Martin Galpin | Racing Driver | number66.net

It was getting better before it all went wrong. Again. The crank shaft (engine) let go at the end of race one and as such – everything has changed.

Testing: Friday

During testing on Friday we were making gradual progress with the car. Considering it was a shake-down test of a rebuilt car, my first full day in a Formula Ford (not for the want of trying, given the problems last autumn) and we could only guess at a setup, progress was never going to be rapid. However, we moved on with every session (in changing conditions) and by the end of the day we were a long way from where we needed to be but a long way from where we started.

The good news was that the car was running and proving predictable. As suspected, the gearbox needs a rebuild and I found myself having to physically hold the lever in gear at certain parts of the circuit (noticeably the Gooseneck and Charlies). My guess is that this could account for around one second per lap due to conscious thought and a lack of ultimate commitment in critical corners.

Qualifying: Saturday

For qualifying we put on a brand new set of unscrubbed tyres. These undoubtedly would take a few laps to come in but it made little sense to persevere with the tyres from the Festival. Although they were barely used themselves, the compound was seriously graining.

I spent the majority of the session on my own, evaluating what changes we made in the morning and overall, the balance was slightly worse on the new tyres as compared to the old. After about 12 minutes I found myself properly in a rhythm. The new tyres were working and I was on a quick lap, but unfortunately I came across three backmarkers in the Hall Bends and had to back out of it. Qualifying was cut short and I didn?t get another opportunity.

We ended up 9th for race one. Not exactly stellar but knowing there was more than a second in the gearbox and car in general, I?’d suggest 5-6 tenths in the setup (after only a shakedown, that is no surprise) and still time in me to be gained from more seat time – it could have been worse.

After a debrief, we decided that a solid top ten finish would be a good result for the weekend and anything else would be a bonus.

Race 1: Saturday

Whilst the weather tried its hardest to make the track fully wet – which would have suited me – by the time we made the grid it was an almost entirely dry circuit with the exception of the section between the Hairpin and Barn where the trees shadow the circuit. Being unfamiliar with the car and tyres we made a ?compromise? on setup which with hindsight probably wasn?’t the right decision. In fact, it reintroduced a problem I experienced on Friday at the Hairpin in which the front would quite suddenly push outwards towards the last third of the corner. In reflection, we might have benefited from increasing front droop.

Anyway, getting off the line I made a reasonable start. Alongside me, Barry Linley made a poor getaway and I pulled behind Josh Benson in seventh for the opening lap and on the back of the leading train. Into the Hairpin and the front ?push? finally got the better of me and I ran slightly wide on the exit giving Linley an overlap into Barn. From that point on I gradually lost the back of the train, having lost time in a couple of places thanks to the gearbox disengaging third in the middle of corners.

It became a lonely race. I could still see the battle from sixth to second ahead but I had no way of getting to it. Likewise, I had no pressure from behind.

On the final lap, on the exit of Park corner, that loneliness became despair. The engine went and with a chorus of grinding metal it was obvious the crank had broken and I no longer had a fresh Scholar engine.

After returning to the paddock, we packed up and left the following morning, well in advance of the scheduled second race.

What Next?

That?’s the problem. If we look at the positives, we can deduce that with just under a full days testing, the car is not a million miles away from where it needs to be with a dire gearbox and imperfect rear geometry (a story for another time). It was my first days testing and first real weekend in Formula Ford and I do now properly understand the difference in technique required to be competitive, something I did not to the same extent before. And with all of this considered, we were running solidly within the top ten of a National round and I think we now know how to get to the front.

But the negatives are against us. We’?ve been seriously on our back foot all year (financially) and if I?’m honest – it is hard to see how we can continue with the original programme of events. Reality, it seems, can be cruel.

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