News

Equipe Silverstone Super Sprint (2024)

76 PRT was subject to Retroracecar's pre race, prep regime. We used some water in the last race and the hairline split between 3&4 in the head gasket confirmed my suspicion. The clutch was also close to worn out, but we decided it wouldn't be worth changing since everything was due a refresh after this super sprint weekend. 
Back in Bentworth, David swapped the Multi-layered head gasket along with the spent Mintex race pads. We also ordered four new Dunlop L sections for £1200 (ouch!). I stuck in some ear plugs for the noisy straight cut box and took a drive through some choice smooth Hampshire A roads to bed in the new pads.
9am Saturday, on new unscrubbed tyres. Somehow managed to post representative times in the 1:12's. Pending arrival of wife Hannah, father-in-law Pete, and 13 Yr old daughter Lizzie. Not to mention school mate & fellow Retro TVR racers, Christian Douglas & Matt Holben. Pete brings his own stop watch for tracking lap times & we have a running gag that every race Hannah 'the jinx' Hayward attends, ends with me crashing out - no pressure at all then. Silverstone Bacon rolls all round and the visitors headed to Brooklands for the best seats in the house. Round 1. 76 PRT on pole, Rob Cull in P2, Johan Denkamp TVR Tuscan in P3 and Guy Parry Williams Healey 3000 in P4.
Rob got a good start and stayed ahead of the battle between Guy (2nd) and myself (3rd). It was a similar battle in Round 4.
and we were gapped by the Morgans, Elans and Cobra occupying the front of the grid. We ended up 11th, tucked behind the same Healey. In Round 8, we started 5th and finished 3rd. I'm not sure how, but this propelled us to the middle "Green Final" around 5.30pm, where we started 2nd. We led for quite a few laps until the safety car came and went. Before you could say 'jinx', the clutch decided to start slipping and so was my concentration. I overtook Babak but missed my braking point at the end of the Wellington Straight, went off piste into the gravel at Brooklands long enough to drop to 8th, clawed back 3 spots and eventually ended up 5th. I was initially livid with myself and I remember apologising to David when I parked 76 PRT. His reply was nevermind, you got the fastest lap of the race. Sure enough we're into the 1:11's... a personal best, and just like that everything was right again. That's racing.

Equipe Libre & GTS at Snetterton 300 (2024)

76 PRT was entered for both Equipe Libre Snetterton 300 races and at the last minute I joined the other seven Grantura MkIII's entered in the GTS grid as well (B-day weekend and two year absence from Snetterton, so why not!)
The thunderstorms cleared on the way up in time for a nice sunset track walk. With the BBQ lit, Arjan & Claire arrive with the Ford Galaxie, food and cold liquid refreshments. Everyone was well behaved and in bed by 10pm!
76 PRT was faultless in practice from 9am, Saturday during all four quali's and four races through Sunday.
To put this into perspective, our own race prep involves two mechanics checking off a three digit list back at the Retroracecar workshop. Mechanics Mark & David then work together on a separate race day prep list in between stints during the race weekend.
Our FIA Grantura MkIII generally qualifies inside the top ten with me behind the wheel. In the races we finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in class, with one DNF in GTS race 2. The red flags came out to clear the few who got caught out in the wet. I was already drifting further down the order on spent L sections, so decided to call lunch.  Conveniently, the race restarted shortly after I'd finish my ham ploughmans and for a moment I considered re-joining from the pit lane, but it was still raining and I still had spent tyres, so that was the DNF.
Overall, a fun weekend peppered with a couple of standout BS moments, but outweighed by some close racing with Jack Wilmott, Mark Holme and Rob Cull. Next stop is the Super Sprint at Silverstone on the 5th of October.