Before I begin, Jonesey has probably covered most of this already using his superb and superior literary talent. Incidentally, I think his website is one of the many diversion tactics Jonesey uses to avoid doing any work on his car. So I won’t bore you too much hopefully and will try and concentrate on areas of interest to group C.

Group C looks set to be uber competitive this year, with us three reprobates, Dan Ludlow, Rob Spencer, Barry Holmes and Nigel Pratt signed up so far.

Dan’s weapon of choice this time around is one of those modern MG ZR’s, you know, like the ones in the MGCC Throphy championship that lap about 3 seconds faster than anything else We got our first glimpse of it at Castle Coombe followed by a days testing at Silverstone. The car looks immaculate, Vulcan racing have done a stunning job on it. However, as yet, it doesn’t look as fast as it could be on paper, something those enterprising Vulcan boys will be working hard on (geddit? Sorry Jonesey I’m stealing your lines). Let’s see if the sandbags come out for Brands!

The ever present Rob Spencer has always been the man to watch according the V8 boys. Rob regularly mixed it at the front last year and looks set to continue doing the same this year. The addition of a Team Neaves Racing Pedal Box (shameless plug) could make the difference. After testing at Silverstone and a booking for Brands, Rob is clearly fired up this year and probably fancies it.

Of course many will remember Blaine and Rob locking horns at Brands last year, which made for some cracking video. I imagine both will not want to repeat last years’ tit-for-tat banger racing, until they are fighting for position again…

Barry Holmes completes the list of usual suspects in Group C and had some good runs last year. The most memorable perhaps was at Oulton when he gave us a great insight in to what it is like to be stuck behind Blaine. Let’s face it, we’ve all been there, maybe after a problem in qualifying or a bad start. Barry’s real talent lies in swearing while he drives, something we can all appreciate in the Oulton Park 2010 video. Barry will no doubt be looking forward to me overtaking him in all the yellow flag zones around the circuits this year.

Nigel Pratt is a new face with the PBIC, but a seasoned veteran of the Midget Challenge championship. As I understand it Nigel is a regular nemesis of Dominic Moon, who regularly wins the championship from Group B in the midgets. To give you an idea how fast he is, last year at Brands his overall race time was less than a second different to Ollie. Yes I worked it out, and no I don’t take it too seriously… Nigel will clearly be a tough competitor this year and I hope that Brands is not just a one off, and that he joins us for a full season.

Talking of quick Midgets, many are asking; where is Simon Hutchinson? The last I heard Simon was taking a year out to do some decorating and work on building his wife a Ford Zetec Midget… Could it be a diversion tactic? Probably not, I think he is actually doing that.

Another notable absence is Terry Holmes. Terry will be out at various intervals throughout the year but at present, I am reliably informed that he is taking a break to concentrate on his ganster rapping career. Peace Holmie.

Alan Brooke is part way through rebuilding the Metro for another assault on Group C. But, as so often happens, reality has taken over and other commitments have to take precedent. I hope to see him back with us soon as I’m sure he will be.

Some of you may have heard that Team Neaves are once again at full strength as I enter back in to the fray, having taken a break in 2010. Of course the in house banter is in full flow as some sort of physiological battle for pole position is taking place. Currently, of course, I am winning!

Obviously this year, in a Ferrari vs McLarren fashion and to Ollie’s annoyance, Blaine and I are copying his exact setup, something which was not possible last year for Blaine. So I expect us to be of the same relative pace this year. Of course this shouldn’t detract from Ollie’s lucky performance last year, which has caused absolutely no bitter resentment at all within the Team.

For Ollie’s benefit, I’ve included a Video of what happened at Cadwell in 2009 – my second race…

And so I start on Group B, which is looking pretty low in numbers this year. I thought the BCV8 punters would come on a mission to show us up, but it appears they are struggling even to register for their own championship at the moment!

Ollie’s main rival from last year, Crippo, has entered his 4 pot roadster this year, which by all accounts is just as fast as the V8 was! Talking of which, the V8 has been given some new breathing equipment and will make an appearance in the Thoroughbred Championship this year. The 4 pot however should be capable of mixing it at the front, so I look forward to some close battles as the season progresses. My only hope is that Simon finds someone to share his biscuits with this year.

Pete Burchill is our surprise pick for the year. Over the last few seasons he’s been going quicker and quicker. With Vulcan backing this year, if Pete hooks it all up he could cling-on to Simon and fight for the Group B championship. Having improved his result season on season, winning the championship would really be the final-frontier for Pete.

Dave Brooke will surely grace us with his presence on the entry list when he is good and ready. In recent testing at Silverstone he was seen to be trying various new setups on his car. As ever, Dave will be looking to regain his recent title and can never be ruled out.

So there you have it folks, that’s my thoughts on the competition going in to the season opener at Brands. I leave you with the freshly uploaded end of season video from last year to get you in the mood.

Dan

  The year has begun with mixed fortunes in the Team Neaves Camp, Ollie has so far kept a clean sheet bar a couple of points where Simon and Rob took the front grid slots at Oulton. Can anybody stop him?

Ollie is driving superbly at the moment but progress is also due to our F-Duct system, simply when Ollie or Blaine covers an air hole with their right knee a middle finger is shown to the cars behind.

Blaine has so far failed to match Ollie for pace this season, but we believe this is down to setup. Blaine is certainly keen to close the gap, not least because Ollie can no longer fit his head into the family home.

Most of you will have seen the various videos from Brands which make for exciting viewing, to quote Vic Reeves (Barry Holmes) “those boys weren’t giving each other much room!” But rest assured, the drivers involved have kissed and made up…

On a personal note the banter this season has been great so far, as well as the pre-race beering sessions with Jonesey, Pete, Alan F and the V8 boys, long may it continue.

Looking ahead Ollie will be the only on-track representative for TNR at Silverstone. We’re down for testing on the Friday so we’ll hopefully see a few of you then.

The usual drivers seem to be attending with the exception of Rob Spencer, who has taken some time out to concentrate on Pimping Ho’s in his Well-Gangster Range Rover. Simon Cripps switches to group B in his mighty 4pot, which should be challenging Ollie for a win if it holds together. Barry “Vic Reeves” Holmes stays true to his beloved ‘mowta’ and remains in group C, Barry is particularly pleased with the absence of king-of-the-road-hogs-Blaine as this means he’ll be able to indulge in the usual gentlemanly racing; where the faster cars are let through by default

Alan Brooke has been on many-a wanted list lately after robbing local stables of their horses. Rumour has it he has managed to house up to 30 in the metro, which is astonishing given that it already housed 160.

John Moon makes his customary Silverstone appearance, beware MGB drivers, some say he likes to take little chunks out of your rear valences… bring plenty of Gaffer Tape…

Yet again the scene is set for an exciting second half of the season and we’ll attempt to keep the site up to date from this point forward! Videos are available from the right side of the page and photos will follow shortly…

See you soon

Team Neaves

The list of group C reprobates entrants has changed a bit this year, but still looks very well represented when compared with recent years. It seems the usual suspects will be there for the season opener, the V8 clan and Simon in the mighty midget followed by 2/3rds of Team Neaves. (which is incidentally usually the order on the track…) Dan will be MIA for most of this year while he concentrates on his web design business – shamelessplug.com.

After the brilliantly close battles at Snetterton the V8 clan have been busy adding superchargers over the winter months in order to overcome the -5bhp deficit to the Team Neaves cars. This year they are also opting for pictures of half-naked men on the sides of their cars instead of women – a change maybe designed to intimidate the opposition?

Hutch is rabbit-ing (somebody stop me!) away trying to weld fibreglass and metal together after the Midget was eaten by a blind BMW racer at the back end of last year. Lets hope the famous Midget makes it for Brands!

The list of modifications for the Team Neaves cars is literally to long to list here. Suffice to say the major changes are; Carbon Fibre Chassis, Hyabussa Engine Conversion, Dual Steering Wheels and an ex-Formula 1 quick lift jack. Early testing results are good and the Team have knocked over a minute off the class lap record at Brand Hatch.

Now for the class virgins;

Alan Brooke will be putting the eagerly anticipated 700bhp K-Series powered Metro through its paces for the first time at Brands, while in a surprising change of events brother Dave is opting to change absolutely nothing on his car.

Paul Luti will be piloting the 1000bhp lightened MG ZS of Ewart Kitson again after a good run at Cadwell. Rumour has it the underpowered ZS has spent the winter in a stable gorging itself on hay, so should be one to watch – especially when given to Paul, the not-so-tamed Scottish Race Driver.

Jonathan Wills is new to the series with Team 78 Racing and his 160 MG ZR, which will be the first ever entered in Group C. Isn’t it great to see some variety!

Dan Ludlow isn’t really a class C virgin, nor is he actually in Group C but is now sharing the helm of the Lunar Racing powered MG ZS, which after a winter in the stable with Ewarts ZS is now 200bhp up on last year and 3 tonnes lighter. Anthony Reid recently tested the car at Brands and got a very respectable lap time of 0.244 seconds, making it another one to watch.

Rockingham

Joking aside, Ollie’s pre-season testing at Rockingham was a nightmare. The weather was awful and half the BTCC grid were there to hold him up on the straights. But we did notice a great deal of diff oil coming out of the diff casing, which turned out to be a tiny pin hole in the axle. At £200 for the days testing, it was worth it just to find that out.

Further more, Ollie learned that the rain is scary, and to respect it…

In closing, we’re looking forward to the season opener at Brands as I’m sure you are. Hopefully it won’t be a copy of the processional F1 first race and we’ll get some good close racing…

It’ll be great to see all the faces again and we’ll see you soon.

Team Neaves

PS. Anyone who’s down for testing on the Friday is welcome to join us at the local boozer in the evening.

Following a couple of failed attempts on track at Cadwell Dan and Ollie had some work to do before Snetterton.  Ollie had a problem with a throttle sensor which was easily rectified but Dan’s problem was more fundamental… a short time after Cadwell Dan discovered a heavy box in the corner of the garage containing odd implements.  What could these be?  These conspicuous metal objects seamed to fit nuts and bolts, that’s right, Dan got to grips with the spanners in an effort to stop the gearbox cross member falling off again!  More on this later…

As Saturday morning dawned the drivers were greeted with a sandstorm, some say the storm originated in one of James Walpole’s nearby fields – perhaps a plot to slow down his championship rivals?!  Still, it had no effect on Simon Cripps as he managed to slide his way to the pole.  Team Neaves did quali in their usual style with Blaine courteously providing a track guide to the younger Neavesers and also to Pistol-Pete Burchill.  The team were relieved to make it to the end of the session with all cars in working order… haha of course I’m lying there;  Dan found himself limping into the garage with a brake issue – going back to those conspicuous metal objects that do the bolts up, it seemed a bolt had vanished from one of the callipers.

PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING

Don’t let this man work on your car!

When the results came in we were pleasantly surprised by qualifying;

Pole. Simon Cripps

2. Simon Hutchinson

3. Blaine

4. Dan

5. Ollie

6. Barry Holmes

At this point Barry and Blaine were equal third in group C so it was all to play for.

The grid lined up for Race 1 with Dan sharing a row with Blaine and Ollie with Barry – who found the time to give Ollie a knowing smile on the line.  The lights went out and unlike Cadwell; Old Man Neaves was spared a mugging by at least one of the youths.  Dan slithered around the outside of Blaine into turn one with Ollie and Barry just behind.  Down the Revet straight Dan then managed to nose ahead of Simon H for second but couldn’t hold the nimble midget when it came to braking.

On the second lap Blaine, Ollie and Barry took advantage of Dan’s poor exit of the chicane to jump him down the start straight.  While Simon Says and Simon Does eked out a lead, it was becoming apparent that Blaine didn’t have the pace of the cars behind him.  As the race continued Barry, Dan and Ollie traded places all the time.  At one point Barry had made his way past Dan and Ollie and was putting Blaine under serious pressure, pulling along side a couple of times.  Ollie managed a grab a good exit from Russell’s and pull alongside Barry down the start/finish straight, only to be given the squeeze before making the move stick into the first corner.  The epic tussle continued until the last lap; Dan gave it a few too many beans in a last ditch attempt to get Barry across the line and spun at the chicane.  It’s always nice to have a spin in front on the fans – I’m sure photos will follow…

The final result for race one was

1. Simon C

2. Simon H

3. Blaine

4. Ollie

5. Barry

6. David Brooke

7. Peter Andrews

8. Dan

It was then back to the hotels / tents / MG ZT Estates (eh Pete) to get some rest, but not before a trip to the pub where – Jonesey – no money laundering activities took place – that’s what Danny the ‘cashback’ Kid says anyway

Sunday morning saw better weather; more sun, less wind and no sand.  Barry needed to finish a couple of places ahead of Blaine to take third in Class C for the championship.  The grid was similar for Race 2;

Pole. Simon C

2. Simon H

3. Blaine

4. Ollie

5. Barry

6. Dan

At the lights round two commenced, but this time, like Freddy Mercury with a Hoover, Ollie broke free (what an image).  By the end of the Revet straight on lap one Ollie had negotiated one Simon (Hutch) and was on to the other (Cripps).  It seems Ollie fancied the win, trying his best to get round Simon but just not having the legs to make it stick.

All the while the Battle Royale continued behind between Blaine, Barry and Dan, slogging it out for 4^th.  Barry was looking handy but couldn’t find a way past road-hog-Blaine.  After the race scrutineers took a long look at Blaine’s car following reports that it is at least twice as wide as normal B’s… Yes, Blaine is very hard to pass!  As Dan got closer to Barry a manoeuvre known only as the Barry-Holmes-squeeze was brought out in an effort to keep Dan behind, but after a few laps Dan made it through.

Back at the front hard charging Simon Cripps got the wrong gear for the chicane and spun, by the time he’d collected it up he found himself third behind Ollie and Simon.  Ollie was leading the race!  Remarkable!!  All that remained was for Ollie to keep a cool head and bring it home.  But Cripps wasn’t finished there; he was determined to get back in front.  Hutch too could smell the win and was catching Ollie back up.  Could he do it?

As Blaine, Dan and Barry continued to fight it out Barry copied Dan’s Race 1 move and did a nice power slide spin for the crowd at the chicane.  Unfortunately while pleasing the masses Barry dropped away from the battle leaving Blaine and Dan to it.  Without having Barry to worry about Dan was on a mission, and over the next few laps twice came around the outside at Corrum to try and pass road-hog-Blaine, on the second try the move stuck, but it meant getting a bad run out of the chicane… Blaine then pulled ahead again on the straight.  At the following corner Dan, just inches behind Blaine, hit the brakes to find not a lot happen!  Consequently a high speed brown trouser inducing slide started – spinning him into the infield, but also letting Barry back through.  That’s what happens when the pads rattle away from the disc when you run over a kerb!!

On the last lap Cripps, now getting close to the charging midget of Hutch was flying, but then at the end of the Revet straight got his braking all wrong and impacted a tyre stack pretty hard.  Simon was ok but in his wake he’d left the tyre stack in the middle of the track.  Then, it was all over, Ollie had managed to stay ahead and take the win!!

Well Done Ollie!!!

Final positions were

1. Ollie

2. Simon H

3. Blaine

4. Barry

5. David Brooke

6. Dan

A truly excellent result for the team, Ollie takes his first win, and Blaine wrapped up third in class.  In fact it’s been an excellent season, despite early teething problems, Team Neaves will certainly be a force to be reckoned with next season!

We’d like to thank the club for putting on the races throughout the year; they have been very well run.  Also thanks to all the marshals – without whom racing is not possible.  And thanks to the fellow drivers for putting up with us newcomers – and the senior one.

Special thanks go to Alan F and son Danny for taking some great photos.

And we’d all like to thank our underpants for their support.

See you at the Dinner and Dance!

Team Neaves

In preparation for the race Team Neaves Racing have fitted rudders, anchors and compasses to their cars so that navigating around Snetterton will be that little bit easier. However, this will all be in vein if last year is anything to go by, as you may have guessed, it was a little too wet to race.

In terms of the Championship only one member of the team is in contention for the serious positions, Blaine should secure third in group C. There is a mathematical possibility he could get second in C, but it would have to be a perfect pair of victories… which is unlikely. Of course Dan and Ollie will be competing for championship position, currently seventh and eighth respectively and with three points between them there’s all to play for.

Pre-Race News

Will it be an epic return for Simon Hutchinson in the Midget?? He won last time out at Snetterton, but can he do it again… Recently Simon took some time out to race in the Formula Penguin championship which takes place in the Falklands.

Usual suspects Barry Holmes and Rob Spencer return to their normal line up in group C. Rob is then lending his group B V8 to Terry Holmes, who enjoyed a good race with Blaine last time out.

Ewart Kitson is having trouble getting parts together and although entered may not make an appearance at Snetterton. We hope he makes it…

The Team Neaves brothers Dan and Ollie were in the wars with reliability problems at Cadwell but showed good pace, can they improve further and challenge Simon?

Rob Beasley has fixed his ‘Yellow Peril’ Midget and makes his return.

The VHPD Metro of Paul Rigg is on the entry list again, it has been threatening all year but will we actually see it this time? Fresh from his first race victory at Cadwell we expect Paul to be quick.

Dan Ludlow won’t be at Snet as he has got himself a drive with a Honda works team in Britcar, we wish him every success on his debut for the team. Of course this means that Simon Cripps will take the Group C title, but can he go on to take the overall title as well?

Team Neaves would like to formally welcome James Darby as an honorary member in the 4hr relay race, he’ll pilot Blaine’s number 7 machine. It will be interesting to see the times after the race! Also it will be interesting to get some neutral feedback on the K Series conversion…

There you have it, there’s a lot to look forward to at Snetterton, and we hope to see you all there – or at least in a pub close to the circuit.

Team Neaves

The usual suspects chose to confuse us all with a bit of a switch around for this meeting. Rob Spencer was waiting for his group C V8 to be straightened, and chose to bring out his group B V8. Barry ‘Vic Reeves’ Holmes switched to Simon Cripps’ group B 4 pot, leaving Terry Holmes to peddle his group C V8. Another interesting entry was Peter Andrews in Rob Huff’s group B 4 pot. With all this chopping and changing and the sun god smiling the scene was set for a great days racing!

In the usual fashion Team Neaves headed to the track, line-astern, for qualifying. Surprisingly both Dan and Ollie were glued to the back of Blaine for the duration, both having never driven the circuit before. The ‘formation flying’ continued when the grid was released:

1. Dan Ludlow
2. Simon Cripps
3. Blaine Neaves
4. Ollie Neaves
5. Dan Neaves

Full results here.

Race 1

The Team Neaves contingent would line up just behind the Mighty Metro and the Feral V8 of Simon Cripps. The lights went out and the drag race to the first corner began, Ollie got the better of Blaine off the line but the best start was by Dan, taking to the grass to pass Blaine into turn one. Dan was then better placed for turn two and slid round Ollie. The laps that followed were fraught; Ollie had the bit between his teeth, pressuring Dan around the notoriously narrow circuit. Meanwhile Blaine had his mirrors full of blue V8’s as Rob Spencer and Dave Brooke jostled for position behind. Rob saw the smallest of gaps on lap two and traded paint with Blaine’s rear quarter as the door was firmly shut!

Dan was getting more and more ragged as Ollie applied the pressure, coming alongside at Park on lap seven. Unfortunately he wasn’t to make it to the finish, pulling off towards the end of the race with electrical problems. Blaine held on to claim 4th behind Dan Ludlow, Simon Cripps and Dan in 3rd.

After the race we had some work to do on Ollie’s car, the throttle sensor had packed up so off we went to search for a new one! Special thanks go to the Burchill Racing pit crew and Alan Brooke, who provided the necessary bits to get him going again. Just another example of the spirit of the PBIC…

Race 2

The grid for race 2 was made up of the second fastest times in qualifying. This time Ollie would line up third, Dan forth and Blaine fifth, it seems Ollie found enough consistency in qualifying to out qualify his dad for the first time. As the lights went out Dan got a flying start again, cruising up to the bumper of Simon and drawing alongside Dan in the Metro. Going into the second corner Dan (Neaves) held the inside to take the place. Behind Ollie had been outsmarted by Terry Holmes and Blaine was hot in pursuit. Going up the back straight Dan Ludlow engaged warp speed to draw alongside Dan Neaves and made the pass into Park.

Ollie was tucked up behind Terry waiting for an opportunity to pass, coming out of Barn Ollie got a good run but before he could capitalise the electrical gremlin returned forcing him to take to the pit lane. Terry, Blaine and Rob Spencer were tied together with a piece of string with Dave Brooke loitering with intent. Dan was pulling a steady pace in third but on lap 4 something wasn’t right, an odd scraping sound had emerged somewhere in the car… coming down the Gooseneck the car fell out of gear, later it became apparent the gearbox cross member had dropped on one side! At this point thanks go to Terry, Rob, Blaine and Dave for finding their way round the back of Dan’s slowing car.

The following laps were manic as Terry, Rob and Blaine traded places, Rob out braked himself into Park a couple of times as you can see from Blaine’s video. By the end it was Blaine ahead of Rob and Terry to take third.

All race long Simon Cripps and Dan Ludlow were battling harder than ever, on the last lap they were side by side coming out of Bobbies onto the back straight when disaster struck. Simon’s characteristically unruly rear end made a bid for freedom and in an effort to correct the slide Simon contacted Dan, with that Simon speared off the track and cart-wheeled along the tyre barrier. Thankfully he was ok and was out of car quickly, but this brought an end to an otherwise fantastic race!

Results here

Well, there you have it, Blaine has always said the first son to beat him would get a trophy, but surely he didn’t think he’d be buying it so soon! Also, as has already been said, rent has gone up considerably since the races.

It’s a great shame that Ollie didn’t finish a race, but all the cars showed great potential, which will make the season finale at Snetterton a must see.

See you all there.

Team Neaves

Driving up on the Saturday night the weather was looking decidedly iffy; the rain was truly torrential. But it cleared for our arrival to the circuit, which meant we would be able to make our way to the circuit bar in relative comfort.

As we were taking the cars off some of the BCV8 boys came for a bit of a nosey at our engines and cars, and as we got talking, it turns out they have more BHP than us, with Ian Prior claiming 205hp at the wheels! Having said that, they’ve all spent a lot more than us on their engines…

Come Sunday the qualifying was dry, on a fast track, the time sheets revealed a blistering 54.6 for Simon Cripps (66-C) to take Pole followed by the Wheeler’s (30/31-B) split by Ian Prior on 55 second laps. Blaine and Ollie placed 10th and 12th respectively, with Dan down in 21st after losing touch with Blaine and Ollie in the first few laps. Also its worth mentioning Dan hasn’t had as much seat time as Ollie – can you guess who is writing the article yet…

There was a small incident in the session involving Wheeler Senior that saw Blaine’s session ended early. Coming into the hairpin the two came together as Jonnie tried to brake as late as Blaine on the inside. But he couldn’t stop and ended up reshaping Blaine’s door; proving that the V8 callipers and discs are no match for 4 pot ally callipers and 330mm discs. Unfortunately Blaine got a puncture from the incident and had to pit, meaning also he’d have to use an old set of tyres for the race.

After the remains of several Saxo’s / XR2i’s / Golf GTI’s were swept from the circuit the field lined up for the race. As the lights appeared Ollie was taking no chances this time giving the car plenty of revs, as the lights went out it the car actually went off the line, very well in fact almost ramming old number 7 in the process. Come the first corner Blaine was taking the outside line as did Ollie as there was simply nowhere else to go. Coming up to the lakeside essess Ollie got a good run on Lew and managed to go round the outside of him at the hairpin leaving him the inside line for the devils elbow. He was now behind Blaine and on a mission. On lap 9 Ollie made the big move after getting a good run out of Gerrards. After this it was all out billy big balls as Ollie tried to escape and Blaine was having none of it. Within 2 laps they went from mid 57’s to low 55’s pushing eachother along nicely. Eventually on lap 18 they latched on to the back of Peter Bramble and as Ollie went for a move and failed Blaine took full advantage of the situation and took back the place. Blaine then continued to mug Peter Bramble as he was blocked by a back marker. As Blaine and Ollie got out of their cars in park ferme Blaine’s first line to Ollie was “know your place boy”.

This time Dan managed to go considerably further than the 10 feet of the line he did at Silverstone, unfortunately, the good start he got didn’t translate to positions as there was no-where to go on the run up to the first corner at Gerrards! Things got worse as the more confident cars around him all then, well, drove past round Gerrards. Then the unimaginable happened, the Crazy Yellow Hearse slipped past on the brakes into the Lake Esses. Oh the shame. The Montego’s glory was short-lived however as on the following lap Dan got the place back. Over the next few laps he settled in and started moving up the field, battling with Mr Burchill, John Wreggit, Dave Brown, Simon Tinkler and Alan Brooke, who is very quick round Gerrards, passing round the outside on one lap! Towards the end he was catching Pat Fenn but there wasn’t enough time to get up with him.

[View with PicLens]

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At the business end on the race full marks have to go to Simon Cripps, who spun at the hairpin on the first lap, dropping to 6th place. He then mounted a monumental fight back through the field, passing the Wheelers – which didn’t look easy! At one point it looked like it was going to end in tears around Gerrards as Cripps and one of the Wheelers exchanged paint and rubber.

All told Team Neaves had a good outing, with another good race between Ollie and Blaine, and Dan getting a race under his belt. Roll on Cadwell!

You can have a look at the result here…

Team Neaves

It promised to be an interesting spectacle with a few old faces back on the track, such as Andy Young (MGC) and Paul Rayment (MGF Cup). With the weather bright and breezy and Blaine with his new slicks on the three cars headed out for Qualifying on a dry track.

On the first lap Blaine got a puncture, which turned out to be one of the new tyre valves for the in car pressure monitor, which had come undone. Which left the Blaine’s Boys (even the commentators call us that now!) to find their own way round. The lap times were tumbling from an initial lap of 1.51 – only 10 seconds off the pace!! By lap 4 both were in the 1.48’s when lightning struck the number 3 car of Dan, when the car died changing into fifth. It turned out to be a electrical plug for the ignition which had popped of somehow – very odd considering it’s got a metal retaining clip! Ollie shaved more time off to qualify 13th on a low 1.47, with Dan in 21st on a 1.48 and Blaine 43rd after completing the mandatory 3 laps on his flat rubber.

It was no surprise to see Andy Young in the yellow rocket on pole - de-tuned my eye…  Simon Cripps and Dan Ludlow looked set for another monumental battle in 2nd and 3rd respectively.    The three were over two seconds quicker than anyone else – with Andy on a 1.41.

Apparently Andy was allowed to race with us as his car had been de-tuned due to reliebility issues.  We’re thinking of inviting him round to de-tune ours…

Blaine’s tyre was fixed and Dans car was plugged back in ready for the race, which was sunny and dry.   Two thirds on Team Neaves fluffed the start completely   Dan - by now gaining a reputation for reliability issues(!) had the same problem as in Quali as he tried to control his off-the-line-wheelspin, the sensor plug came off the ignition coil, and he couldn’t get it going again.   Ollie stalled – he clearly hadn’t had his Weatabix as the new clutch spring is a lot stiffer!  When Ollie got going again he had dropped to about 25th place, with the fast starting Blaine bearing down on him within a lap!  Blaine and Ollie then swapped places, Ollie swears he let his dad through… The pair fought through the field, battling with various cars and trading places all the way.  Ollie traded places twice with Paul Rayment in the MGF Cup (21), he and Blaine then managed to get the better of Ben Rodziewicz (87) and Paul Rigg (76).  When the fast charging MGC of Andy Young appeared in the mirrors the pair thought they were being lapped, they clearly didn’t notice the absence of blue flags – Andy, who was recovering after a first lap incident was apparently allowed to slip passed all to easily!  By the last corner of the last lap the pair were 14th and 15th, just behind Lew Bergonzi, as they headed for the line Ollie held a tighter line around Woodcote and went for the pass, missing out by only 0.02 secs!!  Another kick in the shins for Blaine was that Ollie got a better lap of 1.46.3 vs his 1.46.4!

Andy Young suffered an early problem that dropped him down the field, only to fight back passed Blaine and Ollie for 12th.  The real excitement was between Simon Cripps and Dan Ludlow, who again put on a great show, Dan passed Simon mid race but then Simon got back through on the last lap.  Simon got a great lap of 1.40.9!

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All told it could have been a better weekend for Team Neaves, at least Ollie got some good experience and Blaine nearly got a shock!  Mallory Park is the next race so we’ll see what happens there…

ps. Dave – if you read this, the tyre man was talking rubbish!

Team Neaves

The scene was set for a great day’s racing at Brands Hatch, the early morning sun was heating the track up nicely, and the Maverick and Cougar were up bright (maybe not…) and early for their first experience in the danger zone. All three well polished Team Neaves cars lined up in the paddock and ready for action next to the immaculately prepared cars of Simon Cripps, Barry Holmes, Rob Spencer and Brian Radcliffe. With scruteneering passed and the briefing for the rookies out of the way the cars headed out for what was hoped to be an exciting qualifying session…

Jonesey was especially excited and was heard saying “I feel the need… the need for speed!”

Qualifying

The Team headed out onto the track, line astern, the plan being for the junior Team Neavesers to keep up with Viper, the more experienced Squadron Leader. As Viper and Cougar were winding up to full speed it was clear Maverick had a problem. If any of you have read the previous post you’ll recognise this problem… Yes, it was the clutch again. After completing the mandatory three laps Maverick headed for the pits, and was unfortunately never to return to the track.

The tow rope that Cougar had attached to the Viper car was paying dividends as, on lap 5 he put in a time quick enough for the 7th grid slot. That was as high as he’d get though as on lap 10 the session was stopped for Rob Beasley, who had made a bid to escape the circuit at Druids. Fortunately the gravel trap put a stop to his valiant attempt. The experience of Viper shone through as he managed 3rd on the grid for race 1. Unfortunately for Cougar, the car only wanted to do the 10 laps, inheriting the same clutch problem as Maverick, with the same result. Check out the video below kindly posted by reigning champ David Brooke.

Race 1

With grid slots 7 and 31(not last!) empty, and true to form the commentators none the wiser, the lights went out for race 1. Barry Holmes had a great start from 4th seeing off Viper in the drag race to the first corner. On lap 2 the safety car was brought out for an incident at Paddock in which Rob Beasley and John Yea discovered it was impossible for two cars to inhabit the same piece of track! Viper then fell asleep. As the safety car peeled off into the pits it seemed that Viper was informed of the situation by a hand delivered postcard, clearly much slower than the other drivers, who had been watching…

The positions remained static for the rest of the race, despite Viper closing Barry Holmes down towards the end. You can see the race 1 video from Barry below. The vid from Viper will follow shortly…

Race 2

It was much of the same for race 2, with the commentators that is. Perhaps we should fill out those commentator information forms! Again Holmes powered clear of Viper but this time also claimed 2nd from Dan ‘Sandbag’ Ludlow at the first corner. Viper couldn’t keep pace with the hard charging trio in front for long however, his tyres were pretty shot by this point as you’ll see from the in car footage below (to be added later). A bit of excitement came later though when Simon Cripps, possibly suffering some of the same, had an off on the exit of Druids. It has to be said at this point that Simon’s car was remarkably well hooked up, as he then came around the outside at Paddock to take 3rd.

All in all a good days racing for Viper, but a disappointing start to the Team Neaves campaign!

We have now taken the engine out of Car 4 to have a better look at the clutch. Have a look at the picture below… it seems the friction surface on the flywheel side of the friction plate is missing! I’d invite comments from anyone who has any idea how this could happen with only an hour of running?!

We hope to have the team back out soon, but realistically it’s looking like Cadwell before we can all get out together with transport etc.

Team Neaves