So, we all arrive at Auckland for our warm up teams race against the Auckland Allstars. Everyone’s in good spirits and looking forward to a good night. Lee, Ben, and myself have all had team race experience so I felt it was important for John and Bob to get a run.
As team captain it’s my responsibility to advise and coach the team the best I can, so with Pete Falding and Guy Parker we chat through our strategies and decide that we should run the other 4 guys to give them some teams experience, plus I can watch them to get the overall strategy organised for the main event down at Palmy next weekend.
There is a super stock race up first, giving us all chance to race off the back to check the cars are all okay.
Bob needs a few setup adjustments and John had a few brake issues, but we’re all sorted and out for the team race.
The grid is formed, the lights go green, and the lads get the start we hoped for. Lee and John both got away clean with Bob and Ben starting to hold up some of the Auckland cars.
Lee breaks away but he has an Auckland car right on him, so he decides the safest option is to get on the brakes and hold the car up until he comes around to one of our block cars to help him out. Obviously his time here last year helped, as he knew if he had just tried to race on, then a trip up the wall would probably have been the outcome!
So it’s now John who takes up the lead, and he starts peeling the laps down, passing block cars and dealing with them on the way past. Ben drops straight into block mode and straight away takes their leading car out gaining John another valuable lump of track time.
Bob also was in total block mode and holding up the Auckland cars. A massive hit to the wall at one point smashed two shockers clean off the car, and was a big reminder that this is teams racing and it can all so easily turn the other way.
As the laps peel away John and Lee seem to have got the race under their control with Lee dealing with the last block car on the last lap allowing John a clean run the the chequered flag.
A quick debrief in the pits with all five drivers plus Pete and Guy gives all the drivers chance to talk through their race, and gives us a good opportunity to advise.
A good first race for all 4 drivers which will all help towards our collective goal to win the teams champs next weekend.
FWJ
