Before the racing even began I went out in practise, the car felt great but a few laps in my half shaft had broken! The team and I worked really hard to get this fixed so that I could make it out for another practise which I managed to! In this practise the car felt really quick again!
I got a good start in heat 1 and the car felt really good and was handling perfect. Unfortunately a few laps in I got tangled up with a few drivers, we went into the fence and my car stopped. I realised that my clutch was no longer working and my battery had also gone flat, so I didn’t finish and had to be pushed off . We only get one heat each today meaning that I am in the consolation.
We won’t be able to fix my clutch for the rest of the meeting as this is quite a big job to do in-between races, got to take the belllhousing out, so I am having to race without a clutch and I’ll have to get a jump start every time I stop my car!
I managed to get a good start in the Consolation, the reds were straight on me and a few of the top lads had passed me. There was a yellow flag a few laps in and I counted where I was… I was 20th!! That’s going to take some doing to get a decent place! When the race continued I slowly picked up some good places and I managed to finish 10th but only the top 7 qualified for the final! Even though I didn’t qualify I’m really happy with how well I was going in the Consolation and that I went from almost last to finishing 10th!
I only managed to do one lap in the National before a few of us got fenced! Because I had no clutch and my car was flat I couldn’t go anywhere so that was the end of my race unfortunately.
Not the best day results wise, but I couldn’t believe how good my car was handling, how good the brakes were and I was very pleased with being on a really good pace with the other drivers!
On Sunday morning we tried to fix my clutch however, we soon realised that this was a much bigger job that we initially thought. It wouldn’t be able to be fixed today, meaning that I had to race another day without a clutch!
Both heats on the Sunday weren’t very good, the car was going well but the racing was just really really hard. I think I finished both heats in 20th meaning that I had to go in the last chance race to qualify for the UK Open.
Only the top 6 of the Last Chance Race went through to the UK Open. After my results in the heats I didn’t really get my hopes up. I was just happy to go out there and get some more laps in. At the start of the race I could tell that my car felt really good, it was fast and I was very much on pace! A few laps in I looked around to the leader and counted back to where I was, I was in sixth meaning that I am currently in the UK Open. I managed to stay there for the rest of the race, I was absolutely ecstatic! I have just qualified for my first ever F1 Championship!
I started the UK Open Final as the very last car having only just qualified in the last chance race, not the best thing in the world when you have no clutch and the rolling lap keeps stopping! But I managed to go really well and I finished the race, not in the places, but I don’t care because I qualified for the UK Open and I finished it!
Very pleased with my results at Skegness this weekend and also pleased with how the car went and that I qualified for my first ever F1 Championship!
I just want to thank everybody that helped me over the weekend, mechanics and family!
Can’t wait to get back on shale at Kings Lynn next weekend.
Phoebe
