Better. 3^rd isn’t 1^st, but it’s better than a DNF. It’s 1^st in class, but really who cares about that anyway these days? It’s overall position that matters, I’m trying to fly the class D flag and prove my point that handling beats horsepower.

Not convinced that I did a great job of it, more time to be found there for sure, but for my first time in the dry I’ll accept the flat 57 laptime, particularly with that lame duck of an engine.

The hot-start, incidentally, is not in fact fixed, lined up after the race on the track whilst Stew and Chris got their interview I shut the car off, and had to be pushed off the grid, bump-starting got me to the paddock, where the car brewed up minutes after it was switched off. Not had that before.

The race had the car pumping oil fumes into the cockpit, and a rich smell of petrol. I know I’ve not got any fuel leaks, so it’s all in the smoke pouring into the catch tank and leaking from there back inside the car. Not a great thing really, because it’s pretty toxic stuff, poisoning the pilot is a bad plan. No clue how to fix that on a class D, other than a good engine, because the air intake is behind the bonnet and you can’t add more because we have glass windows and can’t cut bodywork.

Qualifying was interesting. As usual no clear air but for one lap, saloons in the way in the corners and me with no power to pass them down the straights, it was hugely frustrating, I was literally stuck behind an S type for about 5 laps. Only that last lap, having let people through and got myself 300 clear yards was I able to give it anything like a proper lap.

In a way that probably helped me, because I didn’t know the place in the dry, so I could easily have gone skating off in my eagerness early on if I’d had the track to give it death early on. First time round Gerrards out of the pits I could have sworn someone had disconnected the steering.

Quali did prove to me that the engine was flat as a bug, needed 2^nd for the hairpin, couldn’t pass the S type down the straight, couldn’t gain on Phil Woods’ stock AJ6-engined saloon down the back straight, hopeless. Need power. Need my old engine back, that 3000rpm lug that it did so well, need that.

Tried to fit a new throttle after quali, a big-bore job that I’ve finally got my paws on, but the damned tps is the wrong thing and there are far more wires than I want to play with. No Mr. David this weekend, game over, put the original back on.

Race was predictable. 2^nd on the grid was unexpected, happy with that, not been there since Cadwell last year – other than Anglesey 2 of course, but that wasn’t a quali time that put me there. Didn't feel fast enough for that, the car just doesn't seem engaged with the tarmac.

But with Palma Ham and unMerretorious Conduct behind me I was dead meat, low diffs and class E power and weight, I’m screwed. Close the gap between me and Stew to shut the door on Chris, slot in behind Stew but Merrett is past down the outside before Gerrards, and we’re in a slow threesome with Chris as Stewert runs off – Merrett with no speed through Gerrards itself – into the essess, and Chris uses the power to slot ahead into the hairpin, I’m down to 4^th in half a lap.

Gloomy, but expected, in the dry horsepower does count here, like Brands. What's odd is that although it feels very slow to me the class E cars don't actually seem that fast in the corners, I'm pottering round Gerrards not trusting the rear end to stick at anything more than 25mph and they're actually slower, so what's going on there?

10-second penalty board comes out for Stewert, on one lap only, but I spot it and reason he must be going hell for leather now, though I can still see him. I know what it’s for, he was rolling forward out of his grid slot as the lights held us, the grid gently slopes and you need a brake on, he didn’t. My mirrors however said that half the grid was creeping with him, felt like only me sat still!

Long chase then, the top 3 drop me but Merrett hovers about 3 seconds ahead, but I eventually start to close him down as I work out the track and he starts to get that mid-race complacency. It’s half distance when I see the red fibreglass at Gerrards and then the crumpled mess of Megan. Gave it the full M1 rubberneck, lost time doing so, silly boy.

Merrett is about in range when suddenly he’s slow and it’s easy, he’s Massa-ed it with not enough petrol. Not the glorious pass I was winding up for, I went for that at the Essess but he outbraked me, there's a puff of dust because I used a little bit of kerb. OK, grass, but in my defence it was there. He didn’t make it easy but it’s not a neck-and-neck inches-to-spare move to be proud of, just tighter at the hairpin, past and gone, too easy.

A quick nip past the new old V12 to put a lap on him, the brief drama of Bob Beecham’s yellow flags, but cruise to the flag then, Palma too far off to hope to catch.

That’s that, dull race at a dull circuit, thank Christ I got through it without damage and I can now go fit a proper engine and go race at a real circuit, bring on Oulton asap.

D class were at the circuit somewhere. Not that I mean that to sound as it does, I just didn't see any of them. Didn't see much of anyone. Boring. It's a bit odd, because I clearly haven't got that car right, the rear can't be trusted, the grip isn't there, we're touring round up towards the front of the grid, but the feeling of speed has gone, it no longer feels like we're moving fast, no feeling of "bloody hell, I'm still alive" after each bend.

Tough to explain, with Angelina last year it was feeling of wide-eyed wonderment that it got hold that well in the corners and every time I slung it in and it actually stuck it was amazing, you could feel it getting hold of the tarmac, sense the grip, it just bit and it was a joy to explore the limits, and so very forgiving.

This car, much better though she is, doesn't seem have that traction, something is amiss. Probably me. The car seems to skate across the road, it's more remote, no feeling of actually grabbing hold of the road. And to be fair, I'm not a big powersliding hooligan type like Stewert, I don't take joy in enormous slip angles, I like it fast but balanced, so the scary rear has me cautious. At this moment he would be much, much faster in this car, but she's bitten me twice so far this year and I don't want more.

That said, this race has absolutely eaten my n/s/f tyre. I though Gail was going to have kittens when she spotted the lack of tread after the race. To be fair I had rather flatted that bit... but that only gets me grumbling about the lack of feel in the brakes, I'm this close to disconnecting the servo assist. I've fairly strong legs, be fine, right?...

Most played in the garage – Boston – greatest hits. Cool the Engines would seem to fit my car these days.

Injury of the Week – Helen bit me swapping the backlight, the classic tale of the stuck nut that suddenly lets go and propels your hand into the nearest and largest sharp metal bracket.

Helper of the Week – Mr Dermott of Power4Peanuts, there are engine bits coming in from everywhere.

Oh, and here's THAT crash.