I really enjoy driving the Snetterton 300 circuit so it was a great pleasure to be setting off to Norfolk for the year’s second visit to this racetrack and my final race for 2021. The forecast was for dry, sunny weather although not surprisingly the temperature was considerably lower than previous rounds. Neither David, Robin nor Sandy were able to make it for the weekend (are they trying to tell me something?) so it was going to be a solo effort.
As a result of Covid, scrutineering had been omitted for the past two years. However with the Country gradually opening back up the 750MC decided that all Roadsport competitors would be required to present their cars at 0730 on the morning of the race to be checked. The early start wasn’t an issue since I had travelled down the night before, but it did present the first challenge of the weekend; race car engines were not allowed to be run until 0830am and from my parking space to the scrutineering bay was uphill. There was no way I could push the car that far on my own so I decided to drive it up to the Bay the night before and leave it there overnight. This turned out to be a good decision; not only did I save a lot of physical effort but I was first in the queue and saved an hour of waiting in line.
I am always keen to be at the front of the queue to go out and qualify. Doing this can result in an extra lap compared to being last out on circuit as well as affording plenty of clear track to get the best possible lap time. It does entail getting the car down to the Assembly Area extra early but I don’t mind since my focus is on driving and I’d sooner be there waiting than kicking my heels somewhere else.
Qualifying went really well and I managed a pb, beating my previous by 1.74 seconds which was most rewarding. Notwithstanding this, I was still 3.5 seconds off the front runners pace, which is a huge gap. I could see where there was the potential to gain another second at a series of bends but another 2.5 seconds seemed out with my grasp. I started 5th out of 8 Class C cars, 18th out of 32 cars in total.
The second challenge of being on my own was the pit stop. Given the relatively short pit lane, all cars were required to pull in at 45° and be pushed back to rejoin the race. Fortunately the 750MC officials were willing to lend a hand and kindly did the honours.
For the first couple of laps of the race I was under pressure from friend and fellow competitor Mike Nash. Mike and I took our ARDS test together and used to race against each other in the MR2 Championship. I was usually able to beat Mike but he was driving his well-equipped BMW and I knew his previous best lap time was quicker than mine although I had out-qualified him in the morning. Unfortunately for him (not for me!) I saw him in my rear view mirror disappear into the pits with what turned out to be a misfire and I was finally able to concentrate on maintaining steady lap times. It was most rewarding on such a long circuit to keep them within 0.3 of a second of each other which was helped by being out on my own for a large part of the race.
On lap 2 the front running Class C car had clearly suffered some damage and was limping round the circuit. It turned out that he had out-braked himself at the first hairpin, T-boned another car pushing his front splitter and bumper into the front wheels with resultant smoke billowing out of the car. One placed gain in Class; up to 4th although at the time I hadn’t realise this car was racing in Class C.
After the pit stop, coming round Coram the long right hander, I passed another front running Class C car which had slowed right down. This actually moved me up to 3rd but incorrectly I thought I was 4th which just goes to show how valuable a pit board is. The safety car was deployed on the next lap as the malfunctioning car had stopped in a dangerous position on the exit of the final turn. This meant I could catch the next Class C car up and for the first time since the beginning of the race I had him in my sights. Unfortunately I couldn’t close the gap to put him under any pressure. Not long after this the chequered flag came out and I was convinced I had finished 4th. It was a great surprise to be told I had actually come 2nd in Class C (unbeknown to me another Class C car in front had retired) and 13th overall. What a great way to finish the season – I couldn’t have asked for more. So finally, after a lean couple of years, I was back on the podium and proudly brought home a bit of silverware.
Thanks to Jonathan Elsey, Motorsport Photography, for the excellent photographs.