Hébécrevon: Getting up to speed

It’s a good thing I have a sense of humour, and an ever increasing ability to stay calm in a crisis. My first journey to France in 2016 involved a trip to my local Renault garage to source a part for Herve before I’d even got any miles under his wheels. The cause? A broken dipstick. Sure it’s a pretty minor ailment and one I only discovered upon checking the oil level on Wednesday morning, but the sight of my van parked once again outside a Renault garage at this point in the season made me laugh. The fact I executed 9 point turn to manoeuvre my way out the tiny car park and backed into a bollard while 3 people simultaneously shouted ‘left/right hand down luv‘ made me feel a little awkward having moments earlier told them I was a racing driver… 

I picked up fish & chips in Portsmouth before boarding Brittany Ferries so I could go straight to bed, ready for an early start the next morning. Arriving in Caen I stood on the back of the cargo deck gazing at the one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen, suddenly 5am didn’t seem so bad after all. It was nice driving straight to Hébécrevon already knowing the layout for a change and it made me feel a quite calm about the season ahead. I went straight to the spot Colin Le Maitre & Jean-Paul Kennedy had marked out for me knowing I’d have electricity this time round, I can normally get by without it but it makes life a lot easier. My battery issues continued to plague me throughout the weekend, and while Paul Buckingham was on hand to pit crew (his engine hadn’t returned from rebuild) I had to charge the car between each run meaning mains hookup was essential. I also had a full fridge to chill, Nespresso machine & hair drier to power – we all need a little luxury!

The forecast was looking good with the possibility of some rain on Saturday, but otherwise some welcome heat & sunshine after the UK’s dismal start to Spring. Seeing all my friends from last year in the paddock just reminds me how much I love racing, with the preparation & distractions in the build up I’ve been wrapped up in all the details, but I’ve missed everyone so much that I’m sure I had a smile on my face all weekend to be back amongst them.

Although Hébécrevon is race no. 4 on the CFM calendar, meaning that many of the drivers in my class already have 3 races under their belt, it’s appealing both for it’s short length (2.1km) and the fact that we therefore receive no fewer than 9 runs. After more than six months out of the car and half a test day where I got nowhere near the car’s limits I need seat time more than anything to get on the pace quickly. Cramming in this number of runs creates a frenetic pace as we have a relatively short time between drives, and coupled with the need to be back on the ferry for 10:45pm on Sunday, you can see why the rhythm here is relentless.

Saturday started with two free practice sessions, and while I knew that Sarah Louvet and Estelle Bouche would both be setting the pace, I’d told myself  to go gently and ease back into the saddle… A race car will always feel fast after a 6 month absence, but I was surprised to feel the back end drifting out more than once. Everything felt good from the onset, the new gearing pulling harder than before, the suspension soaking up the bumps nicely and everything communicated in detail through the new seat. It was just a bit slippy out there, and sure enough all the other drivers were saying the same. I finished the day middway between Sarah and Estelle in P2, a good start but were they just warming up?

Rain came overnight and washed away most of the dust, leaving the track in much better shape. With my new slicks now fitted I was curious as to how the car might feel, I’ve never experienced the comparison of 1 year old versus new – would I instantly notice the difference? Yes, straight away the car now stayed right on line through the flat 5th gear right hander, sticking well over to the inside for the approaching left rather than washing wide as it had on Saturday. The two further free practices went really well, and I was able to attack each apex with more precision – it takes time to get used to the way the car drives and I’d been frustrated on Saturday each time I approached too deep only to miss my chance and drift wide.

Confidence now building I was turning in earlier and earlier, getting on the gas sooner and the car was just soaking it up.

My first two timed runs were identical at 1:05:90, keeping me in P2 with Sarah stretching out an impressive lead on a 1:04:07 and Estelle close by on 1:06:05. It was hot and I was being put through my paces as I sat waiting, my concentration flagging as my head become warmer and my mouth became drier. I suffered with a semi stall on my final run of 2015 and having done so once in practice, I was determined not to loose any time on the start line. Gunning the revs I really went for it through the narrow armco’d first half, after the hairpin I made sure I nailed every apex and the was almost flat round the final long left. Crossing the line I was certain I’d gone quicker, and the time confirmed – almost a second in fact to finish on a 1:05:11! Although I was quicker by 1.5 seconds under my PB from 2015, I was surprised looking back at just how hard I must have been pushing the car at that point in time…

Crucially I’d held onto 2nd place, and I was over the moon – the changes over winter had made a genuine difference to the car’s performance and I’d felt comfortable from the off!The geartronics display will really come into it’s own too on the longer hills as the championship moves south next month.

Racing to make the ferry I loaded up the van as quickly as possible and headed for Caen, still feeling slightly wired with adrenalin. By the time I got onboard I ready to drop and made my way to the canteen on autopilot, the thought of hot meal was the only thing keeping me from a shower and my bed as I navigated my way through crowds of excitable French schoolchildren.

By Tuesday I’d stripped the alternator off the car and taken it to a repair shop who found that sure enough, there was a fault. They fixed it the same day and I’m hopeful that will spell the end of my starting issues, it’s really the last thing you need on the way to the line as the car will overheat if you leave it running, meaning that I need to turn the engine on and off a number of times at some events.

Looking to the next event I’m hoping to keep the momentum going, La Pommeraye should see a larger number of drivers in the class and it’s a very fast hill…