HELEN FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT

HELEN Brands to Anglesey

Rear grip was not quite up to snuff in the wet, so some minor tweaking has been going off with the ride height to see if we can’t get a little more. Unlike many I like a planted rear end to enable early and confident throttle for that high exit speed, soon as you know the nose is going to make it you can mash the pedal and fire out of the corner. It’s not a technically brilliant and skilful approach, but it works.

Some minor wiring issues resolved, the car keeps gaining little toys, and now the electric windows work properly. Only took me a full bloomin’ day.

The rear hub swapped at Brands was disassembled and re-done, there was a lot of junk that fell into the bearings on site and its lifespan would have been somewhat limited otherwise. Two spare rear hubs and uprights are harvested and packed into the truck to guard against further breakages.

That’s it for Helen, she is cycled in and out fast. With only a two-week gap that’s a good thing, excellent practice for later in the year when we achieve two test days and three races in 8 days, with a need for comprehensive checks in between. Make no mistake, the Silverstone/Cadwell turnaround will be a big effort. Just unloading and reloading and repacking the cars and tools will be a serious chore, let alone any repairs that Silverstone’s high-speed strains demand.

Helen has no developments in the works at all. No parts, improvements or upgrades, nothing. We’re about to hit the halfway mark in what I have sworn will be my final season in the car, and we are still running a stock unmodified engine, gearbox, clutch and differential. That does have a degree of charm to it. It’s all in the corners, we keep saying it, but nobody’s listening.

The weight penalty for 2010 doesn’t seem to have slowed us down. With the car now handling again she was every bit as fast at Cadwell as she was before, before we fitted the new tyres. She was comfortable at Snetterton, and thrived in the rain at Brands, that extra weight if anything giving us that extra psi-on-tarmac grip.

Anglesey is going to be a real test. We said last year that the funny tarmac gives low grip for a road tyre. With more of a race tyre, we’ll be in business. The wet-weather similarity I claimed last year is unlikely to hold true with the new rubber, so young Helen is going to struggle to show her true blue colours against the modified boys.

There is one problem about Anglesey. My previous best ever run of class wins is actually very low, 3 in a row, and tends to be abruptly terminated with a DNF. With three in the bag so far this year, that means I’m due. And with the portents gathering I have become so superstitious I should probably be sectioned.

The fly in the ointment is the saloons. The top boys are going to be faster than I am. Damn.

Anglesey 2009. But don't expect to see this again, it's not really on the cards. Pray for rain.

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HELEN has an easy week.

Most-played in the garage this week - Hang Cool Teddy Bear

Injury of the week - the many lacerations incurred by the clumsy wielding of a ratchet during three rear hub removals.

Helper of the week - The Bear, it's a spanner duet to turn the two cars round.