Oulton Park

They changed something involving the rear suspension and went back out.

Then, sorry, and I w- then went back out, back in the Caterham, to the same two tracks, Oulton Park and Lime Rock, where I'd struggled.

And for me, straight away, a completely different car.

Suddenly, I loved it again.

Grip, grip, grip, gone.

And initially, I did what I think most sim racers do, I blamed myself.

Now, I was trying this car at Oulton Park and Lime Rock, and at both tracks, certain corners, this happened.

Maybe, again, I blame myself.

So that was it, the bug had r- truly bitten.

Um, so then yeah, um, went to bigger tracks like Oulton Park.

Um, and then did my first road race in 2022 at the Southern 100.

And there's nothing beats road racing.

But, um, yeah, it was, it was good.

And then, um, I had a good r- probably one of my best rides was at Oulton Park actually on the, I can't remember if it was the first year doing it, second year doing it.

It was, I was batting with, uh, Gus Scotten, then at the end of the race, David Jefferies.

And, uh, I remember him, he came round basically to, he was fuming.

Uh, sorry, the first two races at Knockhill and then Westy took us out into last corner, last, on the first lap of the third race.

But yeah, we just started getting going good.

Went Oulton Park, qualified fourth or fifth I think it was.

And so we, we were actually making real good progress and then I think the following round was here at Cadwell and I'd, uh...

Yeah, he always had, um, incredible intensity of, of preparation and, and detail, um- Throughout his career.

And, I mean, even, even doing something as low-key as a, a Talbot Sunbeam race at Oulton Park, where they just put, you know, local club racing drivers or Formula Ford drivers together in this, uh, sort of manufacturer promotion thing.

He did that.

He did one race there, and there was a tire guy who was, you know, getting all the tires ready, and he, he went and intr- introduced himself to him and got him to measure the diameter so he had equal diameter tires, and he got him... made sure he had the best set of tires for his car.

Yes

... yeah, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, and then again at Croft, I threw away, um, a very good chance of getting a top 10 finish in race one, and unfortunately they all resulted in [laughs] starting from the back in race two.

Yes, yeah.

And then it's, it's so hard to recover from that.

... turn one at Silverstone, Copse.

Yeah.

There's n- this, it, there's so much runoff, they, um, they push the limits more there than they would, say, round Oulton Park.

I've always said-

...

when he took those two wins, the car had been pretty much written off the week before, or the race before at Oulton Park.

Yep.

So he's got form of bouncing back from adversity-

So yeah, thanks for, thanks for coming on.

We're at, oof, Oulton Park.

What round is it, round six?

Six already.

Yeah, I know

... halfw- yeah, halfway once this, well, beyond halfway once this is done.

But it actually feels weird coming to Oulton Park this early in the year, 'cause this round's actually normally a little bit later.

Was it in the, the showdowny bit last year?