WINTER REVIEW & 2024 PREVIEW
It`s been a fairly long winter for us this year, with last years Birkett finishing our 2023 we have had to wait about 18 weeks to get back to a track and enjoy more racing.
So whats happened in those 18 weeks, turns out quite a lot and not very much - depending on your point of view.
We started our winter with a long list of things we wanted to do and achieve before the start of the 2024 season, some things were absolutely have-to-do`s like get a new helmet and some were more in the nice-to-do column. After a handful of chats our to-do list looked like this (in no particular order)
- Get a new helmet (old one became out of date on 1st January)
- Get some new bearings fitted with longer wheel studs
- Sort out the Go-Pro`s so they are hardwired for power
- Sort out the tools and the tubs they all go into.
- Put the power steering back in per the new seasons rules
- Get a paint job
- Couple of new tyres
- Couple of new wing mirrors as spares
- Oil Change
- New in car timer
I said in no particular order but the above is pretty much what we managed to get achieved over the winter.
The paint job was a fun part....fellow Puma Cup racer Mark Jackson turned up to a round last year with an immaculately painted paddock support van and it turns out he does this for a living! After a quick chat we decided he was the man for the job so I took Woodstock all the way to Yeovil to get his shiny new coat and wow was it worth it. Woodstock looks like he`s showroom new, I can`t wait to show you all but you`ll have to wait a bit longer till all the new stickers are on but trust me, he looks amazing, thanks so much to Mark for the truly elite level job he`s done.
I enjoyed a day out at the Haynes Motor Museum wile Mark did his thing and enjoyed the cars there - including a beat up old Williams, crashed in Monaco by Pastor Maldonado (obviously) :-)
Another thanks goes to Mark Hadfield - He`s had Woodstock for a few weeks now, working on him when he can doing some of the more mechanical things that Mark and I can`t manage at my house with a little drive and a small garage. Mark has been great, he knows his Puma`s inside out and has always been accommodating and helpful. At time of writing he still has the car and has done a few extra jobs for us as well so we`ll be ready for Donington in a few days.
The last time we raced at Donington it was horrific weather and we were on the GP circuit, this time around it`s the shorter, National Circuit and I`m hoping it`ll be dry too. Donington is essentially my home race, I`ve done more laps round there than any other circuit so hope to get on the pace quickly in practice and build from there.
We have 4 entries in the PC this time, I was hoping for more but i know people have struggled to get ready in time and I also know how times are hard and how racing needs to be the first thing chopped so I get it - it`s just a shame knowing the cars are out there! The entry list has my fighting against Gareth Cotgrove again and we all know how much quicker he`s been getting round by round. Maybe this weekend will be his first win? It`ll be tough though as we also have Luke Johnson and Jamie Clare on the entry list and those two are normally the fastest of the bunch, dicing out for the win up the sharp end.
That said, I have on occasion had pace over them both so I hope this time we`ll come out on top. It`s going to be so close though, far too close to call - I could win it, I could come 4th - I have no idea.