Golspie Sprint this weekend

[fd]

We'll be at Golspie on Sunday (cant make Saturday) . . .

Will be my first time at Golspie and Nikkis first ever sprint, double entering the caterham . . .

Anybody in the general vicinity (unlikely I know), would be good to blether . . .

Fd

[steve_weegie]

Will be at knockhill for this, but intend popping along to the doune and forrestburn runs in the next couple of weeks if you're around?

[fd]

Indeed we are in the doune entry list and I'll be at forrestburn too . . . come along and have a blether . . .

Fd

[Mikie711]

I am going up on the Saturday, which is no use to you. Going up for a blether with David Loomes about his TC/data logger and to check out the track for next year.

Mike

[campbell]

Just highly unfortunate timing Fergus, the Classic Speedfair weekend is my big night out of the year (!) yet Golspie sits in one of our all-time favourite parts of Scotland too. So future persuasion should not be needed...just don't bend the car so that we know you'll be back there in years to come!

Very best of luck to Nikki, has she been practising on the way to work?!

[steve_weegie]

Will do fd... Will be good to chat about things other than head gaskets, but might slip some engine & class regulation questions into the conversation....

[campbell]

Just noticed the Doune dates, we've been looking for something to shake off hangovers on the Sunday 22nd (brother's wedding on the Saturday night!) so may be able to put in an appearance at that one.

[fd]

Very best of luck to Nikki, has she been practising on the way to work?!

Well she has done about 10 miles total in the caterham so far and no more practice until the day . . . going from a 50bhp/tonne audi to a 300bhp/tonne caterham will be an experience for sure . . . a lesson in 'just doing it' for many I think . . . she's the prime driver (or tyre warmer depending on your prespective), so I'm hoping that the car's still in once piece for my runs

Fd

[fd]

Just noticed the Doune dates, we've been looking for something to shake off hangovers on the Sunday 22nd (brother's wedding on the Saturday night!) so may be able to put in an appearance at that one.

Would be appreciated, it's the 40th Doune anniversary, so a special event . . . and for all the other reasons . . . come and say hello and watch the speed . . .

Fd

[campbell]

Just noticed the Doune dates, we've been looking for something to shake off hangovers on the Sunday 22nd (brother's wedding on the Saturday night!) so may be able to put in an appearance at that one.

Would be appreciated, it's the 40th Doune anniversary, so a special event . . . and for all the other reasons . . . come and say hello and watch the speed . . .

Fd

I raised this with Mission Control this morning and the signs are favourable. All now depends on our condition after the wedding but a cruise from Edin through to Doune shouldn't be too hard. Don't expect us much before lunch time though

[graeme]

Good luck both!

[fd]

Well . . . what a week . . . down in London until late last night, about 3 nights too little sleep over the last 3 days . . . that and public trasport-o-rama . . . and lots of it . . . really the tube and DLR and City Airport are the only way to do London . . . I'm setting up a couple of datacenters in Docklands and Slough and it's a car free operation . . . the good thing about datacenters is the aircon . . . nice and cool in an overheated city . . . lost my wallet, found my wallet (in a very secure datacenter - secure enough to house the london stock exchange - a lot more secure than your average bank in fact) . . . my bank cancels my cash card, some time on the 'phone explaining that I was 'not happy' . . . late flights, etc, etc, etc but anyway . . . back to Golspie . . . We trucked up to Golspie on Saturday afternoon after Nikki had finished . . . arrive onsite and fire up a barbie and some beer from the coolbox . . . some red wine and early bed in a nice quiet camping location near the track . . . up with the birds and we take another track walk . . . and another . . . then get the car out of the trailer and into the paddock . . . lot of friendly people all know it's Nikkis first event and offer so much support - really fantastic . . . from the timekeepers to the COC everything is sorted to make things as easy as can be . . .

First runs time and Nikki is super nervous . . . but she does a great job and brings herself and the car home . . . more than good enough . . . being second driver we have to swap the car over, reset the harnesses,etc and get out for a run . . . Golspie is a brilliant wee track . . . very much a rear-steer track where you have to drive the car on the throttle . . . hugely enjoyable and I'd really recommend it . . . I could spend a lot of time at Golspie playing with the car . . . Now Nikki has learned . . . 'I can go faster than that' is the call she makes . . . and she does . . . second run is a load faster as the nerves get under control and she starts driving harder . . . for me I make the expected incremental improvement on my time . . . then lunch . . .

Timed 1 and again Nikki improves her time significantly and visibly . . . fantastic . . . I think the nerves are going and not shes starting to learn what is possible . . . she has only driven the caterham for about 6 miles total prior to this event and going from a 50bhp/ton audi to a 300bhp/ton caterham is a bit if a step . . . by far the least experienced driver and perhaps one of the most observed by all the people we know who know what she is achieving . . . a hell of a lot . . .

For me timed 1 is a screw up . . . I totally outbrake myself into one of the corners, a corner where you carry enough speed to be unable to stop for the corner so you HAVE to turn in . . . so I do . . . automatic reaction . . . but I carry far too much speed and do some gardening . . . I'm not off for long but long enough to relax and cruise the rest of the lap, I want to concentrate on the car and check for engine problems as the off was quite bumpy . . . back in the paddock there is no damage . . . so down to one timed run for a good time . . .

Timed 2 and Nikki comes up with her first 'target' . . . get it under 100 seconds . . . as she leaves the line I'm speaking to Jonathon Rarity (hillclimb champ last year and thoroughly nice bloke) and we're watching the time and her progress, willing her to break the 100 seconds mark . . . it's going to be close as hell . . . but . . . she does it . . . awesome . . . she comes into the changeover area and is well happy with the time . . . and a lot of people know what she has achieved . . . very impressive . . .

We changover and I take my second timed run . . . it's OK . . . an improvement . . . but well off the A4 pace which I rate myself against . . . not enough experience on this track which is trickier than it seems . . . I'm not pushing myself enough and I know it . . . but such is life sometimes, this weekend was really about Nikki . . .

The weather was awesome, the track was fantastic, the people were second to none, we'll be back . . . thoroughly enjoyable . . .

Doune next . . . fast brain back online . . . I'm ready to break my PB and the 48 second barrier . . . wonder if the car can do it . . . hope it's dry . . .

We truck home from Golspie, get some pizza in Inverness and have a nice run back to Perthish towing the trailer . . . 100 quids worth of diesel used . . . thanks Gordon you thieving c*ck . . . the scenery from the A9 makes the journey . . . after dropping off the trailer and getting home for a glass of red I realise I have 3 hours to get some sleep before returning to the start of this post . . . work hard, play hard . . .

[campbell]

Cool write up, Fergus. Large thumbs up to Nikki from all at Team Ford.

What you've done with that weekend is what makes it all worthwhile eh.

[Shug]

Give my congrats to Nikki, Fergus - well done.

[Scotty C]

Give my congrats to Nikki, Fergus - well done.