Angouleme ~ Circuit des Remparts

                    Historic Sports Car Race ~ 20th Sept 2009

    

The Start [photo courtesy of LA VIE DE L'AUTO magazine]

Prior to our visit to Angouleme in France this year, for the Historic Sports Car Race, I agonised over two things related to my pre-race preparation of JJO. The first of these was the engine's tendency to overheat, the ambient temperature in 2006 and 7 having been in the order of 30°C. Belting round the short street circuit with its six sharp corners means constant use of high revs and only two short straights to help the cooling process. The car is fitted with a modified radiator which has an extra capacity but this had been ineffective in 2007 when the car got very hot, lost all its oil pressure and finally seized. This time I filled the cooling system with 50% anti-freeze, half a bottle of Water-Wetter and only a little H²O. I also fitted some aluminium ducting to funnel air directly into the radiator core.

The second factor was which diff to use. In 2007 I used a 4.875 to 1 and just about managed to get round the hairpins in second gear though I decided then that a 5.3 would have been better. However the lower the diff the higher the revs so, after consulting one or two other Spridget racers I reverted to the 4.875. I forgot that I had had the gearbox rebuilt with straight cut close ratio gears - resulting in 2nd being a lot higher than before, so I finished up using 1st for every hairpin after all.   [Midget & Sprite Club supporters lined up at the Campanile, left]

Whilst not wishing to deter anyone from racing at Angouleme, I have to say that not only is the race stressful, as you might expect, but even more so is the French red tape leading up to it. On the Friday, you sign on and collect a large brown paper bag containing arm-bands, poster, programme, car numbers and final instructions. This is the first occasion when you discover what race you are to take part in and who you will be competing against. On Saturday, you have to produce your driving licence, competition licence and the vehicle's identity documents/historic log book. Here two problems arose this year - first my competition licence (National non-race) is marked NON-EU which this time resulted in my having to upgrade it at a cost of 55 Euros, double the cost of the licence originally! Secondly, they procrastinated over my FIVA log book and Heritage Certificate before eventually accepting them, having checked that the chassis number and engine number talled with the documents. Then we were required to hire a transponder with which the lap timing is recorded, necessitating depositing my competition licence with them, pending its return. Then we come to more tense stuff - the scrutineering. Everyone gets more and more gittery as the afternoon wears on and the two scrutineers dash about from one car to another in no logical sequence. This year my scrutineer wasn't happy with the stickers on my crash helmet (though they are perfectly acceptable for competition in the UK). A friend who speaks morec French than I do came to my recsue by suggesting "But he can race tomorrow?". "Mais, oui, madame, mais ce n'est pas correcte". Next problem was my Aldon distributor which, for some reason they thought was electronic without even looking inside it. In fact I have replaced the points with an Ignitor but it could just as easily have had points in there. Anyway ~ finally he slapped a sticker on the side of the cart and we could breathe again, and prepare for the following day's event.

The race entry consisted of a Porsche 911, a Lotus 11, an AC Ace, a Warwick 3.5 litre, a Peerless, a Reliant Sabre 6, a Marcos Mini, A Mini-Cooper S, a Diva Ford, a Volvo 122S and a 948cc Sebring fitted with Archers fastback and Lenham bonnet [see above right]. 12 starters including me.

On Sunday morning we were up at 6 a.m., breakfasted and made our way into town for the morning practice session at 8.50. It had rained overnight and I was not looking forward to racing around the tight and twisty circuit with its varying surfaces, shiny white lines and manhole covers. While my lovely Yokohama AO48Rs are super-sticky in the dry I had had big problems keeping the car on the tarmac at a recent wet event at Curborough.  It is said that you should increase the pressures of these tyres from about 20/22lbs to around 30lbs for wet conditions - the reverse of what I used to do in my former racing days in the 70s and 80s. However, I decided to leave them at 22lbs!

The practice session was horribly slippery and marshals were waving oil flags all over the place. Everyone was pussy-footing round on tip-toe but I did eventually overtake David Jabouille's 948 Sebring, and at the end was happily surprised to find myself 6th fastest out of the 12. [Photo, right, courtesy of Peter Jackson - JJO on the straight]

During the day the weather fluctuated between sunshine and showers and no-one was looking forward to going flat out in the midst of eleven others to get round this tight and narrow track at breakneck speed. The guy next to us in the paddock spent the long interval between practice and race dismantling his car and putting it together again - none if which, I am sure, was actually necessary but maybe it steadied his nerves.

Back in 2007 the start of the race confused us all. The starter stood talking to a fellow marshal and when the due time arrived, merely lifted the flag casually into the air. No-one moved - many seconds later some realised that was meant to be the start and set off, ploughing into those in front. Chaos reigned though must of us did get away without mishap.

The Race: On this occasion the start was quite clear and I got away well, and endeavoured to pass between the two cars in front though as the Sabre 6 was alongside me I had to give way to his superior power. Down the (so-called) straight the Warwick thundered by so I was down to 7th already. However, giving every lap my all, double de-clutching into 1st gear at each of the 3 hairpins, I gradually overhauled first one car and then gave chase to the Mini Cooper S. Lap after lap we were side by side up the steep inclines between hairpins and finally I got by and left him behind. Now 5th I lapped the other Sebring, the Volvo and an ailing 911. I only had to complete the distance, but sadly it was not to be. On lap 13 or 14 the engine missed a beat or two and a lap later slowed to a stop by the cathedral. All the cars I had passed slipped by again before I could get out of the car and open the bonnet. I guessed the problem was fuel vaporisation and was able to re-start the engine. Limping over the line I took 8th place - a disappointing finish but an absolutely exhilarating experience. The engine had stood up to the thrashing, maintaining its oil pressure and not overheating its water so that was a great relief.

As I pulled back into the paddock, the heavens opened and did it rain? It fell down and I only discovered later that all my boxes of tools and spares had become half filled with water. As we walked back through the town we were greatly amused by the sight of spectators filling the launderettes, and standing in their underwear while trying to dry out their clothes!

photos above courtesy of Gerald Lambourn and David Southcott