Martin Galpin | Racing Driver | number66.net

Oh Perry – I’m beginning to regret naming you as my favourite racing driver – really. You see, I admire you and what you did but I honestly, whole-heartedly and completely do not want to be you. I do believe I’m being haunted by the ghost of Perry McCarthy’s past. Let me explain.

So the first meeting of the year is over and it wasn’t one to remember. It was frighteningly cold – so cold that snow had settled on my car whilst in the assembly area. It was for this reason that qualifying was delayed and when the pit lane opened we were given just seven minutes to set our time due to deteriorating conditions. None the less, out we went to qualify.

After a cautious first lap I began to make space and found a clear track to get my head down. As I approached the Esses for the first time the engine revs began to fall. I shifted down but they continued to fall until the engine stalled. I pulled off to the left, coasted to the wall, got out and proceeded to watch the remainder of the session wondering what on earth had gone wrong. That was it, qualifying over and I hadn’t even completed a full lap. What was more concerning was that unless a total of three laps are completed, technically you are not eligible for the race.

I got back to the paddock and it didn’t take long to find out what happened. An HT lead from the distributor had fallen off. Simple. Reconnect it and the engine fires. Solved! I immediately went to see the Clerk of the course to explain the situation and as I had raced at the circuit before he was happy for me to do three laps in another session and start me from the back of grid for the heat (qualifying race). Now obviously this was not an ideal start to the year, but if I race up into the top-15 I would be again at the back of the grid for the final, the championship points race.

This was the second time at the back of a grid for me, the first being June 2005 at Mondello Park where we had similar problems in qualifying. Your pre-race emotion is totally different – there’s no pressure, no nerves, no anxiety. I mean after all, things can’t really get much worse.

The car felt good, really good, and we were flying. Obviously I had to overtake as many cars as possible if I was to get into the final. This race was the longest stint in the new car and as the gear linkage issues were no more, things were looking up. However, as usual something was concerning me. By about lap 5, it began to sound as if the clutch was slipping on changes between second and third gear. Thankfully, with Mallory Park being such a fast circuit, this was only once a lap but each time it appeared to be worsening.

Lap 10 and I’d fought my way up to 8th place and finally reached some clear track to try and set a time. I could see the next cars ahead a few seconds up the road and I knew I’d be with them in a matter of laps. It was on that lap it again went oh so wrong. Just as everything was looking good, in true Perry McCarthy-esque fashion I exited the hairpin slowly with a clunk and no drive. I figure at this point the clunk was my gear linkage breaking and once more pulled off to retire.

That was it, game-over. DNF means no final and therefore no points for the championship so far. Not the best of starts, no, but yet for some reason I feel stuck between depression and ultimate joy. I know now that is was in fact the flywheel disengaging, pushing the crank forward and causing the pulley the come off (that was the clunk) but despite all of that the car was very competitive and it’s overall performance encouraging. It looks good for the rest of the year ” that is if I can find the money to repair it!

Mallory Park is a wonderful circuit in all respects and I am fond of the place. But it always has dealt me rotten luck and I must admit: I’m glad we’re not going back there.

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