PRO ANNUAL 2018

I t’s been a while, racing a car I mean. Although I have driven numerous cars over the past four years on various track and test days, I haven’t raced one. So, it was back to basics for me to get myself ready to do it all again. With the race weekend firmly on the calendar I started my preparation. OK, so the more frequent racers among us would perhaps swallow the excuse book and just get on with it, but this time around I was invited to race with Boss Racing in their Caterham C400 in the Classic Sports Car Club (CSCC) round at Brands Hatch Indy. I have competed in this series before and know that it not only delivers on track, but it doesn’t break the bank as it represents great value for money. The C400 however offers rapid speeds; achieving 0-60 in under three seconds and capable of sub 50-second laps around the Indy circuit, all thanks to its mighty, two-litre Cosworth engine with refined sequential gearbox. All- in-all, a bit of an animal and a brave choice for my return to the grid, but it was time to blow off the cobwebs and get some more trophies in the cabinet from a glorious comeback... what could possibly go wrong? The race weekend started a little earlier for me, on the Thursday, with a trip to Banbury, Oxfordshire. It was here that I met the team from Base Performance Simulators. A simulator company with a difference and a team that has a real passion for getting the best out of drivers at both pro and amateur level. The company is led by Darren Turner, who is known for taking the double at Le Mans as the Aston Martin works team driver. And what a team he has produced at Base, including the few that I met such as Lucy Woodbridge (marketing & sales), Nick Boaz (operations & support) and Marc Wood (technician). First impressions were high as I headed to the technical room with its multiple screens for analysing my driving. Marc Wood strapped me into the state-of-the art, in- house simulator allowing me to interact in virtual reality, which enables any driver/team to maximise both experience and potential. Being just over 6ft tall I have always struggled fitting into a single seater cockpit, but this was ok and is a seat that Daniel Ricciardo has had the pleasure of sitting in. The adjustment was easy and with a press of a button the pedals moved forward and I sat comfortably, ready to begin. As this is a fully immersive motion system, it recreates every bump making the experience as real as possible. This can make some people feel motion sickness – if anyone would be affected it would be me – but after about a lap, I didn’t even notice. So, I placed the headset on – it has a microphone so I could speak with Wood – the cockpit rose up to the 6m arched screen and I was in the pitlane ready to go. The one thing I’d say about simulators is that it wipes out any cost estimates compared to the real world of racing. Not a false sense of hope, but it means you can push yourself more than you might otherwise. Although, simulator or not, that is probably the attitude you should have, rather than worrying about a potential excess bill from Grove & Dean Motorsport Insurance! As we had an hour, we decided to get as much seat time as possible. I spent the first session getting used to the setup, car and my visual markers for braking. That quickly became normal, so we started looking at the braking as the first point and Marc Wood pointed out that I could push 15% harder at Paddock Hill Bend, 10% at Druids and 20% at Clearways. I quickly adapted and managed to improve on the pressure, and spilt seconds after each corner Wood gave me direct feedback – “good”, “bad” or “get on the power earlier”. As a reference for past coaching, one tends to look at this out of the car using the Racelogic system, but this was instant and something I found extremely useful. A few sessions in and Wood fell silent as I was getting to grips with the car. I honed in on my lap times which improved by 10ths each lap. After the last lap of the first session, Wood went through the data, suggesting that I try working on a few corners and focus on laying down a qualifying style for five laps. I tried to treat it as real as possible; head down and go for it. As the tyres don’t need warming up (just the driver) I managed to secure my fastest lap which I could see on the steering wheel. This was great to see. I know that if I’d had the simulator to myself I couldn’t have pushed as hard. I tend to have my fastest laps following rather than leading. Wood’s instruction and guidance was a huge help, informing me as I went and explaining what I was doing right or wrong within split seconds. After the coaching, I asked Marc Wood and Nick Boaz for their take on dealing with amateur drivers to professionals. “This is a product for all levels and budgets in the sport and something that has grown to be the norm in the world of motorsport,” they said, something which we all agreed on. They have also seen the technology grow and at pace too: “We’ve spent many hours and days improving the simulator for our clients and are able to take on almost any circuit and car to give the best experience possible.” ‘We started looking at the braking as the first point and Marc pointed out I could push 15% harder at Paddock Hill Bend, 10% at Druids and 20% at Clearways’ PRO ANNUAL 2018 10