When I last wrote this column, we were just about to head off to Budapest for the race at the Hungaroring, and I was looking forward to finding the sort of form that brought me some points at the same race last season. I am glad to report that things did indeed go to plan - even if the races since then haven't.
Hungary was a good weekend and I managed a best result across the weekend of sixth. I had a race-long battle with Duncan Tappy which went right down to the last lap, and it was good to score some very valuable points as the championship is very close in mid-table. We were expecting it to be another hot race weekend and we were right, but our car dealt with it well and I was surprised that we just missed out on getting through to Superpole. While that was frustrating as we missed the opportunity to start higher up the grid, our race pace was very good again and that showed.
Budapest was the last race before the World Series took its summer 'break', but we've more than made up for it since returning to action, with back-to-back races at the Nurburgring and Le Mans.
Although those are two of the most evocative names in world motorsport, we didn't get to sample either of their longer versions, but the racing was typically close, if a little frustrating.
It was great going back to the Nürburgring having won there in F3 in 2005, but this time I wasn’t so lucky, getting a front left puncture whilst running tenth in the first race. That has a knock-on effect on the rest of the weekend, so it was time to turn our attention to the next round. Two races back-to-back always take a toll on everyone but, after a day spent prepping the cars, the team and I drove across to Le Mans. This was my first time ever at the French track and, as it turned out, a weekend I’ll never forget.
Testing went perfectly, and I thought we were looking in good shape for qualifying. I was right, as I made it through to Superpole and then managed to qualify seventh. With the top eight being reversed for Saturday's first race, I was looking at a front row start and was very confident, as we know our old tyre pace was good from the test on Thursday.
When the race got underway, I nearly managed to take the lead from poleman Miguel Molina, but it wasn’t until after a brief safety car period that I was finally able to get through and take the lead when Molina made a small mistake. I started to pull away quite quickly, but I soon realised that I had somehow managed to pick up another puncture.
I managed to hold off Charles Pic for about five laps but, ten laps from the end, the tyre let go through the flat-out first turn. That was it. Game over. The word ‘gutted’ doesn’t even come close to describing how I felt. It’s hard to get your head around the fact that, even when the team and I did everything right, we still came away with nothing. I felt very sorry for the team as this year we’ve had our ups and downs, and I thought this was going to be it.
I managed to bring the car back to the pit-lane and the guys quickly noticed what had caused the puncture. At the restart, Molina’s mirror had fallen off and, as I was following him, it managed to cut my left front tyre. We found parts of the mirror in my sidepod, so it was cruel luck but, from a positive point of view, it’s the best we’ve looked so far this season and, with Estoril and Barcelona to come, I think I can get that win that the team and I deserve.
Of course, you can never keep a good racing driver down - and you will find it hard to keep him out of a racing car. Even though World Series racing stopped for the summer, myself and the team kept ourselves busy.
This year, we were lucky enough to be asked to demonstrate the World Series car back home in Jersey. Every year, the island has an event called the ‘Battle of the Flowers’. It’s a parade that the whole island gets involved in. Luckily for us, the main road along the seafront is closed off for two days, so we were able to open the event with a burst up and down the parade route. Then, the following day, there is a night parade. This was held at 9pm, so it was run under nothing but street lights. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the reception that the team and I received from the 30,000 spectators was brilliant.
The trip to Jersey also gave me some great opportunities to meet some potential sponsors and, at the same time, give existing backers the opportunity to get up close to the car. I was also joined by the Jersey Kart Club for a tour around the car, and they were amazed to see it 'in the flesh' for the first time. Many of the cadet karters had never seen a single-seater up close before, so it was good to be able to show them the World Series machine.
As I’ve always said, it’s very important for me to make sure I keep my links with Jersey, as Jersey Tourism and Economic Development have been a great help to me. Thanks to our visit to the island, I’m looking forward to our relationship growing even stronger.
I was also lucky enough to be asked to test the new Liverpool FC Superleague Formula car at
Donington Park during the break. It was a very last-minute thing, as I was at home in Jersey for my birthday at the time, but I couldn’t resist the chance to drive one of those cars. It was great to drive a machine with 750bhp and I have to thank Hitech and everyone involved in the Superleague programme for the chance.
Of course, now is the time where you start thinking about what you're going to do next season and, while I'm still focused on doing my best in the World Series, I have to at least begin to explore my options for 2009.
