After racing at the wide, smooth and flat Formula 1 circuit that is Silverstone, Brands Hatch was almost the complete opposite: a narrow, bumpy, roller coaster of a ride. Powering through Paddock Hill bend and up into Druids was even more awesome than I had imagined…
During the weekend, I learned three important lessons:
1) How easy it is to end up in the gravel trap at Clearways and then spend the next 2 hours removing tiny stones from the cockpit
2) Why you should never, ever take your foot even slightly off the throttle when pulling away at the start
3) What it feels like to be Felipe Massa in India and retire with suspension failure
I lined up 14th on the grid for my third ever race, hopeful of perhaps breaking into the top 10 by the end. Unfortunately, my start didn’t help: after the lights went out, I lifted slightly instead of keeping my foot flat on the run down to Paddock Hill bend and ended up entering the first corner in second-to-last place (20th). Nevertheless, I stayed focused on finding a good rhythm and making my way back up the field.
After a couple of laps I was on the back of the car in 19th place and looking for a way past. Although I was quicker, initially I struggled to find an opportunity to overtake on the tight Indy layout. I then tried a slightly different line for Paddock Hill: braking earlier and taking a wider entry, allowing me to carry more speed through the exit. It worked a treat and I was able to pull alongside on the approach to Druids and dive up the inside as we braked for the slow right-hander.
I then set about closing on the next two cars ahead until the push rod on the right rear gave way as I flew over the kerbs at McLaren. Unfortunately that was the end of my race and my experience of racing in 2011.
Thank you again to the whole MCR team for their help and support. Also thank you to my family and friends who came down to support – next time I hope I can provide a full half hour’s worth of entertainment…roll on the 2012 season!
Sebastien Bamsey – Brands Indy 16th October
Sebastien Bamsey – Silverstone GP 1st October
The un-seasonal British heatwave continued into race day and, as I lined up on the grid for the start, I wondered how much grip I would have going into the first corner, Copse. As it turned out, I didn’t need to find the limit as the cars around me all braked quite cautiously into that first right-hander, although Wil Arif made a great start and swept around the outside to enter Copse ahead of me. The first few laps were brilliant, and I screamed into my helmet after executing my first proper overtaking manoeuvre with a classic late-braking move up the inside at Village Corner. I then felt I was on a similar pace or even slightly quicker than Anders Fredricsson and Peter Williams ahead of me, particularly through the high-speed sections. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to prove it due to a piece of bodywork lying on the start-finish straight: on lap 9, as I exited Luffield side-by-side with another car, I moved to the right-hand side of the track on the approach to Copse and hit the debris at full speed. I spotted it too late and felt a thud in the cockpit but didn’t realise that it had heavily damaged my front splitter. After that, the car developed high-speed understeer and I had to back off to make sure that I saw the chequered flag. In the end I made up two places from my starting slot and finished 14th. Also, pleasingly, my fastest race lap was another two seconds quicker than my best qualifying lap.
Thank you again to the whole MCR team for their support – the whole weekend was a fantastic experience and I cannot wait for the season finale at Brands Hatch, another classic track!
Sebastien Bamsey Castle Combe 14th August
Seb testing for 1hr Endurance race (left Eddie Waring, (right) Sebastien Bamsey
I arrived at the circuit on Thursday morning under a grey sky covered with thick cloud and a light drizzle – not what I had wanted for my first ever experience of a racing car… Nevertheless, the immense, childish, Christmas-like excitement I felt about driving a fully fledged racing machine overcame any concerns I had about a wet track. Having familiarised myself with the layout of the track and the car (the various cockpit switches, lights and displays), it was time to fire her up… I flicked the starter switch, blipped the throttle and the 2.0 litre Duratec lept into life. The awesome rumble of the engine and the gearbox whine as I selected first gear using the sequential shifter immediately made clear this was a million miles from the Westfield which I had used on a couple of track days… I ventured cautiously out on track with a full wet setup and wet tyres. As I left the pit lane, I gingerly put my foot down and was absolutely blown away! The acceleration and sense of speed was incredible. I barely had time to think before I was braking hard into Quarry corner and thumping down the gears. This was what I had been missing out on all this time!! I struggled to wipe the grin off my face for the rest of the day. I had another run in the wet before the weather started to clear and Clive felt it was time to put on some slicks… the unbelievable grip levels on slick tyres was another revelation. Roll on race day!
I opened the curtains early on Sunday morning and was greeted with a blue sky. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about the weather for my first race… Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to run the car in qualifying because of a minor exhaust glitch but it was resolved in good time for the race. Nevertheless, Eddie Waring, with whom I was sharing the car, did an excellent job and managed to grab 7th slot on the grid. Patrick gave me some very helpful advice about the parade lap and the start procedure (like keeping my visor open when sitting on the grid to stop my nervous heavy breathing misting up my helmet!) before I headed out for my first ever motor race: a 1 hour endurance, with a driver change.
As the five red lights went out, I managed to pull away cleanly and avoid a slow starting car ahead of me. I then focused on keeping it on the track and staying out of trouble while the pack settled down. By the end of my 25-minute stint I came in the pits for the driver change over in 3rd position, I was mentally and physically exhausted and ready to hand over to Eddie for the second half of the race. Eddie did a fantastic job and brought the car home to finish us 4th overall and 2nd in our class – it was great to go home with a trophy since it was my first time in a race car and the first Sports 2000 race for both of us.
Needless to say, I am completely hooked and will be back in the car at the next available opportunity!
Thank you to Clive, Cindy, Patrick, Scott and all of the MCR team for their advice and support, thanks to Eddie for being a great and quick team mate, thank you to my father for the support and fantastic photography and a special thanks to my wife Liv and Nick who came to watch my race debut.
