[Justin]

Bittersweet day yesterday

Upon scrutineering there were questions raised about my Dunlop CR311's being eligible for the class, they are a list 1B tyre I was given the OK. The track was very damp so I took it easy during 1st practice and happy with how it went. Then just before 2nd practice starts the scrutineer comes over again and says the tyres need to be road legal to compete in roadgoing class and mine are for competition only. I argue that they are a list 1B and roadgoing permits 1B tyres so they should be allowed to run. They argue that the car has to be road legal to compete as stated in the rules. So we have 2 statements in the roadgoing rules that contradicts one another.

So I am given the option to use the tyres but move up a class to mod prod, but I can't since I don't have a cage so wouldn't be eligible for that class either! The only option is to put my road tyres back on which are Hankook RS2's - not a bad tyre when hot but these are 4 years old and full of flat spots from many previous trackday excursions, ho hum lets see how we get on!

No traction in the 1st 2 gears and the front left wants to lock up at will in the braking zones, an interesting 2nd practice but amazingly I'm top of the time sheets, I just assume everyone else had issues too! These tyres take an age to get any heat into them, the track is getting dryer all the time and I have confidence I can lean on the tyres a bit more during the latter parts of the track.

1st timed run and all is going well right up until the 2nd last corner, I had too much faith in the tyres and went in far to hot, huge sideways moment, well held (for a bit!) until the huge bump at the apex where the concrete meets tarmac and promptly sends me into a 180spin. Arse. turn her round, complete the course only 3 seconds slower than my practice, but 4 seconds behind the class leader.

2nd timed run again doing well, got through the 2nd to last corner fine, but this time a hude lockup into the hairpin, massive overshoot and missed the gate so no time scored. Double arse! Class leader has popped in a mid 78s and I'm in 5th place out of 6 with a mid 84.

So yet again with the final run just to go I'm way out of the running, just like my only previous visit to this venue. And just like last time I finally put a half decent lap together, apart from accidently upshifting to 5th instead of downshifting to 3rd on one corner. I posted a high 79 which put me 2nd in class. Just like last year, bizarre.

So damage limitation for the championship today until I find a decent set of tyres the scrutineers are happy with. I'm going to contact the MSA to get some clarification on IMO a conflict of statements in the rulebook.

Looking into it this is the latest press release from MSA, clear as mud! See page 9

http://www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/n...ws_22_0212.pdf