21 September 2009 15:38 - Vicki Cooke - Snetterton race report
This weekend Team Eddy’s travelled down to Snetterton for the 5th round of the championship. Before the racing, we were second in the championship and 25 points behind the leaders Brian Gray and Alan Bedford. This was about to change….
Saturday, we woke up to brilliant sunshine which I was amazed at as I have never been to Snetterton when it hasnt rained. Snett, for me, was a new track so it was a case of a couple of steady laps and then get the power down. Ed said he loved the circuit as it was fast and smooth and flowed really well. I had yet to be convinced.
We were the 7th practice out and due to various delays didnt actually get out until half past 10, by which time the sun was really hot and I was starting to get irritated. Practice went well though, we hadnt actually had the bike running since Chimay in July, but the old girl had no problems and ran like a dream. I had a few issues with the esses as it is a very quick movement, from working the left fully to going backwards to get over the back wheel all under breaking. I was happy enough though and was sure we could find a happy medium.
The bike was perfect so we didnt change anything, it was just a case of waiting now and it was going to be a bloody long wait. We were the 3rd race after lunch and the last race of the day so they were at about half 2 and quarter past 6. It makes it a long day really when its like that, cant complain though because the CRMC have been good to the sidecars all season. During our wait, I went for a wander round the paddock and had a catch up with everyone I hadnt seen since Brands in July which was nice. A couple of passengers were asking me for some help and advice, which was a bit scary because it was me doing the asking a few months ago.
By the time we were called for the race, I felt really demotivated and couldn’t be bothered to go out. That changed in the holding bay though when Brian Gray was trying to psyche us out. We did the warm up lap and I was already sweating because of the heat, but it was a bit late to worry about that now. The flag dropped and we were off. I knew Ed wouldnt take any prisoners with Brian and there was no way he was coming past at the first corner. There was nearly a Brands Hatch moment though when Nick Houghton dived down the inside of us and cut us up but thats racing I suppose. Down the back straight we were like a missile, must have been doing about 140mph then hard braking into the esses which I was dreading but I only cocked up once so cant have been that bad. As a passenger they tell you not to look behind, but I knew Brian wasnt that far away and I was just making sure he wasnt going to dive down the inside of us and if he looked like he was gunna do that Id squeeze Ed and he could do something about it. Nick cleared off into the distance, but that didnt matter as hes not a championship contender, the excitement was between us and Brian. We managed to hold him off for about 4 laps and then he came past us at Coram Curve, down the inside sh*t! I thought Ed was going to out brake him into the chicane but Brian held his line well so we couldnt get past. We ended up following him actually and we were quicker than him all over except through the Bombhole and Coram Curve. On the last lap we were right up his chuff coming into the chicane, Brian braked hard but we braked harder BUT we still couldnt get past him there. We braked that hard that I slid forward and had my knees in the nose cone of the platform so had to make a bit of a bodge job of the left. We we still up Brian’s backside though, we pulled out of his slipstream so we were along side him, we were neck and neck over the line and neither of us knew at the time who had finished where. What a fantastic race it was. Brian and Alan beat us which was a shame, they beat us by 0.002 of a second thats how close it was.
I was really wound up now for the second race and determined to beat Brian. On the first lap there was again nearly another Brands moment, this time involving Brian and Nick Houghton. Nick dived down the inside of us and then Brian, then realised he couldnt stop so threw it in sideways, the chair came up (which is not supposed to happen on a right hander) then the back wheel gripped and he got going. There was no need for it really but thats Nick. I, on the other hand, was having my own moment down at Russell’s chicane where Ed braked harder than I expected and I shot forwards and kissed the tarmac, honestly thought I was coming out but somehow managed to save it. I must’ve started a trend though because the passenger behind did the same thing after the driver was too busy watching me so he could avoid me if I came out then realised oh yeah I’ve got to brake so slammed on causing Andy to do the same thing. If that wasn’t enough the team behind Matt and Andy did exactly the same thing, what a set of turkeys we must’ve looked! Anyway, race on. We were right up Brian’s chuff now and kept it that way for a few laps. It was on lap 4 where we passed him, down the long straight into the chicane, neeeooowwwmm. Our luck could’ve gone either way though now as we were catching the back markers, but luck was on our side here. We caught one of the Gristwood and Toms teams coming into Russell’s chicane shot down the inside of them only inches away but we never touched. Me and Ed looked back at exactly the same time to discover that Brian had got stuck behind the back markers so had lost a few seconds. We finished second 0.6 seconds behind the race winners and 3.something seconds in front of Brian, result.
Sunday
Nick Houghton had gone home after a bit of an incident with one of the back markers in the first race on Saturday when he pushed one out of the way. He had his wrists slapped by the clerk of the course so he spat his dummy out and went home. Unfortunately these back markers were both wearing wally bibs which made it worse for Nick really, but never mind, it’s just one of them things.
So with Nick out of the way, both me and Ed had our sights set on winning the race. We planned to follow Brian for 2 laps and then blow him off down the back straight. Somehow this plan failed though as we got stuck behind Matt Kingsmill and Andy Johnson for the first lap and couldnt get past them, by which point Brain had cleared off into the distance. Ed was still on a mission though and slowly we were catching him up. On the last lap we nearly had him coming out of the chicane but a back marker worked against us this time when he changed his line going up the start finish straight and we nearly ran into the back of them. It was annoying because we might have just pipped Brian to the line, but thats racing so you just get on with it I suppose.
After the events of the last race. Ed decided that we were just gunna go for it from that start, head down arse up. And we did, we were first off the line and took the tightest line possible into the first right hander, so tight I was convinced we werent going to make it. We got a good run down the back straight and through the esses and I thought “oooo we must’ve gained a bit on Brian already” so I looked behind and he was there, I could’ve touched his nose cone with my foot he was that close, bugger! I knew Brian wouldn’t have a go into the chicane as we were quicker than anyone round there. We held him for 3 laps and he came past us at Coram Curve, sh*t! Ed had a little look going into the chicane but there just wasn’t enough room. We slip streamed Brian all the way up the start finish straight and pulled out just before braking point to get in front of him. We were in front all the way round, through the chicane and everything. I looked back when we were going up the start finish straight and I couldn’t see Brain, so I looked left to see if he was along side us, nope. So I had another look behind us where I saw Alan getting up off the floor, Brian had spat him out at the chicane. So I squeezed Ed and he looked behind but carried on at race pace until the back straight where he looked at me and gave the thumbs up. We got a huge cheer as we came through the chicane and we both punched the air as we went under the flag, not blowing our own trumpet or anything but we deserved that.
Turns out that Alan jumped back on the bike after falling out and they thought they finished 3rd but they got disqualified because Alan had lost comeplete contact with the bike. I actually felt a bit sorry for them both because that race, had Brian stayed in it, would’ve gone right to the line.
The first person back to our camp to congratulate us was a bloke called Dick Hawes who has raced for nearly 40 years and is the most successful driver round the TT. He wandered over to me put his arm round me and said “Do you know what kiddo, you’ve got to be one of the top 3 classic passengers in Europe, you never put a foot wrong, and it would be a pleasure to race with you.” He walked off and I was stood there with my mouth open, because coming from him, that means something.
So the championship: Brian and Alan still lead the championship by just 5 points! So it is all going to come down to the last round at Cadwell Park where there is only going to be 2 championship races becuase there’s a handicap race and the Race of the Year! All very exciting. Have to say, this has to be the best weekends racing I’ve ever had!
Vics.