Time Attack Finals – Brands Hatch

Team Monkfish Racing
Phil England

I arrived early to find some of the other competitors already there prepping their cars, after saying hello to everyone I started sorting my car out.
Tyre pressures, suspension settings, which I set similar to Knockhill, but this was to prove inadequate. Weather looks good and remains warm for the day.

A few friends from a car club I belong to (sox-japoc) came to help sort out my car, and I was ready for the warm-up and familiarization with the circuit. Many of the competitors had been the previous Wednesday for a track day but I couldn’t make this.

Out on the warm and getting heat into the tyres and brakes, the car is feeling very unstable under cornering and braking and I have to fight to keep it on track, going sideways on more than one occasion.



It seems like a difficult track to master, with full commitment needed on Paddock Hill Bend or I will be coming off one way or the other. On returning to the pits I get my time of 1 minute, some 3 seconds off the general pace and I’m not happy, 24th out of 27.

I speak to Phil Glew, and Kev Atkins about different lines to take as well as Paul@Zen Performance on suspension settings and adjust one of my settings as advised. My tyre pressures have gone up 2 PSI more than expected but temperature across the tyre is OK.

1st Practice is underway and the car is feeling more settled and I have more confidence, I have decided to keep with my ‘wet’ Toyos rather than my ‘dry’ Kumhos as the latter take 2-3 laps of a long circuit to come on, and there is only ½ a circuit length to heat up the tyres on the hot lap. I set some 59’s and 58’s with a 57 as a best in this session, 23rd out of 33.


2nd and final practice session, and I gun it straight away, just to feel what it will be like going into Paddock on half warm tyres, the session goes well, although a couple of cars holding me up in the corners so I’m not getting the full run on I want. Best lap this session of a high 56, 16th this session. After further speaking to Paul@Zen I click up another setting on the suspension.

And so to the finals, we are grouped together in 3’s and wait in the pit lane, heart pounding, and only one lap to get it right with 2 corners in which to get heat into the tyres before I have to be fully committed to get a good line up the start finish straight. Off I go, overdriving the car to get the tyres hot, nearly loose it a couple of times on the out lap.

Across the start line, clock starts and braking late into Paddock, turning and then on the throttle again, the back feels loose as the tyres aren’t up to temperature but I keep it nailed and safely through, around the hairpin and the left hander, lots of curb next and onto clearways, floor it and onto the straight, it’s over…..

I come back into the pits, and I’m happy with my time, a 56.123 the quickest I’ve been all day, 5th at this stage but some much more powerful cars still have to run so I wait. Overall I came 11th and earned some points due to the ruling on competitors that just enter one round. I’m happy, and the points I’ve earned in the last 2 rounds put me in 10th place overall in the final standings.

The car is still in one piece, has performed well all year, and is good to drive me home again, as it has at all the events I’ve attended this year.

In no particular order thank you to everyone that’s helped and supported me this year and I hope you can too next year.
Cuddy and crew@Road And Stage Performance (www.raspltd.co.uk) for advice, expertise, facilities, maintenance and brews!
Paul and team@Zen Performance for tuning the engine, parts and advice at events, Simon@Opie Oils, Rob@3-cam for the camera equipment, Preciousmetal-online for parts, Si@Decalz for the logos, Julian@Rare Rims for wheels&tyres, Halfords for the trade card, Andy and Rob for organizing the series, all the support staff and scrutineers, timing team. Members of sox-japoc that have come along and supported me, the rest of the members that have raced and made it a great championship to be involved in, and the general public for coming and watching the series.

So what now?

I will be back for next year, and again I will be concentrating on reliability, handling, and braking with perhaps a little more power.


Cheers
Dill

 

Nice one Phil, you did well all year!

 

Nice one mate.... was a pleasure being at the events along side you!!!
You''ve had a great result and i hope to join you out on track again soon!