I think it was a wet day in November 2013 when I had this crazy idea to see if it was possible to get to every qualifying round in 2014 – you could in 2013 ! So a wait then until the Autosport Show for the fixture list and a planning meeting at Mossy HQ on the following Monday !
Sometimes the fixture planning doesn’t appear to have any planning !!!!!!! (but that’s another story ) however King's Lynn on 1st March was the opening target. PJ, like me, had never raced on the shale – brother Dan had on his UK Tour in 2012, so off we go.................
Surviving the meeting was our aim and he did ............. 1 QR down. Skegness was running on the Sunday and so to the east coast we go. A good hand of points meant the season was up and running.
Birmingham and Hednesford were next up on the QR tour – A pre-planned holiday with “er indoors” meant I was absent – step up reserve driver Dan ! A WIN – yes a WIN in the consolation, his first in F2, at Birmingham was reported to us in Lanzarote as we were dining – nearly choked so had to have a few more cocktails to celebrate J ............ 3 QR’s down.
Bristol was next on a manic Easter weekend. Having been to Northampton on Good Friday afternoon and Skegness in the evening and winning a tyre, then to Cowdenbeath on Saturday, disaster hit at Mendips on the Sunday after the green flag when the engine and its oil fell out and the latter evacuated the scene. An engine change and then out for the Grand National ........ 4 QR’s down
It’s no secret that I love Scotland and having been to Cowdenbeath the previous Saturday it seemed logical to call in en route to Crimond for round 5. Once again, the gremlins came with us ! and 4 DNF’s at Cowdenbeath with engine issues, our spare engine no less ! Despite the best efforts of our Scottish Sponsor, Keith Brown, left us feeling very low. Step up Dennis Midler (F2 - 641)and team with the loan of an engine ! An early start from our Dunfermline base to Crimond (it’s a 3 hour trip !) to meet Wullie Draeger (F2 – 102) and Pete McCallum (F2 – 187) with said engine, changed it and out for practice at the most northern UK track. Some-one called Gordon beat PJ in three of the races but did let him win the Grand National ! Much to a very emotional Dad but 25 valuable QR points ......... 5 QR’s down
So then came a dilemma ............ a St Day domestic meeting (45 minutes from home) or Northampton ? The latter was always going to win with a night out in Cheltenham to celebrate the joint 60th birthday celebrations of fellow TART members, Graham & Ann Harding, the weekend was sorted, a few points gained........... 6 QR’s down
Up next was another long run from our home in Fowey, Cornwall to Mildenhall, the home of the semi’s and Arena Essex on the way home. PJ’s second run on shale and although nothing to show for it in terms of points, more experience was gained. Then, on Sunday, down the hill via the road to hell, the M25, for more points ............... 8 QR’s down
And then to Stoke, complete with “er indoors” for a lovely afternoon in the sunshine trying to guess what the commentator was saying ( another track with an awful PA system !) more shale laps, more experience ........... 9QR’s down
Then came rounds 10 and 11, another double header Cowdenbeath, for the 3rd visit of the season, and Sheffield. Occasionally work gets in the way and with me confined to barracks, Dan enlisted the help of friend and fellow TART member, Andy Maidment as navigator / mechanic for the trip to our Dunfermline “hotel”, and a massive thank you to Keith & Sharon, our hosts on many occasions !! Crashing out in the final leaves PJ a bit battered & bruised and back on the trailer. On the way now to the “Steel” city via an “open 7 days a week” cafe, recommended by a member of team Bingley, which apparently doesn’t open on Sundays !!!!!!!!!!!!! More shale, more experience ........... 11 QR’s down
Well June brings blue paint for the roof (Oh Dear ! ) It also brings 3 QR in 4 days !!
To Coventry we go for more mud and find fellow West Countryman Neil Hooper (F2 - 676)”having a go” in the steed that he has hired for the semi’s. Neil’s biggest fear, he confessed, was that he and PJ would end up in a big heap for the crashtastic section of the Unloaded Magazine to reproduce ! It didn’t happen but we can now see progress in PJ on the shale and the speed is coming ............ 12 QR’s down
A late night followed by some early morning paid work finds us at St Day, just 45 minutes from home !! A 9th in his heat from blue is our only reward but the car survives and drives onto the trailer, which sometimes is an achievement in itself ....... 13 QR’s down
Midweek meetings are always hectic to get to, leaving work at 4pm for the dash to Taunton means we missed paid practice and throttle cable issues mean we miss the final . Ah well, never mind ................. 14 QR’s down
I’ve yet to find where the gremlins hide in the van but they appeared again at Belle Vue, a lack of oil pressure after 5 laps in the heat means a return to Cornwall with only attendance points to show for a 600 mile round trip ............. 15 QR’s down
Another double header for the first weekend in July sees us at Buxton on the Saturday and Barford on the Sunday. Buxton was busy and although PJ went well, lady luck was lunching with the gremlins and not concentrating on helping us get points ! At Barford niggly problems keep me busy, the racing is fast with lots of red tops in attendance and collecting points was always going to be difficult ......... 17 QR’s down
So to round 18 at Skegness, PJ was only here 2 weeks ago for Speed Weekend having had issues with our trusty Iveco en route, the gremlins deciding to pick on that instead ! We had high hopes of some success. I’ve never quite worked out how you finish one meeting with nothing mechanically wrong and yet by the time you get to the next, 4 days later, all hell breaks loose ! No practice, thankfully, as it turns out means Heat 1 is our first appearance on track and a cue for the oil in the engine to escape! A big plume of “wacky racers” style smoke leaves PJ in the middle having achieved 1 lap. We try a quick fix for heat 2, send him out and the same happens again. Skegness done ! ......... 18 QR’s down
All 18 rounds done !!
11500 miles on the Iveco !!!
To achieve what we have done requires a huge team effort and a lot of support along the way! So MEGA thanks must go to :-
Dan Moss (F2 – 797) for driving when I couldn’t, curing some of the gremlins and all his other help with the stockcar and the van.
Keith Brown & Sharon in Scotland for their support in various guises including car repairs and hospitality at “Browns Hotel”
Andy Maidment for his support on the trip I couldn’t do
Graham & Ann Harding for the loan of the “blue rocket” when our trusty van had a bit of a stroke and so to get the boys to Skegness
Paul & Sandra Butcher for hospitality at “Michaelwood hotel”
Tart Motorsport for all their support and help as always
Mike Priddle (F2 – 14) for assistance with engines
Dennis Midler (F2-641) and his team for the engine loan, and Wullie Drager (F2 – 102) & Pete McCallum (F2- 187) for the transport of said engine....... Sorry you couldn’t catch him at Crimond Dennis !!!!
And lastly, but by no means least, PJ’s Mum and my better half, Ally, who has had to put up with nothing but where, why, when since January when we first lined up this crazy idea and many evenings and weekends on her own and when we have been around, much stress, panic and tension in getting the cars prepared and ready to go.
Why did we do it ??
Simple ...... no-one else has attended all the QR’s in one season which makes PJ the first !!!!!!!!!!
Mini Mossy’s Monster Tour continues....................................................................
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