TVR Speed Championship 2021
Round Fourteen & Fifteen
Blyton Park 25/26th September 2021
Round Fourteen & Fifteen
Blyton Park 25/26th September 2021
Rob's Big Day Out report to follow...
Alongside my trusty sidekick and photographer Amy, I packed up the trailer and the Tuscan ready for the long journey to Blyton. Perhaps I should admit that due to the fuel crisis at the time I was ‘one of those w**kers’ filling up fuel cans at the petrol station, and no, we weren’t panic buying. Do people not realise how thirsty a race car is?
This was to be the final race of the season for me, but what should have been a straightforward drive up north, took almost four hours due to the traffic. No award for the slowest time to get to Blyton.
The little gem of a pub “The Becketts” that we found last time had closed its rooms due to Covid. However, their recommendation of a farmhouse B&B sounded ideal, confirmed by swift check of Trip Advisor, and we were not disappointed. Their ‘Full English’ breakfast was awesome, perhaps too awesome as maybe likely to slow me down.
Only two of the TVR Speed competitors had booked in for this event and unfortunately Peter Caygill in his Vixen had to pull out due to a chassis issue identified at MOT. This in theory left me with an easy twenty-five Championship points for both days so long as I stayed on the tarmac.
Saturday dawned bright and early, perhaps too early as the cockerel crowing at 5am was not the best wake up call. At least we didn’t trip over Reggie and Ronnie the pet sheep on the stairs. Fully stuffed from breakfast meant a swift walk around the Eastern Circuit was needed in preparation for the day’s racing, and for burning up the calories prior to lunch (Amy is always thinking about food and when she will eat next).
Prior to this weekend I had pondered over my times from last year at Blyton so I had something to compare while practicing. I wondered what the TVR lap record was, especially around the tight and twisty layout of the Eastern Circuit. After some digging, I discovered the record is held by the lovely Jo Briars with 80.76, my PB was 81.36 so now I had some goals to aim for!
First timed run of the day, and in my opinion it felt fast, with the car sliding about, but the time was 84.04, so not that fast at all. A few minor adjustments to the tyre pressures and I was ready for another attempt. During the second run the car felt much more compliant, resulting in a better time of 81.24. This was faster than last year but not good enough for the course record. This left the last run of the day to produce the goods, the race gods were on my side…Boom 80.60 and the course record was mine, and the 25 points! A pint and some nice food for tea was definitely my reward for a great day of driving!
Sunday started much the same as Saturday with the terribly early morning wake up call, and sadly the rooster did not have a snooze button. However, yet another delicious breakfast made up for the early start. Today’s focus was the Outer Circuit, a longer track yet much faster and easy flowing compared with the Eastern Circuit.
I was racing under the Classic Marques Class for the day, yet holding the honours for TVR against some very quick cars and drivers. With seventeen other cars in the class including a Lotus Exige Cup Car, Porsche Boxster and Honda S2000, there were a real variety of different cars to race against.
Loaded up with snacks, Amy had found a good position on the bank overlooking the finish line for some great photo opportunities.
The weather was bright and clear for the day, the practice runs saw the Lotus set the pace three seconds faster than everybody else, but the chasing pack were all very close. Indeed, the next five were all within a second, leaving my Tuscan fourth.
Comparing the times during the day I noticed that whilst the Tuscan was one of the fastest cars in many sectors, I was losing about two seconds in the last sector of the lap. This is where my focus should be, to try and make up those two seconds (must try harder)
The last Run saw the Lotus go even faster, the Boxster exceeded track limits, and both MX5’s eked out a little more time, how was I to make up the time with the other cars also finding a vital few seconds. Yet again the race gods came to my aid after Amy had said ‘drive it like you stole it,’ and I found one and a half seconds in the last part of the lap, what a result!
Final Times
90 Robbie Birrell Lotus Exige 72.37 70.45 69.68 68.50 68.50 1
96 Howard Barnard Mazda MX5 73.59 74.50 73.63 72.60 72.60 2
93 Rob Pack TVR Tuscan 76.01 75.50 74.99 73.54 73.54 3
92 Peter Taylor Mazda MX5 76.16 76.01 74.95 74.69 74.69 4
104 Simon Parkin Porsche Box 74.73 81.16 75.28 DNF 74.73 5
105 Roger Fish Honda S2000 77.02 76.69 75.25 74.91 74.91 6
All in all a most successful weekend, ending the race season on a high. The Tuscan Racer is a car that I’m learning more and more about every time I get behind the wheel, it is an absolute joy to drive.
After sharing out our spare fuel to allow a couple of the Classic Marques drivers to actually get back home, we loaded up the trailer and headed back down south. Many thanks to Amy for her support all year as my pit crew, and official photographer for me and also for the other competitors. Amy says she’s ‘not bad for a hobby photographer but definitely not a pro’, I disagree!!!
Rob Pack
This was to be the final race of the season for me, but what should have been a straightforward drive up north, took almost four hours due to the traffic. No award for the slowest time to get to Blyton.
The little gem of a pub “The Becketts” that we found last time had closed its rooms due to Covid. However, their recommendation of a farmhouse B&B sounded ideal, confirmed by swift check of Trip Advisor, and we were not disappointed. Their ‘Full English’ breakfast was awesome, perhaps too awesome as maybe likely to slow me down.
Only two of the TVR Speed competitors had booked in for this event and unfortunately Peter Caygill in his Vixen had to pull out due to a chassis issue identified at MOT. This in theory left me with an easy twenty-five Championship points for both days so long as I stayed on the tarmac.
Saturday dawned bright and early, perhaps too early as the cockerel crowing at 5am was not the best wake up call. At least we didn’t trip over Reggie and Ronnie the pet sheep on the stairs. Fully stuffed from breakfast meant a swift walk around the Eastern Circuit was needed in preparation for the day’s racing, and for burning up the calories prior to lunch (Amy is always thinking about food and when she will eat next).
Prior to this weekend I had pondered over my times from last year at Blyton so I had something to compare while practicing. I wondered what the TVR lap record was, especially around the tight and twisty layout of the Eastern Circuit. After some digging, I discovered the record is held by the lovely Jo Briars with 80.76, my PB was 81.36 so now I had some goals to aim for!
First timed run of the day, and in my opinion it felt fast, with the car sliding about, but the time was 84.04, so not that fast at all. A few minor adjustments to the tyre pressures and I was ready for another attempt. During the second run the car felt much more compliant, resulting in a better time of 81.24. This was faster than last year but not good enough for the course record. This left the last run of the day to produce the goods, the race gods were on my side…Boom 80.60 and the course record was mine, and the 25 points! A pint and some nice food for tea was definitely my reward for a great day of driving!
Sunday started much the same as Saturday with the terribly early morning wake up call, and sadly the rooster did not have a snooze button. However, yet another delicious breakfast made up for the early start. Today’s focus was the Outer Circuit, a longer track yet much faster and easy flowing compared with the Eastern Circuit.
I was racing under the Classic Marques Class for the day, yet holding the honours for TVR against some very quick cars and drivers. With seventeen other cars in the class including a Lotus Exige Cup Car, Porsche Boxster and Honda S2000, there were a real variety of different cars to race against.
Loaded up with snacks, Amy had found a good position on the bank overlooking the finish line for some great photo opportunities.
The weather was bright and clear for the day, the practice runs saw the Lotus set the pace three seconds faster than everybody else, but the chasing pack were all very close. Indeed, the next five were all within a second, leaving my Tuscan fourth.
Comparing the times during the day I noticed that whilst the Tuscan was one of the fastest cars in many sectors, I was losing about two seconds in the last sector of the lap. This is where my focus should be, to try and make up those two seconds (must try harder)
The last Run saw the Lotus go even faster, the Boxster exceeded track limits, and both MX5’s eked out a little more time, how was I to make up the time with the other cars also finding a vital few seconds. Yet again the race gods came to my aid after Amy had said ‘drive it like you stole it,’ and I found one and a half seconds in the last part of the lap, what a result!
Final Times
90 Robbie Birrell Lotus Exige 72.37 70.45 69.68 68.50 68.50 1
96 Howard Barnard Mazda MX5 73.59 74.50 73.63 72.60 72.60 2
93 Rob Pack TVR Tuscan 76.01 75.50 74.99 73.54 73.54 3
92 Peter Taylor Mazda MX5 76.16 76.01 74.95 74.69 74.69 4
104 Simon Parkin Porsche Box 74.73 81.16 75.28 DNF 74.73 5
105 Roger Fish Honda S2000 77.02 76.69 75.25 74.91 74.91 6
All in all a most successful weekend, ending the race season on a high. The Tuscan Racer is a car that I’m learning more and more about every time I get behind the wheel, it is an absolute joy to drive.
After sharing out our spare fuel to allow a couple of the Classic Marques drivers to actually get back home, we loaded up the trailer and headed back down south. Many thanks to Amy for her support all year as my pit crew, and official photographer for me and also for the other competitors. Amy says she’s ‘not bad for a hobby photographer but definitely not a pro’, I disagree!!!
Rob Pack