Martin Galpin | Racing Driver | number66.net

I’ve always thought it was best to not do write like this the evening after a race. You’re all high on emotion and adrenalin; you’re tired and you usually don’t think straight. But sometimes, when you’re frustrated and just that little bit livid you can write better than if you were calm and had the time to reflect.

I’m not really happy with the weekend for many different reasons, some of which I wont even put into a public forum such as this. A 4th and a 6th place doesn’t sound too bad on the surface, but neither does a flesh wound until you find out it’s infected.

Testing and Saturday morning

Friday was an afternoon of testing much like the rest. We did very little running and were chasing oil leaks rather than progressing with the car. Why was the car so good at Brands Hatch two weeks ago but not now? The carburettor had developed a problem with it’s diaphragm and was only pumping limited fuel into the engine. The engine was overheating, despite the temperature being cooler than previously and we had a lot of work to do before Saturday.

The diaphragm was fixed in the morning and thanks only to the generosity of Fergus Dalton (owner of the Storm marque) who kindly loaned me a Delorto carburettor he had specially collected from the workshop on my behalf the night before.

Qualification began late, at 1130 and just before lunch. Out on circuit I found myself with Donn and we were pushing hard on the opening laps. I had rationalised that the car was overheating and knowing that I had an almost slick set of tyres on my rear, I knew I would be fastest towards to beginning of the session. On the second lap Donn stepped over the limit, lost it mid-corner at the Gooseneck and spun to the inside, avoiding contact with the Armco but still he would not make any further participation. Next on the road was Ough in his AHS Challenger and he proved a unnecessary pain for two laps as he actually defended his line up to Park and into Charlies. I think you really have to ask yourself why bother to defend in qualifying when you are two seconds a lap slower than the car following?

I struggled in the following laps, as I think everyone did in trying to find space. My car was beginning to overheat, as were my tyres and I would not go faster on my own ” I needed someone to work with. Ironically my fastest laps in qualifying were laps two and three, those which were blocked by Ough. None-the-less they were good enough for fifth and sixth on the grid respectively which under the circumstances I was reasonably pleased with.

Race one (Saturday)

So I lined up fifth for race one with Buxton, Hands, Jake Oliveria and his brother Sam in front of me. I made a poor start, misjudged the wheel spin and lost out to Donn and Farmer on the run down to the first corner. I got passed Donn into Park and latched onto the rear of Farmer for the next laps. I felt I was quicker but I could not get close enough on the straights to even think about a pass and I slowly dropped back. Over the Mountain for the first time and Sam dropped a wheel on the grass and spun to the inside. My engine was losing a lot of oil and in my mirrors I could see that John Hughes had caught Donn and was pressurising us both.

Still feeling vulnerable on the straights Donn was beginning to pick up my draft and he took the outside on the run into Park. We both braked late, equally late but seeing as I had the inside and shorter line, I held on. Then, he was alongside into Charlies and again on the outside into Park on the next lap. This time however, Hughes had latched onto my gearbox and Donn was hung out to dry as Hughes made the pass. Now I had Hughes even closer than Donn and the three of us continued.

Hughes got alongside and passed me on the straight into Charlies but we were still all nose to tail for the next lap.

Meanwhile, Ian Buxton had spun at the Mountain and seemingly waited for Hughes and me to approach as he crossed the track in front of us. Had we been a tenth quicker that lap it would have been a horrific accident as it all happened so quickly there were no flags and we were totally unsighted.

I got alongside Hughes into Park and he went to the inside. I braked late, I think later than him and he gave me enough room to keep alongside through the corner and into Chris’ where we ran side by side into Gooseneck. Running out of road I had to yield and the order stayed the same as we took the flag that lap.

On the road we had finished fifth but it became fourth when Martin Farmer, in the works GAC, was excluded for failing a ride height test. Much deliberation followed, all at the expense of Martin who actually had driven a very fine race.

Jake had won, followed by Hands, Hughes and myself. It was perhaps a fortunate result but I enjoyed the racing with Hughes and Donn whom I will compliment as being amongst the most fair drivers on the grid.

Race two (Sunday)

Sunday’s race began much like the day before. I lined up sixth on the grid with Jake on pole. Concentrating on making a good start this time I actually made one even worse than before and lost at least three rows before the first corner. This put me back into about twelfth, angry at myself and very determined. I passed Paul Mitson around the outside into Park under brakes and then promptly passed Glasswell around the outside into the Gooseneck. The next lap I passed Kiddy around the outside into Park and then Burnett with the same move the next lap. It took me a further lap behind Ben Evan’s Scarab to get the run on him down into Park, where Buxton had spun onto the grass, and take fourth before the red flags came out.

Farmer had gone straight on at the Mountain, hitting the wall hard – a result of total brake failure. Thankfully he was lucky and survived unscathed.

On the restart however I was not. Just as at Cadwell Park earlier this year the count-back grid did not work in my favour. I was put back to eighth, behind Burnett, Kiddy and Evans whilst Buxton regained his third position despite spinning at Charlies. The restart would be a five minute sprint race.

This time, however, I would not make a mess of the start and jumped two rows by the first corner. I ran in fifth position throughout the lap, the order being Sam and Jake Oliveria, Hands, Buxton and me until the two brothers touched at the entrance to the Hall Bends. They both took across the grass and promoted Hands to the lead and me to third.

I really pushed and took risks to try and stay on terms with the two leaders. I was losing about 20 metres on the straights but managed to get close enough through Hall Bends to think about a lunge at Buxton for second.

By this time I was a struggling with tyres as well as an engine. We made the decision to run almost worn out rears this weekend on account that our new, partially scrubbed tyres were much slower. After ten laps in the summer heat they were a liability. I was caught by the recovering Oliverias, who were pushing Evans hard we went three wide into Park. I came out in front but slid onto the kerb on the exit, losing momentum and dropped back. Next up was Sam, who passed me on the main straight as if he had another gear and for this final lap I struggled to keep in touch with what was now the battle for third. It ended Jake, from a very wide Ben Evans and Sam Oliveria with Daniel Hands taking a deserved first win and Buxton a lucky second.

What can be said?

Looking back at the two races it is hard to draw many positives. We were fortunate with what we got but we shouldn’t have had to have been. At no point was the engine reliable or competitive and as a result I think it introduced errors into my driving as I tried to compensate and make up for what wasn’t there. I take responsibility for those but they are the signs of someone who is increasingly frustrated. Take a look at Juan Pablo Montoya at McClaren for instance.

Exactly one year ago to this weekend I returned from the Formula Vee Festival in Ireland wondering whether or not it was worth going to Pembrey with an engine so obviously ruined. 12 months later and I’m in the midst of the very same conversation and this time I probably wont be so phlegmatic when drawing my conclusions.

I don’t believe that luck chooses people; people choose it and they do so by the decisions they make. The reliability of my car this year has been like a rope ” at one end it’s tied to a post outside the podium and the other is around my neck. At some point there has to be accountability and ultimately that lies with me, based on the decisions and choices I’ve made as to the people that I put around me. Over the next week I will be looking hard, very, very, hard about just what I will be doing in the future.

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