Rye House
Club100 Lightweight Sprint 2022, Round 7
 |
| Photography by John Patterson @johnnyp5000 |
Getting there
National Rail service reductions from strikes continued onto race day, so I had to maximise my knowledge of London's bus and Tube network to get anywhere close to Rye House. Unfortunately, I mistimed a key interchange that would have cheapened the effort, so finished the trip by cab. Still a relatively hassle-free journey to one of the closest and easiest racetracks to get to from London.
Rye House is a small venue, yet it has the most complete facilities. Almost everyone arrives to races in cars, gets changed and stores their stuff in them, while I faff around for an appropriate changing area. But I was immediately comfortable with the facilities here. From the clubhouse to how very refreshing it is to see a supermarket from a racetrack, to the fact that the train station (when trains are provided) is literally 5 minutes away ... Rye House is the most stress-free venue I've visited thus far.
Heats
The first heat was an incredibly frustrating experience within the kart. I was struggling to acclimatise to the "blind apexes" and widening exits particular to this track, so couldn't establish a consistent racing line for myself. As a result, I was nervous to keep up with the average pace almost every lap. Only by merit of staying clean did I gain four positions. However, when you're still getting to know the track in the middle of a race, it's not enjoyable. With a best lap of 44.5, one of the slowest of the session, perhaps the test session before the Sprint would have come in useful here.
Heat 2 P12 --> P10.
A progressive trend was developing, though. By chance, I started in P12, where I finished heat 1. And something clicked. My pace belonged to the race, belonged to the position I was in and positions I was fighting to gain. I established a racing line that suited me and gained 2 positions, finishing 10th. Another clean heat. Progress. However, I felt a bit sceptical coming out of the kart - I gained +4 in heat 1, +2 in heat 2. Was this declining rate of progression invitation for something to go wrong in the next heat?
Heat 3 P13 --> P14
Exchanging positions in the midfield, I was starting to understand who I was fighting, learn their driving behaviours and evaluate how best to engage with them. I climbed from P13 to P10, making a sleek overtake into the outfield hairpin 2. Now I was right behind P9. By the lines the kart ahead was taking, they looked really unsettled by earlier squabbles.
So I sat back to determine where best to overtake - our pace was similar, but they were making errors at Stadium Bend and Complex Nouvelle. Complex doesn't lead to much an overtaking opportunity, it's too narrow and compromises the exit onto main straight if you dare try a move there. I was gaining on Stadium Bend massively, but then on apex I caught up too much to the point where I had to back out. I started using alternative lines around Stadium Bend to line one up on exit for the infield hairpin.
Instead, my race buddy, Sam Morris, was catching up to this and overtook me at the infield hairpin. No problem, they're in a higher class. Sit behind, follow through and we'll get the other guy together. A shallower exit, though, made Sam bog down. Discipline relaxed my steering onto the racing line to keep the revs up, instinct said take the wider line for the gap on their outside - which would become the inside for the next corner - and Mr. right foot went to retake position. But Sam did not see me, so drifted more towards the right to re-assert the racing line and nudged me against the tyre wall. That cost me two more positions and I ended up P14, dropping one position from the start.
Perhaps my earlier scepticism was onto something.
Race
C Final P2 --> P10.
No worries, I didn't have any expectations for the final. I felt I'd done well enough to start in the top 10. Just have fun and continue to improve your performance.
Then they said I've qualified P2! Okay, game on. Pole has courteously came over to shake hands and we exchanged good words whilst setting up the karts before the formation lap. A rolling start, we arrived on main straight: pole on the inside, me on the outside in P2.
Lights go green, foot down on the throttle. We're off. I'm edging ahead into Stadium Bend, so much so that I'm now bringing the kart slowly but surely across to deter a late-lunge from the pole-sitter. I've entered the bend, clipped the kerb to confirm my position and I'm leading into turn 1! Even better, I've now absolutely nailed the blind apex, exit of turn 1, stormed through turn 2 and generated a gap into Infield (see video at end). I've forgotten my reference point into the hairpin, so take it steady and hold onto the lead towards the outfield section. I'm now trying to settle into the lead, assert my own pace and enjoy the sprint.
However, we get to the main straight and I see my kart number on the digi-board - PENALTY. For what? Entering Lap 2, I cross the line, hand raised in confusion. Focus - Stadium Bend. I shrug off the distraction. Pace is good. You're still in the lead. And you're actually having fun now ... where's this braking point?! I've overcooked it into the infield hairpin. To avoid a spin, I've kept the kart straight and ran it wide of apex to make the corner. I drop to second. Funnily enough, the now P1 then runs wide into the next corner, the outfield hairpin. I'm back to P1. I know they're much faster than me, though. And sure enough, I'm back to P2 by lap 3.
P1 edges away, but I also have a small gap in P2 to everyone behind. So I decide to find a rhythm, get comfortable with my own pace with reassurance that this might actually be good enough to hold position. We approach the infield hairpin, I've now found the braking point I had established during the three heats. Don't know what was going on these first two laps!
Now, I'm taking corners with a finesse I did not have the appetite or attitude for at any point before the proverbial hit the fan. Fuelled with rage. At myself, at the situation, at the fact I could still see the leaders but was not within reach to do anything about it. So while I've picked off P9 on lap 6 and hustled for a few laps before finding a way into P8, I'm fixated at P2 in the distance. Reminiscing. Or extracting motivation to hunt down lap times like an animal, for I barged into the 43-second mark on lap 13 while, according to the timesheets, the best P2 and P3 did was a 44-flat.
But I could not catch up in time to recover positions. P8 at chequered flag. +2 penalty applied = P10.
Overall, I was thoroughly disappointed. A novelty, leading into turn 1 on a highly competitive racing platform. Yet without the unprecedented result that perhaps befit the pace I showed throughout the race. However, I've had a few days to recover from that whirlwind and have to say, qualifying P2 out of 20 in my first sprint and only second Club100 outing - I exceeded my own expectations. Even if I did spin myself out of contention.
For now, enjoy footage of me leading into turn 1. Perhaps I can convert this dreamland into reality next time, eh? @club100racing
Video provided by @grubby_mango_motorsport.