Although there are some embedded below, if you do read on.
It was FREEZING when we left home on Friday morning. Lots of wee jobs completed on the car, brother Alistair at the wheel, collars turned up to 10, and we're off.
Collected Andy (battle short) at Blythe Bridge but not before we were accosted by local children and grandparents for picture opportunities
Great run down the A701 - when is it ever owt else - and stopped the traffic in Moffat for a moment or two. Left the A74M at Carlisle and headed onto the moors via Brampton. Much crunching, scraping, general hoonery and laughter later, we're in Hawes via Kirkby Stephen and Alston. Not before we thought Al had broken the car at least twice (loose plug leads on both occasions) and nearly been driven into by a jap saloon wandering into the middle of the road as we overtook.
Wensleydale Creamery for lunch - new restaurant there highly recommended, btw - pressies bought for kiddies etc, then on our way across Langstothdale Chase towards Buckden, Kettlewell and Bedlam (!). Thought we were being real clever by avoiding Harrogate with a B-road to Knaresborough, but Friday traffic there was appalling and not even iPhone satnav could save us. Plugged our way through, then on emerging towards the other side an Isuzu 4-cab pickup engages us and proceeds to overtake Andy on the speed bumps in a 20
Then he sets off after me and I'm treated to the comedy sprint through the lanes to the A1, Isuzu wheezing and screeching behind me...he nearly took out an oncoming bus, shortly followed by the nearside hedgerow when taking avoiding action, and finally wheelspun off up some lane in disgust. Interesting. Interesting.Then the boring blat down A1M, M18 and M1. Didn't miss the Notts junction this year though
and in the bar by around half six. The crew start drifting in and we finally sit down to consume dead things (as Robin would describe it) at 8.45. I then have my arm twisted for a full two hours regarding why I would surely like to book UJI in for the hastily rearranged trackday session on the Saturday. I go to bed thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. The force runs strong in young Robini, whose Jedi Mind Tricks have started to take effect and I head off with Scott 1 in search of a tyre depot to repair a slow puncture. Well I can hardly take the car on track in that condition can I!Having chatted to the tyre monkey about his souped up Toyota Starlet, and his plans to soup it up even more (apparently you can get over 300bhp out of those things, with the right turbo and a large dose of luck...and balls), we get on down to Donnie at last. I arrive in time for a private drivers' briefing for myself, Alistair, Ross and Robin, and before I know it we are heading out into the pitlane for a warmup
I drive round the circuit wondering which way the first half of it actually goes. I've spectated there a few times but the track is so wide compared to Knockhill it's hard to get initial reference points. A few laps in and Robin has sussed out my weak points (easier to count the strong ones to be fair) and some basic tips ensue. Then we swap and he "shows me how it's done"...what a hoot and my can this boy drive. It's been a while since I paxed with Robin, and he's never driven UJI on track in its latest state of tune. I'd say the car is working quite well.
Then it's Alistair's turn. Understandably nervous, but always game to have a go, he gets shown round by Robin. Before we know it it's lunchtime, and head up to check out the show. Bit lacklustre to be fair, either it's less impressive than previous years or I am getting old. Or both. Can't find anything suitable as pressies for the kids (got Eilidh a great Lotus fleece a couple of years back), so we head back down to the track where Team Techno are champing at the bit to get on track. UJI obliges and all have a great afternoon.
For my part, I dusted off the rusty track skills (it's been nearly 3 years since I took my own car out, and perhaps a year since I drove a kindly donated car at Knockhill). With some brilliant encouragement and observation from both Robin and Ross, I started to "hook up" Donington Park and indeed if the brakes had more life in them and there had been more time left, I think I'd have been in good form. As it was I got the bug to return and fulfilled a goal I set 3 years ago...to drive a track OTHER than KH! At last!
You can't park there mister
Now concentrate
Alistair smiles nervously
Concentrate
KTM Crossbow. Bit square.
Letting the Vectra through
Scotty scares a pax
Struth, just look at those stripes
Pitlane chatter
In good company
I'm a celebrity get me out of here
For those who are swithering about the value of a trackday at Donnie, don't dally, get there. It has the undulating interest of KH but the width and length to make finding lines and hooking up corners much more of a challenge. It is astounding how different a corner becomes when you finally master the one before...you can't believe the new speed at which you arrive a the following one, and of course you're all over the place as a result
I am sure I was the slowest out there but no matter, the gauntlet is down and I'll be back.Colin M asked me to meet him outside the exhibition to "help guide him back to the hotel" - I always worry for your navigational skills Colin! - but when I get there I discover the ruse. I'm ordered into the driver's seat of his powder blue 340R and told to "give it some" on the way home. Colin follows at the wheel of UJI (poor car was fairly prostituted over the whole weekend really). A great blast, punctuated only by the panic of blowing up the engine after an upchange somewhere above 8k rpm...I discover later to Colin and Co's amusement that this was a backfire and by no means the biggest they had seen all weekend!
Forty winks then down to the bar, great to see Kelvin there and but for a couple of others, the full original Donnie team from 2000 would have been there. Herded up the cats and headed into town on the tram for the curry. You'd think people like Sanjoy had never been on a tram. Come to think of it they probably haven't! Much fun and hilarity en route. Then to my dismay, Sinatra Bar won't serve us on account of being "a large male group". Sheesh. So straight to the curry house where Scotty and Tut finally join us after usual delays. There's always one. It's usually Ed actually. Great meal and great chat, then back for the last tram ... via Sinatra's where we sneak in in small groups, still get rumbled but manage a nightcap all the same.
Over to the tram but Scott 1 and Scott 2 have other plans and slink off into the night...the rest of us head for bed, in Colin's case a bit early as he topples of his seat in slumber on the tram. Lights out and GP to wake up for on Sunday.
Can't stay awake through the GP and end up lying in even through breakfast. Alistair makes good of it though, and eventually we are saddled to leave. Tut wants to ride along with us, while the rest go on to cheer our other tame racing driver at Silverstone. Steady blat up the M1, miss the M18 fork to take us to A1M but no big deal, just join it further north anyway. We've hatched a cunning plan to enjoy the "Stokesley TT road" by exiting the A1M for Thirsk, but before doing so we pick up a lovely purple Elan S2 at a nearby Services. Alan and Sarah end up running with us all the way back to Edinburgh and indeed he's recently joined up here. Welcome Alan. To get to the start of the B-road involves ascending Sutton Bank, a 1 in 4 gradient in places which is mercifully banned for caravans
Get a reasonable run up this actually, then over to Helmsley and turn north onto "the road". This is biker heaven and rightly so. We have a reasonable run, Alan has some trouble with a couple of bits of traffic and Tut needs to get a wriggle on, so the old PensionR waves and puts the boot in. Alan lets his brakes cool a bit and we enjoy the rest of the route, eventually picking up the A68 until the Scottish Border, and using the neat A6088 to Hawick and A7 to Edinburgh.All told I think we sank three tanks of fuel over 500 or so miles plus the track action, and Alistair probably sank about as much beer. The car behaved brilliantly despite all the thrashing, although a suspect front left corner (picked up by McKean on a recent shakedown) is proving itself more and more likely by snatching the brake several times, mostly witness by Robin. Damper change might be involved there, we think. And new front pads and fluid too, without doubt.
So it was great to catch up with so many people again, and I fear my savings pot is now going to be hit hard while I tidy up some remaining glitches with the car and of course put right the wear n tear of a day on the Donington circuit...and then start scheming to get on another track, perhaps a bit farther afield...
Thanks to everyone who came along and made it such a laugh. Here's to next year.
Campbell
