Club Lotus - Cambridgeshire

Marshals told us the 23 was too loud at this noise-sensitive track, which was a bit of a surprise, because we had complied last year, and the exhaust an silencer were unchanged. It subsequently transpired that the race regulations had been misread by Castle Combe Circuits - the race organisers for this round of the Guards Trophy - but by then we had bought an extra add-on silencer box and had had to practice out of session, (three slow laps among saloon cars), meaning a back of grid start for the race. We almost had no race, because the grid marshall hadn't been told we'd qualified, but a mad dash to the control tower gave me the required paperwork to be allowed out. The good news was that the newly refurbished brake master cylinders appeared to be doing the trick, and so for the first time in several meetings I had Lotus 23 brakes that worked throughout the race. Combined with the old front ant-roll bar that allowed more than a few degrees of opposite lock, the car was beginning to feel 'sorted'. This enabled an epic climb up the field to 5th overall, scoring another class win in the process and class fastest lap of 1m19s. Is the 23 beginning to be fun to drive?

Practice for the Seven was a little greasy, and perhaps I was excessively cautious in the conditions. Andrew Marler's Elan earned Pole with a 1m22s lap, then came Martin Halliday and me in our Sevens on 1m25s, Martin eight tenths ahead. It turned out that Andrew had been racing at Combe the day before in another event, so he was well up to speed! When the red lights went out, though, Martin made a superb start and even I didn't do too badly - Andrew bogged down a little off the line, perhaps because he realised he had slightly jumped the start, and so my S2 was in second place, chasing Martin's S3 up the hill to Quarry.

The haul from The Esses through the flat curves of Old Paddock and Hammerdown was apparently not one of my strengths - Andrew got by me, I repassed him under braking for Tower but he chopped by around the outside, quicker, line before giving chase to Martin. Trying too hard at Camp at the end of the lap I put two wheels on the grass on the exit of this crucial corner, a lapse that Paul Tooms was mercifully unable to punish. Then a consistently quick sequence of four laps had me up on Martin's tail, Andrew having just got by him. A failed attempt to pass Martin at Quarry and dicing through the Chicanes allowed Paul's Elan to gain on us both. A missed apex by me at Camp - braking far too late - gave Paul the opening he'd been patiently waiting for and he passed me before the top of the hill approaching Quarry. But I make a better exit from Quarry and after looking at a route down the inside, which he blocks - I commit myself around the left as we approach the right left right of The Esses. Confident that I will brake later than Paul, I retake third position. But this glory is short-lived as Paul demonstrates his Elan's superiority on the fast run through Hammerdown.

On the next lap he passes Martin going up the hill to Quarry and so now it's down to the two Sevens to fight it out for third overall behind the two Elans. It took several laps to get on terms with Martin, whereupon my attempt up the inside at Quarry was suitably rebuffed, then another at Tower was similarly dealt with. On the next lap I again got past on the run to Quarry and again defended on the inside line but this time Martin's outside line response went a little wide, letting me carry speed and position through the corner to The Esses and to third overall at the chequered flag on the next lap. All four of us clocked best laps in the 1m21s bracket, so there's not a lot between us... How will we all fair at Oulton Park at the next round?