 |
 |
 |
2010 Season
I am hoping to be racing once again in selected FF2000, S2000 races and perhaps a Formula Junior and some Historic races in Europe.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Oct/Nov 2009
The Walter Hayes, again was offered a drive in an RP27 FF2000. A very wet and blustery day and the possibility of the race being cancelled. Eventually qualified very well in the all comers race 4th overall. In the race got a great start going to 2nd place. The track drying out all the time giving the F5000 and F3's the conditions to use their power. They disappeared into the distance but I still had a good race to finish 6th. good finish to the season.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
September 2009
The Goodwood Revival, a meeting that I have been itching to do for a number of years. I got a call to see if I wanted to take part. I jumped at the chance just to take part. had a great weekend and hope to take part again.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
September 2009
Mallory Park I was asked to drive Clive Woods' RF79 FF2000. had a good Qualifying and race finishing 1st in my class. The car must have looked good as it was sold a few days later.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
August 2009
Monday Bank Holiday we drove on to Oulton Park for The Gold Cup meeting. I was due to race A Royale RP30 in the HFF2000 and an RP27 in the F3 race. I qualified the car and then Alan the owner went to qualify in his race and came in with a blown engine. So that was that. With the RP30 I had very bad gear selection and down on power engine. Finishing midfield a very disappointing meeting.
______________________________________________________________________________________
August 2009
Bank holiday weekend was a busy one. Sunday,Snetterton, racing in the S2000 Pinto race in Neil Scully's Swift and in the relay sharing Paul Crocker's Swift. Anything that could go wrong did and this resulted in my having to end the race early in the Pinto race and the Relay race in doubt as Paul had a problem with the clutch. This was fast becoming a rather frustrating start to the Bank Holiday racing. I did eventually get a race in Neil's Swift. There were entrants pulling out of the Relay race due to car failures, this meant that I was then paired with Richard Cooke and we went on to a class win.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
August 2009
Mallory Park. I was out in The Royale RP30 in the historic FF2000 race. The qualifying had its usual problems.... under geared for a start but managed to qualify ok. Time between qualifying and race was spent changing gear ratios in the hope that a little more power could be squeezed out. The race was eventful with being hit on the first lap going into the hairpin. This meant I spent the rest of the lap making sure there was no major damage. Once I found that the car was behaving I was able to get on with it. I eventually finished 5th.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
July 2009
Brands GP circuit. A great historic meeting. driving a Royale RP27 FF2000 car in the invitation class of the CF3 series. The car belongs to Alan Gape who let me drive at Brands as I love the GP circuit. The qualifying was a disaster. Every time I put the car into 4th the revs would plunge to 4000 rpm... I was so frustrated not being able to enjoy the GP circuit. After practice the team realised that the timing was retarded and so that was dealt with. The times for qualifying were released and I was not disappointed as I thought I would be as I was 4th fastest in our class. In the race I got a good start but was hindered by a FF2000 going off further into the first lap and lost touch with the group which could have seen me winning my class but instead I had a dice with an F3 and although I would pass him in the corners he would out power me on the straight. The team was happy with the result 2nd in class, especially after the disastrous qualifying.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009
Brands Hatch saw me in a Fiesta ST double header. The car belonging to Ian Cowie. I was asked if I would like to drive the car at Brands as a guest driver. It would be a different experience driving a tin top. I did not let the side down and got a relatively competitive time. Finishing 9th and 11th respectively. The weekend was a very happy one, good racing good team support and good fans.....
_______________________________________________________________________________________
June 2009
A Sports 2000 drive was offered to me by Neil Scully in his Shrike. I was looking forward to driving the car as it was meant to be very competitive. Got to Donington and the heavens decided to open. The meeting was cancelled no race! I will have an outing in the car later in the series.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
May 2009
The 3rd round for the HFF2000 saw us at Silverstone. Qualifying was ok and saw me 5th fastest, still a lot more to come from the car in the race. On the start I got bogged down after the first corner the brake pipe split open and I lost most of the brake fluid. it took me a few laps to adapt to the car with no brakes. I can truly say that it was a very hairy experience trying to slow the car down before a corner. I finished 8th with the car and my fellow competitors in one piece.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 2009
The second HFF2000 race was at Cadwell Park. The qualifying was a surprise and found me on pole. In the race I had a good start but the brakes on the car at the rear stayed on putting me in a spin on the first corner. This put me down to last. I then had to adapt quickly to the inbalance of the brakes to eventually finish 6th.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 2009
April 5 saw my first outing in our Royale RP30 FF2000. The winter was spent putting the car together and making changes to see if could challenge the dominance of Reynard. The first qualifying saw the car on the front row, a Reynard on pole. A slow start saw me going down to 5th after the second lap. A 2nd place was lost due to NO overtaking between Maclean and Coppice ( a condition for donington getting a temporary licence to run the meeting). The meant a 3rd finish. A good start to the season.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Year 2008
It has been some time since I have had my web site news updated but here goes… In 2008 so far I have been involved with racing several S2000, FF2000, and FF1600 and have been able to race a Knobbly Lister Jag and a Porsche 550 spyder in The Classic Le Mans. The year has had its ups and downs...
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 2008.
Just took part in the Gold Cup
meeting at Oulton Park in a '78 Reynard FF2000. The car is owned by
James Howe who asked me to race it. He had just finished building it and
so it had not been raced. Qualifying saw me 9th on the grid. Finishing
an eventual 5th.The goal being to see how it felt and to get a semi
decent time. This was achieved in the race, 1.49.9 on the International
circuit. James was happy. The car is in the process of being sold. If it
does not then I may be offered another outing in it; perhaps at Brands
Hatch in September.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 2008.
This date saw me having an outing in
an '85 TigaS2000, converted from a Duratec to a Pinto. The race track
was Brands Hatch GP circuit. I knew that the car had a tired engine but
I love the GP circuit and so when I was offered the drive I jumped at
it. Qualifying saw me 20th!!!! On the grid, I was praying for rain and
as the race started I got my wish. It was a little frustrating as I was
being balked by another competitor for 6 laps. He was quicker on the
straight but slower on the bends and visa versa for me. Luckily I got a
chance to get on the inside coming up to Druids and was able to
overtake. He definitely held me up as I was over 4 seconds a lap quicker
on my next lap time. Unfortunately I was too far back to be able to
catch the leading pack. A few more laps and a top 5 finish would have
been possible but the result was 9th.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
13th-15th July 2008.
In July I took part in the Le Mans
Classic. I was entered in two cars, a Knobbly Lister Jaguar and a
Porsche 550 Spyder. The weekend was not without its dramas, including
one incident where I was racing the Porsche with only 2 gears (3rd and
4th). This made for an interesting change over in the race as I had to
get the car going after the 1st driver came in to a stop. It was a
little 'winding' but I managed to get the car moving to a good race
speed. The car finished all of its races and finished in the 20's. The
Knobbly on the other hand was a very quick car again with its own
problems. In the first of three races, Derek Hood (the owner/driver),
whom I was partnering, lost all the water in the rad and eventually
finished at the back of the grid. This meant for the night race we would
have to start at the back. Derek again was going strong. Due to an error
with the pits signals he came in a lap early… this was good for me as I
was able to get my teeth into the car having got an extra lap. The time
that I was able to register meant that we would start the 3rd race near
the front of the grid. This would give us a great chance to finish high
up the field. Derek, after a couple of laps, was lying 8th overall with
the possibility of a top 6 finish, but then the core plug disintegrated
and that was the end of the race.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
28th-29th June 2008.
I raced at Brands Hatch in the HSCC
meeting in a FF1600 Macon, the formula in which I started. The car was
prepared and owned by Peter Alexander. The car had not been out for a
few years so was dusty to say the least. On the first qualifying lap the
throttle cable broke so that was the end of that. Luckily a hurried fix
meant I was able to slowly complete the 3 laps needed to qualify. I
started 36th at the back of the grid. At the green lights, a good start
meant I came round paddock bend in 20th place. The car started to over
heat and I was thinking damn!!! Then the safety car came out. This
allowed the car to cool down, and once the safety car went into the pits
I had another good start, with an eventual 12th finish.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
31st May 2008
I raced a S2000 Tiga at Silverstone,
leading the Pinto class by 22 seconds, and then the engine blows!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
October 07
Formula Ford Festival.
The midnight oil was being burned to get Jim's Swift S2000 ready for the last
race of the season. Although the overall championship was won he had to
finish no lower than 4th in his class to win the class B. It did look a
sorry state, the car, but it was ready to race. Jim was first to qualify
and came in saying the car was undriveable. This being because we had to
borrow shock absorbers to be able to race, one of the original shockers
had been damaged and could not be fixed in time and as they had not been
in production for a good number of years would take time to make up. I
qualified next and could also confirm that the car was a pig to drive.
Even so it qualified fastest in the Invitation Class. We made a few
adjustments and borrowed more shocks from Steve Mole. I raced first so
could give Jim feed back on what the car was doing. I brought the car
back with a broken nose cone so my wife Anna and Jim's wife Angela got
to work on it with tank tape (thank goodness for Blue Peter).They made a
sterling job of it. Jim finished 2nd in class and champion of class B.
I was also out in a FF1600, going back to my roots. The car, Ray '95,
belonged to Mary Whitaker and appreciated her letting me drive it. I
have not been in a FF1600 for a good 12 years. I was a little nervous
but took to it like riding a bicycle. It was in the Kent race and had
qualified for the final. In the final going down to Graham Hill, I tried
to gain a place and was hit by the FF1600 and had to retire with a
puncture.
The weekend was great fun.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 07
Oulton Park at the S2000 meeting. I was asked to race Jim MacDougalls
race winning car, in the Invitation class of the Duratec race. I
practiced first thing and got a time fastest in the class by 2 seconds,
the car was brilliant. Jim then did his qualifying and after three laps
was on the front row but a bolt at the rear of the car came away and
this put Jim in a spin. The grass being very wet meant the car was out
of control and unfortunately came to a stop in the wall. The weekend
came to an abrupt halt. A shame as both Jim and I would have had winning
races.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
September 07
James Howe again asked me to race this time in a S2000 Duratec, he had
bought the car to use parts to build another duratec. We made a spanner
check and went racing at Silverstone GP circuit. It was a very tired
engine and car so although I had a race it was cut short due to a water
hose splitting.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 07
James Howe asked me to race a FF2000 at The Oulton Park Gold Cup. It was
a very long weekend dogged with problems on the carb resulting in a
misfire. James managed to solve the problem to give a slightly better
performances but a wrong gearing choice meant an underperforming car.
Still, looking on the positive side I did get three races over the
weekend.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
July 07
I have been very busy testing several FF2000 chassis , a Reynard and a
Royale for their owners. This took place at Brands Hatch and Mallory
resulting in progress of set up and performance.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 07 Le Mans
A phone call on the Monday and by Wednesday I was off to take part in
the Legends race at Le Mans. Thanks to Derek Hood I am able to tick
another box for things to do before.....
As is the weather it rained! and rained! and rained! but that would not
dampen our spirits. The qualifying was a means to learn the circuit,
having only been there as a spectator. It gave me an opportunity to
catch up with old friends as there were many faces that I knew and had
not seen for a while. The race was GREAT and the highlight for me was
Sterling Moss waving me by.
The Le Mans weekend being on the same weekend as I was to have driven
Jim's car meant that the S2000 drive was put on hold for a later
meeting.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
June 07 Snetterton S2000
I will be driving in the invitation race in Jim McDougall's race winning
Shrike. It will be great to get my teeth into a car that has had a
winter rebuild and complete set-up, under my guidance.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2nd race of the S2000 championship. I have been asked by Colin Fayreband to help with looking at driving standards in the championship and so it was a long trek to Pembrey and only Pembrey do you get rain that seems to be wetter than anywhere else. Once again I took part in the invitation race. What a wet race it was! It was a suprise to be the first invitation Pinto home that had not raced in the actual pinto race. So I came home with Laurels!!!!
Although the weekend was very long, it was enjoyable.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 07 A1 GP Meeting Brands Hatch
First race meeting for the S2000 calendar and what a meeting! At general testing on April 20 I was asked by Steve Mole to help test and give instruction to several of his drivers in S2000 Pinto. I turned up at the circuit and was asked by Peter Richardson of Mark Stuart Racing to give Alan Hudds car a quick few laps, that was the start of a very busy day. At the end of the day I had been out on track in no less than 7 S2000 cars, Jim McDougall's Swift, Colin Fayerabend's Lola,Mark Richardson's March, Andrew Nimmo's Tiga, Jo Simmons' Lola, Alan Hudd's March and another of Steve Mole's Tiga.It was great to be able to test a variety of different chassis and to see how the cars could be improved.
The race meeting was over 3 days and I was there to help Rafal Kiszko, a total rookie, who needed help to go round the GP circuit. I was also going to drive the Royale S2000M which Raf is racing in this season. In qualifying I found that the engine was very tired and had no go. Even so I am happiest to be going round the track than not. I love the GP circuit at Brands and would never miss an opportunity to race on it.
I was racing in the invitation class in the Duratec Race, in the race I got a fantastic start going past quite a few drivers around Paddock and up to Druids, I started at a lowly 26th and got to 16th on the first lap, but the car picked up a slow puncture from gravel thrown onto the circuit as a result of a car going off and also had a sticking throttle. This meant I had to switch the ignition off several times to avoid going off myself. I had to retire after 8 laps.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
March 06 2006 MSVR meeting
First race was at Brands Hatch on 19th March, sharing a drive with Jim McDougall in his Swift S2000. It competed in the open top sports car race and was using the meeting as a test session for the car. We had worked on it over the winter making changes to the set-up and had to see if the changes were positive. Good to say they were and since Jim has put the car on the front row missing pole by a tenth of a second.
I finished 6th overall and 4th in class. I will be having another outing in the car at Donnington in June.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
April 06
I tested a FF2000, Reynard 79 for Peter Denham at Brands Hatch and was able to clock a time running in which would have put me on pole in the FF2000 championship. Peter was pleased with the car and the new rebuilt engine from James Howe. The same day I was also out in a Porsche 997 cup car and was able to do a respectable time considering it had not been set-up yet. I think including the laps for both cars I must have done over 150 laps.
I will be out in a FF2000 at the Snetterton meet in September, I will also be giving an airing to Ian Howards Vauxhall Lotus too, but am sorting dates out for that.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sept 05 S2000 LOLA CUP
Qualified 4th on the grid in the Tiga SC79. Just getting warmed up and oil was dropped so was unable to get a quicker time.
The race. Got a great start and was able to get the lead having gone on the outside at Redgate. Lost the lead twice but was able to regain it to eventually win the race.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sept 05 S2000 RELAY
My relay partner was Jim McDougall . He was in a Swift DB2 and I in the Tiga. In qualifying was able to get a really great time in after getting a good tow behind one of the Duratec cars to get a 3rd place on the grid. As my time was the faster of the two I started the race. Again got a good start. The Duratecs were going to be faster so my main aim was to keep top of the class B's. After 18 laps I handed the race over to Jim. In the changeover we lost our 3rd overall position but to a stellar drive by Jim he was able to regain the position after 5 laps. At the finish we finished 3rd overall and 1st in class. This ended a great day for the team. THANK YOU Steve Mole and Phil for all your help and to Neil Duke for allowing me to race his car.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
SEPT 05
Sept 3-8 Tour Britannia. Took part in this event for fun and that was what it turned out to be FUN!!!
I was co-driver in an original AC Cobra partnering Derek Hood. I was able to race the car on the last day at Silverstone on the GP circuit. Started at the back and on the first corner at the start got quite a few cars to finish 9th overall.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
JULY 05
Wil was asked to Brands Hatch to test for Derek Hood on Friday 22nd July. When he arrived he was excited to learn that he would be testing one of the famous Le Mans Silk Cut Jaguars. He took part in two test sessions with a lot of success. After the test Derek asked Wil to drive for him at the weekend at Brands Hatch. The car was ‘awesome’, Wil’s words. He started the practice session and after two laps the car lost all drive. Wil came to a halt on the bottom straight. When the car was brought back to the team garage Wil was told that it was terminal and was not able to race. He was gutted at losing such a great opportunity to drive the car. The weekend was not such a lost cause because when the practice times came he was 9th fastest after 2 laps. According to Wil he felt he would have qualified in the top 5 and would have been on course to get a top 5 position. Wil is hoping to have another try in the car in the future. Thanks Derek for the opportunity.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
JULY 05
30/31 July Historic meeting at Silverstone.
Derek Hood asked me if I would like to race the 12 again and I jumped at the offer. We arrived at Silverstone to take part in the untimed practice and then for qualifying for the race on Sunday. Derek was going to race the car on the Saturday. I asked Derek to go out first but he insisted on me going first to warm the car up. Lap 4 and thud, bang! the engine let go. End of the weekend for us. Though a good weekend for JD Classics their other Jaguar won both the races. So not all was lost. I was gutted to say the least another opportunity wasted. Thanks again to Derek for giving me the chance perhaps if I am nice to him he may give me another go!!!!!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
AUGUST 05
Wil is to drive a Vauxhall Lotus in the Monoposto race at Mallory Park on the 7th of August. The car is owned by Ian Howard who has asked Wil to drive the car as he is unavailable to compete that day. The car is to be tested on the Wednesday before the race. Will keep you posted.
Wil tested and raced the Vauxhall Lotus at Mallory making many adjustment and improvements. On the day of the race the times expected were not achieved but improvements were being made with gear ratio changes and areoquip changes but in the race Wil experienced the car was undrivable and all he did was to keep the car on the tarmac. He finished 13th which does not reflect what the car and driver are capable of.
Next outing is at Donnington August 27th will once again keep you posted of the developements.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wil is also going to be racing a Porsche 924 at Brands Hatch at the end of August. The car is owned by Andi Murch and he has asked Wil to give the car an airing as Andi has just bought the car.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
2004
Raced a Vauxhall Lotus single seater at Lydden in the Open Single Seater Race. Had 2 races. First one was a qualifying 10 minute race for the main 20 minute race later. Qualified on pole for the first race. Had a reasonable start with a lot of wheel spin so found myself lying second for 1 lap. Overtook the Jedi at the hairpin on the second lap and led the race from there on. Lapped all the cars and won the race.
For the main race the grid was obtained from the results of race one. So started on pole again. Led from start to finish and was about to lap the whole field when the throttle stuck open so as not blow the engine I switched off the ignition and coasted down from the hairpin. I kept switching the ignition on and off so as to nurse the car over the line.
Lady luck was on my side as the chequered flag was shown as I came to a halt just over the line. All in all a good weekend... 7th August at Lydden.
A word of thanks to Ian Howard for allowing me to race the car even though we were using this meet as a test session and to James Howe for giving up his weekend to be there for all the adjustments and everything else.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
MAY 04
I have just recently come back from Spa where I was helping in coaching several drivers on achieving the best performance out of their cars and techniques on driving round the circuit. Although it was my first visit to Spa (Yes my first visit), I was able to give tuition after some laps around the circuit. I can understand why so many people find the circuit so good. It was exhilarating driving on this long circuit. I would recommend all motor race and track day people to definitely put this Belgian circuit on their 'tracks to drive' list. it was fantastic.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
JUNE 04
Back to racing... I took part in a Clubmans 1800 ( Zetec) race at Brands on the 12th/13th June. The car went reasonably well in testing on the Friday but on race day in qualifying it decided to cough and splutter its way round after two laps. That was the end of the qualifying for me and this meant I was at the back end of the grid. Not a very present place to be. We tried everything we could bar changing the car.
Thought we had solved the problem, so went to line up for the race. Got a great start made up 5 or 6 places and thought yes we are in for a good race and once again the same problem. Looking at the telemetry after the race it was found to be a fuel pressure problem, we are still trying to sort it out. I am due to race at Snetterton on the 17th/18th July a double header in a newer 1800 and hope that I have a better weekend. I shall write a race report after the race.
|
Wil Arif Performance Driving |
