The long wait for the next race after Donington finally came to an end on the wet and windy Dutch shores at Circuit Park Zandvoort. A truly historic track, perched on the Sand Dunes.
Two days of testing didn’t get off to a very good start. Off the pace in the morning and then a failed gearbox wiped out most of the remainder of the day.
My engine power also seemed to be getting worse. It’s not felt spritely since the off season testing and the hills of the Zandvoort circuit seemed to really emphasise its lack of grunt.
I knew qualification was going to be a struggle and so it proved. 8th was the absolute maximum I could get out of the car and that’s my worst quali result to date.
Unfortunately, whilst pushing to stay in contact with the lead group, I ran wide early in race 1. This put me further down the order and I spent the rest of the race trying hard to maintain positions.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t survive the long straights and slipped further and further down the order. I ended the race in 12th.
That didn’t leave me in the most positive outlook for race 2. However, Sunday dawned wet and windy. In those conditions, engine power wouldn’t be such a problem.
A relatively timid start to ensure no incidents in the early stages followed by trying to be as opportunist as possible to work through the field.
It took a while to get past a few drivers, which ultimately meant that I couldn’t get right to the front whilst the conditions were still wet.
The drying track at the end of the race meant I couldn’t catch Jack or Max, but a final lap spin by Max going for the win gifted me second.
That was some medicine for the disappointment of the opening few days of the weekend and it felt like a win for me.
Time to get the engine and gearbox sorted ahead of Castle Combe. Get back stronger and back on the pace!
