Final Preparation for the Birkett

Today I did my pre race checks for next weekends 6 hour relay race at Silverstone. For those of you not familiar with the Holly Birkett relay it is basically a 6 hour endurance race for teams of 4 or more drivers. It runs just like the the Le MAn race in that it starts at 11am finishes at 5pm exactly and whoever does the most laps wins!

Unlike Le Man though it is open to any sort of closed wheel cars, RGB cars, Jag XK120s, Caterhams and everything in between even the little reliant powered Formula 750 cars. With such a wide range of hardware they can't all be in one class and the race is handicapped.

Basically the team of fastest cars are the scratch team, in that they get no gredit laps. All other teams get a certain number of credit laps. The credited amount equals the difference in no of laps they will do and the number the scratch team will do on the six hour period. So if you do more than your assessed handicap amount you can win the overall handicap trophy even if you don't win on the road.

All very complicated but should be great fun... if a little busy with up to 50 cars on the track at once. I'm racing with Tim Pell, Steve Robinson and Doug Carter in a Team which will bring all 4 of the racing Genesii together in a single team and expect to do a couple of 30 minute sessions in the 6 hours.

The other guys think we might actually win (not normally a word in my racing vocabulary) as there are only one or two other teams with faster average lap times than the RGB cars. However as the slowest member of the team if this looks like becomeing a reality I'll happily let the faster boys drive extra laps

So today I did my normal pre race checks, on things like fuel, water, oil systems, suspension and so on. It usually takes all day to do this and today was no differerent. Infact I was slowed down a bit by the need to change a worn suspension bush on the right rear wishbone. Anther issue is that my front right tyre is pretty worn, (this one takes all the load on our clockwise mostly right hand turn circuits). I'm not going to buy new rubber at this end of the season (it degrades over the winter) so I swapped it with the front left. This reverses the tread pattern, but the Yokohama website says that the tyres are reversable and I know several people in the paddock that run them this way around so it shouldnt be any sort of problem.

I've a couple of little jobs to do during the week and then I'm ready. These are fit a new rear view mirror and hoover it out.

I also went around the car and labelled everything up so that the Team Genesis pit crew who will probably be unfamilier with my car know the tyre pressures to set, correct coolant level and so on.

Lastly I finalised the installation of an oil pressure guage and voltmeter in the race van. So that I can watch these variables.

Details of the Birket are on the 750 Motor Club Website at www.750MC.co.uk, it a great day out and well worth the 14 quid entrance fee.

It is held next Saturday October 28th 2006 at Silverstone