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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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Visit www.nicksandersonracing.com for full details.
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mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk Ford Fiesta Championship Round 13 & 14 – Anglesey 25th / 26th Sept 2010 The wonderful 1.55 mile ‘Coastal ’ formation of the Anglesey circuit in North Wales hosted the penultimate rounds of the 2010 Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship. This was also the first time the ‘coastal’ circuit had been used for the Fiestas since 2007 which was the scene of the very first NSR Ford Fiesta ST race win. The team fielded two cars with regulars John Findlay and Ian Fletcher both on track and they were eagerly anticipating the weekend albeit in uncertain weather conditions. The weather held for testing and both NSR/Kemster drivers set about attacking the track. The only times for comparison purposes were from 2007 when the team made its debut with N ick putting it on pole with a 1:20.788 and John in 5th not far behind. It was clear that the series progressed from those times as both drivers were immediately beating that pole time due to the regulation changes since 2007. Ian called on his previous experience of this years ‘local’ track and immediately felt comfortable in the car. Throughout the day, the team made intricate set-up changes to the car after each session as Ian described the changing conditions and effects on the car. These set-up changes resulted in an excellent time of 1:19.9 seconds being posted in the final test session of the day. Free Practice was to be the first session of the day on the Saturday morning, so the times weren’t going to be as fast as the previous day. David Grady was in a class of his own and posted a time almost 0.75 seconds faster than anyone else. On a cold, windy track, both drivers put in respectable times with Ian and John both posting times of 1:20.500 and 1: 20.745 seconds for 9th and 10th. ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1:20.500 9th fastest ST 33 John Findlay 1:20.745 10th fastest Qualifying All classes of the Fiestas would qualify together although this would not cause many problems due to the circuit length and difference s in performance. John was into mid 1:20 seconds but as the session went on, the tyres were struggling so it was ‘one quick lap, one slow lap’ to cool the tyres. His fastest lap was 1:20.559 seconds which was only good enough for 14th although less than a tenth of a second behind 10th place. Ian felt confident for qualifying, and a Top 10 slot was his target. A rare mistake saw him run wide on the exit of the very quick Church Corner and the car was tipped into a high speed spin. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic and other than a bit of annoyance and embarrassment, no harm was done. Ian once again went in search of that ‘perfect’ lap, and got a Top 10 grid slot with 1:20.191 seconds – good enough for 9th. ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1:20.191 9th (1.470 off pole) ST 33 John Findlay 1:20.559 14th (1.838 off pole) Round 13 Ian got a good start and after three laps was up to 6th but had Mark Tilbury right on his bumper. Ian’s driving was good enough to ensure Mark stayed there as he attempted to close down former Champion, Ben Roper. Although he couldn’t catch him, Ian was pleased that the gap between the pair remained consistent and was happy to finish the race in a solid 8th place, with a best lap time of 1:20.022 seconds. John was battling with Gordon Tomkins and Mark Tilbury for 9th, 10th & 11th when he could feel his tyres going off. He decided to sit behind them and see what unfolded and sure enough, halfway around the final lap, Gordon and Mark clashed and John was right on their tail. When they clashed again John was alongside and three abreast on the run down to the Corkscrew complex. However, John couldn’t get past and had to settle for 11th with a best of 1:20.313 seconds. As two drivers were non-championship point scorers, Ian and John were both promoted up the standings with Ian classified as 6th and John classified as 9th. ST 44 Ian Fletcher 6th 1:20.022 ST 33 John Findlay 9th 1:20.313 Round 14 A frantic first couple of laps saw Ian hold his position and John squeeze past Gordon Tomkins to gain a place. Then in almost a repeat of his qualifying incident, Ian ran wide exiting Church Corner resulting in an on-track spin. In a display of excellent car control, Ian had the clutch dipped and 2nd gear engaged so as the car came to point the right way, Ian dropped the clutch, squeezed the load pedal and was racing again. Unfortunately for the rest of the team watching and the guests of NSR /Kempster Ford, Ian was racing team-mate John and that’s usually a recipe for disaster! After a rubbing of door mirrors around the Rocket Complex and some general side-by-side racing down to Corkscrew, Ian got his car in front and set about pushing on. John then (unintentionally!) played ‘rear gunner’ to Ian until Gordon Tomkins slipped past. Brian Roper was then on John’s tail and approaching Rocket, John defended a little too hard, thumping the inside kerb which prompted him to do some two wheeled stunt driving which allowed Brian past. Both cars finished in the same position as they started the race with Ian in 8th with a 1:20.170 seconds and John in 11th with 1:20.565 seconds, with both cars maintaining their 100% reliability record this season. Again, due to non-points scoring drivers, Ian was promoted to 6th and John to 8th. ST 44 Ian Fletcher 6th 1:20.170 ST 33 John Findlay 8th 1:20.565 A decent weekend for the team with the non-points scoring drivers meaning Ian and John’s points haul were better than their finishing positions would have suggested. Ian has moved up to 12th in the championship. Two Top 10 finishes and consistent lap times across the weekend has filled Ian with confidence for the final races of the season at Brands Hatch on the 16th / 17th October, a circuit Ian has some good experience on. With an overall Top 10 finish still possible, Ian will be driving hard and is really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. John has moved up to 7th with 5th well within striking distance. The final 2010 rounds will be John’s last ever races as he has decided to hang up his crash helmet to concentrate on lowering his golf handicap. To mark the occasion everyone is welcome to join John in Hailwoods bar at Brands Hatch after the last Fiesta race on Saturday 16th October.
Fletcher lifts the team with superb driver in second race Ford Fiesta Championship Round 11 & 12 – Brands Hatch 21st / 22nd Aug 2010
Fletcher joining John Findlay for this event. There were reports of wheel bearing problems from other Fiesta racers suggesting that the new surface may be causing additional stress problems. The traditional Friday test day prior to the race weekend was cancelled due to the entire circuit being booked by the Caterham Series who were also on the race programme due to their huge number of entries in various guises. Practice John arrived at the circuit not feeling 100%, a feature of his recent visits to Brands. He latched onto a group of cars including Abbot, Tomkins and Pope and all the cars appeared to very evenly matched. Ian headed out in practice and he immediately felt comfortable in the car and set about reacquainting himself with the famous Indy circuit. After a couple of laps, Ian returned to the pits to change some of the suspension settings, as he was unhappy with the balance of the car. The NSR /Kempster Ford Race Engineers quickly adjusted the set-up and Ian returned to the track. The handling of the car was vastly improved on the undulating surfaces of Brands Hatch and Ian declared himself satisfied and ready for qualifying. Jason also had to get used to the Fiesta machine quickly after his impressive series debut at Cadwell Park and was pleased to be 6th fastest in the short practice session. Fiesta ST ST 70 Jason Mills 56.543 6th ST 33 John Findlay 57.262 14th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 57.693 17th Qualifying 20 Fiesta STs took to the Brands Hatch short but technical Indy Circuit for qualifying. Ian immediately set about putting in consistent and quick lap times, each time attempting to shave vital tenths of a second from his lap times. The car was working well and the suspension changes the team had made during practice were clearly working, as Ian put in a best time of 56.889s, almost a second quicker than his morning practice time . John was on new Dunlop rubber and again latched on to a group of other cars. However he was disappointed to qualify 17th and was complaining of a lack of straight line speed – an issue for the NSR / Kempster Ford Technicians to look into. Jason was again right on the pace and improved his practice times but was also a little disappointed being on the 3rd row of the grid in 6th position. Fiesta ST ST 70 Jason Mills 56.322 6th (0,576 off pole) ST 44 Ian Fletcher 56.889 11th ST 33 John Findlay 57.271 17th Round 11 The Indy circuit is very tight and overtaking opportunities are at a premium. John made up one place on the first lap and then had a race long dice with Pellin, Scott and Daly. Whilst John improved to finish in 14th, this was his worst result of the season and did not help with pushing for a top 5 season finish. Jason made an excellent start and concentrated on getting in touch with the top three, however he was locked in a battle and by the time he grabbed 4th place, the top three had already broken away and he had to settle for a strong 4th place finish. Round 11 didn’t go as planned for Ian in ST44. From the start, Ian found himself tucked up behind Field in ST 13 and although Ian was clearly faster, Graham was driving very defensively. As they approached Surtees, Ian (in his wisdom), decided to ‘flick’ his car to the right of the ST13 machine in order to position himself for a move into the right-hander of Cearways. unfortunately, this didn’t go to plan as the combination of Ian’s ‘flick’ and cold rear tyres tipped ST44 into a massive oversteer slide through Surtees bend. Ian actually did well to hold the slide and keep the car pointing in theright direction, although the mistake had dropped him down the order to 18th place. Clearly annoyed with himself, Ian then set about attempting to gain all his places back however, over-exuberance caused him to have a bumpy ride across the gravel at Paddock Hill Bend and a move down the order into 19th position on the road. With his pride badly wounded, Ian decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and completed the remaining 3 laps in 19th place.
4th ST 70 Jason Mills 56.279 13th ST 33 John Findlay 56.968 19th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 56.936 Round 12 Jason again made a decent getaway as the red lights went out however; he dropped one position into 5th and was locked in battle for the lead, with a good result on the cards. Unfortunately, this did not go to plan as Jason was black flagged and received a drive through penalty for reportedly consistently using the curb on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend. After this very harsh drive through penalty, he emerged onto the track in 7th with no chance of closing the gap to the lead cars. John got a reasonable start but was l ucky not to lose any places as he missed 3rd gear at the top of Paddock Hill Bend. John held position and was in the middle of a train of cars. However, during mid – race, he could not keep team mate Ian behind and he finished where he had started in 13th position. Starting from 20th place on the grid after his Round 11 dramas, Ian decided he had nothing to lose in Round 12 and was just going to enjoy himself in the car and gain some valuable data for the team for when the championship returns to Brands Hatch in October. As the lights went out, Ian made an electric start, flying past Field and Papworth down the outside before tucking into the pack for the first corner. Half way down Paddock Hill Bend, Ian received a tap to the front corner as Scott catches a slide, then it’s Ian’s turn to display some car control as an out-of-control Al Daly slides into Ian’s door! Ian then set about putting in smooth, consistent laps, and began picking-off the field Papworth, Scott, then team-mate John Findlay and former champion David Abbott before crossing the line on the bumper of Cliff Pellin in 11th place, an excellent drive from the back of the grid. 7th ST 70 Jason Mills 56.362 11th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 56.935 13th ST 33 John Findlay 57.233 A tough weekend for John with his worst results of the season, losing a few points against his rivals for 5th place in the championship. He does however maintain his 100% finishing record this season a testament to the work the team puts in to the car. A mixed weekend for Ian with a bright start in practice and qualifying, a disappointing Round 11 and then a massive high in Round 12. Ian’s drive didn’t go unnoticed as he was awarded the prestigious Driver Of The Day award! Ian was clearly delighted with this and dedicated the award to the team for the excellent work on the car and the ‘pep-talks’ they gave after the first race disappointment. Ian can’t wait to get back behind the wheel for penultimate rounds at Anglesey on the 25th & 26th September. Jason took two strong results with the drive through penalty being very harsh as all competitors were using the very same exit kerb. He has however already committed to run with the NSR /Kempster Ford team at the final rounds of the 2010 season at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.
Ford Fiesta Championship Round 9 & 10 – Castle Combe 31st Jul / 1st Aug 2010 Sixth in the championship and ‘Driver of the Day’ for Findlay
On a reasonably quiet day at the circuit, John quickly matched his 2009 lap times and then got quicker and quicker every session. For the last session of the day, brand new Dunlop slick tyres were fitted with the intention of scrubbing them in for Saturday’s qualifying. These tyres however transformed the car and on his first flying lap John was a clear 0.5 seconds quicker than he had been all day. When the next lap was quicker still, John immediately backed off to keep the tyres in that zone for Saturday’s qualifying. With the job done, the team packed up and headed to Kent for the big day ahead. Practice John would miss this practice session as he was hammering down the M25 & M4 doing the two and a half hour drive to the circuit from Maidstone (obviously within the speed limits!). Although it would seem that some cars either had problems or were “sandbagging”, the timesheet from the session would show John’s times from Thursday would have put him 3rd overall. Qualifying All classes of the Fiestas would qualify and race together and so the track was very busy. John got a ‘banker’ lap in early then kept tripping up over slower cars. He found some space on the circuit on his very last lap which turned out to be his quickest and good enough for 9th out of 17 Fiesta STs. Fiesta ST Name Time Position ST 33 John Findlay 1.20.969 9th (1.704 off pole) Round 9
Fiesta ST Name Position Fastest Lap ST 33 John Findlay 6th 1.22.331 Round 10 31 Fiestas made the grid for the second race of the weekend. From 6th on the grid, John was up to 3rd when he pulled off a spectacular two car overtake at the chicane on the first lap. He had set off in pursuit of the two leaders when the safety car boards came out for Dave Abbot’s car which had hit the tyres hard. Dave was fine but a marshall could be seen flat out trackside close to Dave’s stricken car. Five laps behind the safety car were brought to an end when the red flag came out – later reports would indicate that the race was stopped due to the marshall. He was thankfully OK and had actually knocked himself out by banging his head on the car when loading it onto the recovery truck!
Given the
time which had elapsed John wondered if that was the race over however;
the cars were gridded up from the positions in which they sat behind the
safety car. At the restart, John didn’t get away well and was down to
8th however he was not content with that and battled back to finish in a
strong 5th place. Fiesta ST Name Position Fastest Lap ST 33 John Findlay 5th 1.21.561
A great points haul from John which moves him up to joint 6th in the championship. John was also awarded “Driver of the day” for his efforts in the first race of the day.Onboard footage from the red-flagged and final sections of Round 10 is available at the ‘youtube’ links below. Onboard Castle Combe 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUy6qhRLx58 Onboard Castle Combe 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAsCE3fiaGY
Ford Fiesta Championship Round 7 & 8 – Silverstone 26th / 27th June 2010 The latest rounds of the 2010 Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship were held at the Silverstone National circuit in Northamptonshire. Another good championship points haul for the weekend and a second race contact that was deemed a ‘racing incident’. However, Team Principal, Nick Sanderson reminded all the drivers that although there are no ‘team orders’, it is advisable not to crash into each other! The team also had a top quality performance from special guest Glynn Geddie in a one-off drive. The NSR / Kempster Ford team fielded three Fiesta STs for regular John Findlay, who returned to the series alongside Ian Fletcher. The third car went to guest driver and current Porsche Carrera Pro-Am Champion, Glynn Geddie, who was making a one-off appearance in between his BTCC Carrera Cup commitments in the brand new NSR / Kempster Ford Fiesta ST which was only race-ready days before the meeting. The team were without regular James Byrne whose ST 19 machine sustained too much damage at the previous rounds to be ready in time although it is hoped he will return for the next championship rounds. Practice 22 Fiesta STs took to the circuit in the practice session with David Grady using all his ex-Formula Ford knowledge to top the times. Glynn was on the pace from the beginning and was 2nd quickest. John and Ian both improved their times during the session and were 10th and 12th quickest respectively. Fiesta ST ST 70 Glynn Geddie 1.10.126 2nd ST 33 John Findlay 1.11.488 10th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1.11.954 12th Qualifying Another large turnout took to the circuit for qualifying. Once again, Glynn was right on the pace and found himself on the second row of the grid in 3rd position. Ian and John were not far off the lead car times and were neck-and-neck with Ian ahead of John for 10th place on the grid – the difference between the two being 0.007 over the lap! Fiesta ST ST 70 Glynn Geddie 1.10.265 3rd (0.550 off pole) ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1.11.460 10th (1.745 off pole) ST 33 John Findlay 1.11.467 11th (1.752 off pole) Round 7 The team tried to keep hydrated in the baking-hot conditions and were lucky to be based in the Silverstone Pit Garage at the end of the pit-lane – the exact same garage that a certain Ferrari F1 team would be using in two weeks time! Glynn briefly led the race at the start before a push dropped him down the order. Further contact resulted in him dragging his front bumper which gladly flew off rather than resulting in a black mechanical flag. Glynn recovered and brought the new car home in a very respectable 4th place. Ian worked his way up to 7th before putting a wheel on the grass when under pressure from Abbott. This resulted in a quick spin and dropped him well down the order but he recovered to finish 12th. John had some great dices with four times Scottish XR2 Champion, Alan Keith and the recovering Mark Tilbury and took a top ten finish, only three seconds behind 6th place. Fiesta ST ST 70 Glynn Geddie 4th ST 33 John Findlay 10th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 12th Round 8 Glynn again started well and led the race but couldn’t hold off race winner David Grady who is looking like a strong contender for the title. Glynn had to settle for a comfortable 2nd place, even running without a front bumper after the Round 7 incident which hindered his speed on the straights. John and Ian were racing hard and after dices with other competitors, had a great battle between themselves. Both drivers made some superb passes until a combination of moves at the Brooklands complex resulted in unintentional contact between the NSR / Kempster Ford machines, with John making a forceful pass on Ian (see onboard footage – ‘youtube’ link at bottom of report). John & Ian however continued to battle until the chequered flag and finished 10th and 11th respectively. Fiesta ST ST 70 Glynn Geddie 2nd ST 33 John Findlay 10th ST44 Ian Fletcher 11th
Ford Fiesta Championship Round 5 & 6 – Cadwell Park 5th / 6th June 2010 The 2010 Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship moved on to the next rounds at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire, where the NSR / Kempster Ford team were fielding three Fiesta STs with regulars James Byrne and Ian Fletcher being joined by guest driver, Jason Mills.Jason has experience in GTs and the Mini Cooper S championship and joined the team to try the Fiesta ST with a view to joining the championship in 2011. Practice 21 Fiesta STs took to the circuit in the morning practice session with Jeremy Gumbley quickly stamping his authority at the top of the times. Jason Mills put in quick times as the session wore on and was pleased to be 3rd fastest. James Byrne quickly learnt the circuit and was up to 8th quickest whilst Ian Fletcher, who was getting steadily faster, clipped the kerb at Hall Bends and speared into the tyre wall, resulting in damage to the front of Fiesta ST 44 and a trip in the ambulance for precautionary checks (fortunately Ian was OK). Fiesta ST ST 22 Jason Mills 1.44.012 3rd ST 19 James Byrne 1.46.318 8th ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1.56.342 21st Qualifying The NSR / Kempster Ford technicians (with the help of other Fiesta teams – thanks guys) worked hard to get Ian’s ST straight for qualifying and succeeded in having it patched together in time. Once again, Jason was quick and put ST 22 on the second row of the grid. James and Ian both put in good times and were neck-and-neck with James securing 11th place and Ian in 12th on the grid. Fiesta ST ST 22 Jason Mills 1.44.051 3rd (1.175 off pole) ST 19 James Byrne 1.46.242 11th (3.366 off pole) ST 44 Ian Fletcher 1.46.598 12th (3.722 off pole) Round 5 Round 5 of the championship began in wet conditions with all the cars on the Dunlop Wet tyres. Jason got a good start and held 3rd place but the race was red flagged after 8 minutes with James Byrne in our ST 19 having an ‘off’ at Park Corner, rolling his ST at speed. Ian was battling hard with Nick Pope at the time before the cars were reformed on the grid. At the re-start, Jason slipped down to 4th behind Mark Tilbury but after pressure, made a move stick and was back up to 3rd – a position he held until the chequered flag in his debut race. Ian fought hard and finished in 8th place, right on the tailgate of the Pope machine. Fiesta ST ST 22 Jason Mills 3rd 1.50.977 ST 44 Ian Fletcher 8th 1.52.463 ST 19 James Byrne DNF - Round 6 The race began in difficult conditions where the drivers had to make a decision as to whether to use the Dunlop Slick or Wet tyres. Jason opted for the wet tyres and after challenging at the front for most of the race, the drying track worked against him with Terence Clark driving by into 3rd place. Jason held his 4th position albeit some way off the front three and secured another great result. Ian had an eventful race with some good dicing with Stewart Scott, Nick Bowers and Gordon Tomkins, sustaining some bodywork damage but this did not dampen his determination and he came home in 10th position. James’s ST 19 machine sustained too much damage in the roll to start the race and will most likely miss the Silverstone rounds while major repairs are made. Fiesta ST ST 22 Jason Mills 4th 1.47.927 ST 44 Ian Fletcher 10th 1.51.882 ST 19 James Byrne DNS - An eventful weekend with guest driver Jason Mills making an impact in the championship with two very strong drives. Jason is considering his options but has already confirmed a drive at Brands Hatch later in the season. Ian continues to learn his race craft and is adapting to the new circuits quickly and racking up championship points in the process. James will be back out later in the season after major repairs and series regular John Findlay will return to the series at the next championship rounds at Silverstone on 26th / 27th June, after missing the Cadwell rounds due to work commitments.
Ford Fiesta Championship – Rounds 3 & 4 Snetterton – 24th / 25th April 2010 Ford Fiesta ST 19 Ford Fiesta ST 33 Ford Fiesta ST 44
John and Ian opted to test on the Friday as John was keen to ‘shave off’ further tenths off his Snetterton lap times and Ian had not visited the 1.952 mile Norfolk circuit before so he was keen to get as much track time as possible. Testing The Snetterton owners have resurfaced much of the track with new tarmac from the entrance to Riches all the way to Sear Corner and from before Corum down to the Chicane. Additionally, the circuit is enforcing the edge of the circuit on the exit from Sear Corner with bright red and white lines. Drivers were given a “warning” on the day that penalties may be exercised during qualification / races should the confines of the circuit be abused. Surprisingly, or perhaps as a result of the new race format, there were only a handful of Fiesta STs testing, with John vying with Nick Pope all day to be the quickest. His decision to test proved to be a good one as a problem with the car was fixed during the test day (rather than it happening on race day which would have resulted in a DNF). Ian tested in the afternoon in the newly liveried Mountune Performance Fiesta ST 44 and quickly got on the pace. He was faster than other Fiesta STs who had raced this circuit before and had also been testing in the morning. Ian got quicker and quicker as the day progressed and from the pit wall, the team could see him leaving his b raking later and later for the very fast Riches Corner. Testing Best Times John Findlay – 1.24.9 seconds Ian Fletcher – 1.26.5 seconds Official Practice All Fiesta classes went out on track together and with the Fiesta ST model up to ten seconds a lap faster than some of the Zetec machines, clear space was going to be hard to find. John was immediately on the pace and put in a series of 1.24 seconds laps, the quickest of which proved good enough for 4th place overall, 0.002 seconds behind 3rd which was very encouraging for qualifying. Ian was happy with the way testing had gone and was confident of bettering his times on a warm and sunny Saturday morning. Ian used the first few laps to warm-up the tyres and brakes then started pushing. After passing various Zetecs and SIs on Lap 4, Ian carried too much speed into the first part of the Esses complex and spun the car under braking for the 2nd gear right hander. No harm or damage was done and Ian put that one down to experience! He once again set about trying to find vital tenths of seconds until he noticed plumes of smoke coming from the Fiesta ST 44 machine as he exited the Russells chicane. Ian backed off but the problem seemed to clear and so he set about attacking the track again, until he got to Russells chicane when the problem re-emerged. This didn’t look good and there was now a smell of oil in the cabin. Ian saw the team on the pit wall gesturing for him to come in to the pits and he coasted back for the inquests to begin. After the success of the opening rounds at Lydden Hill, James felt quietly confident that he would be able to put in some good lap times, but was unhappy to find he was nowhere near the pace although he knew where he needed to improve his times for qualifying. Practice best times John Findlay – 124.643 seconds (4th Fiesta ST) James Byrne – 127.402 seconds (17th Fiesta ST) Ian Fletcher – 127.728 seconds (18th Fiesta ST) Qualifying The largest ever field of Fiesta STs took to the circuit with a total of 23 entered for the meeting. John headed out for the 20 minute session mid-pack but unconcerned about not getting a clear track as he felt he would be able to manage his position on track to his advantage. After 3 laps getting tyres and brakes up to temperature, John was in space and started attacking. His in-car lap timer was not operating correctly (probably due to a secondary timing beacon) however John was getting pit signals from the team to tell him his current position. He was struggling with understeer which was particularly bad at Sears corner but his pit signals spurred him on and on Lap 11 he put in his quickest lap which, whilst slower than his free practice time, was good enough for 6th on the grid. Ian was optimistic about qualifying with the oil-leak problem fixed and soon found himself with a clear track. Ian set about trying to better his practice times and put all the theory of perfect braking points and smooth gear changes into practice. The session seemed to pass incredibly quickly and the chequered flag came out as Ian felt he was really getting the car into a good groove. This was evidenced by his fastest lap being on his final lap, a 1.26:372 seconds lap, good enough for 14th. James was one of the last to go out in qualifying and felt that having space around him would help him experiment and hopefully go faster. James did improve his lap time a little but was disappointed to be in 19th position. Qualifying Result John Findlay – 125.247 – Position 6th (1.630 off pole position) Ian Fletcher – 126.372 – Position 14th (2.755 off pole position) James Byrne – 127.043 – Position 19th (3.426 off pole position) Round 3 After the glorious sunshine on Friday and Saturday, the drivers were greeted with dark skies and heavy rain on the Sunday morning. As the day wore on, the weather became more changeable with dry spells interspersed with heavy and light showers. While favourable for the marathon runners in London (!), this made the teams unsure of technical set-up having tested in the dry. Just before the drivers were called to the assembly area, a heavy shower made up the teams minds to run with a full wet setup but with no further rainfall, the drivers were unsure if they had made the right call. After two green flag laps, John got a cracking start, blasting pack Nick Pope and Terry Clarke into 4th place. He went into the first corner a bit hot and the back end stepped out however, he planted his right foot down and held it all the way round Riches Corner. Still 4th on Lap 2, close behind Mark Tilbury, who ran wide at the exit to the Bombhole, John nearly managed to sneak up the inside but Mark defended well holding John in 4th place. On Lap 4, Terry Clarke pressured John and got a better run out of Sears, driving past John on the long Revett Straight. With Dave Abbott close behind, John tucked in behind Terry who began to pull away as John had to defend from Dave. John carved out some space and concentrated on maintaining the gap back to Dave, bringing the car home in an excellent 5th position. Ian was unsure of how the car was going to react to the wet set-up but spent the two green flag laps trying to put as much heat into the tyres and brakes as he could. As the lights went out for the start of the race, Ian made easily his best start in a Fiesta and blasted past two cars off the line and moved to the inside of the track for the first corner to defend the places. Ian settled in behind Stewart Scott who was really driving on the limit, in fact, at any point even mildly resembling a bend Stewart had his car sideways! Stewart got loose at Corum with Ian having to lift to avoid contact and his car performed a series of pirouettes across the grass to the exit of the Russells chicane! Fortunately, Ian had the presence of mind to select 2nd gear and when the car came to a stop, pointing in the right direction, Ian planted his foot and set off in search of the lost places he’d given away due to the spin. Once past Graham Field and Stewart Scott, Ian was in 9th and on the tail of Nick Pope and Gordon Tomkins. Both Nick and Gordon were driving very well and all three drivers were equal in the tricky conditions. Before Ian knew it, the chequered flag was out, and Ian was very happy with his mornings work – a solid drive from 14th to 9th position. James like Ian was unsure of what to expect from the car and the wet set up. He got a reasonable start but lost a place into the first corner. He felt the car was a little loose on the rear but was really enjoying the lively Fiesta’s handling. James got an opportunity to get past Simpson on the entry to the Esses complex but was squeezed onto the grass although he attempted to make the place with a better exit from Russell, only to brake too late into the next corner and spin off. James rejoined and finished 21st and was content in knowing that his fastest time was better than 11th position. Round 3 Result John Findlay – Position 5th – Fastest Lap 132.155 Ian Fletcher – Position 9th – Fastest Lap 1.32.547 James Byrne – Position 21st – Fastest Lap 133.172 Round 4 The weather had cleared for Round 4 and as the lights went out, John didn’t make as good a start this time and was down to 7th by the end of Lap 1. Things went from bad to worse as the gearbox issue he had been suffering all weekend meant three more places were lost on Lap 2, and then a further two places on Lap 3. Down in 12th, John wasn’t happy to settle for nursing the car home and set about grabbing places back. A late brake at Riches got 11th place and then Steve Papworth was hunted down and after being held up for 3 laps, he was also dispatched on Lap 7. The chase was now on for John to catch Ian who was battling with Gordon Tomkins. Ian’s start wasn’t as good as the previous race either but he was still making progress as they entered Riches and he tucked in behind team mate, John Findlay. John was pressuring Gordon Tomkins and this three way battle raged until Lap 3 when Gordon lunged at John at the chicane. Gordon straight-lined it and was all out of shape on the exit. This move seemed to baulk John as he missed a gear exiting the chicane, allowing Ian to drive past both of them along the Senna Straight. A new tussle now began with Ian and Gordon as they traded 8th position lap after lap, culminating in a thrilling 120mph mirror-to-mirror battle of wills down the Revett Straight. Ian made a perfect late -brake and smooth downshift manoeuvre into the Esses complex but Gordon once again was over ambitious with his braking and cut the right-hander in front of Ian. This caused a little contact and Gordon was unsettled through the Bombhole, resulting in a spin on the exit. Ian now had to concentrate on driving the remaining two laps as quickly and as smoothly as possible to keep John at bay. Ian was determined to hold on to 8th position, which he duly did, also improving his lap time and bettering his starting position. James was improving all the time having started in a lowly 21st position and was slowly picking his way through the field. On the last lap, James was all over Simpson but couldn’t get through so took the chequered flag in 14th place. Round 4 Result Ian Fletcher – Position 8th – Fastest Lap 1.25.316 John Findlay – Position 9th – Fastest Lap 125.037 James Byrne – Position 14th – Fastest Lap 126.036 Another solid weekend for John with two more top ten finishes and showing the pace required to run right at the front. Perhaps the result in the 2nd race could have been better, but John left the circuit reasonably well satisfied with his weekend’s efforts. The troublesome gearbox in Fiesta ST 33 will be replaced prior to the next championship rounds. Ian was very pleased with his weekends racing and is now raring to go for the rest of the season’s rounds. James paid the price for a lack of testing however; he will take the lesson forward for the next rounds at Cadwell Park on 5th / 6th June. Although the team has excellent backing from Kempster Ford, Orion Engineering, Mountune Performance and Burrow Humphreys, we still require further sponsors – we have marketing opportunities to suit all businesses / individuals – please contact via the website if you can help. The new technical partnership with Mountune Performance gained major interest with various media personnel, including representatives from the ‘Motorsport News’ publication. The next new NSR / Kempster Ford Fiesta ST race car is also progressing well and is now back at Kempster Ford after having its roll cage fitted at Custom Cages.
Ford Fiesta Championship – Rounds 1 & 2 Lydden Hill – 27th / 28th March 2010
With NSR Director, Nick Sanderson, now working in Vietnam and unable to race in the series in 2010, the team was represented by regular John Findlay and Fiesta ST debutant James Byrne who was hiring one of the NSR / Kempster Ford cars. Ian Fletcher was unable to make this meeting due to work commitments but will make his 2010 debut at the Snetterton rounds. In an effort to curtail costs, the weekend format would be 20 minutes ‘free practice’ on Saturday morning, qualifying on Saturday afternoon with two races on the Sunday. This is a format which John has long campaigned for as it reduces time off work, and ‘should’ mean competitors may think twice about that kamikaze move in race one as there is less time to repair cars between races. John had only raced at the tight 1.0 mile Lydden Hill circuit before, missing the 2008 rounds due to a health issue and the 2009 rounds due to work commitments. James had raced before in the older Fiesta Si model but arrived with zero track time in the new Fiesta ST. Free Practice John chose to go out on 2009 Dunlop rubber and mid-pack to initially latch on to an experienced Lydden Hill racer. He found himself tailing Gordon Tomkins and was comfortably faster than Gordon as John could fall back one lap and catch Gordon up by the end of the next James went out just ahead of John but chose to drop back to get some space so he could get used to the car with it being his first ever drive in a Fiesta ST. Free practice was interrupted as some quick track repairs were required but when the session re-opened, John went back out, keen to get as much track time as possible. Although of no relevance to qualifying or grid positions, John was unpleasantly surprised to see that he had only set the 13th fastest time. James, on the other hand was delighted to be 5th in his first ever outing in the car and only 0.290 seconds off the fastest time. Free Practice times
Qualifying Rain started as the cars were lined up waiting to qualify and you could sense everyone getting nervous with shades of more than one race weekend from 2009 running through people’s mind. With no cars out on track, the Fiesta STs seemed to be held in ‘parc ferme’ for some time as the light rain continued. Drivers could be seen nervously looking to the heavens then to the tarmac and back again. The rain was light, not enough to consider a change to wet tres but as the seconds wore on the track could be seen to be getting damp. When the cars were finally released, it was still raining slightly and John realised that a time might have to be set early in the session as if the rain continued the track would become slower and slower. Unfortunately for John, he got caught behind Terry Upton for a few laps however, John’s luck held and as the rain stopped he got past Terry and was able to put in a few clear laps. With new rubber on for the qualifying session, John could feel the extra grip and he put in a series of low-to-mid 49 seconds laps until he could feel the tyres starting to go off. John then decided to cut the qualifying session short as with a lack of grip, there was no chance of improving his time. On return to the team garage smoke could be seen coming from John’s front brakes, something which would be a feature for the rest of the weekend. With the benefit of new tyres, John had improved his free practice time by almost 0.8 seconds but was disappointed to find this was only good enough for 10th on the grid. James had learnt in the ‘free practice’ how to expect the car to respond and after being stuck in traffic for the first half of the session, he backed off, found some space and posted the same time as the morning, albeit with a heavier car. James best time was a 49.290 seconds lap which was good enough for 9th place on the grid. Although a strong qualifying performance in his first ever drive, James was looking to find areas to improve on his lap times. Qualifying Result
Round 1 The opening round of the 2010 season would begin just after 2pm on Sunday. Uncertain weather would not affect the race which would be held in dry conditions. After a long hold, waiting for the red lights to go off, John got a cracker of a start and was up to 7th by halfway around Pilgrim’s bend. Somehow John seemed to lose traction and although not sure how, he found cars streaming past him on the run down to the Devil’s Elbow. Stone last going into this left hander he made up a place through the corner and another on the run up hairy hill to the tight hairpin. John’s misfortune (later thought to be a slipping clutch) turned to his advantage as he missed the carnage which had unfolded at the hairpin, resulting in a completely blocked track. John was able to take to the grass in avoidance and emerged back in 7th although nearly 8 seconds behind the leader. James was a little conservative with his start, making sure he kept out of trouble into the tight first corner. Nick Pope threatened on James tailgate and eventually passed him for 9th position. John was at the head of a four car train and held that position until lap 5 when a missed gear let Stewart Scott past. Closely followed by Nick Pope and James, John fought to keep them behind until Lap 11 when Nick Pope went for a gap which really wasn’t there at the hairpin, end result being John down a place and facing a repair bill for a new driver’s door. Nick’s manoeuvre had also knocked the tracking out on John’s car and he was finding it increasingly difficult to get the car to turn in and as a result of this and either a missed gear or a slipping clutch, James got past on Lap 19. John then made sure he brought the car home to finish the race. Having got past John, James was on a mission as he worked on his technique in the new car and picked off Nick Pope on the next lap and was closing fast on Dave Abbot when the chequered flag was waved. After the race, the cars of David Nye and David Abbott were both disqualified for technical infringements which promoted James up to 6th place and John up to 8th position. Round 1 Result
Round 2 The cars formed up on the grid for Round 2 as the last event on the Lydden Hill weekend race programme. Another long hold on the red lights, but John judged it well and blasted past James who lit his tyres up, resulting in a slow start. James’s slow start meant another car went to the inside but had nowhere to go, hit the car to James’s right, which pitched him sideways i nto James spinning him around. After a backwards exit into the rally cross track, he caught the front wing on the tyre wall and stalled the engine. James struggled to get the engine re-started and was 30 seconds behind everyone when rejoining. John was up to 5th by the end of Lap 1 and although Nick Pope got past (cleanly this time and perhaps as a result of the clutch problem John was suffering), John was well on the pace. Stewart Scott was close on John’s bumper from the end of Lap 2 and try as he might, he could not get past John who’s resolute but fair defending kept Stewart at bay lap after lap. Stewart would try every trick in the book but John held firm and whilst admitting to be delighted to see the last lap board go up, John took the chequered flag after 21 hard laps of racing, just over 0.3 seconds ahead of Stewart. 19 laps of close, hard racing had resulted in no contact whatsoever, a testament to both John and Stewart’s abilities, trust in each other and their fair yet committed attitude. John’s impressive drive in Round 2 resulted in him being awarded the ‘Driver of the Day’, an award he proudly picked up in the post race award ceremony. Round 2 Result
An encouraging start from John with two solid finishes at a track where he has limited experience. James performed very well in his first outing in the car and showed that he has the pace to be a front runner with more time in the car. The team eagerly awaits Ian Fletcher’s seasonal debut. The NSR / Kempster Ford team should have an announcement to make shortly on a brand new major team sponsor – the contracts are currently being finalised but should be in place for the next rounds at Snetterton on 24th/25th April. Although the team has excellent backing from Kempster Ford, Orion Engineering and Burrow Humphreys, we still require further sponsors – we have marketing opportunities to suit all businesses / individuals – please contact via the website if you can help. Championship Standings after Round 2 – Class C
Visit www.nicksandersonracing.com for full details.
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The
newly re-surfaced Brands Hatch Indy circuit hosted Rounds 11 & 12 of the
championship. The team fielded a three car team, with Jason Mills (who
secured a last minute hire deal) and Ian
The
1.85 mile Wiltshire Castle Combe circuit hosted the next rounds of the
Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship in a very important
weekend for the team as NSR founder and Director Nick Sanderson was back
in the UK to get married! The team only fielded John Findlay’s car as
James Byrne was in Spa, Belgium with the Formula 3 team he now works
with and Ian Fletcher was also missing due to work commitments. Castle
Combe’s official testing days are Thursdays which would normally prove
problematical however this allowed John to test, attend Nick’s wedding
in Kent on the Friday then dash back to Wiltshire for Saturday lunchtime
qualifying. 
35
Fiestas started but only 28 would finish as the race was littered with
incidents, damage, one car rolling and two safety car periods! John
emerged unscathed and finished in 6th position. During the race John
pulled off what was described by many as “the move of the weekend”, a
late, late brake and a dive down the inside of the very fast final
corner, not traditionally a place considered an overtaking opportunity
in single make racing.
The
2010 Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship moved on to the
next rounds at Snetterton, Norfolk where the NSR / Kempster Ford team
were greeted with glorious sunshine. Team regular John Findlay was
joined by Kempster Ford Director Ian Fletcher, who was making his
seasonal debut and new team mate James Byrne who has recently committed
to the series.
The
Competition Car Insurance Ford Fiesta Championship ushered in the 2010
season at Lydden Hill, Kent in a weekend of changeable weather, which
for once did not affect the racing. A new season, a new format and a new
look team!