd May 2009

This weekend I was again being a Bear-chanic for Mighty Mini number 28, driven by Stephen Rose. We arrived at around lunchtime on the Friday so that Steve could take part in the test session and get some practice in. We soon found some of the other Mini’s and set up camp with them. There were two 50min sessions that we could take part in. We decided to fill the tank up with fuel and go out for about 20-25mins.

There were lots of different types of car out on track; there was even a Ferrari.
The test sessions went well with Steve growing slowly in confidence on every lap.

The sun shone bright and strong on Saturday morning. I gave the car a quick clean, as there was lots of bugs all over, and then the car was taken to scrutineering. There was then a bit of time before our qualifying session as the Fun Cup beetles were out on track for there qualifying, so we made sure the car was ready to go out. The Super Mighty Minis were out before us. When the time came we made our way to the assembly area, and waited for the session to start. The session was red flagged about two minutes from the end of session as a car had hit the tyres at the Esses and knocked them onto the track. Steve qualified 19th out of 25.

Then there was a short lunch break before the start of the 5hour race for the Fun Cup Beetles.

The Super Mighty Mini race was very good. It was then time for the Mighty Mini race. The race was very close, and the lead kept changing between the lead pack. There was a bit of front bumper damage to car 24 as it had its front bumper slightly bent from the middle. There were a few spins during the race. A couple of laps from the end the leader car 24 was lapping car 20 and they had a bit of a coming together putting both cars out of the race. It was a good close race, Steve managed to finish in 16th place, which was good considering he managed to spin somewhere on circuit.

Sunday started a bit colder and windier than the previous day. The day started with qualifying and racing for some of the other cars. I was able to sneak off and watch a couple of the races, as we weren’t racing till after lunch.

After lunch there was the race for the Super Mighty Mini’s, which was good as the previous race. Then it was time for the Mighty Mini’s again, all cars managed to get out with repairs from the previous day. Steve made a better start and after the pink missile car 24 made her way straight past, he slowly worked his way through the field. He worked his way up to about 14th place when his exhaust decided to drop loose. On the following lap, he spun at the final chicane and made contact with the tyre wall, and decided to call it a day as there was a bit of damage to the car. One of the other mini’s blew an engine during the race on the back straight. It was a good close race; unfortunately one of the cars battling for lead retired early on so there weren’t as many cars in the lead pack. There were plenty of cars having battles throughout the grid, as the cars seemed to hunt in packs.
Unfortunately I didn’t see any of the rest of the races.

It was a good weekend all in all, even though we now have a bit of repair work to carry out.

Thank you to the marshals in the pit lane who were a big help in securing the exhaust so we could get the car back to the paddock. Thank you to all the marshals who kept the weekend running smoothly.

Cadwell Park 18th April 2009

Today was a slightly different day for me as I was asked to assist with one of the Mighty Minis as Bear-chanic. The mini I was assisting with was number 28 whose driver was Stephen Rose.
We arrived early to the track; whilst Stephen went and signed on I was left with the job of giving the car a check over and changing the wheels before Scrutineering. I was also able to sneak off and say hello to all of my marshalling friends. Scrutineering involved someone checking the helmet, overalls and car to make sure they were suitable for the race entered.
We were out in the 4th qualifying session of the day that gave us time to check the tyres were at the correct pressure, the wheels were torqued and that we had enough fuel. We also got talking to several of the other competitors, and they were really helpful with advice – it was Stephens first meeting.
During qualifying session 3 we were called to the assembly area. Soon it was time for the session to start. I left the car and went down towards the Hall Bends so that I could see the cars on the track. There were some that were very close together and were battling each other for track position. One of the cars spun at the Hairpin causing another to spin. Everyone managed to carry on safely. After the session finished the car was taken through scrutineering and weighed.
I was given a bit of time off so I could go and have a look around. The Super Mighty Mini session was red flagged as a car went in quite heavily at Mansfield and did some damage to the Armco. The tractor was sent with a supply of emergency of tyres. There was then one race before lunch break. During the lunch break we checked tyre pressures, torqued the wheels and refuelled.
The first race after lunch was a race for the TVR’s. It got red flagged before the first corner as a yellow car had spun wide and the been collected by an orange one and a white one. On the restart the cars managed a few laps before being red flagged again and sent back into the paddock.
Race 3 was for the Alfa Romeos, which I couldn’t watch as I was needed in the assembly area.
Race 4 was for the Mighty Minis. It was a very close race and the lead kept changing. It was great to watch.
Race 5 was the Fiats.
Race 6 was for the Super Mighty Minis. These were quite entertaining as well to watch.
Race 7 was the second race for Mazda Mx 5’s. I went to the bottom of the mountain to watch the race. It was very entertaining, the front 4 cars were 1, 2, 33 and 18 were very close and you never knew who would be leading on each lap. There was a bit of contact every now and again, and sometimes you wouldn’t have got a sheet of paper between the bumpers. One of the cars did manage to spin.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to watch any of the other races as I had my duties to return to. They involved loading the car back onto the trailer after a good days racing.
Would like to say thank you to all the marshals for keeping the meeting running as smoothly as it did. I believe there was another red flag during one of the later races for the Alfa’s; I heard one had ended up on its roof. It was a really good meeting and I really enjoyed seeing racing from a different perspective.