Round 24 - Goodwood, Saturday 23rd September
From Captain to King
Two weeks separated two momentous TVR occasions at the fabulous Goodwood circuit in East Sussex. The Revival weekend opened on Friday 8th September with the much anticipated launch of TVR’s new Griffith, which was the culmination of three years’ hard work by Les Edgar and the new team. Saturday 23rd saw the crowning of Mark “Captain Chaos” Everett as the TVRCC 2017 Speed Champion, which was the culmination of a season’s hard work driving three different cars to victory. |
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It’s difficult to comprehend just how scary driving Goodwood at full pelt is. Walking the 2.4 mile circuit on a fabulously crisp autumnal morning prior to the event, even at a brisk 4mph, really doesn’t help you acclimatise to the speed. In the car, the average speed is 90mph (from a standing start!) and everything comes hurtling at you in a blur. The track doesn’t look wide enough for one car at this speed, so god only knows how the Revival guys do it three abreast.
I spent the week before the event watching footage of the Revival weekend, and also trying to learn from Captain Chaos’s in car video from earlier in the year. My notes from previous trips here had a common theme – brake later than you think, and stay in a higher gear than you think!
That’s just about OK around the first half of the circuit. But in top gear going down the kilometre-long Lavant straight at 130mph+, the tricky Woodcote corner arrives very quickly. The notes say “don’t brake until the 50 marker” – yeah, right! Despite my brain trying to stick to the plan, my foot hit the brake at the 100 marker every time. Hence my rubbish times – you have to be brave to do well here! |
First practice was two laps – one standing start and one “flyer”. We had a number of rookies for this course: Blower, Paul and Hank. They all did the sensible thing and used practice as practice to find their way round. I went cautiously – which would also describe all my subsequent runs. Jo got baulked so had her eye in (and some red mist) for a respectable second attempt. AHD doesn’t believe in practice – he thinks every run should count. But thankfully that’s not the case as he “ballsed up” his practice run. Knowing about AHD’s philosophy, Chaos went on full attack mode from the start, and left us all in his wake.
First timed runs were before lunch. “Leatherclad Lina” arrived to support Hank, who was ringing the guts out of his 2.5l Triumph engine. A great effort, but perhaps underpowered for this track? Still, he got the Class A record for this circuit, and also secured the Class A title in the Championship – a fantastic achievement in his Novice year; well done Hank.
Paul Moakes knocked a chunk of time off his practice attempt, and recorded two timed runs in the 114s – that’s consistency for you. Blower attempted to apply some of the “brake late, high gear” technique, but spun at St Mary’s on his first timed run. He put that behind him for the next run, and got well below 100 seconds – no mean feat considering his 440 BHPs would have meant him approaching Woodcote at warp speeds!
Paul Moakes knocked a chunk of time off his practice attempt, and recorded two timed runs in the 114s – that’s consistency for you. Blower attempted to apply some of the “brake late, high gear” technique, but spun at St Mary’s on his first timed run. He put that behind him for the next run, and got well below 100 seconds – no mean feat considering his 440 BHPs would have meant him approaching Woodcote at warp speeds!
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I improved a bit, but had a great day out. Jo improved a lot, and also managed to get under 100. But with the competition hotting up at the top, she scored one of her lowest points hauls of the year. However, she’s confirmed as Class B Champion, well done Jo.
AHD and Chaos were all set to continue their close rivalry. Having double-driven each other’s cars during the last eighteen months, this was the first time they had done Goodwood in their own cars in a couple of years. So the gloves were off (metaphorically, as glove-wearing is compulsory in the regulations). The first run saw them only half a handicap second apart, with Chaos just having the advantage despite a sideways moment into the chicane.
AHD and Chaos were all set to continue their close rivalry. Having double-driven each other’s cars during the last eighteen months, this was the first time they had done Goodwood in their own cars in a couple of years. So the gloves were off (metaphorically, as glove-wearing is compulsory in the regulations). The first run saw them only half a handicap second apart, with Chaos just having the advantage despite a sideways moment into the chicane.
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It was all down to the final run then. AHD drew a deep breath, and went for it. But span! Victory wouldn’t be his today, and Chaos knew he had it in the bag before he even set off. This didn’t deter him though, oh no. He found another second to both cement the win at Goodwood, and make certain of the Championship.
Mark Everett – 2017 Champion. Well done buddy, you hugely deserve it. Shunter Go on, put some numbers on it. (Photography: Martin Groves) |
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