Well we got there in the same spec car has previous race for the 1st time all season.. (aside from essential heat shielding mods after last races burning things issues)

Into Quali.. following rob ballards super fast (yet fragile) EVO, and am prety please that when mines got its full boost, its not dropping away much at all down the straights.. Not got the grip and handling of the EVO but was pretty pleased. We then get red flagged when the cars of Mark Wyatt & Mittzen (astra/rover 220) get embedded in armco at Tower. Looked a very heavy impact. Bad news for Mark Wyatt as he could win class B this round! Back into pit lane and reform. Takes a while to repair circuit and remove cars.

Back out for 2nd attempt, with "7 minutes of quali left told to us" ringing in my ear... Bugger 7 mins is that all?

Off we go & Terry's focus was in front for a little bit, but he pulls aside to let me by and I get my head down. The cars boost control is not good... sometimes full boost sometimes actuator pressure boost... (faulty N75 & I dont have a spare ). The handling is "excitable" to say the least... on one lap as I past another car thru Folly (fast) and found a bump on this different line which hopped the car its whole width onto the very outiside of the track... EAK!

I am running very stiff springs on rear, which works in some respects for roll control but not with combes bumps... opposite lock being req'd frequently.. Exciting and edgy... by god its 100% concentration or crash, how it feels.

Quali was my personal best time putting me 9th on grid 6th in class, just in front of Terrys focus, next to each other on the grid.. Worryingly Mr Volvo man was sat immediately behind me on the grid, and from previous rounds we know what thats like to pass (although muchos power would help this race if he got in front). No pressure then! Got to make a good start.

For the race I decided to swap the front tyres for the RE070's of the rest of the paddock combe saloon entries (well it seems almost like a control tyre these days LOL). I was running on my Yoko AD07's in quali, and actually quite like em but they dont seem as long lasting under race length... so 070's it was.

During the break from quali to race, I decided to have a look at the N75, run some cycle tests in vagcom, blow some WD40 thru it etc... click click click, it was working without any boost pressure ok, but did'nt like 2bar up its chuff it seems.

Into the race... form up onto grid, sat behind a pair of M3's (they quali'd very well this time the pair of em), Terry next to me on outside, and volvo behind me. I was under instructions to warm the tyres up off the line from Tony (my neighbour and pit crew) so green flag drops, so does clutch and gummies it is.. lol, muchos blue tyre smoke sat left when I once was when I glanced in the mirror going thru folly. Weaving about braking into quarry, squirt of throttle out of quarry, WOOSH, POP................... oh feck! blown a blummin hose off. Roll into the old part of the circuit between the tryes at the Esses.. engines a non runner.. master switch off, unbelt, jump out.. hop over barriers and time to spectate I guess.

Marshalls ask is it safe, battery off etc, "yea, its all safe, just a silly boost pipe off somewhere". I sit down the other side of the armco, and listen to the commentry confirm there's a car mising off the grid, its Bill Brockbanks Seat.. Yep, I know. My crew must have been thinking what the hell had happened.

Anyhow, listening to the commentry now, sat under a loudspeaker, I hear the race starts and immediately there's apparently a big coming together with several back of grid cars which sounds nasty. Into sight and sound, the roar of the front runner EVO of rob ballard, chased by mark harrisons EVO, and Keith Murray looked like he span or got tagged into quarry but ws running again... The Ballard evo is stunningly fast... by god it shifts. Just as theyfir eout of sight headed towards tower, red flags come out.. race stopped, toomuch debris and dead cars.

I hear the commentator say this could be good news for Bill Brockbank, "eh, thats me!" - oh yea.. if I can limp back to pits bolt the hose back on, I will be able to make the restsart from pit lane.. Woohoo.

I jump back over the barriers, pop open bonnet, see throttle body hose popped off, pull off clip unwind it by hand (mikalor type clamps), push hose back together with help of the marshall,s (many many thanks guys ) jump back into car, they close and pin my bonnet and I drive off boost as fast as I can into pits.. On arrival I shout 13mm spanner/socket for blown hose. Nige runs back to the tools, Tony jumps into action... meanwhile the debris and dead cars are being cleared & swept up. Soem frantic action under my bonnet whilst I strap myself back in and wait patiently. Hose back on, but Tony spots the bigger RE070 on front os is rubbing boost pipe so tie wraps to the rescue.. I hear whistles on reformed grid, my bonnets still in the air... Hmmm this is going to be close. Another whistle, hear revs climbe, as my bonnet gets closed and repinned... OFF goes the pack as my final clip is secured and I'me waved off up the pit exit to wait to get allowed out, get there and waved straight thru emerging behind ambulance and course car... Weird! lol

Blast past ambulance up Avon rise, and past course car into esses, and into persuit mode.. dead last start.. everything to do.

The next laps are sort of a blur to be honest as I catch and pass loads of cars in the recovery, approaching some of the guys who were near me on the grid start... Watching the lap board with my position getting lower as I pass each lap, steady progress... Engines makeing some odd "different" noises... I seemed to have gained a wooshy dump valve now.. eh?? but power still there so I aint backing out of it. (no smells of burning anything now - LOL)

I get with 5 secs of Terrys battle apparently at one point mid race, up to 12th when.......... you can probably guess.. WOOSH, POP........... another hose blows off out of Tower and I coast thru the tyres at Bobbies chicane.. resigned to spectating again, twice in one race..

Mark Harrison's OWENs EVO was in the lead, chased by Garry Prebbles Rover 220, then Terrys Focus.. (Terry who I qualified in front of!). Very well done to Terry, and I can only imagine I could have been in that company too had I not had N75, silly boost, hose popping off dramas. What might have been eh!

Finsh was Mark Harrison (EVO),Gary Prebble (Rover), Terry Thorne (Focus RS)

I get a tow back to the pits after the race ends and we pop the bonnet and look for the blown hose, it was one on a coupler just before the MAP sensor, and one of only 2 the guys did'nt have time to tighten up during the time pressured restart. The DV also had blow itself out of the intake pipe... which is well weird... not the boost side, the vent side! hence wooshy DV and gaping hole on my intake too. Oh well.. The pace is there.. and there's more mods to come which will make it faster (handling).

Returning home, I drove it to the circuit and back again... lol, daily driver (not really) but makes the other paddock racers think...

Engaging 1st/2nd gear is very stiff... been here before.. get home, pop the bonnet and yep, top of selector shaft bearing has once again sheared off. Poxy quaife dog gear set simply takes too much force with its terrible gear engagement. Std box is going in whilst this gets rebuilt again.

Well, its been a year of ups and downs, and certainly a lot of learning, both of racing, what it takes to get organised to do racing, and the continued development of the car. All year its been steadily improving and the times are now close to where they need to be. Work to be done over the winter to implement these, ready for the 2007 season. I will be doing this again next year. Comments and support I have received from everyone have been great, and when you hear people (spectators) describe your car as spectacular, it gives me a nice warm glowing feeling.. spurring me to continue to develop it further and make it class winning. (a challenge I know but a goal none the less)

Big thankyou to Custom Code/JBS for their car support during this year, Nigel (Jaycee Precision Engineers), Tony (my very good neighbour), and MrsB for being there for me always.

To all of you I thank you immensely, and could not have done this season without you.

Off for stiff milk now

take care all...

see you @ Combe next year.

Bill Brockbank-Badger5

All exciting stuff.

All the best for 2007 Badger!

Very, very entertaining..

Thanks for the commentary Bill, let's hope you inspire a Skoda owner to do the same.

Sorry to hear you had more problems again bill but better luck for next season

Good race report Bill

Hope your run of bad luck improves in the new season

Good stuff Bill

If you see Terry, give him my regards.

Good stuff Bill

If you see Terry, give him my regards.

Will do.. I think Terry will be top 3 next year based on his end of season consistency and his planned more power fort next year. Going to be fun.

This years been a big learning experience and been very inconsistent in car setup all year, trying this and that to make the package faster. Got power a plenty, and suspension mods is its key to going faster now... more power than I can use now, but nice to have none the less.

2007 and I can start with 2006 learning behind us and some serious testing over the winter break.

Looking forward to it.

Thanks folks.. and hope you have enjoyed some of the write ups.

regards

bill