Saturday, March 28, 2009

Up coming event


Home he comes, car magazine tucked under his arm. He reads out abt a charity event abt to happen 26th April at Queensland Raceway, Willowbank, run by David Besnard. Hot laps are on offer plus car show & shines, laps etc, Craig Lowndes, Steven Johnson, Alex Davison & Craig Baird all attending. All moneys raised going to help support the victims of the North Queensland Floods and Victorian Bushfires.
We peruse, “You’ll have to give this David a ring love”, says I & see if they want the car there. This apparently fell on deaf ears as 2 days later when I inquire, ahh no he hasn’t got around to it yet!!
Insert a wee pep talk here re networking, having the car out there being seen etc etc.
The phone is picked up & dialled, he puts his case forward, a favourable response received from the other end, & whom am I speaking too asks my man, no less than the Man himself David Besnard the V8 Supercar driver. I send him off a picture of the car & within minutes get a return email

Hi Brian,
Your car looks awesome and we would love to have you at our charity event.
I will be in contact with you in the next couple of weeks.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Regards,
David Besnard

Excitement plus in our house hold

Maiden Voyage











Saturday morning, 22 February 2009 we loaded the Mustang on the trailer for her Maiden Voyage heading to Morgan Park Raceway, Warwick for the club, HCC, Triple "T" Day - Try, Train or Test
She towed like a dream, up & over the gorge, but on the way disaster #1 hits.

Ohhhh says I, Bri I think I have left my makeup at home, laugh not, I am a girl who since the day I was married at 16 has NEVER gone a day without applying my pancake makeup, yes indeedy! I had. Sensitive new age guy that I have knows this is indeed devastation, he screeches to a halt at the first chemist he sees & I return to the fold 20mins & $60 later.
The benefits of smokin’ again, he is happily standing surveying the world & his toy. All is right with the world once again

We book into our unit then head for the track to get our bearings, find a suitable area to unload the car from the trailer.
What’s this, my man is sprinting off into the undergrowth!!
ahhh someone!! Stop that run away car, a laps of the memory, ahhh that’s right, this car doesn’t have a hand brake!! Disaster # 2 is foiled, we then park the trailer in the appropriate area.

Then luckily we find out we can be scruteneered today, so armed with his cam’s license etc & baited breath, we complete scruteneering successfully. We find an area we both like to set up camp, so to speak, with a view of the track & park the car to be left overnight. We then realize just how hot it will be the next day without cover & make a dash for the nearest shops, luckily we just make closing time & purchase a you beaut Cover?? for $220, money well spent

Sunday we wake
“What time is it?” I inquire
“It’s racing time!!” he yells enthusiastically

Ahhh I don’t think soo
Its 3am!!
Thankfully we drift back to sleep

Disaster # 3 Phone call from the unit, “have you by chance left behind a little grey bag behind”!! My Man had said I will get that darling, no said I, I will bring it, yeah RIGHT

We get to the track at 7am, set up our new beaut cover next to the car, attend the driver briefing. Suit up ready & waiting. Thankfully just in the nick of time Bri remembers to mount the new in-car movie camera, centers it so we could see his hand. It’s really pretty helpful to be able to review video after an event & hear the gear changes & especially when you can see the steering action as well.
Disaster #4 foiled just in time, realization, once harnessed in!!! one cannot reach the camera to turn it on, frantic arm waving & beckoning by my man & I run to the rescue & do the deed

The car successfully passed Target scruteneering which lasts 5 race meetings, a pleasure to work on such a clean car he said! & why not says I with all the works & jerks this baby has, at last the hoist has come into its own

Ok on the track, first gear into 2nd gear a breeze, I’mmmm maybe a mistake here, as a crunching noise is heard all the way in the stands! I should have tried this before coming out, he thinks!
"can’t reach the gear lever to go into 3rd, can only use the finger tips" he says sheepishly when I enquire abt the noise, it’s not quite the same as being in the shed without the harness on!!!
Just as well this is a test day also

Lesson # 1 Men will find any excuse to handle their rod, ahhh sorry knob

He was a little nervous as he had never driven the car before other than around our dam a few times so in actual fact hadn't driven it on bitumen & didn’t know the circuit
First time out was behind the pace car, no passing this time out we were told at the drivers briefing, arh did everybody hear that! After 3 laps that went to the wall

"The car is making a strange knocking noise from the back corner so I'll need to investigate that"
Again bum up under the car, find nothing!!
Do you want a go out with me, he asks “say what!”
A strange knocking noise? & you haven't found it!
“There's absolutely no way in HELL I am going out on that track with you, I think, I would sooner jump off a boat and swim through sharp-toothed fish laden waters than get in there with you!
"So you don’t fancy me getting you a one day license then, there’s a few girls out there" he replies
"Are you out of your fucking mind?' I do say that, he just laughs

Second time out I could literally see the nerves flying out the window & the red mist start to roll on in!!! as he barrels past anyone within his eye sight. He was driving well, controlled the car well into the corners or rather the slicks stuck to the road, they had an awesome grip, stuck to the road like glue, as he moved up the field, my heart was in my mouth as he hammering into the corners,
I could see he was setting his sights on several cars, I could see him biding his time & then he barreled past them on the straight just before the chequered flag.

This was a fantastic day, we are novices, & found everyone took the time to patiently explain things.
It was a blast, we are racing & I love it, My man is living his dream & I am a part of it