Rockingham

What a weird weekend, great to be back in the TOCA paddock of course but the
weather was very strange indeed and I began to think I may have been jinxed.

Every time I went near the car the dark clouds would emerge overhead and it
would begin to rain. It happened at Thruxton whilst testing and then again
in the two test sessions at Rockingham on Friday. Not that I'm superstitious
you understand but it severely shortened our running time and I was not
getting hooked up to the circuit only having been there once five years ago.

Come qualifying the sun was shining but dark clouds were approaching so
although we had 30 minutes of qualifying we needed to crack on in case it
rained. I was unfortunate to emerge behind a gaggle of slower cars and was
getting anywhere fast, and I needed to get a clear track in front of me
quickly. This is when the jinx returned as it began to rain, the session was
immediately red flagged due to a car being beached in the gravel and that
was it, game over. I could only sit in the car while it poured with rain
knowing I was nowhere near the pace. I wasn't - I qualified 24th and 16th
for the two races and I'm blushing whilst writing this, how bad was that?

Come the race, both on the Sunday and both televised, "didn't see you in the
race Nick, were you there?" I have been asked - yes I was there but mired in
the pack not setting the world alight but having a great time with lots of
clean racing and overtaking, strange for a Clio race I know but there wasn't
a mark on the car afterward. I suppose I treated it a extended test session
really and know that I can run at the front once we get further into the
season, after all I am not someone who can make the numbers up and be happy.

The only thing that we missed was the rain, two dry races with the storm
clouds holding off until after our race had finished, just.

14th April 2008