The weekend began on Friday, with official testing. We shared the allocated 4 half hour sessions with the Roadsport boys. This was a new experience and I had expected to be looking in my mirrors a lot more through the day but the added grip that their tyres and roll-bar gives them is offset by their smaller wheels – meaning the Academy cars have a straight line advantage. So, to my surprise, I was actually able to keep up and even overtake some.

It’s hard getting everything done in 4 sessions through the day. I started with a list of things to try out – and I ended up not doing most of them! Still, it was great to get my eye back in and I found a very consistent pace which I knew I could replicate in our short 15 min sessions for qualification and the race.

My brakes were shocking all through the weekend – with a spongy pedal that really wasn’t doing anything for the first 2 inches of travel. I was also getting pad knock off due to a lose front left hub nut. Caterham nipped up the hub nut and tried their best to bleed the brakes – they were marginally better and at least I could heel-toe but they will need attention now the dust has settled as it’s not great being committed into corners not knowing what your brakes are going to feel like when you press the pedal! I’m sure I’ve got air getting into the system somewhere…

My Friday evening was rather spoiled by accidentally leaving my car keys in Dads car. He had driven off for the night and my car was locked – with ALL my stuff inside. It took my tired brain a long time to work out how the hell I was going to get my keys back again when my phone was locked in the car, with all the numbers to friends and family that could possibly point me in the right direction. Anyway, a long and stressful story later, I got back the keys and on returning to the paddock, made the decision to stay at the Thistle Hotel for the night. This wasn’t anywhere near cheap, but it was worth it.

Saturday was a non-day really as we weren’t on track till the Sunday. I just tinkered with the car, did a weight check and got the race fuel set. Oh, and I got Sunburn on my neck! Handy for wearing a HANS device I can tell you! As people started arriving in the paddock during the evening, we ended up at the bar – and then went onto the Thistle for food and Ferraris… There was a meeting of the Kent Farrari Group and the hotel carpark was a sight to behold.

A night sleeping in the tent in the paddock will now likely be my last. The revelation of sleeping in a bed and having a decent shower available is now too apparent and I was tired all through Sunday. I’ll find the money for hotels somewhere I’m sure! I’m glad I’ve done the proper club racing bit though and some of the best memories so far are paddock banter and late night drinks as the Sun goes down…

Anyway, onto the main action on Sunday. Qualification in the morning and Racing in the evening. The wait-to-action ratio isn’t great at 720/30 but somehow, that doesn’t matter! There’s always tonnes to be done – and loads of places to be. Sign-on, scruteneering, briefing, prep, assembly and finally track. That means a quick 15 mins on track actually takes hours to achieve! All the time, the tension rises and the adrenalin flows.

Qualification went OK. I never got out as much as I wanted and on my fastest lap, managed to tow Nick around for Pole! I’m sure he’ll return the favour one day! It was tricky finding clean air and I cocked up a good early opportunity that would have at least given a good banker lap. As the dust settled, 3rd was the result. Indeed – the front 4 racers were the same, with Nick Horton on pole, Henry Heaton 2nd and Dan Livingstone 4th.

So, it was all back to the paddock and reflection time. Then more reflection time. Followed by a touch of reflection over lunch. Some more time to reflect after lunch and then a final bit of reflection before jumping back in the car for the race.

I was lucky enough to have friends and family along for the weekend. A whole plethora of Aunts and Uncles, Mum, Dad, Sister and brother in law. Mates from Uni added to the pile as well. The banner that the Lapicki support crew brought along was just brilliant! No pressure then!

After a LONG and protracted start procedure where they tried to get everyone in the right positions, we eventually got lined up for the start. I got a great one. There was even a chance to try for the lead going into paddock but that would have meant 3 wide so I decided instead to opt for the more cautious approach and settled into 3rd.

Henry put pressure on Nick through the first couple of laps – whilst I was keeping a close eye on Dan behind. I knew if he got past, he would be tricky to get around. Henry’s pressure on Nick finally paid off as Nick locked up going into Druids leaving the door open for 3 of us to nip up through. A couple of corners later and I took an opportunity into clearways up the inside of Henry – it was close wheel to wheel stuff but I had the inside line and I knew that would be good enough to get the lead into Paddock.

So, lap 3 of 16. In Caterham racing, being at the front isn’t always a good idea! Could I hold on for 13 laps! Henry was right there in second for the first half of the race. We were managing to make a gap for ourselves as Dan and Nick were having their own battle. James Houston wasn’t far behind them. On about lap 6, Nick made a move up the inside of Dan Livingstone into Graham Hill. It’s a tricky, off camber left hander and on the exit, their wheels tangled. This immediately pulled the cars together even more and sent Dan out wide and into the gravel on the exit. This effectively ended Dans race, although he was able to continue, he had a bent steering arm and it took a long time to get out of the gravel.

What this did mean was that Henry and myself were now clear of the James by a good margin, so it was down to us to figure out who was going to win the thing. For the next 4 laps or so, Henry was never far out of my mirrors. The lap was roughly split in half, with myself faster round Graham Hill, Surtees and Clearways and Henry faster around Paddock Hill and Druids. Just as I’d managed to pull a reasonable gap, back markers came into play. It’s a tentative time trying to make your way through a pack of drivers involved in their own battles whilst trying to ensure that you don’t lose out in your own fight! I thankfully chose pretty well on the whole where and how to pass them, so although I did lose time in some cases, I ended up with a larger margin to 2nd once they were all negotiated.

I could tell from my race timer that I had nearly won my maiden Race victory – but I hadn’t seen a last lap board and the chequered wasn’t waving as I crossed the line. So, whilst the crowd and most of the field knew I had won the race, I was blissfully unaware! Henry also wasn’t going to back down so we merrily went on a flat out warm down lap! On crossing the line for the second time, I could see the flag waving and I just burst! Lost my voice in the space of 2 corners! Still hadn’t landed back to earth all the way back to park ferme.

I knew that Henry had got 2nd but I was over the moon when I found out James had got the final spot on the podium.  Last time out at Donington we had all been drinking well into the early hours of the morning, chatting and generally finding out why we each decided to do the Academy – so sharing the podium with those two was a real honour.

However, for me, seeing a whole heap of friends and family on the bank opposite the podium, with the huge banner that the Lapicki clan had made, cheering and shouting was the best moment! Thanks to you all for making the effort to be there and then sharing in my moment in the sun!

It’s taking a long time to come back down after the race. I still get tense and excited every time I think about it! I’ve watched it back lots of times already and I think I’ll probably manage a few more views at some point. In the paddock after the race, I was genuinely touched by the number of people who came up and congratulated me. Even some of those licking their wounds from a bad result or a bump/scrape.

It’s now 4 weeks until Rockingham. I may just have enough time to settle down before the build up all starts again!