Silverstone – May 2012
Silverstone
Rounds 3 & 4
Well, what a weekend BraceMotorSport have just had, unfortunately for all for the wrong reasons.
The truck was finished at last and we even have a new awning for the flat patch. The team turned up for Silverstone well prepared, Dean’s motor had just had a freshen up and the new tyres were all srubbed in. The cars appeared to be on the button, Nick had driven them around the outer paddock on Friday night and they both seemed to be fine. But when practice started on Saturday morning Nick’s car wouldn’t start, so he got no practice at all, and Dean managed only 3 laps before he had to pull in. We replaced the ignition stater plate on Nick’s car and after that it fired up with no problem. An inspection of Dean’s car indicated that the motor would have to be removed due to the valve timing slipping, so he was on engine number 2 before we even got out for the first race!
We were hoping for the day to start improving after sorting both cars out but race 1 saw Dean retiring with yet another engine problem and Nick had a crash and, although he managed to finish, he was last and had a very bent car. Race 2 wasn’t to be any better with Dean having to retire with chassis damage and Nick finishing 8th, the damage to his car from the previous race meant he was not on the pace.
Race 3 had Dean starting on pole due to his terrible start to the day so we were once again hopeful that the day would finish on a high but when his gearbox decided to let go, with only 3 out of 5 gears, he had to conceed his pole and move out of line. Nick had yet another coming together and had to retire. And so with another engine change to be made on Dean’s car this had been the worse days racing Bracemotorsport had ever had!
A big thanks to Paul Simmons and Keith, his right hand man, for all their help on the day, and also to Pete Morton who had been on hand helping out all the casulties in the paddock.
So, would the sun shine on the Bracey boys the next day……………….well ,no, not really!Race 1 on Sunday had Dean finishing 6th and Nick 9th. With the cars battered and bruised it was gonna be hard to get on the front runners pace. Race 2 and Dean appeared to be getting to grips with the car and the track, finishing up in 5th place. Nick had another crash and was unable to continue so had to pull in. Dean had his best race in the final and had a good drive to come home in 3rd, with a fastest lap. Nick’s car was not in the best of shape and he came home 10th, but after the weekend we were glad to see both cars in one piece.
Silverstone has never been kind to Bracemotorsport and last year it was a similar story. The track is not really suited to Legends, with few gear changes and speed being the main criteria, it offers the driver little challenge and, for the spectator, a few seconds a lap doesn’t offer exciting viewing either. Needless to say, we are hoping it is not a track we use again next year!
Again we must say thanks to our mechanic’s, Alex and Gary, as they both worked their socks off all weekend.
We are home and work has started on the cars in preperation for the next exciting episode in this 2012 Legends Cars Championship. Sunny Anglesea awaits the roar of those “Crazy Legends” and we are ever hopeful that with two terrible weekends behind us we see a return to the pace and form that we expect.