Fantastic day at Snetterton

Steve and Stuart took the Porsche 944 to the Snetterton Heart Foundation Charity Day on November 24th. Here the public can buy rides in racing and super sports cars. The cars were grouped into 'very fast cars', 'extremely fast cars' and 'exquisite road cars' with prices starting from £10 for 3 exhilarating laps. The boys had wanted to take the race winning VW Golf but it is being rebuilt in readiness for next year so the Porsche had a second seat and belts fitted.

The day started wet with rain making the circuit very slippery with lots of spray. A group of us who had followed Steve all year signed on (signing away our life!) and collected our pink wristbands to signify what cars we were allowed in.

Steve, Ruth and Stuart
Ruth
 Sandra

Wrong seat Ruth!

That's better! I think she enjoyed that

as did Sandra

I was one of the first out in the Porsche. I was helmeted and strapped in by Stuart in the most uncomfortable seat I had ever sat in even with cushions! (how do they race for hours in them?) The Porsche with it's very high side bars is one of the hardest to get in and even worst to get out but as Stuart said - no-one else was going to join him in an accident.

This was so so different to the Clio 172 and V6 I had been in last year (click here). For a start it was quiet. Steve and I could have a conversation as we went round which was nice as he pointed out things I was missing like the new tarmac at Sears. It was also very smooth with no gear crunching. This was a car built specifically for speed. Sad to say I only had one twitch of the back at Riches but that is probably why I enjoyed it so much. There were cars going off the circuit in the awful conditions but the whole group knew we were safe with Steve in the driving seat.

After 5 or 6 laps (I lost count in all the excitement) I relinquished my seat to the next one in the group (Sandra). Getting out was not quite so hard (maybe the wine had worn off from the night before when we had practised in the garage and I ended up sprawled on the floor - oh the indignity) but lever yourself until you sit on the side bars then feet out and stand up - easy (well sort of). Most people could guess what I felt just by the ear to ear grin but I stood there trying to put into words what had happened to those who were waiting in the garage.

me in the car
Stuart as passenger
Steve grinning

and me

Even Stuart got a go

and I reckon that Steve enjoyed the day too!

 

As Ruth said "This is a fantastic day" (probably the only time she was nearly lost for words in months) whilst grinning from ear to ear. Lyn reckoned it was "Immense fun and good to see it done properly and not by some hooligan going round". Probably the best accolade was from Sandra who is notoriosly nervous who actually enjoyed a small spin at Russells and then was upset that we all hadn't seen it (sorry).

During the day the group of us tried out other cars from TVR's to Clios and a MGF driven by Gareth Howell who had raced against Steve in the touring cars. Some were faster, a lot were noisier and gut wrenching.

During this time Steve took Stuart out as a passenger. "What I found was that our driving is very much alike. Steve is a very smooth driver", explained Stuart, "and he is just what you need in a team mate - you know he will not damage himself, his passenger or my car."

As the day continued and the weather improved, the track dried out and lap times dropped. This prompted the chance of a second and faster session so some of us went out again in the late afternoon.

This time the car was so much faster and now we were overtaking other cars especially at the corners. Steve managed to squeeze past two cars at once at Sears and showed where he would try to get past others around the circuit. The car was so smooth that the dreaded Bomb Hole had no effect on me! Well most of the time the ride was smooth - going over kerbs was not. Why they are called kerbs and not rumble strips? The difference in running in the wet and dry was consirable and we were still on normal road tyres. I tried to imagine what it must be like on slicks in the dry with even more grip. All too soon we had to return to the pits as we had nearly run out of fuel.

As Steve said, "It was nice to take out people we know and who have followed us all year. I love the close part of racing - working out where abouts I am going to overtake them so it was nice to be out in a lot of traffic. I enjoyed myself today and I hope you all did too?"

"Too right we did!
It is amazing to see racing from the other side of the fences. How they concentrate for up to two hours stints doing lap after lap with so much precision and producing consistent lap times astounds me.
Next year when the Willhire is on I can recall what the circuit is like to drive on from this weekend. I will be watching Steve or Stuart going round Coram and remembering how long the corner is or the correct way to go round Russells or the Esses.
As for the Porsche, apart from that seat, I loved it but there again I have yet to get out in the Golf. Thank you both so very much for this weekend."

Personally I want to thank Steve, Stuart, Alan Sawyer and team, TH Motorsport and team for an absolutely brilliant year and here's looking to 2003.