in a Continuing Series By Rick Pearson
Welcome to the fifth of my columns for 2001, this week I will report on the happenings on and off track so far this year. As those of you who follow my press releases will know, my main sponsors ActiveShop.com have decided to focus their efforts on Europe in 2001. I will be undertaking a limited campaign in a Clio V6 in the European Clio Trophy supported by Freeparking.co.uk, ActiveShop.com and Mintex, too all of whom I am very grateful. Sadly however, this means we are without a sponsor for our UK title assault and are not now likely to be seen on the tracks around the UK this year. Rest assured though, with my old sparring partners Jim Edwards Jnr and Matt Jackson (from the Clio Cup last year) and Phil Bennett (from the SuperCoupe Cup a few years ago) all securing great drives in the touring cars, I will be a very interested spectator trackside when commitments allow.
Whilst Phil and Jim wait for their new cars to arrive/be built, I have been out and about testing (in the company of Matt in his GR Motorsport Focus) the Clio V6 that I will campaign this year. Built around the same bodyshell, but with a mid-mounted 3 litre engine pushing out over 50% more power than the Clio 172 I ran last year, and weighing just a couple of hundred kilos more, you don't have to be Einstein to work out it's a quick car! In fact because of the weight distribution (all within a couple of feet of the center line) and the very short wheelbase, the Clio V6 is a notoriously difficult car to drive.
I quote from Jeremy Clarkson's column in the Sunday Times: "According to people who know these things, the Clio V6 has the potential to turn very good drivers into dead ones."
Help!
It was with a healthy degree of respect therefore that I took to the track at Silverstone for my first full days testing. Working my way to a time, I managed one trip into the gravel (misjudged the sensitivity of the brake bias control) and several lurid spins. It is fair to say that driving the V6 is a battle of wills; the power delivery and gearchange are both brutal as is the stiffness of the suspension. I try and exert my influence over the car in forcing it to go in the direction I choose. it tries to throw me at the nearest piece of scenery!
Having achieved a respectable time, my day ended against the barrier at Ireland bend. Victory to the Clio. So last week, we headed off to Donington for the final test before loading the car on the trailer for Monza. Since the Clio Trophy has visited the Midlands circuit before, it meant we had a target time to shoot at although it was a considerably colder day than when qualifying was held last Summer!
First blood went to the V6 when just fifteen minutes into the first session, a rear brake locked and pitched me straight into the Coppice gravel trap. Clio 1, Rick 0. After a prolonged period of scraping stones out of the car, I managed to work down to a pretty respectable time especially considering the track temperature and age and condition of the tyres I was running. Since the day was once again punctuated by a number of lurid spins which left significant flat spots on their surfaces, the tyres were only vaguely round by the point that I had the confidence to really push for a time. Clio 1, Rick 1.
Eventually though, I lost the physical battle as fatigue combined with a healthy dose of over optimism pitched me so far into the Old Hairpin gravel trap that they had to dig me out! Once again ending the day off the black stuff. Another victory to the Clio but at least this time it was close and I felt I had put up a fair fight!
By the time you read this, the Clio and I will be en-route for Monza. The key to the weekend will be Saturday's qualifying sessions where only the top thirty qualifiers are granted an entry to next months Monaco GP support race. Already I am beginning the process of getting in the right frame of mind for a complete brain-out qualifying lap if we get into the last ten minutes of the session and I am not in the top group. This time last year, I found 1.5 seconds on my very last lap of practice around the Brands GP circuit so I know it can be done. I intend to come home with a Monaco entry.
Watch this space! Have a great week all!