Lydden 2nd June

[kelvin88]

I got dragged to Lydden today to watch some of the racing. Jolly good fun all round! Just wondered if any of you lot was there. There was some brilliant racing. A couple of people that stuck in my mind, and you will have to fogive me for not knowing names and the class structures. Number 61 in the MG race, brilliant drive. First time he had seen the track, he told me after his qualifiying run. He did some brilliant driving in his races, i thought. The chap in the yellow Radical in the sports car race, he put in some hard work! In the single seaters there was a chap in something red with wings and slicks (very discriptive, Kelvin, please pay more attention next time) who spun out of his first race which was so unfortunate. In the saloons there was a vary wide Toyota Starlet which got even wider when it hit the track! So wide infact, Mr Richards couldn't get his Mini round it in the second race! Well done to you sir! And well done to everyone that drove and organised the event.

[jonbryant]

Hi Kelvin,

I wasn't racing but I was there with the camera. Gallery is up online on www.snappyracers.com/album/Lydden020607

Agree with you that there was indeed some great racing today. Glad i went on a spur of the moment thing!

JB

[Eddy V]

I was there as well. A very nice day indeed.
Got showered a few times at post 10 (Paddock) when the cars put a few wheels off into the gravel.

Some great racing. Bill R tried his very best to get past Smith, but it didn't work. Great spectacle though.

A sprint, 6 practices and 10 races. Not bad at all.


PS: thanks again, Bill for bringing the parcel along.

[Minicross424]

I was there racing the red mini with the yellow roof fighting off the Alfa for the first race.
I had a great day, knocked 2 seconds off my old lap record and only 2 seconds off the minis on slicks and ive got road tyres!
Again well done Bill for some cracking racing and to everyone at semsec for a great meeting.

[Eric Falce]

What club organised the race meeting!

[Eddy V]

Semsec for the races.

[jonbryant]

You certainly seemed a lot quicker than I've seen you go round there before Tris. Good work chap!

JB

[col rooney]

I was there watching i should have been racing but due to loseing my race number that i have competed with for past 4years and when i asked why i was just told to run a new number so i decided to pull out and wont be back if that is the way in which im going to be treated


col
IMP NUMBER 14

[Eddy V]

With all due respect Col, but does it really matter what number you run? I, in my long forgotten days, never gave a damn what number I got. I could race, that was all what I wanted.

Who "won" in your case? Not us as we all were a nice car short, not you as you didn't race.
What happend in the end? Car nr. 14 raced as car 41.

Hope to see you race there next time.

[Jamie G]

I enjoyed the racing, it was good to stay on after the sprint and see how the SEMSEC series went. I was impressed with the turnout too, nice and varied with close racing in all the classes.

It seemed to be a day for fluorescent cars, the Midget and the Starlet both having great battles in their races which were very enjoyable to watch. And all those minis! They were almost a class in themselves. Sorry to say it Tris, but that Maguire was my favourite

Just wish I'd got the suncream on a bit earlier! Pfft, it's a problem being blonde...

[col rooney]

I know what you mean about whats in the number in my case my dad raced the car in ireland from 1975 up until 1993 with number 14 on it and i was delighted to keep the number and was told at the time there was another driver who ran with 14 but as he had not competed for a while i could run with it but if he came back i would have to give it up i was happy with that but after running with it for 4 years and then not even asked but told to change if it was a different car then no problem but that just the way i feel so i will hillclimb it and do a few track days not my loss semsec are the big loosers as when i go to lydden i normaly have a crew of around 12 people most of who pay in so there it be in a nut shell sad to say it had to end the way it has

i was told i could keep the number 14 for the rest of this season but the damage was done by 1 person dont get me wrong i think semsec do a fantastic job and i have made some good friends who i will keep in touch with and i will come to watch but thats as far as it goes until i get a phone call and an apology from the person in question for hanging the phone up when i was trying to explain why i did not want to change my number then i may think again

but hey roll on when i get my new tintop built for the hscc

col

col

[Motormouth]

That seems a bit of a strange decision. I do know that Col's car was raced by his Dad in Mondello for as long as I can remember, always with number 14 on the side.
In the Irish championships, if someone runs a specific number, then they have first option on that number the following year (with the usual exception of numbers 1 to 5).
And with due respect, it matters a lot to some people what number they race. As a kid, I was a huge Villeneuve fan and was lucky enough to use number number 27 when I raced karts and on a few of my subsequent cars, meant an awful lot to me.......

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Eddy V

Some great racing. Bill R tried his very best to get past Smith, but it didn't work. Great spectacle though.

The second race just flew by! Non stop action from start to finish - the Starlet never got more than a couple of lengths away - add him to the list of people who will have nightmares about blue Minis

Well done Tris for putting in your quickest ever lap around Lydden, Mary did the same The gaggle of Minis were certainly on form, all of them seemed to be putting in good times.

Eddy - I must have walked right past you! Sorry I didn't see you

[Eddy V]

No problem Bert, I'm not that big.

To col: okay, now your point of view gets a bit clearer. Shame if it happend that way.
Still would have loved to see your car race though. Not often (read: never) that I see a car like yours in Belgium.

[col rooney]

I have spoken to one of the other drivers and it would appear the the number change was a big mistake and apology has been sent via him so i will except the apology as im not 1 to hold a grudge and will probly do the rest of the season while i build the new car but will only be able to do 3 or 4 races the next but at least i will get to run the car with my dads number

col

[Minicross424]

thanks for the comments everyone.
I wanted to prove a point to myself !

[Upside Down Bug]

From my perspective as a regular SEMSEC supporter over the years, I have to say the whole day was one of the best SEMSEC events in recent years. Good sized grids, good racing and a good turnout of marshals. Add to that an event with a quality sprint, followed by ten races all in a day at Lydden. Can't be bad.

[Eddy V]

That is very good news Mr. Rooney.

[kjw]

It is alway nice to see your car at Lydden as there are not many Imps around. Years ago I used to race an Imp but now race a mini, but I still have a soft spot for the Imps. So keep racing at Lydden Colin as your car is quite unique.

[Chris_w]

Originally Posted by Minicross424

I had a great day, knocked 2 seconds off my old lap record and only 2 seconds off the minis on slicks and ive got road tyres!

Hi Tristam,
FYI, putting slicks on our car dropped us 3 seconds on a sprint run (1.75 laps) at Lydden, well done on the 2 second improvement, that's a big chunk of time.
JonB - great pictures, and you even got a couple of us from the sprint, thanks!
And big thanks to all the marshalls too,
Chris W