Weekly Club Night @ MMCC

Out racing again last night, this time at my other local - Morecambe Model Car Club. I started racing here when I started my undergraduate degree at Lancaster University over 3 years ago, and I'm still racing here now whilst I continue my Masters at the uni. The standard at the club is very high, despite it only being a small regular group, and I very much enjoy my racing here.

Due to a combination of factors, last night started in a rather rushed fashion. I'm currently without a (big) car as I can't get a parking permit for it at the uni. Not that I could really afford the insurance even if I could park it outside... Anyway, as a result I rely on fellow racers for lifts to and from race meetings. Utilising our wonderful public transport network for making my way around everywhere else. Unfortunately carrying all the gear for a bigger race meeting on a bus isn't exactly easy, or arguably even possible, so what has seemed to end up happening is that my stuff is transported around by whoever has a car and will be where I am next racing.

This meant that for this weekend just gone (and next weekend at Carpet Masters actually) I got a lift with all my gear on the Friday night to RVRCCC and then gave everything to Andy Cottom who was doing lifts on Sunday. I then caught the bus to Andy Murray's on Saturday night and was picked up for the meeting from there. When we got back from BIWS I left all my stuff at Andy Murray's, so he could take it with him on Monday night to MMCC. The upshot of this already long and laborious story is that my car was in the same broken state I left it after BIWS. Plus, just for added frantic-ness I had the wrong motor, gearing, roll centres, camber and tires on too. Awesome.

So, I missed Round 1 of qualifying at MMCC and only just got out in time for Round 2 but with no additive on. Essentially Round 3 was the first and last qualifier I got. Despite these far from ideal conditions I managed to put it on P2 in the A final, behind Andy Murray... much to my disgust I hasten to add K

The final began with me somehow ending up two places down the rostrum from where I had stood in qualifying. Everyone's favourite start to a final - you spend the whole race wondering if you're actually on the same track and trying to work out why you can no longer get that corner right. Buzzer sounds and thanks to a (typical) zealous start from P3 I end up in the barrier after the second sweeper... it's barely a corner Mark! At least wait until we get to the first real corner before you tag me... J

I spent the rest of the race in 3rd place much to my disappointment. I caught 2nd place two times, but both times I got near I made a mistake in my attempts to catch and take back the position. I hate that I do that - fall back, settle into a rhythm, start to catch someone, but get near and push only to make a mistake and fall back again. It's definitely something I need to be more concious of in future and stop it.

All in all another fun club night and looking forward to next Monday night. But first, RVRCCC this Friday then Carpet Masters on the Sunday. It's been a good few weeks for racing!

Apologies for the lack of pictures here. I took my camera but the madness of getting the car ready, combined with the fact I then 'tidied' the camera away and forgot about it until the end of the night means it's just a block of text for this post.

Ciao