15 November 2003, Huntly
WAIKATO MINI SPRINT CHAMP'S
Well,
Finally, the NLW Racing Team headed to Huntly, for our first race meeting of the 2003 / 2004 season.
My good engine was back in the car and all preparations had been made. I have to admit feeling extremely nervous about how the car was going to perform with the new, bigger horsepower engine.
A mix of Supers and Limiteds making nine cars were on hand.
The track was very wet for race 1. I drew grid 3, finishing 8th. I found the car impossible to handle on the slippery surface with absolutely NO traction. What I was happy about though, was that the new engine seemed to be performing very well...
The track was perfect for race 2. I was on grid 7. A great start saw me make up a couple of places and the car was performing very, very well! Unfortunately a coming together with myself and another Driver saw me lose my left rear tyre and resulted in a DNF.
After changing the left rear wheel we were ready for Race 3. I was on grid 1 for the feature and looking forward to the challenge. The start saw me back to 2nd spot in the first turn and with a smaller left rear tyre the cars handling was not what it should be. I slipped to the rear of the field within a couple of laps and so I decided to have a play and try a few things. A few close shaves with the wall later and the race was over. I eventually placed 6th.
Overall a disappointing start to the season, but with no major damage and the new engine performing exceptionally well, I was ready to head to Kihikihi for their opening meeting tomorrow.
See ya...
|