Good start this morning, overslept. Good job I packed the car up last night. Got half way there and remebered I didnt have my switch card. Oh no! I'm going to run out of petrol! luckly I remembered my dad's cardit card I got for emergencies, though I didnt think of this until I got there.

I was going to be my usual freeloading self and try and find a mug to pay for my fuel! I didnt even have any change so I ended up drinking the spare water I had for the car! uuck! Anyway, back to the driving.

Because I got there late I didnt have time to change my road tyres for my track tyres, which have, by the way actually got more tread on than the road ones after scotland.

Just a tip guys what out for the squirrel who likes sitting in the middle of the track munching on a nut on the approach to druids!

So I went out for the familirsation lap on the road tyres. It was damp with some dry places and some sanding water on parts of the track after about ten laps of 5/10 ths drivning I came in and burnt my fingers changing my wheels over whilst the expereineced drivers went out.

I was hoping tonyr would be there to take me for a few laps like markr did at donnington, and I could have learnt the lines a bit quicker. The first stint was spent learning the track, following the blue cones and deciding how much past the red braking cones I needed to start braking .

I came back into the paddock and saw RichH and his pit crew of sons, so I jumped out and said hello, checked and changed the tyre pressures and shot back out.

This was the worst lap of the day. Totally different cars are deceptively quick and I tried to follow an ex-renault syder racing car on slicks through Knickerbrook chicane. Tyres, grass, tarmac, grass, kerb, oops!

I made another error at the end of that lap. The last series of corners are off camber and I got distracted from the line and managed to find myself the wrong side of the kerb on the outside of the corner with armco flying towards me this is it I thought, game over. Luckly for me they put a mat in the grass which gives it a surprising amount of grip, feeuw.

Then it started to rain, just on the slippery part of the track - Druids. I came flying round, windscreen wipers on, only to have what felt like terminal understeer towards the tyre wall, not good, apperently someone stuffed a new Morgan there this week!

I continued at a similar pace not really piecing a good lap together until I thought I need some fuel at about 11.30 so I pulled off the track and made my way a few miles up the road to the petrol station and the heavens opened. I was rather pleased with myself at the timing and got back just in time for lunch which was brought forward half an hour because of the rain.

Money problem number 2 - no cash, no lunch. Thankfully rich was still around and he lent me some, cheers mate. I than had a nice lunch chatting to his -8 year old sons about speeding offences, 106s rallying and general car stuff. I tell you, they would be senior memebers on this forum!

Lunch seemed to focus my mind and I went out for a couple of hours and started to string together some smooth laps. But I'd paid for some tuition so at 2.30 I got one the instructors, some world stock car champ or something to sit in with me.

Inst - 'now the aim is to keep it smooth'
Me - 'er ok, this is my second track day and first here'
Inst - 'ok, lets see how you do'
I floor it and proceed to do a couple of good corners
Inst - 'has this got uprated suspension?'
Me - 'err yeh, just pug, actually the anti bar drop links wore out'
Inst - ' they go pretty well this things dont they!'
Inst - 'who taught you to heel-toe?'
Me - 'er, me'
Inst - 'excellent, that was very smooth'

He proceeded to tell me to stay in a higher gear instead of destabilising the car and loosing time by changing down. we came up to the first chicane

Inst - 'right floor it... now' ... 'well maybe not now, keep going over 
the grass! Doesnt matter we'll have a go next time' LOL

He basically showed me that I could have a much higher exit speed, it I kept in a higher gear and steered less and later, which was helpful.

The track sarted to dry out fully by now and after the tuition I really started to fly. I was hitting 85mph (actually the smae speed as the Exige! and I now how hard he was pushing cos he gave me a ride!) before the shell oil banked hair pin, before locking up... every lap. Flat spotted the left front. Four times!

By this time both Barry and Matthew had turned up and Rich had had to scoot, so I got them to stand at the exit of.. eerm.. the corner at the end of the start/finish straight because I'd been getting seriously sideways in fourth.. at 80mph! and I want a pic to prove it.

Right on cue I come haring into the corner, a little bit of dampness helping the rear and lurid sideways follows. I just hope the pic comes out beaasue the track got too dry after that to do it again (or my bravery dried up, one or the other!)

I'm definetly going back to Oulton, it's just so tricky, one visit isn't enough to get the best out of it. Thanks to Marcus from Easytrack. The day went very smoothly with no stoppages or stoopid driving (well, except mine!).

The car hasnt faired so well. There's a violent vibration coming through the clutch pedal, drive shaft is suspected but not sure, will have to investigate.