Since my last column, I have been busy racing at Elkhart Lake and Mosport in Canada, tearing up the tarmac... well, trying at least!

I was so looking forward to Elkhart, as it is the best track in North America - in my view anyway - and I felt pretty confident that the Highcroft car would be quick there and able to challenge the mighty Penske Porsches. How wrong was I?

When we got going, it was clear that we had to dig deep to be even close to the Penskes - and the Audis were in a different league this time as their huge horsepower advantage would make them disappear from the whole field. After the first day's practice, we were 2.5 seconds off the Porches...

We banged our heads together in the engineering room to see what we could do... hmmmm. We came up with a cunning plan to find a way of closing the gap and were somewhat confident that it would work but, until the next practice session, we weren't sure. I have to say that it is funny how you can convince yourselves the direction to go that will be the killer set-up, but the proof is always in the stopwatch.

Well, the plan worked and we were much closer, with a gap of just one second. We knew it would be difficult to catch the Porsches as we still have a few issues with the chassis that slows us down but, considering these, we are doing really well. It was my turn to qualify, and how fun it is to push the car to the extreme around that place. I did the best I could and we qualified behind the two Audis and both Penskes, so 'best of the rest' if you like. This time the gap was 0.6secs and it would have been closer as I lost three tenths locking up the fronts on my quickest lap. It still wouldn't have been enough to beat the yellow cars but, still, the team did a great job getting us that close.

We were really happy with the car on full tanks and felt the race pace was going to be good. I got a good start and was right behind the Penskes going down the straight when Jon Field blew past in his P1 car and I got stuck behind him - and saw the Porsches disappear. Crap! Jon's car was so fast on the straights, but really slow in the corners, so it made it difficult to pass. A queue of cars formed behind me and I had to be careful not to leave the door open while finding a way past Jon.

Guy Smith, in the Dyson Porsche, thought he saw one of the gaps I was trying to fill and dived down the inside - and didn't make it. Of course, I got turned around and dropped to ninth.... Guy later came round and said he was sorry as he went for a gap that wasn't there, and he's a good chap for doing that. Was I mad with him? Yes and no. I know I have done the same thing in my career, I think..?

Whatever, the outcome was that we faced a fightback to come through the field but, first, it was time for a pit-stop. I got out and Stefan got in and, all of a sudden, I realised that something was wrong. The refuelling was taking a long time and we eventually lost a lap due to the fact that no fuel went into the tank. Stefan went out and then back in for more fuel, so we were now two laps down.

After that, we got our heads down and pushed as hard as we could. Bad weather hit the track and Stefan had a really long yellow due, not the amount of water on the track, but for the lightning in the area. When this happens, the marshals have to take cover - and I don't blame them!