Our programme was tight with four practice sessions Thursday; 08:00 and 12:45 practice’s Friday; 09:10 qualifying, 14:00 qualifying race and 15:45 Anglo America challenge Saturday and the feature race 14:00 Sunday. Total track time 5 hours – more than a full season at home.
The races saw Brits on road tyres in two groups against Porsche, Mustang, Corvette etc, on huge special slicks so it was never an equal battle but we put up a good show.
I started well on Thursday and an initial 2:45 time (ave 83 mph) came down to 2:18 (ave 94 mph) by the end of the day. Going up onto the banking and next to the outer wall for the first time is an indescribable adrenalin rush. In the last session, I got the car to its fastest (for me) when the bonnet appeared to lift. I slowed down and came to the pit garage to check. Amazingly the bonnet pins were in place but due to the new found speed, the wind was pushing under the bonnet grill and forcing the bonnet centre to rise. A cable tie from the grill to the bumper cured the problem.
On Friday we had to achieve targets to allocate our race groups. When Ian Wright and I refitted the gearbox in the UK, I bought a Helix clutch which advised fitting a new cable. We only read this after it was fitted so Ian said no time now, don’t worry, take a spare. Guess what, the clutch went as I slowed down from 140+ to a 30º hairpin left. The back of the car overtook and I spun towards a concrete wall, stopping just short but out of sight of the marshals’. Suddenly I was surrounded by fire truck, wrecker crew (what a word) and paramedic ambulance. They assumed I had hit the wall and were quite miffed to see I was fine and only needed a tow vehicle. You cannot fault the efficiency as all this happened whilst the race still ran. Back in the pits it wasn’t a big job to fix and I was glad I had brought a spare.
Saturday’s first event was qualifying to establish whether you were in the slow or fast group, each around 44 cars. After three laps I was given the black flag with orange circle meaning a potential failure had occurred on my car. I dropped to the inside of the track and progressed slowly around to the pits. Once there the pit marshal told me I was spilling fluids from the back of the car and must return to my garage to repair. I also had to report to the track clerk who gave me a bollocking for driving slowly after the flag showing as I presented a hazard to other cars. I tried to explain that the flag suggested I might have had something seriously wrong but he wasn’t interested giving me the typical line – “if you want to argue we can do it in my office”. Turned out the fuel rollover vent had ’lost’ its internal valve so every time I went around a sharp right-hander, fuel spilled out the vent. Eventually I acquired a replacement from one of the guys who had virtually brought a spare car with him.
In the afternoon my time was good enough to put me in the fastest group. All was going well and I was enjoying myself. The cooling air rushing in through open windows was supplemented by the electric fan I had fitted on the dash but after 6 laps there was a plume of smoke from the dash. Panic turned to the realisation that the fan wiring was burning out. Flicking off the switch overcame this but it was a heart stopper for a moment.
For the Anglo American race, the start was simple but new to me. A pace car takes you out of the pit in single file, quickest qualifier at the front, slowest at the back. You follow him around the circuit till half way round the second oval. At this point, if everything is okay, he turns out his roof lights indicating you should now line up with the guy next to you so you are two abreast, then slows the pace to 46 mph (?). I began to brake and move to the outside of a Porsche 914 but the banking is 31º and it felt as if I was either going to fall out of my seat or the car would slide down the back and crush the guy below me. As the banking levels out, the pace car peels away into the pit and you continue in formation until the lead car crosses the start line. Now its open season and I was swallowed up by almost every American car overtaking me as I thought I had to cross the line before racing. I turned the boost up to half (about 18psi) and was surprised at the effect, regaining several places before we settled to a steady race.
The fastest guy lapped me after about 25 minutes but I finished 15th with a new time of
2:16 (ave 96 mph). I’m told that at the fastest part of the oval, I was touching just over 140mph. This is apparently the speed at which car steering becomes neutral and you are able to take your hands off the wheel while it continues to follow the banked curve. I didn’t try it.
On Sunday, a late start allowed me to spend a morning lazing around the hotel pool, turning up 45 minutes before the race feeling well rested ready in my race suit. This was not sensible. A note on my windscreen said ‘Do not use your car – the exhaust is hanging off’. When I checked the rubber brackets were no longer there. The exhaust was only held by half a strap and that was in two pieces. I had to change into overalls, jack up the car and fashion new brackets from tie wraps and jubilee clips. I washed, changed and made it to the grid with 2 minutes to spare. As I sat waiting to follow the pace car, I was sweating so much the windscreen started to mist over and I no longer had a fan to remove it. This was a fabulous race as I latched onto a lightweight Jaguar E Type driven by a local expert. Towards the end of the race my brake discs warped and I was almost unable to handle the car under heavy braking. I never managed to pass him but my best result was finish 8th in a time of 2:11 (96 mph ave).
Put into perspective, the winning car (Porsche 914/6 GT) managed 2.04 and that was on super wide slick tyres and in full race spec, driven by a track expert.
At the end of the racing we spent hours having pictures taken. The trucks arrived and it was time to load the cars for the return. Of the 28 cars sent out, half were no longer running, many damaged superficially, four had blown engines, one had transmission failure (bell housing disintegrated into the car) and several minor mechanical failures. The worst rolled an immaculate Mark 1 Lotus Cortina but at least he wasn’t injured.
It’s been one of the greatest events of my life and one I will recall for years to come. It cost far more than I originally intended – more than double but I wouldn’t have missed it and I’m pleased the car is virtually still in one piece. We rebuilt the engine last winter with parts from GB Enterprises and so far it’s survived a season in the UK and Daytona and still felt okay so a check should be all that’s required next year.
If you get the chance to visit Daytona its worth a look but be careful. The tours around the circuit cost a fortune. If you are thinking of going anytime, let me know and I’ll lend you the literature on places to see and stay. With the pound/dollar as it is, now’s the time to go.
I’ve caught the bug for racing abroad and understand how Ian felt when he did the MG European series. I’ve started thinking about doing a couple of European events next year and the Americans have already invited us to Sebring in 2009.
Here are some other pictures from Daytona:
Car in action:
