Successful shakedown at Bedford autodrome

Despite the zero temperatures, snow and rain, it was a successful second shakedown of the 968 race car at Bedford autodrome.

On Friday evening I loaded up the 968 onto the trainer and brought it home, only to find that 35ft of Range Rover and trailer don't fit on to my driveaway so I nervously parked on a nearby street. Thankfully it was still there in the morning.

The drive over to Bedford autodrome took a bit longer as I wasn't happy with the balance of the trailer. I think I need to get more weight of the car further forward on the trailer. Will work on that next time.

Once at Bedford I unloaded, passed the mandatory noise test and went to the safety briefing. And then it started snowing!

The morning sessions was a bit miserable. It was freezing cold and it rained and snowed all morning. I put in around 20 nervous laps, which is the longest I have ever driven the car after sorting out the over-heating issues. The track was incredibly slippery with most of the cars getting into a spin at some point.

After lunch the track started to develop a dry line and my confidence with the 968 started to build and I did a further 20-odd laps and felt a lot better. So what did I learn;

• The driving position is excellent, sat low down in the car, with a 6-point harness holding me tight in the bucket seat
• Despite being on standard road suspension the handling was excellent, allowing me to power-slide round many corners without loosing control. The backend is a bit light, but that can be tweaked with suspension upgrades
• Performance was good and I managed to reach 130 mph on the long straight. The best performance from the VarioCam engine is between 3,000 and 6,500 rpm 
• Need to work on the electrics, as the heater controls and windows have all packed-up
• Getting in and out still isn't easy, but amusing for others to watch

So overall it was a very successful day.  Next job is suspension and paint scheme to stop the sniggering in the pits!