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Ranson Times 19th May 2006
Barbon is usually a special event, there's a big crowd, loads of 'wattle'
(wattle she do mister?), bright sunshine, fantastic scenery, a few pints in the
Barbon Inn the night before.
It didn't quite work out that way this year. Heavy rain all night and overcast
all day followed no pints in the Barbon Inn. The track was very difficult in the
morning, mostly due to the patches of new tarmac. This was very unfortunate, I'm
sure the track will be much faster next year if the weather co-operates, but the
new tarmac and a bit of water was positively evil. Even coasting back down the
hill riding the brakes you could feel the grip going away on the new stuff. I
got quite nostalgic for the uniform diabolicality of Prescott.
 The
benefits of the resurfacing are reflected in that last year we went to Harewood
with gaping holes worn in the floor, this year we didn't. Which saved quite a
lot of cash.
One of the pleasures of the weekend is the Saturday evening trip to Harewood.
The light is right, the scenery is there, it isn't Sunday so the radio is
listenable. This was followed by a very amenable meal in a secret Chinese
restaurant with some of the usual crowd.
It was damp and overcast again the next morning. But actually driving was
revelatory. It was fun in slippery conditions. This was an alien experience
after Barbon in the damp and Prescott in anything.
Conditions steadily improved through to the end of first qualifying. Then it
rained. But just a bit. I ended up sitting down at the start line waiting for
the timekeepers to do whatever they do before a runoff trying to keep inside of
visor, outside of visor and glasses clear of rain drops.
During the latter half of the runoff wets became necessary, there was a long
delay while the tyres were ferried down to the start area. Possibly this could
have been organised more effectively. In the event the time wasted was of little
consequence since the change in the weather meant that many non-championship
runners declined to take their second timed runs so the latter part of the event
ran through quickly.
Second qualifying was clearly wet. The runoff was another question. As usual I
had to run first, I chose slicks for two reasons: they were the right choice for
the conditions, and the others were largely going for wets or a combination. The
swap to slicks all round might cause raised eyebrows and general doubts... It's
usually best to lead rather than follow... Or at least look like you know what
you want.
Anyway there was some vindication in a mid field result after running first on a
steadily improving track.
Despite the weather Harewood attracted a decent crowd and some local BBC
activity. The additional attractions seem to have worked and I noticed sign
posting a far away as Otley. The crowds generally seem to be on the up, which
has to be good for the sport.
Outstanding performances of the weekend that I noticed included, Alastair
Crawford scoring for the first time at Barbon, Chris Pickering winning his class
against James Blackmore and Tim Wilson at Harewood in a time that would have
qualified had he been registered. Chris Guille scoring his first points.
A special thanks to the gaggle of helpers doing their stuff near the Harewood
start area, all offering assistance to anybody who needed a battery or tyre
cleaning, even when generally associated with another car. It wouldn't be
possible to operate there without them.
Coming up are Gurston/Shelsley/Loton/Doune on consecutive weekends. A bit
intensive. Gurston and Shelsley Walsh tend to be power hills so should suit the
five of us with 3.5L NME power plus Willem with infinite power. Hesitate for a
moment and the guys with a bit less go will take the places. The phoney war is
over...
Hopefully at Gurston the new OMS for Trevor Willis will be out. Trevor is worth
watching in anything, a proper amount of go and lot of gears should be
electrifying.
Paul
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