A couple of issues ago I was explaining how I was going to be more than happy if we could get the Clio to be reliable for the rest of the season and start completing race distances. At the second event with the car, in Germany three weeks ago we completed every lap available to us. This was brilliant, and although the exhaust and manifold parted company in the second heat the car had no reliability problems at all. It was great to actually get some time in the car and be able to try different things – and learn an incredible amount!

A D1-A car is a whole new world to someone like myself who has moved up from a standard Stock Hatch car and it certainly takes some getting used to. Despite having the amazing amount of knowledge and recourses of MB Motorsport in the workshop, away at events its just myself and my ever faithful mechanic Dave Tulett – who I went to school with and who has been coming away racing with me since the start. We are having to learn just as much about car set-up as we go as I am about driving the thing, so the learning curve, as I have said before, is massive.

Because the car was reliable in Germany we were able to try and change the setup to make the car better throughout the weekend, which was a nice position to be in. Sometimes it was better and it felt like we were getting somewhere, and then in the next session it would have taken a step backwards, but we are trying things all the time and the only way to learn is to put ideas into practice, the only difference here is that we are doing our learning in front of thousands in the European championship, but that doesn’t bother me one bit. And hopefully, by the time you read this I will have scraped enough cash together to get to Poland and the Czech Republic for the last two rounds of the championship so our learning can continue some more!

There were a couple of problems with the car in Germany that I have mentioned in previous issues that had been apparent at Lydden Hill, and the technical Buxtehude track exaggerated these even more. The 3.5 turns lock-to-lock of steering is like trying to steer a boat. Added to this, we were not able to get hold of any vernier pulleys (to retard the cam timing) when we built the engine so it doesn’t come on cam until after 5500rpm. This means, to keep the revs up, I need to change down to first gear in the slow corners, which would be fine but by this point I’m already fighting crazy amounts of steering input and I don’t have enough hands to do everything.

We have bought and almost fitted the steering multiplier from Harry Hockly Motorsport that I have explained about previously, so that should result in us having 1.5 turns lock-to-lock. The cam timing is the next thing, but this will have to be a winter project, there’s no time before the last two events and  its not just replacing the parts, the engine will have to be re-mapped, more costly hours on the rolling road!

Germany went well, and even on returning we haven’t had a catalogue of problems to chase up post event in the same way we did after Lydden Hill.

One thing we have discovered is that the bracket that holds the brake cylinders in the pedal box is bent and weakened. When I told Dave at the Estering it felt like I was pushing the pedal off the floor he thought I was joking…

Germany also taught us some valuable lessons in the differences between racing in the UK and racing in Europe. We didn’t finish prepping the car until Thursday, so a 20 hour drive followed to get to the circuit in time for the end of scrutineering on Friday evening. We just about got away with it because Germany isn’t too far, but it’s made me realise we have to leave for Poland with time in hand, especially as the return journey from Germany took almost twice as long due to poor weather, tiredness and punctures on both the van and trailer. You just don’t know what’s going to happen, and I certainly don’t want to miss out on racing just because of some silly problem en route.

At least when we got to Germany I had already been to the venue in the past in journalist capacity, so I knew what the circuit was like… Poland and Czech are two total unknowns and the learning curve will be even greater than ever.

I cant wait!