Round 13 - Lydden Hill, Saturday 13th July

​The weekend of 13/14th July 2019 will perhaps be remembered by many for sporting achievements at the cricket, the tennis and the British Grand Prix.  However, for a fortunate few there was much fun to be had in the Kent countryside.  Lydden Hill is a lovely little circuit set in a kind of bowl allowing spectators to watch much of the action.  The British weather was generally kind, there were a few spots of rain in the morning but otherwise it was a pleasant summer’s day, mainly overcast but warm with some sunshine later.

​There were six entries in ‘Class 19 TVRCC Sprint Championship.’  Numbers 108 Jes Firth Griffith 500, 109 Mark Hankins Vixen 2500, 110 Richard Blacklee Chimaera 450, 111 Steve Hunter Chimaera 450, 1111 Jo Briars Chimaera 450 and 112 Geoff Stallard Vixen 1750.  Matt Weeks ran a recently acquired Chimaera 4000 in Road Going Class 5.  He has competed in a Saxo and an MGF in southern events since 2011.  It will be great if he decides to join the TVR Speed Championship with his pristine green Chimp.  Former TVR regulars Steve Cox and Mark Harris were running a Golf R and MX5 Mk1 respectively in other classes. 
                                 
Competitors were given one practice run and three timed runs of 1¾ laps.  

​Like Lewis Hamilton, Jes Firth attempts to ascertain his car’s limits in practice rather than risking crashing on timed runs.  The remainder of Class 19 were ideally placed as spectators at the start line a few yards from Paddock Bend when Jes approached on his first flying lap.  Spectacular is hardly the word for the car’s amazing four-wheel drift around the right hander.  We, (and also Jes apparently) feared it would end badly, but Jes bravely kept the power on and somehow made it round.  The resultant unexpectantly high exit speed confused Jes’s calculations for taking the next corner at Chesson’s Drift and the Griffith spun off, earning a ‘DISQ’ from the timekeepers.  Jo also had a ‘moment’ in practice, at Devil’s Elbow, before managing to halt the slide and catch up with the car in front.  This left Hank to lead the TVR class after practice.  

​In T1 Jes, Hank and Jo finished in that order, all set their quickest times of the day, and beat their previous Personal Bests.  Jes thought he may even have beaten his PB with his former car, the Championship winning Cerbera.  Jes, Hank and Jo all went slower on each run after the promising start in T1.  Geoff Stallard improved in T2 setting a new Class A record in the process.  Shunter and Richard Blacklee were the only ones to improve on each of their timed runs.  But, in the words of Shunter, they went ‘faster slowly.’

​Catering at Lydden is on the pricey side, £3 for a coffee and £5 for a posh sounding ‘breakfast baguette’ (bacon and egg roll) which wasn’t particularly nice. 
 
At lunchtime Jo and Hank were bemoaning the cessation of wolf whistles when passing building sites.  Geoff, a surveyor, explained it is a sackable offence for building workers to wolf whistle nowadays.  (In case you are wondering, Hank used to sport long hair and a ponytail)!

​After lunch we watched the run offs for the racing cars which, as usual, were quite spectacular.  When we resumed, Hank’s Vixen had a minor carburettor fire (what is it with Webbers this year?  First it was Clare’s Healey 3000 burnt out and now there has been a second serious fire, with Pat Cooper’s 100/6, which fortunately had built in extinguishers.)

​A final ‘fun run’ delayed prize giving at the end of the day after lengthy timing equipment issues.  None of our TVRs, nor the Healeys, running in Class 20, took part as it was getting late.  We had been warned at the driver’s briefing that the M2 was shut for resurfacing.  Unconnected, temporary traffic lights on the A2 were causing massive delays around Faversham and people heading north were keen to get going.  One competitor had to drive all the way up to Scotland.  Many people who took advantage of the fun run went slower anyway after baking for an hour in the queue in late afternoon sunshine.

​Overall, a great day was had by all with achievements all around.  Well done to Jes, Hank and Jo for taking the honours, and to Geoff for his new Class A record.
                         
Richard Blacklee
(Photography: Richard Blacklee, CoxyGoesVroom, Shunter)