November 6th 2005 - Our first "wet" day.

Mallory Park in Leicestershire. A short circuit (about 1.3 miles) and our first "open pit lane" day. Earlier we were divided into "Novice", "Intermediate" or "Advanced" groups, with only one group out on the track at a time. The upside is that you are on the track with people of your ability - the down side is that you are only out for 20 minutes of each hour. Open pit lane means everybody goes out pretty much as they like (with a maximum number of drivers on the track at any one time).

It was a wet day, and the first two photographs show just how wet! Having learnt from bitter experience, we were now much better equipped to go out in the rain. We both had waterproof clothing, the car had it's little sidescreens, and we managed to "bag" a garage in the pit lane to use between sessions. Very good for keeping dry.

It was a real learning experience for both of us. Earl learnt that he doesn't like driving on wet tarmac, and I learned about driving a Caterham at high speed backwards, sideways, and in full spin mode. The track and I parted company no less than three times during the day - the first time at about 80-90 mph as we entered the main straight. And if you look at the last photo, you can see some of the grass the covered the side of the car after my second excursion.

We both decided that we need to do some training in handling a car as it goes into "slide" mode. (Also we both want to be able to do the sort of sideways driving they do a lot on "Top Gear"). So, an early move for next year is a "drifting" course with Caterham - here

See the first picture here

See the last picture here

(These are professional photos taken by a professional photographer.
They are big and can be slow to download. Worth the wait though.
All copyright www.reillystudios.co.uk)