After getting our first taste of the new running order at Cadwell Park there was less unknown’s heading into Donington. We had a much better idea of how to approach the day and what challenges the new format throws up compared to previous years.
As usual, the weather forecast was getting checked on a regular basis but with no concrete predictions the only thing we could predict was that it would very likely be an interesting day!
Warm Up
Going out into the session I had a target lap time in mind to get the day going but the first task was to register 3 laps to secure the 1 available point in this session. Once that was out of the way and tyre pressures checked, it was time to chip away at the laps to get towards the target of 1:17 – positively I bettered this target twice on back to back laps with a 1:16.534 and a 1:16.548 respectively. While this wasn’t near the ultimate lap it was a good starting point.
Attack 1
After the warm up session the car got a check over and a splash of fuel ready for the next session. It was now time to start racking up some points. Although it cost me slightly at Cadwell, I was decided to stick with my usual approach to these sessions. An out lap and a banker lap before we start pushing for some lap times. On the first hot lap I set a new PB around the national layout of Donington Park with a 1:14.734. Nearly a second quicker than I have ever been before. After a cool down lap I beat it yet again but only marginally with a 1:14.728. It was then time to get back to the pits to check my position and tyre pressures. Unfortunately, back on track I couldn’t get the 1st sector right – Failing to improve any further. The lap earlier in the session was enough to secure 2nd in class only a few tenths behind P1 placing me in another battle for the win.
Attack 2
While checking the car over between sessions I did notice some play on the drivers inner CV joint. Although I didn’t think the one on would fail I wasn’t leaving anything to chance and replaced the entire shaft. Just before we went out on track it started to rain ever so slightly. A heavier downpour could have made it a very tricky session but luckily it didn’t change track conditions too much. However, out on track I was really struggling with grip. Not able to find the confidence I had from the previous session. Frustratingly I only managed to clock a time of 1:15.553 leaving me 3rd in class for this session and chasing the leading duo.
Super Attack
After Attack 2 we were trying to work out why the car suddenly had such little corner grip after a check over we concluded it had to be down to the tyres on the car. These tyres were new at Cadwell but had now been through a few heat cycles. While checking the core temp of the tyres after the session we decided they were getting too hot and not yielding the grip. Luckily, I had another pair of tyres with me uses towards the back end of last year. I decided to stick them on and give it a go, it couldn’t be any worse. Again, like the session before it started raining before we went out but this time a little heavier, so now I was expecting a wet session, but amazingly the track dried up in no time and it was a dry session after all.
Back on track we had to start again with tyre pressures as these were cold. The plan was to get out for a couple of laps build some heat and return to the pits for a pressure bleed off before heading back out. All while not forgetting to secure my banker lap. It was now time to throw everything at track and see if we stick. On the first flying lap it did. I clocked yet another PB – 1:14.056, almost 0.8 seconds quicker than earlier in the day and over 1.5 seconds quicker than I had ever lapped Donington before but I wasn’t satisfied and went for another go. On the next attempt I was up again on my PB by another but traffic caused me to abort the lap. Unfortunately on the next attempt the car had different plans. Going into turn 1 there was a loud pop and that was suddenly the end of my session. I had lost the clutch pedal and I had to retire the car. Luckily, I had done enough with the previous attempt to seal P1! My 1st of the season and I believe my 1st at Donington.
So that’s Two rounds complete in 2025 and 2 solid finishes. Both at tracks where I didn’t expect such strong results. Next up is Brands Hatch on June 15th . I am looking forward to seeing if I can keep the good run going after we do minor repair on the clutch feed pipe, the cause of our early retirement.