Refreshingly different from corporate PR - David Cottrell collaborator on a number of whacky Racecar projects tells us how he got on in the Formula Vee finale at Snetterton - in his own words below:

What a weekend.....

With the gear box re built and times coming down each race this season there was no reason to expect anything but a good end to the season at the final meeting at Snetterton. However this is motorsport and whatever level you compete at ‘things’ happen. Saturday morning was cold and damp and to make matters worse a lot of oil had been dropped on the track in the session before. After battling with re-occurring gear box trouble and spinning off more times in 15 minutes than all season the end result was qualifying at the back of the grid. Putting the car back on the trailer and going home early became a definite possibility. After giving myself a good talking to for overdriving in poor conditions the car was prepped for the qualifying race and a few adjustments made to gear linkage. The result, started 29th out for 32 and finished 18th which was good enough for a comfortable entry into the final. What made the result more special was finishing in front of Dietlef, a driver with whom I have been battling all season, and has managed to beat me every time until now. It took 3 laps to close in on Dietlef who was in a fight of his own with another car and ended up with the three of us abreast going into the Esses at the end of Revett straight. Having the inside line (of the three) under the bridge ensured that two additional places were made up.So to the final, lined up along-side Dietlef on the gird was motivation enough to make a strong start. Unfortunately a bit too much motivation and too much wheel spin did nothing for the dash for the first corner. Conveniently a couple of cars tangled in front of me latter in the first lap which resulted in a red flag and the race being re-started. How I got thought the tangle of the accident I don’t know, just managed to find room somehow as it was happening! The re-start was much better, helped no doubt by the empty gird immediately in front due to the retirement of the cars that cause the red flag. The good start and consistent pace resulted in finishing 20th in the final from a grid position of 27th. A finish well in front of Dietlef for the second time that day and a fastest lap 3s quicker than the visit to the track earlier this year. So progress all around and can’t wait for next season to start….

Regards

David Cottrellwww.djcracing.com