KART ENDURANCE FOR SVS

Mike drives tonight for SVS in an indoor endurance meeting. Every time Mike has raced he has managed fastest lap and a team win, so up against all the other Track Day drivers again, but with some added specialist race drivers he will be up against it!

WEEK 6 SEAT INSTALLED AND PANELS ON

Now the rebuild begins at pace. While the struts are away at GAZ and the engine away being rebuilt all that is left to do for now is the panels back on and glass in. Next week we plan to run the fuel and brake lines inside the car ans start to sort out the wiring loom as we only need about half of the connections now. As soon as the engine is back we can fit the OMEX ECU and get mapping. There will now be a two week break while Mike is away skiing. The spare cars purchased two weeks ago have also been stripped and the shells and interiors scrapped to make some space in the garages.

750 MC FIXTURE LIST NOW PUBLISHED

WEEK 5 - SPARE CARS COLLECTED

By the end of the week the engine will be out and stripped and the front suspension off to GAZ.

The 106 is there for all the manual bits like the rack and window mechanisms, plus anything else we can salvage like the glass, provided it fits the SAXO shell - time will tell. The rest will soon be on e-bay!


The race car is at SPOOX this week getting the race seat frame welded into the shell and then the COBRA EVO seat and SABELT 6-point harness fitted.

REBUILD WEEK 5 - CAGE BACK FROM TORNADO MOTORSPORT SO WE CAN NOW START INSTALLING BITS - TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE LOWER VAT RATE.

Many thanks to Dave from Tornado for a brilliant job on the cage. Images are before the cage has been sprayed. A second SAXO VTR, this time a Mk1, has been purchased for spares and the debate now starts as to which engine to use. We have initially purchased a Kent Cam for the Mk1, but may also develop the MK2 as a spare. The suspension units have been ordered for GAZ, as has the EVO seat and 6-point belts from Cobra/Sabelt. SPOOX just need to secure the seats into the shell and onto the cage and we can start the rebuild. Also purchased a base 106, for a manual rack and window mechanisms, plus spare glass and any thing else we have scrapped by mistake.

RACE MANAGEMENT FOR 2009

Following an initial meeting yeaterday, Matt Wisher, the general manager for Everyman Racing and owner of the 106 Mike used in 2008, has offered to assist Mike in 2009. Matt plans to race himself in the 106 and assist Mike in a two driver Michael Comber Racing team. Matt is very busy preparing for the 2009 Track Day season, but plans to test with Mike in January and then to share race day information. Matt has raced in the series before and assisted Mike in his Silverstone and Mallory rounds this year and is fully aware of his potential and pleased that Mike has decided to prepare a SAXO VTR for himself for 2009.

STOCK HATCH COMPETITOR ON TV

Follow this link to see one of Mike's competitors getting onto TV
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7737913.stm
By coincidence this is very similar to what Mikes car will be like.

REBUILD WEEK - 4 GETTING THE CAGE FITTED

Pictures quickly taken of a fellow competitors car being completed as we arrived.

The first picture shows the front legs being braced and linking into the front bulkhead.
The second picture shows that they don't link to the struts as we have to stick to the regulations.

This picture shows the final two pints of contact on the passenger side. We can only use a six point cage, and any other welding to the pillars or roof section as will multi-point cages isn't allowed. I assume that is on the grounds of cost, as I would have though the addition of a few more welds to the shell would have made the car much stronger in the event of an accident, but again we have to abide by the rules.

The cage is very closely fitted to the shell and the gaps to the shell are minimised. The tape is only there to hold the tube in place while welding! There is a cross bar above the driver as another safety feature. Finally the rear mounting is over the rear suspension, but still allows access to the bolts to drop it.

Our two sets of AO48's arrived from Polley Motorsport and we purchased a second set of VTR alloys, so the road tyres will come off this week and the rims pinted and their new rubber fitted. We also took delivery of a the LIFELINE system. While the main car is a way we will try and locate a bsic Saxo for its roof panel, window winders and other spares, as we need a spare windscreen and body panels.

REBUILD STARTS WEEK - 3 PRIMING THE SHELL

First the inside was de-greased and all the insulation and general wiring tags removed together with their metal studs. The inside was then given two coats of grey primer over the original primer and blue over-spray.

After allowing 24 hours between coats, by the third evening the car was ready for its first coat of matt black which easily covered the primer. Such was the success of the spraying that on the second night we decided to prime the outside ourselves!

Having given the the outside as second coat at the same time as the inside, and we couldn't resist giving that an initial test coat on part of the outside just to see how the paint covered.

As the reflections show, the paint covered very well, which has inspired us to completely respray the car black ourselves. Obviously when the cage is fitted, we expect to touch up any scratches. The car will be away for all of week 4 .We only have a couple of hours spare per night on the car, but that is enough for a complete coat and any further preparation work. While the shell is away we can concentrate on the doors, bonnet and boot. In week 5 we will attempt to add a few coats of laqueur to bring out the shine.

CITROEN SAXO STRIPPING - WEEK 2

Having removed the front bonnet and wings and stored them, the engine and gearbox were easily removed, having disconnected the battery, electrical conections, fuel lines and gearlever selectors. Getting the driveshafts out and but keeping the front suspension located, was a fiddle, but worth the benefit of keeping a rolling shell.

The interior was removed in a couple of hours. Very little will be needed, just the dash to replace with the instruments. We spent a couple of hours removing the glass and doors to make access easier. We also removed the rear bumper and lights to free the loom. Most of the interior will end up on E-Bay as it's in really good condition.

With the exhaust system removed, the petrol tank was an easy removal as was the sun roof and any other interior furniture. The steering wheel was removed, but slotted on for ease of mobility. The suspension and brakes look good will be replaced with new or upgraded units in accordance with the Stock Hatch regulations. We are undecided on suspension units at present, as most favour LEDA, but drivers have won in the past with GAZ, which has been set up by DAve Lyon formerly of LEDA. SPOOX will make the final choice for us.

With the car fully stripped except the suspension, we had the chance to double check the structure and then give it a thorough power wash. I think this will be one of the newest SAXO shells in the championship, which is important as some of the older ones are showing signs of rust on the inner wings and suspension pionts. Having said that the SAXO and the 106 do have a good reputation for avoiding the rust bug.

The windscreen has been retained pending the arrival of a screen removal tool. The rims look good and we have already purchased two sets of ADVAN AO48's on a special deal from Polly Motorsport. We bought the last two sets, so they have no more tyres until January. We also purchases a LIFE-LINE FIA approved extinguisher system and have booked the car in for a cage, which means the car will be gone for a week to Tornado Motorsport.

LET THE STRIPPING COMMENCE - WEEK 1

First of all we found a low mileage (37,000) near standard Citroen Saxo VTR

It has had M3 mirrors fitted and been lowerer 40mm, but thats the only changes from standard.

There were some minor signs of light parking damage to the front, as the bumper was poorly fitted, but everything was straight and where it should be.

The rear box had been changed and just made a loud noise rather than any great performance gain, but the remainder was standard, and all the electrics worked.

Of the 5 previous SAXO's we have stripped this was easily the smartest, and would probably have sold on a used car lot for over £2500 with such low mileage and general condition. All it needed was a wash and service, as it had clearly stood for a couple of years under a windy carport.





The engine fired up first time with a new battery, and having checked the brakes and fluids, it easily topped the legal limit down our lane. The head showed signs of standing water, but all the air intake was standard, which is just what we need in Stock Hatch. Being a MK2, it came with the silver topped roller-rocker engine, which we may use as it is, or we may purchase a MK1 black top, as we are told they are more poular and produce more power. We will do our own comparison tests in consultation with SPOOX Motorsport.

The car was given a quick power wash beore Mike started to remove all the front panels in his workshop.

SAXO PREPARATION STARTED FOR 2009 SEASON

As part of his plans to race in Stock Hatch in 2009, Mike has purchased a MK 2 2003 VTR . The car was in mint condition and probably too good to strip, but Mike needed to be sure he had a good base. The vehicle had only covered 37,000 miles and ran very well having been lowered all round.

Pictures of the stripping will follow as and when the tasks progress.

A WET SUNDAY AND A 500 BHP LAMBO MAKES DRIVING INTERESTING!

After spending Sunday on a soaking wet Bruntingthorpe track, Mike was pleased the Track Days are over for 2008. This time the drivers he was instructing generally struggled with the conditions, but the car wenr well and all at Drivers Dream Days seemed to enjoy the fireworks afterwards. Unfortunately Mike missed out on getting to Rockingham to gain another signature for his upgraded licence with no meetings left in 2008, but following an initial meeting Saturday evening, he seems to have gained some racing assistance for the 2009 Stock Hatch Championship.

SUCCESS AT WHILTON ON SATURDAY

Mike, was back at Whilton amongst the Natska crew on Saturday. Mike was once voted the best ever driver of all time in Natska, so he was warmly welcomed as he was no longer competing, but assisting. Abi seemed to be a keen and positive girl, who had previously had some success in Class 11, which was for the single engined Prokart. With the track starting wet and then slowly drying befor a last minute deluge, driving conditions were greasy. Abi managed a 2nd, 3rd and 1st in her first three heats, and was 1st equal at that stage. Unfortunately in the 4th heat, she tried a bold overtake at the top of Xmas and was collected by ther slower driver. She then tried too hard to recover and slightly over drove, dropping her down th pack, but she recovered well. Unfortunately she had to drop that heat and her main rival won it and counted it as a victory, so she just drooped back to 2nd overall. A good result also by other members of the team, who quickly adopted the tyre pressures and general set up Mike was recommending.

BACK TO KART INSTRUCTION AT WHILTON MILL

This Saturday Mike returns to the track he still holds the Intermediate Lap record - Whilton Mill. He is there to assist with the running of the next Natska round, assisting with the Prokart and TKM classes, for Ian Whitts daughter Aby and her friend Jackie. Sunday will be a visit to Bruntingthorpe in the Lambo for Ross.

LAST BOOKING FOR 2008 AT PRODRIVE

Mike completed his last day for Ross Jones of Driving Experiences Direct last Saturday. Unfortunately the Ferrari 360 he normally drives came back broken while he was taking lunch, so the afternoon was spent in a Lambo Diablo. Mike has been booked for 2009, but for now he can concentrate on preparing his race car for the next Stock Hatch season starting in March.

EXCELLENT DAY AT BRUNTINGTHORPE

Mike collected the car Sunday morning and it ran like a dream all day. For such a heavy car, he said it handled much better than the DB9 he normally drives, and almost as good as the 360 Ferrari. The Lamborghini Murciélago is a high performance sports car produced by Italian automaker Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. and designed by Luc Donckerwolke. It was introduced in 2001 as the successor to the Diablo. The Murciélago is a two-door, two-seat coupé.

The Murciélago sports a 6.2-litre version of the Lamborghini V12 engine, a six-speed manual or six-speed sequential automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive. It also has a rear spoiler that can be raised to an angle of 70 degrees, side mirrors that fold in to improve aerodynamics, and side scoops that automatically open to the needed size to let in just the right amount of air needed to cool its engine.

LP stands for Longitudinale Posteriore, referring to the longitudinally-mounted, 6.5 L V12 engine, capable of producing up to 472 kW (642 PS/633 bhp) at 8000 rpm. Along with a new six-speed manual transmission, which can come in Lamborghini's optional paddle shift "E-gear" package, the LP640 can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.3 seconds: 0.4 of a second quicker than the previous Murciélago, and reach a top speed of 219+ mph. The LP640 is accommodated by an electronic Launch control device called "Thrust." At a purchase price cof over £150,000, this is the most expensive car Mike has driven to date and looks forward to driving it again.

As you well know, Lamborghini has been producing beautiful, fast cars for the last 40 years. The Miura was probably their first real hit car - and one of the most beautiful ever - but the car that made Lamborghini the stuff of every schoolboy's dreams was the wildly styled Countach.
The Countach stayed in production from 1974 to 1990 and then bowed out to make way for the awesome Diablo. The Diablo saw many variations, everything from luxo Roadster models to stripped out SV models, ending life with the 6.0.

In 2002, the Diablo seized production, and the workers at the San't Agata factory started production on the Murcielago. Murcielago, named after a courageous bull is certainly one amazing car. The figures are one thing, the experience is another - it's fast, bloody hell fast!

Years ago supercars were fast in a straight line, but some lacked finesse through the twisties. Not anymore. This massive beast is surprisingly easy to toss around twists and turns. The steering might not give the greatest feel of what the front wheels are doing, but still, the grip is amazing, and now you can carve through corners as if in a small roadster. In fact, it does remind me a lot of the Audi TT. Audi owned Lamborghini may not be comfortable with the analogy, but if you can imagine an Audi TT with 600 hp you'll be getting closer to what this car feels like!

Lamborghini Murcielago Weekend

Mike is out in the Lamborghini this weekend at Bruntingthorpe. This is Ross Jones own car, so Mike feels honoured to be trusted with such a rare machine.The Lamborghini Murcielago is four wheel drive, has 580 BHP, 0-62 in 3.8 seconds and capable of 206 MPH

ANOTHER FERRARI TRACK DAY GOES WELL

Another excellent day at PRODRIVE for Driving Experiences Direct. Plenty of tracktime and several HOT LAPS to show clients the excellent handling of the 360. Next activity will be at Bruntingthorpe at the Driver Dream Days event. With the race car still being sorted it looks like the final signature before the upgrade will have to come from a bit of marshalling.

PRODRIVE BOOKING FOR THIS SATURDAY

Ross Jones MD of Driving Experiences Direct has booked Mike for this Saturday once again, and pre-booked him for all next season, subject to his racing. Unfortunately his Stock Hatch gearbox is still away being rebuilt, so he will be unable to enter the final round at Snetterton this Sunday.
His race manager - Matt Wisher has been busy working on the new Everyman brochure, so there has been a slight delay in getting back onto the track. Hopefully winter testing can start in October ready for 2009.

SPENT AT GOOD WEEKEND AT BRUNTINGTHORPE FOR DRIVER DREAM DAYS

Spent most of the weekend in a Subaru WRC taking people round the Bruntingthorpe track, showing them the correct lines in preparation for their Supercar drives. Managed a few hot lap rides in a Porsche Turbo and the rest of the time doing passenger rides. The biggest event so far, with about 30 cars and 50 Instructors looking after about 1000 clients.

INTERNATIONS 2007 VIDEO HAS JUST ARRIVED

It may be a year late, but in the post came the overdue DVD. The camera crew didn't manage to capture the three wins Mike achieved on Saturday, as those scores were dropped to keep the other teams in with a chance of winning. The DVD only shows the final on Saturday, by which time a good drive by Mike in the pre-final ensured an English victory again. The final showed Mike in his TKM 2/ battling to allow the English 4/ pair to break away from the team of Welsh 4/ karts. He held them up for a number of laps before one of them drove straight over him. At an MSA Super 1 round the Welsh driver would have been excluded, but as he has hampered and struggled at the back, no action was taken. In the end Mike restarted with a bent axle and broken seat and crossed the finish to the sound of a standing ovation and congratulations from Martin Capenhurts the team manager. Mike later receive the driver of the meeting accolade.

DRIVER DREAM DAYS BOOKING AT BRUNTINGTHORPE THIS WEEKEND

Mike will have a break from racing to allow us time to get the car prepared for Snetterton in two weeks time. Thanks to an introduction from Matt Wisher, who manages the Everyman Racing events at Prestwold, Mike will be instructing in a selection of supercars and hopefully getting in some hot laps and passenger rides. It's another local event company who can offer him some track time.

EXCELLENT CIRCUIT AT OULTON PARK - SHAME ABOUT THE RAIN AND THE DAMAGE IT CAUSED!.

The weather was very wet and on Friday in practice, 3 minutes was a good time! There had been several delays due to cars falling off the track, but Saturday looked more promising. Travelling up from Leicester @ 6am, it only took 2 hours to get within a mile of the circuit, but when the SatNav told us we had arrived, be were stuck down a farm lane! We eventually arrived an hour later just in time for breifing at scrutineering.

With a wet set-up, Mike went well for the warm up lap and then the second lap, passing 6 cars and then at the end of the pit straight changing down, he lost 3rd and to avoid the car in front put w wheel onto the grass - fatal! The car slowly slid into the tyre wall, square on, and took out all the front lights and body panels.

Fortunately the car ran, and we pulled the bodywork straight enough to be able to test it round the paddock. All seemed fine as it went up and down the box, and although Mike only recorded a couple of lap times, he was atleast in a heat in 32nd.

With friends from MotorsTV paying a visit, the heat looked to be some exciting entertainment for them, and it was for 4 laps, as Mike got past 10 cars on his way to a place in the final. Unfortunately the 3 rd gear problem returned and instead of jumping out on deceleration, it refused to stay in gear. Mike was reduced to keeping in 4th and driving on momentum like a Pro-Kart.

In the end Mike dropped back to 24th and missed the final, but with the gearbox now getting worse, he coasted round the last lap and we managed to winch the car onto the trailer, for an early end to the day - 3pm. Matt had the car back at 5pm and it was stripped down that evening.

Sunday was spent taking the gearbox out and stripping it down ready for a rebuild this week. We have some spare lights and panels, so hopefully we can have it running next Sunday and hopefully ready for Snetterton the following week for the last signature before upgrading.

The sad pictures of the little wreck will follow.

MORE STOCK HATCH FUN THIS WEEKEND

Here is a taster of the Pug 106 with it's previous driver Paul Sheehan (4) getting away from the camera car back in 2004. It was 10 years old then, so another four years on and the car is still going remarkably well! The bumpers are now black rather than turquoise.
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50qVmxOXqmA
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeuFwDv_rUw
Hopefully more action from Oulton to follow.
Here is a clip of a similar 106 at Brands earlier this year lapping at even minute times.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz0uL8UQHY4

ANOTHER SPECIAL DAY IN A FERRARI FOR DRIVING EXPERIENCES DIRECT

Another successful day for Mike at PRODRIVE Saturday. Nearly 40 clients 10 of which wanted Mike to give them some hot laps to show off the cars race potential. Unfortunately he will be at Snetterton when the next day is booked, but in the Meantime he has Oulton this Saturday and then on 13/14th Bruntingthorpe he is booked for Drivers Dream Days. KARTING TV C.E.O. Alan Taddei plans to come to Oulton. Now that the MOTORS TV championship has finished, he may be looking at Stock Hatch coverage?

ANOTHER OUTING AT THE PRODRIVE CIRCUIT THIS SATURDAY

Mike will be busy at the Kenilworth track this weekend offering driver instruction at PRODRIVE for Driving Experiences Direct. A week after Silverstone, he is looking forward to the next stock Hatch round at Oulton Park on the 6th September.

STOCK HATCH SUCCESS AT SILVERSTONE

Leaving home at 7am, we drove through a terrible storm on the way to the circuit, so it was no suprise that by 11am the circuit was flooded. As the first timed session went out, so did the sun, but the average times for that group were closer to 1.30 than the 1.15 lap record and Mike was a poor 26th out of 36 as he had never driven the 106 in the wet before and guessed the set up.

The second qualifying group had a dry track so were all between 1.20 and 1.14. Mike was therefore placed in the second chance heat, and by driving from 26th to 11th secured a place in the final with the top 30 qualifiers, with Mike lapping at 1.16 for his first visit to the track.
THIS IS A VIEW FROM A CAR ABOUT FOUR CARS BEHIND - MIKE IS THE GREEN 106 JUST KEEPING AHEAD OF THE PACK, BEFORE BREAKING FREE. THANKS TO JBS MOTORSPORT FOR THE IN-CAR ENTERTAINMENT. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR6uMKvXRc0&feature=related THANKS ALSO TO DARREN FOR THIS RINGSIDE VIEW OF MIKE AS HE TRIED TO CATCH HIM ALL RACE. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5CeXT4HAv9M THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF THE HEAT AND STOPS AT A VITAL MOMENT, SO HERE IS PART TWO ;-http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=M_eZmd6WrYs PLENTY OF ACTION TO SEE IF MIKE WINS OUT ON THIS MINI-BATTLE? GREAT IN-CAR CAMERA WORK. WE MUST DO THE SAME AT THE NEXT MEETING, SO WE ALSO GET A FORWARD VIEW.

In the final, Mike started in last in a grid of 30 and quickly made six places before being pushed out wide when attempting another pass and into the gravel. He kept the car going and resumed last, but in the remaining five laps clawed back four places.

The aim for this first Stock Hatch meeting was to get into the main final, hopefully via the heat so he could get two signatures. With a practice session planned before the next round at Oulton, Mike now aims to qualify in the top 30 so he goes directly into the main final.

Much thanks to Matt Wisher for the use of his car and support on the day, and to the band of brave supporters who watched from high up in the main stand.

ELVINGTON WENT WELL IN THE DB9

Another Track day passed with 40 happy customers all enjoying their ride in the DB9 round Elvington Airfield near York. It's a long day having to leave at 6am and not getting back until 8pm, with over 300 miles of driving there and back and almost 300 track miles during the day.

As always it's a micture of people who just want a treat to sit in a Supercar at upto 150 mph for a few laps, while others own similar vehicles and are there to learn how to optimise their skills. My friend Peter Felix was ther in his Audi R8 giving hot laps at £35 a time. Considering he had over 100 customers, his £85,000 purchase price will soon be recouped.

Although Mike was working for Ross Jones from Driving Experiences Direct, he was subcontracted out to Driving Sensations who also provide Porsches, Lambo and Lotus cars to compare with the Aston. Last weel Mike was subcontracted to 6th Gear and has also been offered work at Bruntingthorpe for September & October with Driver Dream Days. As soon as he passes his ARDS exams he will also be working for Everyman Racing.

FRIDAY TESTING AT SILVERSTONE IS FULLY BOOKED

Unfortunately Silverstone is fully booked before Mikes first outing in the Stock Hatch Championship. Fortunately he will be kept busy taking the Aston DB9 round Elvington for the day. The added experience of a track day would have helped, but with the strange weather we are having the conditions on Friday may be totally different to the race conditions on Sunday.

Mike was very pleased with the car at mallory, and all that needs to change is the addition of a second petrol tank, as the races are slighly longer and Mike needs the extra ballast to meet the minimum weight. We have aquired a 4x4 and covered race trailer but it will mean a 6am start Sunday morning. Pictures should follow.

Wednesday night at Gloucester is Kart night!

The SVS kart team are reformed to take on all-comers on Wednesday. So far this year the team are unbeaten with Mike setting the fastest lap in every race. This time the venue has been moved to suit some of the other teams who will now have a home advantage. We believe that the team leader of the main opposition once managed the circuit, so he should know the quickest way round. Pictures will follow.

SIXTH GEAR TRACK DAY WENT WELL

On Saturday Mike spent the day at PRODRIVE in an Aston Martin DB9 all day offering instruction on behalf of sixth gear. This was his first booking with them and as well as the selection of Ferrari, Lambo and Porsche cars, they also have an Ariel Atom and a Caterham to entertain people in. This is now the second time Mike has driven the Aston and while it is a very comfortable carto drive too and from the track in with plenty of grunt, on the track it is too heavy to throw about like a Ferrari 360 or a Diablo. Mike is booked again this Friday at Elvington.

PASSED PRODRIVE INTRUCTORS COURSE

On Tuesday at 12.30 Mike managed to pass the Instructors exams held at the PRODRIVE Circuit near Kenilworth. This now allows him to instruct at any of their events, which includes any Track Days they organise on behalf of manufacturers any bespoke testing for development purposes and the Track day experiences run by Driving Experiences Direct, Sixth Gear or Dream Days. At the moment Mike is managing at least a booking a week there to help fund his car racing.

FIRST RACE MEETING A GREAT SUCCESS

Firstly, many thanks must go to the Morgan Sports Car Club and the Northern Sport Car Club for a great day at Mallory who assisted Mike in gaining his first two signatures towards his National A licence. Secondly a big thanks to the marshalls and team at the circuit for a well organised event. Then many thanks to Matt Wisher and Adam from Everyman Racing for their input and support and finally thanks to Rich for the use of the transporter and Phil for his mechanical expertise at the end of the day.

Having enjoyed a successful practice on Wednesday morning, the aim was to crack the 57 second lap. According to Marque Cars Formula Ford boss Don Hardman, the track was running about a second slower than normal for his driver, parly due to the damp conditions, and partly because it was getting very uneven in places.

Mike had difficulty in setting the correct tyre pressures, initially running in the low 20's and in one heat at 36psi all round. Practice was very damp for both sessions, so in his 1600cc 8 valve Pug running on road tyres, Mike was able to keep up and pass the likes of a 944 Porsche, D type Jag several hot hatches, plus Morgans etc.

Mike was up against a former BTCC Civic an M3 and a variety of Caterham and Westfields. He was never going to win a race, but mid-grid in both races gave him a chance. Unfortunately in the afternoon the sun came out and several more powerful cars on slick tyres soon got the better of him.

In the first race Mike managed to beat a couple of front running stock hatch competitors, and in the second race had a good dice with a 944 and the D type. In both races he finished in the top 10 and learnt a lot of good race craft with much faster cars lapping him in the 15 minute races. Overall, Mike managed to hit regular time in the low 58 seconds, which in better conditions would have been lap record pace.

To conclude, there is a lot to be gained from the car, as the tyres were over a year old and rock hard and the damper settings were wrong to start with and eventually about right. Mike agrees that once he is in the Stock Hatch pack, he will have the chance to copy the lines of the front runners and push the car a bit harder. Today the car needed to get back undamaged to secure the two signatures fron the Clerk of the Course.

Silverstone is next on the 24th August. Hopefully some images will follow.

ANOTHER PRODRIVE BOOKING ON 16TH AUGUST WITH DRIVING EXPERIENCE DIRECT

Weekends are filling up for Mike. After his two races at Mallory on 10th August, follows a trip to the Kenilworth Track on 16th. Later that week on 22nd, he had planned to test at Silverstone in readiness for his Stock hatch race on 24th, but the day is now fully booked, so he will be going to Elvington again for a Track Day. Assuming all goes well at Silverstone and he enjoys gaining another signature, he will be at Prodrive on 30th August to round off a busy month.

On 13th September he has a Kart Endurance meeting at Gloucester to compete in for Driving Experience Direct.

GT40 racer and world famous glass artist, Richard Blenko will be arriving from the US in September, to watch him race in Stock Hatch at Oulton Park in Cheshire on the 6th/7th. Mike hopes to get a run out in the GT40 at Prestwold Hall where he keeps it. Hopefully a third or even forth signature on his licence with a further Stock Hatch race at Snetterton in Norfolk on 27th/28th September.

The plan is then for Mike to team up with Clio Cup racer-Peter Felix or car owner-Matt Wisher to compete in the time-extended Tin Top races at Castle Combe on 4th/5th October and again at Snetterton on 18th/19th October.

If possible Mike would like to fit in the TKM O plate as his only MSA kart race for 2008 and subject to his availability, maybe the GP plate in December, where he had his last race and podium finish.

PROMISING PUG 106 TEST AT MALLORY

Initially just three half-hour sessions for Mike at Mallory, to test the car and learn the track. It had rained overnight, so the track was 'green' with just a damp line for the first session at 9am. At the back of his mind was the fastest lap in the previous Stock hatch race of 57.6 seconds. The first aim for session 1 was to get below the minute. Following an initial 3 lap warm up, and then two laps of 59 seconds, the red flag came out for ten minutes. The session ended with a further 10 laps all in the low 59 second range with Mike having a dice with a more powerful MGB.

Session 2 was at 10 am, so just enough time to check the tyre pressures, torque the wheels and top up the fuel. The weather was muggy and with 20 vehicles in his session - mostly Clio Cup and Ginetta's, there was a drying line developing. Sadly after just 5 laps, the MGB Mike had a dice with in the first session decided to leave the track an compress itself against an Armco! it too 20 minutes to sort the mes, so with just a couple of warm up laps and 5 more at race pace, Mike dropped into the mid 58 second range.

Session 3 was at 11am, so with just 20 laps experience so far, we were pleased to be given a 40 minute slot. We changed the damper settings, lowered the pressures and brimmed the tank. Without a stop watch we were relying on the car lap timer, but friends from Piro were there testing their Clio Cup cars and kindly included Mike on their time sheet. After 5 initial laps Mike then put in 15 laps all between 58.5 and 58 seconds dead. He came in for 5 minutes, as the front tyre was melting and scrubbing off too much speed as he under-steered. Not enough time to let the tyres cool enough to crack the 57 second barrier, Mike did a further 20 laps in the low 58 second range experimenting with different lines.

Considering the car hasn't been used for a year and the tyres were rock hard Mike was 'happy' that given better tyres and another 15 laps, he would be on lap record pace. As an aside there were several cars turn up that will be in his race at the weekend that he was able to pass, including a Black BMW M3 and a Jaguar XJ6. Hopefully as well as gaining two valuable signatures, he might manage to beat a few people.

PEUGEOT SHAKEDOWN WEDNESDAY 6TH AUGUST AT MALLORY PARK

Still on target to give the car its first shakedown outing at our local friendly track this Wednesday morning. The transporter has been ordered for Tuesday night, so fingers crossed all the final work will be done in time and the car loaded and delivered Wednesday first thing. Let us hope the sun shines for the four hours we are there. We hope that successful pictures will follow.

ANOTHER GOOD OUTING AT THE ELVINGTON CIRCUIT & AIR MUSIUM NEAR YORK

A 6am start Sunday in order to drive the Aston Martin DB9 upto Yorkshire and then from 9am until 6pm taking clients round the track mostly for tuition as part of a 4 lap Track Day experience.

Some then paid extra for Mike to show them how quick the car can lap the circuit and practically show what he was teaching them.
From their faces, a good time was enjoyed by all attending. Tuesday Mike completes his PRODRIVE Training, which enables him to take on corporate work for manufacturers such as Mercedes, Seat and Subaru who use the track for their product launches and dealer training.

MORGAN SPORTS CAR CLUB

Provided the car preparation is completed tonight and Mike can organise some way of getting the car from Donington to Mallory Park for Wednesday morning, Mike will be setting out to learn the track ready for the meeting on Sunday 10th August. Hopefully car owner Matt Wisher will be there to assist with driver coaching as he is based at the circuit with Everyman Racing.
On Sunday, Mike will be in class D which is for modified cars upto 1600cc. As the Peugeot 106 is very basic with no modifications except for the safety requirements, and hasn't seen a track for two years, he obviously won't win first time out!
As a bonus, Mike has also been entered in the final race which is a saloon versus sports cars race. Considering most vehicles will be a minimum of ten times the value of his, once again it will just be an exercise to collect another signature towards his National A. If all goes to plan and subject to funding, 2009 will be the season to make a mark. A full report with lap times will follow. We are unsure about TV coverage for this event and will make a posting as soon as we know. Good luck to the Klaassen team at the TKM festival and to Ash Hand at the GP meeting at PFI.

DRIVING EXPERIENCE DIRECT @ ELVINGTON THIS SUNDAY

Mike will be making his first visit to Elvington this Sunday. This time he is taking the DB9 up and offering driver coaching and some hot laps round the track.





It will be interesting for him to compare this 500bhp Rolls Royce of GT's to the Ferrari 360 and Lambo he drove at the Prodrive circuit a few weeks ago
This will be the start of a busy week involving Mike's first track race at Mallory Park.

STOCK HATCH IS NOW A SERIOUS PROBABILITY FOR AUGUST 2008

Just a few shots of a car Mike will be using for Stock Hatch and/or the TinTop series. If all goes to plan, Mike will start to prepare it next week and then get an entry for Oulton Park in early August and Silverstone towards the end of that month, following an initial shake down. Peter Felix, the former Stock Hatch and current Clio Cup driver, owned it and had matched the lap record in this car at Donington Park, where Mike plans to test it with owner Matt Wisher.



The car will need a thorough checking over, as it has been sat for about a year, but Mike is keen to get his hands dirty on the tools as soon as possible and convert his testing speed into some good race performances.

STOCK HATCH RACING AT DONNINGTON

In order for Mike to gain his ARDS INSTRUCTORS qualification, he has to complete six races as soon as possible. Having joined the 750 Motor Club back in 2005 when he planned a season in SAXMAX for 2006, he has decided to enter the senior version of that called Stock Hatch. With over 70 entrants at each race it will take him back to the days of Junior Max, when there were often almost 100 entries for Super 1, with A, B, and C finals. Mike has been offered the use of a Peugeot 106, but he may decide to buy a 205GTi for this season and then upgrade next year, subject to sponsorship.



















Here is an extract from the final from a 205GTi Please copy the code to your browser http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVSeqT1hDFE

Many thanks to Darren Wilson, Peter Felix and Craig Emmerson for their guidance.