🏎️ Silverstone International – 750MC Roadsports Championship Round 5
📍 Qualifying: P4 in Class – 1:17.955
🏁 Race Result: P3 in Class
Welcome to my race report for Round 5 of the 750MC Roadsports Championship at Silverstone International on Sunday 17th August.
This weekend was a little different, as we were racing on Sunday rather than our usual Saturday slot. That meant an early start – no overnight stay, just a 4am departure from Manningtree. Regret quickly set in when work threw everything at me in the days leading up to the race. The old firefighter myth that we sleep all night couldn’t be further from the truth! Both Thursday and Friday saw us out most of the night. On top of that, I also ride on-call when I finish my whole-time contract. I’m sure many club racers can relate—we often need to work second and even third jobs to fund our passion. After my rest period on Saturday, I booked on again at 6pm, only for us to be sent straight back out until around 1am. Thankfully, one of my colleagues kindly offered to cover for me after that, so I could finally book off and get a bit of rest.
So, the alarm went off early Sunday morning, and off I set for Silverstone.
🚗 Arrival & Atmosphere
Arriving at Silverstone was a buzz. With two events running – BRSCC on the National layout and 750MC on the International – our entrance was via the Hilton Hotel, over the bridge crossing the Hangar Straight. Parking up in the paddock and walking into the pits was special. Running out of the International pitlane gave us a taste of F1, complete with leftover Mercedes F1 team stickers on the floor. The views for spectating were also excellent, and I made the most of them between sessions.
🧠 Mindset
Before diving into the report, it probably sounds strange to say I was both disappointed and elated with qualifying P4 and finishing P3. But I think a lot of racing drivers, and probably most of my competitors, will relate to this—we’re incredibly self-critical. We’re constantly reviewing everything: the data, the onboard footage, every braking point and gear change, always looking for ways to improve. And, of course, we beat ourselves up afterwards thinking, “If only I’d done X or Y differently, the result could have been better.”
⏱️ Qualifying – P4 in Class, 25/38 Overall (1:17.955)
Car ready, we headed to assembly around 9am. Things moved quickly; instead of the usual waiting around, we were straight into the cars and on track by 9:20.
Silverstone International was new to me, but in reality, it only adds two corners compared to the layouts I’ve run before. The right-hander linking into the Hangar Straight (the Link/Becketts) was particularly fun.
Traffic was a huge issue, as expected with such a short lap. At one point I was six-tenths up at Vale, only to lose it all and finish two-tenths down after catching another car. Our pit board was showing P3 throughout, so I pushed to find space for a clean lap. Then, déjà vu from Anglesey: the same gear issue. Suddenly no gears—but a hard smash down on the lever brought them back. Unfortunately, by the time I got everything working again, the session was over.
I rolled back into the pits thinking I’d held onto P3, but on the very last tour, McKee in the BMW just edged me out. The margins were razor-thin:
- 🚘 BMW McKee/Francis – 1:17.886
- 🚗 RX8 Beardmore – 1:17.955
- 🚙 RX8 Baker – 1:18.034
So just 0.148s covered P3–P5 in class!
⚖️ A Small Confession
Another driver and I got summoned to see the Clerk of the Course. We talked about it in the lift on the way to the clerk, both suspecting the same thing—we’d taken the chequered flag twice. Sure enough, that was it. A Lotus from another class was overtaking me at Hamilton, blocking my view of the flag and he wasn’t looking at the flag to ensure he pulled in front of my safely. A slap on the wrist, no penalty, and a good reminder to keep sharper eyes on flags in the future.
📊 Self-Review
Back in the pits, I looked over the Aim data. Without the Vale traffic, my lap would have been a 1:17.323. Still only good enough for P3, but it shows the potential that was left on the table—and why we’re always so self-critical as racers.
🏎️ Race P3 in class 18/38 overall
Between sessions, we rotated the tyres. Silverstone International punishes the NSF with its many right-handers, and we were already four races into the same set of A052s. They were down to the last of their tread, yet continued to impress me with the grip they offered right at the limit.
We also addressed the gear issue. We traced it back to the shifter setup – the nylon bushes had been melting from the heat. The alternative was a brass collar, but we decided to stick with nylon: better to replace a melted bush and still have gears than risk a jammed shifter if the brass expanded. With that fitted and tyres swapped, we were set for the 14:50 start – the hottest part of the day. Lap times were around 1.5 seconds slower than qualifying.
Two formation laps, then the rolling start. Into Vale and Club I grabbed one place, up to P3 in class. But the BMW of Francis wasn’t letting go easily. Coming into Abbey I hit oil dropped by a Lotus ahead, which gave him the run and he slipped past into Village. I stuck with him down Hangar Straight, but even in the tow I was being gapped slightly. Into Stowe, the BMW out-braked himself, so I dived back through. But watching for his rejoin forced me off my normal line, which let Baker’s RX8 slide past me into Vale.
For a moment it was chaos – the BMW out-braked himself again, I was watching the mirrors, and somehow we all escaped unscathed. From there the race settled down, with Baker and I trading lap times, the gap holding steady for almost the whole stint.
When I came in for the pitstop, one of them team members ran to my window to say the NSF had split open. I’d already suspected something was wrong as the grip had tailed off, but hearing it confirmed, I knew the second stint was about bringing the car home. To the tyre’s credit, even with the split, it held on well enough to get me to the flag.
🔍 Reflection
Afterwards, the usual self-criticism kicked in. Reviewing the data, one mistake stood out – I’d cost myself time in the pits. I’d assumed the pit lane limit was 50kph, when in fact it was 60. On TSL I couldn’t work out where the time had gone until it was pointed out. A small error, but one that may well have been the difference between P2 and P3. Lesson learned: read the final instructions properly!
Still, another P3 is a fantastic result in our first season, and another double podium for the team. None of it would be possible without the crew – these results are a team effort, not just down to me in the car. Their hard work is what gets us to the grid, and this result belongs to all of us.
(To make matters worse for my tiredness I booked straight back on after arriving home at about midnight only to be sent out to a large fire in Clacton not getting home till 7am good job I love it!)
Summary
- 📍 Qualified: P4 in class
- 🏁 Finished: P3 in class, 18th overall
- 🛞 Tyres: A052s somehow held on despite being 4 rounds old and the NSF splitting open
- 🔧 Next step: Fresh set of tyres needed for Donington
Credit above image Essex Fire Rescue
Thanks Justin and family traveling up and supporting me again.
Thanks as always to.
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