Our thanks once more to Alan Patterson, as we have the pleasure of including one of his race reports. Allan drives a race car (1.8 MGB) in the 'The ACEquip Championship' and gives us his account from the drivers seat, this is round 10, and was just one of a 8 MGCC hampionship races, held at Cadwell Park on Suday 28 th September.

"Cadwell Park as its a circuit that really benefits a committed drive"

A Perfect Day

Those of you reading this article who live in the UK will no doubt have seen the new BBC advert, a song, sung in montage by many artists called The Perfect Day. Well that could just about sum up my day at Cadwell Park last Sunday, well almost!

I have been racing now more or less every year for thirteen years and whilst I have been consistently in the top six for a number of years I've only enjoyed occasional wins and a few lap records most of which came in 1989 and 1990, some time ago! However those of you who have kept faith and read this regular slot on the Internet will know that my results have been building their own momentum of late. I especially like Cadwell Park as its a circuit that really benefits a committed drive, with fourteen bends/corners three of which are "blind" the difference between a novice driver and a knowledgeable one can be easily twenty seconds over just 2.17 miles.
So how did I get on?

Well, I qualified on pole for the class, one second faster than everyone else. I went on to win the race and I broke the five year old lap record to boot!
Now that's a perfect day!

Way back at the beginning of the year you may recall at the first ACEquip race at Cadwell that I came a very close second to Graham Jones. Well I knew even then our second trip to Cadwell would be fun as I really feel I have got to grips with this fascinating circuit. After the results at the last two races I went to Cadwell full of confidence. The fastest time from our March race had been 1 min 59 seconds dead by Graham Jones so to say I was surprised when my second lap in practice was just 1 min 59.2 seconds is an understatement because I had not started trying. When on my third lap my in car timing gear should 1 min 56.8 seconds I thought it was a mistake! After a careful fourth lap showed 1 min 58.6 seconds I realised it must be a quick day and decided to press on. I had no one near me by this stage and just went for it. My best a 1 min 56.11 seconds was 0.4 seconds under the old lap record and 1.1 seconds faster than Bill Hewitt in second spot. The best of it was I felt! it had come really easily!

Now bear with me as things get a little complicated. As far as the Championship was concerned we were having two ten lap races each for half Championship points but as far as the organisers were concerned we were having one twenty lap race split into two ten lap events, with the aggregate time going to decide the trophy positions.
By doing this due to the complicated RAC rules we could have twenty laps for £125 instead of two races at ten laps each for £180. Don't ask me why but that is just the way it is.
So unfortunately I cannot describe the results of the other classes over each ten lap bit as I only have a results sheet for the amalgamated twenty laps, however here's what I do know, my bit!

As you may be aware my starts have been improving of late so I was quite pleased to be third into the first corner from pole and as I was clearly quicker than all my rivals through Charlies 1 & 2 I was able to use my momentum through there to out gun Mark Prutton into Park on the first lap. Bill Hewitt was in front but I could keep with him quite easily. After two more laps I had just decided to drop back prior to Charlies to get a run on him when the race was red flagged as Gary Warburton was stuck in the middle of the track at The Mountain. This was not before Ian Wright tried a desperate move down my outside into The Mountain the previous lap leaving a nice layer of yellow paint down the drivers side of my car and he talks about my driving! (More later!)
My restart was even better, Bill's car dropped to three cylinders and I did Mark again into Park for the lead after which I just drove away from my pursuers, quite a pleasant feeling, on the way clocking up the new lap record on lap three (1 min 56.23 seconds) of a shortened seven lap race.
There was a lot of mayhem in the first race with Peter Surtees, Graham Jones, Mark Ashworth, Richard Sapcote and David Ecob not making it to the second event. John Hewitt won the modified class and Steven Cartwright the Road Going Modified Class.
The second race was fairly quiet for the first eight laps. I was stuck in a train with Ian Wright and Bill Hewitt, lying third. I was confidently expecting Bill to have a go at Ian and decided to wait to pick up the pieces! By lap eight I was getting a little agitated but Bill duly did his duty, attempted to go on the inside of Ian at The Hairpin and slid into the tyres! Ian got the jump on me and as we crossed the start finish straight with two laps to go he was 150 yards ahead. He was clearly slower than me up Coppice and through Charlies 1 & 2 and also significantly through The Mountain and Hall Bends. So I caught him on the last lap as we approached The Mountain. I had decided that my only chance was at The Hairpin and if Ian left so much as a whisker of a chance I would go for it. Sure enough he did leave about a cars width and with my momentum from Hall Bends I went for it! Straight into the tyres as Bill had done! However Ian was stuck on my outside, so I quickly reversed and keeping Ian behind me limped down to the start/finish line. However, Mark Prutton had sneaked through for first and I was second.
Now Mark had been second in the first race so it depended on how much time we beat each other by for the Trophy. As it turned out I beat Mark by 1.5 seconds on the aggregate score.
Jon-Paul Ivey won the modified class but a storming drive in the second event saw Robert Nettleton go from the back of the grid to "win" unfortunately he was not classified in the overall score. Steve Cartwright one the second leg for overall honours in the Road Going Modified Class and third overall. Oh, yes, I was fifth overall not bad considering there were twenty four cars in the event ten either Fully Modified or Road Going Modified.

So a great day for me and I approach our last race at Oulton next weekend (11th October) full of confidence. The car is repaired from my little off, so if you can come down to see the event you will be more than welcome. One last thing, it's funny that Ian never came over to apologise for his paintwork exercise on me in event one but when I went over after my incident in event two he (and his mechanic who did not see our second incident) were happy to blame me for having a go!
Some people have very short memories!


You can E-mail your thoughts or comments to me at AllanPaterson1@Compuserve.com

Cockshoot Cup (17 Laps)
1..Jon Paul Ivey.....(1.4 Midget) 31m 02.14s @ 71.31mph
2..Ian Hodkinson.....(2.0 MGB)    31m 10.57s
3..Steve Cartwright..(2.0 MGB)
4..Mike Peters.......(1.9 MGB)

Class Winners:
Jon-Paul Ivey
Steve Cartwright
Allan Patterson

Fastest Laps:
Chris Groves (1.4 Midget) 1m 44.98s @ 74.41mph
Steve Cartwright (2.0 MGB)1m 49.84s @ 71.12mph
Allan Patterson (1.8 MGB) 1m 56.23s @ 67.21mph

More racing from Cadwell Park

More racing news
UK events page

Back to the News content

Made in England