The Shagracing Prelude made its third outing, being driven by myself Eric and David Sykes, the venue was Brands Hatch. We were towed down in style by Johns XJ6, seeing how quickly Brad has got through Minis (Now building car No3) I gave my other son a free rein with the Lude. After a few pace laps we were set free, I’m strapped in as passenger, with David driving the 185 B.H.P.of Vtec for the first time……..

The track was still very wet but at least it had stopped raining, Dave drove near to the max that the conditions would allow, making me push my braking foot hard into the floor pan on more than one occasion, as he sat right on the arse of whatever was in front of us. Eventually I asked him to leave more room in between, his driving was smoother and probably faster than the laps I put in later on. He did get Black Flagged but when we were met back in the pits we were told it was because I was using a hand held camera (see photos). As the track dried out, Dave got better and faster. When I got my turn I had to try a bit harder…Oop,s way to fast into one of the corners, which made it impossible to get back on the racing line for the next, so taking a new line for that corner which resulted in totalling one of the apex cones. When we passed the Start line the Black Flag was shown to us again. Pushing on hard up to the hairpin, where we get flagged and a message board, as I read the board and acknowledged the Marshall, the hairpin is upon us….brakes full on sliding sideways fast into the gravel, I thought we were going to hit the barrier but that gravel stuff really works.

After being dug out we were once again met back at the pits, where we were told that only when the car was completely clear of all the gravel would we be allowed back out. We had to strip the front wheels and brakes (see photos), luckily I took new pads with us, so Dave ended up doing what he was having a day off from ! Finally the car looked free, and we got back out onto the track. Dave then proceeded to show me how it should be done, smooth, tidy, and fast.