Brands Hatch in December
18th December 2006
I'd have put money on rain, snow and/or ice playing a major part in the final Hondas-On-Track track day of the year at Brands Hatch, but to everyones amazement the weather gods were on our side and the 15th of December played host to a fantastic day on the Indy circuit.
The day was shared with Lotus and MG and ran as 20 minute sessions, limited to around 15 cars on track in each session. After the usual briefing everyone scrambled to their cars for last minute checks. I was so convinced of the impending rain I brought the car with a set of 'wets' on, so I had to change back to my dry weather R888s. I've now done 3 track days on these Toyo cut slicks and they all still have a fair bit of life left, which is really impressive considering the abuse I've given them, and their relatively low cost.
My first session was supposed to be a normal 'worm-up and get into the flow of things' routine, but instead I found myself having so much confidence with the car and the setup, I was able to push quite hard towards the end of the session. I came back to the pits with a big grin on my face!
For the first time this year I was not the only CRX on track! Neil and Chris had come along with their recently purchased, 2006 TinTops class winning CRX (pictured below). The car is an original CRX Challenge racer and it's clearly had a hard life, but I decided it should be my benchmark for the day due to its obvious capabilities. We got chatting and spent a lot of time sharing setup info and car stories, which was great fun.
Out on track though, well that's where the real fun was. Firstly, I want to get something straight. Track days are just for fun and are totally non-competitive. There is never any racing, or passing without consent. With that said, Neil and I went out for a little race!
To begin with we were both following Sara in her Civic, but after a few laps she let us go and Neil and I drove flat out for about 15 minutes. To start with I was desperately trying to keep ahead, and after I let him pass I was desperately trying to keep up! Those watching commented it was like watching a mini CRX Challenge race, even though we were just pushing hard, not really racing - there were never any sneaky moves into a corner. Just good clean fun!
Much to my disappointment I didn't get any video of that session. However, the next session was a very similar affair with Chris driving the yellow CRX. This was just as much fun and I recorded my fastest unofficial times of the day (competitive, to say the least!). I hope to have some good races with Neil and Chris during the season next year.
One thing that intrigued the 3 of us during the day was how differently the cars were setup and driven, yet the uncanny similarity of the performance. For example, Neil told me he was holding 4th gear in a corner - in the same corner, I'd be using 2nd! I think a lot of it is in my head; without the engine revving it's nuts off I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. Neil drove my car in the last session and commented how stable and predictable the chassis was, particularly under braking. For something I've cobbled together at home I'm really pleased with that kind of feedback.
It was by far and away the best track day I've done so far. The car was brilliant, the setup just worked perfectly and clearly the package is competitive. I can't wait for 2007 and to do some real races!
Video: 10 lap in car video of the session with Chris
Pictures: A large selection of pictures
A few of my favourite pictures are below (for full size versions see the link above)...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading!