Report from Hamish Roscoe

Mira is an interesting location as some will know, it is the Motor Industry Testing Ground and they have miles of roads, hills, tracks and banked circuits to test typically yet to be released cars.

This being the case, cameras are strictly forbidden to the extent they even put a security sticker on the lenses of mobile phones (- hence the image of Hamish at our Castle Combe track day - Kev). It is also not a spectators venue- unless you are part of a cars "pit crew", having said that it is a great drivers track.

It is a approx 1.06 miles in a reverse "S" with and extra top loop located on the level infield. It is quite a fast (in the right car in the right hands – not me !) technical curving track, being pretty much devoid of a true straight. But it is a very open track and quite forgiving in that there is a lot of grass run off, luckily for me!!

This event, organised by the Bentley Drivers Club, turned out to be a glorious sunny and hot day, unusual for a bank holiday weekend. We had 9 participants in our class for the club championship and a range of Triumphs including Tr3a's, Tr4, Tr6's, TR7V8, TR8, a Vitesse and a Sptitfire .

The organisers suffered from timing gremlins and the start lights were not working so we were individually set of on our runs with and old school flag. The first practice run didn't produce a time for anyone, so none of us could gauge our relative performance, typically you get a time for the first 64ft, a speed through a trap and an over all time.

On this occasion it did me a favour as some heavy footedness on the exit of the chicane saw me spin. It was an artful left right left into a 180 degree spin where I didn't even leave the track. But hey if I have to have a spin this is the place to do it safely, there is plenty of space.

Second practice again saw us off with a flag but the timing was now working, the times and speed varied as do all the cars in the class. The speed trap varied from 68.1mph to 95.8mph, so at the lunch time break we were all able to gather under the competition sections TR Register gazebo to get out of the sun and discuss times, track conditions, tyres and tyre pressures. Whilst there is a variety of cars and experience what was clear is that everyone was having great fun.

After the lunch break the serious matter of the timed runs that count took place. Everyone finished their 2 runs safely and virtually everyone improved on their time in the second run.

Steve Small in his race prepared TR7V8 was streaks ahead winning the event class 12 with Nick Smith in his road going TR6 was second with Alan Yeo in his Vitesse 3rd.

Roger McEwen our championship co-ordinator will be sending the times through a complicated computer algorithm to enable him to award the Revington TR /TR Register Sprint and Hillclimb Championship points for each of our classes.