Retired from Vee

Yes I've sold the car (at the end of 2013). It had been sat in the garage for a year and it was time to sell it rather than letting it rust away. A racing car belongs on a track and not sat in a garage. It was a sad day to see it go but the next owner promised to be out next season with it. In 2014 I didn't see them out once....

It didn't take long to sell but then its all about timing. Just after the end of the season and very few Vees up for sale on RaceCarDirect all helped me to shift it in less than a month.

I sold it for £4K including the trailer. That's not bad when you consider the car cost me £5K back in 1999 and the trailer I bought new from Brain James for £1,300 in about 2006. I maybe could have got a little bit more but the car had been sat in a garage and needed an overhaul so I think it was a fair price.

This is a photo taken at my last race...Donnington 2012 with my family. The person missing that helped the most is my trusty mechanic Ian who was the one taking the photo.

Nice Photo at Brands (prob 2010) at Druids...I used this to advertise the car. A nice action photo is what stirs the emotions and gets the car sold !!!

Its now been a couple of years since I last raced. Would I go back to it ? I think I will. Would I go back to Vee ? Maybe,

BTW - after my fall my hip never recovered and after a year of it getting worse I decided to have a replacement. Ceramic and Titanium. Its so much better now. I walk with hardly any limp and no more pain and clicking from the hip. I wish I had it done 6 months earlier. This is what it looks like now...

Donnington 2012 - the last race

The previous race was Brands Hatch. The race was one of the wettest races I've ever been in. Its open cockpit and you expect to get a bit wet if it rains but it was like sitting in a bath. I couldn't see much. Nobody could. So I just circulated and finished. I can't say I enjoyed that one. But as Phil Liggett once said "You don't here the winner complaining". Precisely.

Donnington 2012 in June I thought might be my last race. I was thinking of doing the later Donnington race in September but that would be close to the date when Poppy was due.

I love Donnington and going out onto the circuit you always feel you are on a proper circuit. Then its down to business and practicing. I was very rusty and I remember Craner was flat but I was lifting a little on the last bit. I knew I shouldn't be doing that but its hard to sometimes keep you foot in. A few more laps and I would have got it. As a result I was 27th out of 35. I was looking forward to the races and some overtaking.

The first race got going and it lasted a lap for me. I was coming down the main straight when I lost all power. I made it around Redgate but there was no power and I pulled off. I think a wire had fallen off the coil. An easy repair so I was going to be out the next day. I had a forward and rear facing camera and with a bit of editing I got a neat but limited sequence of action.

The second race was 2 short races. This is what has cheesed me off about Vee. Lots of red flags. The first flag I missed and nearly went into the back of James Conyers. Then in the second part I spent too long behind James. He has a good engine and I don't so it took me a while to get past and time I got past the others had gone. It could have been a lonely race but if the group ahead started battling then I am sure I would have caught them and joined them. Anyway its all academic because someone crashed around the pit entrance and another red flag...

Results on 750MC website

This is a photo taken at my last race with my family. The person missing that helped the most is my trusty mechanic Ian who was the one taking the photo.

Taking a break...

I was out mountain biking going down a rocky descent when my front wheel got trapped and I fell off. I fractured my hip. I was whisked (well it took the ambulance crew 2 hours to find me) away to hospital and they operated and put some screw in. 3 days later I was back home. I've already done 6 weeks of hobbling around. I am not sure how long it will take to recover. Life and racing is on hold...

3rd in class

17th overall. Good race full of overtaking. I was slow off the start and got mugged. Then grabbed 4th instead of 2nd and got mugged again. A little slower lap time probably due to not doing the tyre pressures. Tweeking the carb for tommorrow and hoping for a little more speed and another trophy .

Snetterton

Just finished practice. 19th out of 30. Not found too many people liking the new circuit. Nice new tarmac - super smooth.