Last weekend saw Kutuka’s 5^th race with the Classic Touring Cars, a 24-car assault on OultonPark. Slightly unusually for them, this was the full circuit, meaning we had a tiny home field advantage because we’ve never raced anything but the full track here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With funds low and Helen needing a list of development parts after Cadwell, plus Vanessa hired for the final Jaguar race of the season at OultonPark, it seemed pretty logical that I should take Vanessa out in the Pre-93 race. She fits straight into their rules, in fact we could develop her much further, but it presented an ideal place for a shakedown after the repairs from Brands Hatch earlier in the year.

 

No time or money for testing meant straight into qualifying with different brakes and 888s, neither of them something I’ve used before either on this car, or at this track, so a voyage of discovery was always expected. An eventful qualifying saw an exploding BMW create its own weather, and a few spins and offs as the limits got a healthy push. Even our loyal Vanessa decided to bite at the chicane, a neat 360 to entertain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little annoyed to be only 11^th  with a 2.03.3, but the times were heading the right way, and a look at the list ahead showed nothing but M3s and Cosworths, the mainstay of the sharp end of this grid. Once again our goal was a top ten finish, so there was some work to do in the race..

 

A thoroughly entertaining race brought Vanessa home in 8^th place, and some clear air to tailchase a pair of fast BMWs dropped the laptime to a 2.02.049, 2 seconds shaved off Bear’s best here. For a still-stock engine, bald tyres and rear pads that came in on the metal, we’re happy with that.

 

Another uncontested class win means little, but as we round out our season with this new series, we’re happy to have established the Jag as something other than an also-ran, and we can build on this in 2013. As an amusing footnote, I think we won the class championship today too, but it hardly matters.

 

And Vanessa appears to work. Over to the new hire driver.

Vanessa in her new CTCRC/BARC livery confused those who were expecting a blue one.

Striking a heroic pose, in the hope that it might double the horsepower.