After my foray last October, I decided to give it another bash, as a practice run (if nothing else) for my big up-coming Scotland trip, now christened by my next door neighbour ar The Great Escape…….
I again went for the 3/4 day camping/weekend admission package , which allowed me to get the tent up on the Friday, then have a look round the paddock before all the crowded descended on Saturday and Sunday.
Well that was the plan…….. Unfortunately, the weather had decided to play up a bit and throw a NE Arctic airflow into the mix – we are talking here of 25/30 mph constant wind with 40 mph gusts. Normally, it takes me about 20/30 mins to pitch the tent, this time 2 hours !!!! It was horrendous, but we eventually got there, ending up tying the tent to the car for safety. I kid you not…..
So my Friday mooch round the paddock was somewhat curtailed but we still managed to do a quick tour. This year, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) has changed to hybrid technology, incorporating a Cosworth developed system with battery, extra radiators, a generator motor and regenerative braking.
To make things more exciting (ie read that as more difficult for the drivers….) the old success ballast idea ( generally, the more successful you are the more ballast you have to carry) had been ditched and a system of “per lap” hybrid boost actuations introduced instead.
Although they sort of look like the one’s you can buy in the showroom, the cars are getting more and mor sophisticated, especially now in the hybrid era. This means that thoughts have to be given to complete engine changes between races. This is done by having a complet front end sub-assembly of engine and suspension, just secured to the main bulkhead by a few bolts. One technician told me they could change the whole lot in 45 mins – astonishing !
I adopted the same strategy as last year for Saturday and Sunday, ie Saturday AM staying in the infield, PM walking round part of the outside perimeter, Sunday completing the outside perimeter during the actual racing.
Apart from the 3 BTCC races, there were plenty of support races, with Mini’s, Porsches’s, Ginetta’s and a new seried for F4 single seaters.
One difference was the influence of the weather. Despite being cold, cold, cold it was sunny. So that meant dry tent department by lunchtime and the executive decision to pack up the tent at lunchtime, ready for a quick getaway after the last race.
Like last year, I’m glad I made the effort to go. Although it’s on the TV, you get a much better atmosphere seeing it “live” and the new cars certainly sound different !
All the other tent stuff went OK, so the systems seem to be all in order for May.
Looking forward to my long trip now……..